Way To Go John Coleman!!

For those who don't know who John Colman is, he was the founder of the Weather Channel. He is also the Chief Meteorologist at KUSI, an independently owned San Diego. He is coming forward and doing something that a lot of people wanted to do, I am sure of it, because I am one of them. Step out against Global Warming. I am getting sick and tired of Al Gore and is load of crap. Global Warming is the biggest money making, marketing ploy, scam in the worlds history and we're just sitting back and letting people like Mr. Gore walk all over us. Here is a video of John Colman in an interview discussing his view points on the subject.

And Now For The Response...

This is the response I wrote and submitted to Burnside Writers Collective (that they didn't post, or at least haven't yet). Anyway, I tried not to beat down anyone's viewpoint or anything (believe me, I have the information to), I just tried to be as informative as I could. So, here is the response, let me know what you think.

Let me start off by saying that I work for a large utility company here in the U.S. To add to that, I work at a coal fired power plant. After reading the letter from Mr. Berry and McKibben, I was a little concerned. The main reasons for my concern aren’t my job, the well being of Mr. Berry and McKibben, or the future of coal in the U.S.. My main concern is for the people reading the letter. This letter is nothing but a desperate attempt to round up followers and a scare tactic. Another thing I would like to mention before I get started is that I do believe we need to do a better job at energy conservation and controlling pollution. That said, here is my response.
There are interesting statements made in the letter. All of these statements however, have no credible sources (at least none posted with the letter). The first declaration made, “Coal-fired power is driving climate change. Our foremost climatologist, NASA’s James Hansen, has demonstrated that our only hope of getting our atmosphere back to a safe level—below 350 parts per million co2—lies in stopping the use of coal to generate electricity.” That’s really a bold statement considering it rules out everything else that “supposedly” contributes to “climate change.” In addition, CO2 isn’t the only gas that contributes to the issue. Mr. Hansen from NASA claims that we need to get below 350 parts per million in CO2. That’s fine, but instead of focusing on just one producer of CO2, why not all of them. Think about that for a moment; big list isn’t it. Bread production (rising yeast), cars, breathing, anything having to do with combustion, concrete production, and that’s just to name a few. To say coal fired power alone is driving climate change is just absurd.
I like their statement of, “Coal smoke makes children sick.” Coal smoke? Really, is that what you call it? Where exactly is this “coal smoke” they speak of? If they are talking about the emissions from the stack, the last time I checked that wasn’t smoke. While on the subject of “stack smoke”; just a little FYI for everyone in the world, the white plums the media show in video clips and pictures, that is not smoke, its steam. That’s right, the same thing that comes out of your tea pot when you boil a bit of water.
Let’s talk emissions for a moment. That is always on everyone’s mind when this sort of subject comes up. Now, at the facility I work at, we continually monitor our emissions. When I say continually I mean every minute, of every day 365 days a year. We omit nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and sulfur dioxide (SO2). Your run of the mill car on the road omits the same thing, but how often do you monitor that. Once every two years, or longer, depending on what state you live in. How do you know if your car is releasing over the allowed limit in between tests? You don’t do you. A power plant build in the U.S. has a much more stringent limit than your car.
Here’s something else to think about. What would happen if one day, all of the facilities burning coal to produce energy stopped? What do they expect to take its place? I would like to know what Mr. Berry and McKibben position is on nuclear power. The reason being, nuclear power is the most logical form to use in making up the difference from fossil fuel energy.
One other thing before I close; I would like to make a comment about the coal field encroaching on the small town. There’s something I want to know about that statement. Who is complaining about the field, and how many of those people living in that town work at that field? The reason I ask is this. I was born in Craig Colorado. That town has two coal mines and a three unit coal fired power plant just outside of town. No one in that town complains, they know those places are the main reason the town is there. If those facilities were to go away, that town would no longer exist.
I intended this response not to be an argument about the letter. I do feel we need to conserve the resources we have and find ways to be good stewards of this planet. The main focus I would like to stress is to think for you. Don’t take someone’s word for something. If you read something, do some research for yourself. The internet is one of the most amazing tools we have. Please use it, come up with your own conclusions on the different world issues. Just because someone says something is bad and we need to change it, doesn’t mean it should be followed nor does it mean it is fact.

Thanks, Erik Adams

The Carbon Emission Of The World!!!!

I had never heard back from the Burnside Writers Collective on my response to a letter they posted on the site a month or so ago. I had mentioned earlier that I would let you all know when they posted the letter I wrote. Well, seeing as though it never happened, here is the letter they originally post. Tomorrow I will post my response to this letter. I will say that this just goes to show how ignorant people truly are. To think that some people out there will jump at the chance to "join the cause" by just taking some ones word for it, and not doing their own research and coming up with their own conclusions. Enjoy...

Dear Friends,
There are moments in a nation’s—and a planet’s—history when it may be necessary for some to break the law in order to bear witness to an evil, bring it to wider attention, and push for its correction. We think such a time has arrived, and we are writing to say that we hope some of you will join us in Washington D.C. on Monday March 2 in order to take part in a civil act of civil disobedience outside a coal-fired power plant near Capitol Hill.
We will be there to make several points:
- Coal-fired power is driving climate change. Our foremost climatologist, NASA’s James Hansen, has demonstrated that our only hope of getting our atmosphere back to a safe level—below 350 parts per million co2—lies in stopping the use of coal to generate electricity.
- Even if climate change were not the urgent crisis that it is, we would still be burning our fossil fuels too fast, wasting too much energy and releasing too much poison into the air and water. We would still need to slow down, and to restore thrift to its old place as an economic virtue.
- Coal is filthy at its source. Much of the coal used in this country comes from West Virginia and Kentucky, where companies engage in “mountaintop removal” to get at the stuff; they leave behind a leveled wasteland, and impoverished human communities. No technology better exemplifies the out-of-control relationship between humans and the rest of creation.
- Coal smoke makes children sick. Asthma rates in urban areas near coal-fired power plants are high. Air pollution from burning coal is harmful to the health of grown-ups too, and to the health of everything that breathes, including forests.
The industry claim that there is something called “clean coal” is, put simply, a lie. But it’s a lie told with tens of millions of dollars, which we do not have. We have our bodies, and we are willing to use them to make our point. We don’t come to such a step lightly. We have written and testified and organized politically to make this point for many years, and while in recent months there has been real progress against new coal-fired power plants, the daily business of providing half our electricity from coal continues unabated. It’s time to make clear that we can’t safely run this planet on coal at all. So we feel the time has come to do more—we hear President Barack Obama’s call for a movement for change that continues past election day, and we hear Nobel Laureate Al Gore’s call for creative non-violence outside coal plants. As part of the international negotiations now underway on global warming, our nation will be asking China, India, and others to limit their use of coal in the future to help save the planet’s atmosphere. This is a hard thing to ask, because it’s their cheapest fuel. Part of our witness in March will be to say that we’re willing to make some sacrifices ourselves, even if it’s only a trip to the jail.
With any luck, this will be the largest such protest yet, large enough that it may provide a real spark. If you want to participate with us, you need to go through a short course of non-violence training. This will be, to the extent it depends on us, an entirely peaceful demonstration, carried out in a spirit of hope and not rancor. We will be there in our dress clothes, and ask the same of you. There will be young people, people from faith communities, people from the coal fields of Appalachia, and from the neighborhoods in Washington that get to breathe the smoke from the plant.
We will cross the legal boundary of the power plant, and we expect to be arrested. After that we have no certainty what will happen, but lawyers and such will be on hand. Our goal is not to shut the plant down for the day—it is but one of many, and anyway its operation for a day is not the point. The worldwide daily reliance on coal is the danger; this is one small step to raise awareness of that ruinous habit and hence help to break it.
Needless to say, we’re not handling the logistics of this day. All the credit goes to a variety of groups, especially EnergyAction (which is bringing thousands of young people to Washington that weekend), Greenpeace, the Ruckus Society, and Rainforest Action Network. A website at that latter organization is serving as a temporary organizing hub. If you go there, you will find a place to leave your name so that we’ll know you want to join us.
Thank you,
Wendell Berry, Bill McKibben

It's January!!!!!!

Okay, when you think of January, what comes to mind? Cold, snow (in some places), ice; but not heat. This past week, it has been in the 70's every day. It's the middle of January for goodness sake. We should be bundled up in cozy hoodies, baggy warm-ups, and sippin hot coco. Not running around in short sleeve shirts, and shorts. I protest to who ever is in control or the weather. Turn the dial back to cold like it should be.

I know I live in Bakersfield, and I know I don't get all four seasons. But, I would like to still have the two that I have come to expect in the stupid town.

Need Some Peace

I found this gentlemen named Dave Ramsey. I know that there are a lot of people out there that have heard of this guy. I have been listening to his Podcasts for some time now. I signed Christy and I up for his Financial Peace University course. It's a 13 week class at one of the churches here in town. So far it's amazing. The information we have received so far has been better than anything I have heard.

I know there are people out there that don't like Dave either. I just want to tell those people that they are crazy. You can keep your debt, I don't want it.

I recomend this information to anyone with debt. The beautiful thing about the course is that it doesn't matter how much debt you have 10 thousand or 200 thousand. The course works for everything. Giv it a look and a change you will agree too.

Where Did That Come From?

It's something you don't expect. Well at least not in the beginning. It could have happened at any time, during any small Internet task. Imagine, your buying a cool new gadget on Amazon, posting a comment on a blog, or just sending an email. Now just as you click buy, post, or send... sirens sound, alarms blaze. You see a message that reads, "Please verify your submission." You look down at the little red highlight and see this word that you can't even read, above this little box that has a flashing cursor.

I'm sure everyone has come across this little gem a time or two. I understand why they are there, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Some of the words aren't even words (like the ones in the picture) and some make you think twice before typing. I have run across some really annoying ones and some that make me laugh. I had to enter one today that I thought was really funny and the main reason for this odd post. I was on one of the many blogs I like to read, about to make a small comment to one of the posts, when I looked down and notice what looked like a word that you shouldn't say out loud, if you know what I mean. I had to look at it twice before I realized that it wasn't what I thought it was, but very close. Okay fine, I will tell you what the word was, I know you want to know anyway... The word was shist. See, even you looked at it twice and you knew it was coming. Imagine how I felt, I wasn't expecting it at all.

I'm Tracking You

I found a really cool service that Google (imagine that) offers for Free. It's called Analytics. What this service does is amazing. It will keep track of just about everything that happens to this here blog space of mine. I can track hits (how many times the site is viewed), how long the average time was spent on the site, and how many pages were looked at. Along with those, I also find out what Internet browsers people used, whether it was a PC or Mac user, where my hits come from (not only from what state but from around the world), what posts were read the most throughout the year, what day had the most hits, the traffic source (direct, search engine, community site -aka- myspace, facebook, etc.), even what Internet source the hit came through (broadband, dsl, dial-up).

Talk about an amazing service, that you don't even have to pay for. How many times have you heard how great Google is? A few times, hundreds, thousands? The amazing thing is, just about every service Google offers is free and they still have the money to pay all of those employees they have. GOOGLE ROCKS!!!

Lame Or Legendary... Your Choice!

Okay, so I discovered a someone new yesturday, thank you Susan, by the name of Josh Shipp. Here is the bio from his blog site:

"Josh Shipp is dedicated to one thing: entertaining, inspiring, and empowering teens. He’s written books, shared the stage with Bill Cosby, appeared on MTV’s TRL, Comedy Central, NBC, FOX, TLC, and in the LA TIMES . And he’s already established an international reputation as an inspiring youth speaker with a simple and entertaining, yet challenging message.

Abandoned and abused as a child, Josh was able to triumph over the tragedy, and he continues to encourage everyone to overcome struggles and live life to the fullest. And he does so through the power of laughter. Josh is animated and hilarious, and his speaking style is challenging and thought-provoking. Josh has spoken to more than one million people about how his opportunities in life have made him who he is today. For over eight years, he has inspired, empowered, and entertained audiences all over the world. Josh’s ability to connect with the audience is a rare gift and is one you don’t want to miss.

Hey Josh is a website that provides advice, entertainment and community to teens through the web, films, live events and published books. Based on the old-school principles of Dear Abby, Hey Josh provides digital advice to a digital generation that is “in your face, but on your side”.

Josh is a spokesperson for National Foster Care Month, a marathon runner and a guitar hero."

Awesome guy if you ask me. Check out this video he put together, it's called Factory.

If only everyone thought like Josh. I think I am going to see if Jason, our Youth Pastor, will let me present this video to the Junior High and High School Kids. I think this is something they need to hear. I only with I would have heard this at a younger age. I feel that more kids need to here this a lot more often. Enjoy.

Back On The Board

Some my thing I'm crazy, but I don't think I am. I got back on my board last weekend. Cody and I took a short day trip up to Alta Sierra and found some back country stuff to mess around with. It was a blast. It really felt good. It didn't take us long to build a small jump. The good thing is we didn't get hurt. Here is a short video of our stupidity for your enjoyment. It's not much.


1st Snowboarding Trip of 08.09 Season from Erik Adams on Vimeo.

Coal is Bad... Apparently.

I guess there is a group out there charging after the coal industry. Imagine that. I read an open letter posted on Burnside Writers last week that got me thinking. Basically, they want to protest a coal-fired power plant in D.C.. There are some statements in that letter that just piss me off. The letter is only a scare tactic. The main trouble with the letter, they don't supply any credible evidence. They throw out statements and try to single out the coal industry, when it is a statement that includes much more.

I decided to write a response to the letter and submit it to the magazine. I tried to be as nice and open as I could without being a complete jerk. I thought I did rather well to be honest. I haven't heard if they are going to post the response yet. It is going to be really cool if they do. I will let you know what happens with it. If you click on the link above, it will take you to the letter. After that, if you would like to read my response before I find out if they will publish it or not let me know and I can email it to you.

The Hot New Word... Bailout!

I've seen this picture on a few blogs that I enjoy. One is Crainium (yes it's spelled wrong, but that's how they have it). The other is Grey Matter. This is Susan Isaacs' site, she's a Christian author living in Southern Cali (and she's really funny).

There is a small paragraph at the end that may be a bit hard to read so here's what it says,

You probably thought it was smart to by a foreign import of superior quality, with better mileage and resale value. Maybe you even thought that years of market share loss might prod us into rethinking our process and redesigning our products with better quality in mind. But you forgot one thing: we spend a shitload of money on lobbyists. So now you're out $25 billion, plus the cost of your Subaru. Maybe next time you'll buy American like a real man. Either way, we're cool.

It sure feels like that doesn't it? It seems everyone is crying for the government to "bail" them out. What ever happened to using your head and figuring out creative ways to solve problems?

Susan also mentions a quote from Alexis DeToqueville, "America is great because it is good. Once she ceases to be good, she will cease to be great." After that Susan asked a question that got me thinking, here is what she asked, "when did you first have that rude awakening that America was no longer good?"

Sort of a slap in the face kind of question isn't it. I think it is a good one to ask. The only way this country is going to be great again is if the people who live in it start acknowledging the fact that this country isn't great anymore. I though about it for some time and my conclusion is this. For me, this country hasn't been great since September 12, 2001. I feel this country has never recovered for the attack. I know there are people out there that don't what to hear that, but that is the problem, you can't fix something by not acknowledging it first. We can't go around putting band aids on things and covering up the problems just because we don't want to deal with them. FRANKLY I THINK IT'S A LOAD OF CRAP!

Here is the biggest problem with this country (in my opinion). This country doesn't have a budget problem. The budgets are there, and have been for a long time. This country can put together a budget faster than a humming bird flaps its wings. The problem is, this country has a spending addiction. The country wants to spend more money so they make a budget to accommodate. The root of this problem is that there is no money to back that budget because it was spent on something else, which is why the country has to create and spend this new budget to begin with. But their fix to the problem is to go print more money. Which is why the money in my wallet isn't worth the pile of crap the government is feeding us.

This is why I think this country will never be like it was before 9/11. I'm not saying it was fantastic before, I'm just saying it went into the crapper after the attacks and will never be any better (unless they fix the spending problems and that will probably never happen).

Sorry for the depressing post but I thought it needed to be said. I don't care if it makes anybody made it's just the truth. So, to quote The Guy From Boston, "I got the ball to say what your thinking!"

Enjoy the holidays every body Marry Christmas and Happy New Year... oops, sorry, best wishes for the Winter Solstice Holiday and a new calender year.

Complaining Anyone?

If there is one thing I hate, it's listening to people complain. I'm not saying I don't do my fair share. I'm sure if you ask my mom, dad, sister, or Christy, they will tell you I complain. The thing that makes me made is when the same person complains about the same thing, in the same setting, day after day.

This type of person complains about how they keep getting screwed over and over, from the company they has been employed with for twenty years. Here are a few things I have to say to a person of this sort...

First of all, if you have such a problem with that company, why in the world have you been working for them for twenty years. Second, whether they screw your not, there is nothing you can do about it, we all know you have a problem with it, so please do us all a favor and shut up already. Third, if I were you, I would be thankful that you are even getting a paycheck. I don't care if you feel you are getting paid less than other people in the industry. If you feel this way, please do us all a favor and go work for another company. And last but not least, consider yourself lucky that you even have a job right now.

So do yourself and everyone else around you a favor and keep your wining to your self. If you feel you can't do this, expect to get a large amount of flack your back at you because I am sure the people around you are fed up!

Oh yeah, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

The Light Is Near

The light at the end of the tunnel is near. The family has been a juggling act for three months. I could see Christy and I atop a ball, throwing our jobs, the kids, anything to do with church, and my school into the air and trying to catch everything and do it again. (Metaphorically speaking of course) Three months of this crazy circus, and now the light is near. So near in fact that this should be last week of six days a week.

To stick the fire a bit more, Christy, Mickey, and Bradley have been sick the past few weeks. I can add another log to the fire; Christy received a flue shot on Tuesday. Last night she came home from work with a fever. I told her, just go to bed; she did, and took care of the boys all night. Not a problem right?

Well, let me give you a run down of the night. Everything started Wednesday night. Christy wasn’t feeling good that night; Bradley couldn’t breathe so he was up five or six times that night. The next day, Christy came home and went to bed and I watched the boys. I watched the first game of the World Series; (very upset in the outcome of that one) put the boys to bed. (Bradley with a fight, of course) I was up until eleven o’clock writing a paper for school. Finally got to bed at midnight, then Bradley wakes me up three times.

I am not complaining about any of this, I just felt like I had to give you a bit of the back-story before I told you the real reason for this post. It all came down to this morning. Christy wakes up and feels horrible. She wants me to stay home; the problem is I can’t, so now she is even more miserable. Then, I try to help her out and get the boys ready so she wouldn’t have to. Now, here’s were it all turned from bad to worse. Instead of just going with the flow, (the smart path) I decide to be a bonehead.

She told me that she was going to take Mickey to school this morning. “OK, sounds good babe,” is what I should have said. However, nooooooo, I decide in my little head, to tell her she just needs to put him in the bus and go back to bed. Let’s just say that didn’t go well. Sorry Christy. I love you.

Weekend Away!!

I found this picture the other day. That is too funny. I thought I would use it with this post. I am leaving for the Promise Keepers tomorrow morning. I am going with a few guys from the church. I have to say thank you to Mike and Marilyn (Christy's mom dad) for buying my ticket. This should be a great weekend. It does help that I should be at work through the weekend. I will post after I get back with how it turns out.

I also want to add a couple other things. One, I still have not received the final word on school yet. I am getting a bit impatient. Class starts September 3rd and I need to get my books ordered. Have I ever mentioned that I hate to wait. Yeah, really hate to wait.

And the last thing. I have a friend of mine, Damon. He is writing a book, Dark Angel. he posts a new chapter every month. I have been reading along with the posts. I have to say, really good. I think he has something with this little endeavor. Follow that link and check it out. I think you will like it.

I See A Clearing

Well, I know it has been a while sense my last post. Going into the last week, I had six days off coming to me. Lets just say, I didn't get six days off.

The all started on Friday. It was Christys birthday. That afternoon, we sent the kids off to their grandmas and grandpas and went to dinner. Christy wanted to go have a steak. We went to Tahoe Joes and spent more money on dinner than I have ever spent. Just shy of one hundred bucks... for two people. I can't complain, she had fifty of that covered with a gift from her mom and dad. Thanks guys. After dinner, we went to see I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. I have to say, everyone needs to go see that movie. It was one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time.

Saturday morning comes around, and I turn over and kiss my wife and wish her a happy anniversary. That's right, our one year was August 11th. See, I was smart, I made sure that the two most important dates I have to remember right next to each other. Now I can't forget them. For Christy's birthday I got her the movie Hot Fuzz. If you ever saw Shaun of the Dead, you will love this movie. We got up and and went to breakfast, then came home and watched Hot Fuzz. After that, Bradley came home.

Sunday morning, we went to church. Right after church I had to go build a fence. That's right, build a fence. The fence took the rest of Sunday and all day Monday. I didn't get home until ten o'clock Monday night. I does look amazing if I do say so myself. Then, Tuesday and Wednesday Christy had to work, so I stayed home with the kids. Just let me say, I love to be with boys, but after that week I just had, I was so tired I could barley stay awake.

Now that the week is coming to an end, I can see a bit of rest coming. I still have to work through the weekend, but I don't mind. I have Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off next week. I go back to work on Thursday, then I have Friday and Saturday off. I am going to Promise Keepers in Fresno with a group of guys from church. It should be a lot of fun. I will let you know when I get back.

Okay Then...

Well, I guess this proves my boring factor.

Am I truly this boring or am I imagining it.

Try To Remember.... Please

I know, it's hard to think of anything other than fireworks during the forth of July. The thought of is sparked (sorry, no pun intended) back into memory during the last week of June. We see all of the make-shift wooden stands going up on what seems like every street corner.

Then, the thoughts start flowing through your brain. "What is new this year, I need to get those screaming ones and the flowers too." That's what goes through every ones mind every year, fireworks, fireworks, fireworks. I am not saying they are bad. I enjoy watching them any chance I get.

Here is the problem, I believe we have lost sight of the true meaning behind July forth. It has nothing to do with fireworks. Come on, think back to your history classes. Yes, that's it, Independence Day. For seventeen days, Thomas Jefferson put his heart and soul into crafting the Declaration of Independence. June eleventh through June twenty-eighth, then on July forth Congress adopted the Declaration.

Our forefathers committed treason by creating and sighing the Declaration. They put their lives on the line to create independence for generations to come. We have a responsibility as those following generations to appreciate and remember what has been done in the past to create freedom. Whether you thank our forefathers, or the veterans and troops fighting in the war, now or a past conflict; The celebrations of the day should not be for your selfish entertainment.

Instead of fireworks, fireworks, fireworks; Shouldn't we be saying remember, remember, remember. I believe we should. Use the fireworks to give that appreciation to whom it is due and not to yourself. And to Thomas Jefferson and the rest of Congress, and all of our veterans and troop over seas, I say Thank You.

~ GOD bless American and everyone involved in fighting for the freedom to have a day to celebrate freedom ~