Your memory lane is fascinating and very different from mine. It has to do with
where you lived, with cultural background, and the fact that there were more
children in your family. I grew up in New York City and experienced rural life
only during the summers, and I was an only child. Also, I was legally blind
from birth. In the city, we walked to all of the stores and other places of
business. My mother paid gas, phone, and electric bills in cash by going to the
store fronts for each of the respective companies. We also walked to the nearby
public library. For a nickle, we rode the subway into Manhattan where we
purchased clothing in department stores and occasionally frequented fancy
restaurants or attended the Broadway theater. We also saw stage shows and
movies at Radio City Music Hall and the Roxy Theater. When I began taking
piano lessons at The Lighthouse, we were given tickets to Leonard Bernstein's
Saturday morning children's concerts at Carnegie Hall and to radio broadcasts.
But I remember the summer when I was three, spent in a cottage in Peekskill,
NY, when the ice man delivered ice and the rats ate the kosher salami that my
mother had hanging in the kitchen, and I remember my mother and aunts cooking
on the wood stove at my grandmother's farm where we spent every summer until I
was eight. They churned butter from the cream at the top of the bottles of raw
milk that we bought from the farm next door. We had fresh eggs for breakfast
each morning and we ate freshly killed chickens. We swam in a nearby lake that
we walked to through the woods. My first record albums were 78 rpm records,
South Pacific and Kiss Me Kate, both musicals which I actdually saw on
Broadway. Alfred Drake was the sexy male lead in Kiss Me Kate. Mary Martin
washed her hair on stage as she sang I'm Gona Wash That Man Right Outta My
Hair. I remember my father's air raid white helmet. He was some sort of
volunteer during World War 2, and I remember our victory garden, planted in an
empty lot adjacent to our apartment building. All of our neighbors had victory
gardens and they gathered there after work each day to cultivate them. We
cheated and planted some flowers, along with the vegetables.
So there's my contribution to Memory Lane.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Monday, October 17, 2016 10:50 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: GEOENGINEERING THE CLIMATE: AN ACT OF MAD
DESPERATION
For 8 years, 1987-1995, Cathy and I...and the two younger kids, when we could
drag them along, spent weekends and vacations in our 12 by 15 rustic cabin. We
had a wood stove and Kerosene lanterns, an out house and an air bed that
replaced the too narrow sleeping loft. The one concession was the three burner
propane camp stove, with a decent oven. Cathy and I loved it. James tolerated
it. Renae hated it!.
Renae, the youngest, was as citified as they come. We would return home after
a weekend and she would rush into the house, flicking on lights and exclaiming,
"Oh, electricity! I love you!", and flush the toilet and turn on the water in
the sink, with similar joyful outbursts.
The one biggest problem we would face, living out here 8.5 miles from the
village of Quilcene, is gasoline. Even if we bought a buckboard and hitched
the horse to it, or bought a draft horse, there is no safe way into town.
Highway 101 is the only highway into town, and at some places there are no
shoulders for miles. So, gas and propane for our cook stove and hot water. I
would imagine those commodities would go sky high.
I could imagine returning to those not so long ago days when housewives would
rush out into the streets to stop the Green Grocer or the Bread Wagon, or the
Dairy Truck, or the Meat Wagon, and make their daily purchases. Most homes
during the days when those wagons were horse drawn were serviced by Ice Boxes.
The Iceman would come by every few days. But perishables needed to be
purchased every couple of days. I don't remember horse drawn wagons, but we
had the Iceman bring huge blocks of ice to our house, and I would run up the
hill to look for the various delivery trucks and buy what mother had put on the
list.
Our small plain house sat on a narrow path high above Aurora Avenue which was
also Highway 99, the major North South highway back prior to I-5. Eight lanes
of fast moving traffic. When we children were older we would run down the path
from our house to the highway and cross to the safety island, and then to the
far side. About half a block along the highway was Cascade Market, an open
face grocery and flower stand.
Al and Sam sort of took our mother under their wings and saved things like
peaches and other slightly over ripe fruit, along with 2 cent a pound
watermelon, and let her buy it for almost nothing. It's funny when I look back
on Al and Sam. Two of the nicest, most caring and generous men I knew. Al
Handcraft and Sam Israel, Jews, both of them.
The only Jews I knew during my growing up years. So you can imagine my shock
when I attended grade school and heard the snooty children trashing Jews as
being cheap and greedy. That disagreement, along with my FDR for President
button, set me apart from most of the other children.
But anyway, we would run along the highway to the market and buy a quart of
Carnation Ice cream. We did this right after supper.
Rushing back home we would hand over the cold delight to mother, who would cut
it into five equal portions and serve it with some of those wonderful little
wafers with the white or pink frosting in the middle.
Did I mention that the Fuller Brush man also came calling? Not when we lived
high on the steep path above highway 99, but later when we'd moved to Ballard,
in the north end of Seattle. We also saw the Watkins salesman and the "perfume
lady" selling Avon. Mother was highly allergic to something in their perfumes,
so the Avon Lady only stopped one time.
But back to the 40's. Whenever one of my sisters or I came down with a
communicable disease, like chicken pox or measles, the Health Department sent
out a person who would post a sign on our door.
Different colors for different diseases. In those days, being a boy carried
privileges not permitted girls. I could roam Queen Anne Hill all day, riding
my bike or whooshing along on my roller skates, while my sisters had to stay
close to home. I carried a twice weekly throw away sales paper when I was 8
years old, and by the time I was 9, I was packing the Seattle Star, a six day a
week paper. Then at 11 I carried the Seattle Times, as well as doing yard work
and packing jugs of oil up to the apartments that used oil stoves. In the late
summer Mother took us to Penney's bargain basement and we bought our school
clothes. Since I had my own money, I bought most of my own clothes, picking
out things Mother would not have paid for. She always bought my heavy winter
coats and my school shoes, but I was paying for everything else by the time I
was ten.
Anyway, I've strayed from the original subject, so I'll wander off down memory
lane and leave you all alone.
Carl Jarvis
On 10/16/16, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Yes, we did do without all this stuff for alonger than we've had it.
And for those of us who are old, I suspect it's easier to imagine
going back to life as it was when we were growing up. But for younger
people, it's a whole other story. They can't imagine life without air
conditioning, or air travel or plastic containers. It's easy to add
things, but much harder to take them away.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Sunday, October 16, 2016 9:14 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: GEOENGINEERING THE CLIMATE: AN ACT OF
MAD DESPERATION
It would call for a period of transition. Some of the items you
mention are things I do without now, but would be a real problem for
other folks to do without. I think of air conditioning. Sure, we got
along without it for most of our human history, but we have gotten
away from building homes that support us during the very hot, humid
season. I can't imagine trying to live in a trailer in Sun Valley,
Arizona. Air travel is something I'd never miss. Once I retired from
the agency, I was happy to also put away my flight bag. There's
nowhere I need to go in such a hurry these days that a train wouldn't do me
just fine...an electric train.
But sure, we'd need to begin realigning our lives, and prioritizing
our values. But until the middle of last century we did live a much
different life. One other thing we need to do without, that would be
about 4 Billion People. If we don't figure out how to reduce the
rising population, all other efforts to save the planet will be ought
for naught. And no, I'm not suggesting mass annihilation.
Carl Jarvis
On 10/16/16, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Yes, but are we willing to get rid of everything that is made of
plastic, acryllic, or other materials with an oil base? What about
our computers and smart phones? What about our air travel? What
about our air conditioning? I just want to point out what will be
involved for people if governments ever become really serious about
switching to a green economy.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl ;
Jarvis
Sent: Sunday, October 16, 2016 1:17 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: GEOENGINEERING THE CLIMATE: AN ACT OF
MAD DESPERATION
The Elite Ruling Class will spare no expense in its tinkering
attempts to stave off climate disaster and allow them to continue
exploiting the planet's natural resources. Of course they will,
because they will use our money, not theirs. The greed driven elite
have bungled so badly that they have brought us to the brink of
extermination, yet are convinced that, with our money, they can save
planet earth...for their purposes.
It is not yet too late to implement sustainable measures to protect
our Earth, but "to implement these sustainable measures, we must
first get rid of the economic system and the class that puts profits
before human and ecological needs."
Carl Jarvis
On 10/15/16, Roger Loran Bailey <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
https://socialistaction.org/2016/10/13/geoengineering-the-climate-an
-
a
ct-of-mad-desperation/
GEOENGINEERING THE CLIMATE: AN ACT OF MAD DESPERATION
/ 1 day ago
oct-2016-raygunBy CHRISTINE FRANK
As a last-ditch effort to curb runaway global warming, while
avoiding a definitive halt to fossil-fuel combustion, scientists,
governments, entrepreneurs, and even right-wing think tanks are
advocating various highly dangerous technologies to block solar
radiation or draw down atmospheric carbon to cool the planet. Touted
as Plan B, these risky methods come under the label of either Solar
Radiation Management (SRM) or Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR).
SRM techniques under consideration include placing space-based solar
deflectors in orbit, spewing sulfate aerosols into the stratosphere,
and seeding clouds to increase their brightness. CDR techniques
include Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) of CO2 from
power-plant flue gases, the iron fertilization of the oceans to
stimulate phytoplankton blooms, and burning acres of trees for
biochar burial in soils.
For any of these ruinously expensive, energy-intensive techno-fixes
to work, they must be applied on a planetary-wide, mega-scale, at
great risk to Earth’s natural systems and human societies. Their
implementation could result in an array of disastrous unintended
consequences due to reckless human interference.
A case in point would be the initial Grand Experiment of employing
fossil fuels to power the Industrial Revolution, which got us into
this mess in the first place. Over the two-and-a-half centuries of
hydrocarbon burning and steadily rising carbon dioxide emissions,
the growing evidence that greenhouse gases were warming the planet
was either ignored, denied, or deliberately suppressed by those who
profited from the coal, gas, and oil industries.
With that in mind, any child worried about his or her future could
easily grasp the folly of using Mother Earth as a laboratory for
geoengineering experiments, yet scientists as well as some so-called
environmentalists, who both should know better, are ready to push
the panic button in order to “buy time.”
To buy time for whom, we may ask? It is clear that quick-fixing the
climate will allow the capitalist class to conduct business as usual
by never having to give up fossil fuels. That is why Exxon Mobil CEO
Rex Tillerson declared back in 2007 that adapting to extreme weather
and rising sea levels is an “engineering problem” that has
“engineering solutions.”
That’s right, Rex, with the help of Yankee ingenuity and American
know-how, we can engineer our way out of ecological collapse so you
and your ilk will be free to pillage, plunder, and pollute for
profit until the natural world descends into chaos. There may be a
Plan B, but there is no Planet B! A growing number of climate crisis
activists are realizing that and demanding a ban on geoengineering
experiments, funding, and implementation.
We now know from paleoclimatic evidence that dramatic changes on a
planetary scale are difficult to reverse and can lead to irreparable
harm, even mass extinctions. Earth’s climate system is a complexity
of natural variables and feedback loops. All of the planet’s
matrices—atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, and
lithosphere—interact in non-linear and subtle ways to create a
self-regulatory whole. Therefore, a change in the solar flux could
cause an imbalance in the global heat budget and alter atmospheric
circulation, precipitation patterns, and ocean currents to the
detriment of life in the affected regions. Needless to say, the
economic costs of launching an array of sun shields or mirrors into
orbit would be astronomical.
The release of sulfate aerosols mixed with polluting jet aircraft
exhaust into the stratosphere would also have detrimental side effects.
Historically, tropical volcanic eruptions that release sulfur
particles can cause warmer winters over land masses in the Northern
Hemisphere, whereas, eruptions at high latitudes weaken the Asian
and African monsoons, causing droughts. Adding aerosols to the
stratosphere could exacerbate ozone depletion by providing more
surfaces on which harmful chemical reactions take place. Also,
blocking sunlight would mean less for renewable solar power. Acid
rain that kills forests and aquatic life could be another ill effect.
A flotilla of ships spraying seawater into the air in order to
increase Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) and brighten marine
stratocumulus clouds may not be the “Silver Lining” that is promised.
It could backfire with a counterproductive reduction in cloud cover
because of all the industrial pollutants present over the ocean
adding to the mix.
For years, carbon capture and sequestration have been used to foster
the myth of Clean Coal. With a handful of exceptions, most
coal-fired power plants have not deployed CCS because of the
enormous expense and energy required to create the solvents to
absorb the CO2 from the smokestacks and to pressurize and pipe the
supercritical gas underground into a secure geologic formation.
Critics have pointed out the dangers of the highly pressurized
carbon dioxide migrating through the rock fissures and belching out
at the surface where it would smother anything breathing at ground level.
Supposedly, the CarbFix project in Iceland has succeeded in
mineralizing carbon pollution from a geothermal power station by
pumping it into subterranean volcanic basalt formations. The in situ
process took only two years rather than millions, greatly improving
on geologic time scales. The major drawbacks to applying this
technique on a world scale are the availability of basalt
formations, the energy required to transport the carbon dioxide from
its source, and the amount of water—25 tons per each ton of
CO2—necessary to pipe it into permanent geologic storage. It would
require a massive infrastructure.
Then there are always the problems of pipeline ruptures and wellhead
blowouts plus the hazards of deep-sea drilling. The more complex the
mechanical means, the more things that can go wrong.
Dumping a slurry of iron sulfate into the ocean to increase marine
phytoplankton populations has had limited results in drawing down
carbon. What has happened in actual trials is that iron
fertilization encourages a feeding frenzy among the zooplankton
grazers, resulting in very little carbon actually being sequestered
as dead plankton or fecal matter—marine snow—in the deep ocean.
Also, there is the danger of undermining the integrity of the food web.
Neurotoxic algal blooms can poison fish, shellfish, and marine
mammals, and nutrient overloading can deplete oxygen and create dead
zones in the world’s seas. Also, methanophilic bacteria could take
advantage of the situation and release massive amounts of
dimethylsulfide (DMS) into the atmosphere, blocking the sunlight
needed for photosynthesis.
Because no government is forcing the Big Polluters to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, panicked scientists and politicians say
that conventional means of mitigating global warming are not working.
Therefore, we need to resort to more drastic measures, and they are
receiving encouragement from wealthy entrepreneurs such as Bill
Gates, Richard Branson, and Mark Lynas, who are eager to patent
every wild, hair-brained scheme coming down the pike. The result is
the privatization of global warming mitigation strategies to satisfy
their greed. It raises the question of who ultimately controls the
thermostat and whether they have the right to imperil the lives of
everyone else.
Another reason why we are not winning the struggle to save the
climate is the cowardice of the weak, reformist environmental
groups, who are afraid to challenge the Carbon Barons head on, so
they compromise by promoting electric cars instead of clean mass transit.
Fearing the wrath of Big Auto, the Union of Concerned Scientists has
harped endlessly on improved fuel-efficiency standards because it
too cannot give up its worship of the internal combustion engine.
For years, the Sierra Club falsely advocated natural gas as a
“bridge or transitional fuel” until it was revealed that its
leadership had been taking millions in donations from the industry.
Even climatologist James Hansen believes in “green nukes” by advocating
thorium reactors.
The delusional sci-fi fantasy that human beings can control powerful
natural forces is based on the mechanistic view that the Universe is
a giant clockwork that can tolerate endless tinkering without
consequence.
Only the democratic control of science for the benefit of society
will allow us to work with Mother Nature instead of against her.
We already have renewable wind and solar technologies at our
disposal, which will enable us to leave the fossil fuels in the
ground. Instead, of torching trees for biochar, we should be saving
the world’s forests from the logger’s chainsaw. To increase the
carbon-storage capacity of Earth’s badly depleted, lifeless soils,
organic matter must be recycled to regenerate their health and
fertility instead of flushed into the ocean. Organic food
production, not genetic monsters and toxic chemicals, will feed the world.
To implement these sustainable measures, we must first get rid of
the economic system and the class that puts profits before human and
ecological needs.
Many have already been conducted with dubious results.
Share this:
Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) 24Share on
Facebook (Opens in new window)24 Click to share on Google+ (Opens
in new
window)
October 13, 2016 in Environment. Tags: climate change, global
warming
Related posts
The Truth About Global Warming
Obama’s climate proposals fall short
Paris climate talks produce hot air
Post navigation
← Labor Briefing
Vote Socialist Action!
Jeff Mackler for President and Karen Schraufnagel for Vice President
More information:
Newspaper Archives
Newspaper Archives Select Month October 2016 (4) September 2016
(10) August 2016 (10) July 2016 (14) June 2016 (14) May 2016 (9)
April
2016 (12) March 2016 (14) February 2016 (8) January 2016 (11)
December 2015 (11) November 2015 (9) October 2015 (8) September
2015
(10) August 2015 (7) July 2015 (13) June 2015 (9) May 2015 (10)
April 2015 (12) March 2015 (9) February 2015 (11) January 2015
(10) December 2014 (12) November 2014 (11) October 2014 (9)
September 2014
(6) August 2014 (10) July 2014 (11) June 2014 (10) May 2014 (11)
April 2014 (10) March 2014 (9) February 2014 (11) January 2014
(11) December 2013 (10) November 2013 (11) October 2013 (17)
September
2013 (13) August 2013 (10) July 2013 (11) June 2013 (15) May
2013
(14) April 2013 (14) March 2013 (12) February 2013 (10) January
2013
(17) December 2012 (7) November 2012 (8) October 2012 (19)
September
2012 (2) August 2012 (27) July 2012 (18) June 2012 (3) May 2012
(19) April 2012 (14) March 2012 (17) February 2012 (19) January
2012
(17) December 2011 (3) November 2011 (33) October 2011 (14)
September
2011 (13) August 2011 (34) July 2011 (24) June 2011 (19) May 2011
(19) April 2011 (15) March 2011 (15) February 2011 (16) January
2011
(15) December 2010 (17) November 2010 (1) October 2010 (6)
September 2010 (3) August 2010 (8) July 2010 (7) June 2010 (2)
May 2010 (9) April 2010 (3) March 2010 (8) February 2010 (3)
January 2010 (9) December 2009 (6) November 2009 (5) October 2009
(16) September 2009
(3) August 2009 (2) July 2009 (5) June 2009 (2) May 2009 (7)
April
2009 (6) March 2009 (16) February 2009 (9) January 2009 (10)
December 2008 (11) November 2008 (8) October 2008 (16) September
2008 (14) August 2008 (18) July 2008 (12) June 2008 (3) May 2008
(2) April 2008 (3) March 2008 (14) February 2008 (11) January
2008
(11) December 2007 (8) November 2007 (1) July 2007 (1) June 2007
(1) April 2007 (1) March 2007 (1) February 2007 (3) December 2006
(11) November 2006 (11) October 2006 (13) September 2006 (15)
August
2006
(11) July 2006 (18) June 2006 (7) May 2006 (14) April 2006 (6)
March
2006 (14) February 2006 (5) January 2006 (2) December 2005 (9)
November 2005 (8) October 2005 (13) September 2005 (12) August
2005
(9) July 2005 (16) June 2005 (16) May 2005 (16) April 2005 (12)
March
2005 (14) February 2005 (19) January 2005 (15) December 2004
(14) November 2002 (17) October 2002 (19) September 2002 (22)
August
2002
(21) July 2002 (15) May 2002 (21) April 2002 (21) February 2002
(15) January 2002 (15) December 2001 (17) October 2001 (24)
September
2001 (18) July 2001 (19) June 2001 (18) October 2000 (17)
September 2000 (21) August 2000 (19) July 2000 (16) June 2000
(26) May 2000
(21) April 2000 (22) March 2000 (28) February 2000 (18) January
2000
(20) December 1999 (20) November 1999 (26) October 1999 (25)
September
1999 (18) August 1999 (40) July 1999 (38) June 1999 (24) May
1999
(27) April 1999 (25) March 1999 (26) February 1999 (29) January
1999
(24) July 1998 (12)
Search
Get Involved
Donate to help support our work
Get email updates
Join Socialist Action
View socialistactionusa’s profile on Facebook View
SocialistActUS’s profile on Twitter View SocialistActionCT’s
profile on YouTube
Subscribe to Our Newspaper
Upcoming Events
The Solution is Socialism: A one-day conference October 22, 2016
Central Connecticut State University
View Calendar
Blog at WordPress.com.
