Making Ripples: post-corporate adventures in Floyd County Virginia

CO2 and life

Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere is essential to life on earth and is directly responsible for the food we eat and the oxygen we breathe. As of March 2009, carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere was at a concentration of 387 ppm by volume.

The images below demonstrate how added CO2 affects plant growth:
(Numbers are parts per million OVER THE AMBIENT LEVEL of 387ppm)

For more information see: http://tinyurl.com/mpo4rl

Our food supply depends on plant growth.
Maybe we should not be so cavalier about assigning a level that is less than optimum.

Some say 350ppm has some significance. Why not 700ppm or 1000ppm?

British Ministry of Defence cancels Michael Yon's embed

Michael Yon has the greatest respect for the troops he embeds with and does an incredible job of communicating their bravery and resourcefulness in the face of hardship and constant danger. Not since Ernie Pyle has there been a war correspondent who was as respected by the fighting men he wrote about.

The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) canceled Michael Yon's embed after yesterday's dispatch.  I think this will be a blow to the troops he lived with and wrote about.

Please read "Bad Medicine" and see for yourself what the life of a British soldier in Afghanistan is like.

Michael really identified with the troops and gave us real insight on their views and what they face in this war. This statement from a British soldier is an indication of the trust that they have in him:

Finally, Axle said, “You Yanks are great.  You like to hear stories about us smashin’ the Taliban but people at home want to know how much we miss our families.”  We both chuckled,

The MoD may have been upset with Michael's frank assessment of conditions and his no-nonsense reporting. On the other hand, it might have been comments like these two that upset the MoD.

From David:

I can't help but think your dispatches should be required reading for all politicians in Washington, London, and other allied capitals so they can draw upon a realistic inside narrative to the nature of this fight when pondering national security policy.

From Cara Sims:

Quite frankly up until Michael joined the 2nd Rifles in Helmand Province I didn’t think about the British soldiers and their contribution to the Afghan War. But daily through his words and pictures I grew to value and hold your troops in high warm regard.

I, and the thousands of people in the U.S. who read Michaels DISPATCHES, learned to respect and honor your troops in Afghanistan. We’ve wept over their deaths and prayed for their families, we rejoiced in their survival from horrendous wounds, and thanked God for them.

They have become our heroes along with our own troops.
Michael Yon has given a face and voice to the British soldiers and their amazing efforts.
I don’t know why you have chosen to silence that voice or remove those faces.

If you believe what he wrote today Bad Medicine[24 August 2009] diminished our regard and respect for the soldiers of the 2nd Rifles you are wrong.

And you are wrong to take this precious contact Americans have with the British Soldiers in Afghanistan away.

I am sure that we will hear more about this.

US financing oil exploration in Brazil - who is involved?

My interest lay in the paradox that the US was financing oil exploration in Brazil with US tax dollars while barring development of oil fields in and about the US.

The story gets more interesting as we look into it. Thanks to Rick Parrish for referring me to the the Export-Import Bank website. The Ex-Im website has a response to the Wall Street Journal article I quoted in my earlier article:

Background on Ex-Im Bank: (from the Ex-Im website)

* The Export-Import Bank of the United States’ (Ex-Im Bank) mission is to help create and sustain jobs for American workers. The Bank does this at no cost to the American taxpayer; in the past sixteen years the Bank has netted the American people $4.9 billion and the jobs those exports have supported.

    * More than 80% of Bank authorizations during the last fiscal year directly benefited small businesses.

Charges and facts:

Charge: The U.S. government is giving away more than $2 billion in taxpayer dollars to Brazil’s largest oil and gas company to drill for oil in Brazil.

Fact: The Bank has approved a preliminary commitment to lend up to $2 billion to Petrobras for the purchase of American-made goods and services. The funds will go to American exporters as payment for their sales to the company. Of note, the Bank is self-sustaining and no taxpayer dollars are involved.

Charge: The loans to Petrobras represent a giveaway of U.S. tax dollars.

Fact: The Bank’s activities do not cost the American taxpayer a dime. In fact, since 1992 the American people netted more than $4.9 billion and the jobs those exports created.

Charge: America is exporting jobs to Brazil as a result of the loans.

Fact: Only American made goods and services qualify for Ex-Im Bank loans or guarantees. This is the government doing what it's supposed to do - helping to create U.S. jobs, making sure that Americans get a fair shot at selling goods and services, and helping American workers compete on a level playing field against foreign competition.

This response comes from a government agency that has been criticised for allegedly favoring special interests ahead of that of the U.S. taxpayer.

This agency also uses US tax dollars to underwrite their loans and this loan is being made while the deficit is climbing to unprecedented levels. The loans may not cost taxpayers a dime if they are repaid, but the money comes from taxpayers, not out of thin air.

It is also worth noting that billionaire investor George Soros bought an $811 million stake in Petroleo Brasileiro SA in the second quarter, making the Brazilian state-controlled oil company his investment fund's largest holding. So we have Soros investing in Petrobas shortly before the Ex-Im bank underwrites a loan for Petrobas. That shows excelent timing.

From Offshore Magazine: Petrobras finance director Almir Barbassa says that negotiations are under way with Eximbank to double its present trade credit limit of $2.2 billion for the purchase of goods and services from US suppliers. He was also quoted as saying that the loans are expected to reach $10 billion.

That could go a long way toward developing domestic energy.

This story is like an onion, every day that goes by uncovers another connection.

When will we get the full story on who owns the US companies that are supposed to benefit from this transaction? Remember the first line of the Ex-Im quote?

The Export-Import Bank of the United States’ (Ex-Im Bank) mission is to help create and sustain jobs for American workers.

My guess is that there are Congress critters and Senators with a big stake in the companies that are benefitting from this loan.

You may say, so what if taxpayer dollars enrich politically connected individuals! This is just business as usual, the party in power gets the spoils of war.

The downside is that losing sight of the common interest while serving private interests has aroused resentment among a growing number of citizens. We need to allow development of domestic energy sources and this is not being done.

Sarah Palin writes about true Health Care Reform

Sarah Palin has written another note on her FaceBook page and I think she speaks for a lot of us.

She writes:

"We need to address a REAL bipartisan reform proposition that will have REAL impacts on costs and quality of patient care".

Many of us see a need for real health care reform and our opposition to the Administration's HR3200 is not based on resistance to reforming health care. It is based on our view that this bill is not about improving health care and saving money.

A growing number of voters view this bill as a pork-filled spending fest with overtones of Orwell's 1984 and realize, after reading portions of it, that it is not about reform and does not cut costs.

In my opinion the current Health Care bill is a giant step towards total control of the public. I think we can do better if we insist on a thorough airing of the issues involved. If we allow another rush to enact like the ill-fated Stimulus bill, we deserve the hardships we will inherit.

Read Sarah Palin's article and let us know your thoughts.

Done any bartering lately?

As the economy worsens, individuals and small businesses are turning to barter in steadily increasing numbers. The image above is from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/norfolk/7560246.stm

Bartering has usually been done on a one to one basis or through barter exchanges that charged a fee. Now there are free online barter exchanges which are generating a lot of interest. Smarterbarter.com and favorpals.com are just two of these free online barter exchanges.

This 2008 article on Thomasnet still applies today.

Before there was money, credit cards and loans, people relied on bartering. Today, as tight credit conditions squeeze cash-strapped businesses, many businesses are rediscovering the benefits of small-biz bartering.

Bartering has come a long way since farmers and merchants gathered at bazaars to trade their harvest and wares. Nowadays, many modern businesses trade through barter exchanges online, though one-to-one bartering transactions still occur.

Small Biz Owners Revisiting Age-old Tradition: Bartering By Jorina Fontelera  

Bob Bagga, the President and Chief Executive Officer of BizXchange, has an interesting viewpoint on efficiency:

At its base, barter is an efficiency tool, which is why so many companies are now discovering it—everyone’s working to become more efficient to weather the storm.  People are discovering they can use barter to pay for a wide variety of products and services for which they are accustomed to writing checks, including advertising, capital expenditures, commodities and assets.  They’re also realizing that using barter helps bring in new cash-paying customers.

Unemployment and tight credit are spurring an increasing interest in barter. If you have skills or products that others might need, consider bartering them for goods and services you need.

As disposable income shrinks to the vanishing point, I found that barter is a welcome way to service customers who have been hit by the faltering economy.  I am bartering custom framing services every week for goods and services.

I am also bartering labor for firewood. I have more hardwood logs than I can burn this year. If someone wants to cut the logs into stove lengths, they can take half of what they cut. I have been doing this for a year now and it has worked out for all concerned. Since I have a log splitter and a chainsaw, one person can cut and split two truckloads of wood in a day. I keep one and they drive away with the other.

Barter has shortcomings like lack of portability and transparency, but these are being addressed through use of online barter exchanges. Some communities are also facilitating barter through "local currencies".

I plan to write other posts on the subject of barter. If you have any suggestions, please send them along.

Obama underwrites offshore drilling in Brazil, but not in the US?

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Obama Administration is financing oil exploration off Brazil, while still blocking offshore drilling in the US.

Sarah Palin has written a thoughtful commentary on this situation on Facebook:
YOUR TAX DOLLARS HARD AT WORK: FIRST CARS, NOW FOREIGN OIL.

Both articles are worth reading.

It doesn't make sense to me that we should spend taxpayer money to expand Brazil's oil production while prohibiting commercial expansion of US oil production.

Perhaps some of you may have insight into the thought processes behind this paradoxical state of affairs.?

Do Americans Care about British Soldiers?

Michael Yon has written another powerful dispatch.

A young British soldier was shot and critically wounded in Afghanistan while Michael was using his satellite phone nearby.

Michael covers the amazing effort that the American Military put into action to save this soldiers life and the incredible multi-service organization that manages the aeromedical evacuation teams.

Soldiers’ Angels, a volunteer-led nonprofit played an important role in helping British Military personnel and the soldier's family track the soldier's progress from his first treatment in Afghanistan to recovery at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

Read Michael's post here: http://www.michaelyon-online.com

Honoring family heroes

Owen Joyce is a ninth generation descendant of Private George Sowers, who fought in the American Revolution.

Owen recently attended a re-dedication ceremony at George Sower's grave site in Floyd. After quietly observing the placing of flags beside the headstone, he insisted on placing his tiny flag on the grave of his great, great, great, great, great, grandfather.

It seems that George Sowers was buried in 1834 in the historic Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Floyd, VA. when retired Master Sergeant Tom King started a campaign to rehabilitate the old graveyard and wanted to properly honor the fallen heroes that are buried there.

Once the headstone was restored to its rightful spot, Tom King started searching for the descendants of George Sowell and planned a re-dedication ceremony with military honors.

Here he leads the procession to the grave site where the ceremony was to be held.

Four generations of descendants descended on Floyd, many coming from North Carolina. They participated in a solemn ceremony, a family get-together, and then spent the morning visiting Floyd and the Blue Ridge Restaurant before heading home.

In today's world of nuclear and isolated families, it is heart-warming to see far-flung family members gathering to honor a soldier who died 175 years ago.

For the rest of the story and a complete set of images, visit fallenheroesoffloyd.org

Drink Alert

Myths and facts about Obamacare. Not to be read while drinking coffee...  http://bit.ly/1ZW6i

Keeping a Bad Bill Bad - hidden agendas must be kept hidden

When a bill is written in a confusing fashion, it can be the result of incompetence or guile. If sensible amendments to clarify the intent of the bill are defeated, it is fair warning that dirty work is afoot. As many people have noticed, the things Obama SAYS he wants to accomplish could be handled with a much simpler bill.

For those who insist that protesters are completely nuts in claiming that the Health Care Bill is going to ration healthcare, cover illegal aliens, and choose “favored” physicians, here is a list of 31 sensible amendments that have been DEFEATED by Pelosi and company.

It appears from a cursory reading that this 1300 page bill is huge only because there is so much pork to dole out and there are so many things like rationing of services that need to be hidden away from view.

Read Keeping a Bad Bill Bad from John Boehner and draw your own conclusions.
Democratic leaders blocked 31 common-sense changes to Health Care Bill H.R.3200. What would have been the result if all these amendments had passed?

One last example from life for those of you who do not understand what is going on here:

Have you ever had to sign a contract for a car or an apartment and objected to the language or penalties in some section of the contract because it didn't apply in your case?

In many cases, the person on the other side of the table will say, "Oh, don't worry about that! That's just standard boilerplate, it doesn't apply to you.

In those cases, I whip out my pen and suggest that we cross out that section and both initial the change.

If the person objects to the removal of this section that "doesn't really apply to me", I hand the contract back and make my exit. There is a hidden agenda and my suggestion exposed it.

H.R.3200 is full of hidden agendas. The proposed and defeated amendments reveal some of them.