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Comment Innocence (Score 1) 534

by mdsolar (#48032963) Attached to: Are the World's Religions Ready For ET?
The first book was set mainly on Mars. The creatures there were essentially innocent with regard to sin. It is an interesting take on the idea of the uniqueness of Christ's sacrifice. There may be only one world, ours that needed such remedial treatment in Lewis' view.

Comment Gas price (Score 1) 517

by mdsolar (#48008669) Attached to: Utilities Should Worry; Rooftop Solar Could Soon Cut Their Profit
Natural gas does not seem to do all that well below $3/MMBTU so utilities will have to find less costly generation and lower prices if they want to retain their market share. Wind, and soon solar, could pin natural gas down to $3/MMBTU and start to cut its share, so utilities should be looking at these forms of generation to avoid losing custom to DIY.

Comment Text of speech (Score 1) 261

by mdsolar (#47982417) Attached to: Obama Presses China On Global Warming
Here is the transcript of President Obama's speech on climate at the UN: http://insideclimatenews.org/b... I think this is the anchor paragraph:

"So today, I call on all major economies to do the same [declare emissions targets and implementation policies]. For I believe, in the words of Dr. King, that there is such a thing as being too late. And for the sake of future generations, our generation must move toward a global compact to confront a changing climate while we still can."

Threatening China with Dr. King may be even more potent than moving to impose carbon tariffs on their imports. http://news.slashdot.org/story... The legitimacy of China's government is threatened by Dr. King's philosophy.

Submission + - Ebola Cases Could Reach 1.4 Million in 4 Months (nytimes.com)

Submitted by mdsolar
mdsolar writes: Yet another set of ominous projections about the Ebola epidemic in West Africa was released Tuesday, in a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that gave worst- and best-case estimates for Liberia and Sierra Leone based on computer modeling.

In the worst-case scenario, Liberia and Sierra Leone could have 21,000 cases of Ebola by Sept. 30 and 1.4 million cases by Jan. 20 if the disease keeps spreading without effective methods to contain it. These figures take into account the fact that many cases go undetected, and estimate that there are actually 2.5 times as many as reported.

The report does not include figures for Guinea because case counts there have gone up and down in ways that cannot be reliably modeled.

In the best-case model — which assumes that the dead are buried safely and that 70 percent of patients are treated in settings that reduce the risk of transmission — the epidemic in both countries would be “almost ended” by Jan. 20, the report said. It showed the proportion of patients now in such settings as about 18 percent in Liberia and 40 percent in Sierra Leone.

Submission + - Fossil Fuel Divestment Movement Continues To Grow (huffingtonpost.com)

Submitted by mdsolar
mdsolar writes: A growing movement of individuals and institutions selling off shares linked to fossil fuels has the power to galvanize global efforts to halt climate change, said the co-founder of a group that works with investors.

The movement got a boost on Monday when the Rockefellers, who made their fortune from oil, along with other philanthropists and rich individuals, announced pledges to divest a total of $50 billion from fossil fuel assets.

"It's a turning point in the movement — it's a recognition that our political bodies have failed to respond to the pace of climate change," said Chuck Collins, co-founder of Divest- Invest Individual, an organization that supports individuals who want to divest from fossil fuels.

While some politicians continue to debate whether man-made climate change does exist, the move to divest highlights a potentially important shift that could help create a critical mass of people not only demanding action on climate change but putting their money where their mouth is, he said.

Submission + - Hundreds Of Thousands Turn Out For People's Climate March In New York City (huffingtonpost.com)

Submitted by mdsolar
mdsolar writes: "More than 400,000 people turned out for the People's Climate March in New York City on Sunday, just days before many of the world's leaders are expected to debate environmental action at the United Nations climate summit.

Early reports from event organizers are hailing the turnout as the largest climate march in history, far bigger than the Forward on Climate rally held in Washington, D.C., last year. High-profile environmentalists including Bill McKibben, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jane Goodall and Vandana Shiva marched alongside policymakers such as Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former Vice President Al Gore were also there, and more than 550 buses carried in people from around the country."

Big science contingent too: http://www.scientificamerican....

Submission + - Techies for climate justice (peoplesclimate.org)

Submitted by mdsolar
mdsolar writes: On Sunday, September 21, hundreds of thousands of people will march in New York City for a strong, international climate treaty – and techies of all types will be there! Explore the tech hub for information about ways you can get involved, whether you’re coming to NYC or planning a solidarity action where you are.

Hackers, Techies, Geeks, Engineers, Builders, Makers, Unite to Disrupt Climate Change and Build Climate Justice

Here’s all the latest logistical information for the day of the March. Check back here often for updates.
Assembly:

The Technology Contingent – i.e., all of the tech groups together – will assemble on Central Park West around 75th Street on the day of the March. You will be able to enter the CPW from 72nd and 77th Streets only.

        You may enter the block as early as 8:00 am on the day of the March.
        ThoughtWorks and friends will gather at 10:00 for an open-source picnic in Central Park at the statue of Simon Bolivar (just northeast of Sixth Avenue /Avenue of the Americas and Central Park South)

The Technology Contingent will step off from 58th Street to take its place within the march whenever the “We Have Solutions!” theme group reaches Columbus Circle. We’re anticipating this will be sometime between 12:00 and 1:00, but it could be earlier and may very well be later.

According to Science Friday, there will be a gathering of scientists nearby at 79th Street and Central Park West near the Museum of Natural History as well. http://www.sciencefriday.com/s...

Submission + - Three in every four nuclear power builds worldwide are running late (theecologist.org) 1

Submitted by mdsolar
mdsolar writes: A review of the 66 nuclear reactors 'under construction' worldwide shows that 49 are running behind schedule, including all five in the US and most in China. The long and unpredictable build times of nuclear plants, and the extra costs that ensue, are a compelling reason not to depend on the technology for either power or to mitigate climate change.

As of this month, 49 of 66 reactors under construction around the world are running behind schedule, according to an updated analysis conducted by the authors of the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2014.

The study takes into account several delay announcements in recent weeks:

        USA: two reactors, Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station Unit 2 and Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station Unit 3;
        South Korea: two reactors — Shin-Hanul-2 and Shin-Wolsong-2;
        and Finland: Olkiluoto-3.

Little is known about the progress on four nuclear reactors in India. All the other reactor projects have been under way for less than two years, which makes it difficult to identify delays in the absence of full access to information.

The study highlights the two EPR-design reactors currently under construction: Finland's Olkiluoto-3 and France's Flamanville-3. Both are running about $7 billion over their initial budgets and now projected to cost more than $11 billion.

EDF's Flamanville reactor was due to be completed by 2012 at a cost of €3.3 billion, but is now projected for completion in 2016 at a cost of €8.5 billion.

Finland's Olkiluoto-3 reactor, the first EPR construction project, is likely to be a decade behind schedule upon delivery, with a projected completion date of 2018. Construction of the 1.6GW plant began in 2005 and was originally due for completion in 2009.

Submission + - Busy Days Precede a March Focusing on Climate Change (nytimes.com)

Submitted by mdsolar
mdsolar writes: In a three-story warehouse in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, hundreds of people are working to turn the People’s Climate March planned for Sunday into a visual spectacle.

There were victims of Hurricane Sandy from the Rockaways toiling with artists on a 30-foot inflatable life preserver, and immigrant artists constructing a papier-mâché tree embedded with axes. Elsewhere, religious leaders were building an ark and scientists were constructing a chalkboard covered with calculations about carbon.

The run-up to what organizers say will be the largest protest about climate change in the history of the United States has transformed New York City into a beehive of planning and creativity, drawing graying local activists and young artists from as far away as Germany.

“This is the final crunch, the product of six months of work to make the People’s March a big, beautiful expression of the climate movement,” said Rachel Schragis, a Brooklyn-based artist and activist who is coordinating the production of floats, banners and signs.

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