Michigan Looks To Use Cow Poop And Urine For Energy

By William Teach December 28, 2023 – 3:00 pm

Or, we could build natural gas and nuclear power plants. Just a thought

Michigan has a new way to fight climate change: Energy from cow poop and urine

climate cowGov. Gretchen Whitmer’s plan to generate all of Michigan’s energy from renewable sources by 2040 is meant to limit climate change gases. It also has consequences for improving or damaging the state’s waters.

Replacing polluting fossil fuel plants with cleaner energy sources would limit oil pipeline spills, curtail mercury contamination, and halt discharges from coal-fired power plants. But those benefits could be easily overwhelmed by the development of a new renewable energy sector to produce methane from one of the state’s largest causes of water contamination –liquid manure produced by large livestock feeding operations.

The conversion from animal wastes to methane occurs in industrial-scale manure biodigesters. The Red Arrow Dairy in Van Buren County, where two biodigesters rise like giant white mushrooms from fallow fields, displays an apt example of the new energy-generating equipment. Liquid manure, 200,000 gallons daily from nearly 6,000 cows, pours into the digesters, which slowly cook the urine and feces in a warm oxygen-deprived (anaerobic) broth. The result is a stream of methane that is collected and processed for vehicle fuel.

Prompted by changes in state regulations, and federal and state taxpayer incentives worth hundreds of millions of dollars, Michigan in the last two years has been the largest center of manure biodigester development outside California, according to state and federal figures. At a cost of $15 million to $20 million apiece, according to industry data, the new energy sector is attracting big players in Michigan.

It’s not actually a bad idea to take all the cow waste, though it is used for many other things, including fertilizer. But, government shouldn’t be dumping taxpayer money into this.

Read: Michigan Looks To Use Cow Poop And Urine For Energy »

Posted in Global Warming | 8 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach December 28, 2023 – 1:00 pm

…is ‘climate change’ turning Canadian beaches into vacation paradises just like the Bahamas, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is A View From The Beach, with a post on Thursday tanlines.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 4 Comments | Trackback URL

Biden Regime Finds $250 Million To Spend On Ukraine

By William Teach December 28, 2023 – 10:30 am

Gotta keep paying those Ukrainian lawmakers and bureaucrats who’ve enriched Biden and his family, you know

Biden administration announces $250 million Ukraine military assistance package as US exhausts available funding

The US State Department announced a $250 million Ukraine military aid package on Wednesday, the last such package the US will provide to Ukraine until Congress approves the Biden administration’s funding requests.

“This package provides up to $250 million of arms and equipment under previously directed drawdowns for Ukraine,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. “Capabilities provided in today’s package include air defense munitions, other air defense system components, additional ammunition for high mobility artillery rocket systems, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, anti-armor munitions, and over 15 million rounds of ammunition.”

Last week, the Biden administration said it had one more Ukraine security package to announce this year, but it would be the final one the US could provide without lawmakers’ approval. Defense Department comptroller Mike McCord said in a letter to Congress that “once these funds are obligated, the Department will have exhausted the funding available to us for security assistance to Ukraine.”

Excellent, more arms to keep the stalemate going between two authoritarian governments. What could the US do with all that money to help out our own citizens? How about putting that money into helping US veterans, who often have long waits to get care? Who might find themselves out on the streets and homeless? We could have built a bunch of tiny homes for them. How much of the money is material and how much is cash?

Read: Biden Regime Finds $250 Million To Spend On Ukraine »

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Wisconsin Looks To Expand Climate Cult Indoctrination In Schools

By William Teach December 28, 2023 – 7:00 am

Hey, the kids have trouble reading, writing, doing math and science, but, they’ll sure know how to protest, demand Other People pay, and suffer from all sorts of mental issues due to scaremongering

A further pair of climate change education bills in Wisconsin

Counterparts to two climate change bills previously introduced in the Wisconsin Senate have been introduced in the Assembly as well.

Assembly Bill 833, identical to Senate Bill 794, would, if enacted, “authorize the state superintendent of public instruction to adopt model academic standards related to climate change.” Such standards would be required to “incorporate a) an understanding of climate, b) the interconnected nature of climate change, c) the potential local and global impacts of climate change, and d) the individual and societal actions that may mitigate the harmful effects of climate change.” Assembly Bill 833 was introduced on December 22, 2023, by Sue Conley (D-District 44) along with nineteen of her colleagues in the Assembly and seven in the House, and referred to the Assembly Committee on Education.

Assembly Bill 829, identical to Senate Bill 786, would, if enacted, create a program to award “scholarships to resident students who are enrolled in an institution of higher education [in Wisconsin] and who are engaged in studies directly related to programs preparing the students for careers in occupational areas addressing or responding to climate change.” The bill would provide $5 million biennially to fund the scholarships. Assembly Bill 829 was introduced on December 22, 2023, by Jill Billings (D-District 95) along with nineteen of her colleagues in the Assembly and seven in the House, and referred to the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities.

That first one is the dangerous one, essentially teaching the kids how to dictate to Everyone Else what actions must be taken, and brainwashing them into believing it’s the actions as pushed by Government (and people in government who do not hold themselves to the same standards), giving up their liberty, freedom, and money cheerfully and compliantly.

Read: Wisconsin Looks To Expand Climate Cult Indoctrination In Schools »

Posted in Climate Cult, Global Warming | 5 Comments | Trackback URL

Mayor Of SCNY Puts Restrictions On Inbound Buses

By William Teach December 28, 2023 – 6:45 am

Adams does understand that NYC is a declared sanctuary city full of residents who support unfettered illegal immigration, right?

Adams slaps restrictions on migrant buses coming to NYC from Texas as numbers rise

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday announced new restrictions on charter buses from Texas bringing migrants to the “sanctuary” city in an effort to curb the numbers of migrants that have hit the city since last year.

Adams announced an executive order requiring charter buses transporting migrants to provide 32 hours’ notice in advance of their arrival in New York City. The order also requires buses to arrive between 8:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. between Monday and Friday. Such buses are also required to drop off at one particular spot.

If buses do not comply, it would result in a class B misdemeanor, with penalties including three months’ imprisonment and up to a $500 fine for individuals and $2,000 for corporations. Buses could also be impounded by the NYPD.

Wouldn’t that violate interstate commerce and restraint of travel? I’m also unaware as to how an executive order could be made law, especially criminal law. But, why doesn’t Adams want all those illegals? Again, it’s a hell of a thing making Democrat run sanctuary cities actually practice what they preach, turning theory into practice.

“To be clear, this is not stopping people from coming, but about ensuring the safety of migrants and making sure they can arrive in a coordinated and orderly way,” he said.

Bullshit. Is this a requirement for when non-illegals come to SCNY?

There are also whines coming from SCD

Denver’s mayor slams Texas governor over migrant buses after city sees new peak in shelters

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston joined the leaders of New York City and Chicago Wednesday in lambasting Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for continuing to send busloads of migrants from the southern border to their cities.

The mayors said the chartered busing strategy was inhumane, reckless and inefficient, and in a joint media call they detailed new time- and location-based restrictions they will place on the buses’ arrivals in their cities.

Yeah, well, why shouldn’t sanctuary cities enjoy they same fruits as the border cities and states, who’ve been paying the price for Democrat support of illegal immigration? You can bet if this massive caravan of illegals hits the border Abbott will be shipping them out even faster. And especially to the cities where the leaders are whining the most.

Read: Mayor Of SCNY Puts Restrictions On Inbound Buses »

Posted in Democrats, Illegal Immigration | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

Even The Washington Post Notices Demand For EVs is Cooling

By William Teach December 27, 2023 – 3:00 pm

And if the WP notices, it must be worse than they’re actually saying

EV transition cools as demand slows and automakers trim production

Electric vehicleThe Biden administration’s push to entice more Americans to buy electric vehicles is falling short of expectations as consumers fret over prices, battery range and a lack of charging stations.

U.S. sales of fully electric cars are still growing at a fast clip — they are up by more than 50 percent this year over 2022 — but automakers say growth has slowed in recent months, prompting them to trim their production plans and pause some investments.

“Automakers have moved from rosy to reality because consumer acceptance has grown more slowly. So they are looking at kind of slowing their rollout,” said Michelle Krebs, an industry analyst with Cox Automotive. The transition to EVs is “not going to be linear and there are going to be a lot of bumps in the road,” she added.

There were 869,000 fully electric vehicles sold in the United States in the first 10 months of this year, a 56 percent increase over the same period in 2022, according to data provider J.D. Power. That growth rate marked a slowdown from two years earlier, and was lower than what some automakers had forecast.

The problem is, they think this is some sort of transition, but, it is not a consumer based one, it is a Governmental demand one. Most consumers are not asking for them and aren’t interested. Perhaps the WP reporters should be asking those who are attempting to force this “transition” on Americans if they are driving EVs themselves

“The narrative has taken over that EVs aren’t growing. They’re growing,” Ford Chief Financial Officer John Lawler said in October. “It’s just growing at a slower pace than the industry and quite frankly, we, expected.”

They didn’t ask consumers, they asked government, and now you’re seeing things like 50% of Buick dealers taking buyouts, VW in a massive hole, Lincoln dealers doing the vast majority of their business in used vehicles. Just because the government is telling everyone that Castor oil is great and everyone should get it doesn’t mean we want it.

EV experts say it’s still possible to reach the White House’s target if consumers see progress soon on charging availability — something that should happen as federally subsidized chargers start to appear in the coming months. Mark Z. Jacobson, a renewable-energy expert and engineering professor at Stanford University, said buyers also need more information about the cost savings of going electric.

“Given that driving an electric vehicle saves the average driver about $20,000-$30,000 over 15 years in fuel cost savings alone, I think the only thing holding back consumer demand is a lack of information about this,” he said.

Even the vast majority who keep their vehicles a long time do not keep them 15 years. The average ownership period is 4 years. So, you’ll lose a ton, no too mention your insurance is at least 25% higher. Also, that’s the White House’s target. Last time I checked this is still a free country. If you want one, get one. Forced acceptance is dictatorial.

Meanwhile, the First Street Journal is noticing that investors are fleeing from charging stations.

Read: Even The Washington Post Notices Demand For EVs is Cooling »

Posted in Global Warming, Government | 10 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach December 27, 2023 – 1:00 pm

…is fencing meant to stop climate refugees, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Not A Lot Of People Know That, with a post wondering how expensive EV charging is.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 4 Comments | Trackback URL

Netanyahu Offers His Three Conditions For Peace With Palestinians

By William Teach December 27, 2023 – 10:30 am

It’s been very easy since the beginning: return the hostages, Hamas dismantles. Too bad he can’t add “replace the Iranian government with a non-terrorist government”

Netanyahu Offers 3 Prerequisites for Peace

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week outlined three prerequisites for peace in the region following months of war with Hamas.

Netanyahu, in an opinion piece published by The Wall Street Journal on Monday, outlined the three: the destruction of Hamas, the demilitarization of Gaza, and the deradicalization of Palestinian society.

“First, Hamas, a key Iranian proxy, must be destroyed. The U.S., U.K., France, Germany, and many other countries support Israel’s intention to demolish the terror group,” Netanyahu wrote.

For all the support of Hamas by Democrat voters here in the US and by Leftists in Europe and other areas, Hamas is a designated terrorist group by the US State Dept, the European Union, and the United Nations (with quite a few voting members forgetting that).

“Second, Gaza must be demilitarized. Israel must ensure that the territory is never again used as a base to attack it,” he added.

According to Netanyahu, this will involve creating “a temporary security zone” on Gaza’s perimeter and a border inspection system to prevent weapons smuggling. He also claimed that expecting the Palestinian Authority to demilitarize Gaza “is a pipe dream.”

In other words, Iran will no longer allowed to send weapons there or the supplies to make weapons, like how Hamas took water pipes and turned them into rockets.

“Third, Gaza will have to be deradicalized,” the prime minster continued. “Schools must teach children to cherish life rather than death, and imams must cease to preach for the murder of Jews. Palestinian civil society needs to be transformed so that its people support fighting terrorism rather than funding it.”

That is the toughest one: how do you turn a people around, a people who are so radicalized that no other Middle East nation wants them? So problematic that none want them? Egypt doesn’t. Nor Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, or others. You don’t see Iran taking them in, do you? Even if you end the UN run schools which radicalize children, how do you keep the adults from radicalizing the kids? How do you stop it in mosques? Where do you even start? I can think of a few ideas, but, then I go, “what about doing X?” and then “well, yes, but, you also need Y and Z.”

Read: Netanyahu Offers His Three Conditions For Peace With Palestinians »

Posted in Israel, RoP | 6 Comments | Trackback URL

Good News: We Now Have A New Group Of Climate Loons

By William Teach December 27, 2023 – 7:00 am

I wonder how many have made their own lives carbon neutral? And how many of them are taking fossil fueled trips to “protest”

A New Breed of Climate Protesters Vows to Take the Fight to US Political “Cowards”

A climate protest group backed by a cadre of Hollywood filmmakers is preparing to take action against “cowards” and “criminals” of all political stripes as the 2024 election approaches.

Climate Defiance, which disrupted events featuring a string of Biden administration officials this year, and targeted Darren Woods, CEO of ExxonMobil, in December, will consider protesting at events staged by both Democrats and Republicans on the campaign trail after concluding that its “very disruptive” action was bearing fruit.

Ah, so, it’s an astroturfed group funded by a bunch of deep-pocketed Hollywood wackos who have huge carbon footprints as they make their movies. Go figure

In an interview, Michael Greenberg, the group’s co-founder, told the Guardian it will also focus “more and more” on state-level demonstrations designed to deter policymakers from approving fossil fuel projects.

Since demonstrating outside the White House correspondents’ dinner in the spring, its activists have staged protests at events featuring a string of senior federal officials, including the transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, and the energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm.

I like how they’re all wearing lots of clothes made with petroleum, along with signs, shoes, phones, etc

Instead, the group claims its demonstrations at high-profile events have got it a seat at the table. Ali Zaidi, the national climate adviser, has been on the phone. It also targeted David Turk, the deputy energy secretary, who invited Greenberg to a meeting days later.

“The reason they’re willing to meet with us is they know we are really intense and really strident,” said Greenberg. He said the fundamental goal of his group was to build the climate crisis into a top US political issue, “along with racial justice and kitchen table economic issues.”

The administration is taking note—and Climate Defiance is increasingly confident this interest can be traced all the way to the Oval Office. “Congressman Ro Khanna said that the president is talking about us,” Greenberg added.

Just another group of eco-wackos attempting to force their beliefs on Everyone Else. Yet, they call Republicans the Fascists.

Read: Good News: We Now Have A New Group Of Climate Loons »

Posted in AGW Socialism, Global Warming | 3 Comments | Trackback URL

Newsomconomy: Pizza Hut To Lay Off Drivers Due To Government Requirements

By William Teach December 27, 2023 – 6:45 am

This is what happens when the Virtue Signalers and SJWs in the People’s Republik Of California pass laws/rules without considering the actual economic consequences

California Pizza Hut franchises announce layoffs of delivery drivers before new $20 minimum wage: report

Multiple Pizza Hut franchises in California are planning to lay off delivery drivers as the restaurant chain braces for an increase in the minimum wage for fast food workers next year.

Several Pizza Hut operators filed notices to comply with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act saying they were discontinuing their delivery services.

“PacPizza, LLC, operating as Pizza Hut, has made a business decision to eliminate first-party delivery services and, as a result, the elimination of all delivery driver positions,” a federal WARN Act notice filed by the fast-food operator with the state’s Employment Development Department said, Business Insider reported.

Another operator, Southern California Pizza Co. also announced layoffs of around 841 drivers across the state. The moves impact Pizza Hut locations in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura counties.

By “lay off” they mean “end the positions”, and, they will rely on 3rd party delivery services, which will mean, you guessed it, increased costs to the consumers. But, not as much as if they were paying drivers at least $20 an hour

The layoffs announcements came months before most fast food workers in California will begin earning a minimum wage of $20 per hour, beginning in April. The increase was proposed as a way to offset the increasing cost of living for Californians.

So, because the government of the PRC has done all they can to increase the cost of living in the PRC via bad economic policies (there are obviously other factors, let’s be fair, but, a huge one is Government) they compound that by raising the minimum wage for unskilled labor, which will increase the cost of living further. Great job!

One Pizza Hut delivery driver told Business Insider that he was offered a $400 severance if he stuck around through his February 5 layoff date.

“The money they are giving us as severance pay is a slap on the face,” he told Insider. “It comes to $3 a month for nine-plus years of service.”

Hey, they didn’t have to give you anything. Not a dime. And I truly hope it was a side gig, not your actual job. But, if he wants to complain, he should look towards Gavin Newsom and the California general assembly. The question now is, do others like Papa Johns, Dominos, etc follow and ditch the delivery drivers?

Read: Newsomconomy: Pizza Hut To Lay Off Drivers Due To Government Requirements »

Posted in Democrats, Economy | 9 Comments | Trackback URL
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