Muenchhausen

MUENCHHAUSEN, Dec. 21, 2011

2011-12-21T17:00:00.002-05:00

Winter Solstice, Dec. 21, 2011

UNESCO PRESS CONFERENCE
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) gave a conference at the National Press Club (NPC, Washington, DC) to discuss the cutoff of funds imposed on it by the US, to the tune of $80 million (1). Among UNESCO environmental programs that will suffer almost immediately are those devoted to expanding the supply of clean, safe drinking water worldwide, as well as numerous other water protection problems. The US was showing its disapproval of the accession of Palestine to full membership in UNESCO; Palestine was admitted by an overwhelming majority.

The US and Israel, perhaps, did have a legitimate "gripe". Apparently UNESCO designated such major Jewish historical sites, such as the Cave of Machpelah, where the Patriarchs and three of the Matriarchs are buried, as "mosques", thereby designating any Jewish claims to their historical significance as invalid. Other sites in Israel and the Palestine territories were so designated. Thus, UNESCO is considered as being party to the effort to delegitimize the existence of Israel in its totality. However, according to UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, Israel itself did not stop paying its annual dues to UNESCO. If this is true, that makes for a puzzling situation. Bokova warned the NPC conference that the US could soon lose its influence and input at UNESCO if its attitude continues. Some question, however, the extent of US influence until now, especially given that the US had once pulled out previously, but had since rejoined.

Stay tuned!

UNESCO leader Bokova. Lamented US fund cutoff.

LEVIATHAN
In Biblical lore, Leviathan was the sea monster that swallowed Jonah because Jonah tried to shirk his Divinely ordained mission of warning the Assyrians of his time to clean up their act in 40 days, or see their capital (Nineveh) and kingdom destroyed. The story of Jonah is recited every Yom Kippur afternoon (2, 3).

"How is it in there, Jonah!?" "VERY DARK!!"

In modern lore, Leviathan is the name of a large natural gas field, estimated to hold 18 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas, to which the state of Israel lays claim. In addition, there are smaller, but still substantial fields in the Levantine Basin of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, such as Tamar (perhaps 9 TCF), also claimed by Israel. Other such fields lie in zones claimed by Cyprus and Egypt.

Latter-day Leviathan: Perhaps 18 million TCF.

Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, currently the foreign minister of Cyprus, told an NPC press conference Dec. 21 that Israel already begins to produce gas from some of its wells and that Cyprus is soon to receive results of tests of quantity and quality of hydrocarbons from its exclusive economic zone (4). She also spoke of prospects for cooperation on hydrocarbon field development in cooperation with Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey, all of whom have staked claims on the Levantine Basin hydrocarbon prospects, estimated to contain a total of 400 TCF of gas and perhaps 2 billion barrels of crude oil.

TGB could not refrain from asking Kozakou-Marcoullis whether, given the--uh--rather checkered geopolitical situation in the Eastern Mediterranean region, countries such as Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey would object to Israel's inclusion in such a cooperative hydrocarbon field development. She reminded TGB that Egypt has diplomatic relations with Israel, so there should be no objection from that side. She did acknowledge, however, that Lebanon could object strenuously (but might eventually seek a way to come on board, given the economic benefits to be gained). She also noted that Turkey might well object and that indeed, Turkey is laying competing claims to some of the fields (particularly Cyprus's), and is even conducting naval and air force exercises around those fields. TGB had suggested to Mrs. TGB even previously that Turkey might try to "muscle in" on those enterprises. Kozakou-Marcoullis had met with US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton December 20 to discuss these and other matters of mutual concern.

As for Egypt, as Kozakou-Marcoullis observed, there currently are diplomatic relations with Israel. Yet there are numerous acts of sabotage on the pipeline that carries natural gas from Egypt to Israel (and Jordan), and TGB must ask, "What happens if and when a government such as the Muslim Brotherhood takes over Egypt?" TGB would guess that diplomatic relations would be broken and the gas supply cut off. To be sure, this is a worst-case scenario.

Again, stay tuned!

Kozakou-Marcoullis (l) and Secretary Clinton: Discussing East Mediterranean interests.

REFERENCES:
1. Bokova, I. Conference at National Press Club, Washington, DC, Dec. 15, 2011.
2. Holy Bible, Book of Jonah, various editions.
3. Hebrew prayer book, Machtzor shel Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, verious editions.
4. Kozakou-Marcoullis, E. Conference at National Press Club, Washington, DC, Dec. 21, 2011.

MUENCHHAUSEN, Dec. 7, 2011

2011-12-07T16:44:00.002-05:00

MUENCHHAUSEN
AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ABOUT ENVIRONMENT,
RENEWABLE RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY,
AND RELATED TOPICS
By BOOTSTRAP PRESS, INC.
BETHESDA, MD
JJGREENBARON(at)VERIZON.NET
===============================================================
DECEMBER 7, 2011
===============================================================
WELCOME!
The Green Baron (TGB) welcomes one and all who take the time to read Muenchhausen. He aims to “tell it like it is” as much as possible, and avoid advocacy and ideological positions. There are enough of those to go around in other publications.

The Green Baron also welcomes comments from anyone who may read Muenchhausen. Please send comments to the e-mail address above.

70th ANNIVERSARY
December 7, 2011 is the 70th Anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, HI, that forced the USA to enter World War II. The United States Congress formally declared war on Japan on the morning of December 8, with the Senate voting unanimously and with one vote against, by Jeannette Rankin (D-MT) in the House of Representatives. She was defeated for reelection in November 1942 (can't imagine why, ha, ha!). The European Axis powers, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, declared war on the United States on December 11, 1941. This may have been a mistake on their part, but presumably they were bound by the Tripartite Agreement they had signed with Japan in 1940.

"The date that live in infamy!"
December 7, 1941, also is said to be the 70th Anniversary of the day the first trainload of prisoners of the Nazis, almost entirely Jews, was transported to the concentration camp at Chelmno, Poland, for extermination. The big gas chambers were not yet available for this purpose, so the prisoners were sealed into vans and killed with the vehicles' exhaust gases.

EVEN SAUDI OIL IS FINITE
What happens if and when Saudi Arabian oil production begins to decline substantially or, through some astonishing technological breakthrough, an economically viable replacement for oil and perhaps other fossil fuels comes into use? On Nov. 15, TGB was able to pose just that question to H.R.H. Prince Turki 'al-Faisal 'al Sa'ud of Saudi Arabia. He told TGB, "In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, even if oil is depleted, our main resource is people. We also have other mineral wealth and resources. We already are planning for the time that oil plays out (1).

Prince Turki: Plans against oil decline

"In 2010, we established the King Abdullah Center for Alternative Energy. We need to develop alternative energy for one reason: Our internal consumption of oil is going up. We also plan to install extensive solar energy arrays ans a seawater desalination plant." TGB: "Ahem! The Saudis can get superlative technical help for such ventures right next door, in Israel. But oh dear, we couldn't have that, now could we!?"

MEANWHILE, MEXICO. . .
seems to plan to stay with oil production for a while longer. TGB reads in various publications that Mexican oil production has peaked and is headed for decline. Thus, Enrique Peña Nieto, who plans to run for the presidency of Mexico as the PRI candidate in 2012, told TGB that Mexico will plan new ways to invest in and work on generating energy, most likely with new technologies that can revive oil fields currently declining. To encourage such economic activity, Peña Nieto even speaks of--gasp!!!--inviting foreign investors and firms to benefit from Mexican hydrocarbon extraction and sales--again, gasp!!!--participating along with PEMEX, currently the Mexican hydrocarbon monopoly. He gave no time frame for these activities. Peña Nieto did tell TGB, however, that Mexico will, in the future, look to alternative sources of energy, as well (2).

Peña Nieto: May invite foreign firms in

COP17
The 17th UN climate conference, known as COP17, will soon end in Durban, South Africa (nice place to be in December!). The principal objective of COP17 was to open the way for implementation of the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol of December 1997, which, supposedly, is to expire in 2012, unless renewed. News reports have it that Canada may opt out of the Kyoto Protocol and its successors (TGB would expect that if the Conservatives lose Canada's next general election, such a move would be reversed). Meanwhile, Su Wei, China's head negotiator at COP 17, charged that the European Union conferees were trying to move the goalposts and to make "unfair" demands on developing countries to curb carbon emissions. He also suggested that there should be agreement on a second phase of Kyoto, but that developing countries should not be bound to emission reductions by treaty (3).

TGB recalls hearing of a Chinese cabinet minister, pinned down in discussions of this topic, saying that his country will indeed work on environmental protection, but only after certain development goals are met.

Durban, South Africa. Must be nice there in December!

REFERENCES:

1. Press conference with H.R.H. Prince Turki 'al-Faisal 'al-Sa'ud of Saudi Arabia, National Press Club, Washington, DC, Nov. 15, 2011.

2. Press conference with Enrique Peña Nieto, possible candidate for presidency of Mexico, National Press Club, Washington, DC, Nov. 15, 2011.

3. Clark, P. "Divisions deepen at UN talks on climate". Financial Times, Nov. 30, 2011, p. 6

MUENCHHAUSEN, Nov. 3, 2011

2011-11-03T09:39:00.003-04:00

MUENCHHAUSEN
AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ABOUT ENVIRONMENT,
RENEWABLE RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY,
AND RELATED TOPICS
By BOOTSTRAP PRESS, INC.
BETHESDA, MD
JJGREENBARON(at)VERIZON.NET
===============================================================
NOVEMBER 3, 2011
===============================================================
WELCOME!
The Green Baron (TGB) welcomes one and all who take the time to read Muenchhausen. He aims to “tell it like it is” as much as possible, and avoid advocacy and ideological positions. There are enough of those to go around in other publications. The Green Baron also welcomes comments from anyone who may read Muenchhausen. Please send comments to the e-mail address above.

GREEN TECH DEFAULT--AGAIN?
Stephentown, NY is a village to the east of Albany, along New York State Route 43, and not fro from the Massachusetts state line. There, a Massachusetts-based company, Beacon Energy (Tyngsboro), obtained a loan guarantee from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to the tune of $43 million to construct an energy storage plant. The storage would be based on the principle of storing energy on an advanced type of flywheel. This flywheel would store electrical energy until is is needed on the electric grid (1). Unlike Solyndra, the California firm that received a DOE-guaranteed loan of $535 million, Beacon is said to have some long-term contracts that could generate revenue that in turn could be used to pay back some or all of the loans, even if Beacon did declare bankruptcy. Bear in mind that the US government is the first-in-line creditor.

The Beacon plant reputedly can store about 20 megawatts (MW) of power at ant given time. This is about 2% of the output of a nuclear reactor. Essentially, the flywheel works by suspending a large carbon cylinder between two magnets in a vacuum-sealed tube. When the grid has excess power, the devices are spun. They require some electricity to get them spinning and, thanks to the magnets and vacuum, remain in motion with relatively little energy loss (although, if TGB may be forgiven some facetiousness it does not come near to being the Holy Grail of perpetual motion). When the grid needs extra power, the spinning cylinders are used to generate it.

Although flywheels have long been discussed and tried as means to store energy, it is only recently that advanced flywheel systems have come into at least experimental use. Hopefully, they will develop into a plausible means of storing energy, particularly from renewable sources such as wind ans solar, which are diffuse, hard to concentrate (with current technology), and often intermittent (depending on location).

In the case of Beacon, the firm could possibly generate sufficient revenue to repay the federally guaranteed loan. However, even if DOE (and the lenders involved) ultimately are saved harmless or nearly so, one can expect substantial increases in opposition to future federal guarantees for loans related to so-called green energy or green technology.

The corporate headquarters of Beacon Power are located in Tyngsboro, MA, which is just off US Route 3, the old road that leads from around Cambridge, MA to Nashua, NH, and beyond. They are not very far from the Merrimac River.

Flywheel system schematic (2).

BOSNIA

"We are well aware of our environmental problems and they are large, Prime Minister Nikola Spirić of Bosnia-Hercegovina, a part of the former nation of Yugoslavia, told TGB during a press conference at the National Press Club, Washington, DC, Sept. 26, 2011. Bosnia is blessed with resources for hydroelectric power, Spirić noted, "but we currently use only 13% of it. Still, we are one of the smaller emitters of carbon dioxide." He added that he expects large projects, including those of environmental protection to be implemented eventually, "but first, we need institutionalized building of our country. Bear in mind," said Spirić, "that we are still bearing the costs of many years of turmoil," referring to the Bosnian conflicts of the 1990s.

Bosnia highlands. Potentially rich in hydroelectric power.

THE KALON TRIPA
In the Tibetan language, "Kalon Tripa" means Prime Minister, and TGB was privileged to attend a press conference and question-and-answer session by Kalon Tripa Lobsang Sangay of the government-in-exile of Tibet, currently headquartered in Dharamsala, India. It is only recently that Tibetan governance came to be by a Prime Minister and cabinet; previously, the Dalai Lama was the supreme ruler. But the current, or Fourteenth Dalai Lama devolved temporal power to the elected Prime Minister--in this case, Sangay--and holds on to spiritual leadership.

Perhaps not saying it in so many words, Sangay gave a principal reason why the People's Republic of China (PRC) is so anxious to hold onto Tibet, in addition to its normal view of not giving any non-Han Chinese peoples some sort of autonomy within its realm. (Note that Hong Kong and Macao, although now parts of the PRC, are recognized as self-governing within the PRC. Taiwan might also attain that status, if and when--more likely when--the PRC takes over Taiwan.) Bear in mind that local people in Xinjiang and Tibet are not Han Chinese. Most in Xinjiang are Uighurs, a Turkic ethnicity; indeed, Xinjiang sometimes is known as Chinese Turkestan. Tibetans, in the PRC's view, hold the same "inferior" status.

Ethnicity, however, is not the only reason why the PRC wants to retain Tibet and is populating it with Han Chinese as rapidly as possible. Tibet, apparently possesses considerable mineral wealth. Moreover, Tibet is rich in water resources; many of the great rivers of China, and especially Southeast Asia and India rise on Tibetan territory. Sangay told the press conference, held at the National Press Club Nov. 2, that the PRC is now building railroads into Tibet and moving heavy equipment in for large-scale industrial and residential development. Environmental degradation does not seem to be an object.

Tibetan PM Lobsang Sangay. Chinese development in Tibet proceeding apace.

AMANITA SPP.
One should never, repeat, never harvest wild mushrooms unless one is truly expert in the field, knows what he/she is doing, and still has a comprehensive mushroom field book on his/her person.

A cautionary tale: After a series of heavy rains in September 2011, several people, including two men in Northern Virginia, were severely poisoned after eating mushrooms that proliferated in their backyards. These mushrooms were highly toxic, as are all species of the genus Amanita, save one, which is A. caesaria or Caesar's amanita. And even that one nonpoisonous species so closely resembles the "bad guys" that only the topmost expert in mushrooms should even consider seeking it, and even that person should think twice before harvesting it. In any event, the men had to be rushed to Georgetown University Hospital.

Mushrooms such as toxic Amanita spp.contain a poison that essentially destroys the liver, thus killing the patient. But, as Paracelsus (3) put it, "It is the dose that makes the poison." A small dose of Amanita toxin might not kill the patient outright, but should almost certainly weaken his/her liver. Some severely poisoned patients have been known to be rescued through liver transplants, but that procedure is very expensive, assuming that it works in the first place.

However, in this case, the two men seemed to have been cured by substantial doses of a drug made from a liver-aiding dietary supplement known as milk thistle (4). Others in a similar situation might not be so lucky, and bear in mind that the formulation of this supplement-drug was experimental. Moral: Leave mushroom hunting to the acknowledged expert, and even then, be extra cautious.

Amanita viroides, the Destroying Angel. Better buy mushrooms at the gourmet shop!

REFERENCES:
1. Hargreaves, S. http://money.cnn.com/2011/10/31/technology/beacon_loan/?source=cnn_bin
2. University of Vermont. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.dg.history.vt.edu/images/image2_41.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.dg.history.vt.edu/ch2/storage.html&h=917&w=1700&sz=38&tbnid=v2ocVPA0XgEMCM:&tbnh=61&tbnw=114&zoom=1&docid=Ym51jmoHFT9p2M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-l6wTqX7MeLt0gHPupWxAw&ved=0CIgBEPUBMAc&dur=1
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracelsus.
4. Stephens, J. The Washington Post, Sept. 24, 2011.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/two-men-who-ate-poisonous-mushrooms-survive/2011/09/24/gIQAa1bHuK_story.html.

MUENCHHAUSEN, Oct. 21, 2011

2011-10-21T19:29:00.003-04:00

Solar module made by Solyndra. It uses copper indium gallium diselenide thin-film technology (2). Though not a rare earth, indium, for example, is not abundant in nature.

TGB could go on for many paragraphs on the Solyndra caper, and perhaps on many similar capers to come, and yes, he confidently expects them. He would hope that to go the "green"-renewables path in energy, science and engineering research efforts emphasize the development of economically viable accumulation, concentration, storage, and distribution methods for such energy, which, though abundant, is highly diffuse. There likely is such research going on, but not nearly enough to meet the needs of an industrially developed society.

As one can surmise, TGB often harps on the subjects of economically viable accumulation, concentration, storage, and distribution of renewable energy. He will continue to do so ad infinitum. Without clearance of these hurdles, the wide use of renewable energy and the abandonment of fossil and perhaps nuclear energy remains a will-o'-the-wisp.

"CLASS WARFARE"
In mentioning "class warfare", TGB cites the "Occupy Wall Street" (OSW) and parallel demonstrations nationwide and even worldwide. These demonstrations and encampments are said to have arisen spontaneously as gestures of resentment against the American and world financial establishment, whatever that may be. TGB, however, looks at "spontaneously" with a jaundiced eye for, as the old maxim has it, "ex nihilo nihil fit" ("from nothing comes nothing"). He rather thinks the movement was quite adeptly organized and is, or shall be, quite well funded. True, there is a whole potpourri of causes, but as one acquaintance of TGB--one he dislikes, by the way--has it, the marginal causes will fade away and the movement will blossom into a revolutionary cadre (one must give credit where credit is due, even if doing so be repellent). TGB also surmises that once the OSW and parallel movements integrate, coordinate, and solidify, methodical violence will begin to occur.

Among the many demands of the OSW and similar movements is environmental protection and all that it entails, which is where TGB comes in here. Most of the movement's adherents likely have little or no idea of how to go about tackling such a broad issue, but they demand that it be done. TGB would like to see a demonstrator come up with a scientifically and engineering-wise valid proposal. So far, he has seen or heard none.

What TGB has learned from various sources is that senior members of the current administration have expressed sympathy with the OSW movement. (TGB takes no personal political stand on this matter.) This may cast doubt on the notion that the movement and its rallies are entirely spontaneous. Indeed, some commentators suggest--most likely and hopefully far-fetched--that either a political revolution is under way, or that conditions are being created with the aim of a declaration of national emergency and ultimately a suspension of civil liberties and constitutional guarantees. In principle, that would amount to what in other countries would be characterized as a "palace coup". The foregoing does not necessarily reflect TGB's views. He can but chronicle what might be occurring before our very eyes.

OSW demonstrators on Brooklyn Bridge, New York, NY. About 700 were arrested. Ex nihilo nihil fit.

Actually, this type of movement, in the US and abroad, was predicted as long ago as the 15th century by Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (3). The chapter in The Prince that describes such a situation carries the title, "On Liberality Versus Miserliness" (3).

Niccolò Machiavelli. Portrait by Santi di Tito (4). He saw OSW perhaps 500 years ago.

REFERENCES:

1. Wesoff, E. Solyndra’s Loan Guarantee Was 3.4% of the DOE Solar Portfolio.
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/solyndras-loan-guarantee-was-3.4-of-the-doe-solar-
2. http://www.solyndra.com/technology-products/cylindrical-module/.
3. Machiavelli, N. The Prince. New American Library, New York, 1952, p. 86.
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_Machiavelli

MUENCHHAUSEN, Sept. 22, 2011

2011-09-22T16:27:00.000-04:00

The Caspian Sea is very rich in oil and natural gas resources, especiallyaround the Republic of Azerbaijan. So is the Black Sea, particularly in itsnortheastern regions, off parts of European Russia and the Republic of Georgia.At a conference on the South Caucasus region, TGB asked Mamuka Tsereteli ofAmerican University (Washington, DC) and Reshad Karimov, of the Center forStrategic Studies of Azerbaijan (Baku, Azerbaijan), what, if any action isbeing taken to combat and clean up any pollution in those water bodies. TGBnoted that especially for such enclosed waters, "The notion that thesolution to pollution is dilution is hardly workable anywhere, but especiallyin these landlocked seas."

Tsereteli and Karimov explained to TGB that their respective countries, andothers bordering on those waters are concerned about increased pollutionpotential and the need for pollution abatement and prevention, and thatrecently, nations concerned sent representatives to a meeting in the Georgianport of Batumi, on the Black Sea, to consider these environmental matters andtry to develop a plan for countermeasures (2). For now, however, TGB hasthe impression that progress in that direction will be getting off to a slowstart. Given the nature of oil and gas exploration, drilling, and extraction,however, eventually some accident or pollution must occur, even with the mostmodern equipment and protective and cleanup measures. Perhaps the only savinggrace is that there are fairly long warm seasons in the Black and Caspian Searegions.

TGB could not delve into the above topics very much because the main thrustof the conference (2) was the frozen conflicts in the South Caucasus andnearby regions. Examples of frozen conflicts include Nagorno-Karabakh (Armeniavs. Azerbaijan), South Ossetia and Abkhazia (Georgia vs. Russia), and NorthernCyprus (Cyprus vs. Turkey).

Caspian Sea oil wells, Azerbaijan.Where might pollutants go?

Port of Batumi, Georgia, oilterminus. Marine environment was discussed there.

PIPELINE PROTESTS IN DC

The Keystone XL Pipeline is a planned megaproject whose function would be tocarry oil beneficiated from the tar sands (oil sands) of northern Alberta toMidwestern states of the United States, and ultimately as far as Texas. Largeprotests against the Keystone XL Pipeline were held in Washington, DC, inLafayette Square Park, and in front of the White House. Upwards of 100 arrests weremade, including those of prominent persons such as actress Darryl Hannah andNASA official James Hansen. Hansen is a highly outspoken advocate ofenvironmental action to mitigate and ward off effects of climate change, inthis case interpreted as "global warming" caused by human economicand industrial activity. Currently, it appears that US authorities will lookfavorably upon permitting the project to enter and cross US territory. TGB isguessing, however, that there will be batteries of lawsuits aimed at delayingthe project(s) perhaps until these become too costly to build and (ideally)viable alternatives to fossil fuels are found.

Map of Keystone XL and relatedexisting and planned pipelines. A subject of vehement protests.

HISTORICAL INVASIVES
Just a brief look into history, given the large amount of invasive plant andanimal species that have come to plague the United States.

Ever hear of Lymantria dispar? You haven't? Yes, you have, only notby that name, unless you are into entomology. L. dispar is the peskygypsy moth, also known as the Asian gypsy moth. The gypsy moth is, to put itmost colloquially, hell on many hardwood trees; actually, its caterpillars orlarvae are the guilty parties.

The gypsy moth was first introduced into the US in 1868 by one LéopoldTrouvelot, a French scientist living in Medford, MA, now a part of GreaterBoston. Because native silk-spinning caterpillars were disease-prone, Trouvelotimported some gypsy moth eggs from Asia to try to develop a disease-resistant silk-spinningcaterpillar. Some of the imported moths escaped out a window, found suitablehabitat with few or no natural enemies, and began to multiply rapidly.Ultimately they became a bane of hardwood trees, especially in the Eastern US.In time, mice, shrews, and Calosoma beetles have come to develop a tastefor these invaders, but apparently do not make much of a dent in theirpopulation.

Voracious gypsy moth larva (3).

Another infamous case, and there are many, was the introduction, circa1904, of the chestnut blight fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica. Onceintroduced, also apparently from Asia, it decimated most of the famed andmajestic forest stands of the American chestnut, Castanea dentata, untilby as early as 1911, most of those forests were history (4). It is saidthat in autumn, ripe chestnuts used to "rain" from their trees, andwere there for the taking from the ground. They were regarded as a delicacyworldwide. The tree also is referred to in the beginning of a classicalAmerican poem (5).

Yet another mass invader was the sea lamprey, which almost wiped out the GreatLakes trout fishery. This fish could migrate from the Atlantic Ocean to theGreat Lakes once the St. Lawrence Seaway megaproject was completed. Then, thelamprey no longer encountered barriers in the St. Lawrence River. The sealamprey is a parasitic fish. Perhaps in the future, TGB might delve into thisstory a bit more, but for the meanwhile, let us ascribe the lamprey invasion toa project's Law of Unintended Consequences.

REFERENCES:
1. University of Michigan. http://michigantoday.umich.edu/95/Dec95/fo08bd95.gif

2. Tsereteli, M.; Karimov, R. At "25 Years of Independence in the SouthCaucasus: Achievements and Challenges": Conter for Strategic andInternational Studies, Washington, DC, Sept. 15, 2011.
3. State of Wisconsin, Dept. of Natural Resources,http://dnr.wi.gov/forestry/fh/gm/.
4. The Green Baron. Muenchhausen, Feb. 23, 2010, toward bottom.
http://muenchhausen.blogspot.com/search?q=chestnut
5. Longfellow, H.W. The Village Blacksmith.

MUENCHHAUSEN, Sept. 2, 2011

2011-09-02T17:17:00.000-04:00

MUENCHHAUSEN

AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ABOUT ENVIRONMENT,

RENEWABLE RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY,

AND RELATED TOPICS

By BOOTSTRAP PRESS, INC.

BETHESDA, MD

JJGREENBARON(at)VERIZON.NET

===============================================================

SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

===============================================================

WELCOME!

The Green Baron (TGB) welcomes one and all who take the time to read Muenchhausen. He aims to “tell it like it is” as much as possible, and avoid advocacy and ideological positions. There are enough of those to go around in other publications.

The Green Baron also welcomes comments from anyone who may read Muenchhausen. Please send comments to the e-mail address above.

JAPANESE PM LOSES JOB
On Aug. 26, 2011, Naoto Kan, Prime Minister (PM) of Japan, resigned, and his party the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) elected his finance miister,Yoshihiko Noda, to the exalted post of Prime Minister. After the catastrophic events of March 11, 2011, in northern Japan--a great earthquake and towering tsunami that wiped out many towns and farms and essentially wrecked the nuclear power plants in Fukushima-ken--now-former Prime Minister Kan rapidly lost popularity. His continued stay in office had become increasingly untenable, and so he had to leave. Emperor Akihito of Japan formally accepted the election of Noda as Prime Minister, effective Sept. 2, 2011. Noda has claimed not to be opposed to a nuclear-powered Japan. By contrast, Kan had said--perhaps to try to boost his sagging popularity--that Japan essentially should look to abandoning nuclear power. This declaration perhaps was--please excuse the use of a hackneyed cliché--a day late and a dollar short. Perhaps it could be said that the earthquake and tsunami of March 11 at least indirectly cost PM Naoto Kan his job.

Yoshihiko Noda: Not abandoning nuclear power?

GREEN JOBS: WILL O' THE WISP?

Much has been said lately about so-called "green jobs". Please do not misconstrue TGB: In principle, he is in favor of such efforts if they will produce beneficial results, which, again in principle, and TGB once more emphasizes "in principle", they might one day. The long-term incentives for trying to create such jobs certainly are there. These include a cleaner environment, less dependence on fossil fuel from friendly as well as unfriendly countries, and a whole host of other potential benefits. Again, to repeat a cliché from as far back as the early 1970s: Using fossil fuels is equivalent to living on the principal of one's invested capital, whereas using renewable energy is tantamount to living on the income that this capital, not drawn down, generates. Currently, however, humanity has no firm knowledge of how, in an economically viable manner, to accumulate, concentrate, store, and distribute energy from renewable sources.

It is possible for small local communities to subsist on renewable resources; for example, some villages in US desert regions, or in many parts of the Middle East and tropics, could meet their energy needs in this manner. But these systems would work only on a small scale. In these instances, and in such limited areas, "green jobs" could offer employment. With wind energy, TGB saw for himself the provision of essentially all the power a community in Denmark, on the Island of Samsø, needs. Nevertheless, the system requires a whole panoply of wind turbines, and sometimes these turbines do provide 100% of Samsø's electricity needs, so the Samsø municipality must purchase power from other parts of Denmark, and even from Sweden and Norway. To be fair, at other times, Samsø's wind turbines generate power in excess of the community's needs, and this power may be sold in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Danish Prof. Søren Hermansen, who is the main person behind the construction and operation of the Samsø wind energy installation, did create "green jobs" through this enterprise (1).

Nonetheless, when it comes to "green jobs" on a broad nationwide or worldwide scale, it seems to TGB that the engineering and technology for such projects is not "there" yet. The large-scale "green jobs" of which we hear so much may well be regarded as a will o' the wisp at this juncture. TGB hopes this will not long be the case. He cannot, however, predict the path "green energy" development will take. Scientists and engineers need to overcome the accumulation-concentration-storage-distribution problems that currently are posed. In other words, we need to surmount the basic problem of renewable-energy diffusivity.

Renewable energy: Maybe Don Quixote will subdue the windmill one day!

REFERENCES:

1. The Green Baron. Muenchhausen. http://muenchhausen.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html

MUENCHHAUSEN, Aug. 11, 2011

2011-08-11T17:20:00.002-04:00

MUENCHHAUSEN

AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ABOUT ENVIRONMENT,

RENEWABLE RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY,

AND RELATED TOPICS

By BOOTSTRAP PRESS, INC.

BETHESDA, MD

JJGREENBARON(at)VERIZON.NET

WELCOME!

The Green Baron also welcomes comments from anyone who may read Muenchhausen. Please send comments to the e-mail address above.

NUCLEAR PROSPECTS
On July 18, 2011, TGB had the privilege of meeting personally Gregory Jaczko, the chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), at the National Press Club (NPC). Jaczko expressed cautious optimism for the future of nuclear power, despite the catastrophic events in northern Japan of March 11, 2011. TGB, perhaps is not quite so optimistic. He was planning to address this topic further, and will do so now.

Yes, TGB will, for the nonce, remain with his current evaluation that the prospects for the expansion of nuclear power generally are "iffy", particularly in Japan and several Western countries. The March 11 earthquake-tsunami's destruction of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in northern Japan has rendered many people of that country, not to mention several others worldwide, quite "skittish" about nuclear power. Indeed, it could be said that to a fairly large extent, the débâcle has imbued to nuclear power an aura of political unpalatability.

March 11, 2011 tsunami about to hit Japan nuclear plant

Actually, had the earthquake alone happened without the tsunami that followed, the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant and its neighboring facilities might have had a good fighting chance to survive the event and even possibly resume production after some rigorous repair work and safety inspection. But a seismic wave or tsunami of the magnitude of the one that followed the earthquake was just too much for many an otherwise stoutly protected structure could withstand.

Somewhere in his home, TGB has his old textbook on waterways and harbor engineering. In that book is a formula by which one may compute the force that a water wave brings to bear on a structure, be it a breakwater or a tsunami gate. Generally, if one knows the forward velocity of the wave and the area of the structure that will be struck, one can come up with a number for the force with which the structure will be hit. Thus, if a tsunami is perhaps 15 meters tall and is traveling forward at about 150 kilometers per hour when it hits the structure, one can imagine the extent of the resulting damage. If TGB can find that book, perhaps he can locate the formula and share it with Muenchhausen's readers. The formula, as TGB recalls, does not seem all that complicated.

But back to nuclear energy prospects. At the NPC luncheon July 18, Jaczko said that in the US, "no imminent safety risk is seen. But any risk [emphasis TGB's] of a big accident is unacceptable. Our aim is to prevent a repeat of Fukushima Dai-ichi in the US." Perhaps this is why Jaczko seemed hesitant to express optimism about nuclear energy prospects. As he noted, "...regardless of safety improvements, some believe that safe nuclear power does not exist." He also suggested that voluntary safety and operating standards are "unacceptable," especially in view of Fukushima Dai-ichi, and that tight NRC supervision is the only way to go (1).

Still, it seems that prospects for the construction of nuclear power plants are not all that dim. Although Japan and some European countries may have soured on nuclear power, perhaps 25 other nations have plans to expand or build them and have them in operation by 2030 (2). These include Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Vietnam. Moreover, China and India have "ambitious goals" for expanding facilities; China is looking at 100 gigawatts of new capacity by 2050. According to The Kiplinger Letter, this expansion could be a boon to the US nuclear industry and government, which could manufacture the parts needed for new plants, and provide operational, regulatory, and safety expertise (2).

France, by the way, obtains about 80% of its electricity from nuclear power plants; this includes two liquid metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBRs). TGB will own some unsettles feelings about the coolant for these two reactors, which is not light or heavy water, but liquid sodium, a highly chemically reactive and flammable alkali metal.

TEA PARTY
The corporate charter and by-laws of Bootstrap Press, Inc. (BPI), not to mention federal law, do not permit Muenchhausen to endorse a political party, candidate, or campaign. These do not, however, forbid Muenchhausen from making objective future historical evaluations or predictions; indeed, Muenchhausen has presented such material in the past. Thus, TGB's look at this phenomenon that has existed since 2009, known as the Tea Party, reputedly founded by TV commentator Rick Santelli on Feb. 19 of that year (3). This movement, apparently without a formal leadership hierarchy, has been a boon for some, a bane to others.

Here is TGB's perhaps somewhat rash forecast: The Tea Party seemingly amorphous though it may be, begins to be a thorn in the side to numerous people of power and influence, who constitute what Professor Angelo Codevilla characterizes as the "ruling class" (4). Codevilla is a professor emeritus of international relations at Boston University. At first, they will attempt to derogate and ridicule the Tea Party and its adherents. TGB expects that this tactic will not work as well as hoped. The next step could be investigations, subpoenas, and interrogations by various federal, state, and local government agencies, and perhaps by certain US Senators. TGB is neither endorsing nor condemning the Tea Party; he is just stating in good faith what he believes the future may well hold.

INFESTATIONS ON THE WAY
Increasingly, invasive species are posing serious problems for many sectors of the American economy, private and public. This has become increasingly the case since world trade has expanded in recent decades. At this time of year, the brown marmorated stink bug will infest many portions of the US, including TGB's own residence. This insect is an unwanted import from Asia--probably first came during the mid-1980s--and has increasingly been a house and garden pest since then. More significantly, however, the stink bug has cost mid-Atlantic apple growers a cool $37 million in 2010 (5).. The stink bug is so called because if crushed, it emits a foul odor. It also can bite--TGB found that out for himself last May--but its bite is not (yet) known to vector any human diseases.

Brown marmorated stink bug. Photo by G. Hamilton, Rutgers University.

Another imported infestation (among many) is the Asian tiger mosquito. This little monster is capable of vectoring diseases such as West Nile virus. It is aggressive, and can attack during broad daylight, which is a less common trait among other species of mosquitoes.

Asian tiger mosquito wants your warm blood.
University of California Riverside, Center for Invasive Species Research.

TGB hopes to discuss invasive species and their depredations in future postings of Muenchhausen. They have caused the US population and economy immense harm.

REFERENCES:

1. Jaczko, G. Presentation at National Press Club, Washington, DC, July 18, 2011.
2. The Kiplinger Letter 2011, 88, 31 (Aug. 5, 2011), p. 3.
3. Santelli, R. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp-Jw-5Kx8k
4. Codevilla, A. "America's Ruling Class--And the Perils of Revolution". The American Spectator, http://spectator.org/archives/2010/07/16/americas-ruling-class-and-the/print#.
5. Fears, D. The Washington Post, Aug. 7, 2011. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/as-stink-bugs-return-researchers-weigh-introducing-their-asian-predator/2011/08/03/gIQACQ6P1I_story.html.