SUMMER FROM HELL

FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE ACTION FUND

As Charles Dickens may have written of the summer that ended last week, "It was the worst of times. It was the worst of times."

There is brutal irony in the Senate's failure to take up a strong climate and energy bill during a summer when the world baked, melted, flooded, and burned.

Below is a summary of some of the most tragic and ominous climate impacts from this summer. We offer this list not to scare or depress you, but to:

1. Emphasize what's at stake and make it clear that the consequences of climate inaction are not theoretical – they are frighteningly real.
2. Inspire us all to stay in this fight and keep urging our leaders and our networks of friends, family, and colleagues to treat this environmental crisis seriously.

Afterall, the polluters aren't giving up -- not for a second. Even now, they and their well-heeled lobbyists are working overtime to secure Senate votes to limit the EPA's authority to cut climate pollution.

We must stop them. Please take this opportunity to email your Senators and urge them to oppose efforts to limit the EPA's authority to address the climate crisis.

Even if you have already emailed your Senators, email them again. Make sure they understand that the polluters may have the money and the lobbyists, but we have the numbers and we will stay in this fight for our planet's future.

Thank you!

Here are some of the most tragic and ominous events from this year's "Summer from Hell." Please forward this to everyone you know and urge them to get involved in this fight.

Summer from Hell: Our New Normal on a Warming Planet?

• 10 U.S. states had their hottest summer on record and all but 7 states were above normal. And summer nighttime heat records were set in 37 states.
• June-August global land surface temperature was the warmest on record, 1.80 F (1.00 C) above the 20th century average of 56.9 F (13.8 C) and surpassing the previous record of 1.66 F (0.92 C) set in 1998.
• For only the third time in the satellite record and the third time in the last four years, the Arctic sea ice extent fell below 5 million square kilometers (1.93 million square miles). This summer's Arctic sea ice extent fell more than 25% below the 1979-2009 31-year average.
• Arctic sea ice volume (extent and thickness) reached the lowest level ever recorded, prompting Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center to predict, "The Arctic summer sea ice cover is in a death spiral. It's not going to recover."
• A record Russian heat wave caused massive wildfires and drought and may have killed up to 15,000 people, cost the Russian economy $15 billion, and destroyed a third of the Russian grain crop, causing global wheat prices to nearly double. Peat bog and forest fires filled Moscow's air with carbon monoxide levels reaching 6.5 times more than the maximum allowable levels.
• Devastating floods inundated one-fifth of Pakistan, drove millions from their homes, and led to the deaths of more than 1,600 people. Up to a foot of rain fell in a 36-hour period and Ghassem Asrar, director of the World Climate Research Programme, pointed to climate change: "There's no doubt that clearly the climate change is contributing, a major contributing factor. We cannot definitely use one case to kind of establish precedents, but there are a few facts that point towards climate change as having to do with this."
• Hundreds of walruses on Alaska's North Slope were stampeded to death when they beached themselves on land because there were no sea ice floes available.
• This year's extreme heat is causing only the second known global bleaching of coral reefs. In oceans from Thailand to Texas, scientists fear this year's die-off may be as bad as or worse than in 1998 when an estimated 16% of the world's shallow water reefs were severely damaged. In the waters off the Philippines, 95% of the corals have died this year.

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Sources:

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2010-09-08-record-summer-heat-_N.htm
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/09/37-states-set-nighttime-high-temperature-records-this-summer.php
http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/hottestsummer/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100919104002.htm
http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52896
http://psc.apl.washington.edu/ArcticSeaiceVolume/IceVolume.php
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-10/russia-may-lose-15-000-lives-15-billion-of-economic-output-in-heat-wave.html
http://www.economist.com/node/16994407
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100808/160116529.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/7937269/Pakistan-floods-Climate-change-experts-say-global-warming-could-be-the-cause.html
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Map-of-Pakistan-s-flood-area/Article1-591497.aspx
http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2010/08/18/1
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/39278191#39278191
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/science/earth/21coral.html
http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0923-fidenci_coralbleach.html]

2012 SIGN POSTS

Time moves swiftly and many are wondering what 2012 will bring. From the Mayans to Nostradamus, there are many wondering if 12/21/12 will be our doom or our salvation. Some even say the events that are embedded in prophecy may occur in 2011-just around the corner.

Reality is of our choosing, that is the clear message from the ancients and even the much misunderstood Nostradamus. Our choices today determine our reality tomorrow. So what sign posts must we watch to see what may happen in the near future? What precipitating events will determine our tomorrows. As in the Twilight Zone, there are sign posts along the way on our journey that will tell where we are headed. Things to watch for include:
1-American politics. If the Tea Party scores major successes this November and the American political scene is one of turmoil, division and confusion, then 2012 will not be kind.
2-If vested money interests manage to kill, dilute and continue their rampage against the environment, expect Mother to act accordingly.
3-If Palestine and Israel fail to reach an accord, expect major violence in the Middle East that will affect all.
4-If the monied interests have their way and the economy continues to falter-the rich get even more rich and the middle class continues its decline, expect domestic violence.
5-If China and America and the EU cannot reach trade and monetary accords, expect more economic world calamity.
6-If preparations are not made to effectively help those that will face environmental adjustments-floods, droughts, water shortage, dwindling food supplies, etc, expect the effects to impact all, not just those who suffer directly.
7-Religious fundamentalism-If right wing interests continue to increase their control over worn out religious dogma, then the movement to create a more sustainable human environment will be in jeopardy.

These are events whose outcomes will create the tapestry of 2012. All of them can and do create an environment of fear that will result in the worst of scenarios. Make no mistake, the seeds we have sown will come to fruition. But whether the rotten fruit are short lived or predominate over our thought process is a choice all must make.

Are there ways around the worst case scenarios? Yes. Can you come through these times of change unscathed? Yes. Do the prophecies of the likes of the Hopi, I Ching, Mayas, and Nostradamus show an alternative way? Yes. More on those topics later, but not much later!

"A NEW FAMILY TRADITION..."

With Google alert I came across the following great review at: http://www.pennyworthbooks.com/a-maine-christmas-carol-modern-re-telling-of-the-tale/

A Maine Christmas Carol – Modern Re-Telling of the Tale
Thursday, September 9th, 2010 at 1:39 pm


Philip Harris’ A Maine Christmas Carol, a modern retelling of the Dickensian fable of Christmas’ past, present, and future in a middle class New England setting is a holiday treat for readers of all ages. The spirit of the original story is cleverly unraveled in a more up to date but equally grim narration of the experiences of a blighted contemporary Scrooge named Thomas as he “sees” Christmas with his spirit guides.

The classic unfolding of the life of a beleaguered and very ill-spirited young man faced with the consequences of his own self-serving actions is cleverly layered with messages aimed at the socially irresponsible of our own life and times. A Maine Christmas Carol is a powerful parable of the ills of progressive society left to exist unchecked and held unaccountable.

Through the eyes of the spirit guides, Thomas sees that while he is not responsible for the happiness of others, his actions do deeply impact all those who come in contact with him. From the local shop owners to his eight-year-old sister, his exploits leave a deep and lasting impression. Even more critical to note is the tsunami-like wave affect his acts, deeds, and lack of achievement has on those he will never meet. What he does not do with his life is just as significant as what he has done so far in his 16 years.

In Harris’ A Maine Christmas Carol, a new family tradition is born. The easy conversational writing style, the logical flow of the story, and the twist to the original story makes this book a new classic that will go on the shelves right next to Dickens’ original morality tale. Harris does a marvelous job of weaving Thomas’ profound experience of redemption with the underlying themes of social justice and poverty.

A Maine Christmas Carol is explicit in demonstrating the relationship of the privileged class in our country who has failed to address the social issues facing our society. Philip Harris has clearly and unequivocally produced a rich allegory that redefines the importance of Christmas to a new generation of readers.

A Maine Christmas Carol

Philip F. Harris

Publication Date: Cambridge Books 2007

WHERE ARE ALL THE PEOPLE?

The History Channel had a recent show about the extinction of the dinosaurs. In examining possible causes the most prominent theories revolved around climate change, volcanic eruptions, disease, and meteor impact. It was clear from the show that the reason for the extinction is still in question. One paleontologist suggested that by the time the Earth was struck by a meteor(s), most of the dinosaurs were already dead. Disease may have occurred, largely due to changing land masses that enabled microbes to travel to new places and destroy those lacking immunity. Yet, why would they all die out-including those who lived in the sea? Major volcanic eruptions in places like India and elsewhere may certainly have poisoned the air-and yet, mammals survived. Climate change? Certainly ice ages and/or warming would eliminate many, but not all. The meteor? Okay, possible, but evidence of massive piles of dead dinos may not support this.

Okay, so the bottom line is that we don't have a final answer. Further, we read that, "The K-T extinction was not the first such massive die-off in history, nor was it the largest. The Permian-Triassic extinction event, known as the Great Dying, occurred 251.4 million years ago and eradicated 96 percent of all marine species and 70 percent of all terrestrial vertebrates species on earth."

http://www.history.com/topics/why-did-the-dinosaurs-die-out

So, do meteors periodically kill off life on earth, or do cycles occur that totally alter the planet, as a kind of cleansing, that starts things anew?

So where do we stand today? A die off, mass extinction six, is occurring that is driven by humanity. And, being the cause, we seem to think that perhaps we are immune to the extinction mania that has plagued our dear Mother Earth. Hmm, plague? Perhaps Mother cleanses herself periodically. But that is another topic. However, let's take a quick look at the world and see if we are really in possible trouble.

Have there been many recent volcanic eruptions? Here's some interesting data:
Using the Smithsonian Volcano Research database and sampling every five years the following trend for eruptions is shown for the past 150 years.

2005 68
2000 67
1995 60
1990 53
1985 52
1980 65
1975 50
1970 54
1965 53
1960 57
1955 46
1950 48
1945 36
1940 45
1935 42
1930 37
1925 42
1920 37
1915 34
1910 41
1905 40
1900 34

Okay, I only show back to 1900 but the trend is clear.

Climate change? If your head is in the sand you may not have noticed but, yeah, there is major climate change that may not be conducive to continued human habitation.

Disease? Yup, despite vaccinations and advances in science, some oldies but baddies are re-emerging. And, while new land bridges may have allowed the spread of pathogens to the dinosaurs, our 'global' economy has created the same condition. Just look at all of the reports of invasive species and the spreading of new diseases.

What are we missing? Ahh, the meteor. Maybe yes and maybe no. Astronomers are discovering new ones all of the time and we have had so e near misses.

And, I almost forgot solar/stellar radiation from solar flares and quasars. We are near Solarmax and there are some close exploding stars.

2012 is drawing nigh and the hand we are playing in the cosmic poker game may be a definite loser. We can bluff ourselves into thinking that the game will go on forever, but...

Sustainability: The most abused term in the English language.

Guest Blogger Barry Fitzgerald, Ireland.


In 2010 it seems everyone has a "sustainable" product and a lot of businesses use the term to describe their operations. Government and institutional officials throw the term around like confetti. Everyone seems to think that just using the term makes them fit in with the new zeitgeist and new world order. After all the people want everything to be sustainable, right?

Unfortunately nearly every single use of this term in our world means one of two things;
a.) either we have to consume more to enable this so called sustainability or,
b.) we will have to work more and more in our lives to pay for this term.

If we are constantly buying products, this doesn't make the operation sustainable, even if there is no damage to the environment. And this is really the only criteria we use to measure the term sustainability, i.e. the impact on our environment. But sustainability should be so much more than that.

It should include us as human beings in the equation. Is it sustainable for us to continue to work so hard, so we can just purchase more and more goods, even if those self same goods earn their stripes as "clean" products. I contend that this is not sustainable. Similarly it is not sustainable for us to work longer and longer in our lives to pay for legislation and carbon taxes etc.. that are meant to bring us into line with environmental standards.

In all this we are missing a key component. It is only with increasing population levels that we can operate our current economic models, i.e. markets always getting bigger as population levels continue to rise. This has been the case for so long, but soon (within 6 decades) we will have a population peak. Thereafter what will we do? I mean how can we market, produce and sell "sustainable" products in an unsustainable market over the longer term. How can we tax and legislate the average Joe and Jane to excess, when again we live in an unsustainable market economy.

This is why our abuse of the term "sustainability" has to stop. We need to re-define this term so it can only be used when we ALL achieve equal access to the resources of the world, to allow us to have security in our lives from cradle to grave. Only then are we free of an unsustainable market economy. Only then can we work to a more humane schedule, e.g. an average of 4 hours per day. Only then will we truly come into line and only consume that which we truly need. Only then will we be able to realise that we can achieve self sufficiency in our localities. Only then can we lay claim to using the term sustainability.

Why?, because we have regained our individual power, aligned into strong local communities and "own up to owning" our path in life. We trust our ability to meet our needs in our lives and now we are sustainable. We don't need carbon taxes or low energy consuming products to fool us into thinking we are sustainable. You are sustainable when you trust your needs in life will be met, both today and tomorrow and all the days after tomorrow. Of course minimum damage to our environment should be (and can be) a minimum requirement.

That leaves the lingering question. How do we ALL get equal access to the resources of the world. Simple, it is time we demanded it from those who fool us into thinking we cannot have it!

Barry Fitzgerald’s book entitled “building cities of Gold” will be published late August 2010 by ATTM press. It is a book dedicated to showcasing how the building of local sustainable communities can bring major positive changes to our societies. From more information and to contact Barry visit his website, www.buildingcitiesofgold.com

HOW TO SUE A TELEMARKETER??

SOMETIMES WE JUST HAVE TO LOOK AT THE LIGHTER SIDE OF LIFE

Telemarketers have been a pain in the general public’s behind for decades. Thanks to their interrupting us day and night, the telephone has been transformed from a convenience, into a source of annoyance and frustration.

How To Sue A Telemarketer: A Manual For Restoring Peace On Earth One Phone Call At A Time is a tongue-in-cheek manual that shows the average citizen how they can fight back against a telemarketer by taking them to small-claims court. Half humorous and half How to, How to Sue a Telemarketer combines comedy with savvy information about the legal system and step-by-step instructions on how consumers can sue telemarketers.

“I wrote How To Sue A Telemarketer for all the good, kind and ordinary people of the world who simply want to have a quiet dinner, or a beer and watch a basketball game, without getting interrupted by someone who doesn’t give a damn about them,” says Steve Ostrow, the books author and an attorney for over 30 years.

In addition to his work as an attorney, Steve has been seen on the Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel and The Ellen DeGeneres Show as a celebrity impersonator for the television character Kramer, of the famed Seinfeld television show. Just visualize Cosmo Kramer going to law school. How would he defend the public’s right to have some peace and quiet in their homes? This book is it. How To Sue A Telemarketer will comically take the reader through the process of:

• What to do when a telemarketer first calls
• Gathering information to file a civil complaint
• Filing and serving of the complaint
• What to do in court all the way through collection on the judgment
• Everything you need to know about suing telemarketers



How you can sue telemarketers:

How would you like to pick up an extra $1,000 in cash the next time an annoying telemarketer disrupts your dinner? Steve Ostrow, business attorney, celebrity impersonator and author of the new book How To Sue A Telemarketer: A Manual For Restoring Peace On Earth One Phone Call At A Time, can show you a step-by-step process for suing telemarketers and turning telemarketing harassment into cold, hard cash.

Using his knowledge of the small-claims court system and drawing on over 30 years of legal practice, including serving as a small claims judge in Los Angeles and San Diego counties, Steve has successfully sued, or settled, and won judgments against 10 telemarketers to the tune of $3,500. “I wrote this book to show the ordinary person how to sue telemarketers who are interrupting their quiet dinner at home,” says Ostrow.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Born in New York City, Steve Ostrow did his undergraduate studies at The State University of New York, Buffalo. After backpacking throughout Europe for a year, he landed in Southern California where he graduated with honors from The Pepperdine University School of Law.

Since then, the courtroom has proven a natural setting for Steve’s East Coast wise-guy style. For the past 30 years, he has worked as a business and real estate attorney, combining his comic wit with a non-traditional law practice that helps clients assess both the emotional costs of legal matters and the financial and business implications.

A former trial lawyer, Ostrow has served as a small claims judge in Los Angeles and San Diego Counties, received his license as a real estate broker, worked as a real estate investor and facilitated over 200 clients (both lenders and borrowers) through the foreclosure process, advising them on all aspects of the procedure.

“My job is to help clients understand their choices,” says Ostrow. “What I do that other lawyers don’t is point out the bigger picture, which involves certain emotions. People often have such a sense of failure around foreclosure, but I assist clients in seeing that the outcome matters less than how they go through the process. Ultimately they need to do what will serve their life the best, while avoiding a war with lenders and unforeseen legal battles.”

In addition to his work as an attorney, Steve has served on the board of the Solana Beach Chamber of Commerce, Toastmasters, Canine Companions for Independence, and Eveoke Dance Theater. He has even worked as a celebrity impersonator based on the television character Kramer, played by actor Michael Richards on the famed Seinfeld television show.

A graduate from the Rick Stevens School of Improvisation in San Diego, and an award- winning Toastmaster, Steve has achieved success in the celebrity look-alike and improvisational worlds. In his first year of improvisational comedy, International Celebrity Images presented him with the prestigious Reel Award for Big Mouth Comedy for his Kramer impersonations. He has performed at conventions across the globe and made appearances on the Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. In his capacity as both a lawyer and a celebrity impersonator, Steve has been interviewed by The San Diego Union, The San Diego Weekly Reader, Duke Magazine in Australia, the Long Beach Telegram, and Las Vegas Magazine.

Never one to quit while he was ahead, Steve’s latest adventure is as the author of the new book How To Sue A Telemarketer: A Manual For Restoring Peace On Earth One Phone Call At A Time.

“I wrote this book for all the good, kind and ordinary people of the world who simply want to have a quiet dinner, or a beer and watch a basketball game, without getting interrupted by someone who doesn’t give a damn about them,” says Ostrow. “My book shows the reader how to sue telemarketers step by step.”

To date, Steve has successfully sued, or settled, won and collected, over 10 judgments against telemarketers.
Today, Steve works out of his law office in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, where he manages to blend a lifestyle of being both a



http://howtosueatelemarketer.com/

BLOG AWARD

During the month of July, the International Blogging Recognition Council (IBRC) had the pleasure of reviewing your blog ALL THINGS THAT MATTER.  Your blog was referred to IBRC through our Refer-A-Blog program.  "BIG WAL-MART IS WATCHING YOU!" was the topic that the Council reviewed. Based on the review, the Council has recommended that your blog receive IBRC’s designation of “Recognized Blog”.  IBRC reserves this honor to those blogs that effectively connects with the audience and promotes the sharing of ideas and experiences.