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DivaCup: A Review.

September 27, 2011 at 9:24 pm 5 comments

So I feel like I can’t really do up a legitimate review of the DivaCup because I have only used it for 4 days, and not even for 4 full days, but I am just that impressed with it that I can’t stop myself.

*photo borrowed from jess.anne.o*

I’m maybe jumping the gun a little bit, but like I said, I just wanted to share the word as soon as possible.  I hope it sticks, because so far so good.

First things first, a little history.

I’ve wanted to try a menstrual cup for a few years, but just put it off and put it off.  Using cloth diapers has really fuelled forward my desire to live greener, simpler, and more financially efficient as well.  After talking to a few people about using a menstrual cup, I decided that I had to make the switch and that was that.  I actually tried cloth pads while I was waiting for my cup to be shipped and absolutely loved them.  They’re so soft and comfy, and well, I guess that’s another review for another day.  (NOTE: You can often find the cup in stores, however I found a really great deal online and well, as much as I love to support local, I had to support my bank account in this instance.)

Basically, the DivaCup is made of top-quality silicone, and is an eco-friendly alternative to pads and tampons.  It is reusable, sanitary, healthier than the disposable products on the market, and… believe it or not, comfortable.   The reason I say believe it or not is because I am sure there is at least one person reading this that is squeamish about the cup, or at least cannot understand how such a contraption can be nice to insert and leave there for 10+ hours.  Hear me out, my friends.

(Before I go any further, I really encourage you all to check out the DivaCup website, linked above.  And also, I appreciate their section of the website which speaks to worldwide menstrual health, and the issues that using a menstrual cup can have when there are not sanitary conditions, etc.)

Ok, so, for starters: there are different types of menstrual cups, however the DivaCup is the only cup approved by Health Canada for sale in Canada.  The different types are made of different materials.   There are also two sizes of the DivaCup, 1 and 2.  Size 1 is for women who are under the age of 30 who have never had a baby vaginally or by c-section.  Size 2 is for women who are over 30 and/or have had a baby vaginally or by c-section.   However, I have known women who have used size 1 and been over 30, and women who have used size 2 and been under 30, that sort of thing.  Size 2 is a tad bigger so it is probably best to do some research, check out both cups, and make your decision from there.  I think if size is questionable, going a bit bigger might be better in terms of leaks, but I am no expert.

There are different folds you can do when you insert the cup.  And if I haven’t been clear, you insert the cup into your vagina, but not that high up, and not in the same manner that you would a tampon.  That part confused me the first time, and is one of the reasons why it was quite the err, production (?) the first time I ever attempted to use it.  Also, it really helps if you can relax your muscles.  All of them.  It makes a big difference if you are tensing up, and this can happen without you even being aware of it.  Here’s a diagram (also from jess.anne.o) that shows two folds.  I prefer the Push Down fold myself.

Oh, and two really awesome things about using a cup are 1) you can leave it in for 12 hours!  I have a friend who, the majority of the time (aside from maybe 1 day) empties the cup in the morning when she gets up, and then once again before bed.  That’s peanuts!  However, this will of course vary from each day of your cycle to each individual woman, but the average is 12 hours.  The cup can hold 1/2 an ounce of liquid, and the average cycle is about 1 – 1.4 ounces in total, so there you go.  Because it is a hygienic product, it is recommended to empty it at least every 10-12 hours I do believe.  I had mine in for 8, 12, 11, and 10 hours respectively and things were totally fine.  The fourth day I noticed that something seemed weird in terms of leakage (VERY VERY minor, like… VERY minor) but it felt comfortable, so I’m not sure what went on there.  Sometimes if the little holes at the top of the cup (there’s 4 tiny suction holes) aren’t completely clear of liquid or anything, they can result in a weird fit.  That’s something to double-check, too.

So while the first day of using the cup was a bit… hectic, the following days were easy-peasy.  I notice that for about 5-10 minutes after I inserted the cup, I’d have to move around and do weird aerobic moves in my bathroom so that the cup could shift into place properly.  I’ve heard this is normal and so I am okay with that, it just threw me off for a bit.  And doing funny dance moves really is not a problem in my books, so that’s cool with me.

I am kind of a nerd (some might use the adjective f’ing disgusting interchangeably there) and was pretty anxious to see what the cup contained at the end of the day when I went to empty it.  And really?  It’s pretty neat to see how my cycle varies from day to day, and really, what is going on in my body.  I’m constantly on a journey to become more in tune, more connected with myself (it only makes sense, right?  it’s me, for gosh sakes!) and so, this helps.  It’s also friggin’ amazing for keeping track of my cycle (which I’m doing anyway via Toni Weschler’s Fertility Awareness Method) and also for future reference in terms of what happens with my body during my menstrual cycle.  You definitely have to be okay with bodily fluids and sort of, exploring, in order to get used to and like/appreciate the cup, I just want to put that out there.

In terms of cleaning, basically you are supposed to wash the cup out at least twice a day with water and a mild soap.  I just use baby soap, and wash it after I empty it.  It comes with a little draw-string storage bag that you can store it in easily, so that’s handy too.  It is also advised to boil the cup for sterilization purposes at the end of each cycle.

The website states that the cup is good for 1 year, and they state this recommendation because it is used for hygienic purposes, however, most people I know have had their cup for several years and it’s just fine.  The cup runs at about $40, so if you do the math, you know you’re saving big bucks, and who doesn’t like to save money?   There’s so many perks to the cup and I love that I have already experienced them and it’s only been 4 days.  There’s still some kinks I have to work out, like being quicker at insertion, and what not, but it’s coming and it’ll continue to.  Even in terms of emptying it in public, since you only have to likely empty it 1-2 times a day, you may not even run into that issue.  And if you do, they say that it’s okay to just wipe the cup out with a tissue, insert again, and clean with water and soap at the next convenient time.

Basically, so far I love the cup and am so happy with my purchase.  I’m doing better for my body, better for mother Earth, and better for our bank account.  Three top notch things that, what can I say, I love to do good for.  I hope that this little love affair continues to grow, and that I don’t have to come back here and be all, err, remember what I said about the cup and how much I loved it, um, yeah… about that…

I will keep you posted.  That is, if you want to keep reading about my insanely awesome connection with a friggin’ menstrual cup.  Oh, I’m just so weird.  Really guys, it’s not that weird at all.  How come Always and Kotex and Playtex and all the big guys can go on TV and talk about the menstrual cycle (and even use that stupid silly blue dye!) but I can’t cuddle up in the privacy of my little corner on the Internet and blather on?  I mean, no one said I can’t, but I’m sure some of y’all wonder.

Any questions about the cup?  Any other tips/advice for me or other new cup users, or others thinking of making the switch?

Entry filed under: Health & Fitness, Mamabear, Moontime. Tags: , , , , , , , .

Offbeat Mama! Happy Hump Day!

5 Comments Add your own

  • 1. tristadawn  |  September 28, 2011 at 10:56 am

    Hey Meagan!! Thanks for the comment. :)
    I’m excited to hear you may have been motivated by this post. Let me know how it goes! maybe we can help each other troubleshoot. it’s not as scary as it looks, I promise. <3

  • 2. gerda  |  September 28, 2011 at 1:10 pm

    Wow – good for you for trying it out and giving an actual first hand account. There’s nothing wrong at all with putting this out there – you’re doing a great service and encouraging people to explore alternatives that are worthwhile. Diva cup should be sending you a free one for doing such an awesome review! Hopefully it will continue to be a good thing because it sounds like a lot of great reasons here to use it.

    • 3. tristadawn  |  September 28, 2011 at 3:13 pm

      Oh, I know there’s nothing wrong with it. :)
      I’m glad you appreciated it!
      Haha, I don’t expect a free cup. besides, I’ve already got my own. however, I would love to gift these babies out! Thanks for the comment!

  • 4. yoga friendly?  |  September 30, 2011 at 5:44 pm

    so out of curiousity…i’m just very afraid of leakage…i’m a big yogi, and am often in precarious body positions, inversions, and all other kinds of things…in front of many people, in very tight yoga pants. how well does it really stay in and prevent leakage when in that position??? i’m just foreseeing disaster and ruined yoga pants!

    • 5. tristadawn  |  October 2, 2011 at 8:16 pm

      what I would suggest is to get a cup, try it out at home and at times where you won’t be doing tons of positions etc. then, when you’re more comfortable and know it’s in good, try having it in when you’re doing precarious positions etc, but have a pad on as well in case there is leakage, then you won’t be risking ruined pants!? let me know how it works out!

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LINDLEY, JONATHAN (1814?–1836). Jonathan Lindley, Alamo defender, was born, according to family tradition, on February 12, 1814, in Sangamon County, Illinois, the son of Samuel Washington and Elizabeth "Polly" (Hall) Lindley. There is, however, no reliable source for his parentage and date of birth. He entered Mexican Texas in 1833, possibly in November. Lindley, a stockraiser, applied for a land grant in Joseph Vehlein's colony on November 4, 1834. He identified himself as a single man, without a family. His quarter-league grant, located on land now covered by Lake Livingston in Polk County, was surveyed on June 21, 1835, and the grant was issued on July 17, 1835. Lindley signed the grant application with an "X," which indicates he was probably illiterate and could not have been a surveyor as some sources have claimed. The grant was later invalidated because a previous grant had been surveyed on the site and issued to William Pace in May 1835. Lindley appears to have been unaware that his grant was invalidated, and he was probably living at the site in the fall of 1835 when the Texas Revolution broke out. Lindley joined Capt. John Crane's company and participated in the siege of Bexar in November 1835. In December 1835, during the storming of Bexar, Crane's company served in the First Division under the command of Benjamin R. Milam. On December 14 Lindley joined William R. Carey's artillery company and helped garrison the Alamo under the command of Lt. Col. James C. Neill. Lindley was killed in the battle of the Alamo on March 6, 1836. His probate inventory listed his possessions as including eighteen head of cattle, eleven hogs, and a "Brand Iron."

Thomas Ricks Lindley

The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this article.

Thomas Ricks Lindley, "LINDLEY, JONATHAN," Handbook of Texas Online (, accessed September 01, 2015. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.

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A salmon-fishing dog in a kayak being paddled by a human and tailed by a Coast Guard RIB . . . that’s intriguing, but the 50 or so folks with me at the end of the jetty were not there to greet the pooch.  We were there to see the badger,

this Badger.

Badger entered service about the same year I did and

now she’s threatened, at least in her current state of being a coal-fired steam-powered ferry.  For part of the year she shuttles between Ludington, MI and Manitowoc, WI . . . as she has for 60 years, but

like I said, this might be it.  That’s reason enough to

take a ride, which I’m about to do.  More soon from the 60-miles one-way trip between the two Lake Michigan ports.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.


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A French Classic, Tarte Tartin

Stephanie Tatin was the chef in the family-run ‘Hotel Tatin’ and is known for first creating this dessert in 1889, and it became a French classic. I remember the first time I ate it in a restaurant overlooking the ocean in the South of France. I guess that should tell you how much I love this luscious apple tart. As beautiful as the environment was, I totally fell in love with tarte tatin.

I have seen Julia Child make tarte tatin several times as late as when she was in her 80”s. I decided that I had to master it and make it one of my classic tart’s

It is an upside down caramelized apple pie that is easy to make but on the other hand hard to make. The reason for this is that the ingredients are easily assembled, but the caramelizing can be dangerous. When cooking and spooning the caramel over the top of the apples so that they get completely covered and when turning the hot tart from the pan, one must take great care. I recommend a no-stick pan and heatproof oven gloves to protect you hands if some caramel should drip out.

Tarte Tartin is typically an apple tart, but it can be made with other fruits.

Tarte Tartin

Recipe Summary
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes on the stove/25-30 minutes in the oven at 400º
Yield: 8 slices

1 9” pastry crust, pâté brisée or store bought puff pastry

8 apples (dry and apples that will hold their shape i.e. Granny Smith)
3/4 lb sugar
1/2 lb butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Zest of one 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place the sugar and butter in a 9” oven pie plate or frying pan that can be placed in the oven. Cook the sugar and butter on high heat until it becomes a deep golden brown caramel. Do not stir, as it will form crystals. If crystals do form, wipe the sides of the pan with a brush dipped in water. Add the vanilla and lemon zest and blend. Add the apples, which have been peeled, cut in half, and the seeds removed.

Toss the apples with the cinnamon and place the apples next to each other in a circle outside down. They should overlap in the caramel mixture. Allow them to cook for about 10-15 minutes scooping the caramel over the top of the apples with a spoon. Caramel is extremely hot and dangerous. Extreme care should be taken.

Place the pastry over the top of the pan and carefully tuck the edge into the pan. Place the tart into the middle rack of the oven and bake according to the directions on the pastry package. If using a home made crust cook about the same time or until it turns brown. It is usually about 25 minutes at 400º F if using a packaged puff pastry.

~ by Patricia Turo on September 27, 2010.

4 Responses to “A French Classic, Tarte Tartin”

  1. Why have I not made a tarte tartin yet?

    After seeing how wonderful yours turned out…I’ll have to get some apples peeled pronto. Now, I’ll have to get some store bought puff pastry ;o) I’m still not making my own yet.

    Great recipe and stunning rustic pics.

    Have a great week,

  2. baking season is almost here in Florida. I love apple tart, can’t wait to try this recipe

  3. wow this is amazing, love how this puffs up, we finally have some apples here in Florida from NY, to buy, will have to try this one. I thought you were moving down our way? Hope to hear from you! would love to have a foodie get together with everyone! Kind regards Claudia akapegasuslegend… so many of us Claudia’s now lol

    • I am moving to Boynton Beach in January. Traveling at the moment visiting family and spending the next few months on Cape Cod. Would love to get together. I think they have the Gourmet Festival in Miami sometime in January. Many of the Food Network chefs attend. Don’t know if you go to that, but it might be a good place to meet if you do. Trying to get to New York for the Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook book signing and media event next week.

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April 16, 2011

Richt calls it a Good Day

One of the reasons head coach Mark Richt decided to select captains to draft their teammates for Saturday's G-Day game at Sanford Stadium was to create a little excitement for what is typically a hum-drum afternoon.

From that standpoint, Richt made the call as true freshman Christian LeMay led the Black Team on a fourth-quarter touchdown drive to defeat the Red, 18-11.

"When you're splitting your No. 1 units, it's not easy to break up your lines and expect everybody to be in sync, but I wanted to split the team up for the morale of it, the excitement of it," Richt said. "I thought it was a good day."

LeMay certainly made the most of his opportunity.

After playing sparingly the first half, LeMay's Black Team got the ball with 6:59 to go and after an initial 8-yard sack, completed passes of 14, 11, 12 and 13 yards before redshirt freshman Ken Malcolm capped the 75-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown run.

But despite LeMay's late success, the offensive performer of the game was starting quarterback Aaron Murray, who completed 12 of 17 passes for 122 yards and one score, a 28-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Smith for the victorious Black squad.

Carlton Thomas - who rushed for a game-high 48 yards on 13 carries - tallied the only touchdown for the Red on a 5-yard run. Malcome, meanwhile, rushed for 39 yards on seven carries while Caleb King added 30 on five attempts.

"We made some great plays on offense and our running game was outstanding," said Murray. "I think we moved the ball really well today. We all felt positive about who we are, what we are about and what we can do this fall."

Hutson Mason completed 8-of-16 passes for 109 yards and an interception for the Red while backup Parker Welch completed 5-of-10 passes for 71 yards.

Tavarres King led all Red Team receivers with five catches for 62 yards, while Marlon Brown (47 yards) and Orson Charles (41 yards) each caught four passes for the victorious Black.

The Red Team's first five points came on a 34-yard field goal by backup kicker Brandon Bogotay and a first-quarter safety when defensive end Derrick Lott was credited with a first-quarter sack of Murray in the end zone, one of two for the redshirt sophomore on the day.

Other items of note:

Saturday's crowd of 43,117 was the largest in G-Day history.

Hutson Mason completed a 36-yard pass to tight end Aron White on the game's first play. It was the longest pass completion of the day.

• Nose Kwame Geathers showed why he's been receiving praise from his defensive coaches as he contributed two tackles for loss, including one of minus-four when he swallowed up Caleb King for a 4-yard loss.

• Walk-on safety Connor Norman had the game's only interception.

• Thomas' fourth-quarter touchdown was his second G-Day touchdown in as many years and made up for a fumble earlier in the contest.

• Defensively, Chase Vasser and Alec Ogletree both made seven tackles each to lead the Black and Red teams, respectively.

Reuben Faloughi added three sacks for the Black team and Derrick Lott had two for the Red including a sack of Murray in the end zone for a safety.

After the game, Richt took a moment to look ahead to the fall, in particular the potential impact of the much ballyhooed "Dream Team."

"Everything we did this year had a winner and a loser and I think the guys responded well," Richt said. "I think the guys here now realize that there's a pack of dogs coming to try to get playing time and jobs of that nature, so I think that's really going to ignite and excite our program."

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December 6, 2010

Desir talks SU visit

Before the weekend was in full swing the Orange added a Miami product to their commitment list and they were not done talking with prospects from that city. After that commitment the Orange hosted two other Miami prospects and one of them was Ritchy Desir.

"The Syracuse visit was cool it was a good experience and I experienced new things. I saw snow for the first time."

Desir, 6-foot-1, 175 pounds encountered one experience that he had never had to deal with and that was the snow in Syracuse. He also talked about if the weather of a school would impact his decision.

"The snow stuck out. It was cool because I am from Miami so I don't see that. It was real cool," Desir stated. "The weather at a school will not factor into my decision."

One thing that had him getting over the cold weather was his host.

"Phillip Thomas he is a safety. We got along well because he is from Miami and he plays safety, so he was just showing me the ropes."

Not only was talking with Thomas helpful for the Miami product, but the talking he did with everybody else helped him out.

"My favorite part of the trip was just getting to know the coaches and the players. We just really hung out and talked."

Another item that stuck out for Desir was the crowd Syracuse had at their basketball game on Saturday night.

"I thought the fans in the Dome were real nice. They really get excited up there and that's cool."

On the Syracuse visit did the idea of committing to the Orange enter into Desir's head?

"I did not think about committing. I was just trying to use it as an experience to see new things and get a feel for everything."

With one visit down the three star prospect has not set anything up yet when it comes to visiting another school.

"As of right now I do not have any other visits set."

Even though he still has some visits left to take he has an idea of when he wants to commit to a school.

"I will make my decision probably around signing day."

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November 8, 2011

Tide emerges for Jenkins after visit

Rivals100 defensive end Jordan Jenkins has visited the University of Alabama multiple times, but after taking his official visit to Tuscaloosa over the weekend, Jenkins said the Crimson Tide has pulled ahead of his other favorites, Auburn and Florida.

"(The visit) went pretty good," Jenkins said. "I had a good time down there with all of the players and the coaches, and I got to spend a good bit of time with all of them before the game and after the game. On Sunday, I had a really great time with Nick Saban at his house with some of the other recruits.

"Right now, Alabama is a little ahead of the rest."

The extra time spent with the UA coaching staff paid off, as Jenkins talked about how next year's team is going to look and where he would fit in next year as well as down the road if he chooses Alabama.

"We talked about some realistic things, all of the positions, who's leaving and who they're bringing in," Jenkins said. "At the Jack (linebacker), I'm going to have to work to get some playing time. You have to work to play here.

"(Saban) talked about getting some playing time and developing, but it all depends on how I much I do and how much I actually study the actual playbook before I end up going there, because you have to know what you're doing in order to play."

It wasn't all football talk, as Jenkins spent some time playing basketball at Saban's house on Sunday. The best moment of the day came when the 6-foot-3, 245-pound prospect went up for a dunk and broke the Crimson Tide coach's basketball goal.

"I went up for a reverse, and as soon as I hit the rim, the whole goal just fell apart, but we put it back together," Jenkins said. "It really caught me off guard. Coach (Kirby) Smart, Coach Sal (Sunseri) and Coach (Jeremy) Pruitt were out there with us, and everybody was laughing when it happened."

The four-star prospect from Harris County, Ga., arrived in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, in time for all of the pregame festivities, including the Walk of Champions when the team entered Bryant-Denny Stadium.

"The pregame atmosphere was outrageous," Jenkins said. "There were people everywhere, on top of fraternity houses and everything, waiting for the Walk of Champions. It was just loud the whole time from before the game to after the game."

During the game, Jenkins kept an eye on current UA Jack linebacker Courtney Upshaw. Despite the loss, he was impressed with how Alabama played and thought it could've won the game.

"The team looked pretty good overall," Jenkins said. "It was just the kickers kept missing the field goals, and there were some bad calls. Defensively, I think they played great, and offensively, the offensive line had good pass protection the whole game."

The state of Georgia was well-represented at the game, and Jenkins ran into a number of UA commitments from the Peach State, including Geno Smith, Kenyan Drake and Dillon Lee.

"Geno and I have been real good friends since my sophomore year on the recruiting trail, and I can say we're all pretty good friends," Jenkins said. "Geno just said, 'This is where it's at, it's a good spot to play,' and they were all trying to get me to come down."

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October 7, 2009

Simmons talks about rebounding after losses

No one expected the Sooners to be sitting at 2-2 as the Big 12 season got underway this week, but that's exactly where the Sooners sit. Where is this team right now mentally? With so many key players already lost to injury, how will the Sooners rebound as Baylor approaches this weekend?

Senior offensive linemen answered the tough questions this week after practice.

Q: We asked this after the BYU game, and it seems like we ask it after every loss. But how is the team's mentality, especially now with two losses in just four games?
Brian Simmons:
Well, we still have things at stake, we still have the Big 12 championship to go after. I think it would speak volumes if we could win that thing four times in a row. I think it will be a long time before anyone wins three in a row. We're fine around here, no one is hanging their heads. Like I said last week, I'm a Sooner, I'm proud to be a Sooner. There's no other team in the country I want to play for right now. We just got to keep getting better, you have to have amnesia. We have to move on. You can't live through last week, you have to live for this week. We have a good mindset around here and we're positive about things.

Q: Is there a feeling of shock? You guys had such high expectations and through some things you can control, and some things you can't, those goals seem to be unreachable now.
Oh yeah. None of us thought we would be here four games into the season. But you have to keep good spirits, you have to have amnesia with this sport. Today everyone was out there with a lot of energy and we're looking forward to Baylor.

Q: How do you digest a loss like that though? Is it something you think about on Sunday, or do you start thinking about the next game as soon as you get on that play?
I tell you what. I think about it from that night, up until we stretch for Monday's practice. I think about it watching the film on Monday before practice, but as soon as we start stretching you have to let it go. That's how I do it, as for other players, I can't speak for them. But a loss will definitely ruin my weekend. My friends tend not to text me and not to call me. I talk to my mom and that's about it. I came here to win and a loss just isn't what I'm here for.

Q: When you looked back at the film, you guys looked really good in some areas but not so good in others. As a whole, how did you grade yourself?
Obviously I felt like we could have played better. I'm not going to say we played bad, but we could have played better. And not blocking wise. I'm talking assignment wise and penalty wise. The cheap hold that I had, as a whole we could have played better. We should have rushed for a lot more yards than we did, we should have moved the ball a lot better. We went on a lot of long drives and Coach Wilson says, 'when you're on the road, you can't kick field goals when you're in the red zone. You have to score touchdowns.' When you kick field goals you give the other team momentum, you give the crowd momentum.

Q: You mentioned the penalties. Against Idaho State and Tulsa you looked to have those cleaned up. Other than you were playing a much better team, why do you think those penalties came back to light?
Besides the competition, the thing I would point to was this was our first true road game. I considered the BYU game a neutral game. I didn't really consider it a road game. I think this game, guys got a taste of what it was like to have 50-60,000 fans cheering and messing with your head. For some of the young guys who had never been in that environment, it makes you jump, it makes you take that one bad step where that guy gets the edge on you and causes you to grab him. Playing on the road was probably the reason for all those penalties.

Q: What can you take out of this loss? Most of the fans think the season is over now, but as a player what do you take from this loss?
What I took out of it is, as an offensive lineman, you realize as Miami was in the last possession and milking the clock, how important each and every possession in a football game is. Honestly, I expected to get the ball one more time. I even told some of the guys that we were going to get the ball with two minutes and then go down and do our thing. After this loss, I thought about the mistakes and how you have to take each and every possession like it's your last. You have to get it there, you can't expect to get it on the next drive.

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Asia's insatiable demand for coal plays havoc with climate goals

For greens, ecologists, and those convinced that CO2 emissions pose a grave threat to the planet, it is a nightmare coming true. The world is becoming more reliant on high-polluting coal, not less.

“Coal met nearly half the rise in global energy demand during the first decade of the 21st Century,” said the International Energy Agency (IEA). Wind, solar, and gas have yet to change the overall picture.

The IEA said “insatiable demand” from Asia’s rising powers will gobble up a further 1bn tonnes each year by 2017, equal to the entire consumption of the US and Russia today. “If no changes are made to current policies, coal will catch oil within a decade,” it said.

By a rough rule of thumb, coal produces 238 tonnes of carbon per gigawatt hour (GWh), compared with 207 for heavy oil and 99 for gas. The IEA says coal already accounts for 43pc of global CO2 emissions.

“The situation is utterly dire,” said Jeremy Leggett, head of the UK Task Force on Peak Energy and Climate Change. “The window over the next decade is absolutely crucial. The danger threshold is a two-degree rise in average temperatures above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century. We’re currently on track for a rise of six degrees. The cognoscenti in the scientific world are terrified,” he said.

The great hope of carbon capture and storage (CCS (KOSDAQ: 066790.KQ - news) ) has yet to materialise, at least at viable cost. “CCS technologies are not taking off as once expected, which means CO2 emissions will keep growing substantially,” said the IEA’s Maria Van der Hoeven.

The world has yet to build a single CCS project for large-scale electricity output. Utility companies do not receive the same sort of subsidies available for wind or solar to cover the extra cost, so little has been done.

Asia’s industrial revolution is the driving force behind the coal revival. China will absorb half the world’s output within two years to supply its steel, chemical, and cement plants. It still generates 83pc of its power from coal.

India is catching up fast, with coal use rising 6.3pc a year. It will be the world’s largest importer of seaborne coal by 2016. The country has just floated Coal of India for $35bn (£21bn) in its biggest-ever IPO, oversubscribed 15-fold.

The US is the one area of world where coal use is plummeting, and the one country cutting carbon emissions on both a per capita basis and per unit of GDP. Americans can preen for once as “greener than thou” thanks to cheap shale gas. “The US experience suggests that a more efficient gas market can reduce coal use, CO2 emissions, and consumers’ electricity bills. Europe, China, and other regions should take note,” said the IEA.

The shale effect has been to divert excess US coal to Europe. Prices have fallen from $200 a tonne to nearer $90, undercutting gas in Europe. Coal use in power plants has jumped by 65pc in Spain and 35pc in Britain this year.

The IEA expects “tightened markets” for years to come with coal demand ratcheting up until politicians price carbon more aggressively.

Even a hard-landing in China with growth falling to 4.6pc a year would not change the picture dramatically.

Climate politics have long been bedevilled by clashes between the Old World and the emerging powers, with the latent threat of a strategic showdown, but this can be exaggerated. China and India are acutely vulnerable if global warming spins out of control.

Two billion people depend on the steady supplies of water from the melting snows of the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau. Rising temperatures risk a witches’ brew of floods, droughts, and destruction of the topsoil.

China’s politburo has exalted green energy in its next five-year plan, alert to growing popular backlash over foul air and polluted rivers, and the risk of an energy crunch.

The party is scrambling to cut fossil dependency, building 26 nuclear power plants by 2015, with 51 at the planning stage, and further 120 in the pipeline more than the rest of the world.

It has just doubled plans for new solar installations, aiming for a further 40 gigawatts by 2015. It is trying to pull off its own shale gas miracle, launching a fracking blitz to rival the US by 2020.

This will not be easy. China has the world’s largest reserves, but mostly in regions with scarce water. It lacks pipelines and fracking know-how. Most experts say it is a story for the 2020s, not this decade.

China knows it cannot keep up its own break-neck output of coal, a staggering three quarters of all extra output in the world last year. The best seams have been mined. Fresh reserves are ever further removed from the industrial hubs of the eastern seaboard. Rail freight costs are climbing.

For Indonesia and Australia, the world’s top producers, another decade of roaring coal demand is a godsend. It is even better news for Glencore, Peabody, Coal of India, and Shenhua Group. For the rest of us, let us hope that man-made global warming is a hoax after all.


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Patrick Karegeya: Why was Rwanda's Ex Spy Chief Murdered?

Rwandan opposition figures have accused President Paul Kagame of orchestrating the murder of the country's former spy chief Patrick Karegeya, who was found in a luxury Johannesburg hotel. He had been strangled.

The Rwanda National Congress opposition's chairperson for Africa, Frank Ntwali, said that Karegeya was "strangled by agents of Kagame".

A fallout with former friend Kagame led to the powerful chief of intelligence being arrested and serving an 18-month sentence for desertion and insubordination in 2005.

He was stripped of his rank of colonel on 2006 and fled the country to seek asylum in South Africa.

Great power

Born in southwestern Uganda to a refugee family, Karegeya joined the National Resistance Army (NRA) in Uganda but was arrested in June 1982 and charged with treason. He spent three years in jail before joining then president Yoweri Museveni in the fight that led to the overthrow of Milton Obote.

Karegeya was part of the Rwandan Patriotic Front which invaded Rwanda in 1990. Kagame was also a senior member of the army and became leader after Fred Rwigyema died early in the war.

A ceasefire was negotiated in 1993 but the assassination of Rwandan president Habyarimana was the starting point of the genocide in which Hutu extremists killed up to one million Tutsi and moderate Hutus.

Kagame ended the genocide with a military victory and Karegeya became chief of intelligence.

After the spat with Kagame, the ex-spy boss became increasingly critical of the Rwandan president. In 2010, he told Uganda's daily The Observer that Kagame was a dictator and accused him of ordering political killings.

In South Africa, another former head of Rwandan intelligence, Lt Gen Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, escaped an assassination attempt. Several gunmen who were arrested were found to be Rwandan.

Kagame denied any involvement in the shooting. "People want to taint this regime," he said. "They want it to be seen as tightening up, repressive, killing people.

"Rwanda was not involved in the shooting. We want to know what happened, but South Africa has not been forthcoming."

Nyamwasa also fled Rwanda after speculation grew that he was building his own powerbase in the army. The president accused him of teaming up with Karegaya to undermine his power and that he was in the pay of South Africa's military intelligence.

Political assassinations

Despite Kagame's denial, a wave of political killings in the run-up to 2010's presidential elections raised suspicion of government involvement.

A journalist investigating the shooting of Nyamwasa, Jean-Léonard Rugambage, was murdered in Rwanda days after the botched assassination attempt. The opposition Green Party's deputy leader, André Kagwa Rwisereka, was found with his head almost hacked off.

At the time, Karegeya said he knew of a series of political killings ordered directly by the president.

"He believes in killing his opponents. That is the problem I have with them - there is a long list of people that have died politically," said Karegeya.

"I was in a position to know so I think I am talking from a point of knowledge."

The Rwandan government accused Karegeya of masterminding a supposed terrorist attack in Kigali, the Rwandan capital.

The former spy chief denied any involvement saying that terrorism "is just a political tool used by all dictators to deal with opponents".


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League One - Pressley livid with Bradford tactics

Manager Steven Pressley accused Bradford of playing football from the 'dark ages' after Coventry conceded a penalty in stoppage time to earn the Bantams a point in a dramatic 3-3 draw at Valley Parade.

PA Sport Report
League One - Pressley content with point

View photo

Steven Pressley (PA Photos)

Coventry were heading for a 3-2 win when defender Jordan Clarke handled as he challenged striker James Hanson just inside the visitors' box, referee Kevin Friend pointed to the spot and up stepped Nahki Wells to score to complete his hat-trick in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

Pressley said: "I thought we had dealt with everything that Bradford threw at us. I was delighted with the effort and a lot of aspects of our play. I am just disappointed we didn't get the result our performance merited.

"Credit to Bradford for pressurising us late in the game, but it was never going to be easy for us playing against long ball football. That is football from the dark ages, but we have got to learn to cope with it."

Bradford, who are without a win in seven league and cup matches, found themselves two goals down in seven minutes, but hit back through Wells to level the scores after 28 minutes only for Coventry to go 3-2 up in the 42nd minute.

Andy Webster scored the first in the second minute following a free-kick from skipper Carl Baker. Keeper Jon McLaughlin tried to catch the ball, but he appeared to be impeded by team-mate Rory McArdle and the ball ran loose to Webster to fire the ball into the net.

Before Bradford recovered, Callum Wilson took the ball off McArdle after chasing down a long pass from Blair Adams and, although McLaughlin knocked the ball away from him, it ran loose to fellow striker Leon Clarke to fire into the unguarded net for his 12th goal of the season.

Hanson saw his far-post header stopped on the line by keeper Joe Murphy before Wells pulled a goal back after 18 minutes when Hanson headed a long clearance from Kyel Reid over Murphy's head and into the path of Wells.

Hanson and Wells combined again for Bradford's equaliser, Hanson heading James Meredith's free-kick into the path of the Bermudian international to volley into the net.

However, Wilson restored Coventry's lead three minutes before half-time with a close range angled shot after getting the better of defender Matthew Bates.

Both sides had chances in the second half before Wells' last-gasp equaliser.

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Football - Spring in Wanderers' step

Wycombe will be boosted by the return of Matt Spring when they travel to Morecambe.

PA Sport Report

The experienced former Luton midfielder has overcome a calf problem which has sidelined him for the past month and is available to return to action for the trip.

Meanwhile, striker Dean Morgan is set to return to full training next week as he steps up his recovery from a hamstring injury and Kortney Hause (groin) will resume full training on Monday.

The Chairboys fans have also been handed another injury boost with the news that Jon-Paul Pittman's knee brace has been removed and he is expected to be back in three weeks.

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Knox Releases Venture Armor Motorcycle Shirt

  • 2012-knox-releases-venture-armor-motorcycle-shirt 2
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Knox Motorcycle Gear

Combining CE-approved protection with a flexible and breathable sports fabric, the new Venture Shirt from Knox is designed to be worn under whatever outer clothing the rider chooses and is a perfect solution to uncomfortable armor.

Offering all-day comfort, this versatile garment will appeal to commuters, trail riders and touring bikers alike.

Made in Knox’s Lake District factory from British made fabrics, the zip-fronted shirt uses soft, stretchy and breathable Meryl Lycra, which has moisture wicking properties to help regulate body temperature and prevent the build-up of perspiration during day-long rides.

CE-approved Knox Flexiform+ armour comes as standard in the shoulders and elbows, plus a Knox back protector (certified to EN1621-2 Level 1).

Optional chest protection is also available. All the armour can be removed and replaced as desired, for a custom protection solution, making it easy for the shirt to be machine-washed to keep it fresh throughout the riding season.

Lightweight, comfortable and easy to put on/take off, it’s a versatile solution for motorcycle impact protection, as well as other high-impact activities like cycling and winter sports. The Venture shirt is available in unisex sizes S-XXL, in black.

For further information visit


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Writing Style Guidelines

The chart below gives examples of specific references to entities. As a general rule, any organization should be referred to in all communications as its full proper name on first reference and by its acronym or common noun on second and subsequent references.

  • Upon first reference, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center would be referred to as such. On second and subsequent references, it would be referred to as UNC Lineberger, or its common noun, the cancer center.

First Reference

Second & Subsequent

Please note

*NC Cancer Hospital (in logo) or N.C. Cancer Hospital (in text)

NOT North Carolina Cancer Hospital

the cancer hospital

the hospital

Always reference in conjunction with UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
*NC Memorial Hospital (in logo) or N.C. Memorial Hospital (in text) the hospital Never refer to this hospital as the 'main hospital'
UNC Cancer Care UNC Cancer Care Cancer Care is always two words.
UNC Health Care UNC Health Care Health Care is always two words.  Avoid using "the system" whenever possible.
UNC Hospitals the hospitals In most instances -- particularly external communications -- simply refer to 'UNC Hospitals' when writing about a patient.
University Cancer Research Fund UCRF or "the fund"
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center UNC Lineberger On subsequent references, refer to "the cancer center".

**Standard language for noting the relationship between UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and the N.C. Cancer Hospital is as follows:

“The N.C. Cancer Hospital is the clinical home of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.”

***Standard language for defining “UNC Cancer Care” is as follows:

“UNC Cancer Care combines the research strength of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center with patient care provided by UNC’s nationally-known faculty physicians.”

Internet terms

internet never capitalized
home page always two words
online always one word
Web always capitalized
Web site always two words
e-mail never capitalized, always hyphenated

and Never use "&" unless part of an official name or title
chair Never chairman or chairwoman
cutting-edge Avoid, substitute "leading-edge"
health care

Two words, when referring to general medical care or the health care industry.

The only exception to this rule is "Rex Healthcare" since it is a proper name

housestaff (residents) lowercase, one word
inpatient lowercase, one word
outpatient lowercase, one word
attending physicians Never use the word "attendings" to refer to attending physicians
faculty members Never use the word "faculty" to refer to faculty members

Specific references to departments

Capitalize all department names when using the full, official name and upon first reference unless they appear in a series. Upon second reference, department names should be lowercase. The word “department” should always be lowercase unless used in conjunction with the official name of the department.

  • The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine has accepted an award.
  • Professors involved in the project represent the departments of surgery, family medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology.
  • John Doe is the director of the Department of Genetics. As director of the department of genetics, John…

Do not capitalize names of programs.


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November 9, 2012

Jackets land #14

Georgia Tech has been looking to rebuild their wide receivers group in the last two recruiting cycles and the Jackets picked up a key piece to that puzzle as they landed commitment number 14 Friday evening.

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Pay Tickets Or Die

The guy running for Mayor of Philadelphia as a Democrat will win the election, Philly is a Democratic town. And this guy has a great idea.

He wants meter maids to not only give out parking tickets, but since they’re out in the street anyway, other kinds of tickets as well. Like for littering and jaywalking.

Not to generate more fines for the city, of course. How could you think that? But because we want to keep the city clean, and walkers safe.

A couple of problems here, however.

Autos have license plates but individual litters and jaywalkers don’t. So to make sure the right people are ticketed, should we all be obliged to wear personal license plates on our backs and chests? In order to keep the city cleaner, and prevent traffic deaths from jaywalking?

Since some litterers and jaywalkers might object to being stopped on the street, and might even get violent, should meter maids be armed? And if a litterer, say, is shot trying to escape a littering incident, should the armed meter maid be punished or given a citation for bravery in the line of duty?

OK. You don’t like wearing personal license plates, and you don’t think arming meter maids is a great idea. How about a technology fix to make this great idea practical?

Facial recognition technology has made tremendous strides in recent years. Arm meter maids with these devices instead of guns, devices that record faces of litterers or jaywalkers, run it through computers that show their addresses, send them a fine bill by mail. And if they don’t pay off dun their wages or seize their property.

We don’t even need to depend on just meter maids to track these miscreants. Just install more street cameras than London has everywhere in Philly that are supposed to spot violent criminals and also use them on the littering and jaywalking front. And on the not waiting for a red light to change front. And the drinking beer that isn’t in a brown bag front.

Our soon to be new mayor of Philly has a great ticketing idea. Wonder what else he has waiting in the wings.

[My newest book is Gorilla Warfare Against The Bureaucratic State — Confessions of a Lefty Libertarian.]

I’m Running For President Of The United States

This announcement that I am running for president appeared in the May 12, 2015 Washington Times. It nicely describes my credentials and prospects.

Silverstein throws his hat into the ring
(No one else has claimed the lefty libertarian mantle)

By Michael Silverstein – – Tuesday, May 12, 2015

While nobody has actually asked me to run for president of the United States, I have begun to sense a yearning for me to do so emanating from the ranks of the still-uncommitted silent majority.

So after prayers, fasting, discussions with my family, and careful consideration of opinions offered by Sunday morning talking heads, I have decided to throw my hat into the ring as a Republican.

Am I qualified?

While it’s true that I’ve never performed brain surgery, run a computer company, and wasn’t born in Hope, Arkansas — qualifications listed by other recently declared candidates — I bring to the contest things these others lack.

I’m the only wannabe, for example, who has tried to live on Social Security and succeeded, at least to date. It’s the kind of real-world experience that will resonate strongly with a very large and endlessly ticked off voting bloc — crotchety old white men.

And that’s not all.

I’ve never actually held public office, which is a real plus in today’s world as my record can’t be either found or attacked. Still, I am the only presently announced candidate of either party who has been on a past presidential ticket — though not at the top of this ticket.

In 1992, I was privileged to be selected by the American Art Party as its vice-presidential standard bearer by virtue of my work as an anti-parking ticket crusader. The top of the ticket that year was occupied by a house cat named Colette Silverwood. (Boy, could that tabby work a room!). I’m proud to report that while this party’s spending on the campaign was no greater than the cost of a can of Sheba, we still got as many electoral votes as Ross Perot, who spent millions on his own run.

People talk a lot these days about the need for inclusiveness with candidates bragging incessantly about their sensitivity to the needs and desires of different ethnicities, genders and folks of differing sexual orientations. That’s nice. But if the public really wants a candidate with a proven big-tent background, I am someone who can boast of being politically linked to a running mate of a different species, which has to give me an edge.

Where do I stand on the big issues? Let’s just say they are evolving.

I still have yet to meet with Sheldon Adelson to construct a foreign policy, and with Charles Koch to come up with one that covers energy and the environment. Reaching out still further, I plan to bring in policy professionals from past Republican administrations to advise me about how to make the country’s economy better by further enriching the rich so they trickle down more largesse, and get their suggestions concerning where to start our next big war. I’m certain these experts have a lot of ideas on these matters.

This is not to say I won’t seek advice from real people as well. I intend to meet with these real Americans in primary state diners at 11 in the morning, the time and place real Americans gather for eggs, coffee and an occasional doughnut.

Many candidates avoid such encounters because they find it impossible to listen attentively to their whines, snivels and moans. That won’t be a problem for this candidate. I’m well stocked with Xanax and Valium, and for especially tiresome crowds, I may even have a few Quaaludes left over from my days as a Deadhead.

Now you’re probably wondering about my attitude toward accepting campaign contributions from special interest PACs. Will I do that?

You think a guy willing to take second place on a ticket topped by a house cat would feel bad about selling his soul to very rich people? Who am I to deny the right of these folks to buy influence, anyway?

So I’m in — win or lose — and if I don’t make it this time around, I have a back-up plan.

I might accept a generous book deal, join a conservative think tank as a visiting scholar or combine both with a speaking tour. As a former presidential candidate, I would also be in line to join some Fortune 500 boards, become a Fox regular, and maybe spew wisdom to young people at an Ivy League college for an hour once a week.

Or I could join the private sector by managing a hedge fund. Compensation here fell dramatically from 2013 to 2014, but the top 25 hedge fund managers still eke out a combined income of $11.67 billion or an acceptable $211,538 an hour.

A person could live pretty comfortably on that. There might even be enough left over to self-fund a future political campaign. Or if that seems like too much trouble, hire a substitute to front my agenda once I develop one.

• Michael Silverstein is a former senior editor with Bloomberg’s Markets magazine. His latest book, now available on Amazon, is Gorilla Warfare Against the Bureaucratic State (Confessions of a Lefty Libertarian).

Here’s the link to the story about Silverstein’s run that appeared in the Washington Times:

Hillary Leans To The Left — Somewhat

Hillary Leans To The Left — Somewhat

Hillary’s sharing her liberal side,
Giving the left a good lather,
There are winks, a few hints, a suggestion or two,
A finely wrought serving of blather.

You kind of agree, though you’re not always sure,
‘Cause what’s said here is oft’ rather subtle,
So nuanced, in fact, it makes one suspect,
Down the road she might shape a rebuttal.

Does she lean to the left, to the middle, the right?
What’s the future plans of this contender?
No she needn’t agree on all issues with me,
Just tell me her real agenda.

My new book: Gorilla Warfare Against The Bureaucratic State (Confessions of a Lefty Libertarian).

What’s Wrong With Obama’s Trade Deals

Huge trade deals are being negotiated by the Obama Administration. Most Republicans (and the President himself) support these deals. Most members of the Democratic Party oppose them.

That’s the big debate in Washington these days. But it’s the wrong debate. The debate here should focus (at least initially) on the “fast track” approval that President Obama wants.

The reason? Many elements of these deals are very beneficial to the country as a whole. Some aren’t. The sensible thing to do here is thus to keep what’s good and weed out what’s bad with amendments to the deals.

But fast track doesn’t allow amendments. You take it all or reject it all. And if in the end the good seems to outweigh the bad, you end up with badly flawed overall deals.

So don’t debate the trade deals now. Debate fast track. Put the deals on a slow track and end up with something really worthwhile for everyone,

Michael Silverstein’s new political memoir: Gorilla Warfare Against The Bureaucratic State (Confessions of a Lefty Libertarian).

Divestment At Swarthmore And ‘Hard Choice Foolishness

Divestment At Swarthmore And ‘Hard Choice’ Foolishness

The college and university student campaign to divest from fossil fuels as a protest against climate change began at Swarthmore College. It was therefore surprising when the board that overseas that institution’s investments recently voted against divestment.

Or maybe it wasn’t very surprising after all.

That’s because this sort of decision has been happening in so many places for so many years for the same ‘hard choice’ reason. We can therefore imagine that the discussion that led to this decision at Swarthmore must have gone something like this:

“We truly admire the students’ idealism in seeking divestment from fossil fuels,” one of the wise heads at the table would likely have said. “It’s the kind of idealism this school was built on, the kind of idealism that turns out students dedicated to building a better world.

“And for that reason alone,” this worthy might well have continued, “I would love to vote for divestment. Love to strike a blow, no matter how merely symbolic it would be in terms of actually bringing about policies toward fossil fuel.”

Here we can imagine the speaker’s expression turning deep and introspective before continuing: “I have grandchildren, too, you know, and the thought they may have to grow up in a world so badly tainted by our polluting, a world so brought to the brink of ruin by unbridled fossil fuel use, makes me sick at heart.”

Soul searching complete, the speaker gets down to the all-important adult issue of responsibility: “Alas, we have a responsibility, a fiduciary responsibility, when it comes protecting the assets of this institution. No matter how strong our personal feelings in this matter, or even the sincere and honorable wishes of our student body and faculty, we have to make the hard choice, the very hard choice, to retain our fossil fuel holdings.

“Moving on to the same next issue on today’s agenda….”

There it is again. The hard choice that pits environmental protection against economic well-being.

This so-called ‘hard choice’ has been made and is being made in so many places in so many ways by people who have so many kinds of responsibility, that one might suppose it has become hard wired into people’s brains — or at least the brains of people charged with making responsible choices that affect others.

The thing about this choice, however, is that it doesn’t exist. Never really did exist. In past years choosing to pollute for jobs and profits sake might have created short-term benefits with long terms negative consequences. These days there isn’t even that kind of time lag.

Put simply, fossil fuels are a lousy investment today. And renewables are not just the investments of the future.

Solar, wind, geothermal, et. al. have already taken over so much of the world’s energy markets and are so obviously poised to take a much greater share of these markets very soon, that buying and holding fossil fuel investments is like seeking to tap the future profit potential of horse drawn buggy makers in 1900.

So here’s my message to investment advisers at Swarthmore and other education institutions. Stop making those silly hard choices. Do your fiduciary duty and divest from fossil fuels. And do it quickly, before the failure of your economic analysis when it comes to energy investing becomes too apparent to your employers.

The author of this piece, Michael Silverstein, is a former senior editor with Bloomberg News. His latest book is Gorilla Warfare Against The Bureaucratic State (Confessions of a Lefty Libertarian).

Progressives At The Bat

Something is happening in the political world. Folks are beginning to catch on. They’re beginning to see the linkage between surging wealth for the few and austerity for the rest, and longing for a return to America’s post-War II fair wealth distribution and prosperity for the many economic model. Here’s a baseball season poetry knockoff describing what this might mean in the next election…

Progressives At The Bat

It looked extremely rocky for progressives in D.C.,
The folks they’d long depended on to others bent a knee,
The White House rarely answered calls, the Senate mostly cowed,
Tea party members ran the House, “We’ll make the rules,” they vowed.

But out there where the Beltway gang is rarely ever seen,
In countless places o’er the land where the living had gone mean,
The days of settling for a phrase, for promises unmet,
A spirit craving real change, these bad times did beget.

Yes in our nation’s capital they still ain’t yet caught on,
They still to Wall Street genuflect, buy the right’s self-serving yarn,
They don’t sense the awakening, ain’t twigged to where it’s at,
That progressives next election day will swing the big vote bat.

Michael Silverstein is a former Bloomberg News senior editor;
his latest book is Gorilla Warfare Against The Bureaucratic
State (Confessions of a Lefty Libertarian).

Bernie Sanders For President Poem

Bernie Sanders For President

I had a dream the other night
About this country’s politics;
I dreamed that for too many years
We haven’t had no real picks.
(Bernie’s different from the pack,
Has some views that others lack.)

These days we hear a lot of news
‘Bout countries out to build the bomb;
But truth be told what worries me
The sinking ship I’m drifting on.
(Sure I’m sad bout Mid-East’s ills,
But sadder ‘bout my Visa bills.)

Our nation’s wealth just grows and grows.
A picture most inspi-er-ing;
But most new wealth, to old wealth flows,
I’m left in debt en-mi-er-ing.
(CEOs make out big time,
I squeeze by on overtime.)

One size fits all ain’t right by me,
No matter the vote lever;
And just as bad, a game that’s rigged
By K Street lobbies clever.
(Could sixties lefties long a’tooth,
See their ideas respawned forsooth?)

Michael Silverstein is a former Bloomberg News senior editor;
his latest book is Gorilla Warfare Against The Bureaucratic
State (Confessions of a Lefty Libertarian).

The Future Of Transportation — Hydrogen

Vehicles in the future, perhaps a great many in the very near future, will be powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The reason: These are zero emissions vehicles. The only thing that comes out of their tailpipes is water or water vapor.

So where does the hydrogen come from? Most these days comes from natural gas. The problem here is that to get this hydrogen feedstock increasingly requires fracking, which has its own serious polluting drawbacks.

But fortunately there are alternative ways to produce hydrogen that are becoming available. In Germany excess power from wind turbines, power not needed to feed into the electricity grid, is being used to split water into its component hydrogen and oxygen parts. In California, these is a pilot project to use excess solar energy not feed into the electricity grid to do the same thing. Still another approach coming into view is to add carbon to solar-split hydrogen to make methane (aka natural gas) without the fracking pollution drawback.

The first mass produced hydrogen fuel cell powered cars are now starting to be sold by Toyota, Other car makers are expected to follow suit shortly. The future of transportation is about to arrive.

(The latest book from the author of this piece is titled Gorilla Warfare Against The Bureaucratic State—Confessions of a Lefty Libertarian)

Earth Day Poems

This being Earth Day, here’s some verse for the occasion…

Headline: 2014 was the warmest year ever recorded on earth.

A Harried American’s Response To Global Warming
By Michael Silverstein

It’s winter,
I’m cold,
Maybe global warming’s oversold;
Anyway I’ve bigger cares,
My 401(k)’s oil shares.

You say I’ll soon be mourning?
The new earth that’s aborning?
That human kind is spawning?

I’m not scorning the warning,
Just too busy this morning.

Energy Past And Future

Why do we raid the burial grounds
Of long dead creatures for coal?
For oil and methane from these old remains
Why is this our energy goal?

The sun and the wind, the motion of waves,
The heat ‘neath our feet underground;
Are there to be tapped, to be used, and enjoyed
Live energy sources abound.

We’ve gone from the horse for private transport,
Keep in touch in a host of new ways;
It’s time, truly time, for a better resort
Navigating the energy maze.

Canuting Renewable Energy

King Canute was a silly old coot
When his power he planned to be showing
With the help of his church he would stand on the beach
Tell the waters: “You gotta stop flowing.”

Fossil fuel kings and their money church pals
Now stand on the energy shore
To the sun and the wind and the heat of the earth
They proclaim: “We’ll permit just a bit but no more.”

Canute’s quirky play, to control ocean waves
Just reflected his times’ power thinking
Today (nothing new) fossil fuel’s power crew
Think their gaming can stop their own shrinking.

The Global Warming Poem

Locked in human-centric thinking
The content of our daily plays
The Mid East, Ukraine, and the markets,
Our focus of dismays these days.

Icecaps melting freakish storms
Species fall offs, floods and droughts
Growing worries, yes, we’re worried
But how important…most still have doubts.

When soon the process reaches end game
Our fool behavior, its course has run
The global warming tipping point
Has come, we’ll look and know
We’re done.

Utilities’ Solar Angst

Utilities are frightened,
They’re starting to run scared.
Solar energy’s becoming
Competition to be feared.

Solar units on more buildings,
Working better, getting cheaper,
For utilities’ own future,
It’s a bottom line grim reaper.

In Washington ‘bout energy,
Hot air and mindless gropes,
While a solar revolution
Circumvents the DC dopes.

Global Warming — The Poem

The planet’s on slow boil,
Its temperatures are rising,
You’d think more folks would worry,
Most don’t — which is surprising.

Greenhouse gases are the cause,
Their main source is CO2,
Long trapped methane getting loose,
Adds to this climatic stew

Shrinking ice caps, freaky weather,
Fauna, flora, disappearing
Oceans on more lands intruding,
Wiser heads now feel despairing.

Can we somehow meet the challenge,
Check this global wide assault?
Or just deny the threat is real,
And if it is say: “Ain’t our fault.”

Mike Silverstein’s newest book is Gorilla Warfare Against The Bureaucratic State (Confessions of a Lefty Libertarian)

The Economic Case Against The LNG Project In Philly — And the Case For A Hydrogen Fuel Cell Project With Far Greater Potential by Michael Silverstein

The Economic Case Against The LNG Project In Philly — And the
Case For A Hydrogen Fuel Cell Project With Far Greater Potential
by Michael Silverstein

The noisy protest last Wednesday at a Drexel get-together meant to showcase a proposed LNG production facility in Philly just hints at why this project won’t fly. Future opposition will not just come from a few noisy protestors. Very large, powerful, and well organized local environmental groups will demonstrate against it, and use the media and courts to delay it in a great many ways.

Delays are fatal for this project. The reason is because of what its promoters refer to as “a fast closing window of opportunity.”

There are a number of other places in this country that want approval to build such a facility. The DOE won’t approve them all. Because of opposition, Philly will not be able to fast track a project proposal (fast tracking in this case means dispensing with environmental safeguards) because local opposition won’t let that happen.

The LNG project as the basis for this city’s energy future is thus DOA. This is not only fortunate for the local environment, but for the local economy as well. The LNG project is a chimera. And its down-the-road damage to the city can be summed up in two words: Stranded asset.

The huge current demand for LNG in parts of the world like post-Fukushima Japan and Putin-plagued EU countries will be more than met by some of the dozens of other new LNG producing facilities now being constructed around the world. The current demand bubble from a lack of sufficient supplies will then be followed by a future supply bubble. The first new entrants in this field will sew up the market with 20-year contracts. Latecomers will get the dregs or nothing at all.

There’s nothing unusual or unpredictable about the process at work here. The oil and gas business is always boom and bust, near-term demand that calls forth excess supplies.

A Philly-based LNG producer (if one actually came into existence) would be among the last entering this competition. What we’d end up with then is a very expensive stranded asset – a polluting facility that no longer has a reason to exist. This project’s promoters by then would have moved on to another community with a stressed economy where they would again dangle a promise of local riches and jobs to advance their own short-term goals.

The better energy hub for Philadelphia

There’s another approach here, however, a different future vision, that really does have a huge future potential for Philadelphia, and which could benefit most of the same interests as the LNG chimera. It’s one built around hydrogen and hydrogen fuel cells.

Here it is in brief:

• Marcellus Shale gas is brought into the city via new union built pipelines, and goes to the same PGW facility now tagged for LNG production. This facility, however, is specifically geared to produce hydrogen (already long produced commercially from natural gas), but does so in a leading edge, more cost-effective way with the help of Drexel technologists.

• Part of this hydrogen is liquefied and exported, benefiting the port; another part goes to hydrogen fueling stations in this region, of the sort now just beginning to appear in California to service Toyota’s first mass market hydrogen fuel cell car, the Mirai, only a few of which will be sold this year in California, but will start selling in this region thereafter; PGW produced hydrogen for these vehicles could make PGW a major transportation fuel supplier as well as a home and commercial heat supplier.

• Still another part of this locally produced hydrogen could be feedstock for new hydrogen energy cells and related parts manufacturers, who would naturally be attracted here once the PGW facility is running.

• President Bush in 2003 heralded a hydrogen fuel cell future for electrical generation and transportation. There have been a number of failed efforts to make this happen since then. Advances with this technology and Toyota’s mass market initiative indicate the time has finally come to jump into this field.

• It’s thus exactly the right time when a city like Philly can actually become a world energy leader in a field about to blossom rather than just another energy wannabe follower. This is not a realm susceptible to near-term bubbles, or worries about longer term stranded assets. The world-changing future of hydrogen fuel cells has just begun.

One timing attraction of hydrogen as the basis of a Philadelphia energy hub involves Toyota. This automobile company today and a number of others considering a move into the hydrogen fuel market have no mid-Atlantic focus at present. A hydrogran facility at the PGW site is a perfect attraction for them

And then there’s the almost kismet quality of Sun City’s recent announcement that it is setting up shop in Philly. This company’s president is Lyndon Rive. His cousin is Elon Musk. The family’s business is leading edge energy development. Rive (and his brothers at Solar City) focus on solar energy for the home. Musk focuses on batteries and the Tesla electric car for transportation. Hydrogen fuel cells are the natural “third leg” of the family’s business, the perfect compliment to its present alternative energy home and transportation market activities.

One other important thing is worth noting when it comes to why a hydrogen fuel cell hub rather than a LNG hub is more promising for this city — the environmental angle. Environmentalists would oppose the fracking that brings out Marcellus Shale gas and pollution from related new manufacturing facilities whether a new Philadelphia energy hub is LNG or hydrogen related.

But… while LNG powered transportation is certainly incrementally less polluting than diesel powered, hydrogen fuel cell powered transportation in not just an incremental improvement. It is a revolutionary transformation. Zero emission hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in coming decades literally have the potential to save this planet. That fact could make a big difference in gaining acceptance for hydrogen in Philadelphia’s own economic future.

Here, then, is the deck of factors that could be played to bring into being a flourishing Philadelphia hydrogen-based energy hub:

• It benefits most of the same groups that would benefit from an LNG hub —union construction labor, PGW, Drexel, the Marcellus Shale crowd, etc.

• It would not only attract support from a new Wolf Administration for economic reasons, its zero-emissions angle could defuse some environmentalist opposition.

• The fact that in 2003 a Republican president, George Bush, proposed creating a hydrogen-based energy future could even attract Republican support in Harrisburg for this sort of Philly hub.

• There’s money available from the DOE in Washington for hydrogen energy promotion carried over from this 2003 Bush initiative.

• There’s currently no mid-Atlantic competition for a hydrogen hub the way there is competition for a LNG hub in this region.

• The timing for this hydrogen hub, given not only Toyota’s move into fuel cells cars but other auto makers as well, presents wonderful open ended economic opportunities for this city.

• There’s a Rive-Musk play here that cries out for tapping.

• There’s no rush-or-lose-it, stranded asset fears with hydrogen. It is the long-term future, not an expanding bubble.

I hope you find this analysis interesting. In passing, about me, I’m a former senior editor with Bloomberg’s flagship Markets Magazine.

Michael Silverstein
April 20, 2015


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Archive for October 27th, 2010

How to write an editorial when not “jet-lagged”

27 October 2010

If “jetlag” can prevent a mighty editor from noticing that a tiger has slept with a tornado and their baby has married an earthquake in the “Indian State of Tamil Nadu”, what must it be for lesser editors* in other Indian states?

Pradyuman Maheshwari, the group chief editor of the industry journal Impact (owned by the exchange4media group), describes a day in the life of an editor in Bombay on the day he has to, well, write an editorial:

“A typical Friday: an early-morning alarm to ensure that the daughter gets up on time. Boil the milk, get her dabba ready, drop her off to school, return, look up the notice board in the building to see if there are any important notices, read the papers, see if there have been any misses, check mail, make a few calls, go for a walk, some stretches and crunches, chat with editor over a painful exchange of messages with a media biggie, shower, 90 minutes in traffic, get to work, some people not in, a colleague down with malaria so a story can’t go this week, several calls, pesky PR executives, some friendly ones too, credit-card DSAs, more DSAs, car loan, property sale, meetings, brief colleague on a story, send off important mails, plan Diwali chhutti, make an important call, push a meeting by a day, check on content for a feature… the day goes on.

“And in the midst of all of this, write the edit.

“Wish I could have it ghostwriten… can I get the able assistant editor to do it for me this week? Can I just get something interesting written somewhere, copy-paste here and just add a comment or two? Can I pull out my book of quotes and pepper the edit with these? Or just look at my ten best quotes for the day?

“Life’s a bitch. Home-traffic-meetings-office-meetings-calls-traffic-office-meetings-lunch-coffee-meetings-traffic-dinner-traffic-home-homework-TV-sleep. Well, it’s quite a jetlagged existence to borrow from something I read in another edit recently.

“So how do I write the Impact editorial for this week? Do I pick up stuff about a subject that’s been written about from another source? Well, as the editor of this publication, the least I must do is spend a few minutes and connect with you via a few hundred-odd words. If I had wanted to, I could’ve asked for an edit not to be part of the magazine grid with an excuse of ‘who reads them anyway’ or whatever.

“But no way will my edit be ghostwritten, and if it is written by someone else, then it will bear his or her name….”

*Disclosures apply!

Also read: The editorial

The original

The scandal

The non-apologetic apology

The ‘Lone Hindu’ gets it from M.J. Akbar’s paper

27 October 2010

Dileep Padgaonkar, The Times of India’s former editor who once said he held the second-most important job in the country, has been named one of three interlocutors in Kashmir by the UPA government.

However, the usually softspoken Francophile has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons in his new job, even as he offers a quote to anybody who sticks out a mike before him.

And in M.J. Akbar‘s Sunday Guardian, diarist Nora Chopra sticks it in:

“Dileep Padgaonkar, a non-working journalist, is [J&K chief minister] Omar Abdullah‘s choice. He was a part of prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee‘s Kashmir committee, which was a non-starter. Omar was with the NDA at the time. After the UPA came to power, Padgaonkar became the lone Hindu member in the National Minority Commission (sic) with a  salary of around Rs 2 lakh per month.”

For the record, Padgaonkar is not a non-working journalist; he returned to the Times as editor of the edit page after the exit of another Times‘ loyalist, Gautam Adhikari. And at Akbar’s former abode, The Asian Age, Padgaonkar, an acknowledged foodie, most famously wrote a letter to the editor on the recipe for Egg Benedict.

Also read: How Padgaonkar christened a Pierre Cardin model

How the Sakaal Times dream became a nightmare

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Climate Skeptics Swayed by Consensus, Not Evidence
Climate Skeptics Swayed by Consensus, Not Evidence

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Climate Skeptics Swayed by Consensus, Not Evidence

Conservatives are less likely to accept the reality of human-caused climate science when presented with supporting scientific evidence. But tell them that 99 out of 100 climate scientists agree on the subject, and conservatives will be more likely to accept that humans are altering the climate, according to a new pilot study.

The findings, presented today (Dec. 7) at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union, suggest that scientists shouldn't break out the graphs and tables when talking climate with conservatives. Instead, climate advocates should emphasize how much of the scientific community agrees on the subject.

Conservatives skeptical

In general, those with more conservative views tend to be more skeptical about climate change.

"People with very strong free-market support had very high skepticism of climate change," said John Cook, a cognitive psychology doctoral candidate at the University of Queensland. Such individuals also tend to distrust scientists and scientific processes such as peer review, he added.

But conservatives haven't always doubted climate change. Global warming only became a polarizing issue after the 1997 Kyoto Protocol negotiations, a United Nations treaty that set targets for countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Since then, Republicans and Democrats have been sharply divided on the issue: a recent Pew Research Poll found that 85 percent of Democrats believe in climate change while less than half of Republicans do. And a study by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that conservative media outlets like FOX News and the Wall Street Journal routinely present misleading information on the state of climate science, while free-market organizations such as the Heartland Institute have planned anti-climate change educational programs.

But efforts to convince conservatives of the threat of global warming have mostly fallen flat. When scientists explain the evidence to conservatives, only 3 percent alter their positions, Cook told LiveScience.

Changing minds

Cook and his colleagues wanted to see what actually would change conservative minds. He asked a group of 225 people to fill out a survey, in which they rated their belief in human-caused climate change on a scale of 1 to 5. The survey also asked respondents to rate their belief in a free versus regulated market, as well as their distrust of climate scientists.

Cook identified those individuals with strong free-market beliefs as conservatives. (Past studies have shown that holding free-market beliefs correlates strongly with identifying as a Republican and with holding socially conservative views on gay marriage, abortion and other hot-button issues, Cook told LiveScience.)

Then, one group read a statement presenting evidence for climate change, while others read statements emphasizing the scientific consensus. A third, control group got the original survey, but without any climate statements.

None of the statements moved the needle very much, on average, but those who waded through facts about climate change reported more skepticism than those who read no statements about climate change at all.

"The evidence group had a slight backfire effect," Cook said.

But those reading about the scientific consensus were more convinced about the reality of climate change than were controls.

Cook has no idea why conservatives should be moved by the consensus of scientists, whom they tend to distrust, but one possibility may be that conservatives place greater value on authority, on average, than do liberals.

"It's quite counter-intuitive and not what I expected," Cook said. He plans to investigate why this contradiction exists in follow-up studies.

Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook & Google+

Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Back from Brazil (and vacation ...)

Posted by terrencebarr on July 12, 2009 at 7:05 AM PDT

Back from Brazil and a nice two-week break from traveling.

Mobile, Media, and eMbedded Developer Days Latin America (M3DD/LA ) was extremely successful - sold-out at over 550 attendees, buzzing with activity and enthusiasm, and well-organized. It was a pleasure to be part of it!

Profound thanks to everybody involved (see the signatures on the t-shirt ;-), in particular to Rafael Adrien. Rafael, a student from Goiania, was the main driver behind the event and organized much of it in his spare time! Hats off. Lest not forget Flavia Suares, Andressa Martins, Filipe Portes and Leonardo Miranda as well. Also, many thanks to SENAC, the technical university in Goiania, and Professor Murilo Borges for hosting the event and the warm hospitality.

Mauricio Leal has posted an excellent write-up of the event, including a bunch of pictures. Also, Radko Najman has done a nice blog post on the Java ME SDK blog.

FISL 10 was quite an experience. Open source is a major force in Brazil, and FISL underscores that in an impressive way. 8200 attendees and the appearance of the President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (see the picture with the OpenSolaris team), are testament to that.

Roger and I did talks on mobile and embedded Java and we staffed the community booth throughout 4 days. There was an immense amount of interest in mobile and embedded technologies and the booth was practically permanently bursting at its seams. FISL, to me, provided great insight into the Brazilian IT and open source scene. At the end of it we were totally fried.

Here is a small collection of links with write-ups, pictures, and video:

And just for completeness: There were three more events during that time which I didn't attend. The OpenSolaris Tour (day 1, day 2) as well as Javali 2009. Amazing!

And, last but not least - How did I like Brazil? Brazil was AWESOME. I found the Brazilians to be very open, friendly, and welcoming. I visited three cities (Goiania, Florianopolis, and Porto Alegre) and my trip went off without a hitch. Everybody went out of their way to make our trip memorable and show us a good time - including churrascaria, dance clubs, and fun evening at the stadium of SC International - what a great idea, Igor! And, last but not least, the food was just fantastic. I've never had this much consistently great food during a trip as in Brazil. An interesting mix of German and Italian food with Brazilian and Portuguese influences, as far as I can tell - and very well executed. I'm still savoring the tastes. Yum!

That's it for now. Obrigado & Cheers,

-- Terrence

PS: Thanks also to Bruno Ghisi for hosting me in Florianopolis!


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progress on all fronts

The stash sale/Heifer International Fundraiser is still going strong. I’ve shipped off all of the yarn that’s been purchased so far, and after shipping costs, we’ve raised $210 for Heifer International already! There’s still a fair amount left, so if you’re interested in taking some of the yarn I can’t knit with off my hands and supporting Heifer at the same time, click on that link and take a look.

I’m making progress on several other fronts, as well. On the academic front, the semester is all but finished here; all that remains is grading the 93 final project reports that are due by 5pm on Sunday. Tutoring is done for the semester, and so is Symphony. And I’ve now got subjects running in a new study, and a tentative timeline for some important stuff like comprehensive exams and such. Yay!

I’m moving right along on my husband’s sweater, too:

Andrew's Sweater

I’m getting quite close to reaching the underarms, at which point I’ll set it aside and knit a pair of sleeves. The sleeves should be fun, since the increases will give me something to pay attention to. The lack of shaping in men’s sweaters makes for very easy, but somewhat boring knitting!

And finally, there’s this:

test mittens

I’m test-knitting Pam’s new mitten pattern, in the most predictable colors EVER. As has already been pointed out to me, these are the exact some colors as I used for my Cobblestone Sweater, except this time the yarn is Cascade 220. What can I say? I like blue and green. These are going to be some very bright, happy mittens. And who doesn’t want bright, happy mittens when Winter is being dark and gloomy?

Speaking of Winter being dark and gloomy, I am very much looking forward to the upcoming Solstice. The Solstice is the holiday my husband and I celebrate this time of year. I can’t think of anything more worth celebrating right now than the return of brighter days! I hope that y’all have wonderful mid-winter holidays, whichever ones you choose to celebrate!

3 thoughts on “progress on all fronts

  1. The sweater looks great! You are almost there! I love the color combo you used in cobblestone – you will HAVE to get a shot with both the mitts and sweater when you are done!

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