The environmental polemic and pipelines:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2013/03/01/keystone-review.html
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Male Emasculation by Smart phone?
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/are-smartphones-emasculating-so-says-googles-co-founder-no-less/article9146743/comments/?ord=0
Another case can be made from the perspective of male and female brains. Females have a genetic disposition to multi-task. Men are more likely distracted to problem-solve what the smart phone presents to them. This distraction impacts the male-female interactions that would otherwise take place. I wonder if there could be measurably less testosterone in western populations, if not directly, then certainly because of the rise of obesity our lack of physical activity produces.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/are-smartphones-emasculating-so-says-googles-co-founder-no-less/article9146743/comments/?ord=0
Another case can be made from the perspective of male and female brains. Females have a genetic disposition to multi-task. Men are more likely distracted to problem-solve what the smart phone presents to them. This distraction impacts the male-female interactions that would otherwise take place. I wonder if there could be measurably less testosterone in western populations, if not directly, then certainly because of the rise of obesity our lack of physical activity produces.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
A debate betweem Ruby Carat and myself about the appropriatness of fiction on a site dedicated to fact.
Greg & Ruby,
While this almost certainly may cause an offence, I wish to request that poetry and other arts not be attached to this web site. It goes to credibility. Why would a site dedicated to the serious science around LENR put a poem on the site? Is there no other scientific informaton that could be displayed? Why put a poem on the site, does the serious question of LENR need to be deflected into an irrelevant box? Science by its own nature is not to be muddied by emotion. To so undermines the credibility of the site. It looks silly. If you want to do a website dedicated to the arts or environmental heart strumming, create a different web site and post it there. This is nothing short of an embarrassment. How can I refer a serious scientist to this web site when to do so is to out and out convey a message of subjectivity so blatant as to disqualify any other actually meaningful scientific, dispassionate, rational discipline? Please stop this nonsense, it is a waste of energy, a deflection of purpose, a departure from logic, and a loss of objectivity.
:) I am glad it piques you. However, you and I are trained to think like Hegelians: Thesis and Anti-thesis are mixed up together to create synthesis. That is not paradox. Paradox takes the poles and brings them together in tension. The tension rather than a blurring the poles is the truth I refer to: an idea of Kierkegaard who said "Truth is often found in the tension of the Paradox". In this sort of situation, science at the poles is a purely rational, empiriclal objective. This is the ideal of empiricism as identified by David Hume and Emmanuel Kant. Not something muddied up by the Hegelian sythesis. You cannot have paradox without a clearly defined thesis and antithesis. Are we not looking to show the world we have a disciplined science? The third way detaches from both thesis and antithesis and becomes phase-changed into something different than either side of the dilemma. Hence the third way, that is neither one pole or the other--nor a synthesis thereof arises. It is unique as water is unique between ice and vapour. It is neither ice nor water, but exists in its own state. Liquid H2O is extremely rare in the universe, not common like we may think because we live here. Liquid water has no ice and no steam. Rossi has largely been set aside because he has blurred fact with fiction on more than one occasion. His fact isn't exactly fact anymore. We must be careful that the rest of LENR is not seen in the same light. Good impeccable science is our great hope of this. With Dr. Haggelstien's rigour where measurements are counted by angstroms, his accuracy and precision that win him an audience. Not winnowing minnows. Winnowing minnows? Seriously? Someone liked the rhyme then went back to justify it. This is a blurring of fact and fiction. If we are content with blurring, how can we distinguish between fact or fiction in the end? No, publishing minnows that can winnow is illustrative of my contention. If you don't accept the definition of science but on a whim can mix in some fiction, the product is not fact, and the goal of synthesis is really an illusion: Sythesis is another word for fiction instead.
I believe I understand why you feel you must publish this. It is to present some sort of holistic approach. But this is surely not the appropriate forum. Please reconsider this seriously. It makes what we do the laughing stock of science when there is no other discipline that needs credibility more. This is not a hate message. I don't hate your poems, art etc. I just don't see this as an appropriate forum.
Regards,
Owen Abrey
________________________
A Third Way
Rather than get hung up on the horns of a dilemma...seek truth in the tension of the paradox.
Ironic don't you think:
___________
http://coldfusionnow.org/
This is a letter to the website almost certainly to be censored. So I am publishing it here. It needs to be published.
Greg & Ruby Carat,
Please don't censor this from the forums, it is a critique offered with no ill intent. We want the site to be transparent about LENR. We welcome critique of serious scientists. Why should this topic be treated any differently?
While this almost certainly may cause an offense, I wish to request that poetry and other arts not be attached to this web site. It goes to credibilty. Why would a site dedicated to the serious science around LENR put a poem on the site? Is there no other scientific informaton that could be displayed? Why put a poem on the site, does the serious question of LENR need to be deflected into an area that is irrelevant to it? Science by its own nature is not to be muddied by emotion. To so undermines the credibility of the message. It looks silly. If you want to do a website dedicated to the arts or environmental heart strumming, create a different web site and post it there link to it if you must. This is nothing short of an embarrassment. How can I refer a serious scientist to this web site when to do so is to out and out conveys a message of subjectivity so blatant as to disqualify any other actually meaningful scientific, dispassionate, rational information? Science is called a discipline for good reason. This sort of thing is inappropriate. How many science text books have a poem section?
Please stop this nonsense, it is a waste of energy, a deflection of purpose, a departure from logic, and purveys a loss of objectivity.
I believe I understand why you feel you must publish this. It is to present some sort of holistic approach. But this is surely not the appropriate forum. Why intorduce some subjective opinion that a viewer would disagree with out of hand? Do we not contend with enough disagreement before the facts? Please reconsider this seriously. It makes what we do the laughing stock of science when there is no other discipline that needs credibility more. This is not a hate message. I don't hate your poems, art etc. I just don't see this as an appropriate forum.
Regards,
Owen Abrey
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Saturday, January 26, 2013
On Interactive Brokers
I am the resident Interactive Brokers Cheerleader. Voted #1 in the
world by Baron's Magazine, IB kicks butt over TD and Questrade. I have
had experience with all three. Consider this, brokers fee contract less
than 2.00. 2.50 per currency trade, traded directly on the spot
market. .0005 /share trades. Trade easily on every market in the
world. 24 hour/day support. They have offices all around the world.
So ie when Singapore's trading, very good english speaking chinese
brokers assist you, The customer support is 2nd to none. I have a
friend with the TD this summer wanted to trade less than 50 contracts.
TD informed him it would cost him over 300.00 in fees!--unless he had
50,000 in a TD account. On top of that he cannot make covered calls or
spreads. It really is pathetic. Questrade is good if you want to buy
and hold 1000 shares of x. But they kill daytrading and any sort of
frequency trading is doomed by the fee structure.
I am open to learning about any Canadian brokerages. But my experience hasn't found anything that can come close to IB.
Drawbacks: IB's platform is massive. I can't say for sure it is larger than Think or Swim, but it as at least as big. If you can imagine doing something with securities and forex, IB can probably be made to do it, whether it might be contingency trading, or futures options on Forex. Therefore, IB's platform has a very large learning curve. It isn't insurmountable, because they have a video library that is equally extraordinary. They have a special team for new clients moving their positions into IB, to make sure your questions are adequately cared for.
Conclusion? I love IB. I don't know any TSU students that I have referred that are unhappy with them. I, and they do get a perk for every referral so that is a disclaimer. It could appear I am pro IB just because of the perk. I don't believe so but in the name of transparency I give that to you. If it is ok with you that a fellow TSU student gets a small benefit, then find someone who is an IB client to get you a referral invitation. (If you can't find anyone else, I would be happy to do that for you... :) ).
I am open to learning about any Canadian brokerages. But my experience hasn't found anything that can come close to IB.
Drawbacks: IB's platform is massive. I can't say for sure it is larger than Think or Swim, but it as at least as big. If you can imagine doing something with securities and forex, IB can probably be made to do it, whether it might be contingency trading, or futures options on Forex. Therefore, IB's platform has a very large learning curve. It isn't insurmountable, because they have a video library that is equally extraordinary. They have a special team for new clients moving their positions into IB, to make sure your questions are adequately cared for.
Conclusion? I love IB. I don't know any TSU students that I have referred that are unhappy with them. I, and they do get a perk for every referral so that is a disclaimer. It could appear I am pro IB just because of the perk. I don't believe so but in the name of transparency I give that to you. If it is ok with you that a fellow TSU student gets a small benefit, then find someone who is an IB client to get you a referral invitation. (If you can't find anyone else, I would be happy to do that for you... :) ).
I am floating this to effect discourse on some of the ideas
we have all accepted to be true. None of these are supposed to subvert
any of the TSU ideas or concepts, but is a place to think outside of
the box.
For example: "The Gold Standard system of banking is better, is real, or superior to the current system".
What about that? Maxims like: "The Central Bank's printing of money neccesarily causes inflation"; or "Inflation should be kept low or close to zero"; "Who benefits in times of deflation?" how much water do those assumptions really hold?
Let me begin by asking a few questions of what we take as "given":
1) Gold is the "real" currency because an ounce of gold is worth an ounce of gold. As the price of gold rises, fiat currencies become worth less.
Response: ok, but by the same logic a dollar is worth a dollar. So whether we work for gold or we work for cash, the value is not the gold and is not the cash, but it is the perceived value for which we **work**. The value is the indentured servitude of the unwashed masses. (ok that was a bit hystrionic) So long as a miner will dig for gold, his time is worth the gold he mines. Overly simplistic? The gold standard is that. The gold miner becomes the money maker. *(in this scenario the simplistic given is that every miner works for himself.) Once the gold is out of the ground, it can circulate. Therefore since gold is the base, the economy can only expand in a real way if that country produces more gold, and it is in direct relation to the amount of gold in circulation.
Implications: on a global basis the various currencies are valued according to the perceived value agreed to by all. In a real way wealth creation occurs on the forex market, to the extend that the people who work in those economies are willing to accept value for their work. So if a phone maker pays its workers $10.00/phone from raw material to wholesale, the real value of that phone is 10.00 Until it is sold at wholesale to retailers where the value becomes multiplied. A retailer might have a cost of 100.00/phone to stock, market and sell each phone it buys for 500.00 wholesle. It sells it for 200.00. 800.00 might be the exorbinant price a 3 year contract pays out before interest. So what happens to the value of that phone? A 10.00 phone becomes 800.00 in your market boutique. I am asking that we look at this a bit differently in the hope of catching this... Pretend with me that the 10.00 per phone becomes 10.00/week take home pay in China. 40.00 per month. And then pretend the 800.00 phone represents one week's work in North America. What is the real value of the phone?
Ok, easy easy, I know there are a million and one holes in this. I would be interested if anyone has done any actual analysis of this in the real market. I would guess, that there is a disparity of value around the world, that directly effects the value of the currencies as traded, and aids it's dynamism, momentum and volitility. I could get off on various other implications, like why would a peasant in India feel rich with 40.00/month (hypotheical figure)? The wealth they create is by the sweat of their brow, and goes with the goods produced into the global market place. The cost of the wealth is the indentured servitude, but the value of the wealth comes through the market place. So, (and here is a leap I don't know if you can follow, but I make it only for brevity,) in fiat currencies, the creation of wealth has moved out of the gold mines of the world, into the meta values of Forex. Is there a book that takes this tack I don't know about? The creation of the value of money has now moved out of the hands of individual governments who may strike the coinage, out of even the Central Banks, into the multi trillion dollar trade of the Forex market. Consider this: The entire US debt is only 4 days worth of currency trade. No central bank, maybe with the loan exception of the US Fed can afford to effect value of their currency. Japan is attempting to devalue its currency, in times past Canada has attempted to do the same, inevitably it cost that country far more because the ebb and the flow of the currency markets are so vast and untameable, it remeains to be seen if even the US Fed can withstand it.
For example: "The Gold Standard system of banking is better, is real, or superior to the current system".
What about that? Maxims like: "The Central Bank's printing of money neccesarily causes inflation"; or "Inflation should be kept low or close to zero"; "Who benefits in times of deflation?" how much water do those assumptions really hold?
Let me begin by asking a few questions of what we take as "given":
1) Gold is the "real" currency because an ounce of gold is worth an ounce of gold. As the price of gold rises, fiat currencies become worth less.
Response: ok, but by the same logic a dollar is worth a dollar. So whether we work for gold or we work for cash, the value is not the gold and is not the cash, but it is the perceived value for which we **work**. The value is the indentured servitude of the unwashed masses. (ok that was a bit hystrionic) So long as a miner will dig for gold, his time is worth the gold he mines. Overly simplistic? The gold standard is that. The gold miner becomes the money maker. *(in this scenario the simplistic given is that every miner works for himself.) Once the gold is out of the ground, it can circulate. Therefore since gold is the base, the economy can only expand in a real way if that country produces more gold, and it is in direct relation to the amount of gold in circulation.
Implications: on a global basis the various currencies are valued according to the perceived value agreed to by all. In a real way wealth creation occurs on the forex market, to the extend that the people who work in those economies are willing to accept value for their work. So if a phone maker pays its workers $10.00/phone from raw material to wholesale, the real value of that phone is 10.00 Until it is sold at wholesale to retailers where the value becomes multiplied. A retailer might have a cost of 100.00/phone to stock, market and sell each phone it buys for 500.00 wholesle. It sells it for 200.00. 800.00 might be the exorbinant price a 3 year contract pays out before interest. So what happens to the value of that phone? A 10.00 phone becomes 800.00 in your market boutique. I am asking that we look at this a bit differently in the hope of catching this... Pretend with me that the 10.00 per phone becomes 10.00/week take home pay in China. 40.00 per month. And then pretend the 800.00 phone represents one week's work in North America. What is the real value of the phone?
Ok, easy easy, I know there are a million and one holes in this. I would be interested if anyone has done any actual analysis of this in the real market. I would guess, that there is a disparity of value around the world, that directly effects the value of the currencies as traded, and aids it's dynamism, momentum and volitility. I could get off on various other implications, like why would a peasant in India feel rich with 40.00/month (hypotheical figure)? The wealth they create is by the sweat of their brow, and goes with the goods produced into the global market place. The cost of the wealth is the indentured servitude, but the value of the wealth comes through the market place. So, (and here is a leap I don't know if you can follow, but I make it only for brevity,) in fiat currencies, the creation of wealth has moved out of the gold mines of the world, into the meta values of Forex. Is there a book that takes this tack I don't know about? The creation of the value of money has now moved out of the hands of individual governments who may strike the coinage, out of even the Central Banks, into the multi trillion dollar trade of the Forex market. Consider this: The entire US debt is only 4 days worth of currency trade. No central bank, maybe with the loan exception of the US Fed can afford to effect value of their currency. Japan is attempting to devalue its currency, in times past Canada has attempted to do the same, inevitably it cost that country far more because the ebb and the flow of the currency markets are so vast and untameable, it remeains to be seen if even the US Fed can withstand it.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Arctic stories...
- Sarah NangmalikOwen,
I went to the post office to track down the box and they said it is already at your post office and was still there as of 11am this morning. I was going to get back to you as soon as after work but I had my grand kids until half hour ago. - January 7
Owen AbreySarah! I got a cool package today, with Bumper Stickers from the Polar Bears!Quana- Sarah NangmalikGlad you got them now:) In my dialect we say "Qujannamiik" for thank you and "Nakurmiik" in Iqaluit dialect where I am living now. "Quana" is Central arctic dialect that I don't speak but understand:D Enjoy your book, I tried to add in most of the large marine mammals we have up here but may be missing some. I also have a poster that I will probably be sending out to you, the pictures were taken under arctic sea in high arctic Lancaster Sound area...you won't believe what we have up here:).
- January 14
Sarah NangmalikHi Owen, if you have Discovery channel you can watch "Canada's Greatest Know it all" tonight at 10pm my time (eastern) I don't know about your time though. My old childhood classmate is in the group. His name is Abraham (Abe) Qamaniq, we went to school when we were growing up and I know him all my life, he will probably share something about the arctic:) He has been in "Canada's Greatest Know it all" for a while now and he has been telling us that southern people don't know anything about the arctic and it's people so I guess, him being in that group he gets to share about the north and teach southerners at the same time:)- Owen Abreylol, I will see if I can catch a rerun of it Sarah, thank you for the heads up. Hope this finds you well... We are having winter down here at -15 or so. don't laugh! Blessings!
- Tuesday
- Sarah NangmalikWe watched the Discovery channel last night and Many of us in Nunavut were all glued to the TV screen for an hour. He made it but one got eliminated. The Canada's Greatest know it all will be on for the next 8 weeks, every Monday night at 10pm eastern time and we are wondering how long he will be in the team before elimination:)
-15? that is like we can walk around in spring jackets, no hats and no gloves:D When it is -30 we think it is not cold:) we can walk outdoors with no hats for a good stretch of a walk until we put on a hat or put up a hood:) -45 and -48 is normal temp. at this time of year with the wind chill it goes up to -53 or more regularly. Yesterday in one of the communities it was -63 with the wind chill it went up to -93 and that is COLD! In smaller communities where it is flat the normal temp. is - 59 or -60 with the wind chill it goes higher. It has been very cold for the past couple weeks now around Nunavut communities and I checked the weather today and most communities were from -53 and up and the coldest today was -63. It is extremely dry cold so it does not feel that cold, it only stings the face but it is only surface cold on the skin and it is often hard to feel a frost bite unless someone spots them on your face on days like we have been having. In the north we have dry cold where we feel the cold only on our face or hands and when we go in side the cold goes away pretty fast but in the south it is damp cold where it goes right to the bones and makes you shiver and the cold up here is not the same. We watch southern weather forecasts too and when they say it will be extremely weather warning winds up to 60...that is nothing to us:) Winds up here from 60 gusting to 70 is normal winter storm and we walk around and drive around, it only starts to get bad when it is gusting to 70 to 85 and more then I usually stay home because when the winds are picking up with snow falling it is very hard to see and breath to walk outdoors. We often wonder among ourselves with our extreme strong weather winds up here would it be considered hurricane like winds? Anyway, enough of my teaching...you should come up here someday and experience the land yourself:) This month especially the last couple weeks have been extremely high tide over its normal tide in the winter. One of my friends who is a CBC radio host, he said when he was out hunting with a group on the sea ice further down Frobisher Bay, the sea water underneath the ice was building up with so much pressure and they watched the water shooting up into the air really high through the ice cracks and "boom" water was shooting up really high into the sky...he said it was amazing to watch:) we get that when the high tide is strong and builds pressure underneath the sea ice. Did I ever tell you that we have ice lightening too? In mid winter during cold season when it gets really really cold like the type of cold weather we've been having ice lightening is bound to happen too. The hunters say it happens further down the bay where sea level is higher and the ice lightening is like a real lightening but with a slight shade of beautiful light blue and very bright. The ice lightening on large lakes is shade of light floresent green and makes weird loud noise. Anyway...ttyl:)
Sunday, January 20, 2013
On Tokamaks and nuclear waste: http://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/nuclear/could-fusion-clean-up-nuclear-waste
Stefan Christiernin
Aleithia Stefan Christiernin • a minute ago
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Implications of new energy
Hello Folks more news of breaking technology with Green impacts: I note Canada is mentioned in this article.... finally. I support these initiatives for numerous reasons. First of all, because if demand for fossil fuels fall off, then the price of fuel goes down (theoretically anyhow). Despite altruistic ideals, the economic benefit removing a net drag on economies by highpriced hydro carbons has not been properly appreciated.
Secondly, these new technologies stand to produce a renaissance across all the sciences.
Third, energy supply has become a chief governor of wealth distribution on a global scale. If you can't have reliable electricity in Zambia or India, how can you build factories that create wealth? To link energy to poverty ought to be a no-brainer, but in my opinion is rarely done.
Just a few opinions from a possible iconoclast. http://coldfusionnow.org/john-varney-on-dense-plasma-focus-emergence-from-chaos-to-a-new-shining-order/
Secondly, these new technologies stand to produce a renaissance across all the sciences.
Third, energy supply has become a chief governor of wealth distribution on a global scale. If you can't have reliable electricity in Zambia or India, how can you build factories that create wealth? To link energy to poverty ought to be a no-brainer, but in my opinion is rarely done.
Just a few opinions from a possible iconoclast. http://coldfusionnow.org/john-varney-on-dense-plasma-focus-emergence-from-chaos-to-a-new-shining-order/
Friday, January 4, 2013
A view on Global Warming, and Ice bergs. A 1st person perspective:
About the ice bergs that float, we were once again taught by some hunters from Cape Dorset as well as their elders taught us more about ice bergs as we encountered much of ice bergs all month of August. Elders shared that ice bergs are known by Inuit as "Ijjuriktaqtut" which means the ice berg itself seems to have a life of it's own and will make anything or humans fall in the water. Ice bergs don't like to have anything on top of them, even though when it is massive in size it will make itself tip over and wobble until whatever that went on top or side falls off into the water. It is because the glaciers are de-ionized for thousands and thousands of years, the fresh water ice is so extremely compacted and frozen for so many years when it falls off the glacier and become an ice berg it is far more heavier than multi year ice but behaves completely different that regular ice in the arctic sea. It is very bright white and beautiful blue in color all the way into the core and always fresh water once it lands on the shore but they are the most unstable ice in the north. Because they are so de-ionized once there is a slight breeze the ice berg will start to move very quickly and will be blown away plus through the currents carried away and they move very fast as if powered like a boat. We are often told never to get on top of ice bergs as it will suddenly wobble back and forth very quickly and can over turn itself as soon as it feels the weight on it or around it. My parents also used to tell us never to pour water near the ice berg in winter or spring when an iceberg is ground for the winter as when one pours water the iceberg will crack in thousand pieces and smash down with tons of ice all around and are known to be very dangerous and yet so beautiful and majestic to the eyes:) Anyway, just sharing what I learned from my parents and elders up here:)
By my friend Sara Nangmalik
About the ice bergs that float, we were once again taught by some hunters from Cape Dorset as well as their elders taught us more about ice bergs as we encountered much of ice bergs all month of August. Elders shared that ice bergs are known by Inuit as "Ijjuriktaqtut" which means the ice berg itself seems to have a life of it's own and will make anything or humans fall in the water. Ice bergs don't like to have anything on top of them, even though when it is massive in size it will make itself tip over and wobble until whatever that went on top or side falls off into the water. It is because the glaciers are de-ionized for thousands and thousands of years, the fresh water ice is so extremely compacted and frozen for so many years when it falls off the glacier and become an ice berg it is far more heavier than multi year ice but behaves completely different that regular ice in the arctic sea. It is very bright white and beautiful blue in color all the way into the core and always fresh water once it lands on the shore but they are the most unstable ice in the north. Because they are so de-ionized once there is a slight breeze the ice berg will start to move very quickly and will be blown away plus through the currents carried away and they move very fast as if powered like a boat. We are often told never to get on top of ice bergs as it will suddenly wobble back and forth very quickly and can over turn itself as soon as it feels the weight on it or around it. My parents also used to tell us never to pour water near the ice berg in winter or spring when an iceberg is ground for the winter as when one pours water the iceberg will crack in thousand pieces and smash down with tons of ice all around and are known to be very dangerous and yet so beautiful and majestic to the eyes:) Anyway, just sharing what I learned from my parents and elders up here:)
By my friend Sara Nangmalik
I have a friend I call an Inuit Elder.
She is a wonderful mind and 1st person perspective on all things Arctic to me....
I will share an exchange:
Iqaluit is below the arctic circle if you look it up in the map, but the other higher communities above the arctic circle especially high arctic region is dark day and night that starts mid October to this time of year except when there is full moon, people hunt when they are able to see in full moon. People in high arctic say when the moon is full, they call it their "sun" because that is the only time they are able to see farther and able to spot animals. When there is no moon it is very dark up there. The full moon also seem brighter in the high arctic, it has the brightness that one can see long distance out on the land, it feels one giant light in the sky where everywhere you see the land and sky has that beautiful blue effect under clear night skies probably because of the snow covering all the land and sea ice and because there are no trees...it is breathtakingly beautiful, where stars and constelations, northern lights and the milkyway are stunningly and beautifully visible. Here in Iqaluit the sun rises every day but not as high at this time of year and gets dark pretty fast by 3pm but now the sun is getting higher and brighter again. We have had very clear skies since before Christmas and the stars seem so bright at night and the winds have been calm as well during the night but it is cold out there:)
Eyes on.
Sarah
She is a wonderful mind and 1st person perspective on all things Arctic to me....
I will share an exchange:
Iqaluit is below the arctic circle if you look it up in the map, but the other higher communities above the arctic circle especially high arctic region is dark day and night that starts mid October to this time of year except when there is full moon, people hunt when they are able to see in full moon. People in high arctic say when the moon is full, they call it their "sun" because that is the only time they are able to see farther and able to spot animals. When there is no moon it is very dark up there. The full moon also seem brighter in the high arctic, it has the brightness that one can see long distance out on the land, it feels one giant light in the sky where everywhere you see the land and sky has that beautiful blue effect under clear night skies probably because of the snow covering all the land and sea ice and because there are no trees...it is breathtakingly beautiful, where stars and constelations, northern lights and the milkyway are stunningly and beautifully visible. Here in Iqaluit the sun rises every day but not as high at this time of year and gets dark pretty fast by 3pm but now the sun is getting higher and brighter again. We have had very clear skies since before Christmas and the stars seem so bright at night and the winds have been calm as well during the night but it is cold out there:)
Eyes on.
Sarah
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Persnal note: Living with Major Depression Disorder
Depression: Current thoughts.
On a personal note, I have battled Major depression Disorder for about 12 years. To force my self to do something can be simply impossible. However since March I have had some relief. I could go a week or more without giving suicide serious thought. I am heading into another low. you get to recognize the symptoms. Hopelessness, Sadness, Guilt, Frustration (anger management). Profound lethergy, (If you know someone like this, before you call them a lazy bum, judge also what is behind it.) I feel those thoughts myself. I am the worst of the worst in every category. (symptomtic of Depression). "You should take me out and shoot me." Is a common conclusion in my mind. People with Major Depression have a hard time believing there is some other solution to a problem besides death. A psych worker once told me, "dying *may* be a solution to a problem but it is a permanent solution to what probably is a temporary problem.," I think that thought was a line that helped keep this ship tied to the dock.
On a personal note, I have battled Major depression Disorder for about 12 years. To force my self to do something can be simply impossible. However since March I have had some relief. I could go a week or more without giving suicide serious thought. I am heading into another low. you get to recognize the symptoms. Hopelessness, Sadness, Guilt, Frustration (anger management). Profound lethergy, (If you know someone like this, before you call them a lazy bum, judge also what is behind it.) I feel those thoughts myself. I am the worst of the worst in every category. (symptomtic of Depression). "You should take me out and shoot me." Is a common conclusion in my mind. People with Major Depression have a hard time believing there is some other solution to a problem besides death. A psych worker once told me, "dying *may* be a solution to a problem but it is a permanent solution to what probably is a temporary problem.," I think that thought was a line that helped keep this ship tied to the dock.
Pipelines a net BENEFIT to Caribou?
Ever read a story that raises a hew and cry that absolutely contradicts what you have seen with your own eyes? 1985,86 travelling on the oil and gas roads in NE BC. The caribou were prolific. Not bothered at all about pipelines, or traffic, sometimes we had to slow to a crawl to get through. Now understand, normally these caribou would winter up in the high country. Why were they wintering down below? Simple. Caribou need to see enemies afar off. They stay in the high country for that reason. The pipelines and the long straigth roadways became *PREFERRED* by the Caribou. The feed was far better, plus with long roads, they were able to satisfy their safety needs. I was forced to conclude the pipelines were a net benefit to the Caribou. After a few years, it occurred to me that my experience could have been the results of the infamous wolf cull. That Watson contemplated on a river bottom, and Suzuki openly mocks.
Owen Abrey
Ever read a story that raises a hew and cry that absolutely contradicts what you have seen with your own eyes? 1985,86 travelling on the oil and gas roads in NE BC. The caribou were prolific. Not bothered at all about pipelines, or traffic, sometimes we had to slow to a crawl to get through. Now understand, normally these caribou would winter up in the high country. Why were they wintering down below? Simple. Caribou need to see enemies afar off. They stay in the high country for that reason. The pipelines and the long straigth roadways became *PREFERRED* by the Caribou. The feed was far better, plus with long roads, they were able to satisfy their safety needs. I was forced to conclude the pipelines were a net benefit to the Caribou. After a few years, it occurred to me that my experience could have been the results of the infamous wolf cull. That Watson contemplated on a river bottom, and Suzuki openly mocks.
Owen Abrey
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
"Dialogue"
- Rod Murphy OWEN HAS REALLY GONE OVER TO THE DAKSIDE AND I NOW REDUCING HIMSELF TO BEING AN ECHO OF THE TRULY NUTTY SUN MEDIA -OF BIG BOOBS AND NO REPORTRERS FAME. SO SAD TO SEE H[M DOING THIS; HIS MIND MUST HAVE TAKEN A HOLDAY
Owen Abrey Rod, this is only posted because it illustrates my prediction. All the partisan slagging the NDP have been doing sets the tone. Then, and I appreciate this is hard for you as we do tend to be blind to our own prejudices, there is in effect a cover up. If it isn't the left wing point of view that refuses to publish these events, or at least minimizes them, then it is out right hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty. I know you are better than that. Learn to live in other people's moccasins. It is the deafening silence, the abhorrent vacuum that nature itself must fill.- Owen Abrey Push back is coming. A few people are daring to speak up... there was only one boy speaking out on the day of the Emporer's parade...
Rod Murphy OWEN DON'T BE SILLY THE NGP FINE, AND THEIR QUICK PAYMENT OF SAME. WAS COVERED IN ALL THE REAL MEDIA- Rod Murphy NDP FINE
- Owen Abrey It was perhaps mentioned, but it didn't receive the huge front page attention conservative allegations have "enjoyed" surely you can see that much!?
- Rod Murphy OWEN I HAVE ENJOYED OUR EXCHANGES BUT I AM NOW REALLY WORRIED ABOUT YOUR THINKING
Debbie Doucet Interesting...I have to clean my bathrooms now.- Owen Abrey How long has it been since the last election? The law was clear about unions and corporations being barred from political patronage. Why did they decide to play Legal footsie for the last several years? Why didn't they come forward on their own? Or better yet why did they take the money knowing that it was illegal?
- Owen Abrey I too have enjoyed our polemics. But if we are looking at "thesis anti-thesis" why is it one side only gets to speak? Surely if we are hoping to see an Hegelian dialectic on these issues, we can't jump to "synthesis" without hearing the other side. I hear all about the NDP perspectives, I debate across every major newspaper in Canada. What I have been hearing however, is the sound of one hand clapping....
Thursday, August 9, 2012
On micro-climate variability
Owen Abrey shared a link.
Mike Babulic Good news, but also a little scary. Does this mean ocean acidification is also going at a faster than predicted rateAugust 4 at 1:51pm via mobile ·
Owen AbreyNo, the opposite, the ocean equilibrium is de-acidifying--easily accommodating and bringing into equilibrium the millionths of ppm added to the atmosphere. Try and imagine 400ppm CO2 against the atmosphere 1.5-2.0 Billion years ago. The a...See More
Nils Ek If only everyone - OK not everyone, but say, every fifth person - took Geology 101: physical geology and earth history, starting with the formation of the solid earth. They would understand that the current "climate change" is just a blip in a long series of events, many of which dwarf this one.August 5 at 6:59pm · · 1
Carl Ek Temperature change of Pacific NW? IT IS RISING, contrary to Owen's information.
http://www.fws.gov/pacific/Climatechange/ changepnw.html#TemperatureP recipitation 
www.fws.govClimate Change in the Pacific Northwest website is part of the Pacific Region U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service21 hours ago · Edited · ·- Owen Abrey An assessment made in 2009? Man would I ever like to see the red on their faces today. Talk about eating crow!
- Owen Abrey Even so, with record high snow packs, weeks later snow melt, unusually high flooding through the summers, 3 years does not a climate make. I know that. And they should be embarrassed.
- Mike Babulic The climate change hypothesis predicts increased precipitation in many regions, which would lead to a larger snowpack and unusually high floodingabout an hour ago via mobile ·
- Owen Abrey Yes of course you are correct it does predict it. And that isn't a safe prediction by any measure! I agree there will always be each season unique to itself. Last winter does not predict in a cause and effect way, the weather this year. Living on the West side of Canada, we are fairly significantly impacted by the El-ninio/a effects. However, perhaps spring boarding off this report in 2009, it was predicted that we would have winters of lessening precip. In regard to a local climate, I have some theories of mid term climatic effects. We had a fair amount of snow in 2011. However it melted fairly quickly without flooding. However, it did noticably boost the humidity and rain patterns--I thought it would peter out, and so did the predictors. So it was surprising to get 20' of snow at my mine site. This year was different. When the snow is on the mountains, the winds blow noticeably cooler. Significantly lowering daily temps. Usually in my community everyone waits until 2 things, 1) the snow is gone on Baker Mt. (around 8800') and May 24th weekend. This year everything from fruit trees to gardens is a full 2 weeks late. Flooding has be very high, BC Hydro had to open the spillways extensively this year to accommodate the flush. The extra moisture in the mountains because of a delayed run off, is very high. I have a bumper crop of Huckleberries at the mine consequently. The moisture contributes to cloud formation noticeably this year. So it has rained more than it has for a long time. Winter will come early, frosts will come early. This at best could be called a micro-climate, I acknowledge that. Observing the incredible forces of nature before an after a thunderstorm, trying to calculate the number of joules exchanged at the ground there-by, makes AGW and our puny .003% CO2 level seem pretty irrelevant.17 minutes ago · Edited ·
- Owen Abrey Of course the appropriate come-back is regional variabilty of weather does not a climate make. I could leave that alone, if proof-text papers like this one: mimeographed from other IPCC papers, didn't scream the SAME thing. But of course the IPCC has the world of credibility behind it so it doesn't matter if they are hypocrites who take no responsibility when they are wrong.
- Owen Abrey "The beating of a butterfly's wing in Japan effects the flight of a 757 in London. I know the quantum evidence of this. But of course after satisfying one's self with quantum mechanics, that indeed this is true, one has to step back and weigh all the other effects not only at the quantum threshold and below... Then the suggestion becomes preposterous. We can see that in this instance. But CO2 levels are a butterfly's wing no matter how you cut it--if you dare to actually look at the real numbers...
- Owen Abrey It is the phenomenal power of H20, conservatively supposed to create about 85% of climate variability, that make those 300 millionths (.00300%) seem a bit over-emphasized... I know its crazy to think so, after all, the science is settled, right?
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