Environment

Protesting Solar – UPDATED

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…also wind and geothermal energy.

Well, to be precise, it’s not so much the generation of these energy types that is being protested…just the construction of the transmission lines required to get the electricity to the point where it is needed.

Southwestern desert areas are a logical place to put solar power plants, and large-scale solar developments–as well as wind and geothermal–are planned for an area about 150 miles from San Diego. The local utility, San Diego Gas & Electric, wants to build a transmission line (the “Sunrise Powerlink”) to connect these power sources with the city. The project is encountering fierce opposition, because the lines would go through the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, known for wildflowers, cacti, and spectacular mountain views.

I haven’t been to this state park, and it may well be an area of unique and surpassing beauty. Maybe there is a better approach to satisfying San Diego’s energy needs.

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An Inconvenient Statistic

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At the Gore estate, electricity conservation is something they simply talk about rather than do something about.   According to this, the Gore house in Tennessee uses almost twenty times more electricity than an average home.   Gorebal warming indeed.

From the article:

A man’s commitment to his beliefs is best measured by what he does behind the closed doors of his own home.

A very appropriate comment.

The Great Flood of ’08, Continued…

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Here in Southern Wisconsin we received an unbelievably large amount of rain yesterday, that did nothing but make lives more miserable for residents in this area.

I am fortunate that I didn’t receive any more water in my basement, nor did I get water at my place of business.   From what I have seen driving around here, Madison got off pretty well so far (knock on wood).   The only thing that may affect us is that we are partially isolated now.   The interstates running north (90)  and east (94) are closed due to water overtopping the bridges.   This will affect my business slightly, as I have freight coming from Milwaukee today that I don’t think will make it.   Speaking of business…

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The Great Flood of ’08

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Click any photo to enlarge.

Water, water everywhere.

After smashing the record for snowfall due to Gorebal Warming, we have had record rains this Spring due to Gorebal Warming. Many of you may have seen the footage by now of a couple of houses floating down the Wisconsin River. I even saw that footage on Fox News last night; it is on an endless loop on our local media.

To create that footage, Lake Delton overflowed its banks, took out a road and incredibly created its own new river. The ENTIRE lake drained out into the Wisconsin River. It was a spectacular sight.

Six hundred million gallons of water came out of the lake and into the river forty feet below in TWO HOURS, claiming the homes. If you had plans on catching the famous Tommy Bartlett show in the near future, you may consider changing your itinerary as it is pretty difficult to water ski on a lake bottom.

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Frontside vs. Backside

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In my profession, I deal with many large corporations.   Many of them are household names that everyone has heard of.   I buy products from these corporations, mark them up, inventory them, and resell them for a profit.   I am a middleman, in wholesale distribution.   I suppose you can call me a relic that made it – I remember a long time ago many companies warning their distributors that with the dawning of the internet age that we would beome obsolete.   Nothing could be further from the truth – but I digress.

Consumers, by and large, see the frontsides of major corporations, or their retail marketing arms.   Very few people would know the ins and outs of GE’s locomotive division, but are very familiar with GE appliances such as washers and dryers.   It is very difficult for the average person to comprehend how large some of the companies in the Fortune 500 are, how they go to market, and how diverse many of these companies are.   Everyone who likes golf knows Titlest, but nobody knows who Fortune Brands is.

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