I’m No Expert…

As if you really need to ask. But Jonathan Powers, a veteran of the war in Iraq, reaffirms the reasons, probably adding a few you never thought of, and describes the consequenses of maintaining the status quo.

“This year, as Americans across the nation celebrate July Fourth with barbecues and fireworks, those most responsible for defending our independence, the military, will continue to fight two wars. And it is a shame that we will let yet another July Fourth pass us by without making substantial progress toward ending our unnecessary dependence on oil, a dependence that is funding the bullets that our enemies fire at our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.”  READ MORE

Tags: Energy, National Issues, Politics, Renewable energy, environment by Jay Stuart
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Everyday millions of gallons of oil pour into the Gulf of Mexico, poisoning it’s wildlife and destroying the economy. Thousands of people are without work and permanently lost their livelihood.  The effects are just beginning to ripple to the overall economy. [Read more →]

Tags: Economy, Energy, environment by Jay Stuart
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The Louisiana judge who struck down the Obama administration’s six-month ban on deepwater oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico has reported extensive investments in the oil and gas industry, according to financial disclosure reports. Read More

Tags: Economy, National Issues, environment by Jay Stuart
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For decades environmentalists and those “bleeding heart liberals” warned of environmental disaster should we from fossil fuels, oil spills in particular. Opponents insisted leaks such as the one we face in the Gulf were virtually impossible. Besides they were carefully “self-regulating” and taking all precautions and safe guards. Even now supporters of our fossil-fuel based society argue that this is just one off shore oil rig while there are hundreds operating safely. But it only takes one to see an ecosystem destroyed, not to mention the economy of a large portion of the country. And unfortunately we are just seeing the beginning of this disaster. The ramifications this may not be know for years. [Read more →]

Tags: Economy, Energy, National Issues, environment by Jay Stuart
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Everyone feels the anger and outrage at BP for this disaster. Many are even getting angry at the government for not stepping in and doing, well no one is sure what!. But as I watch the footage of the leak and listen to all the attempts to plug the well, what I feel is a real sense of helplessness. Not for just myself, but for the overall situation. What I’m not hearing are things that BP is not doing. There are no experts coming on the talk shows discussing what BP should do to stop the leak. No one seems to have a better idea. And that makes me feel helpless. The idea that they are doing everything that could be done and nothing is working. Most everyone is looking to the relief wells to stop this disaster. But what if the relief well don’t work. No one is guaranteeing they will.

Tags: Economy, environment by Jay Stuart
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The release of new hi-res video released shows more oil spilling out of pipes than was estimated by BP. Now BP estimates a worst case scenario as high as 250,000 barrel of oil per day. So if BP hopes to capture 20,000 barrels of oil per day, that’s only a fraction of what is being released.

The government fines BP based on the amount of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico, so it was in their best interest to low ball the estimates and hide the new hi-res video.

Tags: Economy, National Issues, environment by Jay Stuart
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BP announced it plans on capturing 20,000 barrels of oil/day from the leaking pipe with its newest containment cap. That’s great! But for the last few weeks BP estimated 12,000 – 19,000 barrels of oil/day were being released from the leak. I’m no expert, but that’s 1,000 barrels more than they said was leaking. Makes you wonder about the truth.

They may not know how much oil is being released into the Gulf of Mexico. What’s worse, they may not know how to stop it. The other day Admiral Allen of the Coast Guard said that even if the relief wells work, at best they are two months away. Note the scary words in that sentence…”even if”.

Tags: Energy, environment by Jay Stuart
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I’m as lazy as can be and if I lowered my electric bill 25% by doing these three things—you can too!

1. Use Compact fluorescent bulbs
First replace your traditional incandescent light bulbs with the new energy saving compact fluorescent light bulbs. They use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. They cost a little more than regular light bulbs, but you make up the cost difference in no time. So that’s easy!

2. Unplug unnecessary electronics
Next unplug all electronic equipment that you don’t regularly use. Believe it or not all our electronics, such as TVs, DVDs and CDs players, are on stand-by mode and still draw electricity even while we are not actually using them. You may think it’s just a little power so what’s the difference, but it adds up. So if you have a TV or DVD player in your guest room or someplace else in your home that you do not regularly use, unplug it.

3. Turn off computer equipment
The third thing is switch off all your computer equipment and accessories at night. Your printer, modem, external hard-drive, computer, display, and USB hubs are all drawing electricity. If you’re not using them while you’re asleep at night why leave them and finance the electric company? To make it easier I turn off my computer then turn off the powerstrip/surge protector to all my computer equipment. That’s just 2 switches!

Saving money, using less fossil fuels, producing less CO2—I’m no expert, but it seems like a no brainer! save money, save electricity, save money, save electricity, save money, save electricity, save money, save electricity, electric bill, cut electric bill, electric bill, cut electric bill

Tags: Economy, Energy, environment by Jay Stuart
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Last night I went to the New Yankee Stadium. For over 40 years I saw games at the  “old” Yankee Stadium. I knew the stadium inside and out, so understandably it’s taking me a while to adjust.  Now every time I go,  I see something new. Here’s what happened last night:

I had just finished a hot dog and was going to throw away the napkin and left over bun when I saw three containers marked “Plastic”, “Trash” and “Compost”. OK I was glad to see the New Yankee Stadium is recycling, but I wasn’t sure what went where. I didn’t have plastic so I ruled out that container. But Trash or Compost? What’s compost? I’m a city boy in Yankee Stadium! Perplexed I just threw everything into the trash.

So what is compost? Compost is something my friend has on his farm, but I don’t remember why. And why is it in Yankee Stadium? This required an internet search. I want to be ready next time I go to a game.

About.com defines compost as “the end product of the decomposition of organic matter. Organic matter includes: garden waste, kitchen scraps, manure, leaves, grass clippings, straw… There are many methods of composting, but all organic matter will eventually decompose, with or without our help.”

The Horticulture Dept at Texas A&M says ”compost can be made out of leaves, grass clippings, vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, wood chips, straw, and small twigs.”

The free dictionary.com calls it “a mixture of decaying organic matter, as from leaves and manure, used to improve soil structure and provide nutrients.”

So the best I can figure this out, any left over food goes into the compost bin, assuming you didn’t sneak in any leaves or grass clippings with you at Yankee Stadium. I’m no expert but why don’t they just say that? “Trash” “Plastic” “Leftover food.” compost, recycling, compost, recycling, compost, recycling, compost, recycling, compost, recycling, compost, recycling, compost, recycling, compost, recycling, Yankee Stadium, Yankee Stadium, compost, recycling, compost, recycling, compost, recycling, compost, recycling,Yankee Stadium, Yankee Stadium

Tags: environment by Jay Stuart
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