Author Archives: ColinEllzey

The first ‘negative emissions’ carbon-capture plant is up and running.

by ColinEllzey Posted on October 12, 2017

In a memo leaked last week, Department of Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert recommended White House staff pivot to a “theme of stabilizing” with regard to messaging around the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico.

President Trump, however, appears to have missed that particular update. On Thursday morning, he threatened to pull federal relief workers from the devastated island just three weeks after Maria made landfall.

Meanwhile, most of Puerto Rico is still without power, hospitals are running out of medical supplies, and clean water remains scarce.

Trump isn’t the only prominent Republican refusing to recognize the severity of the crisis. In an interview with CNN on Thursday morning, Representative Scott Perry, a Pennsylvania Republican, accused host Chris Cuomo of fabricating reports of the severity of the disaster.

“Mr. Cuomo, you’re simply just making this stuff up,” Perry said. “If half the country didn’t have food or water, those people would be dying, and they’re not.”

45 Puerto Rican deaths have been officially confirmed so far, and reports from the ground indicate the unofficial number of deaths due to the storm is higher.

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The first ‘negative emissions’ carbon-capture plant is up and running.

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Michael Green: A Superhero for the Earth

by ColinEllzey Posted on December 27, 2014

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Michael Green: A Superhero for the Earth

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Chris Giles Challenges Thomas Piketty’s Data Analysis

by ColinEllzey Posted on May 23, 2014

Mother Jones

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Chris Giles of the Financial Times has been diving into the source data that underlies Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the 21st Century, and he says he’s found some problems. The details are here. Piketty’s response is here.

Is Giles right? Experts will have to weigh in on this. But Giles’ objections are mostly to the data regarding increases in wealth inequality over the past few decades, and the funny thing is that even Piketty never claims that this has changed dramatically. The end result of Giles’ re-analysis of Piketty’s data is on the right, with Piketty in blue and Giles in red. As you can see, Piketty estimates a very small increase since 1970.

Now, if Giles is right, and there’s been no increase at all, that’s important. But it’s still a surprisingly small correction. The fundamental problem here is that the difficulties of measuring wealth are profound enough that it’s always going to be possible to deploy different statistical treatments to come to slightly different conclusions. There’s just too much noise in the data.

In any case, I’m not taking any sides on this. The data analysis is too arcane for a layman to assess. But it’s worth keeping an eye on.

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Chris Giles Challenges Thomas Piketty’s Data Analysis

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Another day, another river ruined by a big coal-industry spill

by ColinEllzey Posted on February 13, 2014

Another day, another river ruined by a big coal-industry spill

By

Appalachian Voices

The coal power industry has dumped a lot of toxic crap into yet another river. This latest incident is not to be confused with the spill of toxic coal-cleaning chemicals that poisoned a West Virginia river last month and left 300,000 people without drinking water. Nor is it to be confused with a huge coal-ash spill from a retired power plant in North Carolina earlier this month.

No, this is a whole new spill.

Patriot Coal accidentally let more than 100,000 gallons of coal slurry loose from a coal processing facility in West Virginia. Six miles of Fields Creek, which flows into the Kanawha River, was blackened by the slurry spill. The slurry contained fine particles of processed coal, which includes heavy metals, and coal-cleaning chemicals.

“When this much coal slurry goes into the stream, it wipes the stream out,” said Randy Huffman, head of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). “This has had significant, adverse environmental impact to Fields Creek and an unknown amount of impact to the Kanawha River.” But officials say drinking water has not been affected, at least not yet. 

The nonprofit Appalachian Voices has conducted tests of the affected area: “The water in the creek was extremely turbid and was a dark grey, almost black color. Significant sediment had already built up on the banks,” the group reports.

The Charleston Gazette has the disturbing tale of what went wrong this time:

The spill was caused by a malfunction of a valve inside the slurry line, carrying material from the preparation plant to a separate disposal site … according to DEP officials.

The valve broke sometime between 2:30 and 5:30 early Tuesday morning, Huffman said at a news conference Tuesday evening. Patriot Coal did not call the DEP to alert them of the leak until 7:40 Tuesday morning, Huffman said. Companies are required to immediately report any spills to the DEP.

There was an alarm system in place to alert facility operators of the broken valve, but the alarm failed, so pumps continued to send the toxic slurry through the system. There was a secondary containment wall around the valve, but with the pumps continuing to send slurry to the broken valve, it was soon overwhelmed and the slurry overflowed the wall and made its way to the creek. …

“Had the alarms gone off and warned the operator that the pipe was leaking, the shutdown could have been done in time for the secondary containment to contain the material that leaked,” Huffman said.

Neighbors of Patriot Coal’s processing facility in Kanawha County have been seeing a lot of coal slurry in recent years. Smaller such spills occurred from the same Kanawha Eagle facility in November of 2013, leading to a $663 fine, and in 2010, which resulted in a $22,400 fine.

The recent rash of river-spoiling accidents is awful, but, hey, at least the companies that are ruining our environment have all-American names — like Patriot Coal and Freedom Industries.

Here’s video of the latest spill from Appalachian Voices:


Source
‘Significant’ slurry spill blackens Kanawha creek, The Charleston Gazette
BREAKING: Another Coal-Related Spill Reported In West Virginia, Appalachian Voices

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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Another day, another river ruined by a big coal-industry spill

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“Unruly Passengers” Increased 12x in Four Years. I Wonder Why?

by ColinEllzey Posted on December 23, 2013

Mother Jones

Speaking of airlines, two stories crossed my radar by chance today. Here’s the first:

The number of incidents of unruly passengers jumped from less than 500 in 2007 to more than 6,000 in 2011, according to the International Air Transport Assn., the trade group for world airlines, which has been keeping track of the incidents….A meeting has been scheduled for March by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a branch of the United Nations, to discuss new rules on how to deal with unruly passengers. A location for the meeting has not been set.

And here’s the second:

On Jammed Jets, Sardines Turn on One Another

With air travelers increasingly feeling like packed sardines, flying has become a contact sport, nowhere more than over the reclined seat.

Now, it is only getting worse, as airlines re-examine every millimeter of the cabin. Over the last two decades, the space between seats — hardly roomy before — has fallen about 10 percent, from 34 inches to somewhere between 30 and 32 inches. Today, some airlines are pushing it even further, leaving only a knee-crunching 28 inches.

….Southwest, the nation’s largest domestic carrier, is installing seats with less cushion and thinner materials — a svelte model known in the business as “slim-line.” It also is reducing the maximum recline to two inches from three. These new seats allow Southwest to add another row, or six seats, to every flight — and add $200 million a year in newfound revenue.

I wonder if these could possibly be related in any way?

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“Unruly Passengers” Increased 12x in Four Years. I Wonder Why?

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We’re Still at War: Photo of the Day for December 5, 2013

by ColinEllzey Posted on December 5, 2013

Mother Jones

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NANGAHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Shelby Johnson scans the horizon Nov. 18, 2013, during a dismounted patrol from Forward Operating Base Torkham to an Afghan Border Police checkpoint near the village of Goloco. Johnson serves as a squad leader with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, @4th Brigade 10th Mountain “Patriots”. The mission’s purpose was to establish partnerships with the ABP officers at the checkpoint. This partnership will enhance security for Afghans and Coalition Forces operating in the area. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Eric Provost, Task Force Patriot PAO.

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We’re Still at War: Photo of the Day for December 5, 2013

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Three Reasons Why Germany Is Kicking Our Arsch on Solar

by ColinEllzey Posted on October 23, 2013

green4us

Index Astartes: Volume I – Games Workshop

Index Astartes explores the units, heroes and vehicles of the Space Marine Chapters. This eBook collects together a selection of these great articles in one place. About this Series: The Adeptus Astartes are genetically engineered warriors, created by the Emperor of Mankind and tempered by centuries of bloody warfare. The Index Astartes series explores the o […]

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Codex: Adepta Sororitas – Games Workshop

The Adepta Sororitas, also known as the Sisters of Battle, are an elite sisterhood of warriors raised from infancy to adore the Emperor of Mankind. Their fanatical devotion and unwavering purity is a bulwark against corruption, heresy and alien attack, and once battle has been joined they will stop at nothing until their enemies are utterly crushed In this b […]

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Sentinels of Terra – A Codex: Space Marines Supplement – Games Workshop

The Imperial Fists have defended the Imperium since the days of the Great Crusade. They stood with the Emperor at the Siege of Terra, and have continued his life’s work in the centuries since. They are indefatigable defenders of Mankind, and the foremost guardians of Terra itself. About this book: Sentinels of Terra is a supplement to Codex: Space Marines Th […]

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Trident K9 Warriors – Michael Ritland & Gary Brozek

As Seen on “60 Minutes”! As a Navy SEAL during a combat deployment in Iraq, Mike Ritland saw a military working dog in action and instantly knew he’d found his true calling. Ritland started his own company training and supplying dogs for the SEAL teams, U.S. Government, and Department of Defense. He knew that fewer than 1 percent of […]

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Codex: Space Marines (Enhanced Edition) – Games Workshop

The Space Marines are the chosen warriors of the Emperor, and the greatest fighting force of the Imperium. Each Space Marine is a genetically enhanced super soldier, easily a match for a dozen lesser men, armed with some of the deadliest weapons in the galaxy and encased in formidable power armour. This codex explores the formations and Chapters of the Space […]

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Inside of a Dog – Alexandra Horowitz

The bestselling book that asks what dogs know and how they think, now in paperback. The answers will surprise and delight you as Alexandra Horowitz, a cognitive scientist, explains how dogs perceive their daily worlds, each other, and that other quirky animal, the human. Horowitz introduces the reader to dogs’ perceptual and cognitive abilities and then draw […]

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Codex: Adepta Sororitas (eBook Edition) – Games Workshop

The Adepta Sororitas, also known as the Sisters of Battle, are an elite sisterhood of warriors raised from infancy to adore the Emperor of Mankind. Their fanatical devotion and unwavering purity is a bulwark against corruption, heresy and alien attack, and once battle has been joined they will stop at nothing until their enemies are utterly crushed In this b […]

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The Art of Raising a Puppy (Revised Edition) – Monks of New Skete

For more than thirty years the Monks of New Skete have been among America’s most trusted authorities on dog training, canine behavior, and the animal/human bond. In their two now-classic bestsellers, How to be Your Dog’s Best Friend and The Art of Raising a Puppy, the Monks draw on their experience as long-time breeders of German shepherds and as t […]

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How to Raise the Perfect Dog – Cesar Millan & Melissa Jo Peltier

From the bestselling author and star of National Geographic Channel’s Dog Whisperer , the only resource you’ll need for raising a happy, healthy dog. For the millions of people every year who consider bringing a puppy into their lives–as well as those who have already brought a dog home–Cesar Millan, the preeminent dog behavior expert, says, “Yes, […]

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Tom Dokken’s Retriever Training – Tom Dokken

Hunting Success Begins Here! In Tom Dokken’s Retriever Training , America’s leading trainer helps you channel your hunting dog’s huge ambition so he works for you, the way you want, and does so happily. After using the time-tested methods in Tom Dokken’s Retriever Training , you’ll have a reliable retriever that: Obeys commands on- a […]

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Three Reasons Why Germany Is Kicking Our Arsch on Solar

Posted in alo, Citadel, eco-friendly, FF, G & F, GE, LAI, Monterey, ONA, OXO, PUR, solar, solar power, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Three Reasons Why Germany Is Kicking Our Arsch on Solar