California man gets death sentence for starting 2003 wildfire, 5 cts. 1st degree murder, 2 cts. arson. 1000 bldgs. destroyed, 91,000 acres over 9 days. No mention of global warming or climate change

1/28/13, "Arsonist gets death for Calif. fire that killed 5," AP 

"An arsonist was given the death penalty Monday for killing five men who died of heart attacks during a wildfire nearly a decade ago that ripped through the hills east of Los Angeles.

Rickie Lee Fowler, 31, was convicted in August of five counts of first-degree murder and two counts of arson. A jury later recommended the death sentence.

Prosecutors said Fowler lit the fire in October 2003 out of rage after he was thrown out of a house where his family was staying.

"Today, after nearly 10 years, justice has now been secured for the victims and their families, and those whose lives were affected by the actions of Rickie Lee Fowler," San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos said."

Caption: Below, "Rickie Lee Fowler leaves courtroom after being sentenced to death on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013 in San Bernardino, Calif. Fowler, 31, was sentenced to death Monday by Superior Court Judge Michael Smith for murdering five men who died of heart attacks during a Southern California wildfire in 2003. He was convicted in August 2012 of five counts of first-degree murder and two counts of arson. The Old Fire scorched 91,000 acres in October 2003 and destroyed 1,000 buildings while burning for nine days in the foothills above San Bernardino. The men died after their homes burned or as they tried to evacuate. ; MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT Photo: The Press-Enterprise, Stan Lim" 

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Ed. note: Please excuse random white patch that appears on this post. It was put there illegally by a hacker. He's especially sensitive about global warming articles.

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US taxpayers are among biggest funders of the global warming alarmist movement

1/27/13, "Who’s Funding Whom?" | Power Line

"The fact is that global warming alarmism is a well-funded industry. The United States government alone has contributed billions of dollars to promote global warming alarmists, 

and nothing to the voices of scientific sanity. 

What is going on here is that the alarmists, knowing their science is shaky at best, cannot tolerate diversity of thought. They know that if critics are allowed to exist, their “scientific” house of cards will come tumbling down. So they must silence every dissenting voice; otherwise, the gravy train might end. 

It isn’t pretty, but that is what happens when you make science subservient to a political agenda....

The American Spectator itemized no less than $6 million in contributions to fund Mann’s global warming fakery–240 times as much as Heartland got from the Charles Koch Foundation. Worse, most if not all of Mann’s grants were 

ripped off from taxpayers against their will."...

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1/28/13, "A Common Thread Of Hypocrisy" | Real Science

"Bloomberg, Gore, Feinstein, Prince Charles, Obama are all cut from the same mold.

They want everyone else to cut out their air travel and lifestyle, and give up their guns and freedom – 

while the privileged ones enjoy all these things in opulence.

Somehow they have trained the 50% sheeple to put up with their crap." via Tom Nelson





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Biggest banks financing worldwide coal include JP Morgan, Citi, Barclays, Japan Bank, World Bank, 1000+ new coal plants planned-UK Guardian

"India is planning 455 new plants compared to 363 in China"...

 

11/19/12, "More than 1,000 New Coal Plants Planned Worldwide," Damian Carrington, UK Guardian

"More than 1,000 coal-fired power plants are being planned worldwide, new research has revealed.

The huge planned expansion comes despite warnings from politicians, scientists and campaigners that the planet's fast-rising carbon emissions must peak within a few years if runaway climate change is to be avoided and that fossil fuel assets risk becoming worthless if international action on global warming moves forward....

The capacity of the new plants add up to 1,400GW to global greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of adding another China – the world's biggest emitter.

 

India is planning 455 new plants compared to 363 in China, which is seeing a slowdown in its coal investments after a vast building programme in the past decade....

 

The WRI report also found that, after a slight dip during the economic troubles of 2008, the global coal trade has rebounded and rose by 13% in 2010. A structural shift has moved the bulk of the international coal trade from the Atlantic, serving Europe and the US, to the Pacific. China became a net importer of coal in 2009 but the biggest changes are fast-rising imports by Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, which all have large numbers of coal-fired plants but produce virtually no coal of their own.

However, Germany, the UK and France remain in the top 10 importers, and coal use rose 4% in 2011 in Europe as prices fell and plants due to close under clean air rules use up their allotted running hours. Indonesia and Australia are the largest coal exporters, with the latter planning to triple its mine and port capacity to almost 1bn tonnes a year....

 

Most new coal-fired plants will be built by Chinese or Indian companies. But new plants have largely been financed by both commercial banks and development banks.

 

JP Morgan Chase has provided more than $16.5bn (£10.3bn) for new coal plants over the past six years, followed by

Citi ($13.8bn).

Barclays ($11.5bn) comes in as the fifth biggest coal backer and

the Royal Bank of Scotland ($10.9bn) as the seventh.

The Japan Bank for International Co-operation was the biggest development bank ($8.1bn), with

the World Bank ($5.3bn) second. 

 

Guy Shrubsole, at Friends of the Earth, said of the WRI report: "This is a scary number of coal-fired plants being planned. It is clear that the vested interests of coal companies are driving this forward 

 

and that they will have to be reined in by governments."

 

In January, the Bank of England was warned that fossil fuel sub-prime assets posed a systemic risk to economic stability, because only 20% of the reserves of the top 100 coal and top 100 oil and gas companies could be burned while keeping the global temperature rise under the internationally agreed limit of 2C."

   

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Appeals court overturns EPA mandate on cellulosic fuel after none had been produced-NY Times

1/25/13, "Court Overturns E.P.A.’s Biofuels Mandate," NY Times, Matthew Wald

"A federal appeals court threw out a federal rule on renewable fuels on Friday, saying that a quota set by the Environmental Protection Agency for incorporating liquids made from woody crops and wastes into car and truck fuels was based on wishful thinking rather than realistic estimates of what could be achieved....

From 2010 through 2012, the E.P.A. has required gradually higher levels of cellulosic fuel to be incorporated into motor fuel each year, for a total of 20 million gallons to date.

But actual production has been near zero....

 

The cellulosic fuel rule is fundamentally different from other regulations, it (the three-judge panel) said.

It is intended to force an industry to develop new technology to meet environmental goals, but in this case, the regulated industry was the refiner, not the producer, the court said.

 
“Apart from their role as captive consumers, the refiners are in no position to ensure, or even contribute to, growth in the cellulosic biofuel industry,” the judges wrote.

They said the E.P.A.’s message was essentially, “Do a good job, cellulosic fuel producers. If you fail, we’ll fine your customers.”"...via Tom Nelson 

 

 

 

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USA Today study finds 'green' and 'LEED' building racket more about making money for 'non-profit' and others involved in handing out 'rewards' and tax breaks

10/24/12, "In U.S. building industry, is it too easy to be green?" USA Today, Thomas Franks

"A USA TODAY examination shows that thousands of "green" builders win tax breaks, exceed local restrictions and get expedited permitting under a system that often rewards minor, low-cost steps."

"Across the United States, the Green Building Council has helped thousands of developers win tax breaks and grants, charge higher rents, exceed local building restrictions and get expedited permitting by certifying them as "green" under a system that often rewards minor, low-cost steps that have little or no proven environmental benefit, a USA TODAY analysis has found.

The council has certified 13,500 commercial buildings in the U.S. as green and become one of the most influential forces in building design by helping persuade public officials and private builders to follow its rating system, known as LEED.

More than 200 states, cities and federal agencies now require LEED certification for new public buildings, even though they have done little independent and meaningful research into LEED's effectiveness. LEED can add millions to construction costs while promising to cut utility bills and other expenses.

Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, San Francisco, Baltimore, Washington and roughly 85 other cities go an extra step and require some private commercial buildings to follow LEED. And nearly 200 jurisdictions give LEED builders tax breaks and other incentives....

USA TODAY conducted the first public analysis of the 7,100 LEED certification records posted on the council website and found that designers emphasize LEED points that can be won through simple purchasing decisions and shun labor-intensive options and cutting-edge technology.

The most popular LEED option — earned in 99.7% of the buildings — has no direct environmental benefit but generates millions of dollars for the building council by giving one point if a design team has a LEED expert. People become experts by passing a LEED course and paying $550 to $800 to a non-profit that the building council created in 2007.

The building council gets 5% of those fees — $3.3 million from 2008 through 2010, council tax records show. The council rewards the inclusion of LEED experts to encourage building designers to learn about LEED.

More than 90% of the buildings got points for using indoor paints, adhesives and flooring that aim to protect occupants' health by emitting fewer contaminants. Widely used, the materials add little cost or effort and have no impact outside the building....

Cheap points can add valuable tax breaks. In Las Vegas, the Palazzo scored just two points above the minimum needed for its $27 million tax break....

A little-noticed study of Navy buildings in January showed that four of 11 LEED-certified buildings used more energy than a non-LEED counterpart. Of the seven others, four were better than their counterparts by 9%, a level of improvement that is insufficient to earn any LEED points.

"Energy savings are not closely related to the number of points received," concluded the study by University of Wisconsin researchers.

LEED tries to address the problem by offering one point for buildings that measure actual energy use. Only 23% of the LEED-certified buildings have taken that option, USA TODAY found....

Government-fueled green

Governors, mayors, state legislators and federal administrators have been forceful LEED advocates who helped it flourish nationwide. About 26% of LEED-certified buildings are government-owned.

But officials have embraced LEED and similar standards "often without fully understanding their benefits, trade-offs and costs," says a 2009 study by the National Institute of Building Sciences, a research group that interviewed building officials, regulators and advocates.

The federal General Services Administration (GSA), which owns and leases space in 9,600 buildings, gave crucial support in 2003 when it began requiring LEED certification for its new and substantially renovated buildings. Every federal department now follows green building practices along with 35 states. Roughly 170 cities give LEED builders tax breaks, grants, expedited permitting or waivers allowing them to construct larger buildings than local law allows. Roughly 2,000 developments, buildings and homes have received $500 million in tax breaks nationwide, USA TODAY found....

Public LEED buildings typically cost taxpayers extra. In Ohio, LEED certification for new state-funded schools has added $131 million in construction costs since 2007. "Soft costs," such as fees to the building council and to LEED consultants, add about $150,000 to the price of a new federal building, the GSA estimates.

Governments seeking to justify LEED often rely on reports funded by the council or written by council leaders asserting long-term cost savings....

The GSA released its largest report on its green buildings in August 2011, which studied only 16 of the agency's roughly 40 buildings that were LEED-certified by the end of 2009. Seven LEED buildings were "not cooperative" in disclosing energy use, the report said. The report found 13 of the 16 LEED buildings used less energy than typical office buildings but acknowledged studying only "a small number of buildings."

The council has advocated for more research. Its strategic plan says the "lack of data on green building performance makes it difficult to address perceptions that green building is not cost-effective."

One researcher says the council tried to suppress a critical 2002 report by the federal National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that said some LEED points were too easily earned and that others had only marginal long-term benefit.

"USGBC wanted NIST to take it off line, not to publish it," recalled study author Greg Keolian, who is co-director of the University of Michigan's Center for Sustainable Systems."They didn't like the findings. They were concerned we were criticizing LEED." NIST published the report."...via Breitbart story, 1/26/13,  

"DC Tops List of Costly, Subsidized 'Green' Buildings," Capitol Confidential






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Snow and ice blanketing Germany bring out cross country skiers-Der Spiegel

1/22/13, "Winter Blitz: Snow and Ice Blanket Germany," Der Spiegel

"The weather proved perfect for winter sports. Here, skiiers enjoy the snow conditions at the edge of the forest at Siegmundsburg in the central German state of Thuringia."

"Icicles cover a traffic light in Frankfurt: Ice and snow led to major traffic accidents across the country."
images from Der Spiegel. via IceAgeNow.info






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Sign in Tahrir Square amid protests, "Obama you jerk, Muslim Brotherhoods are killing Egyptians"

Sign in Tahrir Square addressed to "US Media and Muslim Brotherhood."
 
1/25/13, "Man in #Tahrir holds sign asking for the US to stop supporting the Muslim Brotherhood," Betsy Hiel twitter (Ms. Hiel is a foreign correspondent with the Pittsburgh Tribune Review)

1/25/13, "Tens of thousands protest Muslim Brotherhood-led rule," Betsy Hiel, foreign correspondent, Pittsburgh Tribune Review

"Muhammed Wahdan, 52, an education ministry worker, held a sign echoing the growing frustration with U.S. policy that the opposition sees as backing the Brotherhood. It read: 

 

“From Tahrir Square to the U.S. media … 

 

Obama you jerk, Muslim Brotherhood are killing Egyptians.”

“I am well aware that Obama and the American administration are the ones who enabled the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood,” he said. “I want to tell Obama that the Muslim Brotherhood tricked you.”

He said that, under the Brotherhood, “Egypt will never have stability, nor will the region. The Palestinian crisis will never be solved, and hostility will increase against Israel and the Americans.”"...

 

 

 

 

 

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