Carbon Chastity and the Church of the Environment

Charles Krauthammer paints a scary picture of the new energy rationing that will empower today's knowledge class much as communism and socialism empowered the "experts" of the past.

WASHINGTON -- I'm not a global warming believer. I'm not a global warming denier. I'm a global warming agnostic who believes instinctively that it can't be very good to pump lots of CO2 into the atmosphere, but is equally convinced that those who presume to know exactly where that leads are talking through their hats.

Predictions of catastrophe depend on models. Models depend on assumptions about complex planetary systems -- from ocean currents to cloud formation -- that no one fully understands. Which is why the models are inherently flawed and forever changing. The doomsday scenarios posit a cascade of events, each with a certain probability. The multiple improbability of their simultaneous occurrence renders all such predictions entirely speculative.

Yet on the basis of this speculation, environmental activists, attended by compliant scientists and opportunistic politicians, are advocating radical economic and social regulation. "The largest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy and prosperity," warns Czech President Vaclav Klaus, "is no longer socialism. It is, instead, the ambitious, arrogant, unscrupulous ideology of environmentalism."

If you doubt the arrogance, you haven't seen that Newsweek cover story that declared the global warming debate over. Consider: If Newton's laws of motion could, after 200 years of unfailing experimental and experiential confirmation, be overthrown, it requires religious fervor to believe that global warming -- infinitely more untested, complex and speculative -- is a closed issue.

But declaring it closed has its rewards. It not only dismisses skeptics as the running dogs of reaction, i.e., of Exxon, Cheney and now Klaus. By fiat, it also hugely re-empowers the intellectual left.

For a century, an ambitious, arrogant, unscrupulous knowledge class -- social planners, scientists, intellectuals, experts and their left-wing political allies -- arrogated to themselves the right to rule either in the name of the oppressed working class (communism) or, in its more benign form, by virtue of their superior expertise in achieving the highest social progress by means of state planning (socialism).

Two decades ago, however, socialism and communism died rudely, then were buried forever by the empirical demonstration of the superiority of market capitalism everywhere from Thatcher's England to Deng's China, where just the partial abolition of socialism lifted more people out of poverty more rapidly than ever in human history.

Just as the ash heap of history beckoned, the intellectual left was handed the ultimate salvation: environmentalism. Now the experts will regulate your life not in the name of the proletariat or Fabian socialism but -- even better -- in the name of Earth itself.

Environmentalists are Gaia's priests, instructing us in her proper service and casting out those who refuse to genuflect. (See Newsweek above.) And having proclaimed the ultimate commandment -- carbon chastity -- they are preparing the supporting canonical legislation that will tell you how much you can travel, what kind of light you will read by, and at what temperature you may set your bedroom thermostat.

Just Monday, a British parliamentary committee proposed that every citizen be required to carry a carbon card that must be presented, under penalty of law, when buying gasoline, taking an airplane or using electricity. The card contains your yearly carbon ration to be drawn down with every purchase, every trip, every swipe.

There's no greater social power than the power to ration. And, other than rationing food, there is no greater instrument of social control than rationing energy, the currency of just about everything one does and uses in an advanced society.

So what does the global warming agnostic propose as an alternative? First, more research -- untainted and reliable -- to determine (a) whether the carbon footprint of man is or is not lost among the massive natural forces (from sunspot activity to ocean currents) that affect climate, and (b) if the human effect is indeed significant, whether the planetary climate system has the homeostatic mechanisms (like the feedback loops in the human body, for example) with which to compensate.

Second, reduce our carbon footprint in the interim by doing the doable, rather than the economically ruinous and socially destructive. The most obvious step is a major move to nuclear power, which to the atmosphere is the cleanest of the clean.

But your would-be masters have foreseen this contingency. The Church of the Environment promulgates secondary dogmas as well. One of these is a strict nuclear taboo.

Rather convenient, is it not? Take this major coal-substituting fix off the table and we will be rationing all the more. Guess who does the rationing?

Seoul Race Report

The race in Seoul was a bit disappointing. For the first time in my (admittedly short) draft-legal racing career, I failed to make the lead pack on the bike. And it wasn’t that I didn’t swim fast enough. Several people who came out of the water behind me managed to get on the train for the 6-lap bike through the financial district of Seoul (There is something pretty cool about riding on closed roads in the downtown of a city of 10 million people). I didn’t think I had a bad transition, but it wasn’t quick enough for me to get on. The race was in the lead pack. I didn’t have a great run for 14th place in what was admittedly a competitive CC, with three former world ITU champs competing and with a $50K prize purse.

The swim started fine—competitive with lots of fighting for position. I was in the back of the lead group on the swim as we exited from lap 1 and dived back in for lap 2. On the home stretch of lap 2, I got boxed in between Ben Collins (Amateur World Champ) and another athlete. The three of us battled each other pretty well. I couldn’t really go anywhere. My goggles got knocked off, I paused to reposition them, and continued on. I became risk averse though, only able to see out of one of my goggle sockets. I game up on trying to move up and thought I would be ok anyways. I was out of the water and up the steps quickly (I don’t think I lost time here), but I got on my bike just behind the fast-forming lead pack. I looked behind me for people to work with to catch, but all the people who came out of the water near me had transitioned poorly and were nowhere to be found. I worked the first lap of the bike alone, trying to catch onto the lead of about 10 riders. I almost got on at a hairpin turn, but didn’t quite make it. I ended up tt’ing by myself for the next 3 laps before eventually being caught by a small chase of 5 riders. I came off the bike with this group about 1.5 minutes down on the leaders.

The run didn’t feel very good and there is not much to say. It was hot and humid. I drank a lot. I did have the fastest run split among the American contingent, but it was not real impressive.

The race was very well run. People were saying it seemed more like a WC than a CC and there was speculation that Seoul is bidding for World Champs or some other major event. The race committee took real good care of us with full accommodations, food, etc. The travel went very well. While I didn’t find a whole lot redeeming about the city (with all of its cars and air pollution), the people were remarkably friendly and helpful (to someone who doesn’t speak a word of Korean). The day after the race, the American contingent of Dave Messenheimer, Chris Tremonte, Ben and myself headed out in search of a pool to swim in. We kept asking people on the street and finally ended up inside a gym, where an aspiring Korean actor agreed to drive us to the pool. He then bought us each a bottled drink at a quick shop before sending us off for our swim.

Thank God for globalization. Quiznos and MacDeux saved me again. Food in the hotel included all kinds of seafood—and it looked real gross. The other Americans were more adventurous and willing to try the local cuisine. And, sometimes, my risk aversion really pays off. Intent on having a local dining experience the night after the race, they walked into an alley, pointed to a dish some local were eating at a streetside café and ordered it for themselves. It didn’t take them more than one bite to realize they were eating intestines. They couldn’t take another bite—it was chewy but couldn’t be chewed and it tasted really bad. I had pizza that night. It tasted good and could be chewed and swallowed. The Quiznos that I ate at the day before the race had just opened 2 days before—good timing. Barrett has a good report on his race in China here. If he had just headed to the Golden Arches, he could have avoided eating eggs that are wrapped in feces and buried in the ground, as well as eels with their heads still attached (see pics below).

Next on the agenda: Alcatraz, then off to Europe for FISU Games and two World Cups. Here is hoping for faster transitions in those races.

Race Venue:


Chris Tremonte, Me, Ben Collins:


Salvation!:


Why I eat at McDonalds--Ben and Chris eating intestines:


The crap eggs Barrett got to eat in China:


The eels Barrett got to eat:

Seoul, Korea ITU

Sorry for the lack of updates for the past week or two. I've been pretty crazy busy. I spent my birthday at a conference on biofuels in Illinois organized to help inform the UK Renewable Fuels Agency which is writing regulations for biofuels policy in the UK. My prof and I had to write a report for them before their last meeting this week. Support for biofuls is up in the air following a report that says biofuels actually emit more carbon than gasoline when accounting for land use changes (as forests are cleared to make land available for growing energy crop, the carbon stored in the biomass is released. hence this new finding). Anyways, that took up a lot of time.

I flew Thursday am to Seoul and arrived 7PM local time on Friday. The race is Sunday. As I write, its about 10:30 local time. I feel pretty good. But this city is smoggy and humid. Its kind of gross. It looks like all those pictures we've been seeing from Beijing. Anyways, I'll update more later. I am borrowing a buddy's computer and internet and he wants i back. I return to the states Monday and will have more to say about the trip then.

Trevails of Traveling for Tri

My friend, Barrett Brandon, is spending the summer racing for a French team and living in Toulouse. He has a recap of his recent travels and his first race. Stories like this are all too common in our equipment-intensive sport. Barrett also gives me a shout out in this post. (We were on the world university games team together in 2006 in Lausanne and both made the team for 2008 in Erdek in June, along with 2006 world uni athletes Ethan Brown, Justine Whipple and Amanda Felder). In 2006, we trained on a military base in Germany for about 10 days before the race. I didn't like the food in Germnay or in Lausanne (the french-influenced part of Switzerland), so I was always looking for the MacDeux, which is a relatively popular and classy brand in Europe.

Beijing's Test

From the DubSJ:

HONG KONG -- The Olympic torch has become an afterthought amid the devastating Sichuan earthquake. But even before Monday's disaster, its crowning moment seemed to come and go practically unnoticed: Last Thursday morning, a team of 19 mountaineers summited Mount Everest carrying the Olympic flame all the way to the top.

Every Everest expedition is difficult and dangerous, but this expedition hauled cameras, broadcast equipment, flags and a lighted flame up 29,035 feet. Six climbers participated in a short relay ceremony involving torches designed by rocket scientists to burn in the low-oxygen environment.

Beijing dreamed up this seemingly impossible scenario to drive home the message of China's awesomeness and power. How absurd it now seems. Until last week, the flame's journey had served mainly as a media opportunity for critics of China's role in Tibet. Now even that is pushed aside. The real challenge to Beijing's credibility and prestige today is not the silly torch spectacle or even its capacity successfully to host the Summer Olympics -- but its ability to meet the most dire needs of its own people quickly and effectively in full televised view of the whole planet.

- Leslie Hook

Heard on the Street: News About Beijing

News on the Olympic Scene

USOC WILL NOT BOYCOTT BEIJING GAMES OR OPENING CEREMONIES

Despite mounting pressure for countries, their athletes and their leaders to boycott or otherwise protest China for its policies toward Tibet and its relationship with Sudan, USOC Chairman Peter Ueberroth (who ran for CA governor in the 2003 recall election) has said the USOC and its athletes will neither boycott nor protest. When in 1984, the Soviet Union led a boycott of the Los Angeles Games citing concerns about the safety of Soviet athletes, China sided with the US and attended the games. China’s decision to attend the ’84 Olympics compelled other countries to do so as well, Ueberroth believes (He should know; He led the 84 organizing committee). In the end, 140 countries attended the games. The Soviet boycott is considered largely a retaliatory move in response to the US boycott of the Moscow Games in which only 80 countries competed.

Care is being taken to ensure the US does not embarrass China. The US will parade at the opening ceremonies (and without the carbon filter masks athletes are being advised to use in Beijing outside competition and the opening ceremony (see below)). Also, care is being taken to ensure individual athletes abide by a code of conduct that will proscribe overt protest while respecting freedom of speech (a delicate balancing act to be sure). The code is reportedly going to be enforced more strictly and thoroughly than ever before. (Strict blogging rules will also be in effect.) President Bush has also said he will attend the Olympics and the opening. Germany’s Merkel and France’s Sarkozy have said they will not attend the opening.

BEIJING BRIEFING

The USOC has been busy planning for the Games, with an emphasis on contingencies for almost every eventuality, including ‘A’, ‘B’, and ‘C’ plans. It has sent 16 sea containers over to China to ensure it has proper equipment to meet athletes needs, including food needs—a major concern. Apart from the Olympic Village that houses athletes, the USOC has contracted with Normal University in Beijing to provide training, housing and eating facilities for athletes, staff and sponsors. Food in China faces less strict safety standards in the US, prompting concerns about food borne illness. As the NY Times reports, some protein has also been found to be so pumped full of steroids that athletes would test positive in anti-doping tests by WADA. So the US has contracted to have major shipments of meat and grains arrive at the training center two months before the Games.

USOC Senior Sport Physiologist Dr. Randy Wilber is recommending that athletes arrive in Beijing as close to their events as possible (Triathlon will be training in Korea and arriving just a few days before the triathlon August 18). He is also recommending use of activated carbon filtration masks when athletes are walking around and training in advance of competition. The IOC also plans to postpone endurance events—including triathlon—on smoggy days.

Dr. Wilber does believe the smog will be brought under control for the Games, but that heat and humidity could present challenges to athletes. Both are expected to be worse in China than Greece.

If only they could have funneled their energy to me...

Inking a deal with Avia

A dream sponsorship deal is one in which you get to work with great people to promote a product you believe in. That is why I am so happy to have met Ed and Julie of Avia at Wildflower this weekend. They contacted me after seeing photos of me winning col nats in their Avi-bolt racing flat. Then I met them this weekend and was really impressed with their enthusiasm for the sport. Avia is title sponsor for Wildflower and they do a real nice job. The brand was all over the place this weekend. It made me really excited to be joining the team. I raced the Avi-bolt again this weekend and its about the only thing that went right in my race. I ran on rough trail terrain, up and down steep hills, over the longest distance I have ever run in a race and I didn’t get a single blister. Oh, and I did it all barefoot. I have come to expect a blister or two as the price for foregoing socks, so I was happily surprised.

Avia had moved away from endurance sport and triathlon for a while. But under new leadership, they are really trying to break back into the market. My good friend and fellow 2008 col nats Champion Amanda Felder had been working with Avia since before Col Nats and has nothing but great things to say about the people and the product. They had an entire row of RVs for their staff and athletes to stay in. They were parked right in the transition area (see pic below). That is pretty cool.

I look forward to working with Ed and Julie and the other great people at Avia to support their shoes and my triathlon endeavors.

Welcome New Readers

I want to welcome new readers who found out about us at Wildflower, thanks to the gorilla marketing of Robyn and Melissa. I haven’t really set any expectations for this blog yet. I’m new to this whole blogging thing. My hope is that this will be more than a diary.

Thanks for great friends

I had a great group of supporters at Wildflower. My failure was not for lack of effort on their part. As I came back into the lake area after my longest-ever bike in a race, the Cal Tri crew was all painted up, spelling out “BEARS” or something, and yelling and screaming. They made such a scene that the announcer took notice and said something about how excited they were to see me. After I went passed them, they headed to a good position to see me on the run, and the announcer apparently made some comment like: “That was all for him? Just for him?” Then on the run, I was walking when the entire Cal Tri contingent saw me. They started yelling and screaming for me. I had to start running. They got me going for another 1-1.5 miles before I finally gave it up. But they also chalked the road for me. It was awesome.

Then, when I quit, Keith from Zoom-Pac Bikes was there and so was Muddy Waters, who coaches the Alcis athletes. They have both been great sources of encouragement for me. It was good to have them there when I felt so demoralized. They told me to think about two weeks ago and to know I would have it in me to finish another time. I really appreciated have them and the Cal Tri Crew—Kim, Robyn, Melissa, Dwight, Curtis, Kenny, K-Haas, Sabine and Own—out on course. A race like that is mentally and physically exhausting. Their encouragement was a big help.

Third time is a charm, right?

It’s becoming quite clear that I need a steeper learning curve when it comes to long course triathlon.

Last year, I started my first-ever long course race at Wildflower and suffered a two-minute stand-down penalty on the bike for riding oblivious to elite non-drafting rules, which are different from amateur rules and quite convoluted (They require athletes to be staggered on the road to the right of left of the rider in front of them, regardless of how far in front the rider is). I also dealt with ghost shifting problems that I later realized, with the help of friends, could be attributed to my riding a 10 speed bike with a 9-speed cassette from my disk wheel. I dropped out, not wanting to ruin myself for the Oly-distance race the next day; I hoped to defend my win from the year before.

This year, I rode a 10-speed cassette and rode staggered on the road. But, no, that doesn’t mean I finished and it doesn’t mean there wasn’t more learning this year. After coming out of the water in the top 5 with the lead group and riding strong (still in the top 5) for about 35 miles, I started to get uncomfortable in my bike position (which is perfect for Oly-distance races, but perhaps too aggressive for this long of a race) and started to fatigue a little. I finished the bike ok, having been passed by about 6 or 7 guys on the last half of the bike and pretty much given up on finishing in the money (With a good race, I think top ten was within reach. I really wanted to finish my first half, so I kept going. I ran fine for about 7 miles, hitting up water at most aid stations. After telling myself I wouldn’t walk the tough hills of miles 4 and 5, I had to walk around mile 7. I walked a bit, started running again, walked again up the hill in the camping area, tried running again, walked again (and at this point started dealing with emotions). At this point I was telling myself its okay to walk, but you must finish. Then I came to the Cal Tri cheering squad (which was in full force). They got me to run a bit more, but then I came to a big hill around mile 10 and started walking it. Then I tried running a bit more and my body had it. I couldn’t go anymore. I turned around and walked (probably about 2 miles back to the festival area).

So what did I learn this time? Eat, even if you don’t feel like you want to or need to. By the time you think you need to it, it’s too late. I ate two gels on the bike and drank about one water bottle and one Gatorade bottle. On the run, I drank water at about 5 of 8 aid stations. I started to feel hungry in the run. After the race I asked people how much they ate—wondering what went so wrong and suspecting I didn’t eat enough. The consensus was I should have taken on at least 4 times as many calories as I did.

I pretty much went into the race not respecting the course or the challenge a 70.3 race presents. I thought to myself that I had bike that long in training this season and run nearly that long, so it would be no problem to finish. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The pain I felt on Saturday was different than the pain I feel in Oly-distance races. I think what I did no Saturday was the most excruciating endeavor I have ever undertaken. Probably I could have made it less bad if I had eaten properly. Regardless, I have a whole new respect for triathletes who race the long distances. It’s a very different beast than Oly-distance. One I will hope to tame next year (or maybe later this year).