NICOLA FORMICHETTI'S BLOG!!: VIVIENNE WESTWOOD ON CLIMATE CHANGE!!

"If young people don't listen to him, they're either stupid or they just don't care." So saysVivienne Westwood of James Lovelock, the maverick scientist and climate change guru that she interviews in this short film...as he approaches 90, James remains one of today's most influential thinkers and – despite the terrifying nature of his predictions (billions of us will die in the coming century due to climate change) – in person he is warm, engaging and a pleasure to talk to.

Vivienne Westwood: Biography from Answers.com

British designer Vivienne Westwood (born 1941) is often credited with being the creator of "punk fashions, " among other trend-setting styles.

[State of California: They're broke, but they can afford $2.7 million for an insane onion juice weather improvement scheme]

Oxnard, Calif.-based Gills Onions, the largest fresh onion processor in the nation, will unveil its new Advanced Energy Recovery System at its headquarters. The system converts 100 percent of its 300,000 pounds of onion waste per day into ultra-clean heat, electrical energy and high-value cattle feed, reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 30,000 tons per year. By extracting the juice out of onion waste and letting it ferment in an anaerobic digester system, Gills Onions creates enough biogas to power two 300 kilowatt fuel cells -- the equivalent of powering 460 homes -- and saves Gills $700,000 in annual electricity costs. By taking action on climate change and installing new, qualifying equipment under the state of California's Self-Generation Incentive Program, Southern California Gas Co. will award Gills Onions with a $2.7 million incentive check. To date, it is one of the largest SGIP projects installed since the inception of the program in 2001 as an effort to encourage consumers to begin generating their own energy.

Climate Change Hearing Turns Stormy - Washington Wire - WSJ

Tensions had been building between the head of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, Harry Alford, and Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman Barbara Boxer, who is seeking to pass legislation to impose mandatory greenhouse-gas reductions.

The California Democrat said energy investments are creating jobs in her state, but Alford testified that he saw no evidence that energy investments are creating jobs. “I’ve been looking - I haven’t seen them yet,” he said. “The last time I checked, California is an economic basket case and these green jobs aren’t going to solve it.”

Boxer responded: “I want you to come with me. Let’s go see these jobs you say don’t exist.”

She then put into the record a statement from a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People related to the merits of energy investment. Alford objected.
“That’s condescending and I don’t like it,” Alford said. “It’s racial. I take offense to that.”

He said that “quoting some other black man” is “racial,” appearing to suggest that his arguments about the economic effects of climate change legislation should be taken on their own terms rather than in the context of race. “We’re talking energy,” he said. The “road the chair went down I think is God awful.”

Video: Is Barbara Boxer (Senator!) Racist?

Why is Sen. Barbara Boxer — a Senator! she’ll remind you — is condescending in these remarks to National Black Chamber of Commerce president Harry Alford. “You are being racial here,” he said today.

Boxer Says Goal is to "Soften the Blow" from Cap-and-Trade

Washington, D.C. – During a hearing today in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA.), chairman of the committee, said that her goal is to “soften the blow” of cap-and-trade legislation, implicitly acknowledging that cap-and-trade will harm the economy.

“The biggest priority is softening the blow on our trade sensitive industries and our consumers. I just want you to know that, that’s the goal,” Sen. Boxer said.