We need to tide you over until we have more time to finish our Alaska 2013 fire season update, and commentary upon what is happening with wildfire trends across the rest of the World. A quick projection, we are estimating our 2013 Alaska seasonal total of wildfire acreage to be around 1.3 million acres (520,000 hectares). Somewhat above the 1955-2013 mean of 910,000 acres.
But first, here are some of our favourite articles we've come across the past few weeks. Together with some of our usual incisive and informed commentary.
This is a very important, interesting article from the Science Daily website describing the ability researchers at the University of Colorado have just perfected, of more cheaply and reliably producing hydrogen using solar thermal reaction processes. Which could be done in many areas of the US and the World that have abundant solar energy resources. Which could then help usher in the widespread use of hydrogen as a fuel for transportation, and energy generation. As a reminder, when hydrogen is burned as a fuel, the only emissions are of water vapour. Existing internal combustion engines can be easily converted to run on it safely, which was demonstrated over 30 years ago.
One paragraph though from this article unfortunately sums up why so far, no major efforts have been undertaken by the US or other governments to further develop and put into widespread practice methods like this, which could save us from runaway global warming and rapid sea level rises.
"Despite the discovery, the commercialization of such a solar-thermal reactor is likely years away. "With the price of natural gas so low, there is no incentive to burn clean energy," said Weimer, also the executive director of the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels, or C2B2. "There would have to be a substantial monetary penalty for putting carbon into the atmosphere, or the price of fossil fuels would have to go way up."
Anyhoo, give this article a read, it's very interesting, and in a World where governments put the health of people and the environment ahead of corporate profits, things like this would be given high priority and funding to develop and implement.
MIT linguistics professor Noam Chomsky is a revered elder in the Progressive movement in the USA and throughout the World. Always weighing in with his trademark incisive commentary on the state of national and global political and economic developments. This is one of his latest articles concerning the fallout from the Edward Snowden leaks of the NSA surveillance methods, describing how Latin America is standing up to US pressure to find and return him for prosecution. Very interesting and informative as always.
The trial of Bradley Manning, the unfortunate US Army soldier who exposed war crimes and many other mis-deeds, acting in his sworn duty "to protect and defend the US Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic", and what it means for us as US citizens, is the subject of attorney Rob Hager's article here.
We especially thought this paragraph summed it up concisely, and all US citizens need to understand what is happening.
"The fundamental structural defenses against tyranny – the separation of powers and federalism – are collapsing, while the democratic liberties enumerated in the Bill of Rights are eroding. These developments are the product of an elite political class consolidating the power necessary to impose the extreme economic inequality of a plutocratic tyranny in a time of a disintegrating civilization.
Those at the forefront of undermining the Constitution are acting in violation of their oaths as “executive and judicial officers … to support this Constitution.” Art, VI, cl 3. Bradley Manning, like every other member of the military subset of those officers, took this same oath to uphold the Constitution. He fulfilled that oath by disclosing war crimes. Those who have imprisoned and court-martialed him stand in violation of their constitutional oaths."
Now that overt corporate rule has overtaken the US, because of the power of them to lobby and buy both Democratic and Republican politicians, casino capitalism and it's destructiveness are described in good detail in Paul Buchheit's article about the rush toward "privitisation" of governmental services and property. Which of course you'll never hear about in the corporate media.
Finally, here are a few pictures from Homer, where a few weeks ago we went for a halibut fishing trip. Seeing this beautiful little town in it's peaceful setting facing south, at land's end at the tip of the Kenai Peninsula was very inspiring.
So much so, that your lead editor was inspired to run for the first time since my operation last 15 May, to remove the titanium hardware in my leg that was causing me some problems.
Seeing these beautiful views, like this of Augustine Volcano looking south into Cook Inlet, gave me so much energy that I ran about 12 km, without running shoes or shorts, but it was a spur of the moment decision.
I felt quite sore, but was able to run again about four days later without any serious issues.
Unfortunately though, after a strenuous hike up Bird Ridge, a showpiece trail in Turnagain Arm that offers incredible views in only 11-12 km round trip as it ascends abruptly 1100 metres, followed by a run two days later, pains and swelling forced me to end my running experiment for the time being. In another month or so, I'll try it again, but more slowly.
Meanwhile, here are a few pictures of the Bird Ridge outing, though fog limited the views, it sure is a worthwhile and beautiful hike to do if you are able.
