Archive for February, 2008
1973: Souped Down 1959 Opel T-1 Got 376.59 Miles Per Gallon
February 25th, 2008If a more practical car was, say, 75% less efficient than the car below, it would get 94.15 miles per gallon. But, hey, this is 2008, what do you expect!? Via: Treehugger: Could you believe that the car above made the 1975 Guiness World Record book? Its claim to fame is getting an amazing 376.59 […]
Oil Giants Are Poised to Move Into Basra
February 25th, 2008Democracy. Via: Guardian: Western oil giants are poised to enter southern Iraq to tap the country’s vast reserves, despite the ongoing threat of violence, according to Gordon Brown’s business emissary to the country. Michael Wareing, who heads the new Basra Development Commission, acknowledged that there would be concerns among Iraqis about multinationals exploiting natural resources. […]
Canada: Apocalyptic Oil Sand Operations
February 25th, 2008As bad as this seems, it’s just a preview of things to come. I could be wrong, but my guess is that asymmetric operations against the energy companies—inside G8 states—will begin if the insane decision is made to go with nuclear power to provide the heat necessary to recover the oil from these deposits. There […]
High Food Prices May Force Aid Rationing
February 25th, 2008Full text again. Via: Financial Times: The United Nation’s agency responsible for relieving hunger is drawing up plans to ration food aid in response to the spiralling cost of agricultural commodities. The World Food Programme is holding crisis talks to decide what aid to halt if new donations do not arrive in the short term. […]
Shoppers Warned Bigger Bills On Way
February 25th, 2008Full text follows. Via: Financial Times: When William Lapp, of US-based consultancy Advanced Economic Solutions, took the podium at the annual US Department of Agriculture conference, the sentiment was already bullish for agricultural commodities boosted by demand from the biofuels industry and emerging countries. He added a twist – that rising agricultural raw material prices […]
Japan’s Launches Satellite Capable of Providing Users in Remote Locations with Gigabit Class Internet Connections
February 25th, 2008Can people in New Zealand hop a ride on this bird? Hmm? Pretty please with sugar on top? Via: Network World: Japan has launched a satellite that is able to provide high-speed Internet connections to homes and offices at speeds rivaling those of today’s fiber optic connections. The satellite launched Saturday, called Kizuna, is part […]
Bank of America Secretly Asking Congress for a Banking Industry Bailout; $739 Billion Worth of Toxic Waste Subprime Loans Threaten Entire System
February 24th, 2008Via: New York Times: Over the last two decades, few industries have lobbied more ferociously or effectively than banks to get the government out of its business and to obtain freer rein for “financial innovation.” But as losses from bad mortgages and mortgage-backed securities climb past $200 billion, talk among banking executives for an epic […]
Ralph Nader Running for President
February 24th, 2008The Obama cult is experiencing a Scanners moment right about now. Via: Washington Post: Consumer advocate Ralph Nader said on Sunday that he is launching another long shot independent campaign for president of the United States. Nader, who will turn 74 this week, announced his presidential bid on NBC’s “Meet the Press” saying that neither […]
U.S. Department of Energy and Partners Test Enhanced Geothermal Systems Technologies
February 24th, 2008Hmm. DOE is allocating a whopping $1.6 million to this project. (Sarcasm.) The cost of that crashed B-2 boondoggle bomber represents the funding equivalent of doing the geothermal research described below 750 times over. Oh well, as oil production declines, there will still lots of it to be sold at over $100 per barrel. In […]
B-2 Stealth Bomber Crashes: $1.2 Billion Goes Up in Smoke
February 23rd, 2008Via: AFP: The US military was investigating on Saturday after a B-2 stealth bomber crashed on take-off from the Pacific island of Guam, the first such incident involving the futuristic craft. Both pilots on board ejected safely as the 1.2-billion-dollar radar-evading plane, with its distinctive triangular shape, went down at Andersen airbase on the remote […]
