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 »
