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bookmark_borderDangerous Surf

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[Silence]
[Instrumental Intro: Bright ’60s surf-rock guitar, spring reverb, driving bass, snappy drums]

[Spoken]
Down at the Jersey Shore…
(For sure!)

The waves are rockin’…
(Rollin’!)

The wind is blowin’…
(Howlin’!)

[Big Yell]
SURF’S UP!

[Instrumental Hit]
[Instrumental, Driving psychedelic surf-rock guitar, pounding drums, rolling bass, distant wave sounds]

[Verse 1]
Down the shore
(The water roars)
Barrier island
(Takes the score)

Sand gets thin
(The tide comes in)
Hold that line
(One more time)

[Refrain]
Dangerous surf
(Down the shore)
That’s for sure

Changing Earth
(Man’s demand)
Mother be dammed!

Surf’s up!

[Verse 2]
Nor’easter’s coming
(Here tonight)
Winds will be humming
(What a fright)

Flood warning
(Coast to coast)
High tide rising
(That’s no boast)

[Pre-Chorus]
Full moon
(Coming soon)
Pulling on
(The and on and on)

[Refrain]
Dangerous surf
(Down the shore)
That’s for sure

Changing Earth
(Man’s demand)
Mother be dammed!

Surf’s up!
(Down to earth)
Surf, surf, surf!
(Yup…)
Surf’s up!

[Instrumental Jam I]
[Surf guitar / crashing drums / bass rumble]
Wave!
(Wave!)
Wave!
(Crash!)
Sand!
(Gone!)
Shore!
(More!)

[Verse 3]
Federal money
(Going down)
Who’s gonna pay
(For this town?)

[Refrain]
Dangerous surf
(Down the shore)
That’s for sure

Changing Earth
(Man’s demand)
Mother be dammed!

Surf’s up!
(Down to earth)
Surf, surf, surf!
(Yup…)
Surf’s up!

[Bridge]
How much
(Can we spend?)
How long
(Can we pretend?)

How high
(Can we build?)
How far
(Will we yield?)

The question changes
(Year by year)
From saving beaches
(To staying here)

[Psychedelic Surf Jam]
[Extended guitar feedback / ocean sounds / tom-tom rolls]
Keep pumping!
(Pump! Pump!)
Keep building!
(Pump! Pump!)
Keep fighting!
(Lump upon lump)

But the ocean
(She doesn’t care)
Comin’ in again
(To lay your beach bare)

[Verse 4]
You can improve
(A mountain of sand)
But you can’t move
(The sinking land)

You can build
(Another wall)
But the waves
(Still bring on the fall)

[Refrain]
Dangerous surf
(Down the shore)
That’s for sure

Changing Earth
(Man’s demand)
Mother be dammed!

[Outro]
Surf’s up!
(Down to earth)
Surf, surf, surf!
(Yup…)
Surf’s up!

[Silence]
[End]

About the Song
Climate change and coastal impacts are becoming a big problem along the Southern Jersey Shore, with the barrier-island towns taking the brunt of the punishment. Federal funding for beach nourishment has also become much more limited, and sand itself is becoming a finite commodity.

The next couple of days should be an interesting experiment. A powerful, rare September nor’easter is hitting the Jersey Shore tonight, bringing widespread coastal flood warnings, dangerous surf, and wind gusts up to 50 mph. The National Weather Service has issued a Coastal Flood Warning for Atlantic, Cape May, Ocean, and southeastern Burlington counties from Wednesday afternoon through early Saturday morning. The system is also coinciding with an approaching full moon, which can significantly exacerbate tidal flooding across vulnerable shorelines, coastal roadways, and back bays.

At some point, we’re going to reach a hard physical and economic limit. You can keep pumping sand onto a beach, but you can’t manufacture an unlimited supply of sediment or indefinitely out-engineer rising seas and increasingly energetic storms.

The question may eventually stop being, “How much will it cost to save the beach?” and become, “How long can we realistically keep trying?”

“Present Tense“

bookmark_borderHurricaneless

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[Silence]
[Instrumental Intro: ’60s surf guitar, spring reverb, pulsing bass, psychedelic organ]

[Intro]
Where’s the hurricane?
(None yet found)
Where’s the hurricane?
(None spinnin’ round)
Round (and round) and…

[Verse 1]
No hurricane
(But don’t yawn)
Climate energy
(Movin’ on!)

Pacific heat
(Coming strong)
‘lantic Niña
(What’s going on?)

[Refrain]
Hurricaneless
(Nevertheless)
No reason to yawn
(No, don’t be calm)
Awestruck
(What the amuck)
Run amuck
(A-mock)
AMOC

Chaos butterfly
(Flyin’ by)
Teleconnection
(Infection)
Feedin’ back
(Way back, back, back)

Ride that tide
(See ya on the flipside)

[Verse 2]
These degrees
(Above the norm)
Eastern Pacific
(Heat is born)

Across the ocean
(What a ride)
Atmosphere
(Along for the tide)

[Pre-Chorus]
Wind shear
(Near!)

Hurricane fuel
(Don’t be a fool)

[Refrain]
Hurricaneless
(Nevertheless)
No reason to yawn
(No, don’t be calm)
Awestruck
(What the amuck)
Run amuck
(A-mock)
AMOC

Chaos butterfly
(Flyin’ by)
Teleconnection
(Infection)
Feedin’ back
(Way back, back, back)

Ride that tide
(See ya on the flipside)

[Psychedelic Jam I]
[Surf guitar / wah-wah / swirling organ]

No hurricane…
(Instead nor’easter pain!)
No hurricane?
(Feel it in the coastal strain)

Where’s it going?
(Pounding sand)
What’s connected?
(Man’s dammed demand)

AMOC!
(A-mock!)
AMOC!
(A-muck!)

[Instrumental, Whistle Solo]
A little change
(Here and there)
Can travel farther
(Than you dare!)

[Bridge]
Butterfly!
(Flap!)
Across the sky!
(Flap!)

One basin
(Talks to another)
One pattern
(Becomes its brother)

Teleconnection!
(What’s the connection?)
Feedback!
(Feed back! Way back!)

Round and round
(The energy goes)
From where it starts
(To who knows?)

[Psychedelic Jam II]
[Extended instrumental — frantic surf guitar, bass, organ, handclaps]

Hurricaneless!
(Nevertheless!)
Hurricaneless!
(Don’t be impressed!)

Quiet?
(No!)
Calm?
(No!)

Redistributed!
(World absurd!)

[Verse 4]
So don’t mistake
(A quiet sea)
For a lack of…
(Calamity)

[Final Refrain]
Hurricaneless
(Nevertheless)
No reason to yawn
(No, don’t be calm)
Awestruck
(What Fffff… stuck)
Run amuck
(A-mock)
AMOC

[Outro]
Chaos butterfly
(Flyin’ by)
Teleconnection
(Infection)
Feedin’ back
(Way back, back, back)

Ride that tide
(See ya on the flipside)
Feedin’ back
(Way back, back, back)
[Fade out]
Feedin’ back
(Way back, back, back)

Ride that tide…
(See ya on the flipside)

[Surf Guitar Fade]

[Silence]
[End]


Climate Energy Is Being Redistributed

About the Song: Why Hasn’t There Been a Hurricane?
Climate Energy Is Being Redistributed
The absence of hurricanes isn’t evidence that the climate system is becoming less energetic. It is the opposite: climate energy is being redistributed in ways that produce very different outcomes in different parts of the planet.

As of September 23, the Atlantic has produced six named storms but still has produced zero hurricanes—an exceptionally delayed first hurricane. NOAA’s current summary shows Atlantic ACE about 92% below the 1991–2020 average at this point in the season.

The alarming part isn’t simply the lack of hurricanes. It’s the apparent coupling of climate patterns that historically operated more independently. I first warned about this Pacific El Niño–Atlantic Niña coupling back in May. Now, as we progress this far into the season, the observations are providing an unusually clear real-world example of how teleconnections can link distant parts of the climate system.

The simultaneous occurrence of an extreme Pacific El Niño and an anomalous Atlantic Niña represents a significant disruption of the historical baseline. NOAA reports that the El Niño is strengthening, with eastern equatorial Pacific sea-surface temperatures already more than 3°C above average.

An Atlantic Niña can suppress Atlantic hurricane development through increased atmospheric stability and wind shear. So there is a relatively straightforward physical explanation for the quiet Atlantic. But I think the deeper question is why these large-scale ocean–atmosphere patterns are coupling so strongly in the first place.

That’s where climate-acceleration research comes in. I see this as evidence worth watching for increasingly interconnected feedbacks and teleconnections—changes in ocean circulation, atmospheric circulation, energy redistribution, and the hydrologic and carbon cycles that can influence one another across ocean basins.

In other words, the absence of hurricanes isn’t evidence that the climate system is becoming less energetic. It is the opposite: climate energy is being redistributed in ways that produce very different outcomes in different parts of the planet.

It may manifest as a powerful, rare September nor’easter hitting the Jersey Shore.

Why Hasn’t There Been a Hurricane? Climate Energy Is Being Redistributed

“Present Tense“

bookmark_borderA Ray of Light

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[Silence]
[Instrumental Intro: Shimmering synth arpeggio, chiming guitar, pulsing bass]

[Verse 1]
Through the dark
(Do you see?)
A little spark
(Inside of me?)

Through the noise
(Hear that sound?)
Make a choice
(Turn it around)

[Pre-Chorus]
One little beam
(Can wake a dream)
One little thought
(Can change the plot)

[Refrain]
Do you see
(A ray of light)
We can be
(Let’s set it right)

Shine on
(And on and on)
Shine bright
(Be the light)
Incite
(Insight)
Alright!

Light up
Shine on
(And on and on)

[Psychedelic Jam I]
[Swirling guitar / synth / handclaps]

Light…
(Light…)
Light…
(Insight…)
See it…
(Feel it…)
Be it…
(Alright!)

[Verse 2]
When the shadows
(Stretch too long)
Find the rhythm
(Find the song)

When the road
(Goes out of sight)
Keep on moving
(Toward the light)

[Refrain]
Do you see
(A ray of light)
We can be
(Let’s set it right)

Shine on
(And on and on)
Shine bright
(Be the light)
Incite
(Insight)
Alright!

Light up
Shine on
(And on and on)

[Bridge]
Don’t wait
(For the dawn)
Make light
(And carry on)

Don’t hide
(What you know)
Let insight
(Glow!)

[Psychedelic Jam II]
[Extended instrumental — bass groove, wah-wah guitar, sparkling synth]

Incite!
(Insight!)
Ignite!
(The night!)
Alright!
(Alright!)
Shine!

[Final Refrain]
Do you see
(A ray of light)
We can be
(Let’s set it right)

Shine on
(And on and on)
Shine bright
(Be the light)
Incite
(Insight)
Alright!

Light up
Shine on
(And on and on)

[Outro]
Light up…
(Shine on…)
And on…
(And on and on…)

We just might…
(Be the light…)

Alright!

[Silence]
[End]

From the album “Full Blown“

bookmark_borderSo Long

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[Silence]
[Instrumental Intro: Bouncy acoustic guitar, light bass, handclaps]

[Verse 1]
Here we are
(And here we go)
Another song
(Another show)

Just in time
(To sing a rhyme)
Pick-up a beat
(To move your feet)

[Refrain]
This song…
(Is not so long)
No, not so long
(Not goodbye)
Not see you later
(Why not try)
A lover… not a hater
(And sing along:)
This song…
(Is not so long)

[Verse 2]
So long
(So wrong!)
Don’t make it sad
(It ain’t that bad)

A wave goodbye
(Can still be high)
A smile can say
(Come back someday)

[Pre-Chorus]
Don’t close the door
(We want some more)
Don’t turn away
(Just press replay)

[Refrain]
This song…
(Is not so long)
No, not so long
(Not goodbye)
Not see you later
(Why not try)
A lover… not a hater
(And sing along:)
This song…
(Is not so long)

[Bridge]
So…
(Long?)
So long!
(How long?)
Not very long!
(How long?)
Long enough
(To sing this song!)

[Break]
Not goodbye!
(No!)
Not farewell!
(Still dwell)
Not see you later!
(We here to cater)
We’re doing well!

[Instrumental Jam]
[Acoustic guitar / bass / handclaps]

So long!
(So long!)
So long!
(Not too long!)
So long!
(Along!)
Sing along!

[Final Refrain]
This song…
(Is not so long)
No, not so long
(Not goodbye)
Not see you later
(Why not try)
A lover… not a hater
(And sing along:)
This song…
(Is not so long)

[Outro]
So long…
Not goodbye…
(And, here’s why…)

One more song!
Sing along…
(And carry on…)

One more song!
(To sing along)

[Silence]

From the album “Full Blown“

bookmark_borderRosemary

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[Silence]
[Instrumental Intro: Dreamy acoustic guitar, soft electric shimmer, gentle hand percussion]

[Verse 1]
Walk through the garden
(What do you see?)
A little bit of heaven
(Growing wild and free)

Purple in the twilight
(Green beside the stone)
The scents taking flight
(With a mind of their own)

[Refrain]
Lavender
(And rosemary)
The splendor
(Scents carry)

(The scene:)
The dream
(Serene)
… know what I mean?

[Verse 2]
Rosemary remembers
(That’s what they say)
Old forgotten moments
(Drifting back your way)

Lavender is floating
(Through the evening air)
Close your eyes and breathe it
(There’s a dream right there)

[Pre-Chorus]
One breath
(Takes you there)
One scent
(Anywhere)

[Refrain]
Lavender
(And rosemary)
The splendor
(Scents carry)

(The scene:)
The dream
(Serene)
… know what I mean?

[Instrumental Jam]
[Psychedelic guitar / flute / swirling organ]

Rosemary…
(Remember me…)
Lavender…
(What a memory…)

[Verse 3]
No need for a picture
(No need for a word)
Some things aren’t explained
(They’re simply heard)

[Bridge]
Scents carry
(Through time)
Dreams wander
(Through mind)

A little bit of yesterday
(A little bit of now)
A little bit of tomorrow
(And we don’t know how)

[Final Refrain]
Lavender
(And rosemary)
The splendor
(Scents carry)

(The scene:)
The dream
(Serene)
… know what I mean?

[Outro]
Lavender…
(Rosemary…)
Carry me…
(Serene…)

The scene…
(The dream…)

… know what I mean?

[Silence]
[End]

From the album “Full Blown“

bookmark_borderGrigori Rasputin

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[Silence]

[Instrumental Intro: Psychedelic bass groove, wah-wah guitar, swirling organ]

[Verse 1]
Who commands man
(What a fuss, hey!)
A holy man
(Or so they say)

Into the court
(He made his way)
With mystic eyes
(And things to say)

[Refrain]
Hey! We’re disputin’
(Grigori Rasputin)
He’s no friend of the family
(No, no friend to humanity)

Is the ill
(Hard to kill)
Is that it
(He just won’t quit)

[Psychedelic Jam I]
[Wah-wah guitar spirals]
Rasputin…
(Rasputin…)
Who let him in?
(Who let him in?)
Holy man…
(Holy mess!)
Confess…
(Toxic pest!)

[Verse 2]
He had a gift
(Or so it seemed)
To calm the boy
(Or so they dreamed)

[Refrain]
Hey! We’re disputin’
(Grigori Rasputin)
He’s no friend of the family
(No, no friend to humanity)

Is the ill
(Hard to kill)
Is that it
(He just won’t quit)

[Break]
Poison!
(Still alive!)
Bullets!
(He’ll survive!)
Thrown in the water!
(But won’t dive!)

Is he dead?
(Not quite yet!)
Is he dead?
(You can bet!)

[Psychedelic Jam II]
[Organ swells / bass drops / guitar feedback]
Dead?
(Alive?)
Dead?
(Alive?)

[Final Refrain]
Hey! We’re disputin’
(Grigori Rasputin)
He’s no friend to reality
(No, no friend to humanity)

Is the ill
(Hard to kill)
Is that it
(He just won’t quit)

[Psychedelic Jam III]
[Extended freak-out]
Hey!
(Who?)
Hey!
(What?)
Rasputin!
(What a spin!)

[Outro]
Hard to kill…
(Hard to tell…)
No saint, all sinner…
(Time does tell…)
… on the way to hell

Can’t you see
(You don’t wanna be)
Grigori…
(Rasputin…)
There’s no disputin’…
(Rasputin…)

[Silence]
[End]

About the Song
This anti-science ideology is a growing problem in the US. One distinction that is particularly important is the difference between scientific knowledge and scientific power. The current administration is undermining scientific knowledge by promoting a false narrative about scientific power and expertise. That is particularly damaging and dangerous when it comes to dismissing climate change as a hoax and undermining confidence in vaccines and medical science.

Calling someone a “Rasputin” means they have a hidden, corrupting, or powerful influence over a leader or ruling group—usually through personal access, charm, manipulation, or secrecy.

What is particularly disturbing today is the overlap between greed and eliminationist logic. The greed component is partly reflected in the effort to portray climate change as a hoax, because acknowledging the full implications of climate science threatens enormous amounts of existing capital and economic interests.

The eliminationist component is even more disturbing. It appears in the way both climate change and public health can be viewed through a “survival of the fittest” framework—where the consequences are not treated as problems to solve, but as mechanisms for eliminating people considered weak, old, sick, or otherwise expendable.

The Epstein files provide some extraordinary evidence of this mindset. Epstein wrote:

“Maybe climate change is a good way of dealing with overpopulation—the earth’s forest fire. Potentially a good thing for the species.”

He also wrote that “executions of the elderly and infirm make sense.”

And his statement that “more CO₂ is good for plants” echoes an argument long promoted by the CO₂ Coalition: that increasing atmospheric CO₂ should be viewed primarily as beneficial because plants use it.

Taken together with the explicitly eugenic statements in the files, this goes far beyond an ordinary disagreement over climate policy. It represents what eliminationist logic: where traditional denial protects existing capital, while ecofascist or eugenic reasoning can rationalize unequal human survival.

That is why the Rasputin comparison is worth exploring. The question isn’t simply who holds power. It is also what ideas are circulating among the people who have access to that power—and what happens when enormous wealth, political influence, scientific denial, eugenics, and eliminationist thinking begin to overlap.

Ecofascism and Denialism 101

“Present Tense“

bookmark_borderDubious

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[Silence]
[Instrumental Intro: Skanking Electric Guitar, Deep Dub Bass, Organ, Piano, Drums, Percussion, Saxophone]

[Intro]
What’s that you say?
(Dubious!)
To all of us?
(Dubious!)

You don’t believe it?
(Nope!)
You need more evidence?
(Asking at the end of your rope)

Well…

Look around!
(Found to abound)

[Verse 1]
Somebody’s standing
With their fingers in their ears
Lack of understanding
(Building on their fears)

Saying:
“It’s all coincidence!”
(For fifty years?)

[Refrain]
Dubious
(To the obvious)
Doubtful
(Of it all)

Suspicious
(Due to cluelessness)
Vanity
(Versus reality)

[Verse 2]
“Maybe it’s the sun”
(Well… some)
“Maybe it’s the clouds”
(Less sum)

[Refrain]
Dubious
(To the obvious)
Doubtful
(Of it all)

Suspicious
(Due to cluelessness)
Vanity
(Versus reality)

[Verse 3]
You move the goalpost
(Again and again)
Ask for more proof
(Back to “Begin.”)

When the proof arrives
(You change the claim)
When the claim falls apart
(… rename the game)

“It’s too complicated!”
(So I’ll just berate it.)

“Models can’t predict!”
(Models aren’t perfect!)

“Scientists disagree!”
(No. Not really.)

“No!”

(“Know!”)

[Bridge]
Is doubt the same
As disbelief?
(No!)

Is uncertainty
The same as nothing?
(No!)

Does not knowing
Everything…

Mean we know
Nothing?

(Know!)

[Break]
[Dub Bass Drops — Organ Chords and Echoing Guitar]

Dubious…

(Dubious…)

To the obvious…
(Obviously)

Dubiously

(Due to cluelessness)

Obvious…

(… to all of us.)

[Drums return]

End of oblivious

[Band Hit]

OBVIOUS!

[Instrumental]
[Extended Dub-Reggae Groove — Echo Guitar, Organ Bubble, Saxophone and Deep Bass]

[Verse 4]
Vanity says:
“I know better”

Reality says:
“You’re getting wetter”

Vanity says:
“Don’t tell me”

Reality says:
“Look and sea”

Vanity says:
“I’m more mighty”

Reality says:
“Meet reality!”

[Refrain]
Dubious
(To the obvious)
Doubtful
(Of it all)

Suspicious
(Due to cluelessness)
Vanity
(Versus reality)

[Bridge 2]
Maybe tomorrow
We’ll know more

(More likely tomorrow the rain will poor)

Maybe the models
Will improve

(Maybe to prove…)
POOF!

The present
(Is the proof!)

[Final Refrain]
Dubious
(To the obvious)
Doubtful
(Of it all)

Suspicious
(Due to cluelessness)
Vanity
(Versus reality)

Dubious!
(Dubious!)

To the obvious!

Doubtful!
(Doubtful!)

But after all…
(reality calls!)

[Outro]
Dubious
(To the obvious)
Doubtful
(Of it all)

Suspicious
(Due to cluelessness)
Vanity
(Versus reality)

[Silence]

“Present Tense“

bookmark_borderBelieve It or Naught

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[Silence]
[Instrumental Intro: Bouncy synth bass, four-on-the-floor beat, handclaps]

[Intro]
Believe it or not…
(What?)
Believe it or naught…
(Oh, that.)

[Verse 1]
You can close your eyes
(And count to three)
You can tell yourself
(It’s not reality)

You can dance around
(The obvious)
But reality
(Still dances with us)

[Pre-Chorus]
Think it through
(Or don’t!)
Question why
(Or won’t!)
What you see
(May be)
More than what
(You want to be!)

[Refrain]
Believe it
(Or naught)
Conceive
(Reality)

Believe
(Beyond naive)
Believe it
(Or naught)

[Verse 2]
Facts don’t need
(A wedding ring)
Truth won’t care
(What songs you sing)

You can shake your head
(And say “Nope!”)
Reality
(Still has hope!)

[Break]
Believe it!
(Or not!)
Conceive!
(Reality!)

Believe it!
(Or naught!)
Naught!
(Nothing!)

[Verse 3]
If you doubt the ground
(Then don’t look down)
Can’t doubt the beat
(When you move your feet!)

You don’t have to know
(The whole damn plot)
Just don’t confuse
(What is with what is not!)

[Final Refrain]
Believe it
(Or naught)
Conceive
(Reality)

Believe
(Beyond naive)
Believe it…
(Or naught…)
… is all ya got.

[Outro]
Believe it…
(Or not…)
Reality…
(Dance it out!)

Believe it…
(Or naught…)
… is all ya got.
(Naught is all you’ve got)
[Fade out]
Naught is all you’ve got
(Naught is all you’ve got)

[Silence]

“Present Tense“

bookmark_borderSee Level Sinking

Posted on by admin

[Intro]
See the level…
(Of the land and the sand)
Are you thinking…
(It is sinking?)

(Sinking!)

Wait a minute…

What’s rising?

(See… the sea!)

[Verse 1]
Beach Road by the ocean
(What’s going on?)
Sand is disappearing
(Where has it gone?)

Dunes are getting smaller
(Buffer wearing thin)
Southern swell is pounding
(Here it comes again!)

Big waves rolling
(Full of energy)
Higher water underneath
(That’s the synergy!)

[Refrain]
See the level sinking
(What were you thinking)
Is it at all surprising
(The sea level’s rising)

[Verse 2]
Multimillion-dollar houses
(Standing by the shore)
Pacific Ocean knocking
(Pounding at the door!)

One loses its foundation
(Another takes a hit)
The shoreline keeps retreating
(That’s the nature of it)

Sand absorbs the pounding
(Dunes absorb the flow)
Take away the buffer
(Where’s the energy go?)

[Refrain]
See the level sinking
(What were you thinking)
Is it at all surprising
(The sea level’s rising)

Wave energy pounding
(Shoreline confounding!)

[Bridge]
Can you build a wall
(Wait and watch it fall)
Against the sea?
(Can’t tempt destiny)

Can you stop a wave
(Ha! Watch it behave)

Can you make tomorrow
Act like yesterday?

(No way!)

[Break]
See…
(Sea!)
Level…
(Devil!)
Sinking…
(Rising!)
Yess…

See…
(Sea!)
Level…
(Level!)
RISING!

[Refrain]
See the level sinking
(What were you thinking)
Is it at all surprising
(The sea level’s rising)

Wave energy pounding
(Shoreline confounding!)

[Refrain]
See the level sinking
(What were you thinking)
Is it at all surprising
(The sea level’s rising)

[Break]
What’s sinking?
(The sand! The land)
What’s rising?
(See! The sea!)
What’s coming?
(The energy!)
See! (The sea!)

[Final Refrain]
See the level sinking
(What were you thinking)
Is it at all surprising
(The sea level’s rising)

See the level sinking
(Sand is retreating)
Is it at all surprising
(The waves keep repeating)

See the level sinking!

(Sinking!)

Sea level rising!

(Rising!)

[Outro]
No. It ain’t surprising
(Know the sea is rising)


Sea Level vs. Private Property Rights

About the Song

How Is the Climate Energy Hitting You?
SoCal Coastal Armoring
Sea Level vs. Private Property Rights = Managed Retreat

🌊 Climate energy is hitting the coast.

When waves encounter a hard structure instead of dissipating their energy across a gradually sloping beach, some of that energy can be reflected back toward the ocean.

That can increase scour at the base of the structure and accelerate the loss of sand immediately in front of—and adjacent to—the armored shoreline.

A difficult feedback loop can develop:

Loss of sand → greater wave energy → erosion → emergency armoring → altered wave & sediment dynamics → further beach loss

The result is a fundamental conflict:

Protect individual properties — or preserve the beach as a public resource.

🌊 Climate Change Changes the Equation

This isn’t simply a dispute over seawalls.

It’s a preview of a much larger problem.

As sea levels rise, coastal storms and extreme-wave events interact with a progressively higher baseline ocean. More energy can reach vulnerable shorelines, while the loss of beaches and dunes removes natural buffers that once absorbed part of that energy.

The physical equation is changing.

🏖️ Managed Retreat

Managed retreat may ultimately become the long-term strategy for some coastal properties.

The fundamental physical reality is simple:

You can build a wall against the ocean.
You cannot build a wall against a changing climate.

The Beach Road conflict is therefore about much more than a temporary rock wall.

It is about what happens when accelerating climate change collides with private property rights, public resources, and the physical limits of coastal engineering.

The ocean doesn’t recognize property lines.

🌎 How Is the Climate Energy Hitting You?

SoCal Coastal Armoring: Sea Level vs. Private Property Rights

“Present Tense“

bookmark_borderEEI (The Energy Imbalance)

Posted on by admin

[Silence]
[Instrumental Intro: Deep Piano, Acoustic Guitar, Organ, Deep Sub-Bass, Electric Guitar Swells, Drums, Percussion, Saxophone]

[Intro]
Incoming…
(Incoming!)
Outgoing…
(Outgoing!)

What’s the difference?

(The imbalance!)

You’re getting warmer
(When we take in more)
… But can’t get out the door…
(Energy intensity)

[Verse 1]
Sunlight coming down
(Every single day)
Soaking it in…
(Can’t get away)

[Refrain]
Do we stand a chance?
(The energy imbalance)
Change in the exchange

Oh, my, my
(EEI)
Are you gonna cry
(Or will you die)

[Verse 2]
Back in the earlier days
(The balance held the line)
Then something started shifting
(A change in time)

Two thousand five
(Acceleration!)
Two thousand nineteen
(Accumulation!)

[Refrain]
Do we stand a chance?
(The energy imbalance)
Change in the exchange

Oh, my, my
(EEI)
Are you gonna cry
(Or will you die)

[Bridge]
And then…

Ice sheet
(Retreat)

Clouds thin
(An energy win)
The energy pours in
(Feedbacks begin)

[Break]
[Deep Bass Pulse — Sparse Piano]

Zero…
(Balance…)

Then…

A little more.

[Kick Drum]

A little more.
(Than before)

[Snare]

A little more!
(Starts to pour)

[Full Band Hit]

EEI!

[Instrumental]
[Extended Electric Guitar and Saxophone Duel Over Driving Piano, Organ and Deep Bass — Drums Build Into a Relentless Groove]

[Bridge 2]
Do we balance?
(Or imbalance?)

Do we adapt?
(Or collapse?)

Do we watch?
(Or act?)

Do we learn?
(Or burn?)

Oh, my, my…

[Final Refrain]
Do we stand a chance?
(The energy imbalance)
Change in the exchange

Oh, my, my
(EEI)
Are you gonna cry
(Or will we try)

[Outro]
Do we stand a chance?
(The energy imbalance)
Change in the exchange

Oh, my, my
(EEI)
Are you gonna cry
(Oh, we better try)
EEI
(EEI!)

[Whispered]
The energy imbalance…
(Don’t take the chance)
[Deep Bass Hit]

EEI!

[Silence]


ACCELERATING ENERGY IN − LESS ENERGY OUT = CLIMATE CRISIS

About the Song: The Energy Imbalance (EEI)

A simple way to understand climate change and global warming is through Earth’s energy balance—or, more precisely, the growing lack of balance known as Earth’s Energy Imbalance (EEI).

Earth’s climate is governed by a fundamental exchange: energy arrives primarily from the Sun, while Earth returns energy to space as reflected sunlight and outgoing infrared radiation. When incoming and outgoing energy are equal over the long term, the planet is approximately in energy balance. When more energy enters the Earth system than leaves it, the difference is stored within the climate system, producing warming.

2005–2019 (The First Acceleration)
The long-term EEI average effectively doubles compared to prior decades. Ocean heat content spikes dramatically as the oceans absorb roughly 90% of this excess energy.

2020–2023 (The Post-2020 Surge)
Slashed marine shipping pollution (IMO 2020 regulations) rapidly clears atmospheric haze over the oceans, forcing a massive, sudden spike in absorbed solar energy.

2024–Present (Nonlinear Feedback Phase)
EEI hits unprecedented, record-breaking territory. Strong climate feedbacks—such as collapsing Antarctic sea ice and thinning cloud decks—darken the planet, causing it to absorb immense amounts of solar radiation.

From ~0.0 to ~1.4 W/m²+

Read the full report Earth’s Energy Imbalance: The Climate System Out of Balance

“Present Tense“

bookmark_borderCrude Costs

Posted on by admin

[Silence]
[Instrumental Intro: Deep Sub-Bass, Swampy Electric Guitar, Low Piano, Organ, Drums, Percussion, Saxophone]

[Intro]
Crude…
(Screwed!)

Costs…
(Loss!)

How much?
Well…
(Bloody hell!)

[Verse 1]
Down at the dock
(What’s that shock?)
Tanker in the water
(Sinking like a rock?)

[Pre-Chorus]
The tank didn’t sink
(The price did rise)
Look at that number
(Before your eyes!)

Surprise
(Surprise)

[Refrain]
Ya woulda thought
(The tank sank)
You’d be at loss…
(Crude costs)

[Verse 2]
Time-charter earnings
(That’s the score)
One point two million
(Dollars a day or more!)

[Refrain]
Ya woulda thought
(The tank sank)
You’d be at loss…
(Crude costs)

[Bridge]
Did the ship sink?
(What do you think?)

It’s just the cost
(That’s lost)

[Break]
[Drums Drop to Half-Time]
Sixteen…
Thousand…

[Pause]

One-point-two…
Million!

[Band Hit]

A DAY!
(In pay)

[Instrumental]
[Extended Swampy Guitar Solo Over Deep Bass, Organ and Driving Piano — Saxophone Answers With Short Bursts]

[Final Refrain]
Ya woulda thought
(The tank sank)
You’d be at loss…
(Crude costs)

Noo…
It was the cost
(That was lost)

[Outro]
Ya woulda thought
(The tank sank)
You’d be at loss…
(Crude costs)

Noo…
It was the cost
(That was lost)
[Deep Bass Hit]

Crude costs!

[Bass Hit]

[Silence]
[End]

About the Song
Oil Shipping Costs Explode: From ~$16,000 to More Than $1.2 Million a Day

The cost of transporting crude oil by the world’s largest oil tankers has reached extraordinary levels.

On the benchmark TD3C route — a 270,000-metric-ton Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) traveling from the Middle East Gulf to China — daily time-charter-equivalent (TCE) earnings have surged from roughly $16,000/day in 2020 to more than $1.2 million/day in September 2026.

That is not simply a large increase. It represents an extraordinary transformation in the economics of moving oil by sea.

“Present Tense“

bookmark_borderRage Age

Posted on by admin

[Silence]
[Instrumental Intro: Driving Piano, Distorted Electric Guitar, Deep Sub-Bass, Organ, Drums, Percussion, Saxophone]

[Intro]
Enter in…
(Enterin’)

Comin’ through…
(What’s it gonna do?)

Step right up!
(Watch it erupt!)

Welcome to…
(The Rage Age!)

[Verse 1]
See the river rise
(No surprise!)
Rolling fast…
(Watch it blast!)

The wind starts howling
(The roof is growling)
Clouds are churning
The whole sky’s burning

[Refrain]
Enter in
(Begin)
Entering…
(The Rage Age)

Raging river
(Does deliver)
Raging storm
(Is the norm)

The world stage
(It’s all the rage)
The Rage Age

[Verse 2]
Heat keeps climbing
(Time’s unwinding)
Rain comes sideways
(Flooding highways)

Thunder cracking
(No time backing)
Lightning flashing
Power crashing

[Refrain]
Enter in
(Begin)
Entering…
(The Rage Age)

Raging river
(Does deliver)
Raging storm
(Is the norm)

The world stage
(It’s all the rage)
The Rage Age

[Bridge]
Turn the page
(All the rage)

Is it whether?
(No, its weather)

Is it fate?
(No, too late)

It is us
(No need to discuss!)

[Break]
[Drums Drop to Half-Time]
Rage…
(Stage…)

River…
(Deliver…)

Storm…
(Norm…)

Norm…
(Warm…)

[Deep Bass Pulse]

Rage!
(Age!)

Rage!
(Stage!)

[Instrumental]
[Extended Electric Guitar Solo Over Driving Piano, Organ, Saxophone and Heavy Percussion]

[Final Refrain]
Enter in
(Begin)
Entering…
(The Rage Age)

Raging river
(Does deliver)
Raging storm
(Is the norm)

The world stage
(It’s all the rage)
The Rage Age

Enter in!
(Begin!)

Entering…
(The Rage Age!)

[Outro]
The Rage Age…
(All the world’s the stage)

Is it coming?

(Beyond near….)

It’s here

[Distorted Guitar Feedback]

[Silence]

“Present Tense“

bookmark_borderWild Ass Ride

Posted on by admin

[Silence]

[Instrumental Intro: Twangy Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Honky-Tonk Piano, Deep Sub-Bass, Organ, Drums, Percussion, Harmonica]

[Intro]
Whoa there, boy!
(Whoa!)
Easy now…
(Easy!)

I said he ain’t lame!
(More like insane!)

Look out…
You cannot pass…
(He’s a wild ass!)

[Verse 1]
Found him standing by the fence
(Lookin’ mighty innocent)
Big brown eyes
(Full of surprise)

Thought he’d take a little hay
(Thought he’d calmly walk away)
Put the saddle on
(And then he was gone!)

Dust came flying
(Cowboy crying)
Boots went left
(Hat went right)

I grabbed the reins
(He grabbed incite!)

[Pre-Chorus]
Round the corral
Round the bend
Thought this ride
Would never end

Kickin’ dust
Shakin’ hide
Hang on tight
For the wild ass ride!

[Refrain]
Can’t you see
(That donkey)
Is not tame
(No, h’s not the same)

… wild ass
(Can’t pass)
Get on that hide
(And, ride, cowboy, ride!)

Hold on strong!
(It’s a wild ass ride!)
Hold on long!
(You’re on a wild ass ride!)

[Verse 2]
He took off like a rocket
(No one could stop it!)
Through the gate
(Too late!)

No, can’t retain…
(Like a freight train)
Over the hill
(What a thrill!)

Past the barn
(Alarm! Alarm!)
Through the creek
(What a streak!)

I yelled, “Whoa!”
(He replied, “No!”)

He had a mind
Of his own
And apparently
A destination unknown!

[Refrain]
Can’t you see
(That donkey)
Is not tame
(No, he’s not the same)

… wild ass
(Can’t pass)
Get on that hide
(And, ride, cowboy, ride!)

Hold on strong!
(It’s a wild ass ride!)
Hold on long!
(You’re on a wild ass ride!)

[Verse 3]
He jumped a log
(I lost my shoe)
He crossed a bog
(I lost two!)

He spun around
(I saw the ground)
Then bucked up high
(I kissed the sky!)

I grabbed his mane
(He grabbed my pride)
We both went flying
Side by side

I landed soft
(Well… relatively)
He looked at me
(Quite disrespectfully)

[Bridge]
Is he wild?
(All the way!)

Is he tame?
(Not today!)

Does he know
(Who’s the boss?)

Well… I’m at a loss

He said…
(“Hay!”)

I said…
Hey! Hey! Hey!
(On a runaway)

[Break]
[Drums and Bass Stop]

Whoa…
(Ohhh…)

Easy…
(Easy…)

Good donkey…
(Good donkey…)

Good—

[Sudden Full-Band Hit]

ASS!

[Instrumental]
[Extended Honky-Tonk Piano and Twangy Electric Guitar Solo — Harmonica and Saxophone Join, Drums Building to a Galloping Groove]

[Verse 4]
Now the sun is going down
(Still no saddle on the ground)
Dust is settling
(Heart is rattling)

Finally he slows
(Thank the Lord!)
Looks at me
(Like he’s bored!)

I slide down
(What a sight!)
Both my legs
(Are not right!)

He gives a snort
(Then turns away)
Like tomorrow
Is another day

[Refrain]
Can’t you see
(That donkey)
Is not tame
(No, he’s not the same)

… wild ass
(Can’t pass)
Get on that hide
(And, ride, cowboy, ride!)

Hold on strong!
(It’s a wild ass ride!)
Hold on long!
(You’re on a wild ass ride!)

[Outro]
And I know…
(Oh, I know…)
Oh, no, no, no
(Alas)
Wild ass!

[Silence]

The new release of the day, “Wild Ass Ride,” is a song about life in the modern day… accidentally set to a retro-futuristic cowboy hootenanny.

Written and recorded with the same acoustic/electric Ibanez guitar. The honky-tonk piano is a Kurzweil, and the synth is a miniNova.

So grab hold of those extreme scenes in your own backyard—and ride, cowboy, ride!

“Present Tense“

bookmark_borderGone Berserk

Posted on by admin

[Silence]
[Instrumental Intro: Distorted Electric Guitar, Deep Sub-Bass, Organ, Piano, Drums, Percussion, Saxophone]

[Intro]
Something’s itchin’
(Twitchin’?)

Something’s wrong
(For how long?)

[Verse 1]
Started with a little
A little out of place
A tiny little glitch
With a smile on her face

[Refrain]
More than a quirk
(Gone berserk)
Filling the role
(… out of control)

[Verse 2]
The wheels keep turning
Faster every day
Somebody says
“It’s nothing…”
Then it gets away

The feedback starts feeding
The feedback again
A little acceleration
Becomes a violent trend

Round and round
And back around
The signal gets louder
Till it shakes the ground

[Refrain]
More than a quirk
(Gone berserk)
Filling the role
(… out of control)

[Verse 3]
Building up of pressure
Add more heat
Put into motion
Underneath your feet

The system finds a pathway
The pathway finds a groove
The groove becomes a highway
And everything starts to move

[Bridge]
Is it a quirk?
(Climate jerk!)
Is it a glitch
(Sure ain’t music)

[Break]
Quirk!
(Jerk!)

Berserk!
(BERSERK!)

[Instrumental]
[Distorted Guitar Riff]
[Deep Bass Pulse]
[Organ Stabs]
[Saxophone Screams]
[Drums Accelerate]
[Percussion Builds]

[Verse 4]
Now everybody’s running
But nobody knows where
The signal’s getting stronger
It’s hanging in the air

[Final Chorus]
Gone berserk!
(Gone berserk!)

Out of control!
(Out of control!)

Filling the role
(Filling the role!)

Taking its toll!

Gone berserk!
(Gone berserk!)

[Final Refrain]
More than a quirk
(Gone berserk)
Filling the role
(Out of control)

More than a quirk!
(More than a quirk!)

Gone berserk!
(GONE BERSERK!)

Filling the role…
(Out of control!)

[Outro]
Quirk…
(Shift…)

Jerk…
(Surge…)

Role…
(Control…)

More than a quirk…

Gone…

Berserk!

[Distorted guitar feedback]

[Silence]

Found on “Present Tense“
and
“Full Blown“

bookmark_borderRunaway Runaway

Posted on by admin

[Silence]
[Instrumental Intro: Driving Piano, Distorted Electric Guitar, Deep Sub-Bass, Organ, Drums, Percussion, Saxophone]

[Intro]
Hear that sound?
(It’s going down)

Was way off in the distance…
… now lacking resistance…
(Coming closer!)
… drawing near…
(Oh dear!)

Runaway!
(Run away!)

Oh, no…

[Verse 1]
Started with a little push
(Just a little shove)
Then it picked up speed
(That’s enough!)

Round and round
The wheels go faster
Little problem
(Becomes disaster)

Tried to stop it
(Tried to slow)
But the thing kept saying:
(No whoa, no!)

[Refrain]
Run away!
(It’s a runaway runaway)
Out of the way!
(It’s a runaway runaway)

Self-reinforcing
(History divorcing)
Oh, it’s coming this way…
(Today)

Runaway runaway
(Run away)

[Verse 2]
Yesterday was yesterday
(That’s what we say)
But yesterday’s momentum
(Is coming this way)

Cause and effect
(Effect and cause)
Round and round
(Without a pause)

What once seemed strange
(Becomes the norm)
What once was calm
(Becomes the storm)

[Refrain]
Run away!
(It’s a runaway runaway)
Out of the way!
(It’s a runaway runaway)

Self-reinforcing
(History divorcing)
Oh, it’s coming this way…
(Today)

Runaway runaway
(Run away)

[Bridge]
Is it runaway?

(Run away!)

Does it self-reinforce?
(Of course!)
… and much worse

Will tomorrow
Still follow?

(Not today!)

[Break]
[Drums Stop — Deep Bass Pulse]

Run…
(Run…)
Run away…

(Away…)

(Missed the starting gun?)
Run…
(Run…)

Run away…

(Away…)

[Whispered]
One thing…

(Begets another.)

[Drums Explode]

RUNAWAY!

[Instrumental]
[Extended Distorted Guitar Solo — Driving Piano, Organ, Saxophone, Galloping Drums and Deep Bass]

[Final Refrain]
Run away!
(It’s a runaway runaway)
Out of the way!
(It’s a runaway runaway)

Change of course?
(… much worse)
(Better call a hearse)

[Outro]
Oh, it’s coming this way…
(Today)

[Fade out]
Runaway runaway
(Run away)

[Distorted Guitar Feedback]

[End]

[Silence]


Is the climate on a runaway train?

About the Song
Is Climate Change Runaway? Maybe.

Unfortunately, the underlying science increasingly points in that direction. More importantly, it highlights what may be the most critical issue facing society today: not whether climate change is occurring, but whether we are approaching thresholds beyond which many impacts become effectively irreversible on human timescales.

None of us are arguing that the entire Earth system is in a fully runaway state today. However, observations accumulated over the past four decades suggest that multiple climate indicators are accelerating faster than many earlier projections anticipated. We are also observing increasing evidence of self-reinforcing feedback loops emerging across interconnected climate, ecological, and economic systems.

The central question is no longer whether runaway behavior is possible in principle. The question is how we recognize the transition if and when enough individual subsystems enter self-reinforcing states that the larger coupled system begins exhibiting runaway characteristics of its own.

Feedback Loops

“Present Tense“