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New Year Open Thread: What's Your Climate Resolution?
It's a brand new year. Time to redouble our efforts — and then redouble them again (and again, as it turns out) — because the time for modest action passed a long, long time ago (see PricewaterhouseCoopers study: We're Headed To 11°F Warming And Even 7°F Requires "Nearly Quadrupling The Current Rate Of Decarbonisation").
I'm resolved to work harder to communicate the science and solutions to an even broader audience to avoid the climate abyss. What is your resolution?
91 Responses to New Year Open Thread: What's Your Climate Resolution?
Making and spreading Terra Prieta on the evergreen trees on our property, and spreading the idea to others. ( Thank You Albert Bates )
Good work, Joe.
I'm working on a book about our species' relationship with the rest of Nature and, inevitably, the matter of climate change is a key aspect of this.
I'm also thinking about going back to blogging, with an emphasis on how growth-based socio-economic systems are part of the problem, and how civil society needs to be working very hard and very urgently on alternatives, but I don't want to be distracted too much from the book.
This is the biggest crisis our species has ever faced, and I really can't think of anything more important to be working on.
Continue trying to raise awareness of the importance of climate change as a global issue. (http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Mess-speculative-fiction-climate/dp/1475151926/ref=la_B00734UWMW_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357049099&sr=1-1).
Continue to facilitate Native American Tribes to own and operate large renewable assets.
"Maybe he'll fall only halfway"
Toles cartoon is epic :)
My resolution, will try to bring more quality post (better research) and more focus on climate solution.
I was going to say "keep doing what I'm doing" etc., but I think I'm going to say that at this point, continuing my efforts to go vegetarian, think more carefully about what I need (for the money's sake), meditate more (better discipline) and get in better shape, will all go towards making me better able to actually do the work at hand.
It's becoming increasingly clear that we're fighting a war for our survival, but like with the so-called class war, the side the majority of us are on is only taking up arms after being under assault for decades.
Time to start training for it, even if the weapons of this war are from the discipline of nonviolent conflict.
Great resolution Joe and should include smarter and faster with continuous improvement.
Bloomberg's NYC Rapid Repairs — despite all the snafus — could become a very important replicable model for creating a very positive future.
Deploy, deploy, deploy.
Get one electric car on the road — it's already ordered and should be delivered in March:
Reduce natural gas usage by improving home insulation:
Help others deploy clean energy solutions:
Nag our elected leaders to deliver climate solutions:
"It's becoming increasingly clear that we're fighting a war for our survival, but like with the so-called class war, the side the majority of us are on is only taking up arms after being under assault for decades."
The real question is: who is the enemy? As Pogo said, we have found the enemy and he is us! It is our addiction to a lifestyle based on high technology, enabled today by the unlimited availability of cheap fossil fuel energy, that drives the climate change. The energy companies and supporters exploit our addiction to the fullest, but our extravagances are the primary cause. I understand your problem, because it is difficult to recruit new followers to the climate change 'Cause' when most of these potential recruits are part of the problem. But, you will never solve a problem if you don't define it accurately, and this refusal to pinpoint the central cause is the primary weakness of the climate change movement.
To stay in shape is certainly a good point, because with sport you find the motivation, power and strength. Go running, swimming, walk if possible or use a bicycle. Together with a balanced diet (no fast food if possible + drink 3-5 literes a day ) you will also get less depressed from all the bad news.
"meditate more"
I did not tried this yet!
It is our addiction to a lifestyle based on high technology, enabled today by the unlimited availability of cheap fossil fuel energy, that drives the climate change. The energy companies and supporters exploit our addiction to the fullest, but our extravagances are the primary cause. I understand your problem, because it is difficult to recruit new followers to the climate change 'cause' when most of these potential recruits are part of the problem. But, you will never solve a problem if you don't define it accurately, and this refusal to pinpoint the central cause is the primary weakness of the climate change movement.
Among other activities, I intend to strongly support my mayor, county executive, and congressional representative. Each of them provides appropriate leadership on the issues that trouble us here.
The mayor and county executive both have signed legislation opposing hydrofracking. Our newly elected congressional representative is up to speed on climate change issues.
It may be an anomaly, but I live in an area with a lot of vigorous voices, not a passive audience, so I endorse local ways for those voices to be heard. For anyone, 350.org is an example of how to do that inexpensively,
Good luck everyone, cause I don't know….
awaken to people to the principle and design of earth and her functioning sustain the heat. When environmental heat is increased and it is unwound unilaterally then earth reacts to wind. The exponentially increasing heat of the environment in a quantum world that changes constantly invariably means there will be accelerated climate change, leading to huge destruction by all the forces of nature. The earth reaction to unwinding force invariably means we can expect huge earth quakes. Eventually it would end in huge volcanic eruptions. Watch out for yellow stone. There is hope for humanity in God provided he awakens to the principle and design on which earth functions and develop management of energy of earth's environment – http://www.scribd.com/doc/114273537/Climate-Change-and-Its-Relation-to-Energy
Change despair into anger, and anger into constructive activity.
Our main problem still appears to be public ignorance of the scale of our climate problem. If more Americans became aware of what's going on, Congress would be forced to act. You can add up all of the climate blog and climate science journal readers and they might add up to the population of a medium sized city.
That's what the fossil fuel companies and banks want. Their front men are the major media companies, who also believe that profits are sacred, and that public awareness means telling them about fashion trends.
I plan to work harder in 2013 to put American media's feet to the fire on a systematic basis. Eventually they will have to listen, and change accordingly.
Resolved: To understand more about the human brain and human behavior in the context of having the ability to deal with slow-moving but deadly threats like climate chaos. It is only when we more perfectly understand ourselves that we will more perfectly understand our role in the world, and perhaps then learn how to better effect positive change.
This type of action taken to the logical extreme accelerating at wartime speed should lead to urgent climate initiatives
Rapid Adaptation (FEMA term: Hazard Mitigation from storms, floods, high winds, etc.)
Rapid Efficiency
Rapid Solar . . .
Develop skills to make stuff worth bartering.
Getting in better shape.
Will be moving to Northwest this year… figure it'll be safer than SoCal.
Working toward maximum self sufficiency.
To take the fight into the hostile media. Here in the UK, that's a lot of media to fight.
10 Dumbest Things Fox News Said About Climate Change In 2012
Read it and weep :-(
Once again, Anne, I'm in full agreement with you. And in my case I've actually made great strides in that very understanding by reading, so far, the first half of that amazing book "Engaging Climate Change: Psychoanalytic and Interdisciplinary Perspectives", edited by Sally Weintrobe. It's so well-written and so full of insights that I can't help but recommend others read it too. Of course solving climate change is the most difficult problem civilization will have ever faced and understanding what motives us—our defensive illusions and tragic disavowal—will only help us part way. To adequately deal with climate change, however, we'll need every one of the parts working in our favor, and this book offers great insight into one of them.
A decent review of it appeared in the Guardian online in late November.
The "fall" never hurt anyone, it is the sudden stop at the end that gets you. In this case however the fall is in fact hurting many but the powers that be are too myopic to see.
I will continue to fight the ability of the few to profit from the pollution of the commons. The fundamental flaw of Western Capitalism. Socially enabled capitalism is a failed paradigm.
Why is nobody suing FOX for the lies?
I continue to educate and spread the word everywhere about the deep perils we face with climate change. To sit idly by with the knowledge I have would make me as guilty as the climate change deniers.
An oil drilling rig holding more than 160,000 gallons of diesel, oil, and hydraulic fluid has run aground near Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska, after breaking away while being towed during a storm. The crew was evacuated before the rig was incapacitated.
"The rig ran aground in a storm, with waves up to 35 feet and wind to 70 miles per hour," reports Jeff Brady, on NPR's Newscast. The rig is "about 250 miles south of Anchorage," Jeff says.
In February 2003, a Florida Court of Appeals unanimously agreed with an assertion by FOX News that there is no rule against distorting or falsifying the news in the United States. http://www.relfe.com/media_can_legally_lie.html
Don't use bicycles. They're made from steel. Or even worse, carbon fiber, which is even more energy-intensive in its production.
I think I'll buy wind generated electricity for the small amount of my power that I don't get from my solar panels. I keep getting offers in the mail from Constellation and First Energy. Then when I call them up and tell them I want all wind and no coal energy they say they can't help me. They seem to be pushing coal very hard.
I plan to take some road trips with my electric car.
Continue to lobby my political representatives. I am not very convinced that they want to do more than give hollow reassurances that feel it's an important issue while not doing a dang thing about it. I'll keep trying anyway.
Seriously thinking of running for public office myself, not this year but sometime in the near future. It looks like the only way to get any help on the political side.
Resolution: Work on making sure that climate denying Congress Critters actually pay a price for sticking their heads in the sand. It makes no difference whether what party they profess allegiance to, they must be made to pay allegiance to life.
Nice looking homemade methane biodigesters to be found on YouTube. It is an interesting thing to supply natural gas to the home with a
biodigester. But is it a way to capture and thus reduce methane that would occur anyway or does it use methane that would not otherwise occur. Turning to fertilizer and fuel gas does seem a better way to end it all than being cremated. Usually fruit and sugary material makes the best fuel though.
To further reduce my carbon footprint.
To further reduce my effect on the GNP.
To spread the word that Global Warming is real, is caused by the actions of mankind, and is happening now.
The rig has been in trouble since Thursday, when the ship towing it suffered an engine failure; in a separate incident, a tow line snapped…
Symptoms of lack of investment in equipment, in other words profit before safety, maybe? A common theme in this industry and its sisters in coal, gas etc.
Alaska Shell Drill Ship Crew To Evacuate
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Coast Guard prepared Saturday to evacuate an 18-member crew of a Shell drill ship that was stalled in rough Gulf of Alaska waters, south of Kodiak Island. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/29/alaska-shell-drill-ship-evacuate_n_2380097.html?utm_hp_ref=green
Austin Energy offers rebates up to $300 for
e-bikes, two-wheel electric vehicles http://www.austinenergy.com/About%20Us/Newsroom/Press%20Releases/2012/eRideIncentives.html
Here's one I haven't seen yet: I resolve to engage in climate activism with a sense of joy. This has been a challenge for me since, in my heart and mind, I strongly suspect that our species is going to bring on a significant die-off and a dys-topic future for many of the survivors. When I do the math (my own, not necessarily Bill Mckibben's!) to include the astonishing number of coal-fire plants being built in China and India, etc. along with the massive infrastructure being built in the West to facilitate Asia's expansion…my heart and mind takes a 'deep swallow'. And STILL, while I am alive and called to spread the word about the climate, I want to be joyful- if also occasionally fired-up myself!- while I am doing it.
my New Year's Resolutions:
2011 – get arrested…check (Keystone XL protest, DC)
2012 – get arrested again…check (OWS – http://www.cardboardroses.org/) plus a near miss (http://grist.org/climate-energy/behind-the-scenes-at-a-big-mountaintop-mining-protest-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/) and write the book … check (http://www.deadtrees-dyingforests.com/pillage-plunder-pollute-llc/)
2013 – make the 2-minute movie that will convince everyone trees are dying from pollution
– Switched to CFL lightbulbs in 2003,
– switched from minivan to 4-cylinder Camry in 2005,
– sold 4 bdrm house in 2009 and moved into condo apt.,
– drive less than 1,200 miles (2,000km) a year since 2011,
I'm stumped as to what more I can do personally for now, but I'll keep thinking about it.
Decide the 2 most effective organizations and focus $$ contributions where they will do the most good.
Also, double down activism efforts here in the Pacific Northwest to fight the proposed coal export facilities.
As a child, my grandfather on my mother's side built a little tiny coffin for my great-grandfather's leg. It was cut off by a threshing machine.
My mother's father and my father were both born on farms. They managed to go to college and then they taught courses. They worked their way out of poverty in a world that was becoming affluent.
My father designed and built his own house with a wood shop for himself. He had the tools to build houses. He hired crews and built three more houses near us. How he ever found the time is another question.
Then the world changed and everybody became perhaps 100 times as affluent (if you count the super-rich in with the poorest, also the bloated military budget, the money wasted in prisons, the morbidly obese health care system, on and on). Now we could all afford our own carpentry shops, our own machines in our garages. These days we can even afford our own workbench robots.
However, something else happened. Our economy was suddenly short 50 million jobs, and a few people committed suicide in despair over not having jobs. Most of our enormous and growing technological affluence got into the hands of a tiny group of robber barons. Some of us had to work harder for less pay. Others had no jobs. We entered post-affluence America.
The modern secret to having an honest opportunity at a fair job at fair pay is to form a community around working and consuming. Every time that our community buys in bulk and somebody works to separate the bulk orders, we save money and somebody in our community works (for money). Every time that we hire our own CSA to grow our food, we get better quality food and somebody works. It's only a matter of time before we start building each other's homes, complete with more solar heat. In our post-affluence America we can be pretty inefficient at production and still be affluent, so now we can design the jobs a bit around the imperfect people that want to work.
Further, every time that we form a community, the community's needs are upheld. Our community has a moral imperative to inhibit climate change more than we unorganized individuals have. Our community naturally wants to buy from and sell to other communities, ones that also have good morals.
In time, the bad apple corporations will have to lose a lot of their business. A truly bad apple will have trouble making or selling anything at all at a low enough price to make inroads into a moral economy. If we need it, we'll set up a new community to make it. "Fair Trade" will be the norm.
This, in the Mayan calendar, is the start of a new golden age lasting something like 1300 years. In our post-affluence the poor of the earth can make all of their own goods among themselves, and that includes energy. Immoral energy will not be bought at any price.
Once we have met all of our basic needs, no amount of salary can pry most of us into an immoral life selling fossil fuels or building gambling houses. Also, someday, no amount of money will be able to buy a properly constructed democratic government.
At that point, all of our governments will see the inherent morality in not destroying our great-grandchildren's inheritance. We will take ever-increasing portions of our war budgets, because no nation on earth will be able to profit from invading their neighbors, and we will budget it toward hydrocarbon sequestration. Then the earth's climate will be restored.
So, we have our work cut out for us. We need community organizing, including faith community organizing. Faith communities are likely to recognize quickly that destroying the climate is immoral, it's taboo, and we're going to cut off anyone and anything allied with climate change.
We need business organizing. Businesses are little communities, some democratic in nature, some little private kingdoms, but they all want to play politics to be on good terms with their customers, with their workers, with their investors, with their neighbors.
We need to organize to free the inventors. I went out at age 59 and shoveled out my current solar project today, alone, with a beat-up steel snow shovel. No, I don't have a heart condition. If you think that this is a poor use of an inventor's time, you're right. However, you and your snow blower weren't there to shovel.
Also, for some of you, your 401k money was in a mutual fund, and your mutual fund was in a fossil fuel company.
To follow our dreams we have work ahead of us. We're going to see little self-sacrifices in this movement, sometimes from individuals, sometimes from communities. Good luck. Happy New Age!
To publish my book and get Joe Romm, Bill McKibben, Naomi Klein and Van Jones to "blurb" it – i.e. help promote it. (I already drive a hybrid, very little, recycle everything, and my house is powered by solar.
-Eat locally grown foods
-Become a vegetarian
My resolution is to continue to write on renewable energy issues and probably go back to school and upgrade to become a climate policy analyst.
I would like to add (concerning the left) that Naomi Klein refers to this as 'liberal denial.' They don't want to know just how bad it really is and have decided to wrap themselves in a kind of comfortable mental blanket:"I know climate change is real, and I'm doing my part, I'm raising my kids, I recycle.." etc. Completely unaware of the magnitude of acceleration currently being reported in the field nor making honest attempts at truly educating themselves.
A collective psychosis exist in most American liberals, where they want something done about it, but won't form the necessary collective deep reflection on how we got here nor the action it requires. At the core I believe is this: most liberals no matter how much they do believe in climate change have no idea just how bad it really is. Most do not inform themselves on the latest climate modeling, current observable impacts, or future projections. Having not done sufficient research on the topic they will still have strong opinions on how serious it is and what we should do about it, to the point of arguing against those whom have done the research. People like Obama (we can frack, drill, and nuke everywhere for energy independence) and Mckibbon ("we can stay below 2 degree Celsius") further this cognitive dissidence with blatantly untrue narratives.
They do not ever want to confront the possible reality that this infinite consumer based GDP-growth economy is a miserable failure. This they will counter with it's obvious benefits, while never ever comprehending those benefits are temporary and by the laws of physics can never be extended to future generations ever again. Let alone the savage inequality built into the system that benefits them (educated, liberal, upper middle class, overwhelmingly white) but leaves whole regions of the earth's non-white peoples and especially women in wage-slavery, enduring painful miserable lives to provide American liberals (of course all major western economies and political persuations) the awesome comforts of success they enjoy everyday.
So if you have your political world view already grounded in ignoring this blaring "injustice' built directly into the system, while simultaneously stating you care about human-rights ,plus singing gleefully the great benefits to be had by you, from such a system (the American dream, free market, globalization etc..): then it's no great cognitive leap in logic for you to 'believe in global warming', and 'care about the environment' while plowing our collect Eco-systems into a death spiral with over consumption, inaction and business as usual.
Liberals & conservatives don't really want things to change too much. We've been taught never to sacrifice.This system gives people especially those in the educated classes much financial benefit, which in American-conventional-wisdom-speak translates: happiness. The real problem being liberals (for the most part) aren't even fighting, not even really trying and are just as unknowing of the 'real physics' involved as the right-wingers. My new yrs resolution is to speak to this deeper problem at the core of our current plight.
Reduce my carbon footprint by avoiding unnecessary car trips, eat more whole foods and fewer processed foods, create a learning cycle lesson on climate change, add more trees and shrubs to our landscape, seed lawn with drought resistant slow growing grass (any suggestions?).
It is not an addiction. Attempting to convince others of this highly misleading analogy is no more than an implicit call to defeatism, ME
The same applies to just about every other mode of transport, unless you walk everywhere. The difference lies in efficiency. Lester Brown estimates he can do seven miles (about 11k) to the potato on his bike, although I'm not sure if that's in town or long distances at speed, or what sort of bike he's got. You can't do that on foot, never mind anything else. A recumbent will also outperform an upright.
The bicycle is your friend.
Why do you think my statement is misleading? Saying it's misleading without being definitive is not very convincing.
Thanks Nell for your suggestions.
I'm in Canada, so no locally grown fresh produce year-round.
I buy mostly frozen fish fillet as opposed to meat. I'm not knowledgeable enough about vegetarianism to make that switch. Remember any radical change in diet amounts to a long-term experiment with yourself.
"Buffalograss, Buchloe dactyloides, is a perennial grass native to the Great Plains from Montana to Mexico. In Texas, it is commonly found from South Texas to the Texas Panhandle; but is rarely found on the sandy soils in the eastern part of the state or in the high rainfall areas of southeast Texas. It is one of the grasses that supported the great herds of buffalo that roamed the Great Plains. Buffalograss also provided the sod from which early settlers built their houses.
Buffalograss is, perhaps, our only truly native turfgrass. Its tolerance to prolonged droughts and to extreme temperatures together with its seed producing characteristics enables buffalograss to survive extreme environmental conditions."
I used to love mine. Almost no care needed at all unless you want a manicured looking lawn. Even then doesn't require a lot of mowing. If you decide on seeding, make sure you get deburred seed. It'll be quite a bit more expensive, but save you lots of heartache. Burred seed is very hard to germinate. Have to have the exact right heat and moisture and even then, not all will with burred seed, it's a survival trait.
Do you get a nice little boost from increased dopamine everytime you turn the light on? I don't think so. Addiction is a quite specific individual physiological pathology and the way Americans use their resources bears no relationship to it, ME
Keep writing to newspaper editors demanding more climate change coverage. Keep writing to TV weather people demanding they connect the dots to climate change. Keep writing to NBC, CBS, ABC, demanding more prime-time coverage of climate change.
And not to get discouraged when I get no responses.
Yes, but even Lester can't make steel with muscle power.
the progress trap, from: http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/7277/
IN HIS BOOK A Short History of Progress, Ronald Wright coins the term "progress trap." A progress trap, says Wright, is a short-term social or technological improvement that turns out in the longer term to be a backward step. By the time this is realized—if it ever is—it is too late to change course.
The earliest example he gives is the improvement in hunting techniques in the Upper Paleolithic era, around fifteen thousand years ago. Wright tracks the disappearance of wildlife on a vast scale whenever prehistoric humans arrived on a new continent. As Wright explains: "Some of their slaughter sites were almost industrial in size: 1,000 mammoths at one; more than 100,000 horses at another." But there was a catch:
The perfection of hunting spelled the end of hunting as a way of life. Easy meat meant more babies. More babies meant more hunters. More hunters, sooner or later, meant less game. Most of the great human migrations across the world at this time must have been driven by want, as we bankrupted the land with our moveable feasts.
This is the progress trap. Each improvement in our knowledge or in our technology will create new problems, which require new improvements. Each of these improvements tends to make society bigger, more complex, less human-scale, more destructive of nonhuman life, and more likely to collapse under its own weight.
I think you're wrong. Addiction is a very good analogy for the way Americans consume discretionary goods. (Goods other than food and basic necessities.) Huge throngs of people show up at the malls every evening and weekend and spend their money on tons of crap that they don't need.
But it's never enough, and it's never satisfying, so after getting a "clothing hit," or a "electronic hit," they are soon back for more. They are addicted to the feeling they get when acquiring, which soon wears off, necessitating another round of acquiring.
Here's what I'm not understanding. Our political leaders have either young children, young grandchildren, or young great-grandchildren. They also have access to the best climatology minds in the world, and access to the classified work being done on climate change using the banks and banks of supercomputers available at national facilities. They probably know far better than any of us what to expect from climate change with BAU.
By mid-century, when it appears the temperature increases will be in the range of at least 3-4 C (more if positive feedbacks really kick in), their young progeny will be in their 50s-60s, what we consider today the prime of their professional lives. Why aren't our political leaders speaking out about the world their young progeny will face at that time?
It seems to me there are two extreme possibilities. One, the classified models with any feedback estimates added may be showing the situation may not be as dire as presented in the open literature, technical or otherwise. In that case, the progeny will be able to live out their lives reasonably comfortable, with the family wealth intact. Two, the classified models have some estimates of feedback included, and, as expected, the forecasts are far more dire than the IEA, World Bank, et al reports. In this latter case, the progeny will face a grim life as they enter middle-age. In the past, people tended to want a better life for their children and grandchildren, even at the expense of fulfilling their own desires. If, in fact, the latter option I mentioned is true, and I suspect most of us believe it is, what is wrong with the political leaders in ignoring this problem almost completely. Even if they can do nothing of substance to turn the problem around, their 'laying it on the line' to the American people at least discharges some of their responsibility from an ethical and moral perspective. I cannot understand their silence in light of what will happen to their progeny if the present scenario plays out as it is appearing.
The rig has been in trouble since it was conceived and designed. We have no business trying to extract more fossil fuels — especially those found beneath Arctic waters.
As climate warms, bark beetles march on high-elevation forests:
I plan to finish the book on climate change solutions that I started writing in August, 2012. It's called, "THREE STEPS TO A COOLER PLANET: Designing Solutions to Global Climate Change." (My background is in design and architecture.)
I hope to complete the project and have it available as an ebook by mid year.
I would like to make it more widely known that emissions reductions are not going to 'save' us from a climate catastrophe. It's not the rate of greenhouse gas emission that matters, but the total, since that is what determines the planet's energy imbalance and resultant warming. My understanding of the science is that we're going to need active sequestration of CO2 from the atmosphere whatever happens. I think there needs to be a much greater investment in research so that we have the technology ready to put into use when extreme weather and crop failures cause enough civil unrest in 'first world' countries to actually make governments take the problem seriously.
When the villagers found that Dr. Frankenstein had created a monster they became an angry mob, attacking with pitchforks and flaming torches.
Philip, you're right, "it's never satisfying". That's because it isn't an addiction. When I have a cigarette after a 15 hour flight, it is deeply satisfying. The behaviour you are describing is called the maladaption of superficiality and is an attempt to compensate for what is essentially a purposeless and meaningless life. Most of our people work in dominant hierarchies where they have no or inadequate levels of decision making about jobs they don't care about. They live in families dissociated from their communities (in name only) with others who suffer similarly. Kids are sent to schools where they have little choice over what they are taught, let alone learn. You can never fill the psychic void caused by lack of meaning or purpose so the constant consumption mimics an addiction but unlike addiction can be easily fixed. All people are born purposeful and those who are lucky enough to work or learn in organizations where they share in the decision making about directions and the means of pursuing them do not show this or any other maladaption, ME
A very good point about carbon sequestration Icarus.
Perhaps we should work on sequestration at a very local level, such as carbon capture technologies installed in every household – CO2 level monitors could be installed for people to monitor their own level of CO2 production in their homes which would give them a way of measuring their rate of CO2 reduction and set targets for themselves.
Many of them have an anti-empirical mindset (of which creationism is characteristic). Their tribal identity is dependent on not believing in certain things (as opposed to a particular set of rituals, or costume, or food). Some may be quite cynical, but they still adhere to a core belief – that reality is a social construct. They think that global warming can be wished away by repeated mantras about free markets and invisible hands and technical ingenuity. Like a political boundary, the laws of physics can be argued with and defeated.
Some are religious fanatics, and are interpreting these changes as welcome end time scenarios.
And some of them, curiously enough, are sociopaths, and don't really care about anybody else, even their own kin.
Really, most of the politicians do not argue like folks who understand what is happening and pretend they don't. They argue like folks who do not even understand the implications of the evidence, and who think that the opinions of scientists are as ill-informed as their own on any subject whatsoever.
Dirk, we should be reserving our resources for the technologies that will reduce emissions, including bikes, ME
I'm getting rid of most of my lawn and replacing it with garden, but I don't recommend it for someone who doesn't want to spend all day in the dirt…
Here's some drought-resistant grasses and alternative groundcovers:
You only actually need grass if you get a lot of foot traffic (I'm keeping half of my back yard for play). Other alternatives like clover grow low and require no mowing or perhaps once a year mowing. But the change over can be labor intensive if the old sod has to be removed first.
Wonderful book! Highly applicable to our climate crisis.
There are things you can grow on your window sill and try sprouting seeds, e.g. mung – they are delicious, ME
36 posts so far and many replies and not one person mentioned they would participate in 350.org's planned rally Feb 17 in DC.
Why? Besides the obvious, e.g., too far away
#IdleNoMore #Climate #DefendOurPlanet
There is more than one human species, particularly from the moral, intellectual and spiritual perspectives.
It's more a compulsory form of indoctrination, of brainwashing into the habits of greed and selfishness imposed on societies by the uniformly Rightwing MSM and the advertising industry.
Non-violence (ahimsa) only worked in India because the English were massively outnumbered. It still took centuries, tens of millions of dead in avoidable famines, and the defeat of Churchill in the 1945 election (although the US would have forced his hand, out of fear of Communism). Most advocates of non-violence are murdered, 'disappeared', tortured or imprisoned, as are environmental activists today throughout the poor world.
Un-an-i-mous-ly! That's what I call 'The Rule of Law'. The Chinese must be envious.
I have two effective solutions to reducing global emissions fairly quickly.
1. Source and invest funds to engage the services of computer hackers world wide and pay them to shut down the computer systems of every corporation that is involved in or supports fossil fuel extraction. Collectively a focused mass of computer hackers across the planet could create an unstoppable and continuous assault that could inflict such economic damage that governments will stand up and listen. Harsh? Yes! But effective and necessary.
2. Imagine a device the size of a shipping container that takes seeds in at one end and reliably grows vegetables to collect at the other end. The ultimate high tech idiot proof garden, powered by solar, efficient on water usage, uses natural fertilisers and totally automated. The cumulative benefits of such a device would be enormous. Now imagine if this device could also provide off grid solar power, solar dehydrated human waste processing and water treatment and recycling. Just think what this device could do for developing countries. This is my 2013 goal and we are not far from prototype testing.
It is time to stop the discussion and take direct action!
Comments like that are exactly why nothing ever gets done to address climate change. Telling people they must return to a paleolithic lifestyle is the best way to guarantee that they will continue their current lifestyle with no changes at all. That is about as bad as the folks who believe that all we have to do is change some light bulbs.
There has to be a middle ground of effective, yet practical and feasible ways to address the problem.
Joe, how about inviting an economist and/or policy, politics, or sociology expert to weigh in on these resolutions, saying which they think are most powerful?
Here's another option, for readers in the San Francisco bay area:
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I think there is a lot of truth to this, and also to the Frankenstein analogy.
My own reading on the subject suggests that cognitive dissonance may have a lot to do with the problem.
First, you have those whose basic underlying assumptions on matters such as the free market and so on are challenged by this kind of crisis (your classic right-wing denialist). The "natural" response is to reject the new information.
Second, you have those who have become accustomed to certain types of lifestyle, and don't want to give it up. This is the kind of denialist who thinks that "green consumerism" will solve the problem, whether or not they look at it from a capitalist or socialist perspective. They accept part of the information, but think we can overcome it by installing a few windmills and otherwise going on as normal.
Tackling cognitive dissonance at a social level is a nightmare, and currently my biggest intellectual challenge, not helped by the fact that there is little or no available research on the subject.
I have wondered, as a digression, if there are a number of subspecies of humans with different thought patterns. I suspect it's cultural but, from an intellectual perspective, it might be interesting to learn whether there is lower reproductive success among hybrids (which is one way of defining subspeciation).
That said, I don't think humanity is ready for that kind of information.
In the meantime, I often think, and sometimes talk, about humans in the second or third person, but that may just be alienation.
Great Caesar's Ghost! It is only necessary to return to the sort of 'standard of living' of say the 1930s amongst the better off in the USA or UK, plus keeping all the useful technological advances made since then. 'Paleolithic' is a very great exaggeration. We need only abjure the wasteful, conspicuous, consumption of utter tat that characterises our frenetic and frantic materialism. That and redistribute the tens of trillions looted by the hereditary global parasite class, and we'd be laughing.
Flying from Edinburgh (Scotland) to Washington DC to be one more head at a rally does not seem to be consistent with fighting climate change, but I do wish you well.
I assume that the people at 350.org are aware that the current level of atmospheric CO2 is 392ppm?
Rallies (or pitchforks, referring to a comment above) might not be a bad idea here, though.
Hey, Brooks- Happy New Year!!
…I just went to 350's home page and there is still no obvious place to find out info about the rally let alone to sign up for it. I have on a couple of occasions communicated this to Duncan. I must admit to feeling a bit disappointed- I feel that I see things (many things actually) that they could be doing more effectively to generate a larger rally. BUT- it is their organization, so to speak, and they are, of course, doing some of the best climate activism out there. I also communicated to them that since they have an enormous population belt within a few hundred miles of the rally, that is where they should draw from. It does not make sense for folks to fly 1000s of miles to attend and it does not make sense to drive across the country in the middle of Feb.
You are entitled to your opinion but my statement is backed by over 60 years of accumulated data, ME
Every first Saturday of the year, I have put on a climate event at my local West Asheville, NC library (room rental= $10) from 10 am to 1 pm, since 2007– when the event led to stopping a local power plant from being built.
This year, Jan. 5th is a work party to talk about the Feb. 15th DC climate march & our state's 20-year energy plan. Drop in if you're nearby.
"There has to be a middle ground of effective, yet practical and feasible ways to address the problem."
Why does there 'have' to be a middle ground? If you had Stage 3 Lung Cancer, and you ask your Doctor: why do I have to give up my two pack a day smoking habit? Isn't there a middle ground of perhaps one pack a day? What do you think he would say?
Sometimes, you have to go 'cold turkey'. This is where we are with climate change. We have put enough CO2 in the atmosphere to place us in the temperature range Kevin Anderson calls Extremely Dangerous in three decades, even if we stop using fossil fuels today. Mother Nature is delivering a message; to quote a famous President: Read my lips; no more fossil fuels! She is not saying: well, you can have a middle ground to keep you comfortable. Until we get over the temperature hump, and start to bring it down, living like the Pennsylvania Amish will seem like the good life. We have run out of options!
"Source and invest funds to engage the services of computer hackers world wide and pay them to shut down the computer systems of every corporation that is involved in or supports fossil fuel extraction."
The first thing that would happen is the neighbors of these hackers would be appearing at their doors with pitchforks and torches, complaining they can't fly to Asia for their vacation, they can't heat their McMansion to 75 F, they can't commute 60 miles to work in their one-person SUV, etc. In other words, your solution is not focused on the major problem; that's why it won't work.
The variety of human types is infinite. There are genetic effects to take into account, including epigenetic ones. Then there is nurture in the family, the effects of peer pressure at school and work or the Church, and then there is chance and necessity. When you look at the continuum of human behaviour, which itself changes over the years, in societies and in individuals, those that congregate at the greedy, egotistic, belligerent and pushy end of the spectrum have been euphemised as the Right since 18th century France. That type has dominated most human societies for millennia, and their dominance is today greater than ever, hence the coming debacle.
I don't think that my opinion contradicts your wise observations in any way.
Like casinos?
It was your use of 'more' as it is pretty clear that only the vulnerable succumb to the advertizing, ME
Consider this perspective. We coevolved with fire. We ascended over other animals because we used a second source of energy beyond food. But deforestation caused a problem, so we switched to fossil fuels. This may be the same mistake that wiped out previous galactic species who created advanced civilizations. Fossil fuel consumption recreates the conditions which caused most previous extinctions. In fact the same carbon is being reintroduced into the air, whose sequestration helped Earth recover from those greenhouse events. Oil was produced under anoxic ocean conditions caused by those greenhouse events. This catch-22 is the best candidate for The Great Filter, the evolutionary hurdle responsible for the lack of other civilizations in the Milky Way. We will only survive if we evolve beyond fire dependency as our second energy source.


text:
Polk State College Marks Half-Century of Being Major County Influence
Published: Sunday, August 17, 2014 at 12:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, August 18, 2014 at 7:37 a.m.
WINTER HAVEN | In many respects, 1964 was an inaugural year.
With the launching of a new B.S. degree in Aerospace Sciences this month, the number of bachelor's degrees offered - 4
The difference in ages between the oldest and youngest graduates (15 and 69) - 54
Million dollars, Polk State College's total annual economic impact - 500
The largest single-term number of graduates in the college's history qualified to march at the May 2014 commencement ceremony - 927
The number of degrees awarded since founded in 1964 - 35,000
The approximate number of students the college currently serves - 24,000
The approximate percentage of students graduating with no student loan debt - 80%
SOURCE: Polk State College
The first lung transplant took place, the Beatles visited the U.S. for the first time, and Polk Junior College, the first publicly funded higher education institution in Polk County, was founded on a former World War II Army Air Forces Base in Bartow.
Today, Polk State College is celebrating 50 years of being a major community influence.
When Polk Junior College opened Sept. 8, 1964, its enrollment was 1,200, double officials' expectations.
Dan Dorrell, a partner and CPA with Cross, Fernandez & Riley LLP, was among the first students to enroll in the new college. Dorrell said although he always knew he would go to college, paying for it himself was a challenge.
"We couldn't afford to go anywhere else," said Dorrell, who took classes in the mornings and worked at Maas Brothers in the afternoons to pay for his tuition and books. "We all had to pay our own way; it's still that way for a lot of people."
Dorrell said tuition was about $60 per semester at the time, with an additional $40 needed to cover books and supplies. He was able to graduate in 1966 with his associate's degree.
"The campus was an old airbase; some of the buildings were brick and the classrooms were air-conditioned, but the gym was not," said Dorrell.
Sandy Fortin, a Lakeland resident and owner of 22 franchises of Play It Again Sports in Florida, spent the same two years at Polk Junior College, paying for it by working at Belk Lindsey, a national retailer.
"I was studying dentistry at the time," Fortin said, "and they really had some top-notch instructors. I had classes in the old barracks, and the student center was in a hangar."
Fortin graduated with an associate's degree but would later put dentistry aside and pursue a successful career in retail. He said it was the quality of the education that he remembers being important.
"(President Fred) Lenfestey, at that time, made sure he had the best instructors."
Lenfestey oversaw almost two decades of remarkable growth. An interview in 1974 depicted the simple goal he had in mind.
"(Board members) asked when they employed me, 'What is your ambition? What do you hope to do ultimately?' And I am not sure whether I gave them the right answer … but I said, 'I know that you want me to say that my ambition is to become president of Harvard.' But I said, 'Right now, my ambition is to start up a fine institution in Polk County and beyond that, I have no ambition right now.' "
During his 18 years of leadership, the college grew steadily.
The first permanent building, the Learning Resources Building, opened at the Winter Haven campus in 1968. Today, it daily serves more than double the number of students on campus in 1964. By 1976, more than 20 buildings would make up the Winter Haven campus.
As the decades have passed, technology has become an integral part of the educational experience. Nursing director Annette Hutcherson, who has worked in the nursing department for 25 years, said that although the number of students hasn't grown exponentially, the programs and technology have.
"Adding the bachelor's (degree) program has been a great attraction to students," Hutcherson said. The department also has added new technological tools to help students learn, such as a "human patient simulator" that can respond to medications and even speak to the students.
First in Lakeland, and then Lake Wales, the college added campuses, for a total of six today. Its enrollment is more than 10,000 students, with another 8,700 students taking noncredit courses, and there are close to 1,200 faculty members.
In 2009, Polk Community College became Polk State College and began offering a bachelor's degree program.
Now in her ninth year as president, Eileen Holden said she's proud of the college's many accomplishments.
"We constantly evaluate the needs of the local workforce to see how we can serve them and our students," she said. ''When we look at the average age of our students, we see that many of them aren't straight out of high school. They are looking for what works for them, and we are here to support them to success."
Success, Holden said, may not always come from earning a diploma.
"If their goal is to take a few photography classes and they complete them, that is a success," she said. "And if they pursue a degree in nursing, that's also a success. It's the student's success that we strive for."
For Christina Urbina, a 32-year-old mother of three, success is ongoing.
A convicted felon, she said she's paid the price for her mistakes and is setting things right for herself and her family.
"As a felon, I had to come in and interview with the dean," said Urbina, who works in the Student Activities & Leadership Office as an administrative assistant when she's not taking classes.
"Polk State College is everything to me. I volunteer a lot here, for many activities and events. I know it will help others to be successful."
Holden said the future of the college will be based on the premise of continuing to help students succeed.
"We ask our instructors to go out to other campuses and introduce themselves to people they don't know," Holden said. "We go out and meet students and learn their names. We challenge staff to learn about all the programs we offer. It comes down to connecting the dots. Our success over these 50 years is in knowing that, whatever your role at Polk State College, the goal is to help every student be successful, and that's what's going to drive us for the next 50 years."
[ Maria Iannucci can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or 863-401-6960. ]
Correction: An article on page A1 on Monday incorrectly spelling Christina Urbina's name. The online version has been edited to reflect this correction.
• 1964 - Polk Junior College opens at an abandoned World War II Army Air Force base in Bartow on Sept. 8. Initial enrollment is 1,200, more than twice the number of students expected.
• 1968 - The first building at the college's Winter Haven campus opens. The Learning Resources Building is still a hub of
activity, serving approximately 2,700 students on any given day.
• 1971 - The college's name is changed from Polk Junior to Polk Community to reflect the institution's dedication to serving Polk County.
• 1980 - The college's original shield, which included representations of cattle, citrus and phosphate, was no longer in use, a reflection of changes in Polk County.
• 1982 - Maryly VanLeer Peck becomes the second president of Polk State, following Fred Lenfestey's retirement. Peck was one of the first females to lead an institution of higher education in Florida.
• 1986 - The college breaks ground on the Lakeland campus, located on more than 100 acres off U.S. 98 South and Winter Lake Road.
• 1988 - Classes begin at the Lakeland campus.
• 1997 - Maryly VanLeer Peck retires. She is replaced by Larry Durrence, who served until 2006.
• 2006 - Eileen Holden becomes president. 2007 Polk State opens the doors to its Airside Center, located off Aviation Drive in South Lakeland. Today, the facility houses the college's medical imaging and aerospace programs.
• 2009 - The name is changed from Polk Community to Polk State.
• 2011 - The college rebrands, adopting the Eagle as its mascot and red and black as its colors.
• 2013 - The college opens Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College High School. The school serves those at risk of not completing high school, helping them not only to earn their diplomas but also college credits.
• 2014 - The college opens its Polk State Clear Springs Advanced Technology Center in Bartow, which houses high-tech degree programs and the Polk State Corporate College.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.

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annenberg media ♪ gam made possible by the financial support of... and the following individuals and foundations... corporate funding for art of the western world is by movado, makers of the movado museum watch, the watch dial design in the permanent collections of musms throughout the world.
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captioning made possible by the annenberg/cpb project as the 16th century ended and the 17th began, here in catholic rome there was a feeling of jubilation, a sense of rebirth. pope
v, in the year of our lord 1612, has brought water 35 miles from the healthiest springs in bracciano through new and restored aqueducts.
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what better way to sigl the revival of the ancient grandeur of rome than to restore its renowned system for bringing water from distant mountains to the city streets? pope
's new water supply, the acqua paola, or
's water as it was called, was soon rushing into the daylight from fountains all around the city. the finest of these fountains was designed by sculptor and architect, gian lorenzo bernini. it was built in the piazza navona which stood on foundations of an ancient stadium, a material expression of the idea of eternal rome. the city had survived 100 years of political and religious turmoil, of war and destruction. despite invasions of european monarchs who'd attempted to conquer the city on the pretext of defending it,
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it had preserved its independence. most important, the catholic church had survived the rise of protestantism and its challenge to rome's authority. it was an extraordinary period of expansion as european colonization and exploration took its influence to the farthest corners of the earth. this roman catholic renewal, which historians call the counter reformation, was given added purpose and vigor by a remarkable group of visionaries. the spanish mystic and philosopher teresa of avila insisted that everyone could experience intense and personal knowledge of god. igtius loyola, founder of the jesuit teaching order, inspired his followers to go to work with spiritual fervor in the real world, and the missionary francis xavier carried to india and japan the message of the roman church. to fulfill the needs of the resurgent church, artists and architects all over europe flocked into rome.
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they came to design and ornament the churches that were built in the explosion of activity inspired by the counter reformation. the church reformers called for works of art and architecture that would bring people into the churches, inspire faith and religious commitment. an artistic revival resulted, and a new style. it was an exuberant style reflecting the optimism and assertiveness of the 17th-century church. this style is known as the baroque. the fresco on the ceiling above our heads was painted by pietro da cortona
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in the 1630s. it decorates the reception hall of barberini palace in rome, home of pope urban viii, a great patron of the arts. to the modern sensibility, molded by the notion that less is more, it may seem decorative and confusing. a careful look at this work, done at the height of the baroque period, reveals a well-thought-out design based on a written plan. when urban looked up at his ceiling, he saw the figure of divine providence stretch her arms to a chorus of maidens who carry his family emblem, the barberini bees. they carry the bees to crossed keys of saint peter, the symbol of the papacy, and to the papal crown. the painting's meant to be read. it tells us that pope urban viii is a great and worthy man, but also that the ideals of the classical world have been subordinated to the values
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of triumphant christianity. every figure in this swirling panorama has meaning. the scenes painted around the sides of the ceiling tell stories extolling the pope's virtues. his unyielding battle against heresy is here symbolized by athena destroying insolence and pride in the shape of the giants. here his piety conquers lust and intemperance, represented by the satyrs. like the artists of the renaissance, cortona uses the vocabulary of classical antiquity, but draws his figures naturalistically, with lifelike vigor and sensuality. the architectural elements are not real but are painted as if they were. they blur the distinction between real and illusory space, at the same time suggesting hidden depths out of which the painted figures seem to tumble.
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overlapping layers of light and dark create a sensation of breathtaking movement. in this one ceiling, we have all the elements of the high baroque style-- a clearly defined program, a dynamic and dramatic tension between naturalism and classicism, between illusion and reality, between light and dark, and always movement. why were baroque artists concerned with illusion and reality, with light and dark, with movement, time, and space? before the 16th century, earth was believed to be the unmoving center of the universe about which sun, stars, and planets revolved. existence of humans and their salvation was the purpose of the universe. in 1543, the astronomer copernicus published his work on the revolutions of heavenly bodies.
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his revelation that the earth moved around the sun challenged people's perceptions of themselves. the title page of galileo's book on the solar system shows copernicus demonstrating to the revered ancient philosophers aristotle and ptolemy that their view had been wrong. the earth was one of many celestial bodies, all of which obeyed the same impartial laws. at the same time europeans learned of that revelation, the discovery of the americas and the exploration of the far east revealed that europe wasn't the center of the world. inhis time of spiritual crisis provoked by the explosion of knowledge, artists sought new ways of seeing and understanding. the out-thrust left arm of the disciple startled and astonished its first viewers in 1600. it breaks into the space in which we stand. the naturalism of this painting of christ at emmaus
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by michelangelo merisi, known as caravaggio, was unprecedented. its intention is to convince us we're participants in this astonishing event, god's presence in the flesh. we may no longer regard the earth as unique, caravaggio seems be saying, but god has dwelt amongst us. divinity and sanctity are to be found in our midst. caravaggio went out into rome's streets and put people he found there in his paintings. he came to rome from northern italy in the last decade of the 16th century. a strange, violent, driven man, he was in permanent revolt against authority. caravaggio was always in trouble with police. he killed a man in a quarrel and fled the city.
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he was a carouser and a libertine and painted himself that way... but the way he painted religious subjects was as shocking to his contemporaries as his behavior. he painted saint peter as a confused and frightened old man... the virgin, in life, as a neighborhood housewe. the virgin in death he painted as a swollen, careworn corpse. the painting was rejected by monks who commissioned it. never had they seen the virgin mary represented as dead rather than dying. caravaggio was rebelling against idealized depictions such as this conversion of saint
by taddeo zuccaro. this was the conventional way in which divine intervention on earth was portrayed,
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like a fabulous dream, but caravaggio sought to draw the beholder in, to make the worshiper a participant in the drama enacted on the canvas. in a small chapel in the church of santa maria del popolo in rome, caravaggio's conversion of saint
depicts the intrusion of the divine into human life as a real moment meant to be seen from the perspective of someone kneeling in prayer. a contemporary commented that it looked like an accident in a blacksmith's shop. caravaggio, in the spirit of the counter reformation saints, was pleading through his pictures for man's direct knowledge of god. a principal device he used to achieve his purpose was chiaro scuro, the contrast of light and dark in the canvas. caravaggio rejected the convention of attributing the light source to a radiant divine figure. here no divinity is visible. there's no explanation for the light source
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within the painting. light just appears and totally overwhelms
. light itself is the presence of god. darkness is where god is not. caravaggio was one of the first artistic bohemians. rebellious, uncompromisi, and dissolute, he died at 37. late in his short life, he portrayed himself as the decapitated goliath. it's the work of a deeply religious man depictin his own damnation. while caravaggio saw himself in the headless goliath, the young gian lorenzo bernini gave his features to the heroic david. bernini took the immediacy he found in caravaggio's paintings and recreated it in marble with phenomenal and unprecedented virtuosity. the sculptors of the renaissance had often treated the david theme. donatello's david is serenely elegant.
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michelangelo's is contained... perfect... full of potential. t bernini's david moves... turns aggressively to confront the observer. true to the spirit of the baroque, this david is meant to be experienced. the viewpoint in this case, of course, is that of goliath. it's said that the cardinal maffeo barberini held a mirror to bernini's face so theoung pdigy could use his own expression
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intense concentration for the david. when the cardinal became pope urban viii, he said to the artist, "it is your good luck to see maffeo barberini pope, "but we are even luckier, "for the cavaliere bernini lives at the time of our pontificate." there is scarcely a corner of rome that was not graced by bernini's touch... from the small witty adornment, the elephant and the obelisk in the little piazza of santa maria sopra minerva...
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to the vast piazza and its enclosing colonnade, in front of the basilica of saint peter. "he is a rare man," said urban viii, "and a sublime artist borne by divine disposition and for the glory of rome." these statements by the pope about his favorite artist are significant in two ways. they were prophetic of the prodigious role bernini would play in his works for urban and the succeeding popes for a period of 60 years. rome was transformed into a modern city
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replete with public monuments meant not just for the elite but for everyone to admire and enjoy. the open arms of the vast porticos in front of saint peter's convey exactly this sense of outreach beyond the traditional bonds of society to include every individual in a universal embrace. this concern is made visible in what bernini described as "his least bad work." the cornaro family chapel, dedicated to 16th-century spanish mystic saint teresa of avila, which bernini created about 1650 in the church of santa maria della vittoria in rome. oueyes are met by those of the cardinal patron who looks out from among his ancestors and accompanies the visitor down the nave
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to view the chapel from the center of the crossing. there we are confronted with a spectacle of truly cosmic proportions. in the pavement before the altar, gesticulating skeletons rise from the lower depths to face their maker at the end of time. the vault of the chapel has scenes from teresa's life. bernini makes a chorus of winged, cloud-borne angels-- singing, playing instruments, and strewing flowers-- seem to filter through the solid vault, filling the chapel with their fragrant hymns of praise and celebration. at the sides, the members of the cornaro family appear in balconies with architectural backgrounds whose perspectives merge with that of the church. their space becomes indistinguishable from ours.
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they consider, study, discuss, describe, indicate, and thereby bear witness to a mysterious event in which they participate, encouraging us to join them. here bernini created a visual sensation by making a literal portrayal of a woman in ecstasy. from time immemorial, mystics have used the vocabulary of earthly love to convey their feelings to others. communion with god is like communion with the mother, only infinitely more so. in her autobiography, teresa describes the famous vision of the transverberation. "in the angel's hands, i saw a long golden spear, "and at the end of the iron tip, "i seem to see a point of fire. "with this, he pierced my heart several times, "penetrating by entrails. "when he drew it out,
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he left me completely afire with a great love for god." the prime tenet of christianity is that god created the world out of his love for humanity. bernini made love and creation the key to his chapel. [michael wood] baroque architecture follows different laws from those of antiquity and the renaissance. gone is equillibrium and logic. instead, the framework seems to move. boundaries seem to melt and walls to dance. the stone seems to bend itlf to the will of the architect. the most willful architect of them all was francesco borromini. saint ivo della sapienza is borromini's masterpiece. his architecture is intellectually complex, a startling amalgam of mathematics and fantasy. he knew the history of architecture d drew upon the past boldly and freely.
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the facade curves in, but the dome above it curves out, presenting the beholder with a dramatic contrast. using a symmetry so odd that it seems almost asymmetrical, he opposes convex and concave arcs. the result is that the building itself seems to be alive and pulsating. borromini's work emphasized one of the central teachings of the roman catholic church in the 17th century. salvation could not be attained by reason alone, nor by simple sensual experience. it required an imaginative leap of faith. in bewildering the eye and challenging the mind, borromini sought to plunge the worshiper in binto the mysteryye and of salvation.he mind, not everyone understood. a contemporary critic wrote, "everyone gets in his head a new idea "and displays it in public squares and upon facades, madly deforming buildings and even towns." but an official of borromini's church of san carlo recorded, "nothing similar, with regard to artistic merit,
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"can be found anywhere in the world. "members of different nations arrive daily in rome "and try to procure plans of the church. "we've been asked for them by germans, flemings, frenchmen, spaniards, and even indians." the baroque style in architecture, that had its roots in counter reformation rome, spread north into war-torn germany and austria. during most of the 17th century, austria was preoccupied with its lonely fight against the encroaching armies of the ottoman turks. when the austrians defeated the muslim turks at the gates of vienna in 1683, a new era began. the hapsburg holy roman emperors turned to rebuilding their ravaged land. all along the danube, where bleak fortresses had guarded the river,
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a chain of magnificent abbeys was built. the victory over the turks meant that money was now available for grand enterprises. the monks' taxes paid for buildings rather than for weapons. these abbeys were meant to serve not only as religious communities, but also as hospices for the emperor. saint florian's abbey, begun in 1689, is the work of an italian and an austrian-- carlo carlone and jakob prandtauer. in true baroque fashion, the new abbey was a stage upon which royal ritual could be played out by the visiting emperor. paradoxically, the stage usually lacked its leading actor, for the emperor himself rarely visited any of the abbeys. but it didn't matter. the object was not imperial housing.
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it was to make a political point, to bear witness to the unity of christianity and empire. here we're dealing not with the glorification of an individual emperor, but with the need to assert the divine right to rule of an institution, the hapsburg empire. newly victorious over the turks, the austrians believed themselves to be the saviors of christian europe. they proclaimed their triumph in their art and in their architecture. the karlskirche, or charles church, in vienna, is an example of the power of the christian faith to absorb and transfigure many influences.
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the gabled portico reminds us of the pantheon. the columns suggest trajan's column in imperial rome as well as the bible's description of solomon's temple. the dome is like the domes of papal rome. towers at the ends of the building suggest an imperial fortress. begun in 1716, the charles church is the work of fischer von erlach, who studied works of bernini and borromini in rome. it's dedicated to charles borromeo, one of the great counter reformation saints. it's not a coincidence that the austrian emperor at the time was also named charles. for in the lands where absolute monarchs ruled, architecture was part of the vocabulary of royal power. the belvedere palace in vienna was built in 1721 for prince eugene of savoy, the general who led the austrians to their victory over the turks.
2:25 pm
the architect was lucas von hildebrandt. the belvedere actually consists of two palaces set at opposite ends of an enormous formal garden in which nature has been completely subdued. the design is based on a simple program. the two palaces and the garden present the visitor with an allegory of life's journey. at one end, where prince eugene lived, is the lower belvedere and its gardens representing the earth. at the other end, where visitors were received, the upper belvedere, are the heavens. at first, you think you can go directly to the palace, but you find that you cannot. the grand staircase in the center of the garden reveals itself to be a cascade, water. you must go to the left or to the right. the garden forces you
2:26 pm
to be in an allegory of the journey to eternity. the palace faces north, so there's always a shadow on its facade. like the heaven it represents, you can't read its features until you're very close. as you arrive at the entrance hall, you're reminded you may have to struggle like hercules to stay on the right path. the grand staircase brings you to the hall of the emperor. in the end, the journey is worth taking, for if you proceed correctly, you arrive at your goal. this has not been a dismal journey.
2:27 pm
it has taken place, after all, in a garden, a reminder that the earth can be a happy place, at least for those who might find themselves as the guests of prince eugene. like much art throughout history, then, baroque was optimistic, but whose optimism? the 17th century was certainly a period of great expansiveness in european culture, both in geographical space and in the mind, but it was also the time of the inquisition, bitter religious wars which devastated the continent, and the time in which despotic monarchs dressed up their naked power in the trappings of benevolence. the style in which they did this can be seen here in the belvedere palace. italian baroque artists who developed this visual language used it to express the faith, confidence, and power of the catholic counter reformation church. it was a style ideally suited to expressing the interworkings
2:28 pm
of heavenly and earthly rule. so, in vienna, as throughout europe, kings and states seized upon this language to make their assertion that their authority was sanctioned by god. it was a style which had a long life. indeed, it still speaks power to us today. the equestrian portrait, the man on horseback, the standard mode for portraying aristocratic and royal rulers-- the ruler powerfully up, the subject safely down. kings and princes were trained to ride horses in the improbable manner we see in equestrian portraits. they should be seen to control a rearing horse with just one hand on the reins.
2:29 pm
surely such a person could command a kingdom. images of power tell us about those who make them, but even more about those who commission them. the dynastic monarchs of 17th-century europe, their power increasingly challenged by far-reaching social and economic change, sought to present themselves as heirs of the roman emperors, their authority divinely ordained. for them, art was an instrument of state power just as armies were, important in maintaining the absolute obedience of their subjects. we've seen how the counter reformation church demanded of its artists that their images should inflame the religious imagination of the people. just so, kings required of their court painters that their images should convey a sense of their benevolence, dignity, wealth, taste, and their divine right to rule.
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Amalfi Coast - Casa Orfeo
Apartment with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom in Scala, Italy
Booking cost: £0.00
From £366 per week
Vacation apartment Casa Orfeo overlooks the town of Ravello with its famous Villa Cimbrone and the sea.
It is the perfect hideaway spot for those who are looking for peace and privacy during their holidays, but at the same time do not wish to be totally isolated. Friendly owners live in another house just up the hill and are on hand if guests require them. At night too while dining al fresco it is a delightful scene when the lights of the town twinkle in the distance.
Casa Orfeo is pleasantly furnished in a modern style and has entrance from the well furnished terrace into the lounge / dining room with well equipped open-plan kitchen.
To the left the single bedroom. Bathroom with tub and hand shower, washing machine, WC, lavabo.
To the right of the lounge the double bedroom has access to the panoramic terrace.
Perched high on one of the spectacular hills of Scala, the apartment is reached after climbing the inevitable 85 steps from roadside.
Car is recommended and there is free parking on roadside about 800 meters away.
Barbeque - Colour Tv - Washing machine - Heating.
This property is available for a minimum stay of seven nights.
Beach: 7 Km. (Atrani or Castiglione) - Restaurants 350 m. - Bus Stop 20 m. or in Scala centre.
Cites - Scala centre: 1 Km. - Ravello: 3 Km. - Amalfi: 8 Km. - Positano: 27 Km. - Sorrento: 40 Km. - Salerno: 30 Km. - Napoli: 58 Km. - Roma: 276 Km.
Attractions - Pompei Excavations: 36 Km. - Paestum Excavations: 77 Km. - Vesuvius Crater: 58 Km.
Airports - Naples Capodichino - 62 Km. - Roma Leonardo da Vinci 291 Km. - Roma Ciampino 264 Km.
Railway Stations - Salerno - 30 Km. - Sorrento 40 Km.
Location & Area
Casa Orfeo is situated high on one of the spectacular hills of Scala.
Most people visit Ravello for the incredible views, but one of the local secrets is that the views from Scala are even better. From near the top of Scala in the hamlet of Campidoglio, the panoramic view includes all of Ravello, with the lush green gardens of the Villa Cimbrone at the tip of the promontory, the rugged mountains and coastline and the Bay of Salerno. Stop at one of the benches along the road, sit back and enjoy one of the Amalfi Coast's quietest and most stunning views.
The little hamlet of Minuta can be spotted from across the valley in Ravello by the little church dedicated to Santissima Annunziata, this beautiful 11th-century church is thought to be one of the oldest churches in Scala. Minuta deserves its name, which means "small." But it makes up for with stunning views from where it sets on a little promontory between two mountain valleys leading down to Atrani and Amalfi.
The views from the little piazza next to the church of Minuta are wonderful. Looking down the valley you'll spot the hamlet of Pontone and the ruins of the church of Sant'Eustachio dating from the 12thcentury. Hikers will enjoy the walk from Minuta to Pontone and continuing down the valley directly to Amalfi or up to the Valle dei Mulini to explore the mountain and visit the ruins of Amalfi's paper mills.
Shops and restaurant are about 1 Km. away.
The bus stop is just 20 m. away or in Scala centre and from here the SITA Bus line goes to Ravello - 2 Km. and Amalfi - 7 Km.
From Amalfi, SITA (Unico Campania) buses connect all the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento Coast towns, also ferry boats to Capri Positano and Sorrento.
If you are fond of hiking, from this property there are stepped pathways all the way down to Atrani or Amalfi, with amazing views.
Pompeii, Herculaneum and Paestum are easily within reach.
Check-in procedure
Check-in time is between 3 and 8 p.m. You will be met and taken to the booked accommodation, asked for a photo copy of your Id or passport, any extras and the Breakage deposit (in cash only in any currencies) Euro 300,00 – this is refunded on your departure day, less any breakages.
We strongly recommend contacting our land agents the day before or early morning of your arrival day, to let them know how you intend getting to the resort and approximate arrival time, they will in this occasion be able to advise of any local fiestas, roads closed etc...
Check-out time is between 07:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
Arrival and departure times can be arranged outside these times for this service a supplement of Euro 55,00 is applied.
Local Supplements
Highchair and Cot: With linen are available at weekly supplement of Euro 55,00 payable locally.
Heating: If required, supplement is Euro 12,00 per day (6 Hours).
Welcome pack: Our English speaking local agent in Italy provides a personal shopping service for food items which they deliver to the accommodation prior to your arrival. This is not a set welcome pack but is tailored to your individual requirements. If you are interested in this option, please contact us via email and give us your list of items including quantities. It is important to do this at least a week before your departure. You will need to pay in cash on arrival at the property, so please ensure you have taken enough Euros with you. You will be charged the local price for the goods (a receipt will be given) plus a delivery charge of 20,00 Euro.
Final cleaning: Euro 60,00 payable upon departure.
Municipal Holiday Residence Tax: Payable locally in cash.
How to get there
There are several ways to get to Scala / Amalfi Coast from Naples Capodichino Airport or Naples / Salerno Train station either by renting a car or by public transport. It is also possible to arrange private transfer directly to the your property. Ask us for quotation.
Once at the property you can get around fine without the car as parking in the towns is hard to come by and expensive. Public Busses operate year-around connecting Ravello to Amalfi, where are busses to all the Amalfi Coast villages and Sorrento area. Ferries (from May to October) operate a service between Amalfi - Positano - Sorrento - Capri Island - Naples and Salerno.
Rental tariff includes domestic consumes of electricity, gas, water, bedroom and bathroom linen with weekly changes.
This property does not have any reviews
Distances to locations
Prices and availability
Updated 11 June 2016
Select your travel dates on the calendar
Changeover days and minimum stays
- 1 July 2016 - 6 January 2017: the minimum stay is 7 nights.
Breakage deposit is required in cash only on arrival = Euro 300,00, and refunded on departure day provided no damages occur.
£0.00 per booking, paid locally
Final cleaning charge Euro 60,00 payable upon departure.
£0.00 per booking, paid locally
Municipal Holiday Residence Tax: Payable locally in cash.
£0.00 per person per night, paid locally
Arrival after 8 pm. can be arranged at a Late Arrival charge of Euro 55,00.
£0.00 per booking, paid locally
Highchair and Cot with linen are available at weekly supplement of Euro 55,00 payable locally.
£0.00 per week, paid locally
Heating: If required, supplement is Euro 12,00 per day (6 Hours).
Day, paid locally
2 bedrooms, Sleeps 3:
- 1 double bed
- 1 single bed
1 bathroom
TV Languages in Local
Living area seats 4, Dining area seats 4, Central heating, Hair dryer, Iron / board, Towels / linen, Washing machine, Car hire optional
Cooker, Crockery, Cutlery, Fridge, Freezer, Glassware, Oven, Pots / pans, Toaster
Barbecue, Outside lighting, Sea view
Suitable for
Children, Infants
Agency From Romsey, United Kingdom Member since Dec 2008
Past bookings: 24 bookings
Response rate: 100%
Response time: within 32 minutes
Last logged in: a day ago
Number of properties: 59


text:
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text:
Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be the miracle
Phillips Brooks (1835 - 1893)
Contributed by: Derek
The Truest help we can render an afflicted man is not to take his burden from him, but to call out his best energy, that he may be able to bear the burden.
Contributed by: William
It is while you are patiently toiling at the little tasks of life that the meaning and shape of the great whole of life dawn on you.
Source: Sermons. Purpose and Use of Comfort
Contributed by: Zaady
It is good for us to think that no grace or blessing is truly ours till we are aware that God has blessed some one else with it through us.
Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be the miracle.
If we could sweep intemperance out of the country, there would be hardly poverty enough left to
Life comes before literature, as the material always comes before the work. The hills are full of marble before the world blooms with statues.
Source: Literature & Life
The ideal life is in our blood and never will be still. Sad will be the day for any man when he becomes contented with the thoughts he is thinking and the deeds he is doing. . . .
We never become truly spiritual by sitting down and wishing to become so. You must undertake something so great that you cannot accomplish it unaided.
No man dares to condemn the Christian faith today, because the Christian faith has not been tried. Not until men get rid of the thought that it is a poor machine, an expedient for saving them from suffering and pain; not until they get the grand idea of it as the great power of God present in and through the lives of men; not until then does Christianity enter upon its true trial and become ready to show what it can do.
Source: The Law of Growth
Copyright © 2016 Gaiam, Inc.


text:
Gallagher's Dirty Dozen
The season here in Des Moines has had a hard time getting started this year. Bad weather, bad team and bad schedule; you're out!
Yesterday was an exception.
Sean Gallagher served up a tasty lunch in a nooner matinee at Principal Park on one of the very few days so far when the elements didn't cross-up the schedule makers.
After seven innings Gallagher had thrown 86 pitches, allowing one run on three hits with no walks and 12 strikeouts. All 12 K's were swinging, most of them on a nasty breaking ball.
His pitch counts by inning were as follows: 11, 13,13, 14, 16, 9 and 10.
They trotted him back out for the eighth, the only frame when he failed to fan anybody. He walked the leadoff man, erased him on a DP grounder, gave up a base hit and called it a day after 101 mostly carveaceous, to coin a word, pitches.
The lone run he allowed came on a 3-1 fastball that Chris Shelton swatted into the parking lot in the fourth [you might remember Shelton; the erstwhile Tiger who briefly led the majors in homers a couple of Aprils ago].
Gallagher's foils were the Oklahoma Redhawks, apprentices of the Texas Rangers. They came into the game with a record of 15-4.
Nelson Cruz, to name one, had been tearing it up and only been whiffed six times in nineteen games. Gallagher popped him up in the first, then fanned him in the fourth and seventh without ever throwing him a fastball.
He struck out two in every inning from the 4th through the 7th
The scoreboard gun had his curveball in the low 70's and his fastball topping out between 91-93, but a Cleveland scout behind the plate said his readings were 2-3 MPH faster. By the way, another scout told me he works for Baltimore, but was only there because his routine territory is the PCL.
CRUMBS: Eric Patterson played CF on Monday night. Yesterday he was at 2B and already had two hits when he left in the third after pulling up lame on the basepaths with what was described afterwards as a strained hamstring; no prognosis yet...Sam Fuld is listed as active but hasn't played on this homestand due to a bad right thumb. He's only had 20 AB's in 18 games...no one around here expects Micah Hoffpauir back any sooner than 2-3 more weeks. They claim he's in Arizona rehabbing...Jose Ascanio looks good as a closer-in-training. Yesterday he notched his fifth save. He's fanned 11 and walked just two in 10 innings while holding batters to a BAA of .179...Sidney Ponson beat the I-Cubs on Monday night with a nifty seven innings of work...don't yet know why, but the whole team wears their pants tucked up under the knee, a la Reed Johnson; the team looks better than it is...MW
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Re: Gallagher's Dirty Dozen
great info Mike...thanks.
PS - I added a page break in the middle of your post just to keep the front page a little neater.
Re: Gallagher's Dirty Dozen
Mike, are you still writing at Road to Wrigley?
A warning I got at another Cubs blog for being a smartass:
You have been issued a warning.
Each of your recent posts has served no purpose except to snark at me without backup. Opinions aren't wrong, of course, but there are ways to do it without being a jerk about it. So far you've failed at that. Try again.
In order to continue participating on Bleed Cubbie Blue you must acknowledge your warning by pressing the OK button below.
Re: OT
Heh. Who said it was BCB?
He's just mad that I brought up Beltran when he said the Mets had major holes outside of Wright and Reyes.
Oh... and I called him out for claiming BCB was responsible for solving T-ShirtGate.
Re: Gallagher's Dirty Dozen
Thanks, Mike. Excellent report. I wonder if Andy MacPhail is reading.
Re: Gallagher's Dirty Dozen
guess I should change your profile on the writers page then. :)
Re: Gallagher's Dirty Dozen
All the better. Just one less sight to have bookmarked. Nice job as always Mr. Mike Wellman sir.
Re: Gallagher's Dirty Dozen
Re: Gallagher's Dirty Dozen
A note for Wellman and AZ Phil -- Rafael Cová was sent to AAA Tijuana, of the Mexican League, as a "cash trade" commonly known as "loan" in the Mexican lingo.
This info coming from
Our Mexican correspondent Carlos Rubi
Cubs Start
I have been on vacation and ready to start a new job, so haven't been able to post the past few days, but I have been able to catch most of the games. What an impressive start and even more amazing with Soriano struggling then getting hurt and Pie shitting the bed thus far. Of course the rest of the offense is killing it, but keep it going. As for pitching, outside of Lilly (he did look good in last start vs. NYM though) and Howry, they have been good or great. I am sure the hitting and pitching will come down some but so far them have been impressive. Great job to Lou and Hendry!! 14-6 start and the 2nd best record in all of MLB. Go Cubs!!!
Re: Cubs Start
Are you still in the biz?
Re: Cubs Start
No. Long hours (many nights and weekends) and long commute really was a buzz kill for me. I am back working for Pepsi doing national marketing for Pepsi product sales in Wal-Mart and Sam's Clubs stores nationwide. It is more along the lines of the career path I want, more of a pure marketing role. I am sure I will miss baseball, but not the hours or money (or lack there of). :)
Dr. Aaron B is available
If the Reds are looking for a replacement. Please allow me to put my name in the ring. I to advocated for the cubs to pick up Brandon Phillips at the end of ST 2006. Instead they went with "Boom Boom" Bynum. Your fans need a competent GM. Aaron B is the people's choice!
Re: Dr. Aaron B is available
Are you more competent than Walt Jocketty?
Because he got the job....
Re: Dr. Aaron B is available
was Jocketty brought in to Cincy before or after they hired Dusty?
cause that would be funny if Dusty didn't last the whole year.
Re: Gallagher's Dirty Dozen
I truly hope Sean develops into a legitimate number 3. Chances are that we need him quite soon if our lefties don't up their game.
Re: Gallagher's Dirty Dozen
Umm... you do know that Rich Hill and Ted Lilly had ERA+ last year of 119 and 121, respectively, right?
They will be fine.
Hell... Rich Hill, currently, has been so awful that he is an ERA this year of 3.86 and an ERA+ of 112.
Lets not freak out about Hill, or even Lilly, based on a few starts, especially considering that Hill has actually been pretty decent this year.
Re: Gallagher's Dirty Dozen
And you do know that at least one (and maybe both, I can't quite tell yet) have changed their deliveries to some extent since they posted those ERA+'s last year, right?
I'm not advocating removing them, (far from it, in fact) but I would certainly be weary of citing their results from 2007, especially with Rich's loss of control and Ted's loss of velocity (which IS improving). The circumstances are different right now.
Z has thoughts
This might be 3/44 on Espn1000 yesterday the host asked Z if this is the best team he's been on.
"To be honest, I think 2003 was the best team."
Re: Z has thoughts
Man, 2003 was filled with so much promise. I like the current team a little better though, especially because some young guys are really stepping up Kerry Wood is getting his chance at career redemption. This team doesn't feel paid for since we've had a chance to see most of these guys for at least a few years, and even our high profile FA signing (Fuku) doesn't feel paid for since he's technically a rookie.
But shit, that 2003 rotation was awesome. Prior looked like a first ballot HoFer, Wood was awesome, Zambrano was starting to look like a future ace, and even Matty Clement had a decent year (and started a fun chin-hair phenomenon).
Re: Z has thoughts
I think that as of right now, 2003 looks like the better team for one reason only: the rotation. In a short series you saw a Prior who was throwing in the mid-nineties, a Wood who was pitching 6+ innings every five days, a Clement who was a pretty good 3rd starter, and a Zambrano who would've been an ace on most teams. Shawn Estes was not a better 5th starter than any of the options we have now, but 3 of those first 4 were pitching like aces.
Re: Gallagher's Dirty Dozen
Dusty was hired on October 15, 2007. Jocketty was hired on January 11, 2008.
Re: Gallagher's Dirty Dozen
Rob, Jocketty was brought into Cincy in January (after Dusty).
I'd have to imagine Dusty is around to stay, but Corey should definitely be worried.
Re: I'd have to imagine Dusty is around to stay
Well, if you think like a corporate weasel does, replacing the GM who hired Baker makes it a whole lot easier to fire Dustbag somewhere down the line.
And if anyone needs a real firing, it's Baker. So far he's only been TKO'd.
BTW, I want some of whatever Jerry Hairston J(uice)r. is taking.
Re: Gallagher's Dirty Dozen
back to Sean Gallagher...
I didn't really take in the scope of how good that start was...86 pitches, 12 K's, no walks. That's ridiculous.
I wouldn't give him to the Orioles straight up for Brian Roberts at this point.
Re: Gallagher straight up for Brian Roberts
The de-puffed post-roids Roberts is lighting it up with a .250 .333 .368 line so far.
But maybe he's just going through an "adjustment period."
Re: Gallagher's Dirty Dozen
The Cubs have 7 players with at least 50 at-bats with an OBP over .400.
The patience has obviously been exciting. But one piece, that seems like it isn't getting much attention, is the patience that ARam is showing.
He is hitting .280 with OBP of .409!
Re: Gallagher's Dirty Dozen
But strangely, he's K's are up too. With the way he hits I'd rather see him with his 45 walks and his 60 ks.
Re: Gallagher's Dirty Dozen
I'm unclear as to the reference to a player named "Roberts."
Re: Gallagher's Dirty Dozen
Re: Ascanio
"His big strength is command of his fastball, which our reports last year had him up to 96 (mph)," said Bush. "He's got a slider that is a developing pitch for him and he's got what is a major league-ready changeup now. So he's got two major league-ready pitches and is trying to refine his slider and get that a little bit more consistent."
Re: Ascanio
I loved the Ascanio trade. Let's hope he's ready later this year, because with the overuse of Marmol so far, we may need someone like him or Ceda.
Re: Gallagher's Dirty Dozen
Submitted by carlosrubi on Wed, 04/23/2008 - 9:25am.
A note for Wellman and AZ Phil -- Rafael Cová was sent to AAA Tijuana, of the Mexican League, as a "cash trade" commonly known as "loan" in the Mexican lingo.
CARLOS: Check out the comment I posted yesterday (Tuesday morning) under the Scott Eyre article.
Re: CARLOS: Check out the comment I posted yesterday (Tuesday mo
If it's not too much to ask, (+which it apparently is+)
how about posting the link? All you have to do is right click on the Subject, click Copy Shortcut and paste it into your reply.
Wish everyone would do this when they refer to their past posts.
Recent comments
trevor clifton (high-A) could be interesting in a couple seasons...could even become a high/middle rotation guy. he's got a lot of pluses in his pitching except control.
eric leal's (high-A) progression through the minors should be worth watching even if only projects to be an mid/end-rotation starter.
we also gotta keep a long-distance eye on guys like jose paulino (ss-A) and preston morrison (A).
As Johnny Bach used to say when it was time for the MJ Bulls to crank up the defensive pressure: "Release the Dobermans!", and Jordan, Pippen, Rodman and Harper would just suffocate the other team.
I'd love to add Carl Jr. to that group - he's got the stuff.
Historically, the Moneyball guys have been great at identifying productive hitters. Not so much with pitchers.
Wow - Pierce Johnson with an ERA of 8.01 in 42IP!
What a stud prospect! Must be pitching with a pierced johnson.
Looks like Ryan Williams is the only legit prospect there. That is sad...
Well it would seem that's all they need now. "Stropy" can have his moments, but he's been more consistent post-asg.
Take THAT, Cardinals -- you beat Fernandez, we beat Sale.
I really like Lackey as a 6-inning pitcher.
Three amigos? Because the Dominican, the Venezuelan, and the Cuban?
Maybe the three-headed dragon?
Who says Contreras can't frame? Stone cold robbery of Eaton with that called third strike for the first out in the eighth
Three amigos time?
he should hit more of those. that would be an ideal outcome. /moneyballs
Russell with 19 RBI in July so far. Grand Slams help.
...and Familia with back-to-back blown saves. Blows a one-run lead vs. Rockies today, gets his 2nd consecutive loss.
I am OK with the Mets missing the playoffs and suffering crushing losses at home --- just want them to beat St. Louis.
He played with fire twice agains the Cubs -- unfortunately, the Cubs couldn't stop swinging.
How about Kyle Farnsworth? I know he was consistently upper 90s.
If he puts up Soriano numbers I will be ecstatic
I think Javy is learning--but he's learning to make contact, not learning to lay off pitches out of the zone. A quick glance at his plate discipline numbers on Fangraphs shows that his contact rate is up, especially his contact rate out of the zone, but his swing rate is up too, especially his swing rate out of the zone.
I definitely saw ballpark radar guns go up to 102 on Kerry Wood back when he was still a starter, but who knows how accurate they were.


text: Hi, I was so happy in founding this great translator but I have a huge problem! I want it to translate just the user-side site and not the administration part, but it doeas and this is the cause of a conflict with the search-form! It translates some links and when I look for something through the search bar, it can't upload any picture of the site so, no background and no photo gallery or slideshows! How can it be fixed??