*Earth 4 Energy*

Not About The Oil.. We Have Sustainable Energy *Earth 4 Energy*

The world is in a frenzy, the oil crisis economies is causing a recession that may be even greater than the great depression. The war as they say is the cause. The budget deficit for 2008 is now over $ 400,000,000. This money would certainly have been a better use in America itself.

Conspiracy theory

Most people will say that the president of the U.S. war with a Middle Eastern country because America, after all oil is one of the worlds largest consumer of oil. Everything in the U.S. is automated, or electric. To implement the mechanisms needed petroleum products to produce a high demand for electricity barrel barrels of oil and to run generators.

It is very easy to assume that President Bush, whose family business is oil has an interest in acquiring a country so rich in mineral deposits. First, make the sources of oil available anytime they want, without having to bother with diplomacy and go through another government. Second most benefits for the Bush family, because they have an oil business if they can get a cost of fossil fuels, then it will have more income. The theory makes sense and could be very possible.

Sustainable energy resources

We are not here to discuss political and personal. We're here to point out that there are others who face this scenario. Yes, America is one of the worlds largest consumers of energy, but America also has the largest alternative energy resources in the World

Geothermal, hydro, wind and etc.

The United States is considered the largest world producer of geothermal energy. The Geysers is located just north of San Francisco was the first and largest of the planets dry steam field. The striking about these power plants (because there are many) is that the waste sewage around cities are pumped to the geothermal power plant in order to replenish the supply of steam for power production. States like Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, Utah, among others, have their own geothermal plants.

Considered the fourth country with the largest hydropower capacity, hydropower revolutionized the Americas through the construction of numerous dams in remote areas throughout the U.S. calculated. Perhaps the most popular is the Hoover Dam. At the time it was fully operational Represa Hoover says that the worlds largest hydroelectric power generation. Located at the top of Nevada and Arizona, Hoover dam supplies electricity to the states of Nevada, Arizona and most of Southern California.

Rock Port Missouri is a city in North America, which is entirely driven by wind farms. Of the 56 states in the U.S. more than half have wind farms to help supply their needs for security. Some states may have issues of aesthetics, wind farms, but they definitely are indispensable in the future, especially when the impact of declining oil supplies from the east is.

Closure

They have their own oil resources right in your backyard. Texas and near the coast of New Orleans a new view is emerging. That the areas of drilling, but one thing remains clear. Of fossil fuels for energy is not feasible for human health and the future of our environment. If you're still wondering why the U.S. government is waging war for oil? Perhaps it is not oil, after all. Perhaps his peace crusade only one with a sword in his hand.

War and Photography

War and Photography

Written accounts of war go back centuries. Artists and poets have long romanticized war. Photography tells the truth, at least it did until the advent of digital. Unlike the older mediums, photography has profoundly impacted the public perception of war. It was photography that first brought the grim realities of war to the home front. It is unlikely any aspect of human endeavor has been photographed more extensively than warfare.

It should come as no surprise war photography has always been controversial. Photography shows both horror and heroism with equal impartiality. Both aspects of war photography are as intently debated today, as they were when Mathew Brady photographed the American Civil War. Photography records history, but not always with optimistism.

A British army surgeon, John McCosh, is believed to have been the world's first war photographer. An amateur photographer, McCosh recorded images of the Sikh War in 1848 and the Second Burma War of 1852. Roger Fenton was the first photographer to capture images of a major conflict during the Crimean War of 1853. The American Civil War marked the first organized effort to systematically photograph a war. Mathew Brady's team of photographers shocked not only the American public, but the entire world. Brady's photographs removed romanticism from war and shattered illusions, once and for all.

The one thing missing in early war photography was action. With the photographic methods of the day, it simply wasn't possible. Brady was occasionally criticized for staging some of his photographs. I suspect staging was a compromise between long exposure times, and the desire to tell a greater truth. When one looks at Brady's photographs it becomes evident he never made things look better than they actually were. Strictly speaking, the work of Brady and others was war photography. Actual combat photography would have to wait for advances in technology.

By the start of the First World War, photography had made great strides. Military censorship had also made advances. Given the scope and duration of the conflict, there are surprisingly few photographs from the Great War. In the minds of the general staff, the horrors of the Western Front were best kept away from the public. By 1918 the world had grown desperate for peace. The allied leaders simply could not risk the effects graphic photographs might have on home front morale.

World War II saw great improvements in both cameras's and film. Compact thirty-five millimeter cameras and fast film gave combat photographers options their forbearers could never imagine. Although military censorship was still in place, photographs from the Second World War were used effectively to manipulate both patriotism and outrage. Contrast the range of emotion between the Marines raising the flag on Mount Suribachi, and the gut wrenching images of Nazi death camps.

Of all the conflicts the American military has participated in, the war in Viet Nam was the most open. Reporters had nearly unfettered access to almost every aspect of the war. This openness was to become a source of regret for many in the U.S. government. The iconic picture of the young girl, her clothing burned off, on fire and screaming, as she ran from a napalm attack on her village, and the pictures of the My Lai massacre had a profound effect on public opinion.

The Viet Nam experience led to a reinstitution of censorship during the gulf wars. Who the real beneficiaries of censorship are, is very much in dispute. Protecting 'order of battle' intelligence is certainly a legitimate concern for the military. The question is, at what point does censorship degenerate into pure manipulation? Do not the American people, at some point, have the right to know what it is they're paying for? Is censorship the attempt to reintroduce romance into warfare, and thus cynically exploit the patriotism of young Americans?

Combat photographers often find themselves in harms way. Although international law is supposed to protect journalists, many photographers, both military and civilian, have lost their lives in pursuit of their craft. War zones are dangerous places, and even more so for the photojournalist. Journalists have been deliberately targeted, abducted, and even executed. This problem has grown exponentially with the rise of terrorism and unconventional warfare. Terrorism does not flourish in the daylight of photography.

Combat and war photos have covered a wide rage of subjects. Some critics voice concern that pictures of war have lost their ability to shock the conscience, and have led to desensitization. Probably with that thought in mind, some photographers have made the conscious effort to put a humanizing face, on an inhuman activity. An exhausted soldier's face, children caught in a war zone, and refugees can still speak volumes about the mental and physical stress of war. Although guidelines not always respected, it is generally considered inappropriate to photograph prisoners of war.

The military has long seen the advantages of war photography. This is why all branches of the military maintain cadre's of photographers. While the military uses photography for purposes of documentation, civilian photojournalism is more problematic. Too little control risks jeopardizing military operations, while too much control invites suspicion. Exercising too much censorship, invites the charge that war is being 'sanitized' for public consumption. For example, it is far more likely that one will see pictures and video of bombs destroying buildings, than pictures of 'collateral damage.' In a sense, this is validation of photography's power to move public opinion, for one thing is clear, photography has for ever changed how war is viewed.

Military Divorces on the Rise

With Military Divorces on the Rise, Members of Armed Forces and Their Spouses Must Know Their Legal Rights

There is no doubt, the debt that we owe to America's men and women who serve in our armed forces is one that we can never fully repay. Such brave soldiers place their lives on the line every day to protect our families and the freedoms that we hold dear as Americans. In our great state of Texas, we are host to many military installations, including Fort Bliss and Fort Hood. We know, as is often correctly reported, that the military families who are left behind to tend to life on the home front face just as many challenges as those who are stationed overseas. Moms or dads suddenly become single parents for months at a time. Births and other milestones come and go without a loved one able to participate. The stress of not knowing if your family member in uniform is safe can take quite an emotional toll. When you combine these important factors with the long separations that many military couples must endure, as well as the trauma that a soldier experiences on the battlefield and then brings home to his family, there should be little surprise that divorce among families serving our country is a growing concern.

With ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, men and women in all branches of our armed forces are being asked to serve long tours that often keep them away from their spouses for a year or more. We are seeing the results of this wartime environment on our military homes. About four percent of enlisted troops in the Army and Marines obtained divorces in the year 2008, which constitutes a 5.4% increase for soldiers and 11% increase for Marines from the previous year. Some veterans groups believe that these statistics do not share the entire story, as they do not include the divorces that occur after couples with already strained marriages leave the service. As with civilian couples, there are a number of situations in which divorce is inevitable. Instances of abuse, infidelity, or other serious betrayals of wedding vows are unfortunately going to occur regardless of the current state of global politics. However, certainly some relationships would not be ending without the enormous impact placed on the marriage by war.

Our military is taking notice of the growing number of divorces within its ranks and is taking steps to protect the marriages of its active members. There are a variety of programs now being offered through the chaplains, mental health counseling networks, support groups for spouses of deployed troops and simply the amazing community that exists among service families. Being the largest branch, the Army naturally has the most comprehensive program for strengthening marriages. The primary component of the counseling offered is appropriately named "Strong Bonds." This training is offered mostly as a retreat, which allows couples to focus on reconnecting with one another following a deployment so that they are better equipped to deal with all of the other challenges that life after serving abroad will bring. Participation in Strong Bonds has doubled every year since it began in 2003, with now more than 60,000 couples having taken part in the counseling. My hope is that programs such as this one will be successful in making the need for the divorce attorneys at my law firm to decline.

If a couple decides that the time has come to file for divorce, there are certain laws and requirements unique to military divorce of which both parties should be aware. Most importantly, during this time of war, participants should know that there are specific laws in place that protect active duty members of the military from being held in "default" for failing to respond to divorce papers. The Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act, 50 UCS section 521, at the discretion of the appropriate Texas court, can postpone divorce proceedings for the entire time that an active service member is on duty and for sixty days after he or she returns home. However, if the service member wants the divorce, this waiting period can be waived and the legal process can move forward. It is important that our men and women who are on the front lines of battle do not have to deal with the consuming issues that are usually involved with divorce proceedings at the same time.

There is also protection under federal law for the partner in the marriage who is not a member of the armed services. When it comes to the key piece of legislation known as the Uniformed Services Former Spouse Protection Act, the number "20" is one you need to remember. In order to receive continued benefits from the military, a former spouse must show that the service member served at least twenty years, that the marriage lasted at least twenty years and that the marriage overlapped the service by at least twenty years. If all three pieces of this numerical puzzle fit together, the estranged husband or wife is designated as a 20/20/20 former spouse and is entitled to full commissary, exchange and health care benefits. Of course, there are concerns for a former spouse beyond going to the doctor and being able to buy eggs on base. When it comes to dividing shared property that accrued during the marriage, the same rules will apply in Texas as those that are used in civilian divorces. Concerning the delicate issue of spousal and child support, Texas law states that no more than 60% of a service member's pay and allowances can be used for such purposes. Other than that restriction, civilian laws concerning support calculations will apply in Texas.

When an unhappy wife complains to a girlfriend about the state of her marriage, the common response is "Get a good lawyer!" This advice, though sometimes flippant in the face of serious problems, holds even more true when one of those involved in an upcoming divorce is a member of the military. There are specific guidelines and exceptions that must be followed when the United States Armed Forces is a third participant in the proceedings. If you have reached the point in your marriage at which divorce is the only remaining option, make sure you are an educated client when you enter an attorney's office. And, verify that the attorney has experience dealing with the specifics found in military divorce.