IBI Watch 3/24/13

Dirty Fuel, Dirty Weather, Wiser Choices //

Yet another late-winter storm is raking the southern American midsection. This provides fodder for pignorant (pretend-ignorant) climate deniers. You know, it’s cold, it’s snowy, the climate change people are wrong, etc.  But such storms, massive, slow-moving phenomena that they are, just may be more evidence of payback for our vast and accelerating atmospheric transformation.

More people need this message, and the Climate Reality Project is on the job. Check and share this new, two-minute video that tells the story in clever, entertaining ways. Also, this Yahoo news item goes into more depth on the topic of carbon pricing. Speaking of the message, the inventor of the “hockey-stick” idea himself, Michael Mann, confesses that he was wrong about the concept. But wait until you see what he believes is a more accurate model of the mess we have created for ourselves. And it is always a good time to check where we are on the carbon scale. Not good, friends.

A terrific article in the current Scientific American looks at the true cost of all fossil fuels, including the filthy Canadian tar sands that are the reason for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. Here is a preview; I will link to the entire article when it becomes available later. This Motley Fool article goes into more depth on the environmental risks, and Andy Kroll in Mother Jones digs more deeply into the political and commercial connections behind the recent State Department study giving a sort of environmental all-clear to the project.  If this appalls you, why not sign this petition, provided by our friends at Greedy Lying Bastards?

We know where we need to go. Here is a tour of renewables progress, provided by Elizabeth Rosenthal at the New York Times.

Thank You, Mr. Decider

As a final celebration of a dubious anniversary – our illegal invasion of Iraq – it is hard to trump personal experience. Here is a personal letter from a veteran of the invasion.

Tales of the Marketeers

From “Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me,” two new milestones in consumer marketing. “Fruitwater” sans fruit, and “Sex Cereal,” in his and hers versions of course. As the great Russian comedian Yakov Smirnoff says, “America, what a country!”

Abbreviated Post this Week

I must add a new routine to my act. This post is much briefer than usual for two reasons: $%#@ing shaky Microsoft Word, and my lunkheaded failure to hit that blasted “Save” button more often. Here is a good reason to swear at your computer. That’s when you have three hours of work created but not saved, and about to go off to oblivion because “Microsoft Word has quit working.” Aaaaaargh is about the only printable word for this week’s experience. Time considerations keep me from re-creating that work, which I assure you was great, or at least passable. I will be back next week with much more SAVED commentary and links.

“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” – Aldo Leopold

Contributed links to this posting – Allyson Harper

Blogger – Michael Murphy, St. Paul MN