Change Maker

12/18 is the next 9/11

2009-10-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

12/18 is the final day of the UN Copenhagen Climate Conference, and what is announced that day will determine if humans are intelligent enough to work together to prevent global devastation caused by out-of-control global warming.

3000 people died on 9/11 and $billions were lost. Without a strong and binding agreement to reduce CO2 to 350ppm, global average temperatures will rise above 2 degrees C. Once that occurs, we may enter a feedback loop, where melting arctic tundra releases methane, taking global warming beyond human control, resulting in disasters that are a thousand times worse than 9/11. Out-of-control global warming will lead to billions dying and $trillions lost.

12/18 is the next 9/11. It is that serious and you are being forewarned.

go to http://www.blogactionday.org to read more.

Dirty Dishes

2009-08-03T18:07:00.000-07:00

Dirty dishes are piling up all over the world and here is an idea which might just get a lot of them washed. Let me say in advance that this is not a perfect idea but it might just help.

The idea is that everyone in a household has their own place set (dinner plate, bowl, salad plate, cup, and glass). Everyone's place set is identifiable (i.e. college students can bring a place set from home or buy a set at a thrift store). When people eat something, they are to use their own place set, not other people's. If they don't wash their dishes, it become blatantly obvious. A nearby sign reminding people to "Please immediately wash your own dishes" might help. If you have bugs, draw those bugs on the sign too.

In some cases, it might work out to get two place sets, instead of one. This would help when visitors come over, and some abusers might prefer having a backup set. Although this idea doesn't address the dirty pots and pans issue, those items might just get washed, along with someone's dishes. The cost of soap and sponges would need to be shared. Microwaving a damp sponge for a minute will sterilize it. A drop or two of chlorine on a damp sponge will do the same but will leave a chlorine odor. Water is precious, so please try to conserve water. A plastic bowl with soapy water and a sponge might help prevent water from being wasted.

Waterboard Cheney

2009-05-25T17:58:00.000-07:00

Cheney has caused multiple disasters over the past eight years, and he continues to mislead the public with his speeches.

For simplicity, there are basically two types of waterboarding: minimal stress and maximum stress. Whenever Cheney or any other misleader says that waterboarding is not torture, they portrait it as the minimal type. If they say they are willing to prove it isn't torture by undergoing waterboarding, they are talking about the minimal stress type. Basically, they are correct.... minimal stress waterboarding is not torture.... just a highly stressful experience that few would like to repeat.

But maximum stress waterboarding is torture. Anyone who says it is NOT torture should undergo this scenario; they are to be waterboarded until they admit to actual crimes that they have committed. Another words, they waive their Fifth Amendment rights and undergo waterboarding until they admit to actual crimes that they are guilty of committing. Admitting to fake crimes will not make the waterboarding stop.

The above should clarify why Cheney is, and has been, one disaster after another. If Cheney keeps denying that waterboarding is torture, he should undergo it until he admits to being a party to the 9/11 attacks. Most people seem to forget that Cheney put himself in charge that day, sending W on elementary school duty that morning. Let's waterboard Cheney, so we can find out about all of the crimes he has committed. We don't need a Truth Commission, just waterboard Cheney if he says that it is the right way to protect our nation.

The Great Disaster of 2050

2009-04-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

Currently, we are experiencing the "Perfect Storm" trifecta disasters of the meltdown of the housing, stock, and financial markets. All of these bubbles that burst in 2008 were predictable and preventable, yet ignorance and greed allowed them to turn into a global disaster.

In 2050, we will experience "The Great Disaster", which is also predicable and preventable:
1. Global Warming is likely to raise global temperatures by 2-8 degrees fahrenheit, sea levels will rise 1-5 feet, 150 million people (in coastal cities and countries) will become refugees, more severe weather (droughts, flooding, hurricanes).
2. Population increase to 9 billion resulting in more famine, violence, killing, and wars as people try to meet their basic human needs of food, water, and shelter.
3. Petroleum will essentially be gone as the known oil reserves are depleted, resulting in lower food production and higher costs.
4. Water shortages will become commonplace as glaciers in the Himalayas, Rockies, and Andes mountains disappear, resulting in little summer water for farms and cities. Lower rainfalls is resulting in water with higher mineral content reducing crop yields.

In the Great Depression, one-third still lived in relative comfort. In the Great Disaster of 2050, one-third will still be OK, but 6 billion people will not. That would be like everyone alive today living in daily fear of violence, starvation, and disease. It would be like the quality of life was reduced by 10 to 90% for every plant and animal on this planet. Australia is already experiencing severe flooding and mosquito diseases in the north; with severe droughts and wildfires in the south.

After 40 years of warning, Global Warming is starting to be addressed, but without dramatic changes, much of the harmful consequences will not be avoided. Cheap oil and coal will encourage faster depletion and will accelerate global warming. Population growth is the looming disaster which we can immediately address, yet without religious support, we will continue to ignore and even encourage the population bubble. The problem is that all four of these disasters are growing gradually and people don't see gradual changes. The problem is that people will get use to a gradual decrease in their quality of life, as humans are probably better at adapting to adverse conditions than they are at using their reason to prevent disasters.

The Population Bubble

2009-03-30T10:38:00.000-07:00

With the current global financial crisis, there has been much talk about the dot.com bubble, the housing bubble, and the stock market bubble. Unfortunately, we have another already huge and growing bubble that is being ignored... the global population bubble. Currently, there are 6.5 billion people, and that is projected to increase to 9 billion by 2050. Already, humans are causing widespread global devastation, which will only increase as the population increases. Genocide, famine, and wars will only increase as the population increases and resources become more scare.

I propose a fix to the population bubble: when a man or woman reaches adulthood, each would get a certificate for one child. This is a fair method for halting global population growth. If a family wanted to have more than two children, they would need to obtain (buy or receive) additional certificates. If individuals didn't have children, they could sell or give away their certificate. Unwanted pregnancies could be aborted or could be delivered for adoption to another person who had a certificate. Governments would safeguard the certificates.

The religious would oppose this solution saying, "It is God who must decide this." My reply is, "If it is God's will for families to have more than two children, then pray and He will get you another certificate." No octomoms or procreating like other animals.

If you agree that we are ignoring the population bubble and need to implement some kind of zero population growth, then please publish this solution at other sites. Just like Global Warming is a looming disaster, unregulated human population growth will likely lead to the worst disasters on this planet.

Energy Cost of Bottled Water

2009-03-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

Summary of the March 6, 2009 Science Magazine podcast:

200 billion liters of bottled water consumed worldwide in 2007
33 billion liters of bottled water consumed in the U.S. (1/6th of the world, yet our tap water is clean).
The 200 billion liters required 50 million barrels of oil to make, bottle, transport, cool, dispose, etc.
Essentially, when you drink bottled water, it might as well be 1/4 filled with oil.
Recycling of the empty bottles only helps reduce trash, as they are mainly used for other purposes like making carpets.

A Pur or Brita water filter on the faucet works well for removing chemicals and unpleasant taste. A reusable aluminum, stainless steel, or Nalgene water bottle works for carrying water. If you consume some bottled water, try reusing the bottle by refilling it with filtered tap water. Because the U.S. uses over 25% of the world's energy, we are the biggest wasters of energy, and we need to learn to save in EVERY way possible.

W stands for Woops

2009-01-30T18:57:00.001-08:00

Woops, didn't prevent 9/11. Woops, didn't get Bin Ladin. Woops, didn't prevent 1000 Katrine deaths. Woops, no WMDs. Woops, 4000+ soldier deaths. Woops, 500,000+ iraqi deaths. Woops, financial meltdown. Woops, should NEVER have been president.

I am writing this because W said in his last interview, "I wasn't prepared for war." That's like saying, "Woops, I wasn't prepare to be president." W acted like being president was just other job, with weekends off. Cheney even allowed W to have elementary school duty, on 9/11, so there wouldn't be any mistakes on W's part that day (WTC7 = inside job).

The Price of Climate Change

2008-11-14T08:24:00.000-08:00

A recent article in the LA Times titled, "Climate change may carry huge price tag for California" puts a monetary price on global warming: "About $2.5 trillion of real estate assets in California are at risk from extreme weather events, sea level rise and wildfires, with a projected annual price tag of between $300 million and $3.9 billion, according to a new report".
"Our report makes clear the most expensive thing we can do about climate change is nothing," Roland-Holst said. But he adds, "This is not a Doomsday report . . . . If we make the right investments, we can avert much of the damage in any scenario."

When reading the above, please keep in mind that is only the cost for California and that is an annual cost, meaning that it never goes away until global warming is reversed. Acting quickly could potentially reduce the cost ten-fold. Also remember that our quality of life (food, water, the environment) will be diminished as a result of continued global warming. Paying now to reduce global warming is less expensive than the price and consequences of not acting.

Top Ten Reasons "Palin is Bush"

2008-11-02T17:45:00.000-08:00

#10 What's the difference between Palin and Bush.... lipstick.

#9 Palin and Bush were both governors of big oil producing states with strong ties to the oil industry.

#8 Palin and Bush are just plain likable: the soccer mom and the boy scout sheriff. Sarah winks and W grins like a puppy dog.

#7 Palin and Bush are both extremely loyal, so they reward supporters by putting them in positions that they are unqualified for.

#6 Palin and Bush are good at reading speeches prepared by professional speech-writers. They are just actors reading other people's words, and the gullible buy it.

#5 Palin and Bush know so little that they show their ignorance when they say what they really think.

#4 Palin and Bush both have egos so big that they think that they can do anything and don't even realize that they are unqualified to be President of the United States.

#3 Palin and Bush are two decent humans who ascended to positions of leadership that were beyond their capabilities, so they ended up descending into bigger and bigger disasters.

#2 Palin and Bush are just puppets of the neo-cons. Their lack of intellect makes it easy for neo-cons to advise/manage/control them.

#1 The same people who like Palin also liked Bush enough to vote for him twice.

2008-10-06T12:33:00.000-07:00

McCain and Palin desperately try to paint themselves as "Mavericks", but nothing could be farther from the truth. McCain has sold himself to the neo-cons in order to get the nomination. Palin is "Bush with lipstick" with a Cheney "Bulldog" do-it-my-way mentality. Since our Republican administration has been such a monumental disaster, hopefully this bumper sticker will help to avoid another four years of more disasters.

McCain/Palin Fairy tale

2008-09-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone is aware that neo-cons are con-artists who excel at misleading.
I started to realize that this sudden announcement of Bristol Palin's 5 month pregnancy is a little too strange to buy. Over the past month, Sarah Palin and her family must have been thoroughly investigated, and a 5 month pregnancy had to have been known. Even I don't think the neo-cons and their links to the FBI would have missed that. Really, it seems more like a planned announcement, to help McCain/Palin get votes. Now that I realize that is the plan, it almost seems funny that it might work.

Somebody at one of the neo-con think tanks came up with this fairy-tale story and now the unfolding has begun. There will be plenty of people working on telling the tale. The basic outline has been created with McCain and the Palin family standing up for conservative ethics and morals. As the months roll by, everyone will be interested in the latest on the Palin family. People will grow to like Sarah Palin even more, and darn but even though they don't like McCain, they'll have to vote for McCain/Palin. The economy, oil prices, healthcare, Iraq, Afghanistan, global warming all fade into the background.... what's the latest on that young couple is what everyone wants to talk about. Was it love that brought them together? Hey... do I hear "Made-for-TV" movie here?

This is so cheesy, yet this has got to be the basic plan. Too many $Billions/Trillions are at stake, for the greedy to give up. Since neo-cons operate using, "The Ends Justify the Means", what's wrong with another fairy-tale? With corporate media behind them, pundits will be focusing on the Sarah Palin story/controversy.

If this is what starts to be played out, and I highly suspect that it is, another election will be stolen using puppets. Sarah Palin was chosen because a winning strategy could be created around her and her family, not on her qualifications. When they win the election, they will claim a mandate for everything Sarah Palin stands for: unbridled oil exploration, no abortions, no gun control, no global warming, creationism, a wild west mentality... another words, neo-cons in control for another 4+ years. It might win them the election, but the crash and burn will be all the harder when it comes. Just remember that the greedy aren't worrying about that day/year/decade. It's profits now for the greedy that is what they are after.

When We Ignore Reality, We ALL Become Ignorant

2008-02-02T13:20:00.000-08:00

In this political season, where candidates are suppose to address key issues, I would like to propose asking every candidate these two questions:
1. Do you believe that the Earth revolve around the Sun? and
2. Do you believe in Darwin's theory of Evolution?

Most people probably don't realize that Galileo used his telescope to demonstrate heliocentrism back in 1608. It took the church 300 years to apologize and finally acknowledge that the Earth revolves around the Sun. That was 300 years of ignoring reality because it conflicted with biblical accounts.

Most people probably don't realize that Darwin proposed his Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection back in 1858. Almost 150 years have passed, with 100% scientific support for it, zero scientific support against it, yet many people refuse to accept it. That represent almost 150 years of ignoring reality because it conflicts with biblical accounts.

Every politician or leader should be asked those two questions on their applications. If they don't answer YES to both of those two questions, the public should know. In the 21st Century, we cannot afford to have any ignorant leaders, like W, in positions of power and influence. As long as we don't ask these two questions of our leaders, we will continue to get misleaders instead.

"A Drop Of Blood" Campaign (a national/international call for action)

2007-11-07T09:58:00.000-08:00

Draw a red drop on a small piece of paper and, using cellophane tape, put it on a gas pump.

Reason: The people of the U.S. (and much of the world) are basically addicted to oil. We have grown so dependent on our cars and trucks that they are used everyday and even multiple times a day. Because we are addicted, it subconsciously effects the ways in which we think and act. "A Drop of Blood" is to remind ourselves and others that we must think and act more intelligently, in order to fight that oil addiction. That oil addiction is resulting in tremendous harm in the world, such as the invasion of Iraq and global warming. The hidden price of oil is: millions of human lives have and will be lost, thousands of species have and will be extinguished, and tens of millions of people in the U.S. (hundreds of millions in the rest of the world) will see the quality of life decrease for their family and loved one. In tens of years, the revealed costs of our addiction will be a planet that is many degrees warmer resulting in horrific loses, on a weekly basis, which are beyond any current recognition. The U.S. only has 5% of the World's population but use over 25% of the World's energy, so we must make dramatic cuts.

Non-violent acts of civil disobedience: Gandhi and Martin Luther King both realized, sometimes it take non-violent acts of civil disobedience to bring about a change for the better. It must be non-violent because it must not be done in anger or fear. It must be civil disobedience because corporations and government leaders are also addicted to oil, so it adversely effects the ways in which they think and act. We all must be reminded of the hidden costs of our oil addiction.

If you realize that the Invasions of Iraq were over oil, put up "A Drop of Blood".
If you lost a loved one because of wars for oil, put up "A Drop of Blood" in their memory.
If you recognize that Global Warming is a critical issue, put up "A Drop of Blood".
If you care about all of the animal species that are dying due to Global Warming, put up "A Drop of Blood".
If you care about future generations, put up a "A Drop of Blood".

Put up "A Drop of Blood" on your light switches, in you house, as a reminder to conserve electricity.
Put up "A Drop of Blood" in your car, as a reminder to conserve oil and to have one handy.
Put up "A Drop of Blood" on a gas pump, as a reminder to others that the hidden cost of oil is blood.
Put up "A Drop of Blood" even if it gets taken down, as we must keep conserving oil, for the common good.
Put up "A Drop of Blood" until our leaders make energy policies for the long-term good of everyone and the generations yet to come.

With your efforts, the result will be reduced gas prices, less carbon emissions resulting in less Global Warming, and a better chance for survival for every plant and animal currently on this planet. With everyone conserving, Global Warming will be slowed to give our future generations a better world. But, we have already started on a downward slide, so we need to act immediately and conserve until Global Warming is reversed.
http://www.adropofblood.org

Fire Cheney and Bush

2007-03-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

I'd like to teach you a song. It only has four words which make up its title. It has to do with our first amendment, free speech rights. People say that our free speech rights do not include the right to yell "Fire" in a crowded room, because the resulting panic might lead to injuries or deaths. Here is what Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote:

The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic. [...] The question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent.

I'd like to make you aware that our VP and President yelled the equivalent of "Fire", in many crowded rooms, which led to injuries and deaths in Iraq. In 2003, Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction, no links to Al Qaeda, no nuclear bomb program; yet Cheney and Bush spoke loudly and often that he did, which was like yelling "Fire". The resulting panic directly led to tens of thousands of maiming and deaths, and we should "Fire Cheney and Bush". This is what the Supreme Court has said, this is what Congress should do, and this is what the people must demand. If a man who falsely shouts "fire" in a theater should go to jail, then Cheney and Bush need to at least be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors.

Sing this song everywhere, loud and clear, "Fire Cheney and Bush".