So there is a common expression that is getting even more common and more over used called “Back Of The Envelope” which basically is an expression that describes calculations that are very course spatially or vertically OR rough enough that they can be done on the back of an envelope/napkin.
I decided it might be fun to take this concept and apply it to the commonly held belief that man emits 45 Gigatons (1 Gigaton = 1 Billion Tons) per annum. This has been cited in many a popular and scientific paper. Hope you enjoy! I would just note that below there are a bunch of numbers and all assumptions came from some of my Ph.D. work and not out of thin air. It is interesting that my BOTEs while not exactly the same as the IPCC’s independent estimate of 45 Petagrams (1 Pg = 1 Gt) are similar. The issue going forward will be identifying the black-boxes that remain in these equations. (NOTE: All local ecosystem units are in Grams of Carbon per meter squared per year and this is a standard unit of measurement for ecosystem fluxes). Read the rest of this entry »
I have known for quite a while now that the vote I cast for you in November of 2008 – my first ever vote for a member of The Big Two – was one that I would not regret, because I am still a huge admirer of your intellect, but would come to view with a great degree of disappointment and anger. Read the rest of this entry »
I received a note from a coworker today, soliciting my opinion on an email he had received, titled “New Tax Info.” It’s one of those emails that floats around the internet, containing what appears to be a mixture of fact and fiction. I don’t think the author(s) intend to deceive on the “fictional” points, but there are certainly some gray areas. The author lists the source of the content as Joan Pride in an article in Kiplinger, “Lots of Tax Hikes Coming in 2011“. That article contains a handful of the items presented in the email, but not all.
Here’s the outline of points in the email, which makes the case that the tax code changes will occur in three waves to commence on January 1, 2011.
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I am working part-time on a Greenhouse Gas model of hybrid poplar for a group called AgRefresh here in Burlington, but in the mean time am looking for other job opportunities and came across a great one in the EU for a policy officer overseeing issues pertaining to biodiversity, water quality, and the development of soil policy. Anyway the application requires that you answer 3 questions that I don’t think any US government agency would ever think to ask. So I have pasted them and my answers below because all 3 topics are extremely important. Enjoy (Hopefully!)! Read the rest of this entry »
What a week it’s been… Just when you thought it was time to head to the beach and relax during the hottest days of summer, the world bursts into flames! Following is a rundown of important stories making the news. Signs of the times? You decide. Read the rest of this entry »
I feel compelled to respond to The Tea Party Ethos Crystallized, a recent post by one of our regular contributors.
If you are going to go as far as to say, “Until the Tea Party purges itself of hate speech there is no need for a right-left discussion,” I shall go equally as far and say, “until liberals are able to recognize satire when they see it, or to drop their blindness to hypocrisy, there is no need for a right-left discussion.”
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There has been much consternation and job related discussion within the F-35 debate in Vermont and more specifically Chittenden County. There are those on the left (of which I am one!) and the right that voice their concern(s) with a great degree of passion and genuine interest, but this discussion strikes me as one that avoids the most important point about the F-35 and the Military Industrial Consortium constructing and marketing it (primarily Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney, General Electric, and Rolls-Royce). The debate is primarily an example of wealth and “security” asymmetry, which is another way of saying this plane and its R & D costs are a zero-sum game for a variety of constituents. Read the rest of this entry »
I stated in a past post my thoughts on the Tea Party as “…bigoted, xenophobic, and often hypocritical bluster.” I was taken to task for this statement and rightfully so as it was overly general and I am sure by no means speaks to the true and structural frustration many in this country on the right and left have with government. My foot-in-mouth moment was pointed out by an author on this blog and I looked to clarify what I meant in a reply to his comment…….WHICH brings me to the Tea Party’s latest black eye Read the rest of this entry »
Summertime is well underway and ’tis the season for conventions. Along with personal favorites such as the San Diego Comic Con and the Star Wars Celebration, other intriguing shows such as the New York Int’l Gift Fair, Canon Expo and VMworld have been (or will be soon) taking place across the country. And the point of bringing this to your attention is…? Read the rest of this entry »
At this point we’ve all heard much too much about George Bush’s Axis of Evil [1]. For those of you that have been flying in outer space or tripping on some really good drugs for the last 8+ years since W. coined this phrase during his State of the Union Address on January 29th, 2002 it simply refers to the boogey men that ran Iraq, Iran, and North Korea at the time. Well Saddam Hussein is long gone and Kim Jong-Il either has 1 foot in the grave or will be poisoned by inhaling all the polyester he seems to have such a predilection for, which leaves us with Iran and its 2 headed leadership composed of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Read the rest of this entry »
