Just got back from a bike ride and was about to delete my ThaiVisa news feed when I saw the words:
U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to announce on late Sunday evening that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has been killed in Pakistan, nearly 10 years after the devastating attacks of September 11.
The White House confirmed that Obama would hold an unprecedented late-night news conference, but gave no details. All the major news networks in the United States cited sources saying that Bin Laden had been killed.
According to Fox News, Osama bin Laden was killed over a week ago by a U.S. missile in Pakistan. CBS News, NBC News and CNN also said that Bin Laden's body is in possession of the United States.
The cynic in me is wondering how the right, particularly the crazy right, are going to deal with this. Let's see. GW made it his mission to find and kill Bin Laden. The BBC quoted Bush on Dec. 14, 2001:
"We're going to get [Bin Laden] Dead or alive, it doesn't matter to me." 12/14/2001 [32]
But by the time he left office seven years later, he Bin Laden neither captured nor dead.
The Kenyan, Muslim, socialist president (as some on the right like to characterize Barrack Obama) managed to do the deed in a little over two years.
Nixon's attorney general used to say, "Watch what we do, not what we say." Good advice then and now. Bush said. Obama did.
Clearly this is a huge symbolic event, and symbolism is everything. But how much actual physical threat was Bin Laden these days? I don't know. And how will the symbolism play in the Muslim world? We'll see.
This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001.
In March I posted a picture of two Master locks I'd found uncluttering. I'd always been frustrated with locks with lost combinations. But this time I googled a way to get the combinations from Google. (Luni left a comment on that post with links to websites that showed how to crack the locks, but I couldn't make it work.)
As uncluttering continued, more locks showed up until I had six, the most you could get combinations for with one request.
Not sure what I need six locks for, but I've sent in for the combinations.
And today I discovered how cluttered (or maybe just busy) when I found that our hosta [for some reason it came to me later this is a hoya, not a hosta] plant is now blooming. How did it get this far along without me even noticing buds? Well, this is positive neglect.
Maybe I've concentrated too much on the philodendron jungle that's been in there. This floor pot had vines growing up the wall and then dangling down. I figured I could clear the floor space for better things by repotting. So here I've pulled all the vines down and started untangling them and cutting them for repotting.
I'm not sure I made a wise move, we'll see in a few weeks I guess. I thought I could cut them at the joints and put them in new soil, build a shelf that got them well off the ground. The shelf worked, but they are struggling to gain traction. (I found the white pot cleaning out the backyard greenhouse!)
The ones on top are still green after a couple of weeks, but limp. But nothing as bad as the yellow, curly leaves dangling down on the left.
We'll see. I did leave a few in the old pot in case these don't make it. And we gained a lot of room on the floor.
We've got visitors headed this way in June so I have motivation to step up the clutter war. Unlike Afghanistan, this is a war I know, with determination, I can win. (Well, it never ends, but I can get to a point where it's controllable.)
[8pm Discovery Theater tonight (Saturday) tickets here or at the box office.]
Last night we saw Bridgman/Packer perform in Anchorage. We'd seen Under the Skin - their first piece Friday - here three years ago. But I'd forgotten details. It was just as amazing as it was the first time as the dancers perform against an audio/video backdrop that blurs the line between live and recorded, real and unreal, and does other tricks on your expectations of dance, art, and even gravity. This is the Matrix of dance.
Packer, Bridgman, and videographer Bobrow after Friday performance
The second piece, co-commissioned by Anchorage's Out North Theater moves into yet another dimension. [Look, I feel an obligation to write about this, but I also realize that what they do is so radically different, that there is nothing I can say that can capture it adequately. Not just different, but amazing and spectacular]. In Under the Skin, there is a lot of video through which the live dancers dance, starting with the opening scene of letters zipping up. But then previously shot images of the performers dance with the live performers on stage. And then one more layer gets added - live video of the current performance is layered on top of it all until the audience is wondering which are the real dancers and which are the images. Though this time around, the projected images were not as saturated as I remember last time, and so the live Bridgman and Packer did stand out from their paler video images.
Here's some video of Art Bridgman working with the lighting crew Wednesday evening for the Friday performance. Myrna Packer was stretching on stage at the beginning.
But all the technology would just be a gimmick that was neat the first time, but flat once you've seen it, if the ideas behind the choreography and the quality of the dancing weren't first rate. The precision necessary for them to be at exactly the right spot so that you can see the front of their live body superimposed with the back of the projected image of their back is incredible.
And perhaps I'm biased because the theme that jumps out at me is the theme of this blog - how do you know what you know? What is real? What is imagined? How do the real world and the non-real world interact to lead us to think we know reality and truth?
The second piece - Double Expose - pushes to a whole new level. A lot of the background images are very real street scenes and architectural settings through which Bridgman and Packer roam as six different characters - prerecorded, live, and as projections of their live performance.
What does it mean when you see the live Art Bridgman on stage dancing against a black background to the side of the stage while the projected image of him dancing is put in context in the video landscape center stage? He's live on stage, but your eye is drawn to the image which is part of the scenery and where he interacts with a prerecorded, a live, and a live recorded Packer. Or a prerecorded Bridgman. What is more real? What has more meaning? The live man abstractly dancing against the black backdrop? Or the image of that man interacting with other images? And where should I look? I'm paying money to see a live performance, so why is my eye pulled from the live performer to her image? At one point the lights are behind the performers and their shadow giants are also dancing on the walls of the theater in the audience.
What does this say about how the human brain constructs its version of reality?
At one point, their very realistic backgrounds change into fantastically playful fabric patterns, which come to life. [UPDATE 5/1/11: These were done by artist/animator Karen Aqua, who I was told is ill and hasn't seen the performance. Send her good vibes.] The colors and images were a total change from the noir feel of most of the realistic backgrounds. The animation added yet another dimension to the juxtaposition of reality and image of reality. Why are the filmed street scenes more 'real' than the animated tiger walking in the background? After all, the filmed street scenes and arches and tunnels are no less humanly created artifacts than are the animated images.
The live performers dancing on the sides of the stage while their images were stage center in the scene interacting with the images of other characters also reminded me of puppeteers being the live animators of their on stage puppets.
I also pondered about how Bridgman/Packer (I feel that now and then it should be Packer/Bridgman) play with so many different media, yet their performance, ultimately has to be seen live.
As you can see, they've invaded my brain and are rearranging the furniture. We're going back tonight and will sit in a different location to see how that changes all this.
So, yes. While there was a nice sized (and incredibly appreciative) audience last night, you can go to the Discovery Theater and get tickets for tonight's performance. As good as these performers are, they are off the radar. And when Bridgman/Packer is finally a 'household name' it will be much harder to get to see them.
Thursday I took the bus to the conference - I had a kink in my knee and decided not to bike. There was standing room only on the bus coming home!
Friday I decided to bike and after an unfortunate encounter with a curve, bump, and a muddy spot, I got back on the bike for the rest of the way to the conference.
The Denaina Center bike parking is pretty limited.
I had to park in the overflow parking. The first tree was full even.
There was one vendor who had bike stuff, but there was no one there, so I can just give you some photos.
There are lots of great new bike light options, but these makes it possible to put a light on without any tools. But there was no one there, so I couldn't ask who sells these in town. (The first five I found online for the commuter set were all priced in £s - starting at 24.99.)
James Jensen -Wind Energy Program Manager, Alaska Energy Authority
Showing a map of Alaska with ratings for wind in different areas and now a map of the wind projects around the state, which match the areas with the best wind.
Wind Projects in Alaska either Railbelt or Rural
Rural - Wind-diesel systems - if not integrated, probably won't be successful. In most cases wind primary source of power. ON the Railbelt, more traditional wind.
In rural Alaska mostly Utility owned and mostly grant funded. Cheap projects. On the railbelt, primarily commercial financing. Rural many projects, small. On the Railbelt only a few, larger projects.
Gradual growth until April 06, and then surge in 2009 due to renewable energy fund which is driving the growth of Alaska wind industry now.
Kodiak is the biggest success story - generating 9% of KEA's energy, reduced diesel based generation by 50%.
Last ten years gone from no experience to many firms that have built several functioning projects. AVEC has developed to the point where they have a standard wind-diesel system to offer villages.
Biggest Opportunity
Displace heating fuel
Brent Petrie, Community Development Manager, Alaska Village Electric Cooperative (AVEC)
Board of Directors said to reduce diesel use by 25% in 10 years and power plants by 50% in ten years. [I couldn't keep up with everything here - so here are a few of the slides:]
Monty Worthington, Director of Project Development, Alaska - Ocean Renewable Power Company
Alaskans have used fishwheels for a long time.
River hydrokinetic projects - not just Outsiders, but also Alaskans doing this.
First hydrokinetic project installed August 2008. Debris problems in rivers. A lot of lessons from the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council's Ruby project.
AP&T's project at Eagle, Alaska. Turbine underwater.
Tanana Power Corps undershot waterwheel design.
Nenana Hydrokinetic Test Site with University of Alaska.
Only meaningful users of tidal energy now are paddle boarders on the bore tide.
Among the vendors I spoke with yesterday at the Business of Clean Energy in Alaska Conference was Jeff Jessen at Alaska Waste. He talks about the cooking grease to bio diesel project that fuels many of their vehicles and the project using waste grocery vegetables, wood chips, and horse manure.
Among the vendors at the Business of Clean Energy in Alaska Conference yesterday was Michael Bartlett of Ameresco. In the video below, he explains how the energy savings performance contract works. His company works with school districts and other governmental organizations to evaluate their energy usage and design improvements to save energy and costs. They take their payment out over years from the savings. He said they didn't work with private companies because their payback horizon is usually in months rather than years.
Is he a just a slick salesman or are you inclined to trust him? I have to say I was impressed with Michael's knowledge and ability to articulate what he does.
There are a lot of vendors at the Business of Clean Energy in Alaska Conference. Here's one, Philip Kithil of Atmocean, Inc., discussing the wave technology his company is developing and which he thinks has great potential for small communities on the ocean. He's planning to test it in Yakutat.
This is the lunch talk. Let me disclose that my media pass for this conference includes lunch. Margie Bauman of Alaska Newspapers, Inc. won't accept a free lunch. But as 'just a blogger' my standards aren't that high. But I'll let you know that I'm getting fed so you can decide for yourself if it's corrupting me. And since I'm posting this as it's happening, please forgive the typos and lack of better organization.
Yudelson eating before talk
Technical stuff is relatively easy. My energy now is focused on showing people why this is good business.
Here are the Takeaways:
1. Global Warming is happening - Green building is important for controlling CO2 production
2. Green design/development is here to stay
3. Benefits are signicatnt for all building types
4. Cost premium is down - now 2% or lower for large green buildings - for all the benefits, is not a bad deal
What is a green building?
energy efficient
land use and materials
Works better for people
Tested and certified by independent 3rd party
Performance verification - next trend in green building
We have lots of green buildings that don't perform as they should.
Business Case
CBRE/U San Diego
55% said gained in productivity - just the gain of productivity offsets energy costs
45% said fewer sick days - pays back
US is growing - Europe isn't
We're going to rebuild most of our building stock - just by building we make a huge impact
Life cycle postive solutions
Only things where you reduce carbon is building efficiency investments
US Green Building Association is the fastest growing non-profit in the US.
28,000 LEED registered projects
7,000 LEED certified projects
155,000 LEED accredited professionals - way over the number of architects in US. It means we've got the trained people. Now need to sell it to business.
This green building is growing during worst building crisis in 30 years.
We need to attack existing buildings, because we only add about 1% of building stock a year. Economy based on cars. Not cars and drugs, not manufacturing (that's gone to China), but buildings. Not just the low hanging fruit, it's the fruit on the floor.
Merchandising Mart - largest US building - and now Empire State Building is going through LEED refitting. Replacing all the windows - 100 a night. You don't have to accept a bad building. You can remanufacture and reinstall all the windows. Empire State Building has a five year payback. $4.4 million a year savings.
First Green Building in Massachusetts - tech company - turnover dropped 5% and that alone paid for the energy upgrade. People like to be in good buildings.
Co-Star study: Compared their LEED buildings to non-LEED - $11.33 sf premium and 4% occupancy premium. And LEED buildings, even in the recession, had a rent and occupancy premium. Alaska is different, but happening over the US and Europe. It will happen here too.
Productivity - studies showing 3% increase of productivity in LEED buildings. 1% already pays for the investment.
Here's a bit of video:
Q&A: Energy storage is big future issue. California desert now used as military bombing site could be solar farm to energize the US. And Europeans are looking at Northern Africa for solar. Once off the coast "there's nothing there." [Well, they say the same about the arctic. NOT TRUE. They may well be able to use it reasonably, but there is stuff there that needs to be taken into consideration.]
I feel like an evangelist for the obvious. [Yes, that's how I feel about all this - it's obvious.]
The quote above from Coast Guard Commander Steve Raney. See below.
[Notes are pretty rough, but that's the tradeoff for doing this in almost real time.]
Jes. B. Chrisensen,
Managing Director,
Danish Board of District Heating,
Copenhagen, Denmark
"Shaping a Low-Carbon World: Lessons from Denmark"
1979 - Denmark told all
Waste to energy
Denmark is the only country in the EU that is energy independent. Very conscious of energy efficiency, lowest energy consumption per capita. Expensive? It's an investment, but not expensive in the long run. We've grown economically since 1980 grown about 70% and kept our energy consumption fixed. And reduced 02 emissions.
In order to go this way to decentralized solutions, it had to be cost effective. Business has grown with net reduction in energy consumption. Doesn't have to be ugly or expensive.
Use less
Recycle what's out there
Replace it with renewables
Smart Grid - not just electricity, including thermal load. Smart Energy Infrastructure.
This guy is way beyond the previous speakers in terms of the kinds of savings he's talking about. District energy systems
In Copenhagen, 30% of the heat demand is from Municipal waste. Paris it's about 50%. In Iceland they use geothermal. The best part is that you make money doing this. Greening the economy will create huge export opportunity. Less hit by recessions. And we're still green and competitive. And we're happy. (Slide showing Denmark is the happiest nation.)
Juergen Korn Research & Development Project Manager
Yukon Housing Corporation
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
"The Road to More Efficient Housing in Yukon"
A rough road so far, but we're making headway. I work in the intersection of Policy, Planning, Good Intentions, and Reality. I'm passionate about housing. Not all positive, but a reality check. We only have 30,000 people in Yukon. Lots of space and have to rely on each other.
Yukon Housing Corp.
Housing biggest problem in the north. Mold and moisture big issues. Mandatory new home certification problem has been a problem. R2000 issues from past we are still fighting. We launched our own program - Green Home - provided low interest financing, energy auditing - for existing and new housing. Federal grants.
Graph of rising energy costs. Oil going up and people coming to us - what do I do? I can't afford to heat AND feed kids. We were worried people would walk away from homes because of heating costs. Would cause our own housing crisis. We looked at heating costs of different kinds of homes. Graph of heating costs of different types of construction. People in 2x4 and 2x6 home paying $4 - 6,000 a year to heat. Most effective approach is add good insulation. Looking at cost of constructing energy efficient housing, increased mortgage cost - $20,000 more - but energy cost way down.
Turns out that better off from day one to put in huge amounts of insulation - energy costs are so much less. Now homeowners are demanding that we only do super energy efficient houses. City of Whitehorse is now commited to Energy Bylaw - requirements for insulation, windows, ventilation, etc. City has lack of inspection resources. Work with them to develop checklists and train inspectors so that no moisture problems in highly insulated houses.
Lessons Learned
1. Tremendous economic opportunities for energy efficient homes
2. Time is running out. Feel great urgency.
Steve Raney
Commanding Officer
US Coast Guard Civil Engineering Unit
Juneau
"Powering Forward: Coast Guard Strategies for Energy Security"
[What I got out of this once more - we waste a ton of energy and there are lots of easy ways to make buildings and cities way more efficient and save lots of energy.]
Federal Mandates Coast Guard must meet.
Advanced metering. First just electricity, but other sources now.
Obama - EO 13514 - Got attention of Senior Officers
Apoint Sr. Sustainability Officer,
Strategic SustainabilityPlans,
Operational Sustainability Plans
Greenhouse Gas Inventories and Reduction Goals
2007 - moved to Honolulu - reduced consumption by 14%, but because of increasing fuel prices, costs still increased 28%. Water costs up 250%
Demand Response: We'd disconnect four ship when grid was in trouble. Incentivized us 25% and only one event, so great deal for us. Since then more incidents.
Relamping of ships and delamping. Efficiency. Replace lighting in boat house, cut power needs in half and got better lighting. Reduced power requirements by 80%. I'm sure those numbers are right. Used saved money for training - vending and water conservation. Put data on vending machines. We were spending $4 in energy for every soda we sold. Got rid of underutilized machines, delamped them. Saved $10K a year just on vending machines in one base in Honolulu.
Water savings in shower heads.
Persistence in savings. Retro Commissioning. 14 contracts, $100 million invested. Kodiak, $26million invested. Heating plant system - optimization of boiler. Residential housing boiler replaced. Water treatment plant. Finished before sedimentation issue and could survive that contamination problem. Performance contracts underway.
QA: From Alaskan Housing person: We have infrastructure of Yukon and would like the cogeneration of Denmark. How do we do cogen.
Christensen: We went from very centralized to decentralized. We calculate you can go down to 200 single family homes. You don't need the dense, highly populated system. That's our experience, can't say it will work here. Went from 30% market share to 60% market share, because government mandated efficiency levels. We did make mistakes. Installed in places where they shouldn't have been installed. Very important to include building codes.
