George Soros gave Ivanka's husband's business a $250 million credit line in 2015 per WSJ. Soros is also an investor in Jared's business.

Monday, December 31, 2012

Skin bleaching common among blacks in South Africa, Nigeria, DR Congo, Togo and Mali-BBC

12/31/12, "Africa: Where black is not really beautiful," BBC

"South Africa is a land of diverse cultures and races, the country is marketed to the world as Mandela's rainbow nation - where everyone is proud of their race and heritage but for some black South Africans there is such a thing as being too black.

A recent study by the University of Cape Town suggests that one woman in three in South Africa bleaches her skin. The reasons for this are as varied as the cultures in this country but most people say they use skin-lighteners because they want "white skin". 

Local musician Nomasonto "Mshoza" Mnisi, now several shades lighter, says her new skin makes her feel more beautiful and confident.

She has been widely criticised in the local media and social networking sites for her appearance but the 30-year-old says skin-bleaching is a personal choice, no different from breast implants or a having nose job.

"I've been black and dark-skinned for many years, I wanted to see the other side. I wanted to see what it would be like to be white and I'm happy," she says candidly.

Over the past couple of years Ms Mnisi has had several treatments. Each session can cost around 5,000 rand (£360; $590), she tells the BBC.

Unlike many in the country, she uses high-end products which are believed to be safer than the creams sold in the black market but they are by no means risk-free, doctors say. Ms Mnisi says she does not understand the criticism about her new appearance.

"Yes, part of it is a self-esteem issue and I have addressed that and I am happy now. I'm not white inside, I'm not really fluent in English, I have black kids. I'm a township girl, I've just changed the way I look on the outside," she says. 

The dangers associated with the use of some of these creams include blood cancers such as leukaemia and cancers of the liver and kidneys, as well as a severe skin condition called ochronosis, a form of hyper-pigmentation which causes the skin to turn a dark purple shade, according to senior researcher at the University of Cape Town, Dr Lester Davids.

"Very few people in South Africa and Africa know the concentration of the toxic compounds that are contained in the products on the black market and that is concerning. We need to do more to educate people about these dangerous products," says Dr Davids.

He says over the past six years there has been a significant increase in the number of skin lighteners flooding local markets, some of them legal and some illegal. This is what prompted their research.

Local dermatologists say they are seeing more and more patients whose skin has been damaged by years of bleaching - most of the time irreversibly.

"I'm getting patients from all over Africa needing help with treating their ochronosis. There is very little we can do to reverse the damage and yet people are still in denial about the side-effects of these products," Dr Davids says.

In many parts of Africa and Asia, lighter skinned woman are considered more beautiful, are believed to be more successful and more likely to find marriage. 

The origin of this belief in Africa is not clear, but researchers have linked it to Africa's colonial history where white skin was the epitome of beauty.

Some have also suggested that people from "brown nations" around the world tended to look down upon dark-skinned people.
 
The World Health Organisation released a report in June which revealed that Nigerians are the highest users of such products: 77% of Nigerians use the products on a regular basis. They are followed by Togo with 59%; South Africa with 35%; and Mali at 25%.

South Africa banned products containing more than 2% of hydroquinone - the most common active ingredient in in the 1980s. But it is easy to see creams and lotions containing the chemical on the stalls here. Some creams contain harmful steroids and others mercury.

While skin-lightening creams have been used by some South Africans for many years, they have become more common recently with the influx of people from countries such as Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo, where they are even more widespread.

In a bustling African market in the centre of Yeoville in Johannesburg, it is skin lighteners galore."...






.



Five elephants run over by a train in India, 300 elephants have been killed in India in past 5 yrs. by electrocution, poaching, poisoning, or being run over by trains-BBC

12/31/12, "Five Indian elephants run over by train in Orissa," BBC

"Five elephants have been killed after being hit by a passenger train in the eastern Indian state of Orissa.

The animals were hit when their herd was crossing railway tracks in the Rambha forest area, a railway spokesman, RN Mohapatra, said.

The state's wildlife department said its warning asking trains to slow down because elephants were moving in the area was ignored.

Nearly 300 elephants have died in Orissa in the past five years.

Most of the deaths have been blamed on electrocution, poaching, poisoning by farmers to prevent them from damaging crops 
  • and being run over by trains.
The state government recently set up a committee to monitor elephant deaths.

While elephants are worshipped by many in India, shrinking habitat has led to increased conflict with people and the deaths of many of the protected animals.

There are around 26,000 wild elephants in India, where it is a heritage animal."





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Sunday, December 30, 2012

Study finds wind turbines wear out after 12 years, offshore wind wears out faster than onshore, UK study of 3000 turbines

 12/30/12, "Wind turbines 'last for half as long as previously thought' as study shows they show signs of wearing out after just 12 years," UK Daily Mail, Tamara Cohen

"Wind farms have just half the useful lifespan which has been claimed, according to new research which found they start to wear out after just 12 years.

A study of almost 3,000 turbines in Britain – the largest of its kind – sheds doubt on manufacturers claims that they generate clean energy for up to 25 years, 

which is used by the Government to calculate subsidies.


Professor Gordon Hughes, an economist at Edinburgh University and former energy advisor to the World Bank, predicts in the coming decade far more investment will be needed to replace older and ineffective turbines – which is likely to be passed on in higher household electricity bills.

He said the performance of the UK’s wind turbines over the past 11 years had ‘deteriorated markedly’ and that ‘the subsidy regime is extremely generous if investment in new wind farms is profitable despite the decline in performance due to age and over time.’...

For offshore wind –examined only in Denmark where it has been used for longer - it declined even more dramatically from over 40 per cent at the start, to just 15 per cent after ten years. 


He believes they become uneconomic after around 12 years. The decline in output was put down to wear and tear of the blades, and more frequent breakdowns for older turbines.

His report for the anti-wind farm charity the Renewable Energy Foundation (KEEP), noted: ‘Onshore wind turbines represent a relatively mature technology, which ought to have achieved a satisfactory level of reliability in operation as plants age. Unfortunately detailed analysis of the relationship between age and performance gives a rather different picture…’

Prof Hughes told the Sunday Telegraph the trend for larger wind turbines in Britain, which reach up to 400 feet tall in some areas increased wear and tear."... via Lucianne


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Storm disintegrates wind turbine in Denmark (uploaded Feb. 2008)




---------------------------------------------------

"Uploaded Dec 9, 2011, A wind turbine near Dalry and Ardrossan in North Ayrshire caught fire during Scotland's extreme weather on Dec 8th 2011. Filmed by producer and cameraman James Alcock." (:18)








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Republican Party stands for nothing which is why it's in decline-Jamie Radtke

12/27/12, "Radtke: GOP: the party that stands for nothing," Richmond Times-Dispatch, Jamie Radtke

"I ran for the United States Senate this past year in a Republican primary. As I knocked on doors, attended events and spoke to thousands of people, my opening statement was the same each time: “I think both parties have made a real mess of things. We need new politicians who will stand on principle once again.” Invariably the response was the same: “I couldn’t agree with you more!”

You have to look no further than the recent tea party movement to see the extreme dissatisfaction individuals have with their Republican representation. The genesis of this grass-roots movement came under President George W. Bush. The 2008 election losses by Republicans were substantial, not because Democrats voted against Republicans, but because many independents and Republicans opposed Republicans. 

Similarly, the opposition to Republican leadership continued to reveal itself in the 2010 and 2012 Republican primary challenges. 

Why? Because the current Republican Party stands for nothing.
.
The challenge that the Republican Party faces is both moral and philosophical. Can a political party flourish by standing for nothing?

The Republican Party has a rich heritage of standing unwaveringly on principle and insisting on the observance of a moral code. The party was initially founded to thwart the insatiable appetite Democrats had for spreading slavery to new states in the 1800s. In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan stood against communism and rightly called for the end of an evil empire that imprisoned its own people. Reagan also championed lower taxes for working families and small businesses, arguing that money rightfully deserves to stay with those who earned it. And for 40 years, Republicans have been tireless defenders of innocent life. As a result, a majority of Americans now disfavor abortion. These moral issues have defined us as a party.

As a Republican Party, we have built upon these foundational principles and extrapolated congruent policies on fiscal matters, free enterprise and rule of law. We have long argued that we should live within our means. Continually spending more money than we have and amassing trillions in debt is wickedly selfish and sentences our children to a future of economic hardship.

Republicans have steadfastly defended the right of laborers to keep the money they earn for their time, talent and effort. No government or individual has a moral right to your property — even children can plainly see this.

Republicans have also consistently stood for the rule of law. We strongly believe in people being treated fairly. If the law is arbitrary and capricious, then justice is not possible. However, the government posture has been to treat people unfairly and inequitably, punishing immigrants who spend significant time, money and years to go through the legal process toward citizenship, and rewarding illegal immigrants by allowing them to remain here virtually unchecked.

The Republican Party has undergone a negative shift in principles, message and goals. We became a party that modeled deficit spending for Democrats and paved the way for entitlement expansions with Republicans’ Medicare Part D initiative. We transitioned from being a party of “read my lips, no new taxes” to tax increases under the elder Bush and concessions on tax hikes and debt ceilings under Boehner and Cantor. We have established a pattern of conceding on tax increases while forsaking spending restraints. Now Republicans want to abandon the rule of law, waffle on marriage, and soften on abortion. Where does that leave us? As the party that stands for nothing.

The Republican Party is now driven by political expediency. As a result, it has engaged in corporate cronyism to fund and expedite its effort of winning elections and achieving power, with little desire to accomplish anything of substance except for the perpetuation of incumbent power. You cannot be a party that stands for nothing and expect to survive. It doesn’t inspire followers and it won’t grow the party.

Republicans need to embrace their heritage. We should be the party that leads in shaping our culture. Americans are looking for politicians who live by their convictions, defend the innocent, advance economic liberty and guard civil liberty.

We have been the party of big ideas, bold action and unwavering principles. Being the party of nothing achieves nothing, as we have seen these past few years. We need to stand for what is right by returning to time-tested principles that brought economic prosperity and expanded our economic liberty.

As I tell my three children, “There is no excuse for not doing what you know is right, no matter what others may think of you. In the end, doing what is right will pay off.” If Republicans heeded this parental advice, not only would the party be better off, Americans would be better off." via Free Republic

"Jamie Radtke ran for the Virginia Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2012."...




.

Ski season takes off despite NRDC climate science denial and climate terror claims. Demands climate 'intervention' apparently unaware 'climate intervention' was mandated US law in 1990. Vail CEO says weather isn't climate

Dec. 2012 NRDC sponsored report says climate "intervention" is needed to save US ski industry from US CO2:

"Climate Impacts on the Winter Tourism Economy in the United States," ProtectOurWinters.org

"The goal of this new study, commissioned by Protect Our Winters and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is to help policy makers understand both the ski and snowmobile industry's current economic scale and the potential economic impacts that climate change may cause.... 

Without intervention, winter temperatures are projected to warm an additional 4 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century with subsequent decreases in snow cover area, snowfall, and 

a shorter snow season....

In order to protect winter...we must act now."...

------------------------------------------

CEO of Vail Ski resorts says weather isn't "proof" of climate and the ski industry doesn't need to be "saved" from it. He says he otherwise is a believer in warming:

12/21/12, "Skiing won't be greatest loss after climate change," Denver Post, Rob Katz, Chairman, CEO, Vail Resorts, opinion

"It has become somewhat predictable that with the first sign of a lack of natural snow, climate change articles and stories start to appear."...

=========================== 

Utah newspaper cites NRDC study, includes quote that US CO2 is "an existential threat" to the ski industry:

12/6/12, "Report: Global warming hits Utah’s ski industry hard," The Salt Lake Tribune, Mike Gorrell

"To protect winter — and the hundreds of thousands whose livelihoods depend upon a snow-filled season — we must act now to support policies that protect our climate and slopes"... NRDC's Antonia Herzog said.
  
"As Auden Schendler, Aspen Ski Co.’s vice president of sustainability, put it: "The solution should be for the ski industry to get off their asses and move like it’s an 

existential threat to the business."

"I hope this (NRDC) report drives radical change," he added."..

-------------------------------------------

Ed. note: See end of this post for comments disputing above article.
 
 =================================

Snow "intervenes" in Utah:

12/17/12, "Utah Skiing Devastation Update – Twelve Feet Of Snow This Autumn," Steven Goddard

 
========================

12/25/12, "Latest From The Utah Ski Disaster," by

"NRDC told us two weeks ago that Utah skiing is doomed by global warming. Alta has now had 14 feet of snow this season, with another big storm coming in tonight."
============================== 
cumulative inches:


12/25/12, 173"
12/28/11, 92"
12/27/10, 235"
12/25/09, 122"
12/26/08, 190"
12/27/07, 185"
12/30/05, 200"  
============================= 

Snow "intervention" in Vermont:

12/27/12, "For Vermont ski areas, snow is well-timed," AP

"Vermont's winter resorts are celebrating what's shaping up to be a terrific holiday week, thanks mainly to the weather

Jay Peak President Bill Stenger says his northern Vermont resort was already in good shape, with more than a foot of natural snow in recent days and excellent weather recently for making snow. With a big new storm hitting the state, Stenger says that's making for superb conditions as the New Year's weekend approaches.

Many Vermont resorts are reporting that most or all of their skiing and riding trails are open. The snow is also expected to be a boon to cross-country ski areas, after a tough winter last year."

====================================

US leads the world in lowering CO2 emissions. US CO2 has dropped steadily for 20 years and is heading lower to the point experts say US energy policy will change to reflect reduced status of US CO2 danger. NRDC has even reported the stunning US CO2 drop but has subsequently chosen to downplay or ignore it because it has a staff of lawyers and derivatives traders to keep afloat. Massive income loss or even bankruptcy of course means loss of NRDC celebrity status.

====================================

6/4/12, “Climate change stunner: USA leads world in CO2 cuts since 2006,” Vancouver Observer, Saxifrage



 

 “Not only that, but as my top chart shows, US CO2 emissions are falling even faster than what President Obama pledged in the global Copenhagen Accord.”…

====================================

"Virtually everyone believes the shift (CO2 drop) could have major long-term implications for U.S. energy policy.”…
 
8/16/12, “AP IMPACT: CO2 emissions in US drop to 20-year low,” AP, Kevin Begos

In a surprising turnaround, the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere in the U.S. has fallen dramatically to its lowest level in 20 years, and government officials say the biggest reason is that cheap and plentiful natural gas has led many power plant operators to switch from dirtier-burning coal.

Many of the world’s leading climate scientists didn’t see the drop coming, in large part because it happened as a result of market forces rather than direct government action against carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere.


Michael Mann, director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State University, said the shift away from coal is reason for “cautious optimism” about potential ways to deal with climate change….

In a little-noticed technical report, the U.S. Energy Information Agency, a part of the Energy Department, said this month that energy related U.S. CO2 emissions for the
first four months of this year fell to about 1992 levels. Energy emissions make up about 98 percent of the total. The Associated Press contacted environmental experts, scientists and utility companies and learned that  


virtually everyone believes the shift could have major long-term implications for U.S. energy policy.”…

---------------------------------------- 

NRDC's Lashof notes US CO2 has dropped steeply and is going lower, and that media has been quiet about it:

6/26/12, "The Incredible Shrinking Carbon Pollution Forecast - Part 2," switchboard.nrdc.org, Dan Lashof

"Back in February I posted about a surprising development: Despite the failure of comprehensive climate and energy legislation in 2010, U.S. carbon pollution emissions and projections of future carbon pollution have been coming down ever since. A new forecast out this week continues that trend.

While there has been some press coverage of these facts (see here and here) I continue to find that most people are surprised to learn about this progress....

On Monday EIA released its full Annual Energy Outlook 2012 (AEO 2012), and I get to say I told you so (see figure).



The Reference case projection for 2020 was reduced by 2.1 percent, while the forecast for 2035 was reduced by less than 1 percent. The official forecast for 2020assuming no new policies—is now for carbon emissions to be 9.4 percent lower than they were in 2005.  

This is a huge contrast to the forecast made by EIA just seven years ago: the AEO 2005 projected that emissions would increase by 25 percent between then and 2020....

I discussed various reasons for this incredible shrinking carbon pollution forecast in my previous post, which I won’t repeat here. What does bear repeating is that this means that the target embraced by President Obama of reducing U.S. emissions to 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 is well within reach."
  • -------------------------------------
Continuing in comments, NRDC author Lashof notes inaccuracy of earlier US gov. CO2 projections:

"As far as I know the most recent official forecast of total heat-trapping pollution in CO2e was released in June 2010 as part of the Fifth U.S. Climate Action Report (available from http://www.state.gov/e/oes/rls/rpts/car5/). That forecast used the 2009 Annual Energy Outlook for energy-related CO2 and projected that under business-as-usual total emissions in CO2e would increase by 4.3 percent between 2005 and 2020.

I consider that forecast to be seriously out of date at this point."


======================== 

NRDC "trader" says trillions will change hands in "transitioning" to a new economy:

12/4/09, "Carbon Capitalists warming to climate market using derivatives," Bloomberg

"Companies need the financial markets to help them drive down their greenhouse gas emissions at a reasonable price, says the NRDC’s Andy Stevenson.

“There are trillions of dollars needed to make this transition, and companies need the banks,” says Stevenson
a former trader for London-based hedge fund firm Brevan Howard Asset Management LLP."...(item near end of article under subhead, "Companies need banks.")


====================================  

NRDC has been a legal boutique for over 40 years:

11/1/05, "Has the NRDC Gone Hollywood?" by J. Daniel Hull, JD, eponline.com

"A good measure of star power can't hurt one of the country's most influential political action groups."...

"Among other things, the NRDC is a boutique law firm of lawyers who practice only environmental law.... 

In fact, in its 35 year history, the NRDC has surpassed all other political action, citizens', and trade groups in "pro-environment" victories and accomplishments -- many of them through litigation."...

===========================

In April 2009, NRDC's Robert Redford spoke at a meeting of climate pressure group Ceres. He said one of the reasons Al Gore's 2006 movie was a turning point was:

=======================

4/21/12, "Why [CO2] Emissions Are Declining in the U.S. But Not in Europe," by Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus, newgeography.com


"As we note below in a new article for Yale360, a funny thing happened: U.S. emissions started going down in 2005 and are expected to decline further over the next decade."

============================

Obama 'climate action' in Nov. 2012  included giving $6 billion US taxpayer dollars for 'clean energy' to the Sultan of Brunei who owns 5000+ cars and to the Pres. of Indonesia, whose country is so corrupt even the World Bank says crime adds 20% to costs.  


Below, one of the Sultan of Brunei's cars:






 
 

7/24/12, "The Sultan's Cars," wheel to wheel blog.



Sultan of Brunei citation:

11/19/12, "White House Announces $6 Billion to Promote Clean Energy – in Asia," CNS News, Lucas

"The White House announced the federal government will spend $6 billion over four years for a “sustainable energy future” plan with Asian countries that involves loaning tax dollars to other countries to increase their purchasing power for U.S. technology, services and equipment.

“Recognizing that energy and the environment are among the most pressing issues confronting our region, President Obama, in partnership with Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei and President of the Republic of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, today proposed the U.S.-Asia Pacific Comprehensive Partnership for a Sustainable Energy Future, the White House announced Tuesday as Obama visits Asian Pacific countries."...


===================================

Dec. 11, 2011, "Indonesia’s Climate of Graft Snarls Investment," Jakarta Globe, Shirley Wibisono 

"A World Bank analysis found corruption could add up to 20 percent to the existing costs of projects in Indonesia.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has won two elections on promises to tackle graft in one of the most corrupt countries in Asia, but critics say he has failed to make any genuine difference to the culture of graft and impunity.

A Gallup poll released in October found that 91 percent of Indonesians believe corruption in government is widespread, compared to 84 percent in 2006. ...
Here in Indonesia, it is a common practice for businessmen to bribe officials to get a project, Adiningsih said....

It’s common for corruption to happen at all stages in Indonesian infrastructure projects, whether it’s during the tender process or extortion along the way.”...

Investors consistently cite corruption as a major deterrent."... 


==================================

Billions of US taxpayer "climate" dollars are given to people all over the world on a "no strings" basis:

The US has spent "$2.5 billion on GCCI since 2010 on overseas anti-global warming efforts in Latin America, Asia, and Africa."...

3/26/12, "Obama Requests $770 Million to Fight Global Warming Overseas," CNS News, Matt Cover

"The Obama administration has requested $770 million in federal funds to combat the effects of global warming in developing countries, a new congressional report details, continuing its policy of using foreign aid to combat the effects of global warming in the developing world.


The figure, from a recent report from the Congressional Research Service (CRS), shows that despite another year of $1 trillion deficits, the Obama administration continues to pursue its policy of using foreign aid funds for anti-global warming measures – known as the Global Climate Change Initiative (GCCI).

According to CRS, the government has spent a total of $2.5 billion on GCCI since 2010 on overseas anti-global warming efforts in Latin America, Asia, and Africa."...


============================

NRDC apparently unaware US climate "intervention" is ongoing:

 12/6/12, "Obama Quietly Handing Over Billions of Dollars to the UN in the Name of Global Warming," US Sen. Jim Inhofe Video Message for UN Climate Conference  


============================

10/19/09, "Global warming” at Yankee Stadium," Powerline blog, Paul Mirengoff

"Last night I was at Yankee Stadium watching the Yanks exciting extra-inning playoff win. Along with 50,000 other shivering fans we had to endure a scoreboard message from  

Robert Redford sponsored by the National Resources Defense Council 

demanding that we lower our standard of living to stop global warming. 

The volume was turned on so loud that Redford's voice could be heard above the howling wind and freezing rain of a mid- October evening in New York City. "...

------------------------------------------------ 

Comments to article saying ski industry must be saved from global warming:

12/6/12, "Report: Global warming hits Utah’s ski industry hard," The Salt Lake Tribune, Mike Gorrell

Among comments disputing the thesis of this article:

"FullArc"

"The ski industry should be extremely careful what it asks for.  Anything that raises the cost of fossil fuels - beit electricity, fuel oil, nat gas or gasoline (especially gasoline), upon which the ski industry is 100% dependent, will make it increasingly difficult for guests to afford to drive to the resorts or afford the ever increasing exhorbitant lift ticket prices.

In fact, if the NRDC and other green NGO's are so determined to reduce fossil fuel consumption, they should be making an all-out push to ban (outlaw) the entire ski industry. After all, the completely recreational activity serves no productive purpose in society whatsoever, and the amount of fossil fuels consumed in heating/operating lodges, operating lists and snowmaking machines, and most of all the gasoline to commute to/from ski areas equals billions of tons of CO2 released each year.
 
But spare us the BS about thousands of ski industry jobs that would be lost, because these same green NGO's are thrilled to see thousands of jobs lost in the oil, gas and coal industries."

--------------------------------------

Commenter says US economic depression not mentioned in article:

"rwayford"

"How strange the authors adopt a "CATASTROPHIC!" Anthropene Global Warming stance while stepping carefully around the fact: 

It's the Economy, Stupid! Oh, wait.

"Conservation group focuses on...
climate change that causes lean-snow winters."


As if WEATHER Change = CLIMATE Change!

As others here point out: Good Skiing weather is cyclical.
Let's hope the economy comes around in time, then, shall we?
And quit wasting our energy/resources

on Sky is Falling rhetoric when
the 21st Century Satellite data


showing GLOBAL LAND-OCEAN  

(Can't be "global" and skip 71% of the Earth's surface!)

5-year-running mean TEMPERATURE's Change is in DECLINE
ever since Y2K; for anyone to see…"

================================


"EPA Administrator Jackson confirmed an EPA analysis showing that unilateral U.S. action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions would have no effect on climate...."I believe the central parts of the [EPA] chart are that U.S. action alone will not impact world CO2 levels," Administrator Jackson said."...
 
----------------------------------------------------

via, 12/29/12, "Climate Activists Want To Protect Their Funding," Steven Goddard 

============================

Google headlines about scary NRDC report:

12/6/12, Global warming hits Utah's ski industry hard - Salt Lake Tribune 

www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/...78/snow-ski-winter-industry.html.csp Dec 6, 2012 – Comparing snowfall to visitation records since 1999, the NRDC report said Utah resorts attracted 14 percent fewer skiers in the driest winter ...

12/11/12, Without intervention, global warming will impact ski industry - The ...

www.parkrecord.com/.../without-intervention-global-warming-will-i...Dec 11, 2012 – According to the NRDC report issued last week, "Utah skier visits, which typically are about four million per year, are 14 percent lower during ...
.




Friday, December 28, 2012

UK collects 4 billion pounds ($6.4B US) in 'carbon taxes' yearly from low income persons which results in certain death for some and 'fuel poverty' for hundreds of thousands more. 24,000 extra deaths last winter from living in cold homes

UK collects 4 billion pounds ($6.4B US) in carbon taxes. (1.000 Brit. Pound = 1.617 US Dollar). WHO says 30% of winter deaths in Europe may be due to cold homes.

------------------------------

11/30/12, "24,000 die in winter as fuel poverty climbs," UK Independent, Simon Read

"The Government unveiled its long-awaited Energy Bill on Thursday. It's the Coalition's blueprint for turning Britain's energy green.

But the biggest revelation of Thursday's news was that households will be forced to subsidise the planned, new, low-carbon electricity generators by paying an extra £95 a year on their energy bill by 2020.

Bills are already set to soar in coming years, forcing even more vulnerable people than ever into fuel poverty when they can't afford to heat their homes.


Which makes the news – also released on Thursday – that there were 24,000 extra deaths last winter in England and Wales, according to official figures, all the more shocking.
 
Not all of them were due to people turning down their heating because they couldn't afford to pay their bills, but plenty were. The World Health Organisation reckons that 30 per cent of winter deaths in Europe may be attributable to living in cold homes. If true, that means up to 7,200 people in England and Wales  
  •  from not living in warm homes.
Ed Matthew, director of the Energy Bill Revolution, which is calling on the Government to use cash raised from carbon taxes to help the fuel poor, said: 

"The tragedy is that thousands of these deaths are preventable. If UK homes were fully insulated it would significantly reduce the number who die from the cold each year."
 

On Thursday, protesters from the Fuel Poverty Action Group laid tombstones on the Treasury's steps to illustrate the Government's responsibility for fuel poverty deaths.

One of the campaigners, Joan Grant of the Greater London Pensioners' Association, said: "I try not to put my heating on until 6.30pm in the evening but sometimes I have to give in before and when I do I worry about the bills. It's disgraceful that we should even have to think about keeping warm, but people like me are really frightened."

Research published on Tuesday revealed that the Government has slashed the amount of cash it gives to help those in fuel poverty by a quarter over the last three years.

Labour's shadow climate change minister, Luciana Berger, said the current government's policies are pushing more homes into fuel poverty, rather than tackling the problem. "The most effective way people can save money on their bills is by improving their property's energy efficiency – but ministers are so out of touch they are making it harder to do," she said.

With the frost beginning to bite this week, the shocking casualties of soaring energy bills may soon begin to mount up. But there is some help from the Surviving Winter campaign, which was set up by the Community Foundation Network.

It encourages well-off older people to hand over their Winter Fuel Allowance, which is then used to help vulnerable folk. With £200 going to households with pensioners aged 60 to 79 and £300 for those where at least one person is 80, donations quickly grow and some £500,000 has been raised by the campaign during the last 20 days. More is needed, however."
 

==========================

UK collects 4 billion pounds in carbon taxes.

12/16/12, "Fuel poverty 'spiralling', warns lobby group," BBC

"Around 300,000 extra households could be forced into fuel poverty within weeks, according to a lobby group.

The Fuel Poverty Advisory Group has called on Prime Minister David Cameron to tackle what it describes as a "spiralling" problem.

Energy prices have risen by 7% on average this year, taking the average annual direct debit bill to £1,247.

A household is considered to be in fuel poverty if more than 10% of its income is spent on home heating....

Consumer groups want the government to use some of the £4bn in annual carbon taxes set to be collected to help tackle this issue - including a more ambitious programme of home insulation.

From next year energy firms will be required to cut the number of different tariffs on offer to four, and place customers on the cheapest available price in their chosen tariff....

"With a cold winter, welfare reforms cutting incomes, and all at a time of austerity measures and other rising household costs, the plight of the fuel poor has never been more serious," said Derek Lickorish, chairman of the FPAG.

"Millions are living in misery due to high energy bills. Yet time is running out for the government to fuel poverty-proof the homes of those on the lowest incomes.

"A toxic cocktail of rising wholesale prices, the high cost of energy reforms and cuts in incomes for many households means fuel poverty levels are set to sky rocket without radical action.""...






.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Prince Charles sponsors push for 'North American' and world 'carbon tax,' royal seal on 'Climate Price Communique,' Prince Charles' future millions depend on world believing in CO2 terror and denying science of stunning US CO2 drop

The UK monarchy's financial survival reportedly depends on the world believing in man-caused CO2 terror. We in the US made clear in 1776 we have no interest in being ruled by a monarchy.

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12/3/2012, "Say It Isn’t So! Exxon Supports a Carbon Tax,"
GlobalWarming.org, Myron Ebell

"The Climate Price Communiqué states that, “Putting a clear, transparent and unambiguous price on carbon emissions must be a core policy objective.  They mean a global price, but a U. S. domestic carbon tax could fit comfortably into their plans.

The communiqué was organized by the Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change and is managed by the University of Cambridge’s Programme for Sustainability Leadership.  One-hundred forty companies have signed on, but Shell and BP are among just a handful of major corporations."...

 









"Internalising the costs of emissions, through pricing carbon, is a very important step that will spur investment in clean technology and the transition to a low carbon economy."

Michel Liès
Group Chief Executive Officer
Swiss Re"

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4/21/12, "Why [CO2] Emissions Are Declining in the U.S. But Not in Europe," by Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus, newgeography.com

"As we note below in a new article for Yale360, a funny thing happened: U.S. emissions started going down in 2005 and are expected to decline further over the next decade."


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6/4/12, Climate change stunner: USA leads world in CO2 cuts since 2006,” Vancouver Observer, Saxifrage



 
 
“Not only that, but as my top chart shows, US CO2 emissions are falling even faster than what President Obama pledged in the global Copenhagen Accord.”…  

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8/16/12, “AP IMPACT: CO2 emissions in US drop to 20-year low,” AP, Kevin Begos

In a surprising turnaround, the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere in the U.S. has fallen dramatically to its lowest level in 20 years, and government officials say the biggest reason is that cheap and plentiful natural gas has led many power plant operators to switch from dirtier-burning coal.

Many of the world’s leading climate scientists didn’t see the drop coming, in large part because it happened as a result of market forces rather than direct government action against carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere. 


Michael Mann, director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State University, said the shift away from coal is reason for “cautious optimism” about potential ways to deal with climate change….

In a little-noticed technical report, the U.S. Energy Information Agency, a part of the Energy Department, said this month that energy related U.S. CO2 emissions for the first four months of this year fell to about 1992 levels. Energy emissions make up about 98 percent of the total. The Associated Press contacted environmental experts, scientists and utility companies and learned that

virtually everyone believes the shift could have major long-term implications for U.S. energy policy.”… 




 

via LadyImpactOhio

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I'm the daughter of a World War II Air Force pilot and outdoorsman who settled in New Jersey.