tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76766154868984505702024-03-18T10:30:39.520-07:00Pulverized ConceptsQuis Custodiet Ipso CustodesPulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.comBlogger1169125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-37311807685663639052024-03-18T10:29:00.000-07:002024-03-18T10:30:07.607-07:00The Strange Numbers Of American Capitalism<p> </p><p> <img alt="Image" class="css-9pa8cd" draggable="true" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GIjWl3DXcAA_IQ1?format=jpg&name=medium" /></p><p><a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-1dbjc4n r-1loqt21 r-1wbh5a2 r-dnmrzs r-1ny4l3l" href="https://twitter.com/4TaxFairness?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1767899105890574625%7Ctwgr%5E956991cc6463787325a44ee70eff2951ea850a2c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.breitbart.com%2Fentertainment%2F2024%2F03%2F17%2Fstudy-netflix-pays-its-top-executives-nearly-3x-more-than-its-federal-tax-bill%2F" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" role="link" target="_blank"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 css-1hf3ou5 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Americans For Tax Fairness</span></span></a></p><p><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 css-1hf3ou5 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span style="font-size: large;">Eighteen of the 35 companies on this list operate in the energy sector, at least in part as regulated utilities. Although their executives can normally only make decisions that are endorsed or guided by government regulators, they are among the highest paid executives in the world.</span></span></span></p><p><img alt="Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good gets $14.5M in 2020 compensation - Bizwomen" class="detail__media__img-highres js-detail-img js-detail-img-high" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.bizj.us%2Fview%2Fimg%2F11913660%2Flynn-good-photo-4*1200xx7360-4140-0-386.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=3482a5e2d415a4ee946b3dc174b8ff210beb099f115ed20dcaa8bfcda1169b94&ipo=images" style="display: block; height: 488px; width: 867.556px;" /><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 css-1hf3ou5 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span style="font-size: x-small;">bizjournals.com</span></span></span></p><p><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 css-1hf3ou5 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span style="font-size: large;">Lynn J. Good, CEO of Duke Energy, received </span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;">$21,008,835
in total compensation in 2023.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 css-1hf3ou5 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><a href="https://nailheadtom.blogspot.com/2022/04/executive-compensation.html">Ben G. S. Fowke III,</a> retired CEO of Xcel Energy, is now the interim CEO of American Electrical Power, probably making more than he did before.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 css-1hf3ou5 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"> </span></span></span><img alt="Who is FirstEnergy's new CEO and what are plans to move past scandal?" class="detail__media__img-highres js-detail-img js-detail-img-high" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.beaconjournal.com%2Fgcdn%2Fpresto%2F2023%2F07%2F07%2FNABJ%2Fa6874a36-e56b-4152-81b0-857ce4f7b88b-new_firstenergy_ceo_1.jpg%3Fwidth%3D660%26height%3D447%26fit%3Dcrop%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=d44a27178c292579591725da948e2dc98a6834a8e5f28b70e462f9d4963f2c78&ipo=images" style="display: block; height: 447px; width: 660px;" /><span style="font-size: x-small;">beaconjournal.com</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 css-1hf3ou5 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 css-1hf3ou5 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Brian Tierney is the CEO of First Energy, an Akron, Ohio fully regulated utility. His compensation package is described by the Akron Beacon-Journal :</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">"According to the company's latest <a class="gnt_ar_b_a" data-t-l=":b|e|k|${u}" href="https://investors.firstenergycorp.com/sec-filings-and-reports/sec-filings/sec-filings-details/default.aspx?FilingId=100317360780" rel="noopener" target="_blank">8-K</a>
filed Monday, Tierney's compensation package, approved by the board on
March 22, includes an annual base salary of $1.5 million, which will be
reviewed annually, and a hiring bonus equal to $1.5 million.</span></p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p"><span style="font-size: large;">He's
also expected to be eligible to participate in the company’s executive
relocation program, executive deferred compensation plan, 401(k) plan,
vacation and paid time off program, and standard health and welfare
benefits.</span></p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p"><span style="font-size: large;">In addition, his compensation package
includes the potential for millions of dollars in cash and stock
incentive awards based on the company's performance under his
leadership</span>."</p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 css-1hf3ou5 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><br /></span></span></span></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-45105668146799927122024-03-16T17:22:00.000-07:002024-03-17T08:52:18.597-07:00Feds Approve Gas Power House in Superior, WI But . . . .<p> <img alt="MCEA's Healthy Communities Director on why MN needs a law to protect ..." class="detail__media__img-highres js-detail-img js-detail-img-high" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mncenter.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fstyles%2Fsocial%2Fpublic%2Fnews%2FEvan_Mulholland.jpg%3Fitok%3DXETtCkJj&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=b641c774cdff434969b34e0f309996fa6d5c6915cb30c7109bc25483a349a4ef&ipo=images" style="display: block; height: 467px; width: 700px;" /></p><p>mncenter.org </p><p><span style="font-size: small;">Evan Mulholland is the Healthy Communities Program Director for the Minnesota Center For Environmental Advocacy</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">According to the MCEA website: </span>Evan holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Brandeis University, a J.D. from
Harvard Law School, and an LL.M. in Environmental Law from Vermont Law
School. Prior to working at MCEA, Evan was a Assistant Attorney General
at the New Hampshire Department of Justice and served as Compliance
Bureau Chief of the Air Resources Division at the New Hampshire
Department of Environmental Services.</p><p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The federal government has approved the siting of a new combined cycle power plant in Superior</span><span style="font-size: small;">, </span><span style="font-size: large;">WI.</span><span style="font-size: small;">, </span><span style="font-size: large;">the <a href="https://www.twincities.com/2023/12/17/superior-wis-gas-plant-gets-federal-approval/">Nemadji Trail Energy Center</a></span><span style="font-size: small;">. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The $700 million project of Minnesota Power and Light, Basin Electric Power Cooperative and Dairyland Power Cooperative will result in a 625 megawatt gas power</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">plant that's intended to provide necessary buffering and stability to the power grid with the addition of renewable power from other sources, if it ever gets built.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Planning for the project began seven years ago but permitting and lawfare have prevented a single spade of earth being turned over or the welding of one pipe joint. Much of this delay and probably more will be the task of MCEA figure Evan Mulholland, pictured above. He is a member of a class of legalists whose specialty is the obstruction of progress in the name of environmental stasis, a post-modern occupation. No such concerns were present during the construction of the railroads, inter-state highways or the electrical transmission system that insures almost continuous service to any American that cares to use it. Times have changed.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Nemadji Trail Energy Center Update:<a href="https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/east-end-residents-worry-about-impact-of-nemadji-trail-energy-center"> Local resistance </a>to the new power house is being described by the local news media. A rally is planned for outside the Douglas County courthouse on March 19. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br /></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-14836438848348988762024-03-16T11:32:00.000-07:002024-03-16T11:32:50.572-07:00Strange Doings in Electricity Transmission<p><span style="font-size: large;">It's possible to make money on moving electricity without actually doing anything but planning to do so. An example is<a href="https://thequadreport.com/the-250-million-path-to-nowhere/"> the PATH project</a>, a 290 mile transmission line that was never approved by the states involved or constructed that cost consumers $250 million. </span> <br /></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-74231212292862691532024-03-13T08:08:00.000-07:002024-03-13T08:08:03.489-07:00Energy and the Poverty of Nations<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="485" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/scYlWiunJo4" width="583" youtube-src-id="scYlWiunJo4"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-1452746599994136102024-03-11T19:48:00.000-07:002024-03-11T19:48:52.901-07:00Responsible Decision Making<p><span style="font-size: large;">Elke Weber is a professor at Princeton University's <a href="https://cpree.princeton.edu/people/elke-u-weber">Center for Policy and Research on the Environment</a>. </span><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Professor Weber's specialty has been identifying the psychology of decision-making in the assessment of risk by individuals and groups, especially in response to climate change.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Her organization is tasked with discovering why the unwashed masses take little interest in the prospect of a changing climate or actually disbelieve the theory and how to change their minds.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><img alt="Elke U. Weber - Photos Elke Weber" class="detail__media__img-highres js-detail-img js-detail-img-high" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Felke-u-weber.com%2Fmedia%2Felke_weber-portrait-action-ygl-frank_wojciechows.jpeg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=084b250930a9c3b0ed2181fc0ef7525b7c076b8f012cb5116eab1643f27657cd&ipo=images" style="display: block; height: 488px; width: 692.536px;" /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">elke-u-weber.com</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">A major figure in American psychology, the lady professor is a Phd from Harvard, a member of the National Academy of Science, and has been president of the </span><span style="font-size: large;"> President of the Society for Neuroeconomics, the Society for Mathematical Psychology, and the Society for Judgement and Decision Making. We don't know how much she actually knows about atmospheric chemistry and physics but her specialty is no longer psychology, a term that has gone out of fashion and been replaced by "behavorial science". <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> </p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-91795914004053249662024-03-11T17:27:00.000-07:002024-03-11T20:23:45.085-07:00A Builder of Renewable Energy Projects<p><span style="font-size: large;">A few quotes from an article by Jennifer Hiller in the March 11, Wall Street Journal on Michael Polsky and his company, <a href="https://invenergy.com/">Invenergy</a>:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> "Sean Klimczak, global head of infrastructure at <b>Blackstone</b>, which invested $4 billion in Invenergy's renewables business since 2021, estimates Invenergy has a pipeline of projects valued at about $150 billion."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> "Invenergy has built roughly one in every 10 US wind or solar projects and has one of the largest solar farms operating and under construction in the U.S., unfolding across 18,000 acres in Texas."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> "Polsky's wind projects were hugely profitable, but he was only partially right about renewables being easier to build. Invenergy is still fighting with communities nearly everywhere it goes ...." </span></p><p><img alt="'We won't pay any ransom': notorious hacker gang targets US renewable ..." class="tile--img__img js-lazyload" data-src="//external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.9uZ7tOboWfTkN15ESOTK7AHaDs%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=4de80d8c25ffa3ef0ad8128f0a0b938eb7494c77685ec69f823c9ff7aae41625&ipo=images" height="318" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.9uZ7tOboWfTkN15ESOTK7AHaDs%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=4de80d8c25ffa3ef0ad8128f0a0b938eb7494c77685ec69f823c9ff7aae41625&ipo=images" width="640" /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">rechargenews.com<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> <br /></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-1701028242336125792024-03-09T13:21:00.000-08:002024-03-09T16:57:44.483-08:00University Millionaires<p><span style="font-size: large;">New hire as president of the University of Minnesota, Rebecca Cunningham, has been given <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careers/new-umn-president-s-salary-will-top-1-million/ar-BB1jAapr">an employment contract </a>of $975,000 in annual salary with a provision of at least a 3.5% raise annually plus retirement benefits of $120,000 each year. One couldn't expect someone receiving a salary of a million dollars a year to squirrel away some of that for their golden years.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The lady has been a fixture in various administrative positions at the University of Michigan and now receives a salary that eclipses that of the state governor and all but a handful of local business titans.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><img alt="Rebecca Cunningham, one of the finalists to be president of the University of Minnesota. (University of Minnesota)" class="article-image article-image-ux-impr article-image-new expandable" src="https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1iWlhw.img?w=768&h=432&m=6&x=512&y=139&s=470&d=470" title="Rebecca Cunningham, one of the finalists to be president of the University of Minnesota. (University of Minnesota)" /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">twincitiespioneerpress</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps "fixture" is the best term for the new president, whose actual duties are similar to that of a chrome female statuette on the hood of a '50s sedan. Many smaller, dirtier parts allow the car to function as designed but the most obvious part is the first thing seen, which has no effect on the car's operation.<br /></span></p><p><img class="detail__media__img-thumbnail js-detail-img js-detail-img-thumb" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.X43WDTPGnmnIBFFc0VwrdAHaFt%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=5758c4785547d0dfbffbcd2571b707bfda4140b7354655cd27a964e71b0e4007&ipo=images" style="height: 488px; width: 632.227px;" /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodspeedusa.com</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This isn't an isolated incident. University presidents all receive huge compensation packages, ostensibly because they're able to cajole wealthy alumni into donating vast sums to the school or local business nabobs into financing esoteric research programs. This may or may not be true but aren't potential donors already inclined to contribute to a certain school with which they have some familiarity? Would they be less likely to make a significant gift to a school with a less well-paid boss? </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">What are their actual day-to-day duties? Do they roam the campus, auditing classes to see if the profs, or more likely TAs, are arriving for class on time and delivering a lecture that can be easily understood by English-speaking students whose tuition has risen steeply through the years. The president probably won't run onto the field leading the Gopher football squad into battle against the hated Wisconsin Badgers since she makes only a fraction of the $6 million dollars a year that football coach PJ Fleck does. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> <br /></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-48183616174679877672024-03-06T12:35:00.000-08:002024-03-07T08:29:06.860-08:00 The US House Select Committee on Competition with the Chinese Communist Party<p><span style="font-size: large;">Yes, there is a committee in the US House of Representatives whose function is to monitor the competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. Not competition between US business and trade interests <i>vis a vis </i>that of the Chinese nation but between the US as a whole and the Chinese Communist Party, which rules that country.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The members of the committee are: </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Jake Auchincloss (D- Ma.) </span><span style="font-size: large;">Andy Kim (D-NJ)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Jim Banks (R-Ind.) </span><span style="font-size: large;">Darin La Hood (R-Il)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Andy Barr (R-Ky) </span><span style="font-size: large;">Blaine Leutkemeyer (R-Mo)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Shontel Brown (D-Oh) </span><span style="font-size: large;">John Moolenaar (R-Mi)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Andre Carson (D-Ind) </span><span style="font-size: large;">Seth Moulton (D-Ma)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Kathy Castor (D-Fla) </span><span style="font-size: large;">Dan Newhouse (R-Wa) </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Neal Dunn (R-Fla) </span><span style="font-size: large;">Mike Sherrill (D-NJ)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla) </span><span style="font-size: large;">Michelle Steel (R-Ca)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ashley Hinson (R-Ia) </span><span style="font-size: large;">Haley Stevens (D-Mi)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Dusty Johnson (R-SD) </span><span style="font-size: large;">Richie Torres (D-NY)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ro Khanna (D-Ca) </span><span style="font-size: large;">Rob Wittman (R-Va) </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The committee is <a href="https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/media/press-releases/gallagher-bipartisan-coalition-introduce-legislation-protect-americans-0">introducing legislation </a>on March 7 to, among other things, forbid Tik Tok from taking over the minds of juvenile Americans.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">"Not only is the CCP-controlled TikTok an immense national
security risk to our country, it is also poisoning the minds of our
youth every day on a massive scale. China is our enemy, and we need to
start acting like it. I am proud to partner with Representatives
Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi on this bipartisan bill to ban the
distribution of TikTok in the US. This legislation will make our country
better off and more secure," said Chip Roy, US Representative of the 21st district of Texas, north of San Antonio and including parts of Austin.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">If, indeed, China is our "enemy", over a billion souls are our enemy, this is a serious situation. If a social media web-site from any location is poisoning our youth on a massive scale something needs to be done about it. But an even bigger problem seems to exist, at least in some minds. That problem is the fragility of American "democracy", an issue for many decades. According to </span><span style="font-size: large;">James McHenry, a Maryland delegate to the Constitutional Convention, there's this quote from Benjamin Franklin: “A lady asked Dr. Franklin Well Doctor what have we
got a republic or a monarchy. A republic replied the Doctor if you can
keep it.</span>”</p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Franklin probably wasn't talking about an invasion from across the seas. It was more likely that the republic would be endangered by domestic forces. Such remains the case today. Few sensible people are worried about Chinese or Russian troops occupying Des Moines or Rapid City. In the case of Tik Tok or Chinese-built dock cranes acquiring valuable information, what information would that be? On the other hand, there seems to be no end of government intrusion on the privacy of its own citizens. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">We hear regularly that Muslim Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang province are in re-education camps and used as slaves to pick the cotton that goes into American T-shirts. If it's true or not, at this time one of the most popular and financially successful entertainers in China is a Muslim Uyghur from Xinjiang, Dilraba Dilmurat. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><img alt="Dilraba Dilmurat - 迪丽热巴 - CPOPHOME" class="tile--img__img js-lazyload" data-src="//external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.Larc6Hjcit9NXuIHquS3QwHaEo%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=8c2b5da8406ba8655d2c7698d4f8188fccf87be4219c332144886c1404c72c2e&ipo=images" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.Larc6Hjcit9NXuIHquS3QwHaEo%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=8c2b5da8406ba8655d2c7698d4f8188fccf87be4219c332144886c1404c72c2e&ipo=images" /><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">cpophome.com</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> <br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><br /><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> </p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-3831329457659523612024-03-06T09:01:00.000-08:002024-03-06T09:01:53.713-08:00Tracking Down Neutrinos<p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">You'll probably be happy to know that an effort is<a href="https://www.katrin.kit.edu/"> being made to investigate</a> the most ephemeral particle in the universe, the neutrino.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p></p><p></p><p><img alt="" height="350" src="https://www.katrin.kit.edu/img/Katrin-logo.png" style="float: right;" width="350" /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> <span style="font-size: large;">As the neutrino people ponder:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">"What is the absolute mass scale of neutrinos?</em></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Neutrinos
probably are the most fascinating species of elementary particles. The
"ghost particle of the Universe" is a key to open issues in science on
many scales, linking the microcosm of elementary particles to the
largest structures in the Universe."</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is quantum physics, the ultimate in scientific reductionism, the search for reality and truth at the most elementary and smallest levels. As far as we know, all matter is composed of molecules made up of protons, electrons, neutrons and maybe neutrinos and other exotic particles or waves. While it might be interesting to those employed in nuclear physics, what does the study of these incredibly tiny particles actually have to do with our day to day life?</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">The answer is basically nothing at all. These particles don't become meaningful until they are assembled into larger arrays, minerals, gases, liquids, single-cell organisms, plants and members of the US Congress. </span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reductionism was criticized by, among many others, Arthur Koestler, who coined the term <i>holon </i>in his book <i>The Act of Creation </i>to describe the hierarchies of sub-assemblies that make up a holon.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Aquiring real knowledge of the neutrino or even more prominent examples of quantum particles is an intellectual luxury whose expense should not be borne by the uninterested. <br /></span></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-81664161896957639302024-03-06T07:29:00.000-08:002024-03-06T07:29:59.027-08:00CO2 Capture, Pipeline and Sequester Plan Expands<p><span style="font-size: large;">Valero Energy has added eight of its ethanol plants to the Summit Carbon Solutions plan to gather the CO2 by-product of 57 midwest ethanol refineries by means of a 2000+ mile underground pipeline system and inject the climate-warming gas into the ground in North Dakota. The private company joins <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/POET">POET LLC, </a>the world's largest producer of ethanol, in the proposed Summit stable of corn converters after POET's partnership with Navigator CO2 Ventures was terminated by Navigator's abandonment of their similar project.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><img alt="SPOT for the win: Summit Carbon Solutions | SPOT" class="detail__media__img-highres js-detail-img js-detail-img-high" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fspottracker.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F10%2FSCS-Project-Footprint-2048x1129.jpeg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=41fda7404641044db52734e9eed928e214ddec6589c7c59aecc7405c87b0757d&ipo=images" style="display: block; height: 488px; width: 885.229px;" /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">spottracker.com</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Of course the Summit project isn't merely an effort to selflessly alleviate the impending tragedy of a baking world. Rather it's a plan to<a href="https://www.producer.com/opinion/proposed-co2-pipeline-called-the-great-carbon-boondoggle/"> reap the financial benefits </a>of a federal policy subsidizing meaningless and ineffective attempts at counteracting a problem that may not even exist. Without federal subsidies none of these projects would have reached the planning stage. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The real problem is an expanding federal bureaucracy operating at the behest of financial forces in an expensive battle against an imaginary catastrophe in what has become a religious, rather than scientific effort. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> <br /></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-82025398480767363802024-03-04T11:22:00.000-08:002024-03-04T11:22:20.290-08:00Phaedrus's Ghosts<p><span style="font-size: large;">"Whether or not we believe that the future can be influenced by the circular rhythms of the dance or foretold from an analysis of Bible verses, or that from a few underlying physical laws we can generate a cosmos, we all share a faith that lurking beneath the world's complexity is simplicity. Psychologists have found that if you put people in a room with a contraption of light bulbs wired to blink on and off at random, they will quickly discern what they believe are patterns, theories for predicting which bulb will be next to blink. Once a person becomes enmeshed in an ideology or a scientist in a hypothesis, it is difficult not to see confirmation everywhere. Our brains are wired to see order, but we are prisoners of our nervous systems, cursed with never knowing when we are seeing truths out there in the universe and when we are merely inventing elaborate architectures."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Johnson, George. <i>Fire in the Mind. Science, Faith and the Search for Order. </i>pg 21. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1995 <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> <br /></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-56537566339141541102024-03-04T11:06:00.000-08:002024-03-04T11:06:02.382-08:00Texas Panhandle Wildfires<p><img alt="Texas wildfires including Smokehouse Creek burn Panhandle" class="detail__media__img-highres js-detail-img js-detail-img-high" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.azcentral.com%2Fgcdn%2Fauthoring%2Fauthoring-images%2F2024%2F02%2F29%2FNAGN%2F72793891007-20240228-182952-1.jpg%3Fcrop%3D3999%2C2251%2Cx0%2Cy0%26width%3D3200%26height%3D1802%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=4b0d6b7fbd0007e1e6b3572b107f20a040933108f6c8d7f5954570492e9fd0f0&ipo=images" style="display: block; height: 488px; width: 866.593px;" /><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">azcentral.com</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The Smokehouse Creek wildfire in the Texas panhandle north of Amarillo beginning on February 26 has been<a href=" https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/01/texas-panhandle-wildfire-investigation/"> met with outrage</a> by the landowners whose property has been incinerated and also by the insurers who might be forced to pay their claims. Legal papers have been served on Xcel Energy to force them to preserve a downed power pole near Stinnett, Texas, toppled by high winds, that may have ignited the blaze.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">While the damage caused by the fire and the possible liability of Xcel Energy are major considerations, there are other important issues. Insurers and others note that there are deficiencies in the maintenance and repair of transmission and distribution lines in many electrical systems. The insurance industry is likely to take a closer look at electrical distribution infrastructure because there's a general feeling that a large percentage of utility poles have reached the end of their service life. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This means that not only will expensive new lines be needed to tie in new renewable sources like solar arrays and wind turbines but also the existing power grid will have to be brought up to a more reliable condition.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">It's likely that insurers and state regulators will require inspections and assessments of grid infrastructure by independent entities. Remediation of deficiencies will add to the bill for renewable adoption which will be passed along to the consumer. It's going to be expensive. <br /></span></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-80185892073034921442024-02-25T13:52:00.000-08:002024-02-26T05:10:08.935-08:00Art and Climate Change<p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><img alt="Artblog by Michael Wang" class="detail__media__img-highres js-detail-img js-detail-img-high" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-UuOooS3xXCs%2FU9XhrR37aJI%2FAAAAAAAABkg%2Flf3Vus7GijE%2Fs1600%2Fr.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=f125b1fd4d9ed0a5203a71377af97ef71147e9245a825ffadf64a247e471f1f2&ipo=images" style="display: block; height: 488px; width: 344.955px;" /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">artofmichaelwangblogspot.com</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">American artist Michael Wang feels that<a href="https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/columns/why-climate-protests-museums-effective-1234686995/"> climate protests </a>involving museum art are an effective way to get across the message that existential climate change is really and truly a problem.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> "I see value in these acts. By hijacking the attention we pay these
artworks, the activists’ gestures have triggered public conversations
around fossil fuels and climate that would not have happened otherwise,
redirecting attention where it is badly needed."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Is that actually true? Or do the non-committed or uninterested look at throwing ketchup on artworks and similar attention-getting antics as the action of loonies? If, indeed, their behavior does get the attention of others, has it been successful in raising the general consciousness of climate change? Have a large number of people really discussed CAGW as a result of museum invasions? Paint my picture as skeptical. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-64114123782784136282024-02-25T12:56:00.000-08:002024-02-25T12:56:07.281-08:00Green Colonialism<p><br /></p><p> <span style="font-size: large;">Oregon fishermen and native American tribe members are skeptical about<a href=" https://www.nationalfisherman.com/west-coast-pacific/oregon-tribes-reject-offshore-wind-changes-see-green-colonialism"> the latest US offshore wind project</a>. Almost 200,000 acres ranging from 18 to 32 miles offshore have been selected by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for wind turbine installation. The government agency is headed by attorney Elizabeth Klein. It seems that in 21st century America senior positions and even less elevated managers in both public agencies and private business are all law school grads, rather than acknowledged experts in the scientific aspects of their fields. Or, in the case of Klein's predecessor at BOEM, Amanda Lefton, the architect of the Biden administration's effort to bring global warming to a halt, a Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of New York at Albany. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">After accepting her position at BOEM Lefton said: "We know that climate change is the greatest crisis of our time, and we
have to transition to clean renewable energy in order to fight climate
change.” She was the director of BOEM from February 2021 to January 2023, and then left to take a position as Vice President of Offshore Development for RWE Offshore Wind GmbH, a German electric energy company. Positions in government "service" could also be called preparation for employment in the field they regulate.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> <br /></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-88796863420550738562024-02-25T10:46:00.000-08:002024-02-26T05:06:50.994-08:00Becoming A Research University<p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> University of Alaska Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Anupma Prakash wants a $20 million cash injection to the Fairbanks school that can be used to push it to <a href=" https://alaskabeacon.com/2024/02/23/uaf-says-it-could-be-a-top-tier-research-institution-its-asking-for-20m-to-get-there/">the highest rating level</a> of the<a href="https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/"> Carnegie Classification</a>, R1 a rank held by only 4% of US research institutions. She says that the money would enable the UAF to double its annual output of Phd. grads to the 70 that are required for R1 status. Graduate student fellowships would absorb $13 million of such a grant, $5 million would be used to compensate faculty whose work load would increase and $2 million would would be spent on technical improvements.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Evidently, the research characteristics and quality of a university are determined by the sheer numbers of graduate students rather than the nature or quality of their research.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">In fact, Provost Prakash's request for funds raises some questions about the very concept of the research institution as it currently exists. The need for an increased number of Phd. candidates seems to indicate that much of research is actually done by students under the direction of faculty. Perhaps that has always been the case. But students are becoming scientists, not scientists in reality. The research they are doing and the papers that they produce that describe their research, if significant, result in advanced degrees that indicate their scientific credentials to the rest of the world. That is, if their research and publication is accepted by the arcane "peer group" review process. By definition the peer group would be others like themselves, scientists of the future.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">That may be an unfair criticism. Much of scientific investigation has historically been performed by individual scientists without the benefit of institutional support or recognition. Academic support should make scientific research easier and more fruitful.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Certainly fellowship funding for grad students would encourage them to continue their studies but would these studies be worth the monetary investment? What would the R1 rating mean in the great scheme of things? If achieved, what benefits, other than financial, would flow to UAF? </span><br /></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-39080647876913202732024-02-16T10:32:00.000-08:002024-02-16T10:32:42.433-08:00Hydrogen Pig Iron<p><span style="font-size: large;">The North Dakota Industrial Commission and the North Dakota Development Fund are dropping a combined $10 million on a plan to ship Mesabi Range Minnesota iron ore mine waste, whatever that is, to the Coal Creek Power Station 50 miles north of Bismarck from a storage area near Calumet, MN, 434 miles to the east. The power house is fired by lignite and is the largest generator of electricity in the Flickertail State, its two generators producing almost 1.2 gigawatts. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><img alt="Coal Creek Station sale to Rainbow Energy Center final | Oil And Energy ..." class="detail__media__img-highres js-detail-img js-detail-img-high" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fbloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com%2Fwillistonherald.com%2Fcontent%2Ftncms%2Fassets%2Fv3%2Feditorial%2F7%2F1a%2F71a02664-0cb5-11eb-8bfc-8b06acdb0060%2F5f849b286acd5.image.jpg%3Fresize%3D540%252C353&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=616596815fd45a3694bb74b2b307ba03f98b98a6b385eaa2c232411972bd62e3&ipo=images" style="display: block; height: 353px; width: 540px;" /><span style="font-size: x-small;">willistonherald.com</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">With a stack height of about 650 feet, the plant produces over 4 million tons of ash annually, 3rd most of any such facility in the country.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/north-dakota/company-proposes-upcycling-minnesota-iron-mine-waste-in-central-north-dakota">The project,</a> planned by new owner Rainbow Energy, will use the plant's power to convert natural gas to hydrogen and CO2, fueling the furnaces that will produce pig iron for Scranton Holding/North American Iron. The CO2 produced in the process will be sequestered underground in the area.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The sequence of events in the pig iron story will mean the use of first the energy in lignite, then the electrical energy of the power plant itself, followed by raw material energy of natural gas, and then the energy of the hydrogen produced. Of course, as usual, a number of well-paid jobs will result. But a minimum of the dread CO2 molecules will be released and North Dakota and its neighbors will likely enjoy the Siberian climate of the area that has been the case since glacial Lake Agassiz drained 8200 years ago. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> <br /></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-23034060713404375702024-02-13T07:56:00.000-08:002024-02-13T07:56:30.155-08:00That Darned Climate Change<p> </p><p> <img alt="3 multimillion-dollar homes teetering on edge of California cliff after landslide, footage shows" class="attachment-nyp_large_article_cropped size-nyp_large_article_cropped" height="496" src="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/newspress-collage-3nb22krpg-1707804130982.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1707786144&w=744&h=496&crop=1" width="744" /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">nypost </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2024/02/09/landslide-dumps-dirt-150-feet-in-san-clemente-debris-came-down-near-tidepools-in-dana-point/">Three modest homes</a> in San Clemente</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">, </span><span style="font-size: large;">California are in a precarious position after the atmospheric river poured over the Golden State. This tragedy in-the-making probably would never have occurred if the CO2 in the atmosphere had been held to pre-industrial levels.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><img alt="Mud and debris slid down a hillside at the Headlands, near the Ocean Institute, in Dana Point, CA following heavy rains in Feb.. (Photo courtesy Tarek Jadeba/EYES IN THE SKY)
" class="size-article_feature lazyautosizes lazyloaded" data-sizes="auto" data-src="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/OCR-L-VISTAMONTANA-0210-10.jpg?w=620" data-srcset="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/OCR-L-VISTAMONTANA-0210-10.jpg?w=620 620w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/OCR-L-VISTAMONTANA-0210-10.jpg?w=780 780w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/OCR-L-VISTAMONTANA-0210-10.jpg?w=1020 1020w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/OCR-L-VISTAMONTANA-0210-10.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/OCR-L-VISTAMONTANA-0210-10.jpg?w=1860 1860w" src="https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/OCR-L-VISTAMONTANA-0210-10.jpg?w=620" title="Mud and debris slid down a hillside at the Headlands, near the Ocean Institute, in Dana Point, CA following heavy rains in Feb.. (Photo courtesy Tarek Jadeba/EYES IN THE SKY)
" /></p><p>Photo courtesy Tarek Jadeba/EYES IN THE SKY) </p><p><span style="font-size: large;">But this is what happens when a society dares to drive gasoline-powered automobiles to the C-store for milk and potato chips. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps in some by-gone time the evident cliffs visible beneath these homes were instead areas of solid ground that supported homes of the ancestors of some current Californians. Or maybe not. Those people may have had more sense than to build on a site likely to fall into the sea after a serious rainfall.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The homeowners insurance carriers of these properties may be very interested in the situation. </span> <br /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span> <br /></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-68360101669571004922024-02-12T19:08:00.000-08:002024-02-12T19:08:57.176-08:00The Position of the Harvard Crimson<p><span style="font-size: large;">A February 8th <a href=" https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/2/8/editorial-plagiarism-rights-weapon/">editorial in the Harvard Crimson </a>authored by the Crimson Editorial Board looks at the plagiarism situation involving two black, female administrators, former University President Claudine Gay and <span>Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Sherri A. Charleston.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span>While the editorial admits that plagiarism is a problem and that candidates for positions at Harvard must be vetted for it and other issues before hiring takes place, it states that in this case bringing up plagiarism is a method of attacking DEI itself, engaging in war against higher education and right-wing activists' campaign against the entire academic project.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span>For an alumnus, a diploma from a respected and expensive university is a huge investment in time and money. It is in the interest of the graduate that the reputation for excellence of the institution be upheld or increased by its future management and the failure to do so will naturally result in criticism. That was the case in the Gay argument, which was initiated by a Harvard alum and large financial donor. As a product of Harvard he has every right to defend the integrity of the school and hardly represents an anti-education right-wing campaign.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Harvard, and the other elite universities in the US and Canada, have problems of their own making. Perhaps they should look into them and attempt to represent and enlighten a bigger share of society. <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span> <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span> <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-61929000762328773132024-02-08T08:49:00.000-08:002024-02-08T08:49:16.037-08:00Variable Rate Electricity<p>*</p><p><span style="font-size: large;">You probably guessed that "smart" electricity meters weren't purchased and installed by utility companies to make life simpler and cheaper for the consumer. Midwest energy titan Xcel Energy, after announcing and substantially completing the installation of the new measuring devices, now tells home owners and businesses what the next step will be, variable rate pricing. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">During the 3pm-8pm period rates will be seven times those of midnight to 6am. The whole story can be found <a href="https://energycentral.com/news/xcel-plans-higher-electric-rates-during-peak-evening-hours-0">here</a>. </span> <br /></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-12045290077931647012024-02-08T08:40:00.000-08:002024-02-08T08:40:58.667-08:00Stanford University and the Federal Government<p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">You might come to the conclusion after examining the situation that Stanford University is actually an agency of the US government. Last year the highly-rated institution was the recipient of $1.98 billion in government funding for research. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">There are currently 7,500 externally-funded research projects at the school and about 2/3 of them are financed by the federal government. <a href=" https://stanforddaily.com/2024/02/01/behind-the-1-98-billion-in-stanfords-external-research-funds/">This article</a> from <i>The</i> <i>Stanford Daily </i>explains how it works.<i> </i> </span> <br /></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-73463952769660087902024-02-06T13:16:00.000-08:002024-02-06T16:52:08.178-08:00The Newest Carbon Removal Technology<p><span style="font-size: large;">The 421 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is turning the earth into a pizza that's been forgotten in the oven while taking the dog for a walk. You can see the results all around you, rain, hail, heat, drought, somewhere, all over the world. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Finding a remedy for this before it's too late is a crucial goal for mankind. Some remedies have been proposed and even adopted to some extent but they all have the same drawback, expense. The energy needed to isolate and dispose of carbon dioxide is prohibitively expensive. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">One company has developed a process that's significantly cheaper and very effective. <a href="https://www.graphyte.com/">The Graphyte Company </a>plans to use "carbon casting" to isolate CO2 at its source, biomass. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The dregs of the timber industry and agriculture are composed of carbon, which microbes and H20 convert into gaseous CO2. Graphyte plans to gather these substances, compress them into hard bricks, wrap them in an impervious layer and then bury them forever. They feel that's the cheapest and most effective way to remove the </span><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span style="font-size: large;">5 to 10 billion tons of the carbon dioxide needed to be removed from the atmosphere annually by 2050.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span style="font-size: large;"> According to them the 5 step process goes like this: </span></span></span></span></p><p><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span style="font-size: large;"> 1.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;">We use by-products of the timber and agriculture industries, which would otherwise be burned or l</span></span></span><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;">eft to decompose.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;"> 2.</span></span></span><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;">We dry this biomass, to eliminate microbes and the water they depend on, stopping</span></span></span><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;"> decomposition.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;"> 3. </span></span></span></span><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;"><span style="font-size: large;">The inert biomass is condensed into dense blocks, enabling effective storage.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;"><span style="font-size: large;"> 4. </span></span></span></span><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;"><span style="font-size: large;">Carbon blocks are protected by an environmentally-safe, impermeable barrier to ensure that decomposition does not restart.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;"><span style="font-size: large;"> 5. </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;">Blocks
are stored in state-of-the-art sites with sensors and tracers, enabling
robust long-term monitoring. Storage sites can then b</span></span></span><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;">e used as solar farms or working agricultural land.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;">An observation: Neutralizing biomass doesn't "remove" CO2 from anywhere, it could maybe prevent it from forming but any already existing CO2 would be unaffected. </span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;">The questions: </span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;">1.The by-products of timber and agriculture are scattered all over the world. How are they transported to the locations where they are to be processed? Isn't a serious amount of energy involved in that? And expensive human labor?</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;">2.Drying the various forms of biomass will inevitably mean the use of heat, which is also an expense. Will non-CO2 producing heat be used to accomplish the drying. What's the economics of that?</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;">3.Compressing the inert blocks of biomass into dense bricks requires expensive energy, too. Probably lots of it. Will the biomass in the bricks require some kind of binder additive to allow them to retain their shape?</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;">4. What exactly is the impermeable product used to wrap the bricks and how much does it cost? The process will be heavily mechanized but humans will be involved. It won't be free.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;">5. The storage sites . . . state of what art? Where and how big. Won't they need to be excavated with big, expensive machinery? If this product is so dangerous that it needs to be sequestered in this way it brings to mind nuclear waste storage, a problem that hasn't been resolved in over 50 years. <a href="https://fortune.com/2023/11/13/bill-gates-backed-startup-carbon-dioxide-removal-climate-change-photosynthesis/">Bill Gates </a>may be a certifiable genius but it's questionable that his enthusiasm for this project means anything for its practicality, even if massive federal subsidies will add to his fortune.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;">Update: They're soon going into <a href="https://www.eenews.net/articles/exclusive-worlds-largest-carbon-removal-plant-is-about-to-open/">actual operation! </a> <br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;"></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: wfont_2cbb79_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa1206770c46,wf_7cde8084f99f4ae9b21eaa120,orig_gotham_book;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="letter-spacing: 0.04em;"></span></span></span></span></p><p> </p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-51023840581593154912024-02-06T08:05:00.000-08:002024-02-06T08:05:38.649-08:00The Convergence Accelerator Program and DART<p><span style="font-size: large;"> The NSF Convergence Accelerator Program is a federally funded effort to solve societal problems through an interdisciplinary process by creating teams that operate, as <a href="https://new.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/convergence-accelerator">their website says</a>, "synergizing their work through innovative collaboration." No examples are given.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">However, one of their efforts is DART: </span><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Deception Awareness and Resilience Training. Naturally the most suitable teams for this purpose would be created at <a href="https://socialmedialab.cornell.edu/2022/08/30/dart-deception-awareness-and-resilience-training/">prominent universities</a> and such is the case here. The focus of this particular effort is the gullible senior and military veteran who falls for social media and internet misinformation. Since there can be controversy over the veracity of on-line information it must be assumed that whatever information the current federal administration releases or agrees with is genuine while deviant info is bogus misinformation.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">At this point there seems to be simply training in misinformation recognition, not censorship of the product itself. A major difficulty might be measuring the success of the DART effort.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;"> <br /></span></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-36110248225665382932024-02-05T11:41:00.000-08:002024-02-05T11:41:25.309-08:00Huge Increase in Academic Fraud<p><span style="font-size: large;">According to the UK's Guardian, there's never been as much <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/feb/03/the-situation-has-become-appalling-fake-scientific-papers-push-research-credibility-to-crisis-point">fakery in academia</a> as has emerged currently.</span> <span style="font-size: large;">No one with even a casual perspective on higher education and research is surprised at this. The risk/reward factor is simply too skewed in favor of the fakes.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">While there's the perpetual complaint about the injustice of the publish or perish situation in academia, at bottom it's really the same as everything else in Yankee land, MONEY. The rewards for plagiarism and other academic fraud simply outweigh the possible punishments. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">It's not just fraud and fakery either. University administrators and professors have become figures in the social sphere surrounding their student body and campus. The furor seems to have died down or been suppressed by other developments but <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oberlin-college-and-gibsons-bakery-a-protest-against-racism-and-a-31-5-million-dollar-defamation-award/">the Oberlin College fiasco </a>of 2016-2022, resulting in the college ultimately paying Gibson's Bakery $36 million in damages, is a sad case in point. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><img alt="Pedestrians walk in front of Gibson's Bakery" itemprop="contentUrl" src="https://i.insider.com/631225213e08f700196c85fe?width=700" /><span style="font-size: x-small;">dalekang AP</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Meredith Raimondo, Dean of Students at the time and a <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oberlin-college-and-gibsons-bakery-a-protest-against-racism-and-a-31-5-million-dollar-defamation-award/">controversial figure </a>during and after the event, left Oberlin for Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA, where she is now vice president for student affairs.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">The academic world sticks together.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-80394357647547906292024-02-02T05:52:00.000-08:002024-02-02T05:52:38.724-08:00Academic Democracy<p><span style="font-size: large;">Public universities are, by definition, agents of the public that finances them. They have a close financial relationship with their state government, which represents the people also. In a "democracy" the state government is supposed to reflect the will of the people and logic would seem to dictate that the same would be the case for a public university. That isn't the way it works. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The public university ostensibly operates under a culture of academic freedom. Instruction and research don't follow diktats. Both are meant to dispense and determine the truth as it exists in the present. This may have been reality at some point but currently appears to be an historical oddity.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Political democracy as it's known now isn't about facts but reflects opinions about history, the present and the future. The facts about a candidate or officeholder are generally irrelevant and public opinion is divided according to preconceptions acquired through a person's cultural disposition.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The public university, like many other institutions, is meant to be apolitical. Though other creatures of elected regimes are selected through a process with a political character, they aren't expected or desired to bring politics to their role. While laws are created through a political process, their enforcement is supposed to be non-political. Sheriffs are elected but expected to enforce the law in the same way for everyone. Police chiefs and their patrolmen can't act as political enforcers. Judges make rulings based on the law, not personal preferences. We expect all public employees, from supreme court justices to snow plow drivers, to maintain an identical relationship with all citizens. We also expect any changes in that relationship to made through the democratic process.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">If this relationship is extended to the public university it hasn't been realized. The public university is the least democratized of any public institution, unless the military is considered a public institution.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Once in operation a land-grant research university is an independent entity, more independent than any government agency or business. It determines who its instructors and employees will be and what the expectations are for the performance of their work. It decides what courses are to be offered and what research efforts will take place. In almost every way it acts like a large corporation, except that it pays no taxes. In fact, taxes on the citizens are a significant part of a university's budget. Unlike corporate stock holders, those citizens have little influence on any aspect of the university.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Not only is there zero public input on the operations of its university, there is zero transparency on those operations. The public that pays in large part for its existence has a limited idea of what it does with that money. In the original concept of the university initiated by Wilhelm von Humboldt in 1809 and generally adopted in the US, the university was an agent of the government rather than a completely independent institution. This view slowly faded as time went by.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">A critical situation has developed not just in public universities but in all of higher education. The research and publication of results necessary for advancement in academia has been increasingly discovered to be founded on fraud. Plagiarism, statistical manipulation and fake analysis continue to be found and revealed publicly. Alarm bells should be ringing throughout academia over this but it might be the case that academic fraud is so prevalent that completely eradicating it might actually destroy the university system itself. </span> <br /></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676615486898450570.post-14517524033706795402024-01-30T06:47:00.000-08:002024-01-30T06:47:42.048-08:00Military Medical Experiments in Alaska<p> </p><p class="default__StyledText-afmf9u-0 bebgqG body-paragraph"><span style="font-size: large;">At their
best, the midcentury cold weather tests in Alaska were logical,
necessary, and even somewhat adventurous. But with limited oversight,
moral and ethical breaches did occur, including one of the more
underreported controversies in Alaska history.</span></p><p class="default__StyledText-afmf9u-0 bebgqG body-paragraph"><span style="font-size: large;">In
1947, the Air Force founded the Arctic Aeromedical Laboratory, or AAL,
at Randolf Air Force Base, in Texas of all places, though it was soon
relocated to Ladd Air Force Base. Its stated purpose was “to solve the
severe environmental problems of men living and working in the Arctic,”
prioritizing research on the human experience in extreme cold more than
technological issues. Its more innocent projects included the previously
mentioned morale survey and a wearable sleeping bag.</span></p><p class="default__StyledText-afmf9u-0 bebgqG body-paragraph"><span style="font-size: large;">History
is rife with terrors and tragedies when militaries experimented on
their own personnel. Then there are the times when such organizations
performed medical studies on private citizens. In 1955, the AAL began a
study on the thyroid’s role in cold acclimatization for humans. Based on
animal studies, AAL researchers hypothesized that the thyroid prompted
an increased metabolism in response to extreme cold, thus aiding
adaptation and survival.</span></p><p class="default__StyledText-afmf9u-0 bebgqG body-paragraph"><span style="font-size: large;">A
hypothesis is one thing, reasonable and debatable. Then, the
researchers decided to experiment on actual people, using radioactive
iodine to track thyroid activity. From 1955 to 1957, 121 individuals —
102 Alaska Natives and 19 military personnel — were given radioactive
iodine pills. The Alaska Native subjects were from Anaktuvuk Pass,
Arctic Village, Fort Yukon, Point Hope, Point Lay and Wainwright.</span></p><p class="default__StyledText-afmf9u-0 bebgqG body-paragraph"><span style="font-size: large;">The
military personnel were briefed on the nature of the study and then
asked to participate. The Alaska Native subjects, however, had no idea
what they were ingesting. There was no written consent, no informed
consent of any type. The researchers approached village elders who
summoned other residents to take part in the experiment. This
interaction was limited by fundamental language barriers and a more
specific inability to translate the scientific and medical details of
the study, like the word “radioactive.”</span></p><p class="default__StyledText-afmf9u-0 bebgqG body-paragraph"><span style="font-size: large;">Many,
if not most, of the Alaska Native participants believed the pills were
some sort of positive medicinal treatment. As James Nageak, one of the
subjects, later said, “I figured it was something that would make me
healthier. If I’d known what was in those pills, I never would have
taken them . . . Nobody would have.” Further, none of the Alaska Native
subjects were informed of the study results.</span></p><p class="default__StyledText-afmf9u-0 bebgqG body-paragraph"><span style="font-size: large;">To
be clear, and as noted in a 1996 review of the study, this methodology
violated the Nuremberg Code on human research, AAL guidelines, and basic
human decency. No such study would now be allowed to proceed. At least
one participant developed thyroid cancer, and in 2000, the Air Force
issued an apology and paid $7 million in restitution. The AAL folded in
1967.</span></p><p class="default__StyledText-afmf9u-0 bebgqG body-paragraph"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p class="default__StyledText-afmf9u-0 bebgqG body-paragraph"><span style="font-size: large;">Historian David Reamer in the Anchorage Daily News, January 30, 2024 </span><br /></p>Pulverized Conceptshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860274211446159849noreply@blogger.com0