JMU Hockey and the "Hockey Stick" manmade global warming theory...

Went to the JMU vs. Radford Ice hockey game last night at the MainStreet Arena in Charlottesville and saw a good game along with reading about Michael Mann, author of the "Hockey-Stick" graph on man made global warming, being in town giving a enviro-talk to the students of UVA...

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Great game with Radford coming out and delivering two massive hits in the first 20 seconds of the first period to set the tone of play. Radford controlled the first period with what must have been a 3 to 1 shots on goal ratio and the first score in the first half of the period. JMU Dukes did get it together towards the end with a score 9 seconds before the end of the period...

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In the 2nd period JMU came out like a new team and continued to crash the Radford net and this resulted in a 5 to 3 lead for the Dukes at the end of the 2nd period. There was a very interesting call where the Radford goalie performed a "Poke-check" in front of the net (No doubt the result of a prior suggestion by fellow hockey fan Chris Green to the Radford coach after a prior game) but lost his stick and pushing the puck away from the JMU player and the Ref granted the JMU a penalty shot which was stopped by the goalie.....

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In the 3rd Radford tied it up after the JMU goalie attempted a poke-check but ended up feeding the puck to the trailing Radford wing who promptly deposited it into the JMU goal. Radford ended up scoring the final goal and winning the game in front of a pretty good crowd of people gathered...

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During one of the intermissions I sat and read an article in the local C-ville about climate scientist Michael Mann had returned to UVA to give a keynote lecture regarding those who question his climate research and conclusion of man made global warming. "“Contrarians
or deniers, I think that there has been some tendency to give those who denythe scientific consensus far too much prominence in the public discourse.”

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Now I was in his backyard and old stomping grounds of UVA where he once was a climate scientist and eventually came up with the famous "Hockey Stick" graph showing the dramatic increase of global temperature that he concludes comes from man made gasses, and I was reading a local weekly C-ville paper, so what should I expect?...

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By Mann's and the C-ville papers definition, I am one of those "deniers" who continues to question the conclusion that global warming is caused by man made gasses. I do not dispute that there is global warming but do question that it is caused to the extent that some claim is responsible for much of the warming now being experienced.

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Anybody remember back in the 70's when we were told of the coming Ice age that would cover much of the U.S. ? If we have made such a dramatic swing in such a short period of time how do you think we could ever slow down or possible stop this "man made" warming? ....

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2011 Shad Planking....

The "Planking of the Shad" event for 2011 had a smaller attendance than many in the past but those who came out enjoyed nice weather and good conversation. Shad Plank 2010 had rain and a somewhat larger crowd with numerous familiar display tents missing this year but the 2011 shad event was still enjoyable...

Governor Bob McDonnell, Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, and Senate Candidate George Allen were in attendance and Governor McDonnell was the guest speaker...

Shad Planking speeches tend to be less serious and a opportunity for the speaker to take the familiar "Jabs" towards opposing political parties, their Representatives, Candidates, and of course the Shad itself....

Governor McDonnell spoke for about 15 minutes and had some good lines that got the applause he was looking for from the crowd. I particularly liked the one about the practice of cooking the Shad over the open fire pit and how it was fortunate that the EPA was not aware of the event and what was being done to the Shad. For the true name of the EPA is "Employment Prevention Agency" which is so true if you look at the history of this agency.....

Governor McDonnell took the usually opportunity to talk about the actual Shad fish and stated that he wished the members of the U.S. Congress had as much backbone as the Shad "This country would not be in such a mess"..... Oh, so true......

He also talked about how when he became elected as Governor of the State of Virginia he moved into the house that both former Governors Tim Kaine and George Allen once lived in and left items behind. It appears George Allen left a autographed football signed by himself and Tim Kaine left a $2 Billion tax hike when he left office.... Both items have been removed by the present Gov.....

Former VA Governor and now Senate candidate George Allen....

Virginia Tea Party tent...

The Tea Party has become a valuable asset for it keeps pressure on both parties and their representatives to address and make the necessary changes that are needed in government. It has become the voice of the people that the "Inner Beltway" representatives have learned to ignore in the past and now listen to for the numbers have grown, organized, and are now LOUD enough to get attention.....

Ben Marchi

Unfortunately one of the familiar tents that I missed from not being there was the Virginia Energy Independence Alliance tent which I have visited in the past and have enjoyed the conversation and information they provided...
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This year I found the "Va4wind" booth which is a organization of several environmental groups including the Sierra Club who's representative was manning the tent when I got there. I was encouraged and interested in seeing the support of Wind farms off of the Virginia coast but was disappointed when I found the main effort being made was to get people to sign a petition urging Dominion Power to develop, construct, and maintain the desired wind farm project. Seems I recall the Sierra Club jumping ugly with Dominion Power in the past?....

Also found after a little research that the Sierra Club had a year ending revenue (2008) of $56,313,595 and that maybe they can throw a little bit of this towards the development of wind farms instead of petitioning the "Evil Energy Companies"...

I stopped back at this booth several times to join in and listen to the conversations regarding placing wind farms off the Virginia coast and there were numerous good points made by those stopping by the booth. I left once the Sierra Club representative mentioned how disappointed she was in President Obama but she was still going to support him in the future...

Did I mention gasoline prices were $3.89 for regular in the Wakefield area?.....
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Virginia Lt. Governor Bill Bolling...

Senator Mark Warner...

It was actually good to see one of our U.S. Senators from the Democratic party at the 63rd Shad Planking. It was asked and pointed out many times how former DNC Chairman and now Senate candidate Tim Kaine was not at or represented at the Shad Planking. No signs. No people. Nothing.

Being the former Governor of Virginia and the history of the Shad Planking over the years you would think it would have made it onto the "To Do List" for somebody campaigning in Virginia?....

All together it was a good event and it is also beneficial to see who is out there running for what. A great opportunity to meet and talk with those of familiar and same opinions and beliefs as well as to speak with those of opposing opinions and beliefs.
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Also a great opportunity to get out there and talk with familiar people from the past and to catch up on what is going on in Virginia politics now and on the horizon. Informal gatherings such as the Shad Planking provides a valuable opportunity to catch up on current events, talk "politics", and to provide truth and facts regarding the "Spin" that is out there and surly to come in the upcoming campaign season....

(Such as)

"Spin"

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Obama worried about those Gas prices?.....

Maybe the Chief has something to worry about?....

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WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) - White House officials are increasingly worried that rising gasoline prices, and disruptions to the global oil supply, threaten not only the fragile U.S. economic recovery but the re-election prospects of President Barack Obama.

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White House aides are particularly concerned that if gas prices surpass a national average of $4 a gallon -- and if oil passes $125 a barrel -- the economic and political fallout could dominate next year's presidential campaign and drown out Obama's message of economic recovery.

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So why is Obama outsourcing our jobs?... "Obamalogic"?...

So now we have President Obama striving to outsource our oil\natural gas exploration, drilling, and production jobs to Brazil while his administration continues to block such jobs right here in America by continuing the moritorium...

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“It is beyond comprehension the administration would encourage trade for Brazilian oil while obstructing U.S. oil and natural gas development, eliminating related jobs here at home, and decreasing oil and natural gas revenues to the U.S. Treasury when the government is trillions of dollars in debt. The message from the White House to America’s oil and natural gas workers: we’re going to outsource your job.

“The administration is missing the obvious: what makes sense for Brazil also makes sense for the United States. Like every other nation, we should be developing our own oil and natural gas resources. It’s good for energy security, good for the economy, good for jobs, and it will help bring down our deficit.

“The administration says it supports more oil and natural gas development here in the United States, then at every turn discourages it. And today, the White House is making a deal with Brazil for the oil it is not allowing companies to produce here. There’s nothing wrong with buying Brazilian oil, but there’s a big problem when we’re forced to because we’re held back from producing our own.”


WASHINGTON, February __ – API President and CEO Jack Gerard said the administration’s offer to exchange batteries for oil from Brazil reflects its inadequate and illogical energy policy:



Just another example of "Obamalogic"?...

The actual "Hydro-fracking" process...

For my Liberal enviromaniac friend who could not describe the actual "Hydro-fracking" process she was so dead-set against but could not explain why...

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Local Harrisonburg VA Activist go to Cancun, Mexico to "Celebrate"(?) Global Warming?....

The local Harrisonburg newspaper reports that a local "Environmentalist\Political activist" couple from the Harriosnburg area is now attending the Climate Action Alliance gathering being held in Cancun, Mexico.... (See above video of the event)

Both Charles and Cathy Strickler have been active in the area and I have seen their Letters to the Editors in the paper numerous times and they are indeed very "active" in the local happenings of the Valley....

During this same week the same newspaper highlighted some wisdom from Mr. Strickler in a Open Forum letter to the people of the valley. Impressive opportunity for Strickler to broadcast his views and beliefs but the original article printed in The News Leader should have asked the activists the obvious questions regrding the reason for this trip to Cancun and the event itself....

In his Open Forum letter Strickler stated:

The big financial institutions went happily on their way, selling homes to people who could not afford them, and passing the loans on to others who did not care about those involved. Just give me mine! Some even made money by betting that the market would crash (AIG). Some tried to get people to change their ways, to get better regulations on borrowing, etc., but of course, things got out of hand and now we are all paying the price. There were a few people who predicted the financial problem. What would have happened if 90 percent of all financial advisers had been saying that the economy was not sustainable?

But yet was it not the Democratic Party majority controlled Congress that allowed the above actions to continue and infact encouraged it? Remember Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and how many of the Congresspeople from the Democrat party supported its actions in loaning money to those who obviously could not afford it?.... Remember the videos of Congressman Charlie Rangle on the floor stating Fannie and Freddie are just fine?..And as much as I am sure that the Stricklers love and appreciate the predictions made by Glen Beck, he has been reporting and predicting the current financial mess for years.....

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On the climate side, there are some who get it and are doing all they can to change their lives by reducing their carbon use. Besides, it also makes good economic sense to insulate your house and drive a fuel efficient vehicle. And if you truly understand the science, you have great concern for your children and grandchildren.

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Now about those 1,500 activists that are attending the get-together in Cancun, Mexico...

What is the "Carbon footprint" of that travel and how was that trip to and from Harrisonburg, Virginia? Maybe the Stricklers bought the appropriate "Carbon Credits" from the Al Gore boondoggle of a program....

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Models of our environmental future do not paint a very pretty picture. No one knows with certainty exactly how it will turn out, but the scientists whom we have relied on in the past tell us that we are headed for a very different and difficult environmental future. Can we as individuals and collective citizens make a difference in the outcome? I am trying to do my part and hoping that you will do your part too.
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Obviously... Are the numerous airpanes from Harrisonburg area airport to and from Cancun, Mexico of the Hybrid electric\gas type?.....

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Can "Wind Energy" pay for itself?....

JMU ~James Madison University~ mounted on a tall tower along route 81 in Harrisonburg Virginia...

Near Fairfield Virginia in the backyard of a private residence....

Augusta County Virginia near Fishersville...

Several wind towers in the local area of Augusta County. I drive past several of these each day on the way to and back from work and good to see the effort being made to harness the wind in the Valley. Unfortunately it seems most of these wind machines do not produce enough electricity to pay for themselves over the years and without the grants and tax breaks provided by the FedGov many of these would not exist...

The Oil Drum has an interesting article on these smaller wind units and why they do not produce enough to cover their expense....

"Two real-world tests performed in the Netherlands and in the UK confirm our earlier analysis that small wind turbines are a fundamentally flawed technology. Their financial payback time is much longer than their life expectancy, and in urban areas, some poorly placed wind turbines will not even deliver as much energy as needed to operate them (let alone energy needed to produce them). Given their long payback period relative to their life expectancy, most small wind turbines are net energy consumers rather than net energy producers."

While the rest of the world develops offshore wind farms we continue to delay this use of technology and resource because somebody might see a turbine way off in the distance from the beach or Ted Kennedy's backyard....

"The Thanet farm, will be able to produce 300MW of electricity from 100 turbines - enough to power over 20,000 homes. It will be the biggest offshore facility of its kind until the even larger London Array, which has an eventual goal of 340 turbines, is completed. Thanet will dwarf the nearby Kentish Flats facility off Whitstable, also run by Vattenfall and using similar Vestas turbines."

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The "Day After Tomorrow" Marketing agenda....

I have been following the "Letters to the Editor" section of the Roanoke Times newspaper regarding the recent story of a 100 sq. mile section of the Arctic's Petermann Glacier that broke off of Greenland and with that "Environmentalists say Arctic ice melt caused by global warming"...

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These letters first caught my attention when Chris Hall, a aerospace engineering professor from Blacksburg VA, responded to a "rant" by a Associated Press writer that the Roanoke Times printed and that eluded to a 20ft sea level rise if this 100 sq\mile Chunk-O-Ice was to melt....

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Hall came up with some great calculations showing that if this "Chunk" was to melt and raise the sea level by 20 ft as stated by the AP writer the Ice Chunk "the 100-square-mile ice sheet would have to be more than 5,000 miles thick to produce the (devastating) global sea rise"....

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After reading this response by Hall and studying the calculations for a bit I went back to the original article written by the AP writer and how the Roanoke Times presented the article, and found how the wording by the AP writer cleverly twisted the description of a "20-ft rise" in the sea level...

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"Few images can capture the world's climate fears like a 100-square- mile (260-square-kilometer) chunk of ice breaking off Greenland's vast ice sheet, a reservoir of freshwater that if it collapsed would raise global sea levels by a devastating 20 feet (6 meters)."...

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So if the entire "Greenland's vast ice sheet" was to melt, if possible, would that result in the "20-ft sea level rise" as presented by the AP writer or is it if the 100 sq\mile ice chunk melting and raising the sea levels by 20-feet?....

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Its all how you read it but from what I see talking to people at work and friends many believe, and worry, that if the 100 sq\mile chunk melts we are all going to treading water. Those who read the initial statement and think about it soon understand it would take the entire "Greenland vast ice shelf" to melt, possible(?), to result in any significant sea level rise. A misunderstanding that I am sure the AP writer could have prevented if he wanted to or maybe the writer intended to get the "Global Warming Spin" that he did from many in the public...

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I contacted Chris Hall and asked him about the wording and he agreed that any(?) significant sea level rise would only come from the entire "vast ice shelf" melting and this is why he responded with his calculations to the AP article printed by the Roanoke Times... I would love to see the actual calculations if the "entire vast ice shelf" was to melt for I doubt the AP writer had any realistic calculations done and just pulled the "20-ft" rise number out of the air, which I am sure he would claim was abnormally warm from "Global Warming"....

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Before writing this I rented the movie "The Day After Tomorrow" and it took about 15 minutes into it before all reality flew out the window and the agenda was revealed, but the graphics and scenes of NYC being underwater were interesting... Far fetched, Yes, but like this movie and the phrasing used by the AP writer in the above mentioned article, this "globally warmed" spin does work with many in the public and has resulted in a Congress that might just push through a damaging environmental agenda that will result in far more then the fable 20ft rise...

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Vice-President Al Gore has been pointing towards potential rising sea levels due to global warming for years if we do not act within the next few weeks to support his agenda.

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Before moving to Virginia almost 10 years ago I lived in the Florida Keys and worked on a sportfishing boat for 6 years. The Key that I lived on had a highland elevation mark of about 4 feet as most of the Florida Keys do. To this day I call my friends in Key West every month or so to see if they are underwater yet?...

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It's all in the agenda...

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Fed looking to boost ethanol ratio....

Turns out now that the FedGov is now looking to raise the ethanol in our fuel from 10% to 15% to help save the world(?) once again..
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I have heard from many people about the problems associated with the ethanol in the fuel as well as the logistics of moving and dispensing this ethanol blend ... And lets not forget the increased food prices or the damage to older equipment from the alcohol in the fuel mix...
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And where are the benefits? We have been on ethanol for a pretty good run and where are the reports or studies that show the changes and benefits?....

The Energy Tomorrow plog has a great post on this issue....

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"In today's episode, I interview Al Jessel, co-chair of the Coordinating Research Council (CRC) about a plan being considered by the EPA which would raise the amount of ethanol in gasoline from 10 percent to 15 or 20 percent."

I have found a gas station that still sells 100% gasoline only fuel without any ethanol...
The fuel has higher energy output than the fuel that is cut with ethanol, I get avg 2-3 more miles per gallon so I use less fuel, and the car runs better...
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Obama and gang looking to destroy our energy independence....

The Obama Equation...

(a) (y) - k = x (oil allowed to leak into the Gulf)

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Now it has been a few years since high school algebra class with Mrs. Resnick, but if I remember correctly it is possible to calculate a unknown result if you are able to find and use other known factors of the equation...

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Let us take the Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico as an example...

Let us also take a look at the "Obama factors" in this equation...

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The Deepwater Horizon incident is an unfortunate accident that has resulted in 13 members of the Deepwater Horizon rig being killed as well as large damages to the coastal environments and economies. This will be a event that will take decades to know the actual costs to communities, individuals, economies, wildlife, and direction the country takes towards energy independence...

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There has already been much written about how this event will highlight the evils of fossil fuels, their effects on the environment, global warming, and how the country must switch to "renewable" or "alternative" forms of energy to save the world...

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With that there has also been much written about the 40+ years since the last large oil spill like this type and the impressive track record during this time. Also how efficient and productive oil and Natural gas is compared to many of the "alternative" forms of energy and how Oil\Gas has powered and continues to power the worlds economies....

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There has also been much written about how BP is at fault and how BP must pay for the whole incident clean-up and damages to the environment and working communities. In fact the Secretary of the Interior has stated that they (obama administration) must keep "their boot on the throat" of BP to ensure they stop the leaking well and Pay for Everything...

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It is also apparent that the Obama administration took its time in initially responding to this incident. But let us also look at other algebraic factors we can incorporate into the "Obama equation" to determine the amount of oil allowed to leak into the gulf as the result of the administrations inept handling of this incident...

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a = flow rate at well head

y = actual days allowed to leak

k = amount of oil skimmed off surface by ships

b = amount of oil burned off by using fire booms

d = days it took to get the fire booms to the site since the fedgov

did not have them as required by their own law

q = number of days that the Obama admin refused foreign offers of help

j = the Jones act that Obama refused to suspend thus keeping foreign ships from helping

h = number of hours wasted by Fedgov incompetence and infighting

f = results of the Fedgov in actually doing anything that stopped the leak

bs = Obama's visits to the Gulf and actual action to stop the physical leak

r = days it took the Obama admin before they even acknowledged the incident

m = jobs and production lost due to the Obama admins moritorium on offshore drilling

c = concerts held to aid the coastal communites effected by the spill

w = the number of times that Obama blames this whole thing on George W. Bush

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Truth about "Hydro-fracing" you will not find in the local media hype articles...

Once again the reliable Vanity Fair people have come out with an article that attacks the practice of Hydraulic Fracturing to extract Natural Gas from underground formations...

As we've discussed on this blog, hydraulic fracturing is the tried-and-true oil and natural gas-field practice. It forces water, sand and trace amounts of chemicals into the wellbore under high pressure to create fissures allowing the energy resources to flow up to the surface.

Over at the Energy Tomorrow blog they provide a link to the Vanity Fair article as well as providing actual facts regarding the process....
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"Nuge" gets it right...

Uncle Ted has a great piece in the Washington Times...

With the possible exception of the tobacco industry, no industry is held in more contempt and scorn than big oil. This is strangely foolish in that tobacco has been proved to cause cancer and has no beneficial use whatsoever, whereas oil literally fuels the American dream. Another clear example of the disconnect that brought us President Barack Hussein Obama.

When gas prices go up, Americans condemn big oil for making profits. When catastrophes happen, such as the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Americans demand that big oil be severely fined, demand more government oversight of the industry by a proven incompetent Fedzilla and demand that more safety features be implemented to prevent another oil spill while expecting gas prices to stay low.

BP and other energy companies are not evil enterprises that are out to rape the environment. They are in business to make a profit and provide us affordable energy while taking prudent measures to protect the environment. Consumer demand drives production, pure and simple. No one escapes guilt from this guaranteed cause and effect.

The facts about green energy are in, and they are uglier than an oil spill in your living room. All the wind, sun and hydro energy currently provide us with about 5 percent of our energy needs. That's all the energy they are going to provide for many years to come. At this point, green energy is a fool's game that will not provide us with meaningful energy that our energy-gluttonous, unsophisticated society requires.

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli requests data used for "Global Warming" claims...

Representative James Moran, Virginia-Democrat, recently criticized Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s request for the supporting data related to the research of climate scientist Michael Mann while at the University of Virginia.

Moran accuses the Attorney General of using his position to “Stifle academic freedom” with his request for the data Mann gathered while at UVA and now being used by the Environmental Protection Agency to potentially regulate greenhouse gasses. These regulations will cost both Virginia and the United States millions in lost industry and jobs…

Attorney General Cuccinelli is seeking the data from Mann’s research to see if it was flawed, manipulated, or misused before it was used by the EPA in developing their new regulations. This after it has been learned that vast amounts of data from other research institutes has been manipulated in a way to support the “Global Warming” theory and thus the EPA’s decision.

Now we have numerous academic groups and even the American Civil Liberties Union expressing their objection to the AG’s request.

The Attorney General has responded with: "The use of manipulated data to apply for taxpayer-funded research grants in Virginia is potentially fraud. Given this, the only prudent thing to do was to look into it."

If Mann’s research and data is the product from tax funded research grants it should be available for public and peer group review, and if there is nothing to hide this should be a non-issue…

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.Daily News Record

Staunton NewsLeader

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Awhile back I did a post about how there is such hunger for grants at colleges and how Research Grants has become BIG business...

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In fact while attending a community College and studying Marine Biology as a past time, I was also working on a Sportfishing boat as a living and the Marine Biology Director suggested I take a grant to "Count Birds"...

See Post here....

N.I.T.B.Y. "Not In Teddy's Back Yard"...

"America's first offshore wind farm has been approved by the Obama administration despite years of opposition from local Indian tribes and the Kennedy family".

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Howard Johnson ~Lexington VA~ Wind Power...

I have passed this Howard Johnson which is on the southbound side of Rt. 81 near Lexington Virginia many times and have noticed the two "egg~beater" wind mills on the roof several times in full operation. In fact most of the times that I have passed by this location they are moving and producing some type of windpower that I envision is being used by the Inn...

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Great idea and good to see a business using a alternative form of available energy to operate their business with but not sure how much these two windmills actually produce. Hope to find out more information on the unit and their output and efficiency...

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Only problem I can see is that I probably would be the guest who got the room located under one of the windmills after a long day of driving and listen to a vibration all night long....

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Time for Virginia to move forward towards energy independence....

Virginia Offshore operations in Oil, Natural Gas, Tidal, and Wind power will all contribute towards making Virginia Energy Independent along with creating many jobs and produce revenues that will help the State. It is time to move forward as a State and to do what is right for the Citizens of Virginia... It is no surprise to see Congressmen Bob Goodlatte involved in this very important action... More info on the Virginia Energy Summit...

WASHINGTON, March 25—American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Jack Gerard commented on a bipartisan bill introduced today by Virginia Congressmen Bob Goodlatte, Glenn Nye, Robert Wittman, Rick Boucher, Frank Wolf, Tom Perriello, Eric Cantor and Randy Forbes to take legislative action to move forward with Lease Sale 220, an oil and natural gas lease sale offshore Virginia, originally scheduled for 2011, but put on hold by the Interior Department:

“We commend this bipartisan effort to allow oil and natural gas leasing in federal waters offshore Virginia, a policy that more than two in three citizens of the commonwealth support. Virginians – along with their governor, both of their Democratic senators, much of the congressional delegation and the city council of Virginia Beach, off which much of the development would take place – understand that offshore leasing and development can bring much-needed jobs and revenues to the state, especially with a workable revenue-sharing provision.

“Already, the oil and natural gas industry supports over 143,000 jobs in Virginia, and it is poised to create many more – including well-paying exploration and production positions – if leasing off Virginia is allowed. And developing oil and natural gas resources off Virginia’s coast could generate nearly $19.5 billion in revenues for federal, state and local governments, according to ICF International, money that could be used to improve ailing roadways and fund education or other critical state needs.

“The federal government estimates that the proposed Sale 220 area contains about 130 million barrels of oil and 1.14 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. But an ICF study that takes into consideration the newest technologies for finding resources estimates total federal resources offshore Virginia at half a billion barrels of oil and more than 2.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. That’s enough oil to fuel all 4 million cars in Virginia for more than four years and enough gas to heat all 3.2 million Virginia households for more than 11 years.

“Now is the time to allow leasing, and environmentally responsible development, for the benefit of Virginia and the entire nation.”

"Significant new oil find in the Gulf"... We Need Offshore Drilling in Virginia!!...

It has been reported that there has been a "Significant new oil discovery" in the deepwater of the Gulf of Mexico and it is the result of some very impressive technology, investment, and effort...

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The find is located in the Appomattox prospect area in the Mississippi Canyon. The well was drilled through more than 7,200 feet of water to a total depth of 25,077 feet where it found a 530'-thick layer containing oil.

A published report indicates the discovery is estimated to hold at least 100 million barrels of oil.

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The above video is from the recent "Summit on Virginia's Energy Future" at which time Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell describes how 37.5% of the royalties coming from the Gulf of Mexico goes directly to the Gulf States and their budgets...

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We NEED to develop the known energy sources offshore of the Virginia coast to benefit the Citizens of Virginia and the United States...

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Wood Waste for Energy Production...

In today's NewsLeader there was an article about harnessing energy from processing the waste wood that ends up in the local landfill only to decay and produce methane gas that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere...

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This process is already in use in California and info \ description can be found here....

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Interesting article and another energy source that Virginia needs to look at. In fact it was discussed at the recent "Summit on Virginia's Energy Future" which I had the opportunity to attend. Yet another form of energy that is from "All of the above" options that Virginia needs to look at and consider...
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I took a hike yesterday up near Humpback Rocks and found a large increase of downed trees along the trail near the Appalachian Trail. Now I know that this is not the type of woodwaste that is being considered as an energy source described above, but there is an incredible amount of deadwood on the ground of our State\National forests...
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All of these dead trees are decomposing and contributing large amounts of CO2 and Methane gasses that many fear contribute to global warming...
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What are we to do with this problem?
Many eco-groups and anti-logging people are against the use of proper Forest management and it has been shown many times in the local media. But does that deal with this problem?
Is it a problem?
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Virginia Energy Summit "All of the above"...

That was the answer coming from the President and Chief Nuclear Officer from Dominion Virginia Power when he was asked how Virginia was going to meet the increased energy demand in Virginia’s future…

He went on to explain that there is no one energy source available to Virginia to meet it’s energy needs and that it will take a combination of many different forms of energy production. Some may feel it odd or strange coming from a “Nuclear” guy that he was not pushing for an increase in nuclear production, but like many assembled at this summit, we all know it will take investment in many available forms of energy to fill the need….

Forms of energy such as: Coal
Wind \ Solar
Nuclear
Conservation “The fifth energy”
Oil \ Natural Gas

Another interesting point made was that 60+% of the increased demand for energy in Virginia came from behind existing meters showing that it is not new growth but higher demand in locations with more and bigger toys to run. Homes with multiple computers, flat screen T.V. / monitors, and energy hungry electronics…

“This is not just an issue for Congress to deal with but an important issue that Virginia must also deal with“.

Additional Post on the Summit....

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