Yet another way to choose where to retire...

Yet another way to choose where to retire...  I didn't have this information when we chose Cache County, Utah – but it's nice to have the affirmation anyway.  The map shows UFO sightings per capita, and Cache County basically doesn't have any.  I read that as the population here being a bit more grounded than in many other places.  Northern California, Oregon, Maine, and Washington state: I'm looking at you...

“I say we should ban cows and human farting.”

“I say we should ban cows and human farting.”  So says friend and former colleague Simon M. in his sarcastic reaction to the news about the EPA proposing to regulate methane, carbon dioxide, and other “climate change inducing” chemicals from commercial airliners.

His comment relates to the fact that cow farts and human farts are also sources of methane, and therefore potentially subject to EPA regulation as well.  Mandated Beano, anyone?  I suspect my wife would approve :)

Aircraft engines produce (primarily) nitrogen, water vapor, and carbon dioxide as exhaust gas components.  There isn't much room to make the engines more efficient, as commercial pressure from high fuel prices has done wonders there already.  Nitrogen isn't a concern with respect to climate change.  Carbon dioxide is the main thing the EPA is proposing to regulate.  The EPA does not propose regulating water vapor emissions, despite the fact that water vapor is dozens of times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide is.

So lets think about this for a moment.  The EPA tells commercial aircraft manufacturers that they must reduce the carbon dioxide emissions.  What mechanisms do the manufacturers have available to them?  The most obvious one is to switch to fuels that have more of their energy in hydrogen, rather than carbon – which will have the effect of increasing water vapor emissions.  Which, remember, are far worse for climate change than carbon dioxide is.

Now does this make sense in any universe?  Sure it does!  In the universe of the loony politicians!

The only other choices are to switch to exotic fuels that don't have carbon in them (very, very expensive), or to slow down the aircraft (because overall fuel consumption goes down non-linearly with speed, thus reducing emissions).

Shakespeare wrote (in Henry the Sixth) “The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.”  I think his priorities were slightly off – first should have been the environmentalist wackos, then the lawyers (which has the knock-on effect of getting most politicians as well)...

Paradise progress...

Paradise progress...  Debbie's still doing fine.  We've got a followup appointment with her orthopedist in two weeks, and we're both hoping that the level of pain and sensitivity has gone way down by then.

Today has been a day of chores and running around for me.  Mostly little things, but I did get the screen replaced in the screen door of our kitchen.  Replacement was necessitated by Race running straight through the old one to get outside, as though it wasn't even there.  One second we had a nice, taut screen door; the next second the screen was flapping in the breeze and Race was a mere dot in the corner of the yard.  Sigh.  I ran to Home Depot, got some “pet proof” screen and an expanded metal grille for the bottom half of the door.  I spent the best part of the day removing the screen door, cleaning out all the old screen (the rubber spline had become one with the frame), stretching and splining the new screen, installing the grille, and finally reinstalling the door. Every single step of the way something went wrong, of course.  There was much Navy-learned language employed; the box elder bugs all ran away and the dogs were blushing.

Palliative care...

Palliative care ... is prescribed for the U.S.:

WASHINGTON—Saying there were no other options remaining and that continued intervention would only prolong the nation’s suffering, experts concluded Tuesday that the best course of action is to keep the United States as comfortable as possible until the end.

According to those familiar with its condition, the country’s long, painful decline over the past several decades has made it clear that the most compassionate choice at this juncture is to do whatever is possible to ensure America is at ease during its last moments.

It's one of those times where The Onion doesn't really seem like satire...