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[ Monday, April 30, 2007 16:15 PDT ]
Legacy Journal: Using Plankton to Sequester Carbon in the Oceans.
Section:
Climate Change
Summary:
Today, the Business Section of the nytimes reports an an old idea that has been recycled by some well connected .com folks in Silicon Valley. This time it is about using presumed free access the oceans to fertilize surface phytoplankton with ferric iron and let the sun and the magic of micro plant chlorophyll do the rest. Vola! Instant oceanic pea soup by the thousands of square nautical miles. Spreadsheets, small scale wet lab, computer generated virtual simulations and scientists with impressive sounding titles promise profits at $5, or less per ton of the photosynthetic stuff.
Main:
Meanwhile, there is cause for caution and concern.
* What are the unintended consequences? Today, a “toxic bloom” of algae has been reported off the California coast. And the Arctic Ocean, most of which lies in the Russian sphere of influence, is about to become a marine food factory that is solar powered 24 hrs per day.
* At what yield rate is surface plankton sequestered in the pelagic depths? What is the methane production and release rate from naturally occurring anaerobic decomposition?
* What if the global market rate of carbon credits falls to less than $2 ?
* What is the regulatory role and authority of UNClOS ?
* What significant maritime nation states have endorsed the plan and passed enabling treaties and regulatory funding?
Meanwhile, the Humpback whales of Hawaii are about to begin their annual migration to Arctic waters where they will restore their blubber and gestate their fetal young with krill.
More:
Business and Trade: • Calendar: • Monday: • Energy: • Law: • News: • Global: • What is Down?: • Global Warming: • Dollars and Cents: • (0) Comments: • (0) Trackbacks: • Permalink:
[ Sunday, April 29, 2007 17:25 PDT ]
Legacy Journal: Carbon Neutral: The View from NY and Davis
Section:
Climate Change
Summary:
Carbon Credit Buyers Beware. The “Off Set"market is unregulated and the price per ton , as reported by Rivkin of the nytimes, ranges from $5 to $25 per ton. One ton is roughly the jet fuel carbon dioxide factor on a transatlantic flight. Rough is the right word. Shopping for and purchasing carbon credits can be a rocky if not unsettling business—- like purchasing your own plot in the heavens.
Main:
It has been said that the average American has a “Carbon Footprint ” of 20 tons per year. For many it is much more. Consider college students attending a private or public residential campus in the northeastern part of the country. Some predict a carbon surcharge tacked on to the annual tab for tuition, R&B. Classrooms, libraries, indoor sports activity facilities, laboratories, dorms and public spaces take a lot of energy and money to heat, cool, illuminate, computerize, service and administer. It is not by accident that the University Southern California in Los Angeles is one of the largest single private consumers of electricity in L.A. county.
Meanwhile, Caveat Emptor, have a good day, and enjoy your bike ride.
More:
Calendar: • Davis Community: • Energy: • News: • Planting: • Really? A Reality Check: • Trends: • Global Warming: • (0) Comments: • (0) Trackbacks: • Permalink:
[ Saturday, April 28, 2007 16:37 PDT ]
Legacy Journal: Arbor Day at the Davis Farmer’s Market
Section:
Events & Meetings
Summary:
This morning’s Farmer’ Market was at it’s spring time best. The new rose garden was producing fragrant buds and blooms, music and dance messaged the ear and the eye, student and community volunteers were out to man the shovels and plant a tree on Arbor Day in Davis.
Councilman, Don Saylor quoted Sol Siverstein’s “The Giving Tree, Joseph Campbell and John Muir before presenting the a City Proclaimation to The City Tree Commission. We now know that The City of Davis officially has 15,000 street trees and 5,000 park trees. According to an attending officer representing the California Department of Forestry, The City is the same tree friendly league at neighboring Santa Rosa and Sacramento. The Arbor Day Foundation likes to give out awards to places that are home to Luther Burbank and academic plant scientists.
Main:
The California Department Forestry and Fire Protection is fostering something called Urban Forestry. For example,they fund the use by non-profit organization of five portable diesel engine mills and electrically powered drying kilns to “recycle” harvested and fallen public trees. Mulch, lumber for fames, floors, furniture and one CCC work shop student project site are examples of the end product.
It appears that there is currently no firm data or standards as to the CO2 sequestration power of the average urban tree. So The City of Davis is not quite ready to jump into the the hot area of carbon trading or carbon off sets or carbon credits, or carbon caps. In fact, a ball park count of The City vehicle fleet and energy bills would appear to place it in a net- net polluter position.
Meanwhile,
* Diesel/Electric Amtrak and Union Pacific engines continue to move commuters, sugar beets, lumber and containers to and though Davis many times a day. It is little wonder that Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway and philanthropy fame has recently large equity postiions in at least two long distance American railroad carriers. One, Union Pacific Railroad, happens to be HQed in his home town, Omaha, Nebraska, near the of center of America’s Heartland.
* It has come to our attention that jet airlines are responsible for 3% of the fossil fuel carbon recycled into the atmosphere. They also produce vapor trails. Hm, maybe we should all join Duke Ellington, and Take the A Train.
* The City of Brea is demonstration city and West Coast Arborists are urban lumber distributors.
* more on Urban Woods can be found at http://www.ufei.org.
BTW. one of the community tree planting volunteer was a Mormon serving her Mission. She is from mainland China, is self supporting, and is currently on an immigrant status granted by virture her religious affiliation.
More:
[ Friday, April 27, 2007 16:45 PDT ]
Legacy Journal: Standards, the Food Police and the New School Lunch Standards.
Section:
Education
Summary:
An Associated Press article on the recently released report from the Institute of Medicine on school lunch reforms to combat obesity was recently printed in the local Davis Enterprise. National nutritional
standards and recommendations sound good on paper, but will kids eat and drink the stuff? And will it make a diffenence?
Main:
There is one bit of evidence from the nytimes.com. Diets regimens do not successfully treat the sign of obesity. In addition, genetics, live style, physical work and exercise are important in the prevention of the expression of diseases like diabetes So here, we take the postion that:
* Obesity is not a disease. But, is may be a sign of a condition that could adversely effect long term health, well being and productivity.
* Obesity may be associated with diet, but it is always associated with inadequated work or caloric expenditure.
* Diets alone fail. Exercise and physical activity works for the young.
* Many a sedentary meeting with coffee and donuts will be spent by school officials discussing the school lunch menu. Meanwhile, curriculum time, talent and resources devoted to play and daily physical education will continue to be short changed.
* Kids like play better than carrot sticks. And they will not give up their pizza voluntarily. Sugar, salt and saturated fat will find a way around walls, panel recommendations, national standards and unfunded mandates.
* Meanwhile, answer questions like: What are kids, parents and school districts in Canada and Utah doing that is right and that the rest of us can learn from?
More:
[ Monday, April 16, 2007 16:02 PDT ]
Legacy Journal: Security on Campus: Bullets in the Public Square at Blacksburg.
Section:
Commentary
Summary:
The recent mass murder on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA
once again brings to the public forum the continuing pattern of high visibility threats to personal and national security. Some suggest that the public is concerned about global climate chance, economic security, the availability of health insurance, and the cost of post K-12 education and training. Others in the heartland are concerned about personal and family safety and security. Yes, it can be a threatening and dangerous world out there.
Main:
Consider the University of California at Davis. Today, the California Aggie reports that the home of Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef’s home, on College Circle across Russell Ave to the north of the campus playing fields, was the scene of the second in a series of organized protests in “public . The first was a disruption of the Chancellor’s traditional welcoming remarks to those gathering at the Alumni Kickoff Breakfast of the 93d annual Aggie Picnic Day and Open House. The second was the Chancellor’s afternoon ice cream social.
Free speech, protest, and arms seem to fuse like apple pie and ice cream. Under the right conditions the results can be deadly. A deranged mind or improperly food handling has, does and will continue to take innocent human lives.
Clearly, the distance between a pattern of deeply scarred personal grievances, job actions and huelga’s in Davis and the incident at Virginia Tech is huge. However, and without warning, the gap can close in a flash.
Conversation gives no personal immunity to all social ills and pathology.
BTW, Don Imus found us where we live when he mounted his bully pulpit and unleashed a libel at a group of kids on campus. In loco parentis.
Realtime Updates:
* Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee announced has postponed the second day of the long scheduled testimony of Attorney General Gonzales in light of the events at Virginia Tech. Maybe the televised high minded business of the committee would appear trivial by comparison to a real tragedy.
* It appears that that the “Wired Campus” at Blacksburg, VA does not have an operational PA or siren alert system for impending or ongoing disasters ,dangers, confusion and chaos of natural or human origin. Fire is one thing ; directed gunfire is another; a media generated firestorm is quite another.
* Many of us have experienced community wide Civilian Defense and military base exercises that included sirens and hardwired public school PA systems. These inexpensive, low tech systems are effective, efficient and reliable. However, they are unlikely to be included in the UCDavis notification system RFP scheduled with security industry reps in May.
* Meanwhile, this summer a Regent’s mandated UC wide surcharge has been added to rapidly increasing student tuition and fees. Part of that surcharge is to cover student mental health serivces including improved suicide prevention strategies. It appears that the Virginia Tech shooter is described as a ” quiet loner” and a “gifted” creative writer who usually choose “disturbing” themes, language and characters.
* ABC News, particularly News Anchor, Charlie Gibson, and GMA hostess Diane Sawyer continue to impress with their down home and authentic style of onsite reporting from Blacksburg and the VT campus. More impressive are the students. Consider and be moved: ” We are Hokies” is their motto; “We are Virgina Tech” is their message; grit in the face adversity is their stance; applause for the embattled University President ; polite attention to the message of President Bush and hugs without words contrast starkly with the outside media blitz.
* Meanwhile, athletic competition continues and exercise facilities remain open. The spring quarter at VT will continue Monday following one week of suspended classes and campus activities including visits from Federal, State, County, Local officials, and a pack of media reporters.
* The murderer’s self produced and self serving series of video clips sent to and released by NBC New has been widely viewed. The public response from security and psychiatric professionals working daily in crisis enviroments like ERs, crisis centers and crime scenes is refreshing in tone. Serious, sensible and passionate is the general rule.
One, Dr. Michael Welner , was interviewed on Thursday’s ABC GMA. A consulting ER Psychatrist, he gave a flawlyly delivered five minute long indictment of the news networks. He all but said the networks have acted inrresponsibly as postmortem enablers for a morbid killer. The weak network rationalization that the video is “part of the forensic evidence” and that the “public has a right to know the state of of the killer” was quickly put to rest. “No”, was the rapid response, Cho was a loser, not a video game warrior hero. Even the smooth GMA weather man, Sam Champion, was impressed.
More:
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[ Tuesday, April 10, 2007 18:25 PDT ]
Legacy Journal: Childhood Obesity
Section:
Food and Nutrition
Summary:
Childhood Obesity in America.
The tend is clear, the reason is obvious, the prescription is time-tested.
The folks at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation are reported to be ready to spend up to $500 million over the next five years to help in the war against childhood obesity. We will be waiting and watching for the marching music that comes from the grantees. Chances are that much will be said and written; but, little will be done or settled.
Main:
Dr. Judith Stern, a UCDavis nutrition researcher,teacher and advocate , is considered to be a local academic authority on obesity in women.. It appears that exercise and fitnesses are not part of her focus. We not that recent free UCD staff programs organized by the campus ARC staff to promote “Wellness” via exercise have to been well attended. Meanwhile, the big red Coke truck makes its frequent rounds to refill the ARC and other campus building’s vending machines.
Once upon a time, colleges graduated PE and Home Ec majors. Today, the good old days of good teaching and coaching jobs for people like Dr. James Naismith, “Phog” Allen, and “Doc” Councilman from Canada, Springfield College and the Heart Land are not to be found at most institutions of higher education.
The GI Bill educated teacher and the YWCA model are “olde School”. Today, students taking Exercise Physiology classes at UCDavis are headed for the health professions in part to help pay off their loan burden. In California, the six year path to a degree and a state Teaching Certificate is unlikely to lead to a career with respect, recognition or rewards if much time is spent in the gym or playing fields instructing fat kids.
So, is Arkansas or Canada to be the best model of youth fitness in the U.S.? . Facts are already in.. Kids in places like Canada and New Zealand win the fitness test hands down.
Yes, many affluent communities, like Davis, California have more activities than most kids and parents can attend. Yet, many of the community’s academic, administrative , and manager elites fail to lead by example. For example, note the following:
* Coke has the exclusive campus vending franchise.
* Food is the key to getting good attendance at morning, noon and evening conferences and meeting
* The athletic coaches who regularly teach undergraduate skills classes are clearly an elite and respected group on campus. They not only talk the fitness talk, they walk and show the Pride of an Aggie walk. Meanwhile, many a campus desk jockey is winded getting to and from their usual parking spot.
More:
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