Making Kids Eco-Crazy
James
By Alan Caruba
(AXcess News) S. Orange, NJ - It's back to school time for kids and, of
course, for the environmental crazies that means creating a huge mythology
of things that will kill them the minute they venture into the jungle of
hazards and horrors that await them in school.
The biggest hazard I encountered was a kid named Mario who, not
surprisingly, ended up in jail. I did not worry about what my clothes were
made from, if the acrylic paints would poison me, or the importance of using
both sides of the piece of paper.
Let's understand that, for years now, children have been taught that the
Earth is virtually on its last legs and that Global Warming is sufficient
for them to abandon all hope of ever being as old as their grandparents,
most of whom are probably already dead from inhaling asbestos, having their
lungs destroyed by radon, or being slowly poisoned from having used
pesticides to kill bugs in their bedroom. Plus, those old people all ate
fast foods, drank soda, and probably smoked. If they aren't dead, they are
obviously just a freak of nature.
So you can imagine how thrilled I was to receive an email from something
called "EcoMall.com" described as "one of the oldest and largest portals for
environmental shopping." According to the folks at EcoMall.com,
back-to-school time is also the perfect time to "start introducing
earth-friendly concepts into their children's everyday lives."
Or, to put it another way, time to start scaring the living daylights out of
them by ruining what fun they might have in the few, short years of their
childhood.
One hardly knows where to begin in the long list of life-threatening things
the mere act of going to school involves. For example, "Petroleum oil, a
non-renewable resource, is used in the manufacture of chemicals and plastic
commonly found in most school supplies. Environmentally speaking, using
supplies made from natural ingredients is always preferable."
Wait a minute! Are these loonies telling me that oil is not a "natural"
substance produced by the Earth? Are they suggesting that all chemicals are
automatically a hazard? That plastic is a bad thing? Yes, they are. And they
are telling your children this as well.
For the environmentally demented, recycling is as much a religious duty as
facing Mecca five times a day is for Muslims. "Schools should remember to
use both sides of the paper, save and reused paper clips, thumbtacks, rubber
bands, etc., and recycle newspapers, cans, and bottles."
Suffice it to say, recycling is expensive, requires a lot of power, and many
states and cities have concluded it is a huge waste of money and manpower.
It has no practical value other than to make people feel bad about using
stuff.
EcoMall.com is determined to warn parents to dress their children only in
"organic cotton and hemp" because "conventional cotton cultivation uses 25%
of the world's pesticides." It is also one of the most popular cloths in the
world and under attack from a wide range of insect predators such as the
famed Boll Weevil. You want cotton? You have to kill the bugs. EcoMall.com
actually says that their cotton products "do not contain toxic pesticides."
What do you want to bet that ordinary cotton clothing doesn't either?
It is important, too, to make sure the school only provides "organic food
and juice, as well as rBGH-free milk." Have you checked the cost of organic
food versus the food that all the rest of us buy at the supermarket?
Perhaps most important of all is to "Make your school a toxin-free zone."
Parents should storm the local school board and demand the use of non-toxic
cleaners "which can impact indoor air quality." Whatever else is going on in
school, it is essential that "toxic pesticides" are not used "in or around
the school" because of the "significant health risks to your children if
exposed."
Oddly, I know something about pest control, having worked with the industry
for several decades. None of the pest control professionals I have known are
bent on killing every child in every school in America. Quite the contrary,
they are concerned with killing the legions of cockroaches, mice, rats, and
other disease-spreading pests that routinely invade school cafeterias and
anywhere else food can be found such as desks, lockers, and the teacher's
lounge!
They fend off pigeons whose droppings degrade school structures and,
universally these days, they do this work at night when schools are empty.
Despite being around pesticides all day, these people actually have families
of their own and their children are as healthy as yours. Many of them go
into the business!
Here are just a few of the school items EcoMall.com warns against: magic
markers, disposable pens, plastic folders and notebooks, acrylic paints and
scented art products, epoxy or instant bonding glues, artist's pastel
crayons, and glossy paper used for art projects. You have been warned!
Somewhere in this great land of ours, some eco-scientists are conducting
experiments that will conclusively prove that your children are in more
danger in school than if they lived in downtown Baghdad.
It's all foolishness, of course, but it is a dangerous, malign and evil
foolishness. It adds levels of anxiety to the daunting challenge of learning
anything in today's horrid schools that routinely fail to teach the basic
knowledge children will need to survive in a world where the competition
will be truly global.
Weather From Hell, CO2 Storms
> Making Kids Eco-Crazy
> By Alan Caruba
Drunk already, James? So early in the day too. Try AA. They can help.
Cat-5 IOKE more or less aimed at Tokyo, the World's Most Populous City.
25,000,000 people in the cone of possibility. No way to ever evacuate that many people.
No place to put them.
http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/tcpages/archive.php?stormid=CP012006
http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/prod.php?file=/cphc/tcpages/archive/2006/TCDCP2.CP012006.29.0
608270240
IOKE WILL LIKELY GO THROUGH SEVERAL EYEWALL REPLACEMENT CYCLES OVER THE COMING
DAYS...RESULTING IN SHORT TERM STRENGTH FLUCTUATIONS. HOWEVER...MODEL GUIDANCE
KEEPS IOKE AT OR NEAR ITS CURRENT STRENGTH THROUGH 120 HOURS. NOGAPS AND UKMET ARE
RATHER STEADY BUT...AS AN OUTLIER...GFDL WANTS TO STRENGTHEN IOKE TO 170 KT AT 96
HOURS. INCREASING SST AND LOW SHEAR ALONG THE FORECAST TRACK WILL...AT THE VERY
LEAST...GREATLY SLOW IOKE/S DECAY AT HIGHER LATITUDES. THEREFORE...THE INTENSITY
FORECAST IS UNCHANGED FROM THE PREVIOUS PACKAGE. IOKE COULD ENTER THE RECORD
BOOKS FOR LONGEVITY AS A CATEGORY 4 OR GREATER STORM.
http://www.npmoc.navy.mil/jtwc/warnings/wp0106web.txt
WTPN31 PGTW 272100
MSGID/GENADMIN/NAVPACMETOCCEN PEARL HARBOR HI/JTWC//
SUBJ/TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING//
RMKS/
1. SUPER TYPHOON 01C (IOKE) WARNING NR 032
01 ACTIVE TROPICAL CYCLONE IN NORTHWESTPAC
MAX SUSTAINED WINDS BASED ON ONE-MINUTE AVERAGE
---
WARNING POSITION:
271800Z --- NEAR 16.9N 178.6E
MOVEMENT PAST SIX HOURS - 245 DEGREES AT 07 KTS
POSITION ACCURATE TO WITHIN 020 NM
POSITION BASED ON EYE FIXED BY SATELLITE
PRESENT WIND DISTRIBUTION:
MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 140 KT, GUSTS 170 KT
RADIUS OF 064 KT WINDS - 060 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT
055 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT
055 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT
055 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT
RADIUS OF 050 KT WINDS - 085 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT
080 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT
080 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT
080 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT
RADIUS OF 034 KT WINDS - 150 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT
140 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT
140 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT
140 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT
REPEAT POSIT: 16.9N 178.6E
d...@dan.com
"James" <king...@iglou.com> wrote in message
news:44f24...@news.iglou.com...
> Making Kids Eco-Crazy
> By Alan Caruba
> (AXcess News) S. Orange, NJ - It's back to school time for kids and, of
> course, for the environmental crazies that means creating a huge mythology
"Environmental crazies." Yawn. Yet another in an endless stream of
right-wing oil whoring. Thanks oil whore - for nothing.
chatnoir
So, stick the costs to the next Generations!
Where we would be if Alan Caruba ran things!:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5241844.stm
headline:
Last Updated: Thursday, 3 August 2006, 10:57 GMT 11:57 UK
China hit by rising air pollution
Pollution problems have grown along with China's economy
Rising sulphur dioxide emissions in China are causing environmental
harm and economic loss, the government says.
China is the world's largest sulphur dioxide polluter, emitting nearly
26m tons of the gas in 2005.
This was a 27% increase since 2000 and coincided with a rise in coal
consumption, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA)
said.
The gas contributes to acid rain, which damages buildings, soil and
crops, and can cause health problems in humans.
Li Xinmin of SEPA's air pollution department told a press conference
that much of the pollution came from burning coal.
"Coal accounts for 70% of China's energy consumption. This fact is hard
to change in a short term," he said.
China was working to cut sulphur dioxide emissions from power plants,
he said, and the government had set a 10% reduction goal to be achieved
by 2010.
Mr Li also pledged more effort to improve the air quality in Beijing
ahead of the Olympics in 2008.
He said "remarkable results" had been achieved by phasing out things
like coal-burning boilers, old vehicles and diesel-powered buses. ...
(cont)
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/68868.html
One-third of China now under attack by acid rain
JOE McDONALD in Beijing August 28 2006
One-third of China's vast landmass is suffering from acid rain caused
by its rapid industrial growth.
Factories last year spewed out 25.5 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide,
the chemical that causes acid rain, up 27% from 2000, said Sheng
Huaren, deputy chairman of the standing committee of parliament.
Sheng reported that pollution from factories and power plants was
rising by 9% a year - an embarrassment for a government that promised
to clean up China's air. The report said sulphur dioxide emissions were
double safe levels.
"Increased sulphur dioxide emissions meant that one-third of China's
territory was affected by acid rain," Sheng said.
Local leaders are failing to enforce environmental standards for fear
of harming business, said officials.
Environmental protection has become a prominent issue in China
following a string of industrial accidents that forced several cities
to shut down their water systems.-AP
One-third of China's vast landmass is suffering from acid rain caused
by its rapid industrial growth.
Factories last year spewed out 25.5 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide,
the chemical that causes acid rain, up 27% from 2000, said Sheng
Huaren, deputy chairman of the standing committee of parliament.
Sheng reported that pollution from factories and power plants was
rising by 9% a year - an embarrassment for a government that promised
to clean up China's air. The report said sulphur dioxide emissions were
double safe levels.
"Increased sulphur dioxide emissions meant that one-third of China's
territory was affected by acid rain," Sheng said.
Local leaders are failing to enforce environmental standards for fear
of harming business, said officials.
Environmental protection has become a prominent issue in China
following a string of industrial accidents that forced several cities
to shut down their water systems.-AP
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China_Business/HH16Cb01.html
excerpt:
Overall, SEPA estimates pollution costs China $200 billion a year, or
10% of its GDP. According to the World Bank, 16 of the world's 20 most
polluted cities are in China, where poisoned air leads to 400,000
premature deaths every year. With car ownership in the country also
soaring, experts say China will overtake the United States in the next
decade as the world's greatest emitter of greenhouse gases, which
scientists link to global warming.
So SEPA has a lot of work to do. But is making China green again a
mission impossible? Holding local officials more accountable for the
environment is a good start toward a cleaner future. And new pilot
emissions-trading schemes such as the one announced recently between
the Hong Kong and Guangdong governments also show promise.
Under the Hong Kong-Guangdong arrangement, power companies on both
sides of the border would buy, or be granted, emissions quotas.
Companies that do not use their quotas could then sell what's left over
to other firms. The theory is that as the scheme encourages companies
to reduce their emissions, available credits in the quota system will
become fewer and more expensive, forcing the heavier polluters to pay
more. However, in practice the scheme will be voluntary, and the Hong
Kong power companies are not interested in joining. So what might look
great on paper will in the end probably produce no real gain.
The Hong Kong-Guangdong example illustrates the larger point: despite
the heightened rhetoric, China's traditional centrally controlled,
top-down management regime makes it difficult to implement an effective
anti-pollution strategy.
The 11 monitoring stations that SEPA is setting up across the nation
will probably provide another case study in how local economic
interests trump national environmental goals. SEPA already has
emissions-control agreements with the nation's six largest power
producers, which are responsible for 60% of the sulfur-dioxide
emissions in the country, and with the seven provinces where the bulk
of those emissions occur. The result: a new world record last year for
sulfur-dioxide emissions.
What would truly make an impact on China's efforts at environmental
cleanup may be too much to ask right now: freeing up local media to
report on the environmental damage that is occurring in their areas,
freeing up citizens to protect their property rights through the legal
system, and making sure that system has the integrity of the rule of
law.
That said, even under the best of circumstances, China will not see
blue skies again any time soon. Things may actually get worse before
they get better. And that has become a source of worry even for people
as far away as California.