Agrichar, energy production and carbon sequestration, what's not to like?

Interesting article on soil, how we are steadily degrading it with current agricultural techniques, and some efforts that are being made to remediate the problem. There are some challenges to the technology, as mentioned in the article.

Quotes:

"The potential power of biochar lies in this closed loop production process , where agricultural practices involving biochar production see increasing returns of crop yields, energy and soil fertility over time."

"Some industry participants believe that energy, rather than agriculture, will be the key driver for adopting biomass pyrolysis."

"Agrichar – A solution to global warming ?" (shown below) in the lead up to an international biochar conference in Terrigal, NSW, which included Tim Flannery talking about the potential for sequestering gigatonnes of carbon in the soil.

Terra Preta: Biochar And The MEGO Effect

Saturday links

Throw fire on the flames

Media edits out Palin answers that don't fit their agenda. No surprises here I guess.

And media double standards...

The Obama-Ayers relationship keeps getting stronger. And at least some of his supporters posting on the Official Obama web site know what he stands for.

What does a politician's wife tell the kids when the media is smearing their dad?

ACORN's role in creating the current crisis. And perpetuating it.

NRA Ad that the Obama campaign is attacking.

Supply problem + price gouging law = rationing gas by running out. Direct price controls did not work in the 70s. The indirect ones also do not work.

Planning Order, Causing Chaos: Transantiago. What happens when you mix optimism about government planning with ignorance of markets’ ability to provide information? Nothing but trouble. A story about a bus line.

Quote: I have not seen the "capital trap" theory in any macro textbook. How can we be undertaking one of the most extreme policy measures in economic history based on a theory that no one has ever studied?

How about making things worse with the bailout?. Give a big chunk of the money to ACORN, one of the principal players who created the problem?

Unintended–But Totally Predictable–Adverse Consequences. Adding more bad regulations on top of existing problems created by bad legislation does not fix anything.

Update 9/28/08:
Comparison of original Paulson bailout to compromise proposal.

What caused the current financial crisis

This video describes it better than most sources I have found.

Bailouts and Cold Turkey. What is the desired outcome.

One of the economics blogs I read had an interesting article.

What makes a bailout good?

To quote King:

"I'll say this until everyone agrees with me :) You aren't promised a certain price, you're only promised the market will be open so that you can find a price. The financial markets have worked. And to do that the Fed must lend freely, and it has. Meanwhile we will get either a new RTC from the Bush Administration, a MFI Trust from a possible McCain Administration, or something so far undefined by the Obama Administration. The question for Team Obama: Realist, Yankee, Rescuer or the end of the Fed? Do they know yet? This flowchart is unhelpful. Hint: Don't bother asking Raines and Johnson."

Also, probably more than you want to know, but interesting details on the problems: Clearing up the mess.

In a world growing more dangerous, this is scary

Russia and China are increasing the size of their militaries. Russia is again getting aggressive and threatening Europe with both military and energy threats. Oil supplies are going to be decreasing and both Russia and China have shown willingness to do "whatever is necessary" to corner the market. So what is the answer? One that does NOT sound reasonable to me is: unilateral disarmament, in weakness there is strength.

What CREATED Sub Prime paper? Answer: Congressional Mandates

Congressional Regulation and Mandates created the problems that we now have in the financial markets. Carter started it and Clinton finished it. In 2003 the administration proposed a bill that would have established some oversight of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae with a warning that their current sloppy controls and lack of oversight (they were reporting directly to congress and exempt from the controls and oversight imposed on privately owned financial companies) was likely to cause a financial catastrophe. The democrats in congress blocked the bill with the statement that the companies were doing fine and the changes proposed would decrease the number of sub-prime loans that could be made and that was unacceptable. Sub Prime loans are the congressionally mandated loans to people that would not normally be able to obtain such a loan because their credit score indicates that they probably won't be able to repay it. In 2005 the Republicans reintroduced the measure with the same warning of looming financial catastrophe. Again the democrats blocked it for the same reason. Now that we have a financial catastrophe triggered by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae meltdown is here, the ones responsible want to blame capitalism and private companies when it was created by congressional mandate. Of course, forcing banks to hand out welfare payments of that size seems to be a bad idea, even if the citizenry has objected to further direct taxation to accomplish the desired income redistribution.

Community Reinvestment Act

2003 attempt to tighten oversight

2005 attempt at reform

Trillion Dollar Bank Shakedown

Three stooges who helped create the crisis

An article on the evolution of the mess.

Update 9/21/08: And coverups.

Global cooling is on the way?

Arctic Ice coverage increases. "The growth over the past year covers an area of 700,000 square kilometers: an amount twice the size the nation of Germany."



2008 Coolest in 5 years. Quote:

The IPCC models and forecasts are wrong because they are based only on “mathematical models and presented results at scenarios that do not include, for example, solar activity," he said.

The phenomenon of climate change should include other kinds of factors, both internal, such as volcanoes and human activity, and external, such as solar activity, he said.

"In this century, glaciers are growing," as seen on the Perito Moreno mountain in the Andes; on Mount Logan, the highest mountain in Canada; and on Franz-Josef Glacier, New Zealand, Velasco Herrera said.

Satellite data indicate that a period of global cooling may have begun in 2005, he said.


Update 9/21/08: Nasa to hold press conference on the Sun to discuss data from the joint NASA and European Space Agency Ulysses mission that reveals the sun’s solar wind is at a 50-year low.

When even European papers can see it ...

Don't expect to see this type analysis in the US papers ...

London Times

Palin vs Obama chart

She seems to be more qualified than he does ... and she is only going for VP ...

Palin vs Obama chart