How much do the energy-efficient compact florescent light bulbs make a difference? I recently switched all my light sockets (except for my bedroom, in which I can't use them) to those bulbs. Fall is my lowest energy-usage period but I used 35% less electricity this September than last September... which was my previous lowest energy-usage month in the past two years.
I'm not sure it matters given how National Grid thieves will probably gouge me out of any savings anyways, but it's interesting.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The peanut gallery vs the hot seat
Did you ever notice how pretty much every critic of the governor says, "While we understand the state's difficult financial situation and the need to cut spending, we just think that (our unique and irreplacable group) should be the singular exception."
Apparently, it's a lot easier to "understand" something that to be in a position of responsibility and actually be forced to make decisions for the greater good.
Apparently, it's a lot easier to "understand" something that to be in a position of responsibility and actually be forced to make decisions for the greater good.
A further example of National Grid gouging
A further illustration of what I wrote about here about gouging by the National Grid thieves.
My most recent electric bill:
Supply charges (cost of the power I used): $9.45
Delivery charges (cost of delivering the power I used): $33.08
If the pizza place tacked on a $30 delivery charge to bring you your $10 pizza, you wouldn't order there any more. But then again, pizza places are subject to competition.
My most recent electric bill:
Supply charges (cost of the power I used): $9.45
Delivery charges (cost of delivering the power I used): $33.08
If the pizza place tacked on a $30 delivery charge to bring you your $10 pizza, you wouldn't order there any more. But then again, pizza places are subject to competition.
Friday, October 09, 2009
Disgrace
I saw a headline this morning about President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Instinctively, I assumed it was from the satirical Onion but was dumbfounded to find out it was true. Even leaving aside the near certainty that he'll escalate us deeper into the morass in Afghanistan, what the hell has he done to advance peace?! I mean besides not being George W. Bush or Dick Cheney. Jimmy Carter deserved the award for his tireless efforts of peacemaking over several decades, both during his presidency and after.
Maybe it's a psychological ploy by the Nobel committee. Maybe they hope that Obama will be so embarrassed by this completely undeserved accolade that he'll actually try to live up to it. A long shot, I know...
Update: I've read that nominations had to be in by February 1 of this year. So he was nominated and "won" the award based on the first 12 days of his presidency?! His inaugural speech was nice... but not THAT good.
Maybe it's a psychological ploy by the Nobel committee. Maybe they hope that Obama will be so embarrassed by this completely undeserved accolade that he'll actually try to live up to it. A long shot, I know...
Update: I've read that nominations had to be in by February 1 of this year. So he was nominated and "won" the award based on the first 12 days of his presidency?! His inaugural speech was nice... but not THAT good.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
In the land before polls...
I wonder what things were like before polling cannibalized public discourse. How did voters decide who to vote for without knowing what the horde thought? How did journalists operate before they had the crutch of doing poll "analyses" whenever they didn't feel like doing real reporting? Does anyone remember those days?
Monday, October 05, 2009
Does anyone actually believe anything anymore?
Conservatives rooting against Chicago for the Olympics because it might be seen to benefit President Obama, Congressmen criticizing the president while abroad, Congressmen interrupting presidential speeches to call him a liar... all of these things would've been treasonous and unpatriotic five years ago and punishable by a one-way trip to Gitmo.
Similarly, presidential secrecy, the likely prospect of insane escalation in Afghanistan and defense of the worst aspects of the war against civil liberties... these would've provoked liberal fury against the White House five years ago but now we're told ad nauseum that we need to "be patient."
I'm becoming increasingly convinced that virtually no one actually believes anything any more (including smug liberals) and are so vapid that they're only interested in scoring cheap political points against the "other" side.
It's not a coincidence that most political links and rants tend to be more concerned with attacking the other side than defending its own side. Defending your own side requires that you actually care about DOING something. Attacking the other side is a lot more convenient, because it's easier to destroy than to build.
The saddest part is that if you are an American who actually believes in something and who won't give your side an unlimited blank check for things you'd crucify the other side for, then there's a good chance you are a closed-minded ideological fanatic who believe that anyone not your political clone is the spawn of Satan.
Didn't we used to be able to balance having principles with treating others like human beings?
Similarly, presidential secrecy, the likely prospect of insane escalation in Afghanistan and defense of the worst aspects of the war against civil liberties... these would've provoked liberal fury against the White House five years ago but now we're told ad nauseum that we need to "be patient."
I'm becoming increasingly convinced that virtually no one actually believes anything any more (including smug liberals) and are so vapid that they're only interested in scoring cheap political points against the "other" side.
It's not a coincidence that most political links and rants tend to be more concerned with attacking the other side than defending its own side. Defending your own side requires that you actually care about DOING something. Attacking the other side is a lot more convenient, because it's easier to destroy than to build.
The saddest part is that if you are an American who actually believes in something and who won't give your side an unlimited blank check for things you'd crucify the other side for, then there's a good chance you are a closed-minded ideological fanatic who believe that anyone not your political clone is the spawn of Satan.
Didn't we used to be able to balance having principles with treating others like human beings?
Saturday, October 03, 2009
The Ten Commandments of Blogging
By Dr Krish Kandiah, Churches in Mission Executive Director, Evangelical Alliance
Ten cyberspace commandments are to be posted online to give bloggers a moral edge in a virtual age.
Based loosely on the real Ten Commandments from the Old Testament, the revamped version for guidance in online communication emerged from an event reflecting on the ethics of today’s most popular form of public comment.
The commandments are intended to cause bloggers to consider the social impact of their blogging.
1. You shall not put your blog before your integrity.
2. You shall not make an idol of your blog.
3. You shall not misuse your screen name by using your anonymity to sin.
4. Remember the Sabbath day by taking one day off a week from your blog.
5. Honour your fellow-bloggers above yourselves and do not give undue significance to their mistakes.
6. You shall not murder someone else’s honour, reputation or feelings.
7. You shall not use the web to commit or permit adultery in your mind.
8. You shall not steal another person’s content.
9. You shall not give false testimony against your fellow-blogger.
10. You shall not covet your neighbour's blog ranking. Be content with your own content.
Ten cyberspace commandments are to be posted online to give bloggers a moral edge in a virtual age.
Based loosely on the real Ten Commandments from the Old Testament, the revamped version for guidance in online communication emerged from an event reflecting on the ethics of today’s most popular form of public comment.
The commandments are intended to cause bloggers to consider the social impact of their blogging.
1. You shall not put your blog before your integrity.
2. You shall not make an idol of your blog.
3. You shall not misuse your screen name by using your anonymity to sin.
4. Remember the Sabbath day by taking one day off a week from your blog.
5. Honour your fellow-bloggers above yourselves and do not give undue significance to their mistakes.
6. You shall not murder someone else’s honour, reputation or feelings.
7. You shall not use the web to commit or permit adultery in your mind.
8. You shall not steal another person’s content.
9. You shall not give false testimony against your fellow-blogger.
10. You shall not covet your neighbour's blog ranking. Be content with your own content.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Non-shock of the year: National Grid gouges customers
The Post-Star has an article on how the crooks at National Grid are gouging customers. The global conglomerate that is the region's monopoly electricity deliverer is jacking up delivery charges to compensate for falling electric and natural gas prices.
National Grid regularly sends out informational literature to customers encourage them to cut costs by taking energy saving measures. That meant they were using less energy and providing less revenue to the utility. National Grid decided to jack up the delivery part of their bill to compensate. After spending time and money to take those energy saving measures, they see no benefit in their electric bill.
In other words, the utility is punishing customers for following their advice!
A Moreau resident's bill showed her family of four had used $177.68 worth of natural gas and electricity in the preceding month, but the "delivery charges" for those commodities totaled $303.97.
Delivery of her power cost 71 percent more than the actual power. For that markup, the bill should come in a gold plated envelope.
My own most recent bill was even worse: delivery charges were MORE THAN DOUBLE the cost of the actual electricity delivered! Imagine buying a $300 stove from Sears and having them charge $700 to deliver it.
Maybe National Grid has to gouge customers to pay for their worthless, incompetent customer service or for the power going out every time there's a decent rain or snow storm (which never happens in upstate New York).
I will post my own National Grid horror story here at a later time, after I compose the letter to the state Public Service Commission and Attorney General's office.
In the mid-1990s, some officials in the city of Glens Falls pushed for the creation of a municipal power company, like the one run by the similarly-sized town of Massena, NY. Not surprisingly, Niagara Mohawk (which was bought by National Grid) saw a threat to their lucrative business and waged a massively expensive and somewhat deceptive PR campaign against the proposal.
Despite the cost, the PR campaign was a good investment... for them at least. The public utility was voted down in a referendum and they were free to continue gouging customers... and municipalities too.
National Grid regularly sends out informational literature to customers encourage them to cut costs by taking energy saving measures. That meant they were using less energy and providing less revenue to the utility. National Grid decided to jack up the delivery part of their bill to compensate. After spending time and money to take those energy saving measures, they see no benefit in their electric bill.
In other words, the utility is punishing customers for following their advice!
A Moreau resident's bill showed her family of four had used $177.68 worth of natural gas and electricity in the preceding month, but the "delivery charges" for those commodities totaled $303.97.
Delivery of her power cost 71 percent more than the actual power. For that markup, the bill should come in a gold plated envelope.
My own most recent bill was even worse: delivery charges were MORE THAN DOUBLE the cost of the actual electricity delivered! Imagine buying a $300 stove from Sears and having them charge $700 to deliver it.
Maybe National Grid has to gouge customers to pay for their worthless, incompetent customer service or for the power going out every time there's a decent rain or snow storm (which never happens in upstate New York).
I will post my own National Grid horror story here at a later time, after I compose the letter to the state Public Service Commission and Attorney General's office.
In the mid-1990s, some officials in the city of Glens Falls pushed for the creation of a municipal power company, like the one run by the similarly-sized town of Massena, NY. Not surprisingly, Niagara Mohawk (which was bought by National Grid) saw a threat to their lucrative business and waged a massively expensive and somewhat deceptive PR campaign against the proposal.
Despite the cost, the PR campaign was a good investment... for them at least. The public utility was voted down in a referendum and they were free to continue gouging customers... and municipalities too.
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