Right now most people are focusing on gasoline prices - and why not? Every time you have to fill up your car's tank, you get immediate feedback on the price of oil. Shopping for food is another hit, too. But wait! - there's more!  
   It's summer after all. When heating season starts up again in the fall, then the big trifecta is going to hit. Think filling up your car is a problem? Wait till you get that first fill up of home heating oil. You'll have to choose between driving, eating, or not freezing. Better start budgeting now if you haven't already, because it's not going to be pretty. People are already having to get locking gas caps for their cars. You may want to get one for your heating oil filler pipe too. Oh, and if you have a fireplace? These are probably going to be in short supply, and you may want to hook up with a firewood supply now.
      Several generations of Americans have gotten used to the idea of cheap oil, and our buildings reflect that. It wasn't always that way though. There are lessons from the past, and one place to get them is from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. (more)

When will 'we' get it? The news that comes out from scientific studies consistently and relentlessly reports that all indicators of climate change are worse, much worse, than most of our worst case scenarios.

Arctic ice, temperature change, CO2 rates, IPCC's worst case scenarios weren't bad enough.

Well, chalk another one up to 'not bad enough:' China's CO2 emissions are outpacing previous estimates by 2 to 4 fold.

[Cross-posted at The Left Coaster.]

This primary season hasn’t exactly been a beacon of joy in the annals of my life.  I’m unimpressed with our candidate’s ability to fight the opposition, I write perfectly true facts that our primary voting process is "a clusterfuck" and practically get shunned for it at Kos’s place, the American journalism corps is as disgraceful as ever, while wars and poverty grind on and on.

I have the utmost respect for Smintheus of Daily Kos and Unbosssed (thank you so much, Markos, for choosing him) and I took to heart his advice to advocate my positions to the Party and candidates.  I can see this ending very soon; I’m tired of being almost an outcast among my own people, and every hour it starts to feel more like betrayal, there is an extremely potent opposition out there that would like nothing better than to see the Democrats tear each other apart.