Tim Varga

Cell Size and Scale

Tim Varga — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:06:08 +0000

Data visualization and ratio comparisons!

Michael Moore sometimes makes sense

Tim Varga — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:01:00 +0000

In the past few years I’ve moved steadily away from Michael Moore’s rhetorical style – yes, I’m certainly upset with many aspects of my local, regional, national, and international governance, but I sense that it can easily slide into a vituperative style that doesn’t win over the opposition – but I continue to appreciate Mr. Moore for his dedication to activism. Not content to sit idly by, or complain loudly while doing nothing, or criticizing without constructing a viable alternative, Moore sometimes peeks out behind the gotcha! attitude of any good muckraker to remind us that there are Things We Can Do to affect positive change.

Here’s the whole article, and I’m quoting my two favorite slices of activism (from the 15):

1. Each of us must get into the daily habit of taking 5 minutes to make four brief calls: One to the President (202-456-1414), one to your Congressperson (202-224-3121) and one to each of your two Senators (202-224-3121). To find out who represents you, click here. Take just one minute on each of these calls to let them know how you expect them to vote on a particular issue. Let them know you will have no hesitation voting for a primary opponent — or even a candidate from another party — if they don’t do our bidding. Trust me, they will listen. If you have another five minutes, click here to send them each an email. And if you really want to drop an anvil on them, send them a snail mail letter!

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-moore/michael-moores-action-pla_b_329664.html

and…

5. Take care of yourself and your family. Sorry to go all Oprah on you, but she’s right: Find a place of peace in your life and make the choice to be around people who are not full of negativity and cynicism. Look for those who nurture and love. Turn off the TV and the Blackberry and go for a 30-minute walk every day. Eat fruits and vegetables and cut down on anything that has sugar, high fructose corn syrup, white flour or too much sodium (salt) in it (and, as Michael Pollan says, “Eat (real) food, not too much, mostly plants”). Get seven hours of sleep each night and take the time to read a book a month. I know this sounds like I’ve turned into your grandma, but, dammit, take a good hard look at Granny — she’s fit, she’s rested and she knows the names of both of her U.S. Senators without having to Google them. We might do well to listen to her.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-moore/michael-moores-action-pla_b_329664.html

Letter to Sen. Graham

Tim Varga — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:04:00 +0000

I wrote the following email to Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), in response to his concerted efforts to enact greenhouse gas-limiting legislation, and to his and Sen. John Kerry’s (D-MA) excellent op-ed in the New York Times from a couple days ago…

Senator Graham,

I want to thank you for your leadership and vision with regard to climate change and energy development. Your op-ed in the NYTimes with your colleague Sen. Kerry truly touched me in that it has rejuvenated the possibility of true bipartisanship in Congress.

The environment, our climate, the atmosphere – these are not objects that can be held by one political party or one nation; these are the literal Commons that must be preserved by everyone if they are to be preserved for anyone. I’m grateful for forward-thinking legislators like yourself, for understanding that the scientific evidence, while certainly not perfect nor without room for ample debate, shows that the preponderance of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, almost entirely by human enterprise, are quickly and dangerously heating up our planet and potentially disrupting the climate system we all rely on to survive.

Thank you, Senator, for being a Republican legislator from a Republican state, willing and able to look past sound bites and the misinformation of your colleagues (i.e. Sen. Inhofe) to take positive, real action towards ending our dependence on foreign energy products and towards preserving our way of life for future generations (a truly “Conservative” effort, if I’ve ever seen one)!

Sincerely,

-Tim Varga

Obama Nobel Peace Prize Press Release

Tim Varga — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:43:00 +0000

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2009

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.

Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama’s initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.

Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population.

For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world’s leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama’s appeal that “Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.”

Oslo, October 9, 2009

Public Option Publicly Supported

Tim Varga — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:52:00 +0000

Yglesias, quoting Drum, says the right things about why a lack of public option in the healthcare bill does not necessarily mean electoral defeat for Democrats in 2010. Folks are worried about losing the House or Senate.

Listen, I get it: in the coming mid-term election, Dems can expect to lose a few seats in the House and Senate for a whole variety of reasons, and one of those reasons might be the failure of healthcare reform.

But let’s not confuse popular support (in the form of a national poll) with Democratic support (or lack thereof) of reform. No, as Yglesias has pointed out, repeatedly, the reason we see such slow, patently unfair, and unvisionary progress when it comes to reform is that the Senate is an inherently unrepresentative body.

Repeat: the Senate is not a representative legislative body – it (as was it’s design) unfairly gives preference to Senators from small (in population) states. Max Baucus, Senator from Montana, represents 0.16% of the United States, but as Chairman of the Finance committee, he completely controls the debate over healthcare reform. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) represents 6% of the country, but has absolutely no say in healthcare legislation, and is not even on the committee.

I’m a huge fan of the government the founding fathers (and mothers) set up – but let’s not just assume it’s a perfect body. Progress requires political institutions that accurately reflect the will of the people, and the Senate as a body fails at that charge.

Vote for SMooney!

Tim Varga — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:49:00 +0000

Occasionally it is shown to me that some of my acquaintances are amazing people doing amazing things, and Scott Mooney is no exception.

He and his team have crafted and entered a sustainable building design contest to rebuild the town of Greensburg, Kansas that was destroyed by a tornado in 2007. The design contest can be accessed here, and you can vote for his particular design here.

Take a moment to glance through the many amazing, innovative, and creative designs offered – the winning house will be built as a chain of eco-homes and the designs published freely for use elsewhere. This is a fantastic effort and I’m so very proud to see brilliant people attempting to make the world a better place.

GLOBAL WARMING STILL FREAKING ME OUT

Tim Varga — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:01:00 +0000

So normally I like to avoid the doom-and-gloom and try to focus on the positive with climate change. I’m a positive person and all, but there was a scary article about the effects of global warming on the tropics/subtropics in Science back in January, that I write about in the TerraPass Footprint here.

The only thing that could’ve made this post better would be if I could’ve worked in a picture of a toadfish. Alas. Just wasn’t to be.

Also unfortunate, I tried to make the headline “It’s Getting Hot in Herre” followed by the clever subtitle “So take off all your- wait, better just move north, actually” but Adam Stein would have none of it. Apparently he doesn’t get “pop culture.” He also referred to it as “the hippity hop.” So he’s an old man. At least he’s got that going for him.

Missing carbon found in… fish guts?

Tim Varga — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:07:00 +0000

A new one over at TP Footprint.

With cute picture of a toadfish! OMG LOLZ SO CUTE

New post over at the Footprint

Tim Varga — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:07:00 +0000

Hey most of my posts are going up over at the TerraPass Footprint! You should click on over to there to see this latest post!

It is about trees and global warming. Looks like warming is increasing tree mortality in the Western U.S.! OH NOES

Trees are made of air

Tim Varga — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 04:23:00 +0000

That’s professional Tree Hugger, thank you.

The new paper came out, and it’s chock full of amazing science and radically awesome declarative sentences. No hemming and hawing to be found here, guaranteed.

It involved the usual assortment of crazy advanced technology and tree hugging hippieness.

The pictures probably speak for themselves (times 1,000!), and if that explanation isn’t good enough, well, there’s a whole paper written about them.