I'm already on a water meter, that's not helping.

I'm surprised. Usually single occupancy dwellings are better off as they use less water than the average 2.4 family does.

In terms of volume used, it possibly does, but i still have to pay more on standing charge than i do on actual water, which was my original point.

i don't qualify for any of these measures that the unwashed get handed to them on a plate.

Thank you! Just shows how out of touch with Sirius is with real people :-)

Where does he come into this?

A little while ago I referred to the on benefits Hoi polloi as the "Great Unwashed". Sirius accused me of being classist and snobbish. It's nice to know that I'm not, although I never thought I was anyway :-)

It's a broad generalisation, but judging by the examples i usually meet on the bus, accurate.

appointed essentially as the PR man, so he's the one to whom complaints are directed.

Yes that is true. But the individual Ministers are responsible for defining the policies followed, advised by their Civil Servants. Have a bash at the people that really decide what we all do.

That should be his job, we tell him what we want (or don't want), he kicks the relevant departments into line (call me an idealist). Otherwise, what is he for?

---

Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

I'm already on a water meter, that's not helping.

I'm surprised. Usually single occupancy dwellings are better off as they use less water than the average 2.4 family does.

i don't qualify for any of these measures that the unwashed get handed to them on a plate.

Thank you! Just shows how out of touch with Sirius is with real people :-)

Where does he come into this?

A little while ago I referred to the on benefits Hoi polloi as the "Great Unwashed". Sirius accused me of being classist and snobbish. It's nice to know that I'm not, although I never thought I was anyway :-)

appointed essentially as the PR man, so he's the one to whom complaints are directed.

Yes that is true. But the individual Ministers are responsible for defining the policies followed, advised by their Civil Servants. Have a bash at the people that really decide what we all do.

Oi you, not having that!

Standing charges are levied on everyone as basically a rent on the meter. It is of course up to you when or if you choose to use the gas or electricity. But you are paying for it to be available 24/7 should you choose to use it. You can ask to be upgraded to a water meter, for low users that will save money, a family with 3 kids might even pay more.

I'm already on a water meter, that's not helping.

Cameron is just the figurehead of his Party, don't blame him personally, blame the policy makers of his party, and the energy companies the "Big Six".

He's the representative, i know he's not personally responsible, but he is the one who was appointed essentially as the PR man, so he's the one to whom complaints are directed.

i don't qualify for any of these measures that the unwashed get handed to them on a plate.

Thank you! Just shows how out of touch with Sirius is with real people :-)

Where does he come into this?

---

Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

Oi you, not having that!

Standing charges are levied on everyone as basically a rent on the meter. It is of course up to you when or if you choose to use the gas or electricity. But you are paying for it to be available 24/7 should you choose to use it. You can ask to be upgraded to a water meter, for low users that will save money, a family with 3 kids might even pay more.

Cameron is just the figurehead of his Party, don't blame him personally, blame the policy makers of his party, and the energy companies the "Big Six".

i don't qualify for any of these measures that the unwashed get handed to them on a plate.

Thank you! Just shows how out of touch with Sirius is with real people :-)

Reality Check: Germany's Defective Green Energy Game Plan

Without effective storage for green energy, coal is the back-up, other systems too costly.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/commentary-why-germany-is-waging-its-green-revolution-wrong-a-929693.html

How David Cameron's energy pricing reforms put my gas bill up 583%

Donnachadh McCarthy used energy-saving measures and renewable power to reduce his gas bill...

I'm with him on this.

Consumer group Which? also called for the scrapping of standing-charges so people can easily see what the cheapest deal is.

The heating in my house hasn't been on since March. The shower is electric, and i have a dishwasher, so the boiler is usually off completely since i don't really need it for hot water. Yet i still have a 14p/day standing charge on the gas so i'm paying just under £5/month despite having used two units in 7 months.
Similar story for the water, the standard charge frequently outweighs the cost of water actually used.
Electricity is the only resource that i use more than the SC worth of consistently, so that one is less important, but i still think they ought to be scrapped, along with this 'green tax'.

Cameron’s flat tariffs are an attack on the poor and eco-friendly, just like his attack this week on 'green taxes' on energy bills that pay for energy-efficiency measures for the poor.

Not for me though, i'm only a lowly PDRA, still paying off my debts from University, so i end up reasonably poor. But because i'm prepared to work for a living rather than sitting on my backside watching Trisha, i don't qualify for any of these measures that the unwashed get handed to them on a plate. So yes, scrap these 'green' measures and give the benefits to those who deserve them, i.e. me!

[/rant]

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Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

Rolling along the road to turning ourselves into fossils ever faster:


How David Cameron's energy pricing reforms put my gas bill up 583%

Donnachadh McCarthy used energy-saving measures and renewable power to reduce his gas bill...



North Dakota recorded 300 oil spills in two years without notifying the public

... 750 'oil field incidents' after officials kept the massive September wheat field spill quiet until discovered...



Keystone XL and Canadian tar sands are incompatible with solving climate change

Canada will not be able to meet its greenhouse gas emissions targets if Keystone XL is built and tar sands are expanded

The exploitation of the tar sands in Alberta, Canada - which may contain more oil than the entire world has consumed to date – has attracted considerable controversy...




Stupid or Not?

It's a worldwide event.


All on our only one planet,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

When this blows up, this will be a World-Wide event for the aftermath:


Arctic methane catastrophe scenario is based on new empirical observations

Critics of ... costs of Arctic warming ignore latest science on permafrost methane at everyone's peril

"The mechanism which is causing the observed mass of rising methane plumes in the East Siberian Sea is itself unprecedented ... What is actually happening is that the summer sea ice now retreats so far, and for so long each summer, that there is a substantial ice-free season over the Siberian shelf, sufficient for solar irradiance to warm the surface water by a significant amount – up to 7 deg C according to satellite data.

That warming extends ... to the seabed because we are dealing with only a polar surface water layer here (over the shelves the Arctic Ocean structure is one-layer rather than three layers) ...

So long as some ice persisted on the shelf, the water mass was held to about 0 deg C in summer because any further heat content in the water column was used for melting the ice underside. But once the ice disappears, as it has done, the temperature of the water can rise significantly, and the heat content reaching the seabed can melt the frozen sediments at a rate that was never before possible. ..."



Unfortunately, this is all following long held predictions. The only surprise is in the great size of the observed multiple 150km wide plumes.

There are multiple tipping points. How many can we trip?

Stupid or Not Stupid?

All on our only one planet,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

A continuing saga of pollution and corruption for both victims and perpetrators and for the rest of the world...


BP to seek Cameron's help as oil spill costs escalate

BP wants Prime Minister David Cameron to intervene over the escalating cost of compensating US companies for the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster in 2010. ... BP feels its financial recovery is in jeopardy because the compensation system is being abused. ...

...The Deepwater Horizon disaster killed 11 oil rig workers and released an estimated four million barrels of oil into the Gulf and along the coastline. ...

... "The problem is they've written a blank cheque to the businesses of Louisiana and not asked them to prove causality, ie: 'Was it the well spill that actually caused you problems at your business?'

"You can argue it is being abused, but that was the settlement they made and they are trying to wriggle out of it."

In March, BP began legal action in the US to limit payments by the fund set up to compensate those affected by the disaster. However, our business editor says that BP executives believe that even if it wins the appeal, the final cost of compensating firms will still be "significantly" higher than the amount it has set aside.


BP's Gulf of Mexico compensation costs 'jeopardising' the company

... One consequence is that lawyers in the affected region of Louisiana and adjacent states are urging any business which can show a fall in cash flow since the oil spill to make a claim. BP claims that "plaintiffs lawyers across the Gulf region are now openly advertising that the settlement is a way for claimants to collect payouts even if they have no losses at all". ...


EU raids on oil firms raise petrol prices worries

MPs and motoring groups have called on UK regulators to investigate claims that oil giants may have been linked to price-fixing for more than a decade.

It follows a raid on the offices of BP, Royal Dutch Shell, and Norway's Statoil by European anti-trust regulators. ...


And we pollute our planet still...


All STUPID?

All on our only one planet, here and NOW,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Quite a sobering disjoint mix:


Polar bears: An uncertain future

... Each summer, the sea ice on which they rely to hunt seals is getting thinner and smaller in extent - threatening to upset their way of life.

Here, American photographer and conservationist Jenny E Ross - and Andrew Derocher, professor of biological sciences at the University of Alberta - give their opinions on how climate change is affecting the lives of polar bears...

Warning: This slideshow contains graphic images


BP and partners announce $500m Clair field appraisal

A consortium of oil companies is to invest more than $500m (£330m) in an appraisal drilling programme which could lead to further development of a giant Atlantic field...


Record year for Scottish renewables in 2012

Scotland generated 7% more renewable electricity in 2012 than it did the previous year...

The Scottish government said it had generated enough electricity to power the equivalent of every Scottish home. The amount generated also represented 39% of Scotland's total electricity needs. ...

... He said: "We remain firmly on course to generate the equivalent of 100% of Scotland's electricity needs from renewables by 2020 - with renewables generating more than enough electricity to supply every Scottish home."




Stupid or Not Stupid?

All on our only one planet,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Is cloud seeding preventing further flooding in Indonesia?

Indonesia is banking on an unusual strategy to prevent further flooding in its inundated capital Jakarta, and officials claim that they are already seeing positive results.

They are using 'cloud seeding' — a weather modification technology often resorted to during drought. The method involves injecting clouds with substances that encourage the formation of ice crystals heavy enough to fall, thereby speeding up the production of rain.

Rain is the last thing that Indonesia needs now, as it has been experiencing heavy rainfall since mid-January.

But Indonesian scientists believe that inducing rains to fall over the ocean before the rainclouds reach the city will help prevent further flooding...



Stupid or Not Stupid?

All on our only one planet,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Arctic needs protection from resource rush as ice melts...

... The Arctic needs to be better protected from a rush for natural resources as melting ice makes mineral and energy exploration easier, the United Nations' Environment Programme (UNEP) said...



Stupid or Not Stupid?

All on our only one planet,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

In case anyone is interested..

The Age of Stupid

Is available on HULU

---

Janice

Arctic ice: The exhibition that melts before your eyes

Accurate scale replicas of Arctic ice floes are the centrepiece of a new exhibition at the Architectural Association in London.

ScanLAB scientists measured real floes in the Fram Strait, northwest of Svalbard, Norway using millimetre-perfect 3D-scanning technology. ...

... scientists have used the data recorded by the scanning to measure the speed at which floes are melting in the Arctic, while the scale models - which melt slowly before your eyes - provide a stunning visual display for visitors to the gallery. ...


Stupid or Not Stupid?

All on our only one planet,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

global warming is a fact, easily checked, since the end of the mini ice age

ending about 1850. The real question is what should we do about it.

Kyoto and Doha are about money not warming.

So what can be done?

My thoughts go as follows, if carbon is the problem might it not also be part of

the solution.

So how can I do something about this?

1) Bio char, this is basically just charcoal, what do I do with it?

Well bio char has a vary large surface area for it size allowing bacteria

to pack much closer together this is real good for soil, now what you do

is ask the guy at the nursery for bio char and he say's what? So you tell him

now he knows. And hopefully will get you and his other costumers a cheap way

too a better garden.

2) Buy high quality things with lots of carbon in them. This builds the market

for carbon products and reduces the cost to make more.

3) Invent new ways to use carbon or encourage others too.

carbon is a vary useful material whether it is the diamond ring on your finger

or the carbon fiber in your golf clubs. If we use enough, carbon fiber will

eventually be cheaper lighter and stronger than structural steel in building

and that does not begin to scratch the surface of what carbon can do.

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Mislaid mobile lands Christmas thief behind bars

A hapless Christmas-present thief in France's central Loire region spent the festive season behind bars after leaving his mobile phone at the scene of the crime and going to the police to report it lost

And another film showing:


Matt Damon fracking film to screen at Berlin festival

Matt Damon's film about the controversial shale gas industry is to screen in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Promised Land, directed by Gus Van Sant, centres on a natural gas salesman who ...


Stupid or Not Stupid?

All on our only one planet,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

TODAY - Friday 14 Dec 2012


Chasing Ice movie reveals largest iceberg break-up ever filmed - video

It's like watching 'Manhattan breaking apart in front of your eyes'...

... 7.4 cubic km of ice crashing off the Ilulissat glacier in Greenland...


"Chasing Ice", released to cinemas today.

"You've never seen images like this before.. It deserves to be seen and felt on the big screen" – Robert Redford

"A magical, yet horrifying film which both astounds and enlightens in equal measure." 5 star rating – Cine Vue


Stupid or Not Stupid?

All on our only one planet,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

... Unfortunately it's looking like the present climate conference at Doha is generating useless hot air descending ever deeper into diplomatic quagmire:

Doha UN climate talks to conclude with few conclusions

And the outcome is:


Climate talks: UN forum extends Kyoto Protocol to 2020

UN climate talks in Doha have closed with a historic shift in principle but few genuine cuts in greenhouse gases.

As it agreed to extend the Kyoto Protocol, the summit established for the first time that rich nations should move towards compensating poor nations for losses due to climate change.

This was hailed as a breakthrough by developing nations.

But they condemned the gulf between the science of climate change and political attempts to tackle it.

[...]

The major task of this two-week conference has been untangling of the diplomatic spaghetti from climate agreements that have grown piecemeal over the past 15 years.

... it was quickly evident that making a global agreement fair to all parties will be monumentally difficult.

The talks were chaired by Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah, a former head of the oil cartel Opec. He was widely criticised for his laid-back style earlier in the week but at the last there was the unlikely spectacle of environmentalists cheering the ruthlessness of the chair in crushing the Russian revolt.

Climate change diplomacy makes strange bedfellows.



Stupid or Not Stupid?...

All on our only one planet,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

And to add to the hot air and interminable procrastination:


Unfortunately it's looking like the present climate conference at Doha is generating useless hot air descending ever deeper into diplomatic quagmire:

Doha UN climate talks to conclude with few conclusions

... As politicians delay, scientists continue to warn of ever-increasing greenhouse gases.

But this conference - the 18th Conference of the Parties, or COP18 - will not prevent any CO2 being released into the atmosphere - that will be left to future meetings. Indeed if it does not tighten the rules on "hot air" this conference could result in an increase in emissions. ...



All very stupid... Ignoring reality does not make it all go away...


Stupid or Not Stupid?!...

All on our only one planet,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)