Enviro Roundup

January 26, 2005

Quickly sharing several bits of environmental-news with you... Willie Nelson distributing bio-diesel in the U.S. ... Antarctica warming ... climate tipping point ... Blair pushes greener agenda ... Oklahoma continues keeping Texas from falling into the Gulf.

1 Willie Nelson is the new poster boy for biodiesel. The man's got cachet with the truck drivers, and he "gets it" (apparently) when it comes to the need to promote alternative energy sources. So he's started Willie Nelson's Biodiesel to market the fuel to truckers and truck stops across the nation: "Put a B20 biodiesel blend in your tank and hit the road again with a clean burning, renewable fuel that is grown right here in America..." And of course the efforts dovetail well with his old Farm Aid gig. (thanks worldchanging.com).

2 Did you ever wonder if there is recognizable plant life growing anywhere in Antarctica? The answer is apparently yes, though I don't know if it used to be. New research has shown that Antarctica is warming, ice sheets are breaking off, and glaciers are threatening to slide off into the ocean (if enough ice sheeting collapses).

3 An intergovernmental panel co-chaired by a Republican Senator says that we may be near a tipping point with regard to global warming reports the AP: "Global warming is approaching the point of no return, after which widespread drought, crop failure and rising sea levels will be irreversible, an international climate change task force warned Monday."

4 Meanwhile in better news, GW's pal & British PM Tony Blair is trying to use his clout as PM as well as the new chair of the G8 and of the European Union to push for greater action to attempt to prevent the drastic global climate change, of which new computer models have shown even high likelihood than previously supposed. I suppose it should not be surprising that this news is much easier to find in British papers than in American ones (just do a search on Google News to see).

5 Old bitter-rivalry joke: "why doesn't Texas fall into the Gulf? ... Because Oklahoma sucks!" (they have an equally inane rejoinder, naturally). So here is more evidence that Oklahoma sucks and is keeping Caribbean nations, Florida, and Mexico from being hit by the largest tsunami ever if the Red River were to suddenly become an arm of the Gulf.... a state senator wants to reinstate cockfighting, but with little vests and boxing gloves to protect the roosters. If you read nothing else linked from this page, read this article, cause its just too darn funny.

4 Comments

It is truly remarkable how mainstream American culture has stuck it's collective head in the sand regarding these issues.

hahaha... thanks for sneaking that texas shout-out in there, e-stephens. great to know that no matter how much the earth's climate changes, oklahoma still sucks... kidding, kidding. i love all people. :)

Just in case anyone else reads this: I absolutely meant to immediately leave this comment... but obviously I forgot to do so... Point is, I've actually gotten to know a handful of Oklahomans, and liked them all. Its just this thing we have going between us, more so at this point even than Longhorns vs. Aggies (who have mostly realized that all least we're all Texans).

As soon as I pass through the Texas border there is no doubt that once again I am, unfortunately, in Oklahoma and… I hate Oklahoma.
Oklahoma has an unfortunate combination of angry drivers with bad vehicles on bad roads. I moved to Oklahoma about one year ago with no negative notions about the place. What I discovered were a lot of hostile people who hate people from other states. So I did some investigating. I began to feel bad for these Okies. They obviously had an inferiority complex that was a result of being such an impoverished state, and having such horrible government officials. Then I thought they must be angy because their ancestors were responsible for the worst ecological disaster in the western hemisphere (that’s the Dust Bowl for you Okies who don’t know what I’m talking about). Then I thought they must be depressed because the state itself is so ugly. Then I thought they felt bad about the breast-feeding scene from The Grapes of Wrath (that’s a book for you Okies who don’t know what I’m talking about). Then I thought they must feel bad because prices are so high and wages are so low. Then I thought they must feel bad because they have the lowest personal credit score ratings in the country, the highest divorce rate, the 4th highest incarceration rate, low life expectancy and low health rating, and one of the highest rates of corporal punishment in public schools. But then I realized they have an inferiority complex because most of them are lazy, loud-mouthed, bible-thumping, tobacco-spitting, ignorant, bigoted, yokels---the rest of them are unwed mothers.
I hate Oklahoma.