Archive for April, 2008
81% of Americans Think Country on “Wrong Track”
April 4th, 2008Via: Reuters: Four out of five Americans believe things are “on the wrong track” in the United States, the gloomiest outlook in about 20 years, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll released on Thursday. The poll found that 81 percent of respondents felt “things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track.” […]
Proposal to Use Massive, Undersea Air Bladders to Store Energy from Intermittent Sources
April 4th, 2008This is weirdly simple, in theory. Via: CNN: The prospects for wind power could be greatly enhanced if cost-effective storage could be implemented. Some, like Minnesota based Xcel Energy, are putting their faith in new battery technology. But a UK professor, Seamus Garvey thinks he might have found another solution — storing energy in flexible […]
PG&E Signs Contracts with BrightSource Energy for up to 900 Megawatts of Solar Thermal Power
April 4th, 2008Via: BusinessWire: Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced today that it has entered into a series of contracts with BrightSource Energy, Inc. for renewable solar power. The first three contracts are for a total of 500 megawatts (MW) of power to be supplied from three solar thermal electric generating projects. PG&E also signed two contracts […]
Mr. Mortgage Exposes Lehman ALT-A
April 4th, 2008Bush Administration Memo Says Fourth Amendment Does not Apply to Military Operations Within U.S.
April 3rd, 2008Chilling. Via: ACLU: A newly disclosed secret memo authored by the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) in March 2003 that asserts President Bush has unlimited power to order brutal interrogations of detainees also reveals a radical interpretation of the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable search and seizure. The memo, declassified yesterday […]
New Zealand Building World’s Largest Geothermal Powerstation
April 3rd, 2008Via: TV3: A new 450 million dollar geothermal powerstation to be built at Rotokawa, near Taupo, will be the biggest in the world – and will help manage New Zealand’s carbon footprint. The Nga Awa Purua station is a joint venture between a local iwi land trust, and the Mighty River Power Company. Building is […]
Solar Thermal Power
April 3rd, 2008Mmm hmm. Via: The Oil Drum: An area of desert around 250 km by 250 km covered with CSP power generation could supply all the world’s current electricity demand. Solar thermal plants can be built in their entirety within a few years – much faster than many conventional power projects. Solar thermal plants are built […]
Intelligence Centers Tap Into Personal Databases
April 2nd, 2008Via: Washington Post: Intelligence centers run by states across the country have access to personal information about millions of Americans, including unlisted cellphone numbers, insurance claims, driver’s license photographs and credit reports, according to a document obtained by The Washington Post. One center also has access to top-secret data systems at the CIA, the document […]
U.S. Mint Sets Price for New, One Ounce American Eagle Gold Coins at $1,119.95 Each
April 2nd, 2008WARNING: This is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any financial instrument. Right now, the spot market price for gold is $890.50 per ounce. The new American Eagle price of $1,119.95 includes a premium of $229.45, per one ounce coin—over the spot price of the metal. Obviously, coins have minting costs associated with […]
Some Homes Worth Less than Their Copper Pipes
April 2nd, 2008Via: Reuters: Shards of broken glass outside the basement window of 31 Vine Street hint at the destruction inside the three-story home. Thieves smashed the window to break in and then gutted the property for its copper pipes — a crime that has spread across the United States as the economy slows and foreclosed homes […]
