The Northwest Passage emerged from the history books this year. It was predicted earlier this year that the Northwest Passage was soon to be clear of ice allowing ships to sail from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without icebreaker ships leading the way, or going through the Panama Canal. This route, long sought by explorers, cuts off 3,452 miles and ten days from the trip between the two oceans, saving time, fuel, and hence shipping costs. It was reported by the Associated Press on September 12, 2009, that two German ships arrived this week in Yamburg, Siberia, traveling from South Korea to Rotterdam, Netherlands. They successfully traversed the Northwest Passage.…

The British newspaper, the Guardian, published an article July 26, 2009, revealing that George W. Bush kept evidence of global warming from the public by classifying as secret spy satellite photos showing the dramatic melting of polar ice sheets. The claims of global warming deniers’ ring a bit hollow with this revelation. The receding ice shelf poses a threat to seals and polar bear habitat, and the ice free Arctic Ocean absorbs more and more solar radiation as a result of the missing ice cover, with the possibility of run-away warming...

A report on NPR, on April 15, 2009, stated that the use of bottled water has decreased 1% in the past year, due primarily to the bad economy. The commentator was urging the public to use our excellent tap water that we enjoy here in the United States. The reason given to reduce the purchase of bottled water was concern over dumping the plastic bottles in land fills. Recycling was barely mentioned and the fact that the bottles were made from petroleum was not  mentioned at all. Most people couldn’t tell you what water bottles are made from. Even those few that are recycled are sent to China and then sold back to us. The main problem with bottled water, aside from the fact that the bottles contain a product we already get piped to our homes, is that the bottles are made from a non-renewable resource. They are made from petroleum. That’s why we need to stop buying them.

America has water in virtually...

Here’s a new one on me, and yet another reason to head off global warming no matter what causes it.

Today I read a report from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. They produced a study that concluded that global warming, along with higher rainfall totals and longer warm seasons, resulted in the spread of West Nile Virus throughout the world for the period from 2001 and 2005.

I bet you know the answer to this intuitively. Yesterday I purchased a documentary at the Tucson Alternative Energy Expo titled “Who Killed the Electric Car.” I blew $10 because it is available on the web free at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5871495968130273402. I had never seen it before, or even heard of it, for that matter. It was produced in 2006. It was very enlightening and at the same time discouraging. The  question has a number of answers. Basically it was Big Auto, Big Oil and Big Government. The public was complicit too.

Everyone who cares about our planet should see the film. It’s 90 minutes long and I guarantee that your blood will reach the boiling point by the end...