The Pros and the Cons

You've probably heard a lot about greenhouse gasses. There has been a lot of talk about carbon dioxide causing global warming.

People talk about methane, but it seems there is still a lot of confusion regarding the role of methane in global warming.

First of all, what is methane? Methane is commonly known as natural gas. Anything organic that dies gives off methane. Cow poop gives off methane. Garbage dumps give off methane. Coal in the ground gives off methane.

Secondly, methane in the atmosphere retains heat 20 times more than carbon dioxide.

Finally, burning methane destroys it and makes it harmless in terms of global warming.

So what does all this mean?

We have a source of energy that will supply all our energy needs for heating and lighting our homes, and powering our cars, forever. Right here in the United states.

There are over 13,000 garbage dumps in the United States. Capping just one garbage dump can produce enough methane to produce over 5 megawatts of electricy. Enough to power over 6000 homes.

I never hear my wife complain that I left the seat up. That's 'cause I use the sink.

I'll give you some insight as to what men really think. Earlier today, I was pleased to overhear two women compliment me. As they were walking past me, I heard one say to the other, "what an ass!"

Thank you for noticing.

I love my wife's sense of humor. A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I traveled to a small town in Ohio to visit with relatives, staying in a nearby hotel. The nearest town with a hotel was Seaman, Ohio.

The next day, she said "I can't wait to tell all my friends that last night, I slept in Seaman!"

I haven't posted a blog since August. How ridiculous. I have talking points:

I passed my board exam, got my RN license, and got a job working in the older adult unit of the mental health pavillion.

I saw Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" and I swear it made me want to switch parties. I'm still very much conservative, but if the Republicans don't get more serious about the environment, they're going to lose a lot of us Christians who believe that God made us stewards of his creation and that we must take better care of it. I feel so strongly about it I'm thinking about renaming this blog.

That's about it. Since I've graduated I've had a load of time on my hands, which I've wasted watching "Lost". I post a lot on Guys, where are we?

Excellent time killer. I strongly believe that people with curious, intellectual minds are interested in those kind of science fiction stories

May 11, 2006

GENERAL MOTORS ANNOUNCES COLLABORATION WITH STATE OF INDIANA AND MEIJER GAS STATIONS TO HELP MORE INDIANA MOTORISTS POWER THEIR GM FLEXFUEL VEHICLES WITH E85 ETHANOL

INDIANAPOLIS – General Motors today announced that it has facilitated plans for the addition of several new E85 ethanol fueling sites throughout Indiana thanks to a collaborative partnership with Meijer and the state of Indiana. GM has been the catalyst behind several similar partnerships across the country as part of a broader, national GM campaign to boost the use and awareness of ethanol-based E85 fuel in the United States.

The announcement was made today during a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of an E85 ethanol pump at the Meijer Pike Plaza 129 store. Governor Mitch Daniels and Lt. Governor Becky Skillman were on hand for the event along with U.S. Secretary of Energy, Samuel Bodman.

“Flexible fuel vehicles and E85 are proven options for substituting a clean burning renewable fuel for gasoline, and I believe it should be our common goal that E85 become a nationwide fueling option,” Secretary Bodman said. “I want to thank Governor Daniels, Lt. Governor Skillman, GM and Meijer for their commitment to this goal. Efforts like these—to educate the public and expand the network of stations that can deliver E85 fuel—will help us meet the President’s goal to reduce our reliance on foreign sources of oil.”

“Indiana is rapidly emerging as a producer of renewable fuels. That must be matched by greater availability and convenience for consumers,” said Gov. Daniels. “The commitment by GM and Meijer is a big leap forward on the demand side, and we’re hopeful others will follow suit.”

GM and Meijer will work together to identify up to twenty locations throughout the state over the next few months, with the first location, at the Pike Plaza 129 store, open for consumers today. General Motors will spend significant advertising and promotion dollars to help generate awareness of E85 flexible fuel vehicles—and where consumers can purchase E85 ethanol—with consumer marketing initiatives and dealer outreach.

“GM already has nearly two million vehicles on the road today that are capable of using E85 ethanol fuel. We appreciate that Meijer continues to join our efforts to make this great fuel alternative available to more people in Indiana,” said Elizabeth Lowery, GM vice president of environment and energy. “We also appreciate the support of Sec. Bodman, Gov. Daniels, Lt. Gov. Skillman and the State of Indiana as we continue to promote the use of E85 ethanol and its many benefits for the environment, the economy and consumers.”

The effort is similar to announcements GM has already made with other state government, oil industry, ethanol producers, and retail partners in California, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota and Texas. Since May of 2005, GM has announced partnerships with states and fuel providers around the country to locate, to date, up to 130 new E85 ethanol fueling locations by the end of 2006.

Corn is the leading source of income for Indiana farmers contributing $1.45 billion annually. Indiana produces 786.9 million bushels of corn a year, providing a basis for millions of gallons of ethanol to be produced in the future. There are currently nearly 70,000 GM flexible fuel vehicles in Indiana, with a total of 90,000 flexible vehicles in the state.

“Agriculture will be a chief economic driver in Indiana and we are very serious about turning this state into a national leader in the production of biofuels,” said Lt. Gov. Skillman. “Today’s announcement is another important step in expanding the availability of E85 ethanol so more Hoosiers can have access to this important renewable fuel.”

Meijer continues to develop partnerships to promote alternative fuels. “We are thrilled to partner with GM and the state of Indiana to promote the availability of E85 ethanol and provide our customers with choices such as E85 ethanol that will enhance the environment and provide greater independence from foreign fuels,” said Judith Clark, communications director for Meijer.

E85 flexible fuel vehicles can run on any combination of gasoline and/or E85 ethanol, a fuel blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. E85 ethanol can contribute to energy independence because it diversifies the source of transportation fuels beyond petroleum, and it provides positive environmental benefits in the form of reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Phil Lampert, executive director of the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition (NEVC) was also on hand for the announcement. “The NEVC is pleased to see the number of E85 fueling sites continue to grow across the country,” said Lampert. “GM, the state of Indiana and Meijer are true leaders in advancing domestically produced alternative transportation fuels.”

GM has a long relationship with the state of Indiana. Indianapolis is the base of GM’s Allison Division and the state is home to over 10,000 GM employees and 40,000 GM retirees, as well as five plants and over 200 dealers. GM builds E85 capable trucks, as well as the only full-size hybrid pickup in America, at its assembly plant in Fort Wayne.

GM also partnered with the Indiana State Department of Agriculture last November to provide twenty E85-capable vehicles to residents of Reynolds, Ind. to use for two years. Reynolds, the first BioTown, USA, is developing a community that meets all of its energy needs through biorenewable resources. Phase 1 of the BioTown, USA plan for Reynolds revolved around making Reynolds the highest per capita usage city of flexible fuel vehicles in the United States.

In May, 2005, GM presented Lt. Governor Skillman with a one-year loan of an E85-capable Chevy Tahoe to help promote E85 in the state as part of an ongoing campaign by GM and the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition (GEC), a bipartisan group of governors devoted to the promotion and increased use of ethanol. This collaborative effort, which was launched in early 2005, is designed to increase awareness of ethanol and flexible fuel vehicles, and to promote the increased use of E85 as a renewable, alternative transportation fuel that is able to meet the demands of today’s drivers. Last year, GM loaned E85 flex-fuel vehicles to Indianapolis and 27 other states and organizations in order to demonstrate its commitment to ethanol, educate the public and promote the benefits of using E85. GM will continue the program through 2006 and will present the state of Indiana with a new E85 flexible fuel vehicle later this month.

Research has shown that many owners of flex-fuel vehicles do not know that their vehicles are capable of using E85. In January, GM announced a sweeping consumer education and advertising campaign aimed at promoting the benefits of E85 and GM’s flexible fuel vehicle leadership, and encouraging consumers to actively promote E85 in their communities. “Live Green Go Yellow” ads continue throughout the year with print, web (livegreengoyellow.com) and broadcast media components.

With two million flexible-fuel vehicles already on the road, GM is a leader in flexible-fuel vehicle production and sales. For the 2006 model year, GM offers nine E85 flexible fuel vehicles, including the Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon XL, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Avalanche, Chevrolet Impala, and the Chevrolet Monte Carlo. GM also plans to add more than 400,000 E85-capable vehicles to the fleet in 2006. At the same time, worldwide production of ethanol is increasing every year, and is expected to triple by 2020.

About GM:
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader for 75 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 327,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2005, 9.17 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

About Meijer, Inc.:
Based in Walker, Mich., Meijer is a family-owned and operated company operating supercenters throughout the Midwest. Meijer operates more than 170 stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. For more information, visit www.meijer.com

I just finished reading Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" and I'm obligated to say my piece.

First of all, would I recommend it?

Probably not. Although geeks like me who like puzzles and stories about treasure hunts would appreciate the pace and adventure of the story, the religious iconography and blasphemy muddle the narrative.

Did it cause me to question my faith?

Absolutely. But in a good way. But here are a few thoughts on that.
1) This notion that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalane is not original.
2) Even if He was married to her, it wouldn't have made Him any less Divine.
3) Jesus did refer to himself as the son of God. Here are a few references from the Gospel according to John:

John 2:16 ..."Get out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market"
John 5:17 ..."My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working."
John 5:43 ..."I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me..."
John 6:42 ..."No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day."
John 8:58 ..."I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am."

In reading this book, there is no question that the author hates Christianity and Christians. The only goal of this book, except to earn money for the author, is to encourage Christians to abandon thier faith. But I'm reminded of the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Read it. You'll be edified by the transformation of King Nebuchadnezzar through the simple faith of three Godly men.

Finally, if you read "The Da Vinci Code" and are still struggling in your faith, go check out Mark Roberts' weblog Da Vinci Opportunity.

I just had my last regular clinical in nursing school, hopefully forever.

I was at one of the psych wards here in town. The actual ward I was on held patients who had both a personality disorder and a substance abuse problem.

The real scary thing about this particular visit was the staff. There was this guy there who, if you didn't know better, could just as easily have been a guest of the facility. He had been listening to the crazy for so long he was starting to believe it. He was talking about things like the Illuminati and the Rothschilds and secret societies. He was convinced that there was a secret society that owned the federal reserve, and that they used a paper currency that was "more valuable than gold. They have warehouses full of the stuff."

I politely told him that he was out of his mind.

I further told him that I thought it would be cool to be a member of a secret society. I bet they have secret handshakes and stuff like that. And really good secret beer.

What I wanted to say to him was that he should spend some more time online looking for instructions for making a tin foil hat.

It's episodes like this that make me realize that people don't get poor care when they are hospitalized because there is a conspiracy to keep them ill. No, the truth is much sadder. It's because of lazy care givers who are too involved with their own personal drama to provide any meaningful healing interventions.

Want proof? I saw one of the staff there reading the book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Enhancing Self-Esteem?"

Here's a list of things I did this week:

I held a woman's head while the doctor drilled into her brain.
I performed CPR on an 87 year old man in full-code.
I found my mother-in law passed out on the floor and had her rushed to the emergency room.
I spent the evening in a psychiatric hospital (for school, that had nothing to do with my mother-in-law).
I went bowling with mental patients. (They kicked my ass.)
I got an A on an exam.
I caught a large-mouth bass.
I got friendly with my wife.

See, it wasn't all bad.