It is a tough sell. But lca pretty much shows wind is lower environmental impact than other means of generating electricity. (Negawatts are even lower, but we are not going to zero use unless something goes very very worng.)

However raptor death is mostly Altamont. More recent wind farms manage to avoid that through better tower design and turbine placement. Unfortunately they still kill bats. But I'd rather have wind turbines everywhere than nukes.

The second explosion is like the first - damaged the building but inner containment is still sound for the moment.

IOShallowN, huge welt on the back of my hand in addition to bruising. It's gonna hurt during tomorrow's swim.

Swear to god, I'm going to throw the next kid leaning on the lane divider out of the freaking pool.

Huh. Southern Japan now has a volcano erupting.

Earthquake. Tsunami. Nuclear Power Plant Crises. Volcano.

Until a minute ago in human history there was no central power -- now we sort of can't function without it.

I'm not going to move into the hills and join a militia anytime soon, but there is something to be said for getting as off the grid as one can. Transmission stops being an issue, storage is less of an issue (or you can sell it to the nabes). There are pretty powerful energy lobbies that hamper (or at least are uninterested in developing) those technologies so its tricky -- but no one is going to war over swamp coolers, heat pumps, solar cells, and windmills so they really are in our interest as a nation.

As a city dweller I don't really have those options, but we have some others. The transoms over our front doors are long gone in this building, but when I open that door and a window its a frikkin wind tunnel in here. I'm pretty confident that 90 years ago they had few days too hot to tolerate pretty easily in this building.

I would assume there is a geologic connection between volcano and earthquake.

but there is something to be said for getting as off the grid as one can.

Well, the something I'm saying is "I'm not getting off the grid."

::clutches surge protectors to chest::

I would assume there is a geologic connection between volcano and earthquake.

Probably. Still, I wouldn't write it into a movie script. Overkill.

Godzilla is beginning to seem pretty warm and fuzzy, comparatively.

Liese! Your bathroom is wonderful! I love the vessel sinks beyond reason--I wanted a slatted teak bench with a blue glass one, but that will have to wait for remodeling time and money. But the threshhold-less roll-in wheelchair accessible shower is just brilliant. Of course I'm dreaming of either slate-look ceramic tile walls, or shaded blue glass tile, and a fixed glass pane rather than a curtain. But I gotta win the lottery first for that.

The kitchen's gorgeous too--so's the whole house. And thank heaven for mess, otherwise it just would be too pretty to be real!

Southern Japan now has a volcano erupting.

Southern Japan now STILL has a volcano erupting. I mean it sounds more dramatic the other way but it's been erupting. It was quiet for two weeks, but it's been erupting.