The VENT

It appears the discussions about the disappearance of Polar Bear habitat are premature.  Information posted on
smalldeadanimals.com .
 

I am now posting Essays, some past, one new, in the right hand column under ‘Pages’.   My first ‘The Vent’ original, “The Moral Hazard of Being Sub Prime”, is put into context with the following ‘Lending Tree’ commercial from not too long ago.

There are indications that the Mackenzie Gas Project is still alive despite its web site (www.mackenziegasproject.com) being dormant.  Posted the blog with lots of information on this and other pipeline projects on my blogroll ’Oil and Gas Blog’
(http://petroleumventures.blogspot.com/).  I wonder what gas price forecasts they are using?

This doesn’t tell you how long it takes to sell a house.  If Dallas is dropping, then its worse than everyone expected.  I’m glad I’m out and won’t be in a panic to buy the OSB for the garage.
http://www.reportonbusiness.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071226.
whomeprices1226/BNStory/robNews/home

You can also find a review of Greenspan’s ‘The Age of Turbulence’ at
http://www.itsonlysteam.com/reviews/ageofgreenspan.html .  Another asset bubble created by the central bank to protect us from the reality of an asset backed currency.  Regulated inflation, the tonic for populist zeitgeist … or so according to Alan Greenspan

In today’s Edmonton Sun there is outrage about a CN official saying the lake is healthier today than it was before the oil spill when a train derailed and spill petroleum products into the lake
(http://www.hazcoenv.com/site_remediation/documents/Wabamun-CNRail.pdf).  And in the Peace region and Alberta there is an ongoing debate about the construction of a Nuclear Power Plant near Lac Cardinal.  Just as a note I like the Lake Wabamum area and hope to get into the overbooked RV park there
(http://www.geocities.com/kokaneespringsrvpark/) some day and at the same time support the construction of a Nuclear Power Plant.

 The interesting part is the misinformation about Power Generation and the land use associated with them.  I have heard some people mention that maybe the Nuclear Power Plant would use Lac Cardinal as a cooling pond and thus ‘clean it up’ so that it would have some recreational value, not just ‘wetlands’ value (not an entirely politically correct opinion).  Then there are those who think the water use from the power plant would suck the lake dry and open it up to Nuclear Contamination.  I’m afraid both camps visions of what Power Plants do are incorrect.

I went on http://ets.aeso.ca/ and looked up the current ‘Supply and Demand’ page showing the province of Alberta’s Generation, then I went on Google Earth (which is readily available http://earth.google.com) and found the Coal Generation around Lake Wabamum (15 km circle around 114 degrees 27′ West and 53 degrees 26′ North … they are all in high resolution on the free version).  With these two pieces of information you can see that …
1) Power Plants no longer use natural water bodies as cooling ponds (only the older Wabamum Plant on the North Side of the lake used the lake), and …
2) The lake with 4 large ‘coal fired’ Power Plants surrounding it (4.2 GW worth) is in high demand recreationally with the number of cabins with docks around it.  36% of Alberta’s Power Generation is around Lake Wabamum and 73% of its Coal Generation is there.

So, all I can conclude about the future of Lac Cardinal if the Nuclear Plant is built is that it will remain a shallow lake with ducks and bloodsuckers.  The influx of money however will undoubtedly cause people to build waterfront properties there just as it did on Lake Wabamum which is similar ecologically.  Lac Cardinal will just lack the number of smoke stacks
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Elizabeth_Provincial_Park).

I’m really turning this blog into Climate Change central.  I am optimistic that this diversion will yield some positive results (efficiency) as long as we stay clear of the alarmists who I don’t think are conspirators … Thom … but I do believe there is a fringe of the ’global warming’ club that is opportunistic.  Turned out Ozone depletion was real, a mechanism (chemical reaction) was found and a solution implemented, so that was abandoned for a fuzzier, complex situation that could be framed and presented at will.  Anyway, Thom in one post get’s it wrong on ‘melting ice’ and right in terms of the ‘war’ at
http://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace/index.php?a=220.

I will probably never convince people like Thom that I’ve played with computer models and methods, I understand how they can take data whose inter-relationship is not understood and that the statistical analysis inherent in them can be used with some success to predict future outcomes within certain defined boundaries (like control industrial processes) … if the model is regularily tuned or adjusted.  The thought of taking this type of analysis and applying it to the atmosphere and then reaching ‘rigid’ unchanging conclusions is incredible to say the least.  I still have trouble believing its happening, but the more I read the more I’m convinced it is that simple.  Fortunately, the waning of the last sun spot cycle may put a dent in the orthodoxy and maybe within my life time and not my kid’s … we’ll see Thom Yorke say … “Remember that Global Warming Thing?”  Till then look up ‘neural networks’ and ‘factor analysis’ in www.wikipedia.org for fun.  I prefered linear methods.

I guess I’ll carry on ripping the 2nd CD of my Radiohead ’In Rainbows’ box set.

This video is still relavent given that the assertions made in Rio 15 years ago are just being repeated and the issues raised here have never been answered.

 

For all those BMW laden Calgary kudzoo growths out there … 12 $ natural gas is gone.  Whining about Alberta royalties that are actually less until you get to 8$’s is’nt going to help, just sell the lot on the Okanogan.  For the million dollar welders out there you should watch http://www.gasalberta.com  before you tie too much money up in SIV’s or other tranche laden debt vehicles.  Look under the tab … pricing

My review of the 2005 Toyota Prius is up on my web site
http://www.itsonlysteam.com/valve.html .  Great car, its just not a value proposition for Canadians.  To put it bluntly, you’d have to be ‘green stupid’ to buy one at a Canadian Toyota Dealership.

A former Climate Change Scientist explains how the UN committee is cutting off the information stream at 2006 because the latest information shows CO2 accumulation in the atmosphere has nothing to do with the present warming trend.  Finally, very soon the warming trend may disappear as well.  His says … and I quote, “Gratuitous advice for those whose jobs depend on the idea that carbon emissions cause global warming: Find another job to pay your mortgage and feed your kids!”.  Find it at
http://www.mises.org/story/2795 .