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Wednesday, May 28, 2008
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Politics West: "'The new must-have state could be Colorado, a state that's voted Republican in the last three presidential elections but has been moving toward the Democrats,' according to USA Today. 'Tell me (who wins) Colorado and I will tell you the winner,' says Bernadette Budde, a political analyst at BIPAC, a business-oriented political action committee. Evidence to support this idea has been readily apparent in Colorado this week with appearances by Sen. John McCain, Sen. Barack Obama, and President Bush - all within the last 36 hours."
Political Wire: "Gallup Poll: 'In the 20 states where Hillary Clinton has claimed victory in the 2008 Democratic primary and caucus elections (winning the popular vote), she has led John McCain in Gallup Poll Daily trial heats for the general election over the past two weeks of Gallup Poll Daily tracking by 50% to 43%. In those same states, Barack Obama is about tied with McCain among national registered voters, 45% to 46%.'"
Western Democrat: "As we recently posted, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada are shaping up as key battleground states for the 2008 election. Not surprisingly, and as Kari just noted, both Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain are already campaigning in these three states."
"2008 pres"
5:52:32 PM 
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Here's a report on the effects of pollution on clouds, and hence weather and climate, from NASA. From the article:
Clouds have typically posed a problem to scientists using satellites to observe the lowest part of the atmosphere, where humans live and breathe, because they block the satellite's ability to capture a clear, unobstructed view of Earth's surface. It turns out, however, that these "obstructions" are worth a closer look, as clouds and their characteristics actually serve a valuable role in Earth's climate. That closer look is now available by satellites comprising the Afternoon Constellation, or A-Train. "The A-Train is providing a new way to examine cloud types," said Mark Schoeberl, A-Train project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Using data from instruments in a constellation of NASA satellites, scientists have discovered that they can see deep inside of clouds. The satellites are taking first-of-a-kind measurements, shedding new light on the link between clouds, pollution and rainfall. Jonathan Jiang of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., and colleagues used these A-Train sensors to find that South American clouds infused with airborne pollution - classified as "polluted clouds" - tend to produce less rain than their "clean" counterparts during the region's dry season. Details of the findings will be presented today at the American Geophysical Union's 2008 Joint Assembly in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Discovery of the link between rain and pollution was possible due to near-simultaneous measurements from multiple satellites making up the string of satellites in the Afternoon Constellation, more commonly called the A-Train. "Typically, it is very hard to get a sense of how important the effect of pollution on clouds is," said Anne Douglass, deputy project scientist at Goddard for NASA's Aura satellite. "With the A-Train, we can see the clouds every day and we're getting confirmation on a global scale that we have an issue here." Jiang's team used the Microwave Limb Sounder on the A-Train's Aura satellite to measure the level of carbon monoxide in clouds. The presence of carbon monoxide implies the presence of smoke and other aerosols, which usually come from the same emission source, such a power plant or agricultural fire. With the ability to distinguish between polluted and clean clouds, the team next used Aqua's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer to study how ice particle sizes change when aerosol pollution is present in the clouds. The team also used NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite to measure the amount of precipitation falling from the polluted and clean clouds. All three measurements together show the relationship between pollution, clouds and precipitation. The team found that polluted clouds suppressed rainfall during the June-to-October dry season in South America, which is also a period of increased agricultural burning. During that period it was more difficult for the measurably smaller ice particles in aerosol polluted clouds to grow large enough to fall as rain. This trend turned up seasonal and regional differences, however, and aerosol pollution was found, on average, to be less of a factor during the wet monsoon seasons in South America and in South Asia. Other physical effects, such as large-scale dynamics and rainy conditions that clear the air of aerosol particles, might also be at play, the researchers suggest...
The five satellites - NASA's Aqua, Aura, CloudSat and CALIPSO and the French Space Agency's PARASOL - of the A-Train orbit only eight minutes apart and can be thought of as an extended satellite observatory, providing unprecedented information about clouds, aerosols and atmospheric composition.
Thanks to Science Blog for the link. More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.
"cc"
5:44:42 PM
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Say hello to Barr'08.com: Liberty for America, the campaign website for recently nominated Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr. Here's the link to his RSS feed.
Welcome to the race Mr. Barr.
"2008 pres"
5:37:53 PM
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From The Colorado Springs Gazette: "An eight hour hearing Tuesday wasn't long enough for Fremont County commissioners to rule on a request to drill for uranium in the northwest part of the county. After hearing comments from more than 70 people, the board delayed a vote until June 9 on the permit request by Australia-based Black Range Minerals...Black Range, the first company in recent years to seek an exploration permit here, has spent $1 million on the project, and some ranch owners hope to turn a profit by allowing drilling on their land...Black Range managing director Michael Haynes said the U.S. imports most of the uranium it uses for nuclear energy, and domestic production is the key to energy independence. 'We can't pick and choose where uranium resources are found. The western U.S. is blessed and very fortunate to host these uranium resources,' Haynes said."
Ed Quillen (via The Goat Blog) adds a bit of historical perspective to the proposed uranium mining in Tallahasse Creek. He writes:
In 1978 I was managing editor of the small daily newspaper in Salida, Colo, about 60 miles up the Arkansas River from Cañon City. President Jimmy Carter had declared the energy crisis "the moral equivalent of war," and the surrounding hills were alive with uranium prospecting. We followed two projects quite closely. One, on the west side of Marshall Pass about 30 miles from Salida, was the Pitch Project of Homestake Mining Co. It was in limited production. The other, about 35 air miles east of Salida along Tallahassee Creek in Frémont County, was the Hansen Project of Cyprus Mining Co. Cyprus had big plans for Hansen, though I don't remember many specifics. The company stood ready to build roads, schools, whatever infrastructure was required for hundreds of mine workers in a rather unpopulated area in the middle of Colorado. Then came Three Mile Island. Uranium demand hit the skids. Prices plummeted, and the project was abandoned. Nowadays, uranium prices are high. That means production can be profitable in places where it wasn't before. Thus the renewed interest in mining the Hansen deposit, and doubtless many other old prospects.
If there's a moral to this story, it might go something like this: Before you buy rural property, look through old newspapers. Ask local history buffs, especially those with an interest in mining. Keep an eye on mineral prices. You may not like what you learn, but at least you won't be surprised.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
"2008 pres"
5:53:46 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/15/09; 2:28:20 PM.
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