Residents have seized the building of the local administration in the town of Karabulak, Ingushetia, a North Caucasus republic neighboring Chechnya.
People have stormed the building, pushed the administration head, Ibragim Arsamakov, out of his office and said they will not leave till the republicâs leaders come to the scene. According to the latest reports by Interfax news agency, the republicâs PM, Ibragim Malsagov, has already arrived. Negotiations with the protesters are currently under way.
The protestors are demanding land holdings they have reportedly not received since 1988. They accuse the local administration of corruption.
However, the republican governmentâs press service quoted by the agency said the administration office in Karabulak was not seized by local residents. The press service acknowledged that land holding problems have existed in the town for more than 20 years.
Ingushetiaâs president, Murat Zyazikov, has dismissed Karabulakâs mayor for an âincorrect approach to the solution of problems and a lack of attention to the peopleâs needs,â the press service said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
07/11/2005 13:16 ||
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A total of 700 kilograms of the explosive trotyl have been found near the Kremlin and Red Square but they pose no threat of explosion, the Moscow interior department said. Decayed explosive without detonating charge was found in the foundation of the Moskva hotel that had been recently pulled down. Explosive experts initially discovered four boxes with explosive but subsequently the number of boxes grew. Work was still underway to lift all the boxes.
The Moskva hotel was built by Soviet architect Shchesev who had designed the Lenin tomb. The hotel opened in December 1935. Many honorary guests invited by the Soviet government stayed at the Moskva. During the 1941-1945 Soviet-German war, when fascists came close to Moscow, the hotel and some other administrative buildings were mined. In the past few years, deputies of the State Duma (parliament's lower house) lived at the hotel. In July 2003, the Moskva was closed for reconstruction. The hotel's building has been completely pulled down. Construction work is underway.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/11/2005 00:00 ||
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Well... Now they can close the books on that missing dynamite that Stalin was so ticked off about.
Georgia was ready to grant its breakaway South Ossetia region the status of autonomy, the Georgian president said. Mikhail Saakashvili announced this initiative at an international conference, "The Georgian Government's Initiatives on the Peaceful Settlement of the South Ossetian Conflict," being held in Batumi (Adzharia).
According to Saakashvili, Georgia demands that South Ossetian authorities should immediately re-open dialog and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) should intensify its work in the area of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict. 'We are ready to pay compensations to the victims of the conflict, discuss the creation of a free economic zone and ease the regime of crossing the Georgian state border into Russia," Saakashvili said.
South Ossetia is a self-proclaimed republic formally staying within Georgia. Not a single country recognized its independence. Saakashvili said that the Georgian authorities were ready to make broad concessions to grant autonomy to South Ossetia. But the Georgian president said, "Everyone must understand that we will not allow Georgia to fall into parts and will resist toughly any attempts by our territories to proclaim independence."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/11/2005 00:00 ||
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To quote P.J. O'Rourke, I bet South Ossetia is going to start having problems with South-West Ossetia pretty soon.
The man who took over the interim leadership of Kyrgyzstan when its president fled an uprising three months ago headed to an overwhelming victory in presidential elections, according to results released Monday. Kurmanbek Bakiyev, now the country's acting president, had been the favorite among six candidates in Kyrgyzstan, which is of strategic importance for both Washington and Moscow. With 70 percent of the vote counted, Bakiyev had received nearly 89 percent support, giving him an insurmountable lead over five challengers, according to figures posted on the Central Elections Commission Web site.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/11/2005 00:00 ||
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They might have been congratulated for their "green" efforts in an area of heavy air pollution. Instead a group of French cleaning ladies who organised a car-sharing scheme to get to work are being taken to court by a coach company which accuses them of "an act of unfair and parasitical competition". The women, who live in Moselle and work five days a week at EU offices in Luxembourg, are being taken to court by Transports Schiocchet Excursions, which runs a service along the route. It wants the women to be fined and their cars confiscated.
The court case will be heard in January next year.
You don't think it could happen here? California wants to tax cars by the miles they drive because hybrid cars don't burn as much gas, so they don't pay as much gax tax. If governments can take your house because business will generate more tax revenue, they could take your car to force you on to a government run bus or train.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/11/2005 15:13 ||
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EU Commission targets states over noise pollution BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union states that have not adopted EU rules aimed at reducing noise in crowded cities will face court action if they fail to act soon, the bloc's executive said on Monday. The European Commission said it was initiating legal action against 11 states which had failed to incorporate the rules into national noise pollution legislation, which should have been done by July 2004. The states are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and Britain.
"The EU's objective is to substantially reduce the number of people in Europe affected by noise by 2012," Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said in a statement. To reach this objective, it is crucial that all member states implement the agreed measures." The rules require states to draw maps that track the level of noise from cars, planes, machinery and other sources in areas inhabited by more than 100,000 people. Busy intersections or traffic networks are also targeted. Once the maps are established, the states must formulate a plan to make the area quieter.
Luxembourg approved the European Union's proposed constitution Sunday despite uncertainty over its future, prompting the nation's premier to say it had put the charter "back on the European agenda" after recent rejections. Luxembourg's vote means a majority of the union's nations â 13 out of 25 â have approved the constitution. However, the bloc's leaders have frozen the ratification process after the charter was rejected in French and Dutch voters in late spring. The constitution needs unanimous approval to take effect, and leaders in France and The Netherlands have said they will not hold a second vote.
But Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker insisted the constitution was not dead after 56.52 percent of voters in Luxembourg approved it. Officials said 43.48 percent voted against it. "If Luxembourg had voted 'no' today, that would have been the final shot in the head for the constitution," Juncker said. "As Luxembourg has said 'yes' the process can go ahead. There is a way for the European constitution to be adopted."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/11/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
If Luxembourg had voted "NO" it would have been the final shot in the head.
While the YES was simply a shot in the a... so we can prolong its sufferings. It takes a moron like Juncker to think that the vote of half a dozen people (225,000 registered voters) in a country who lives from money laundering and... from having euro-institutions on its soil (ie its vote is bought and paid for) can undo the negative votes of France and Netherlands. And we also notice that the press seems to be very discrete about how many people went to vote. Here oin France it was 70% and still higher in the Netherlnds.
#2
Excellent points, as always, JFM. Juncker is distraught and worried: not only will he and his ilk will lose the loot they planned on skimming, but imagine the unemployment! Lol!
#4
Luxembourg's vote means a majority of the union's nations â 13 out of 25 â have approved the constitution.
IIRC only three of these country's citizens actually voted for it; the other 10 were approved by their legislatures. I'm sure it was just an oversight by the reporter...
It's dead - unless the EUrocrats pull some illegal shenanigans.
Which they will certainly try.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/11/2005 14:08 Comments ||
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#8
reminds me of the scene in The Last Emperor where Pu Yi hears from one of his Japanese handlers that Manchuko has been recognized by El Salvador, and it's just a matter of time before the rest of the world follows suit.
Posted by: Mike ||
07/11/2005 16:44 Comments ||
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Raincoast Books Obtains Injunction Against Early Disclosure and Reviews of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
VANCOUVER, July 11 /CNW/ - Raincoast Books announced today that they were successful in obtaining a court injunction regarding Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The eagerly awaited sixth volume in the best-selling series is being released in Canada at one minute past midnight local time on July 16th, 2005.
Madam Justice Gill of the Supreme Court of British Columbia granted to Raincoast Books Distribution Ltd., Bloomsbury Plc and JK Rowling, a John/Jane Doe injunction against the copying or disclosing of all or any part of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince or any information derived therefrom including without limitation the story, plot or characters of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to any person prior to 12:01 a.m. local time on July 16th.
The case was brought to the Supreme Court of British Columbia on Saturday July 9th, 2005 as the result of a limited breach of the on-sale retail embargo date that involved a single location. The court ordered the return to Raincoast of any copies that have fallen into the hands of unauthorized persons owing to the breach. The court instructed "...anyone who has directly or indirectly received a copy or any other form of disclosure of Harry Potter No. 6 from John/Jane Does to deliver to the plaintiff Raincoast Books Distribution Ltd. forthwith any and all copies of Harry Potter No. 6 in their possession..."
"Raincoast and Bloomsbury, along with our global partners, have promised fans of Harry Potter that we would do our best to ensure that they would be the first to discover the secrets contained within Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on July 16th," said Jamie Broadhurst Director of Marketing for Raincoast Books, "and we felt that we had to take all necessary legal action to keep our promise to Canadian fans."
Raincoast also announced that it would reward the small number of consumers who had inadvertently purchased at the store in question an early copy of the book, if they returned their copy to Raincoast immediately. Raincoast has issued a notice to the public requesting the immediate return of copies purchased early with details of the special commemorative gift they will receive in return for their cooperation (see below: Important Notice to All Harry Potter Fans). Raincoast has promised to restore any books returned to it to the relevant individuals at 12:01 a.m. local time on July 16th. "It is not the intention of Raincoast to penalize the small group of fans who have innocently purchased a book in good faith. We look to them to ensure that the excitement and mystery of the story is preserved for fans around the world until July 16th by cooperating with us and observing the terms of the court injunction."
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a joint publishing venture in Canada between Raincoast Books Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia and Bloomsbury Plc of London, England. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will go on sale in Canada and all other major English language markets around the world Saturday July 16th. The injunction notice can be viewed at: http://raincoast.com/harrypotter/injunction.html
Any legal inquiries should be directed to:
Toronto:
Barbara Grossman
Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP - Toronto
Direct Tel no. (416) 863-4417
Fax no. (416) 863-4592
barbara.grossman@fmc-law.com
Vancouver:
Clayton W. Caverly
Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP-Vancouver
Direct Tel no. (604) 443-7126
Fax no. (604) 683-5214
clayton.caverly@fmc-law.com
Anyone who has purchased or otherwise obtained a copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince before the publication date of July 16th should contact Raincoast immediately at 1-800-663-5714 or 604-323-7100. After hours please contact 604-968-0027 or 604-841-9206 or info@raincoast.com.
THE ORDER - (GAWD WHAT WOULD WE DO WITHOUT OUR NORTHERN NEIGHBORS?)
IMPORTANT NOTICE
July 9, 2005
Vancouver, B.C.
You are hereby notified that on July 9th, 2005, at approximately 4:30 Pacific daylight time, the Honourable Madam Justice Gill granted a John and Jane Doe restraining order to Raincoast Books, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC and JK Rowling in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The court ordered an injunction;
(i) restraining John/Jane Does and anyone who has directly or indirectly received a copy or any other form of disclosure of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling (âHarry Potter #6â) from John/Jane Does and anyone who is given notice of the order from copying or disclosing all or any part of Harry Potter #6 or any information derived therefrom including without limitation the story, plot or characters of Harry Potter #6 to any person prior to 12:01 a.m. local time on July 16, 2005 without the consent of the Plaintiffsâ solicitors save for information which has been made the subject of any press release issued or other communication made by or on behalf of and with the authority of the Plaintiffs;
(ii) restraining John/Jane Does and anyone who is given notice of the order from displaying, reading, offering for sale, selling, exhibiting in public or without the express consent of the Plaintiffs possessing Harry Potter #6 prior to 12:01 a.m. local time on July 16, 2005;
(iii) subject to paragraph (iv) below, restraining John/Jane Does, and anyone who has directly or indirectly received a copy or any other form of disclosure of Harry Potter #6 from John/Jane Does, and anyone who is given notice of the order, from making any use of, or destroying or concealing, or without the express consent of the Plaintiffs parting with possession, power, custody or control of any copy of Harry Potter #6 or any part of it or any copies thereof or any notes or descriptions of it prior to 12:01 a.m. local time on July 16, 2005;
(iv) compelling John/Jane Does and each of them and anyone who has directly or indirectly received a copy or any other form of disclosure of Harry Potter #6 from John/Jane Does to deliver to the plaintiff Raincoast Book Distribution Ltd. forthwith any and all copies of Harry Potter #6 in their possession as well as any photocopies, photographs or electronic copies of any portion of that book and all notes or descriptions of it and to immediately delete all electronic copies of any part of that book in their possession or under their control.
A certified copy of the formal order is available upon request from info@raincoast.com.
An independent investigator for the UN says racism in Japan is deep and profound, and the government does not recognise the depth of the problem.
Doudou Diene, a UN special rapporteur on racism and xenophobia, was speaking at the end of a nine-day tour of the country.
He said Japan should introduce new legislation to combat discrimination.
Mr Diene travelled to several Japanese cities during his visit, meeting minority groups and touring slums.
He said that although the government helped to organise his visit, he felt many officials failed to recognise the seriousness of the racism and discrimination minorities suffered.
He was also concerned that politicians used racist or nationalist themes, as he put it, to whip up popular emotions. He singled out the treatment of ethnic Koreans and Chinese and indigenous tribes.
Mr Diene says he plans to recommend that Japan enact a law against discrimination, which he said should be drawn up in consultation with minority groups.
He said he would now wait for the Japanese government to respond to his comments before submitting a report to the United Nations.
Only one guy, from the UN speaking for 1% of the population. Hmmm...the word asshat comes to mind.
Also, the Koreans and the Japanese have hated each other for centuries. Nothing real new there.
Sorry, I don't know all that much about Japan and her history (and please correct me if I'm wrong) but aren't 'indigenous tribes' of Japan the... um... Japanese themselves?
#4
CrazyFool:
Not defending the UN, but I think the reference was to the Ainu.
And Japan does have a lengthy record of racism ( example), but the UN is the last group one would want addressing something like that. Japan's continued economic ties around the world will do more to alleviate this than all the BS the UN could produce.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
07/11/2005 19:33 Comments ||
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#6
This asshat should go study Saudi Arabia.
Posted by: Neutron Tom ||
07/11/2005 19:43 Comments ||
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#7
Why are our UN dues paying for the likes of this???
Posted by: Neutron Tom ||
07/11/2005 19:45 Comments ||
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#8
Japan is easily one of the most closed and xenophobic societies in the world, they also are one of the largest contributors UN so Doudou Diene, UN special rapporteur, STFU. No one need a "study" to tell us that.
#9
The Japanese are deeply, profoundly racist. This is not exactly news. It's almost equally true for the Chinese and the Koreans. Try and get a Beijing native started on the Koreans some time, you'd be amazed. But, since Japan is still obscenely overpopulated, is the polar opposite of expansionist, and isn't about to start getting great swarms of immigrants, I can't see as it's all that great of a priority.
Yes, the Ainu and the untouchables and the Koreans get a raw deal, but there just aren't that many Ainu left, at least half of the Koreans are financially supporting one of the worst regimes on the face of the earth, and the untouchables - damn, I can't remember the proper name, the people who were supposed to be tanners and that sort of thing - can just emigrate to somewhere rational where the locals won't be all pissy about how their grandfathers were unclean and all that rot.
And yes, there were indigenes in the Japanese islands. Operative word "were" - the Honshu indigenes have been gone for the better part of a millennium. (The red-hatted folk in Princess Mononoke are supposed to be these people, wiped out in actual history centuries before the period that movie was set in)
The Ainu are the indigenes of Hokkaido, which was only heavily occupied by the Japanese in the Nineteenth Century. As I understand it, they're disappearing quite rapidly, half due to racial reasons, half due to the same demographic pressures that's wiping out the rural populations of the rest of the developed world outside of the USA.
But the Japanese came over from Korea sometime between 300 AD and 300 BC. No more indigenes than the Anglo-Saxons in Great Britain.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
07/11/2005 21:22 Comments ||
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#10
...can't remember the proper name, the people who were supposed to be tanners and that sort of thing
#12
This is just because the Japanese are such good allies of the US in the WOT and liberation of Iraq. The UN bureaucratics just want to turn a knife and this offered them the opportunity. I guess Saddam's treatment of the Kurds just didn't justify such their attention or their own BDS fever which only heightens their own xenophobia towards the unwashed Americans. This is on the same level as Libya and Cuba on the UN Human Rights Council.
#13
I was deployed there for a while. Yes, they have their racists. Prolly a little more open about it then most places I've been. "Gai-jen" -Japanese left handed word for foreigner or a polite way of calling an American a barbarian. Used all the time in my presence, though I'm not sure in my case why they felt the need to be polite. I have to admit I was a little offended, I couldn't believe they didn't realize they had a full on knuckle dragging neanderthal in their midst!
#14
Jarhead: "Gai-jen" -Japanese left handed word for foreigner or a polite way of calling an American a barbarian.
Gaijin (in Chinese, wairen) stands literally for "outside person". The Chinese equivalent, waiguoren is rendered, literally, "outside country person". I think they both mean foreigner. There might be some derogatory meaning attached to both expressions, but I think the basic meaning is pretty neutral. (Of course, one might find this derogatory if one believes that not being considered Japanese or Chinese is a major insult).
#15
You think that racisim might go away when these folks emigrate and have been here a generation, but it doesn't apperently. I have a person I know up in Vancouver B.C., even mentioning the Chinese and you will get an ear full, he was living in an apaertment complex with some Chinese folks, I thought I would never hear the end of it.
#16
Thanks X and Mrs Davis. Didn't know that - learn something every day :).
I've heard of the Japanese racism (or, as my brother, a fisherman once said: "They think their shit don't stink!"). But I dont think its as hostile or aggresive as in some of the Arab states.
ALOR STAR [Malaysia], July 10 (Bernama) -- Ten Indonesians who had pleaded guilty to gang robbery on a ship changed their plea to not guilty Sunday when the Sessions Court was about to sentence them for the crime. They claimed that they had not fully understood the charge against them when their plea was recorded on June 28.
All of them, who were unrepresented then, had pleaded guilty to gang robbery on board the vessel Nepline Delima in waters between Kota Kuala Muda and Langkawi off the Kedah coast between 4 am and 12.25 pm on June 14 this year. They were charged under Section 395 of the Penal Code read together with Section 397 of the same code, and which carries a maximum 20-year jail term and whipping, if convicted.
When the court sat today, lawyer VM Ravindran told the court that he had been appointed by the Indonesian embassy last Thursday to represent all the accused. He then applied to the court for the case to be postponed by a month to enable him to study the court papers.
Judge Maznah Abdul Aziz then asked the accused if they still wanted to maintain their plea of not guilty, to which all answered in the affirmative. She then asked them if they understood Bahasa Malaysia and when they said yes she proceeded to explain the charge to them. After listening to the explanation, the accused maintained their plea of not guilty.
The court then fixed Aug 10 for re-mention of the case.
Alex Bird
Can the GOP run him for a congressional seat in Massachusetts?
He's Qualified (28 - born in the US)
GOP has no seats in Massachusetts now.
He'd be an improvement....
African Grey Parrot Is First Bird To Comprehend Numerical Concept Akin To Zero
Waltham, Mass. -- A Brandeis University researcher has shown that an African grey parrot with a walnut-sized brain (Large for a liberal) understands a numerical concept akin to zero -- an abstract notion that humans don't typically understand until age three or four, and that can significantly challenge learning-disabled children. (And Teddy Kennedy)
Strikingly, Alex, the 28-year-old parrot who lives in a Brandeis lab run by comparative psychologist and cognitive scientist Dr. Irene Pepperberg, spontaneously and correctly used the label "none" during a testing session of his counting skills to describe an absence of a numerical quantity on a tray. This discovery prompted a series of trials in which Alex consistently demonstrated the ability to identify zero quantity by saying the label "none."
Dr. Pepperberg's research findings, published in the current issue of The Journal of Comparative Psychology, add to a growing body of scientific evidence that the avian brain, though physically and organizationally somewhat different from the mammalian cortex, is capable of higher cognitive processing than previously thought. Chimpanzees and possibly squirrel monkeys show some understanding of the concept of zero, but Alex is the first bird to demonstrate an understanding of the absence of a numerical set, Dr. Pepperberg noted.
"It is doubtful that Alex's achievement, or those of some other animals such as chimps, can be completely trained; rather, it seems likely that these skills are based on simpler cognitive abilities they need for survival, such as recognition of more versus less," explained Dr. Pepperberg.
Alex had previously used the label "none" to describe an absence of similarity or difference between two objects, but he had never been taught the concept of zero quantity. "Alex has a zero-like concept; it's not identical to ours but he repeatedly showed us that he understands an absence of quantity," said Dr. Pepperberg.
{Sqwak} now do I get the cracker? {sqwak}
Historically, the use of "zero" to label a null set has not always been obvious even in human cultures, which in many cases lacked a formal term for zero as recently as the late Middle Ages. The value of number research lies mainly in its ability to help determine the extent of animal cognition and animals' potential for more complex capacities. To that end, Dr. Pepperberg's studies on the avian brain are continuing with research into Alex's ability to count, as well as add and subtract small quantities. (See brighter than Kerry, who can't count his medals)
Yet significantly, Dr. Pepperberg's research, which uses a training method called the model-rival technique, also holds promise for teaching autistic and other learning-disabled children who have difficulty learning language, numerical concepts and even empathy.
The model rival technique involves two trainers, one to give instructions, and one to model correct and incorrect responses and to act as the student's rival for the trainer's attention; the model and trainer also exchange roles so that the student sees that the process is fully interactive. The student, in this case, a middle-aged parrot, tries to reproduce the correct behavior. So far, results using this learning technique with small groups of autistic children, taught by Diane Sherman, PhD, in Monterey, CA, have been very promising, said Dr. Pepperberg.
"This kind of research is changing the way we think about birds and intelligence, but it also helps us break down barriers to learning in humans -- and the importance of such strides cannot be underestimated," said Dr. Pepperberg.
Changing the way we think about liberal's intellegence
Cornell ecologist's study finds that producing ethanol and biodiesel from corn and other crops is not worth the energy
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Turning plants such as corn, soybeans and sunflowers into fuel uses much more energy than the resulting ethanol or biodiesel generates, according to a new Cornell University and University of California-Berkeley study.
"There is just no energy benefit to using plant biomass for liquid fuel," says David Pimentel, professor of ecology and agriculture at Cornell. "These strategies are not sustainable."
Pimentel and Tad W. Patzek, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Berkeley, conducted a detailed analysis of the energy input-yield ratios of producing ethanol from corn, switch grass and wood biomass as well as for producing biodiesel from soybean and sunflower plants. Their report is published in Natural Resources Research (Vol. 14:1, 65-76).
In terms of energy output compared with energy input for ethanol production, the study found that:
-corn requires 29 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced;
-switch grass requires 45 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced; and
-wood biomass requires 57 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced.
In terms of energy output compared with the energy input for biodiesel production, the study found that:
-soybean plants requires 27 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced, and
-sunflower plants requires 118 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced. Yikes!
In assessing inputs, the researchers considered such factors as the energy used in producing the crop (including production of pesticides and fertilizer, running farm machinery and irrigating, grinding and transporting the crop) and in fermenting/distilling the ethanol from the water mix. Although additional costs are incurred, such as federal and state subsidies that are passed on to consumers and the costs associated with environmental pollution or degradation, these figures were not included in the analysis.
"The United State desperately needs a liquid fuel replacement for oil in the near future," says Pimentel, "but producing ethanol or biodiesel from plant biomass is going down the wrong road, because you use more energy to produce these fuels than you get out from the combustion of these products."
Although Pimentel advocates the use of burning biomass to produce thermal energy (to heat homes, for example), he deplores the use of biomass for liquid fuel. "The government spends more than $3 billion a year to subsidize ethanol production when it does not provide a net energy balance or gain, is not a renewable energy source or an economical fuel. Further, its production and use contribute to air, water and soil pollution and global warming," Pimentel says. He points out that the vast majority of the subsidies do not go to farmers but to large ethanol-producing corporations. You don't say.
"Ethanol production in the United States does not benefit the nation's energy security, its agriculture, economy or the environment," says Pimentel. "Ethanol production requires large fossil energy input, and therefore, it is contributing to oil and natural gas imports and U.S. deficits." He says the country should instead focus its efforts on producing electrical energy from photovoltaic cells, wind power and burning biomass and producing fuel from hydrogen conversion.
Well, maybe one comment: Bwhahahahahahahaahaha! :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/11/2005 15:08 ||
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#1
Methanol baby! Methane comith from pig shit.
A dual use product, eat more pork and piss off a moslem!
#2
He says the country should instead focus its efforts on producing electrical energy from photovoltaic cells, wind power and burning biomass and producing fuel from hydrogen conversion.
Arrrrgh! This drives me nuts!
About 2% of electricity in the United States is produced from oil. Coal, nuclear and natural gas account for almost all of our electric needs.
The amount of oil we import into this country is almost identical to what we use in the transportation sector. Electricity has almost nothing to do with it.
There is one significant positive aspect to biodiesel that these professors have overlooked: you can make it yourself. More specifically, if you are looking for a source of energy for an internal combustion engine that isnât supplied by a delivery grid (such as gas stations) with a modified diesel engine you can use just about anything (peanut oil, old motor oil, sunflower seed oil, fat, etc) as an energy source. Yes, I understand that commercially producing sunflower seed oil involves the use a certain amount of fossil fuel unless you modify your tractor engine to use the very product you are producing -- not an unreasonable proposition. However the vast majority of farmers who are growing sunflowers, peanuts, soybeans, or what-have-you are doing so for the production of food, not fuel. It is very likely that most of them have never considered using vegetable oil as a fuel before as most farmers and ranchers get fuel delivered directly to their places by tanker truck. All very understandable.
Now, if you will all humor me for a moment, one of the things that makes the American ideal a unique one is its emphasis on the individual doing things for himself. This belief in self sufficiency and non-collectivism is the foundation of the set of values our frontiersmen ancestors have bequeathed us. People grew food crops for thousands of years before the advent of the tractor. You cannot make your own gasoline without A) access to an oil well and B) a complex refinery, but you can make your own sunflower oil with fairly simply methods. The less you need others to supply your basic daily needs , especially when those others are the government or regulated portions of the private sector, the freer in reality you are.
Needing to have an ARCO station every twenty blocks everywhere in America doesnât make us freer or provide us with liberty. Being able to produce our own fuel through non-statist, non-socialist means is a step in the right direction. Yes, I understand that the technology has some problems (carbon buildup in the engine comes to mind) and, no, I donât like idea of the government subsidizing anything that doesnât bristle with weapons and kill terrorists. But letâs not come down too hard on the small-scale, backyard biodiesel people for coming up with a grass roots solution to what may very well become one of the biggest problems of the 21st century.
#5
Secret Master - If it takes more energy to process it than you can get by burning it, it's a bad idea no matter how self-sufficient it makes you feel.
There are two reasons for continued federal subsidies for ethanol - the Iowa caucuses (both the GOP and Dem candidates promise to continue them like clockwork every four years) and the assortment of underpopulated farm states that get two senators just like everyone else.
I don't mind the wasted money so much (we waste more on lots of other things), but the lost time in finding an energy solution that will actually work could come back to haunt us big time.
#6
I Don't Have A Link Handy, but I have seen criticisms of similar studies to these.
One thing in particular comes to mind: IF you can use grid power to provide the power inputs to the process, then even if it takes power to produce ethanol or biodiesel, it's still a more efficient and useful way of storing grid power for use in motor vehicles than doing electrolysis of water for hydrogen and trying to store the hydrogen...
The most efficient way of storing hydrogen is to attach it to carbon atoms to form longer-chain hydrocarbons.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
07/11/2005 18:04 Comments ||
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#7
The study confirms what a lot of us have known for years. However, it then goes on to perpetuate other myths. With a few esoteric exceptions, all energy systems need to be on demand. Imagine waiting for the wind to start blowing before your toaster works. Solar and wind are not on demand. Burning biomass just doesn't scale simply because there isn't enough conventiently available biomass. It will never be more than a tiny source of energy. And hydrogen conversion requires energy from somewhere and is horribly inefficient. It increases your demand for energy by between 2 and 5 times. The reality is either burn more fossil fuels or nuclear (or freeze in the dark). Take your pick.
#8
VAMark-
You hit the nail on the head when you said "....the lost time in finding an energy solution that will actually work could come back to haunt us big time." I am not referring to the government subsidized corporate interests who are scamming a buck off of the ethanol thing â I have no sympathy for them. Cut them off. I also have no sympathy for farmers who take direct agricultural subsidies (as opposed to tax breaks) from the government. Cut them off. Here on the West Coast there is a small but growing movement of people who make their own fuel in backyard stills or modify their diesel vehicles to take straight vegetable oils of various types. I have a close childhood friend who does this a kind of hobby over in Oakland. He gets most of his oil used from the grease traps of Chinese restaurants, filters it, and mixes it with small amounts diesel as well as some other chemicals. Right now he is paying an average of 50 cents per gallon as opposed to the $2.75 Iâm paying. It takes up a bit of his free time, but there you go.
How are these backyard tinkerers keeping âusâ from finding âan energy solution that will actually work?â Seems to be working for them. When you say âusâ do you actually mean âthe government?â Or do you mean Exxon? Or do you mean GM? Which âusâ is working hard at finding a way to make, say, a less complex hydrogen engine? They work, you know, but theyâve just have a lot of kinks that need to be worked out. Eventually they will be, but if you are relying on the government and corporate America to come up with an answer before it becomes absolutely economically necessary for them to do it.... well, youâre going to be waiting for a good long while.
See, hereâs a group of people who are not waiting for a âtop-downâ solution to their problems. Are you?
#9
VAMark-
You hit the nail on the head when you said "....the lost time in finding an energy solution that will actually work could come back to haunt us big time." I am not referring to the government subsidized corporate interests who are scamming a buck off of the ethanol thing â I have no sympathy for them. Cut them off. I also have no sympathy for farmers who take direct agricultural subsidies (as opposed to tax breaks) from the government. Cut them off. Here on the West Coast there is a small but growing movement of people who make their own fuel in backyard stills or modify their diesel vehicles to take straight vegetable oils of various types. I have a close childhood friend who does this a kind of hobby over in Oakland. He gets most of his oil used from the grease traps of Chinese restaurants, filters it, and mixes it with small amounts diesel as well as some other chemicals. Right now he is paying an average of 50 cents per gallon as opposed to the $2.75 Iâm paying. It takes up a bit of his free time, but there you go.
How are these backyard tinkerers keeping âusâ from finding âan energy solution that will actually work?â Seems to be working for them. When you say âusâ do you actually mean âthe government?â Or do you mean Exxon? Or do you mean GM? Which âusâ is working hard at finding a way to make, say, a less complex hydrogen engine? They work, you know, but theyâve just have a lot of kinks that need to be worked out. Eventually they will be, but if you are relying on the government and corporate America to come up with an answer before it becomes absolutely economically necessary for them to do it.... well, youâre going to be waiting for a good long while.
See, hereâs a group of people who are not waiting for a âtop-downâ solution to their problems. Are you?
Posted by: Neutron Tom ||
07/11/2005 19:53 Comments ||
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#13
You missed hydrogen. Same thing. More input than output. But if you use low-cost nuke energy, it's reasonable. But son't believe me, read the mag with the nice pictures and graphs - Scientific American. This spring.
Oh, but no one wants nukes, so I guess it's back to more Iranian oil!
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/11/2005 21:37 Comments ||
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#14
O.K. DON'T believe me, even after the preview. Goodnight, nurse. Datsa enuff gin and tonic.... snooze...
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/11/2005 21:38 Comments ||
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#15
Does the biodiesel rubrik cover the stuff that is made from used frier grease? A nice byproduct of that is the French fry smell you leave in the wake of your VW turbodiesel.
Canadian oil giant EnCana is considering bringing in Chinese companies to construct and operate drilling rigs in the Colorado Rockies, as the region struggles to keep up with demand and rising energy prices. Oh, not only no but HELL NO!
EnCana, a major player in the Piceance Basin of western Colorado, said Chinese labor is cheap and the workers are well-educated. The move would be scrutinized in Washington, where politicians are uneasy about allowing Chinese workers to acquire access to U.S.-based oil and gas facilities.
"I am totally against the Chinese government running the jobs in our country," said Rep. John Salazar, Colorado Democrat, whose district is most affected by drilling. "With the Chinese government getting involved, it's not even a competitive business model." I don't trust Salazar and he is little more than a Democratic stooge, but I fully agree with him on this point.
Mr. Salazar and other U.S. lawmakers already are concerned about the China National Offshore Oil Corp.'s interest in buying the U.S. oil and gas conglomerate Unocal Corp.
The House voted June 30 to block China's cash bid of $18.5 billion. The 398-15 vote came hours after China cited U.S. "political interference" in what it called a purely commercial matter. More like national intrest and defense.
"Outsourcing has already claimed millions of jobs," Mr. Salazar said. "We cannot allow that to happen within our own borders. Rural communities have been hit hard enough. We need to keep American jobs in America."
EnCana is deciding whether to construct the drilling rigs in China and import them with Chinese workers to the United States. Why are we paying a second world nation to staff our first world facilites with third world workers?
"Some operators in that part of the world have explored the [Chinese] option," EnCana spokesman Alan Boras said. "It was mentioned [by EnCana executives to analysts] as a way to increase capacity of the rig fleet in the United States.
"It's our understanding the Chinese have the rigs and the crews and are trying to market that capacity. It's not imminent for EnCana, and we're not working on a specific deal."
The oil and gas well services sector in Colorado is struggling to meet demand for new rigs and to find enough workers to operate them. As consumption of oil and natural gas grows, the effects have been felt globally. News flash, the oil in Colorado is not what you would call "high grade". It was run hard in the 70s and early 80s, but really isn't worth the cost of bringing sub-grade oil up from nearly exhasted fields. Bringing in hostile forign nationals because they are "cheap" ain't gonna fix the problem.
"If they were just talking about bringing in foreign workers for the sake of lowering costs, then I think it could be grounds for pretty substantial opposition. But it's because the industry is running pretty much flat out," Mr. Boras said.
Although China's increased participation in the U.S. oil and gas industry is a prickly issue in Washington, the EnCana spokesman predicted that U.S. policy-makers would concede because Chinese companies would fill a dire need. Dire Need: see also BRIBE
I really don't think this will pan out. China is on most people's shit list at the moment and the political fall-out in '06 and '08 would not be worth the risk for most politicians.
#1
Haha. As if any of those workers would actually return to China once the job is finished. Perhaps if they were married men required to leave their families behind. But bringing dependents with them? No way, they'd never go back, ever. If this goes through I predict a bribery scandal and perhaps a murder or two in the fighting over who gets to go on this project.
#2
The only way I see this actually being economical is if they're subsidizing the sale of the rig in order to get employment for their engineers.
And the only way they can really do that is by subsidizing the cost of steel, which I've heard speculation they do.
If anything affects their ability to do that, the whole deal could deteriorate somewhat.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
07/11/2005 15:03 Comments ||
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#3
What's wrong with Mexican illegals? Not cheap enough for whatever's left Colorado oil fields, or is it that Mexican oil workers all have better-paying jobs on, I don't know, Mexican oil fields?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
07/11/2005 15:15 Comments ||
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#4
No doubt the Chinese workers get nice subsidies from the Chinese authorities. After all, can't expect someone to pre-position materials for sabotage attempts without sweetening the pot.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
07/11/2005 15:36 Comments ||
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#5
I am not buying into a lack of US drilling rigs to do the job. As far as labor goes hire US, Canadain and Mexican hands in that order.
Sounds like some greedy Canadian coperate types, I have had the displeasure of working for them before.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
The man who took over the interim leadership of Kyrgyzstan when its president fled an uprising three months ago headed to an overwhelming victory in presidential elections, according to results released Monday. Kurmanbek Bakiyev, now the country's acting president, had been the favorite among six candidates in Kyrgyzstan, which is of strategic importance for both Washington and Moscow. With 70 percent of the vote counted, Bakiyev had received nearly 89 percent support, giving him an insurmountable lead over five challengers, according to figures posted on the Central Elections Commission Web site.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union states that have not adopted EU rules aimed at reducing noise in crowded cities will face court action if they fail to act soon, the bloc's executive said on Monday. The European Commission said it was initiating legal action against 11 states which had failed to incorporate the rules into national noise pollution legislation, which should have been done by July 2004. The states are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and Britain. 
Luxembourg approved the European Union's proposed constitution Sunday despite uncertainty over its future, prompting the nation's premier to say it had put the charter "back on the European agenda" after recent rejections. Luxembourg's vote means a majority of the union's nations â 13 out of 25 â have approved the constitution. However, the bloc's leaders have frozen the ratification process after the charter was rejected in French and Dutch voters in late spring. The constitution needs unanimous approval to take effect, and leaders in France and The Netherlands have said they will not hold a second vote.
