CO2 as percent of total atmosphere

From 1960 to 2010 CO2 in earth's atmosphere went from 0.032% to 0.039%.

Not a one percent change. Not a tenth of a percent change. Not a hundredth of a percent change. Just seven thousanths of one percent change in CO2 levels as part of total composition.

Data collected at Mauna Loa and reported on NOAA website. link

 

Just sayin'

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, American Poet, ca 1920

I was reminded of these words today and wanted to keep them in the collective memory.

The COOKIES were good ...

This afternoon was the first in a short series of "Workshops" in the Chowchilla area for the High Speed Train document review. Tomorrow they are in Le Grand, and Thursday at the Chowchilla Fairgrounds. The California High Speed Rail Authority brought copies of their new draft Environmental Review which people could read individually. Authority specialists helped people find whatever chapter and section they were looking for. If they knew what they were looking for. Handling people one at a time also significantly reduced the 'pitchfork' factor. There was no general presentation. There were no questions from the floor. No microphone. Nevertheless, the workshop quickly took on the air of the Chicago Trading Floor.

People living in the Ave 24, Ave 21, UPRR/99, and BNSF corridors need to carefully review those documents to find if they are on one of the several proposed paths of the HST. Apendix 3.1-A had very detailed satelite photos of ranches potentially effected. People not specifically in line with the tracks also may be impacted by road changes in their immediate area. They'll be putting up a lot of fence along the route.

The workshops in Chowchilla deal with a number of decisions concerning the Wye that will direct San Fransisco trains to Sacramento or to Los Angeles. There are at least four possible routes and until one is finally chosen, the other parts of the HST system cannot be planned. Nay-sayers have called the initial section of the system, the Merced-Fresno corridor (containing the Chowchilla Wye), "the train to nowhere." And it will be a very quiet bit of track for a very long time as the rest of the massive statewide system is built. But it is also the most complex piece of this huge puzzle. It has to start here and grow in both directions, if it is going to be built at all.

The Authority is to be commended for trotting out their charts and graphs, maps and volumes of reports. I am sure there was a wealth of useful data buried there. But buried is how I felt. Anyone planning to attend the two remaining workshops needs to do their homework beforehand. Without a ready question to ask they will find the session less than satisfying. But on a brighter note, the cookies were delicious and the water was ice cold. Galilee Missionary Baptist Church in Fairmead were the perfect host. One of the routes in fact runs very near the church.

The documents are available online and also at a variety of public forums where they can be studied in quiet detail. Comments to the Authority may be submitted online or in person at these workshops. Public hearings on the HST will be held in September. Should be fun!

Four Gaits

Impressions of people I saw today:


She threw her shoes before her as she walked, leaving the rest of her to trail along behind like a lawn dart.


He stalked along the sidewalk like a man who had been much heavier in the recent past.


She moved like a broken folding chair, her face burdened with the focus required to maintain net forward motion.


He lounged as he walked, like one half expecting a sofa to suddenly materialize into which he could schlump down.