Most of us heard about Al Gore's JFK-like 10 year challenge last week for "America to run 'on 100% zero-carbon electricity in 10 years." Bret Stephens wrote about it and Al Gore in his Wall Street Journal piece, Al Gore's Doomsday Clock. He wrote, "though that's just the first step on his road to 'ending our reliance on carbon-based fuels.'  Serious people understand this is absurd. Maybe other people will start drawing the same conclusion about the man proposing it."

Do read the complete article. Bret Stephens presents many interesting statistics on where we have been and where we are going on our carbon-free electrical journey.

In Mr. Gore's prophecy, a transition to carbon-free electricity generation in a decade is "achievable, affordable and transformative." He believes that the goal can be achieved almost entirely through the use of "renewables" alone, meaning solar, geothermal, wind power and biofuels.

Here, however, is an inconvenient fact (my emphasis throughout.) In 1995, the U.S. got about 2.2% of its net electricity generation from "renewable" sources, according to the Energy Information Administration. By 2000, the last full year of the Clinton administration, that percentage had dropped to 2.1%. By contrast, the combined share of coal, petroleum and natural gas rose to 70% from 68% during the same time frame.

Now the share of renewables is up slightly, to about 2.3% as of 2006 (the latest year for which the EIA provides figures). The EIA thinks the use of renewables (minus hydropower) could rise to 201 billion kilowatt hours per year in 2018 from the current 65 billion. But the EIA also projects total net generation in 2018 to be 4.4 trillion kilowatt hours per year. That would put the total share of renewables at just over four percent of our electricity needs.

Interestingly, Mr. Gore does not suggest carbon-free nuclear or hydro power,* which are not affected by cloudy or windless days:

Mr. Gore's case would also be helped if our experience of renewable sources were a positive one. It isn't. In his useful book "Gusher of Lies," Robert Bryce notes that "in July 2006, wind turbines in California produced power at only about 10% of their capacity; in Texas, one of the most promising states for wind energy, the windmills produced electricity at about 17% of their rated capacity." Like wind power, solar power also suffers from the problem of intermittency, which means that it has to be backed up by conventional sources in order to avoid disruptions. This is especially true of hot summers when the wind doesn't blow and cold winters when the sun doesn't shine.

And then there are biofuels, whose recent vogue, the World Bank believes, may have been responsible for up to 75% of the recent rise in world food prices. Save the planet; starve the poor.

Stephens concludes with this question, "A more interesting question is why Mr. Gore remains believable. Perhaps people think that facts ought not to count against a man whose task is to raise our sights..." and then he gives "The True Believer" author Eric Hoffer the last word, "It is startling to realize how much unbelief is necessary to make belief possible."

Don't get me wrong, I am all in favor of more environmentally favorable fuels and methods, as long as they make sense and cents! Fair Oaks Farm manure fueled electricity generators would be a good example of this. SC Johnson Co. (Johnson Wax) is also dabbling in methane from garbage fuel. But even these recycling methods are still carbon based.

Maybe some day, as technology improves, wind and solar might be able to more constantly supply the majority of our electricity. But for right now, we aren't there yet--not by a long shot.

Jay Weber spoke about this today in his 9 O'clock hour. 

*You would think hydro power would be favored by the environmentalists. Not true. While visiting the Grand Canyon 2 years ago, we heard of a movement afoot in the area to allow spring gushes. Seems the regular spring flooding of rushing water scoured the riverbed as opposed to the constant easy flow of a controlled river.

Links: 

Alexis de Tocqueville, a French nobleman and political scientist, came to America in 1831, seeking to find just what made America so great. This is what he said:

"I sought for the key to the greatness and genius of America in her harbors; in her fertile fields and boundless forests; in her rich mines and vast world commerce; in her public school system and institutions of learning. I sought for it in her democratic Congress and in her matchless Constitution."

But Alexis did not find the cause for America's greatness in any of those assets. It was not until he visited America's churches and heard the preaching of righteousness therein did he, "understand the secret of her genius and power".

He concluded: "America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."

Alexis' summation of our country was Scripturally sound. Proverbs 14:34 says, "Doing what is right makes a nation great, but sin will bring disgrace to any people."

"America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!"

We have had an amazing 232 years and I am thankful to have been born in this great country.

So, Happy Birthday America: may you continue to be great and good!


Adapted from a July 2006 posting on brookfield7

Click here to sign the DRILL HERE. DRILL NOW. PAY LESS.  domestic drilling petition and see the latest links to related oil news (updated every day).

Drill Here is now over the 1.27 million mark. The goal is 3 million signatures by the Democratic and Republican Conventions. 

Links: 

Before we breezed out of town last weekend, I purchased some Edy's Slow Churned Ice Cream in what formerly was the half gallon size and tossed it in the basement freezer. (I know ice cream has not been 1/2 gallon for years. It is actually 7 cups.)

While away, my husband spotted a USA Today article he thought was blog worthy: Shoppers beware: Products shrink but prices stay the same It was all about how manufacturers are making the packages smaller but charging the same price as the former full size:

"Downsizing is nothing but a sneaky price increase," says Edgar Dworsky, former Massachusetts assistant attorney general in the Consumer Protection Division, now editor of Mouseprint.org, a consumer website. "I'm waiting to open a carton of eggs and see only 11."

The article showed Edgar Dworsky with a magnifying glass and some Breyers ice cream cartons in the new 1.5 quart size. If you aren't paying attention, it would be easy to mistake the 1 cup smaller packages for the former 1.75 quart sized cartons.

 "We did not in any way try to hide this," insists Tim Kahn, CEO of Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, which also makes — and has shrunk — Edy's. "The package-size change couldn't be any more visible."

I didn't catch the Edy's reference at the time--hey, I was on vacation! But tonight when my men wanted some ice cream, I noticed the Edy's carton on the counter and said, "This is smaller than before, we got gypped like the article!"

I still paid the same price as the larger size but lost 1 cup of ice cream.

Sometimes manufacturers have the nerve to try to sell the idea of smaller sizes, spinning that it is for your convenience that the package is smaller because it is easier to carry!

Sure enough, my ice cream was the newer, smaller size. When I put it back in the kitchen freezer, I noticed that it fit in a place that wasn't tall enough before. Guess the smaller size was for my convenience. :)

Other products have shrunk too. Sugar is a good example. Sugar always came in 5 and 10 pound bags. Now you have to be careful. The name brand sugar often comes in 4 pound bags. Generic or store brand sugar usually comes in 5 pounders. (Aldi's sugar is 5 pounds for $1.79 if you were interested.)

Consumers just can't catch a break. We pay the same, if not more, for gas laced with ethanol for a 10% reduction in m.p.g., and now we pay the same price for a container that is 10% to 20% smaller than before!

Hmm, if only we could reduce the density at Percheron Square by 20%, but that is a subject for another day.

Links:

McDonald's has been showing it's true rainbow colors as of late, and I'm not lovin it. What next? Ronald McDonald coming out of the closet? (Ooh, not ready for that!)

On April 2, 2008, I received an Action Alert from American Family Association, a conservative Christian group. It informed that "McDonald's has signed on to a nationwide effort to promote 'gay' and 'lesbian' business ventures."  

Less than a week later, AFA sent out McDonald's rebuttal to the AFA's accusation that they are "aggressively promoting the homosexual agenda." AFA addressed McDonald's rebuttal: (McDonald's remarks are in bold, AFA's are in normal type.)

 “While one McDonald’s employee is affiliated with the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), McDonald’s is in no way ‘aggressively promoting the homosexual agenda’ as suggested in the newsletter.”

To refer to Richard Ellis, who is the vice president of communications for McDonald’s, as “one McDonald’s employee,” as if he is a teenager flipping hamburgers, is disingenuous at best.

While “aggressively” is admittedly a subjective term, AFA believes that giving money to and partnering with a homosexual lobby organization is certainly an enthusiastic promotion of the homosexual agenda.


“The NGLCC is a non-profit organization dedicated to support economic opportunities for the gay and lesbian business community.”

It is quite clear from the NGLCC Web site that that organization not only supports “economic opportunities” for homosexuals, it also lobbies Congress on a wide range of issues related to the gay agenda.

This is the press release from the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce about McDonald's Vice President of Communications, Richard Ellis, being added to the NGLCC board. It also mentions Ellis is an active member on the Board of Directors for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.

Today I received another Action Alert. It stated that McDonald's is still saying they are not a member of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. McDonald's Vice-President Jack Daly stated that although they gave the NGLCC $20,000, "Richard Ellis was elected to the NGLCC board as a private citizen and not a representative of McDonald's." 

Watch the ad and decide for yourself if Richard Ellis is acting as a private citizen. (If he is, why is McDonald's name used and logo evident?) "So dedicated to promoting gay activities on public streets, McDonald's sponsored the 2007 San Francisco Gay Pride parade with a television commercial. In the ad, McDonald’s brags that it is 'a company that actively demonstrates its commitment to the gay and lesbian community.'”

According to a OneNewsNow* poll, 83.64% of those surveyed answered, Yes, to the question, "Is the decision by McDonald's to help fund homosexual activism enough for you and your family to start eating at another fast-food restaurant?" Granted, the survey might have been from a conservative pool of people, but can any corporation afford to alienate that large of a customer group?

That article cited a similar incident with Wal-Mart a few years ago: "...two years ago, Wal-Mart joined the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. But after AFA representatives discussed the matter with Wal-Mart officials, the company allowed their position on the Chamber's board to expire -- and according to Wildmon, Wal-Mart is no longer a member of the NGLCC."

If this is an important issue to you, send McDonald's an email (link is to pre-written email--use as is or write your own) or give their president, Andrew McKenna a call: Phone: 1-800-244-6227 or: 630-623-3000, E-Mail: Andrew J. McKenna, Since McDonald's are franchised, speak to your individual store manager and let them know how you feel about this affiliation.  

*OneNewsNow is part of the American Family News Network.  

Past Posts: Strength in numbers translates to policy changes or When people/money talk, companies listen

Links:

Is it any wonder we are in the financial mess we are in with the state budget? The Senate passed the budget fix yesterday, the Assembly may vote on it today. Contact your State Assembly Representative and let them know your opinion anyway. They could use your support. (Contacts are at end of post.)

My State Representative Leah Vukmir was on Vicki McKenna yesterday explaining the budget fiasco. Leah commented, something is wrong when the budget fix proposed was less conservative than what Doyle would do! She said Doyle criticized them for not making budget cuts. It is pretty bad when your only hope for a better budget is that you liberal governor might make some vetoes!

How did we get into this predicament? Leah explained that using the "rosy" March 2007 revenue estimates to base a future budget on was one problem! Seems state income was based on March 2007's better economy figures instead of the reality of the slower economy during the summer and fall of last year.

Leah expressed her disappointment in Speaker Huebsch and called the budget fix a shuffle game.

When you cook the books, you can't pay the bills, she said. People are feeling the pinch in their budgets--they expect us to do the same.

Plus, what are the Republicans getting out of this compromise? Vukmir mentioned at least an exchange, we vote for this fix and you give us a constitutional Voter ID amendment. But we are getting nothing--just delayed billing and a huge problem in July 2009.

Not only is School Aid delayed into the 2009 budget cycle, but County Aid is pushed into July too.

Rep. Vukmir concluded with, I don't know why we are rushing this. 

Possible areas of cuts mentioned: State employee travel--$22mil, Senior Prescriptions, eliminate ethanol subsidies, 4K. I would add: eliminate Global Warming Task Force and West Allis Bike Path. 

There were originally $250 mil in cuts, now less than 1/5th of 1%. McKenna cited a 2% across the board cut as a possible remedy. 

It will only get worse. For one, Badger Care Plus is attracting far more enrollees than anticipated. That will add to July 2009's woes.

This is a straight up or down vote. No amendments are allowed because it went into Conference Committee.

Contact Assembly Representatives. 

Links:

Marie Antoinette's "Let them eat cake" is quoted a lot these days in regard to ethanol and rising food prices. There are many interpretations as to what she meant by it--some debate whether she said it at all.

The most interesting explanation I ever heard came from a UWM theater department teacher. She said that "cake" was the term for a gasket made from dough strips used to seal oven doors. When the baking was finished, the very over-baked, virtually inedible dough gaskets were scraped off and discarded. The poor would dig these out of the garbage and attempt to eat them. In other words, the bakers used food for a purpose other than human or animal consumption, and the insensitive Marie said the starving could always eat the gaskets.

I think that explanation fits in rather well with today's food for fuel fiasco. But I am adding to the travesty of diverting food into ethanol production, the misuse and abuse of water used for producing biofuel. Hence my version of Marie's statement, Let them eat and drink ethanol!

People are waking up to the fact that ethanol is not the answer to energy independence. Even Former President Clinton, at a campaign stop for his wife in Pennsylvania, said, "Corn is the single most inefficient way to produce ethanol because it uses a lot of energy and because it drives up the price of food."

Some people are aware that food-to-fuel mandates have increased demand on water resources. Corn in particular requires irrigation in most areas. We noted this on our last few trips out west--hundreds of acres of corn fields all being irrigated. Water is becoming a rare resource in some areas. (If you live west of the sub-continental divide on Sunnyslope Road, you have probably been paying attention to water rights issues.)

But what most people don't realize is that ethanol production causes water pollution too--both in the growing of corn and in the production of ethanol itself--regardless of the plant source. 

Corn is a nitrogen needy plant and is very soil depleting. (Remember how the Native Americans taught the Pilgrims to put a fish in each hill of corn?) Well today's farmers rely heavily on nitrogen rich fertilizers. The Washington Post stated, "Increased agricultural production also means increased fertilizer use. The National Academy of Sciences reported last month that meeting the congressional food-to-fuel mandate by 2022 would lead to a 10 to 19 percent increase in the size of the Gulf of Mexico's "dead zone" -- an area so polluted by fertilizer runoff that no aquatic life can survive there."

Polluting farmland runoff is not the worst of it. Ethanol factories also exude an alarming amount of polluted water. I have heard it described as a glycerin type effluent that causes fish die off.

Water Use and Pollution Syrup, batches of bad ethanol, and sewage are dumped into streams, threatening fish and plants with chloride, copper and other wastes which deprive waters of oxygen when they decompose. A state inspector in Iowa reported that a creek next to the ethanol plant in Sioux Center was milky and smelled like sewage.

Water Supply Can't Meet Thirst For New Industry ...Nowhere is the growing clash between economic development and water conservation more evident than in the push to build ethanol plants that typically guzzle 3½ to 6 gallons of water for every gallon of fuel produced. Minnesota's 15 ethanol plants together consume about 2 billion gallons of water per year.

Drunk on Ethanol MTBE pollutes ground and surface water, but so does ethanol. With each gallon of ethanol you get 12 gallons of sewagelike effluent produced by the fermentation/distillation process.

So, let's see... biofuel production causes local and world wide food prices to rise, food shortages, water shortages due to irrigation, pollution from fertilizer runoff, and pollution to waterways from ethanol production. (Don't forget air pollution from burning ethanol.)

And most politicians are still chanting the ethanol mantra in order to save the planet from supposed CO2 pollution? (Explanation: The corn grower / ethanol lobby is very influential.) 

Let's hope these increasingly anti-ethanol articles and news stories about world food shortages and pollution will embarrass our Federal and State legislators into voting against or better yet repealing global warming and ethanol mandates. Otherwise, I am afraid we won't have much choice but to eat and drink ethanol! 

Riots, instability spread as food prices skyrocket

Ethanol's Failed Promise

Let Them Eat Cake

Hunger fuels food riots in Haiti 

Go, Jim and Jeff, Go! Repeal Those Ethanol Mandates (links to legislators included)

Links: Don't forget, Free Pass To Movie Preview of "The Enemy God" Saturday at 3pm

This Saturday, May 10th, the feature length film, The Enemy God will be shown at 3-5 PM, at Elmbrook Church.

The film is a true story of how a former Yanomamo Indian shaman (witchdoctor) from the Amazon basin is told by outsiders that there is a great creator spirit who loves him. Interestingly, the witchdoctor already knows about this great creator spirit because of the many spirits that indwell him. Problem is, his spirits tell him that this great creator spirit is his enemy. His dilemma is to decide who is telling him the truth: his indwelling spirits (demons) or the missionaries who assure him that the great creator spirit (God) is good. "Are the spirits which indwell him lying--could it be that the great creator spirit is NOT his enemy as he had always been taught by the older shamans of his tribe?"

This is a question each one of us must answer. Is God our friend or enemy?

My cousin Matt, a producer for 10X Productions, has been working on this movie for over 5 years. It is a full length film that was recently chosen as an official selection of the Breckenridge Festival of Film in Colorado. It was also awarded, "Best International Film" and "Best Supernatural Film" by Brilliant Light International Film Festival of Los Angeles.

Many people believe that tribal people live happy lives apart from any knowledge of God. This movie challenges that concept. Watch a trailer from the movie here. (Matt and other people connected with the film are interviewed.) You will hear from the Yanomamo people, in their own words, how they were not happy apart from God. This movie was made at the request of the Yanomamo people to set the record straight.

Although the movie is not yet rated, it probably would be considered PG-13--not recommended for children 13 and under.

Admission is free on a first come, first served basis. Hope to see you there.

Elmbrook Church is located on 777 South Barker Road, Brookfield. Movie will be shown in the Amphitheater.

Links:

After weeks of anticipation, I went to see the movie Expelled today. It is a documentary by Ben Stein on how the scientific community routinely suppresses legitimate scientists and doctors from expressing any point of view other than that of evolution.

The full name of the movie is, Expelled, No Intelligence Allowed. It is called that because of the many scientists Ben interviewed that have been fired and blacklisted since they published papers hinting that Intelligent Design, I.D., is a valid explanation for how life began.

Despite Ben Stein being a comedic actor, he is deadly serious about this subject. He does a great job of making his series of interviews with numerous scientists and doctors from both schools of thought engaging. Old black and white movie clips from movies such as Frankenstein, Wizard of Oz and I think Inherit the Wind, as well as news clips of Hitler, the Berlin Wall, etc. are used to emphasize various points. Their inclusion makes the documentary more interesting to the viewer.

Ben visits and interviews scientists from all over the world, including the Discovery Institute, Center for Science & Culture, a think tank "challenging various aspects of evolutionary theory." The Discovery Institute is not a religious organization.

Intelligent Design is not faith based. The media and most mainstream scientists, universities, and institutions, however like to brand it as such. I admit, I was not really familiar with exactly what Intelligent Design meant. Although I.D. dove-tails with Creation Science, I.D. does not specify who or what the intelligence is. It just tries to answer the question of who or what started that first cell or created the universe.

I.D. questions evolution and Darwinism in that evolution cannot explain how the one cell began. Some evolutionary explanations defy logic. One scientist, Dr. Ruse (sp?) insisted life got started by certain molecules piggy-backing on top of crystals. (No explanation where the crystals or molecules came from.)

An I.D. Scientist countered that thinking by stating 217 proteins are needed to create life and that those 217 proteins would need to be arranged by accident 250 times in succession for life to have started. That defies logic. Therefore some intelligence had to have created it. 

Back when Darwin published his theory in 1859, little was known about the complexity of the cell. Now, thanks to modern science and sophisticated equipment, doctors and scientists are constantly amazed at how intricate each part of the cell is. The deeper they look, the more complex cellular structure and physiology is.

The real kicker came at the end of the movie. Stein again interviewed Dr. Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion. Dawkins is an avowed atheist and evolutionist.

Ben asks Dawkins, who created the universe and how did life start? Keep in mind Dawkins cannot accept Intelligent Design in any way, but he answers something akin to this: some other sort of life could have evolved elsewhere and it planted its seed here.

In other words, some sort of alien from another world evolved into some very intelligent being and then came here and planted that first seed of life. (No explanation of how that alien life got started.) I think Dawkins went on to say something about how it (life) couldn't have just happened all at once. (Watch for this part when you see the movie.)

To Dawkins, Alien Design is OK, Intelligent Design, not OK--even if who or what is that intelligence is not identified? 

Judeo-Christian religious beliefs and science are not polar opposites. Noteworthy scientists such as Galileo, Newton, and Kepler were all Christians. If Ben Stein, who is Jewish, has his way, men of other religions besides that of atheism and evolution will again be able to have their voices heard without fear of termination and blacklisting. 

This weekend promises to be quite awful weather wise. It might be a good time to investigate Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed for yourself. I saw it at Mayfair at their $5, 10AM showing. It is also at these theaters.  

The movie is rated PG, possibly because they showed some scenes from German death camps? 

Links: Upcoming events in Brookfield

4th Annual Weed Out, May 3rd, Mary Knoll Park

If you are a parent of an Elmbrook High School student, are you going to be silent about East and Central High School's Day of Silence?

Some parents opt to keep their teens home on this day, others may just inform their children that this is happening on Friday.

Whatever you decide, please read up on the event, read the information from Elmbrook at end of this post, and then guide your child (student) as you see fit. Also, be aware there is a counter homosexual agenda program called the Day of Truth on Monday, April 28th.

Don't know what the Day of Silence is? According to the American Family Association, it is a special day "started a decade ago by an adult homosexual advocacy group, the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), with the goal of promoting homosexuality to all students in a given school."

If you check the Day of Silence web page, "The National Day of Silence brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools".(I think LGBT stands for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender/Transexual.) It also mentions that this year's event is to be held in memory of Lawrence King, an 8th grader who was killed in Feb. because of his sexual orientation. (The website does not mention this, but Lawrence was permitted by a residential care center for "abused, neglected, and severely emotionally disturbed children to attend school in nail polish, makeup and high-heeled boots ."

Evidentially, students who participate in this event often wear signs around their necks and remain silent all day--whether a teacher calls on them in class or not. 

I asked Dr. Gibson (Andy Smith) on April 23rd if Elmbrook participates in Day of Silence.

Andy Smith replied the same day with,  "I'll check with the high schools, but let me first make sure I know what I'm looking into."

After a few more back and forth emails, Andy stated "Yes, the Day of Silence is a school sanctioned event, authorized at the principal level. It is part of a nationwide event. The observance of the Day of Silence has taken place for a number of years now at both Central and East."

Here is the information Andy Smith, Director of Communications for Elmbrook Schools sent regarding East High School:

1. Yes, the Day of Silence is a school sanctioned event, authorized at the principal level. It is part of a nationwide event. The observance of the Day of Silence has taken place for a number of years now at both Central and East.

 

2. It is not sponsored or organized by either of the schools, but rather by a student club at each school that promotes respect for all persons and takes a special interest in the personal safety at school of all persons, including those who may consider themselves to have a personal sexual identity different from the mainstream of heterosexual male and female.

 

3. Just as with the activities of any other club or organization, information about the Day of Silence is prepared not by the school but by the club ... if desired, for instance, items could be prepared for the daily announcements. The principal signs-off on poster designs and displays for the Day of Silence, just as with posters for events sponsored by other clubs and organizations. Further, any of the clubs that have met the requirements to be recognized by the school are treated with similarity regarding access to school facilities, use of tables for fundraisers, use of rooms and the like.

 

4. There are two ways that a student may participate in the Day of Silence. A person may be an active participant, or a person may simply show his or her support for the club's purposes and the purposes of the day's observance. An active participant will typically wear black and wear a special pin. A supporter may or may not wear black and wears a different but similar pin. A participant typically chooses not to speak throughout the day, however, such persons are not allowed to fail to respond to a question asked by a teacher, staff person or administrator. A supporter typically does speak (does not participate in the silence) is supportive by use of the pin.

 

5. At East, there is a voluntary end-of-the day meeting in a classroom that is called, "Breaking the Silence," where those in attendance may share their experiences, particularly whether anyone made any disrespectful or hurtful comments to individuals. Those in attendance may talk about the impact they believe they did or did not have in promoting tolerance for others and respect of all persons.

 

6. Just as with any other sanctioned club that has met the requirements for recognition, there is a club adviser, no different from any other organization. This club, like any other can do fundraising to support their various supplies, activities and goals. The adviser is paid from the unit budget of the school, the same as any other adviser.

 

I tried to be as thorough as possible, and I hope this helps with your inquiry. I appreciate your giving me a bit of time to pull together the information. (10:45am)

 

Andy 

F.A.Q. on the Day of Silence 

Links: 4th Annual Weed Out, May 3rd, Mary Knoll Park

Oh, did you think I was talking about gasoline?

Maybe this is not the all time high for milk, but I do not purchase it very often. The $4.00+ price tag surprised me.

These days, I pity the family that has lots of teenage boys to feed.

It is no secret that the stampede to bio-fuels is leading to increased food prices.

In the meantime, we have politicians, ethanol plant owners, and farmers trying to sell the public on the idea that bio-fuel are the way to go to save the planet.

The following are just a few excerpts from a great article link I found on Jay Webber's website (do I call that an Ear Tip?), Earth Daze, Courtesy of Al Gore. Do take the time to read it.

The Gore-induced rush to biofuels has diverted crops such as corn, soybeans and palm oil from food to fuel. Vast swaths of rain forest in places like Malaysia and Indonesia have been cleared to provide farmland not to feed the hungry but to fuel our cars. Our own grain belt has been increasingly diverted to ethanol over corn flakes.

This has pressured food prices while damaging the environment. In the U.S., more cultivation has increased runoff from pesticides and fertilizer, creating dead zones for aquatic life from Chesapeake Bay to the Gulf of Mexico.

"Climate-change remedies can lead to greater poverty, starvation and disease, as well as widespread ecological destruction — some of the very misfortunes that they're supposed to prevent," Goklany [Cato Institute] wrote in the New York Post. "In our haste to address global warming, we have yet to think seriously about our policies' unintended effects."

For a while it seemed no one was going to speak out that the Emperor has no clothes (a.k.a. Global Warming). Thankfully, as time goes on, more and more people are speaking out against the ridiculousness of using food for fuel and the whole concept of CO2 causing global warming. I hope it is not too late.

Check out these other editorials from Investor's Business Daily too:

The Environmentalists' Real Agenda "Once in a while the truth accidentally tumbles out on global warming activists' real agenda...ending capitalism to save the planet."

Time Bomb "Time...likens global warming to the fight against Nazism"

The Torch Has Been Passed "China is the world's No. 1 polluter...why does the U.N. want it exempted from carbon restrictions?"

The Nerve Of ABC "The mainstream media were taken aback by some of the questions asked of Barack Obama..."

The Green Zone "The president's plan to reduce carbon emissions legitimizes the environmentalist agenda of destroying the earth in order to save it...one scientist says we need more CO2 emissions, not less", 

The Chill Is On "Global warming? Don't worry about it. It's over. No longer does Al Gore have to fly around the world in private gets emitting greenhouse gases to save the world from -- greenhouse gases.", and more!

Links: 4th Annual Weed Out, May 3rd, Mary Knoll Park

Kinsey Park Clean Up and Pier

You may have thought this post was going to be about the rapidly spreading religion of Islam, but it is not.

This fastest growing religion I am referring to is the religion of Global Warming, and its most recent, prominent convert is the President of the United States.

I call Global Warming a religion, and rightly so, because in its present form, it is not science.

Religious beliefs require faith: faith in something not seen or provable.

Science is defined by Encarta as: "the system of advancing knowledge by formulating a question, collecting data about it through observation and experiment, and testing a hypothetical answer." "Science, limits itself to what can be observed, measured and verified." Scientists use the Scientific Method to "explain the events of nature in a reproducible way."  In other words, you test the theory and if it is repeatable, then the theory moves ahead to be considered true science.

Over 19,000 American scientists have signed a petition rejecting the idea that man made greenhouse gases cause Global Warming, but we don't hear much about that! The website ICECAP does an excellent job of presenting a different view of Global Warming.

At best, when scientists first observed a warming trend, Global Warming could have been called a theory. But in recent years, people have bypassed the theory adjective and jumped toward embracing Global Warming as an undebatable fact. This transition from theory to fact was done without any scientific proof. Those who promote Global Warming no longer even refer to it as a theory.

As more and more data is collected, most of the Global Warming alarmist predictions are not proving to point to the doom and gloom that the planet is warming. In fact, temperatures this past year point to something else: a cooling of the planet.  

It seems however, that no matter how much counter Global Warming evidence is presented, the faithful and most politicians are still blindly chanting the mantra that the planet is doomed to heat up unless we do something to control CO2 emissions soon. 

According to an article in the Washington Post today, our President is now chanting the mantra too--Bush prepares global warming initiative: (Emphasis added)

"This is an attempt to move the administration and the party closer to the center on global warming. With these steps, it is hoped that the debate over this is over, and it is time to do something," said an administration source close to the White House who is familiar with the planning and who said to expect an announcement this week...

...Still, Republican members of Congress who were briefed last week let top administration officials know that they think the White House if making a mistake, according to congressional sources and others familiar wit the discussions. Opponents said Mr. Bush could be setting off runaway legislation, particularly with Democrats in control of Congress." 

One of the things we are doing at present is jumping on the ethanol bandwagon to reduce our carbon footprint. In fact reducing the carbon footprint is one of the cornerstones of this new religion.

Like another religion in bygone years, this Global Warming religion also provides the opportunity to purchase Indulgences to atone for breaking the rules. In our new Global Warming religion, we call these Indulgences, Carbon Credits. 

All 3 of our Presidential candidates favor the practice of using Indulgences for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Of course, they do not call them as such, they call them, "a cap-and-trade system, such as the Europeans have. The system sets an overall limit on carbon emissions and allows polluters to buy credits from companies that stay below their carbon targets."

"..Congressional and administration sources said it's not clear whether Mr. Bush will go that far this week." So we don't know how deep President Bush's conversion is.

Brian Kennedy, spokesman for the Institute for Energy Research stated the US is already ahead of Europe:

"US taxpayers are already spending more than $40 billion a year to address climate change, and to date we're achieving better results than the Europeans... ...That should be kept in mind before any rash--or political--decisions are made inside the White House. Excessive regulations would come with significant economic consequences and additional costs for consumers." 

Considering fuel and food prices are already through the roof, our economy does not need the further encumbrance of mandates and extra fees.

Thankfully, not all politicians are being indoctrinated into the new religion, but because there is so much political pressure to jump on the bandwagon (become a believer), resisting is difficult. Our Congressman James Sensenbrenner and Illinois Congressman John Shimkus "told the White House it was making a mistake" to call for congressional action on this.

You may wish to drop Congressman Sensenbrenner an email or give him a phone call, (262) 784-1111, to encourage him in his fight against global warming initiatives. Or, tell Congressman Sensenbrenner in person. He will be hosting a Town Hall meeting on Sunday, April 27th at 1pm at the Brookfield Safety Building.

Links to counter Global Warming articles. There is still very much room for debate:

ICECAP A great source for alternative views  

2008 Climate Debate: "Over the past few years, more than 19,000 American scientists have signed a dissenting petition coauthored by Dr. Frederick Seitz, renowned physicist and former president of the National Academy of Sciences, and Dr. Arthur Robinson, president of the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine (www.oism.org/pproject)". The petition urges political leaders to "reject the Gore-supported Kyoto Protocol or other similar proposals that would mandate draconian tax and regulatory measures aimed at virtually all human economic activity"...

..."As the NIPCC (Nongovernmental International Panel of Climate Change) report, Nature, Not Human Activity, Rules the Climate, points out, the hard data from satellites and weather balloons shows the exact opposite of the predictions of the IPCC and the climate alarmist choir: a slight cooling with altitude in the troposphere and slight warming on the surface."

Hurricane expert reconsiders global warming's impact 

Weather Channel Founder: Global Warming 'Greatest Scam in History' 

Temperature Monitors Report Widescale Global Cooling

NOAA: Coolest Winter Since 2001 for US, Globe 

Recent cold snap helping Arctic sea ice, scientists find

Surprise! There's an active volcano under Antarctic ice 

Links:

Today is one of those days that reminds me of how far we have come as a nation. April 4, 1968 of course was the day Martin Luther King Jr. was gunned down. His I Have a Dream speech is still very powerful and reflects a very biblical view of what the brotherhood of mankind should be.

Some people are comparing Obama and King, but for me there is no comparison. Their approach and message is so very different.

Today, I much prefer the message of Martin Luther King Jr's niece, Dr Alveda King. She much more embodies the work of her uncle, in that she promotes judging someone on the content of their character, not the color of their skin.

In looking back to my school days, I remember my first trip to Florida in the early 60s. It was my first time in the south and I think I was in the 6th grade. When we stopped at a gas station in Georgia, I was puzzled over the 2 sets of restrooms. Mom, what does White Ladies Only mean? It seemed so odd. She explained why they had the 2 sets of bathrooms, but it still did not make much sense.

Fast forward in time to the summer of 1967. We were camping up in Rhinelander when the riots broke out in Milwaukee. I think there was a photo in the local paper up there of the National Guard and rioters in the street back home. That was rather eerie. Another picture I remember was of barricades across Lake Drive on the Shorewood (my suburb) and Milwaukee border.

My Jr. year was a bloody one. Martin Luther King Jr and Bobby Kennedy shot down. One wondered if there ever would be a brotherhood of man.

But things have improved. For whatever you may think of the Bush administration, one cannot ignore the fact that his cabinet has judged people on the content of their character and not the color of their skin. President Bush Senior appointed Justice Clarence Thomas to the highest court in our land.

When my son and I were studying American History and Civil Rights, pictures of segregated drinking fountains and lunch counters seemed just as ridiculous to him as that separate bathroom did to me as a child. 

Today, more people are involved in integrated relationships, marriages, and adoptions than ever before. One has to wonder how in time anyone will even know if someone is "white" or "black" because there will be no such thing.  We will just be mankind. "There is really only one race--the human race. The Bible teaches us that God has 'made of one blood all the nations of men.' Acts 17:26", and isn't that what Martin Luther King Jr. preached? 

We still have a long way to go but sometimes it is difficult to see any progress unless you look back and see how far we have come. The Dream Didn't Die with Martin Luther King

Links:

Or, "TYPICAL JUVENILE TACTICS BY THE PERENNIAL CANDIDATE"

It happens nearly every election, I should not be surprised. The Schellinger signs pop up overnight like an unwanted crop of mushrooms.

My husband alerted me about this early today. He voted at 7am. They were all over across from our polling place. He called Brookfield's City Hall and spoke to City Clerk Kris Schmidt.

She indicated it would be taken care of. I think a poll worker could go take the errant ones down.

I went to vote at about 11:30am. That is when I snapped the 1st photo.  5 on one corner!

My Alderman Lisa Mellone had sent this photo to me in an email with this comment:

" Attached is a typical sign violation by Tom Schellinger (multiple signs placed in yard) placed in the final hours. Ask the residents on Chester St.(across from the District 7 polling place) if they gave Tom permission to place those signs in their yards.  Not surprisingly, it was discovered from at least one who was home, that Tom did not ask for permission.  Typical juvenile tactics by the perennial candidate." (Emphasis added)

This is typical Tom Schellinger.  He pulled another stunt even more juvenile  2 years ago when he ran for 3 races at once!

Lisa Mellone sent me this update at 1:49pm from Dean Marquardt, "Tom [Beinert, code inspector] just returned from this area.  He removed signs on five parcels.  Four of the properties were Schellinger sites, he pulled eight signs on these
sites.  Two Schellinger signs were left on each property (one for alderman, one more generic). "

Poor Kris Schmidt has been inundated with these types of calls today and she has an election to run! Unless something is extremely important, I think we have to let it go. 

Everything associated with campaigns is becoming "anything goes." Even with the referendum. Last night Chanel 4 did a spot on Elmbrook's referendum at Central High School. Molly Steffan was interviewed. The whole piece was slanted to why we need to spend $62.2mil. (No mention of why the school was allowed to get to this state.)

I was interviewed too, but I got a knock on my door around supper time and had about 5min.to think. Does that seem equitable?

Renee' Lowerr is playing by the rules. She has worked very hard going door to door, speaking with area residents.

Tom Schellinger went door to door too, to some selected residents if they had a Lowerr sign in their yard, to ask why they supported Renee'. He went to other households, but did not bother to ask to post a sign.

Is it any wonder Lisa Mellone defeated him in 2006?

I hope the same happens this election. 

I had this email early this a.m.:  "Interesting note--did you notice the Schellinger signs, which have appeared around the neighborhood in the past week or so?  (Spouse) has talked to a lot of these folks, whose properties the signs are on; of the folks (spouse) was able to talk to, none of them gave permission for the signs to be placed on their properties; some did not  even know they were there. Seems like Mr. Schellinger will never learn. Or perhaps he has and knows he is not wanted in the 7th district. Go Renee!" (Emphasis added)

Tom Schellinger was a Brookfield Alderman. He knows the law; he knows better. His method takes less work though, and that sums up "Mr. Roll-a-dex" pretty well. (He will be my County Supervisor, heaven help me if I ever need anything!) 

ACADEMICS, NOT ATHLETICS AND AIR CONDITIONING!

Brookfield Academy's $12.5 mil high school, we can too

Correction: C G SCHMIDT Cost summary of Referendum

Today is the BIG MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TUESDAY--no fooling  GO VOTE! 

Elmbrook School District Referendum Links:

Frequently Asked Questions  Not to be missed!

HSST Meeting Minutes 

Cost Breakdowns of Type of Work (cost per square footage)

Architect's Conceptual High School Floorplans--East and Central

Facility "Needs" comparison of failed 2007 and present 2008 referendums

Tax Calculator  

Former 2007 Referendum Facilities Facts Sheets (Still a good read)

Have you noticed how compared to last year's referendum, where we were inundated with details, facts, and figures, that this year's specifics are rather late in coming or hard to come by?

While I did not agree with all the mailings and new kiosks full of papers last year (because it was expensive), having some of that information online was very helpful. Clear, concise information makes it easier for voters to discern if the plan had merit. This year, I find details, facts, and figures hard to come by.

There is a lot of controversy over how much is being spent on athletics. What even constitutes new athletic space? It is not the new gyms and related areas according to Dr. Gibson

Yesterday I had a pro referendum resident call me (first call so far) about my stating, "nearly $21 million dollars, over 1/3 of the total cost" was for Athletic/Physical Education portion of the referendum. The caller sent me the following information via email.

(To be fair, I have not received verification of its authenticity yet with CGSchmidt. I did send them an email with many HVAC questions, but have not had a reply--it was just sent yesterday. Foster's email was forwarded to the resident by Glen Allgaier though, and so I am confident it is accurate. FYI, I would have posted a correction yesterday but our internet/phone has been out. I am only able to be online now because my techno-child fixed me up with a cell phone connection today.) 

From Glen: 

I spoke with John Foster at CGSchmidt and the following is the explanation

"The summary of physical education costs ($20,983,755) on 17 December included both new construction ($15,799,267 million) and renovation ($5.2 million) of existing physical education spaces at the two high schools. The  $5.2 million renovation costs are associated with the HVAC ("mechanicals") upgrade being done at both schools and corresponds to the "square footage share" of the existing physical education spaces (gyms, pools, locker rooms, etc.) much of which are converted into academic space.  There are no other significant changes being made to the existing physical education spaces.  Note that the 17 December information also includes the separate breakout of mechanicals without allocating them to existing physical education space separately."

So, according to John Foster at CGSchmidt, the real cost assigned to the new physical education facilities for the referendum are $15.8 million dollars. Still over 1/4th of the total referendum costs I told the resident. I posted this in a correction on Brookfield7 yesterday and then did some errands, intending to post something like this piece later. Alas, no internet and techno-child not home either :( 

Then last night a friend called me (cell) and said there was a news brief on Brookfieldnow. Did I see it? No, no internet, I said. This is the explanation from the Community Watch:

On Friday, CG Schmidt said the $21 million figure ($20,983,755) for athletics and physical education includes that department's share of the total building's new mechanicals and other costs, such as insurance and fees for the architect, construction manager and owner's representative ($2,816,730).

CG Schmidt said if mechanicals and the other costs are removed, the total amount of money being spent on athletics and physical education is $18,167,025.

About $14 million of the $18 million will be to build new gyms... (I think this is the Dr. Gibson gym only figure.)

Note that the email from Foster states the HVAC removed from athletics adds up to $5.2mil. and new construction was nearly $15.8 mil.

"The summary of physical education costs ($20,983,755) on 17 December included both new construction ($15,799,267 million) and renovation ($5.2 million) of existing physical education spaces at the two high schools. The  $5.2 million renovation costs are associated with the HVAC ("mechanicals") upgrade being done at both schools and corresponds to the "square footage share" of the existing physical education spaces (gyms, pools, locker rooms, etc.) much of which are converted into academic space.

Is it any wonder we are all confused?

To me, there seems to be so many unknowns with this referendum*. I think we have some idea of the athletics expenses--somewhere between 1/4th and 1/3rd of the cost, depending how you look at it.

What was more startling to me was the HVAC portion of the existing gym related areas. $5.2 million? WOW, that is a lot of loot.

If the gym areas are $5.2 million, how much to replace the whole system and air condition both schools? I emailed Andy Smith, Tom Gehl, and Glen Allgier that question.

Stay tuned for: Double, Double Toil and Trouble; $26mil's a lot to make boilers chill & bubble

Maybe the slogan for this referendum should be: ACADEMICS, NOT AIR CONDITIONING AND ATHLETICS!

*Normally, I would have sat on this until I received confirmation, but in light of the April 1st election, I thought you should know. If I hear otherwise, I will post correction.
 

Correction: C G SCHMIDT Cost summary of Referendum

Elmbrook School District Referendum Links:

Frequently Asked Questions  Not to be missed!

HSST Meeting Minutes 

Cost Breakdowns of Type of Work (cost per square footage)

Architect's Conceptual High School Floorplans--East and Central

Facility "Needs" comparison of failed 2007 and present 2008 referendums

Key Academic Benefits: click on that subject heading.

Tour Schedule  

Tax Calculator  

Elmbrook asks for smaller expansion--JSOnline (Also includes links to past articles)

Still no link to the 2008 Election Edition of the Link. Hope you got your copy.

Former 2007 Referendum Facilities Facts Sheets (Still a good read)

The countdown continues: Just 3 days until MILLIONS OF DOLLARS Tuesday!

Email me your thoughts on the $62.2 million dollar referendum.

Links: Brookfield7, Betterbrookfield,  Vicki Mckenna