Daylite Sun Archived Commentaries

Banking CO₂

Commentary for Sunday 01/27/2008 Crops for Fuel

Zero Sum Operation: Only from a vegetation point of view, carbon neutrality for a growing season is only given too those plants which spring forth every spring, and die off in the fall. The same holds true for those crops planted in the fall and are harvested or wither in the spring. The CO₂ that these plants capture and convert to vegetable matter while growing is given up after the plant dies and decays. Among the plants in this category are corn, wheat, tomatoes, squash, cane, sugar beets, beans and peas. There are many more but these examples are given to give you an idea of plants that do not maintain the carbon that they capture from the atmosphere.

Carbon Banks: There is another class of plants that take in CO₂ and convert the carbon portion into vegetable matter and store it. Generally this is the woody plants and certain grasses. Woody plants are the trees and bushes that spring to life every season without having to be planted, and their tops remain to sprout leaves following a dormant season. Also included in this group are the evergreens. The grasses are not quite as efficient as the trees, but some grasses store vegetable matter in their underground root systems which can represent a significant savings of carbon that is not released during the dormant period.

Long Term Carbon Removal: Trees are the best bet for capturing carbon out of the atmosphere and keeping it captured for hundreds of years. They can be thought of as Carbon Banks. Deforestation and forest fires return carbon to the atmosphere that has been stored in trees for long periods of time. For that reason, we object to the using of annual crops for the purpose of creating fuel.

Annual Crops: The growing of annual crops for fuel cannot do anything but increase the CO₂ levels in the atmosphere. Farmed crops are not carbon neutral. It takes a lot of energy to produce, harvest and transport the crop to the site where they will be converted into alcohol. More energy is required for the conversion process into alcohol and the end product is too corrosive to be transported in pipes to the refineries, so the product has to be trucked to the refinery so it can be blended into the fuel we buy at the pump. Worse is the increased cost of food to consumers because the crops that are grown for fuel compete for the land that is traditionally used for the production of food. The farmers, who traditionally raise food crops, opt for the higher prices of growing fuel crops creating more pressure on the food market.

The Farmers: The crop producers love the return on investment for growing fuel crops. To help with the pressure on the food cropland, they have started cultivating the marginal lands to grow their fuel crops. This is a reasonable sounding solution except for one thing; the marginal croplands are marginal for a reason. They do not yield as good as what is cultivated for the food crop lands, or they would have been in use already. Most marginal lands contain trees and shrubs, the clearing of which eliminates a large store of carbon that is returned to the atmosphere. The net result is that we are replacing a carbon positive piece of land with a net negative carbon crop.

Marginal Lands: To grow fuel crops that yield paying quantities, it has to be fertilized and in some cases watered. This activity to raise the yields needs more energy to be invested into the marginal land. In some locations, tropical forests are being cut down in order to grow fuel crops. The result of deforestation is a real tragedy to the war against atmospheric CO₂.

Conclusion: At Daylite Sun, we believe that growing crops for fuel is not a productive way to reduce CO₂ from our atmosphere. Planting trees would be more productive and would have the effect of storing carbon for long periods of time. We salute the folks trying to solve this problem, but quake in fear of ideas that have not been well thought out. Before the wholesale growing crops for fuel is carried out, the problems associated with it should be solved first. Besides, we cannot possibly grow enough fuel crops and feed our population too. You should know that one of the plans in the works calls for the reduction of raising beef to offset the rise in food cost. That proposal targets the inefficient process of cattle converting feed into meat.
-Robert-

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Leaderless Blacks

Commentary for Thursday 11/08/2007 Leaderless Blacks

Running Amok: Before I get accused of swiping with too broad of a brush, I want to be clear that there is a minority of Black citizens working, contributing, and living upstanding lives. It is a sad fact though that this number is pitifully small. The majority of the African American youths seem hell-bent on destruction. These misguided youths have adopted the 'shortcut' method for progressing in this society.

Shortcut Method: The shortcut method attempts to circumvent acceptable paths to success. For instance, selling street drugs can net a lot of money fast. Compare this shortcut to its legitimate counterpart. A pharmacist also sells drugs, but within the guidelines set forth by society. He has invested a significant portion of his life learning about the drugs he sells and the laws governing their distribution. He didn't take a shortcut and just start selling illegal substances.

Impatience: It is a disturbing fact that Blacks have the 'wants', but instead of utilizing the opportunities of this nation that allows a person to rise to the level of his ambition, Blacks feel the need to shortcut the process. The shortcut methods include any activity that provides instant wealth using criminal means; including robbery, pimping, selling street drugs, home invasions, and scams.

Alarming: The statistics of African Americans is not good. Seventy percent of their children are born out of wedlock. According to this statistic, a majority of Black children are being raised without the influence of a father. While mothers are nurturing, they cannot provide the balance needed by a child. With few exceptions, children raised in single parent homes develop deficiencies that carry over into adulthood.

Feelings of Guilt: The majority white population feel responsible for the plight of Blacks. It was the white population that enslaved and discriminated against Blacks. Whites still think of Blacks as being inferior, but honestly believe that they can make everything all right. The generally accepted method for Whites to salve their conscience is to reward Blacks with undeserved status. The White population has done everything in their power to destroy the Black population with their kindness.

Removing Life's Challenges: School integration brought the first opportunity for Whites to help the Black population. A good education would have given Blacks the tools to succeed in our competitive society, but the majority punted. Instead of challenging these young minds, Whites lowered the standards for students. It is important to understand Liberal politics. The Democrats never intended for the Black population to succeed, all they wanted was to create the illusion of helping the Black Race. The last thing that Liberals wanted was the Black population succeeding. Under the guise of helping them, the Democrats quickly made them wards of the state. They destroyed any incentive for success that this segment of the population may have had. The Welfare State was born. Reverse discrimination became common in the zeal to make up for the bad treatment Blacks had endured at the hands of the Whites. It was an easy sell for the White community because of the mantle of guilt riding on their shoulders.

Results Are Damming: A majority of the recipients of the largess of the White population resent their status. They still blame Whites for their plight. They are not succeeding as a race. The most prominent of the Blacks are heralded for their athletic skills as they perform for a mostly White audience. There are very few Black grass root enterprises that celebrate the 'reward for effort formula' that would give incentive to the younger Blacks to succeed. Instead these young Blacks drift into the shortcut system. Embracing the shortcut system is also the reason for such a large Black population in our prisons.

Lack of Leadership: There are a few Black leaders trying to get the message to the Black community, Bill Cosby comes to mind. But Mr. Cosby's message is met with derision because the message is laced with the idea of taking responsibility for the sad conditions, which are prevalent with Blacks. The voices that are heard the most within the Black community are those pied pipers of 'blame the whites' like Al Sharpton, and Jesse Jackson. We can only hope that the future will bring leadership to the Black community that understands the value of family, hard work, and reward for effort. It is ironic that the really successful Blacks are relegated to being Uncle Toms, or Lackeys for Whites. Perpetuating that stereotype only works to empower the 'blame the whites' trumpeters and does a real disservice to the Black population.

Conclusion: The sad state of the Black population in this country should be addressed without the shroud of political correctness. The American White needs to quit feeling guilty over past injustices and respect Blacks as equals and not needing their pitiful handouts. I leave this one last thought, whenever Black students are challenged in school to a higher standard they respond remarkably well. There are numerous examples of what these students can achieve when they are not treated as if they were somehow inferior and therefore in need of lower standards to get through school.

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Energy Independence?

Pitfalls of Energy Independence

Commentary for Friday 11/23/2007 Going From Bad to Worse

Noble Goal: You hear it everyday, "We need to be energy independent." Of course the term 'energy independent' is talking about not having to import oil from countries that exhibit hostility to the United States. This is not a complicated issue, but politics have made it into one.

Two Paths: Basically, we can end our oil dependency from foreign governments by using much less of the stuff, or by finding and developing our domestic supplies.

Using Less: This approach works. We can adopt alternative energy sources such as wind, solar, nuclear, and alcohol. Since these alternatives can't provide all of our needs we will also have to consider sacrificing a lot of our way of life in order for this option to work. I have absolutely no axe to grind with alternative energy, but I wonder if those proponents of the alternatives have really thought past their desire to change the status quo?

The Costs: Proponents of using ethanol and other expensive alternatives paint a bright picture with us using these fuels. But, can we really fuel our needs with expensive crops that use valuable cropland for nonfood products and wind farms? The only way this scenario works is if the price of oil stays high enough to justify the costs. But I want to remind everyone that the United States is the world's largest consumer of oil. It is our use of petroleum that keeps the price of oil high. Killing our demand for oil will put those vast quantities of world oil production on the open market and the price for oil will plummet.

Cheap Oil: The idea of cheap oil sounds inviting until we take a closer look at the consequences of our actions. The rest of the world would be free to develop industries with this cheap oil while we are reeling with the high cost of alternative energy. Oil will not disappear just because the United States decides it would rather grow their fuel than drill for it. Cheap energy is the fuel for industries and the U.S. will not have it available. Competing nations will be able to finish us off economically by using the now very cheap oil as the base for their industries. (And pollution will continue to grow as the other nations of the world tap the energy of oil.)

World's Wealth: As a nation we have been blessed by our industriousness. This industriousness is born from freedom. It is our system that allows anyone to rise to his or her level of ambition. Don't let the detractors tell you different. Anybody in this country can improve his situation by just trying. It is the quest for political power that is poised to drive a stake into our heart. As a nation, we cannot continue to support those who are unwilling to get off their duffs and work. Our compassion for the indolent is dissolving our sovereignty, as we now have to import hordes of foreign laborers to do tasks that our pool of uneducated and other dependents will not do. We have created a culture of dependency in this nation with our compassion. We are content to allow the subculture of welfare continue because a political party needs their vote. While we accommodate those who do not work, we are allowing another culture into our land without assimilation. To be American these people need to learn our language, our laws, our customs and about our institutions or they will never be an integrated part of the fabric of the American community. Ironically, by divesting ourselves of our consumption of oil, we will not need so much labor because our energy will be too expensive to create and maintain industry. Our addiction for cheap consumer goods will just enrich the rest of the world and impoverish us as we live in our oil free society.

Pollution: China is one of the world's biggest polluters. They are becoming an oil-based energy economy now, and if the price of oil ever really gets cheap, they are but a small sampling of what is to come. Do not for a second believe that other nations will not take advantage of a bonanza of cheap energy. Pollution will rise to unprecedented levels as nations use oil without the same restrictions on pollution found in this country.

Not Inevitable: I am not against being energy independent, I only want the leaders we choose to think about what they do instead of looking through the prism of acquiring political power. We need a deliberate, well thought out path to energy independence in a way that does not harm our nation. Consequences of any actions are real, and unless our actions are well thought out, a catastrophe won't be far behind.

One Last Thought: There is much talk about the use of Fuel Cells and hydrogen as fuel. After all, burning hydrogen has only one by-product and that is water. But I haven't heard anyone address what the consequences of millions of cars constantly dribbling water into the environment will mean. It may not be a big deal, but somebody needs to address this issue before we plunge into such a scheme. What will be the volume of this water that will be dribbling out of every car on the road? Will our highways be wet all the time? Will this continuous moisture supply along the highways foster new bacteria to contend with? Would this expelled water be enough to create a change in climate? I am not trying to be an alarmist, but at the present I do not have the feeling that all of these energy schemes have been thought out. We should be careful about what we wish for; we may get it!

Paint Equipment

Paint and Paint Equipment

Commentary for Wednesday 11/21/2007 Paint Project

Labor of Love: One of the reasons that this column is suffering is that I have been building on to my quarters a new living/TV room and bedroom. It is a labor of love that has consumed much of my time.

Painting: Now that the walls and ceiling have been erected and insulated, the plumbing and electric installed, it was now time to do the painting. Plumbing and electric, along with the carpentry work is something that I understand, but totally alien to me was painting. Anybody who had ever taken on a do-it-yourself remodeling or addition job will be able to attest to the pain of getting the painting done.

Choosing Paints: Forget about the choosing the right color as the big obstacle, whenever you decide on the right color, you have only started the decision process. The type and price of paints depend on the application. For every specified quality you want in paint, the price inches higher. Start with the basics and ask yourself a few defining questions before you make that interior paint purchase.

1.) Are the surfaces to be painted in a high wear area? - Walls that will need a lot of cleaning fit into this category. If so, be prepared to pay a premium for wear ability.

2.) Will there be a lot of sunlight shining on your paint project? If so, then you will need a product that offers colorfast properties to prevent fading and yellowing.

3.) Does the surface to be painted have dark spots to be covered and not show through? This problem will also cost you more money because you will either have to put on multiple coats of low-density pigment (and cheaper) paint or fewer coats with a higher density pigment paint.(more expensive)

4.) Will the surface to be painted be in a high humidity area? If so, you will need paint with added anti-mildew characteristics.

5.) Do you want your final surface to be glossy, semi-glossy, or flat? Your choice here may decide the type of carrier for the pigment, such as water based or oil-based paints. Clean up can be an issue with the oil-based products but still may be the best for your application.

Minor Paint Properties: Other considerations to your painting dollar will be for such goodies as anti-spattering paint. These paints make less of a mess and an easier job of cleaning up. The ceiling paints group is an example of the low spattering type of paints.

Have Fun: Prices for interior paints can be as low as $12.00/Gallon and go up from there. The paint stores will want to sell you on the quality aspects. There is some merit to buying the higher quality paints because they generally offer the attributes stated above. But if you are budget bound, like me, it is better to pay for just those qualities you need in paint.

Generally Speaking: For the do-it-yourself person, there are other questions you may need to consider such as anti-staining, sealants, and fire retardation. You may even want to consult a painting expert about your project and detail your needs so that he can recommend a painting product that will suit you needs.

In Closing: When you buy a paint rolling kit, usually there will be a rolling pan from which to replenish the paint on your roller, several roller sleeves, and the roller that the sleeves fit on. If your paint project is significant in size, you may want to purchase additional roller sleeves. Simple? No! There are numerous choices to have to make regarding the roller sleeves. Some of the sleeves have deep nappy piles while others have short piles with varying pile lengths in between. Some sleeves appear to be an imitation lambs wool while others are made of foam rubber.

As Stated Above: I am not a paint person, but I want to pass on some of the things I have gleaned from painting my handiwork. Medium and deeper pile rollers hold more paint and therefore cover more area between replenishing the roller with paint. The deeper piles also manage to paint into the imperfections of the surface easier than those shorthaired sleeves. Also consider buying a few small trim rollers for framing around outlets and adjacent surfaces. Those really small rollers really come in handy for painting tedious places where a big roller just will not do.

This Column: I will return this column to regularity when my project is finished. Thank you for your patience. -Robert-.

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