Archive for February, 2011
Residential Energy Storage with Underground Flywheels
February 16th, 2011Update 2013: Velkess: New Residential Scale Flywheel Design — A reader asked if I knew of a better way of storing energy for an off grid house than the ancient and familiar lead acid battery bank. Knowing that there really isn’t, I thought I’d try to be funny, so I said, “How about a big […]
Deficit: Biggest Share of Economy Since 1945
February 15th, 2011Via: AP: Not since World War II has the federal budget deficit made up such a big chunk of the U.S. economy. And within two or three years, economists fear the result could be sharply higher interest rates that would slow economic growth. The budget plan President Barack Obama sent Congress on Monday foresees a […]
DOE to Spend $27 Million on ‘Sun Shot’
February 15th, 2011‘Sun Shot’, eh? Ok, let’s look at what was spent on the Apollo program: The final cost of project Apollo was reported to Congress as $25.4 billion in 1973. $25.4 billion in 1973 dollars would equal $123 billion in 2009 dollars (source). So, by allocating $27 million of today’s dollars to this ‘Sun Shot’ project, […]
Argentina Seized Undeclared Weapons and Drugs on U.S. Military Aircraft Last Week
February 15th, 2011Via: AFP: Argentina and the United States are engaged in a diplomatic spat after Buenos Aires authorities seized what they say are undeclared weapons and drugs on a US military aircraft last week. The Argentine government on Monday said it planned to lodge a formal protest with Washington, while the US State Department said it […]
‘Mubarak Falls Into Coma After Final Speech’ [???]
February 15th, 2011Let me guess: He’ll die and the majority of his looted billions won’t be found? Via: Al Arabiya: Egypt’s deposed president, Hosni Mubarak, went into a full coma on Saturday night at his residence in the Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheikh, an Egyptian newspaper reported on Monday, quoting well-informed sources. Mubarak and his family […]
Is Mubarak a Mason?
February 15th, 2011I went to read, How The Mubarak Family Made Its Billions, and there it was: See: The Hidden Hand that Shaped History: Has the course of History been directed by a small group of people with common interests? The paintings and pictures of the great men of the past centuries reveal a common thread which […]
The Afghan Bank Heist
February 14th, 2011Via: The New Yorker: A secret investigation may implicate dozens of high-ranking government officials. … The Threat Finance Cell also has almost single-handedly demonstrated the degree to which the American-led war in Afghanistan is compromised by connections among the Taliban, drug traffickers, and Afghan officials. The group was set up, in 2008, to sever the […]
Protests in Iran
February 14th, 2011The U.S. State Department is openly stirring the pot: The US State Department has begun sending Twitter messages to Iranians in Farsi, alluding to the “historic role” social media have played in mass protests against Iran’s 2009 disputed presidential polls. The Twitter feeds in the Iranian language began Sunday as US officials accused Iran of […]
Food Price Inflation
February 14th, 2011Via: Bloomberg: Nowhere could the fallout be greater than Asia, where a critical mass of those living on less than $2 a day reside. It might have major implications for Asia’s debt outlook. It may have even bigger ones for leaders hoping to keep the peace and avoid mass protests.
Austin Considers $50 a Year, Unlimited Electric Car Charging Service
February 14th, 2011Via: Austin Business Journal: Austin City Council members this week will consider charging Austin electric car drivers $50 a year to boot up their batteries from any Austin Energy plug-in. The proposed rate would apply to Austin Energy’s “Plug-in Everywhere” program — a network of public charging stations for electric vehicles. The city would offer […]
