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Monday, February 18, 2008
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The Moderate Voice: "If you are interested in what is going on in Afghanistan, and its historical and regional context, then this superb piece from France's Le Monde is well worth your time. Apparently, things aren't looking good. 'With shocking simultaneity, four reports by military experts recently sounded the same alarm: without a fundamental revision of current strategy (indeed, the lack thereof) by the international community in Afghanistan, the country runs the risk of becoming a 'Failed State,' and will quickly become, if it hasn't already, the nexus of international terrorism. Six years after 9/11, Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden enjoy a state of quasi-impunity in the vast no man's land between Afghanistan and Pakistan.'"
"2008 pres"
8:29:06 AM 
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Captain's Quarters: "Dan Gilgoff does a post-mortem on how the evangelical movement managed to allow John McCain to win the Republican Party nomination over two candidates more amenable to their cause. Gilgoff focuses on their failure to back Romney, and makes it plain that religious bigotry played no small role in their inability to understand which political agenda suited them the best."
"2008 pres"
8:17:57 AM
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Captain's Quarters: "Barack Obama has made a historic presidential run this cycle primarily on the basis of changing the political culture in Washington. His unbelievable success has ironically set a trap for a potential general-election run. Obama has to choose now between keeping his word, or conveniently breaking it and exposing himself as just another self-serving politician."
"2008 pres"
8:15:10 AM
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Here's an article about the effects of wind turbines on wildlife from RedOrbit. From the article:
Supporters see wind power as the first clean, renewable, domestic power source to reach maturity. Many in the industry believe wind power will supply 20 percent of electric needs by 2020. And for the first time, wind energy is competitive in cost with electricity from conventional sources because of advances in turbine design during the last 30 years. The American Wind Energy Association said that wind electricity sells for half the price of nuclear power and about the same as electricity form coal, oil and natural gas...
But the advantages don't mean that everyone appreciates -- or supports -- energy generated by wind farms. Some groups claim the wind farms are unsightly and some environmental groups are raising concerns about small birds, large raptors and bats -- as well as hoofed animals like antelope and elk. "We just don't know what the long-term effects will be -- and we don't know what the difference will be on wildlife if there are a thousand turbines instead of just one," said Ken Wilson, wildlife biologist and professor at Colorado State University. Wilson isn't fully opposed to wind farms, however. "It really is an unknown right now -- and some wind farms can be quite large," he said. "As a wildlife biologist, I know you can change the habitat easily. But it's a trade-off. There are many places to put wind farms without any damage. And you have to consider if it's worth it to put the turbines in place -- just in terms of clean energy." While wind energy seems benign, Wilson points out that water energy was once considered the cleanest energy of all -- and then the effects on fish and other wildlife dependent on free-flowing rivers was recognized. "And then, of course, you have the aesthetics," he said. "Some people don't want to look at a wind farm, just like many want to see white water in a canyon instead of a huge hydroelectric dam." Wilson said any change to the ecology and habitat can be a danger to wildlife. "There is no simple little equation that says this energy is clean and harmless," he said. "We just need more study done before we put these wind farms in places that could harm the wildlife."
The hard part, he said, is slowing down the industry long enough to conduct the study. "When you look at the amount of money going into alternative energy development, the cost to study the problem is a very small amount," Wilson said. "But it will take a few years -- and most people want the wind farms operable within a few years. That certainly seems to be the case in Colorado, where three projects were completed last year. Phil von Hake, spokesman for the Colorado Renewable Energy Society, said 2007 was the best year for wind power because of action taken by the governor and the legislature. "Wind energy is getting cheaper -- and the eastern plains are an excellent wind resource," he said...
Concerns about migratory bird patterns and bat flyways are overblown, von Hake said. Fears of dropping property values also are unjustified. "The new turbines aren't as much of an attraction for the birds," he said. "They know now not to put them in the middle of migration routes. And the turbines themselves don't have grids or girders for the birds to sit on. I think those arguments are finished." But Wilson disagrees, saying that no one is really keeping track of the number of small birds that could fall prey to the sharp blades of a wind turbine. "We just don't know -- and no one's tracking it," he said. "Small birds make easy food packets for animals and insects, so there's no way of telling how many die each year."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
"2008 pres"
7:30:13 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/15/09; 2:08:33 PM.
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