Thursday, September 24, 2009
Domestic Surveillance:
Wired.com Newly Declassified Files Detail Massive FBI Data-Mining Project
"A fast-growing FBI data-mining system billed as a tool for hunting terrorists is being used in hacker and domestic criminal investigations, and now contains tens of thousands of records from private corporate databases, including car-rental companies, large hotel chains and at least one national department store, declassified documents obtained by Wired.com show.
Headquartered in Crystal City, Virginia, just outside Washington, the FBI’s National Security Branch Analysis Center (NSAC) maintains a hodgepodge of data sets packed with more than 1.5 billion government and private-sector records about citizens and foreigners, the documents show, bringing the government closer than ever to implementing the 'Total Information Awareness' system first dreamed up by the Pentagon in the days following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Such a system, if successful, would correlate data from scores of different sources to automatically identify terrorists and other threats before they could strike. The FBI is seeking to quadruple the known staff of the program.
But the proposal has long been criticized by privacy groups as ineffective and invasive. Critics say the new documents show that the government is proceeding with the plan in private, and without sufficient oversight..."
Science:
NY Times: Judge Rejects Approval of Biotech Sugar Beets
"A federal judge has ruled that the government failed to adequately assess the environmental impacts of genetically engineered sugar beets before approving the crop for cultivation in the United States. The decision could lead to a ban on the planting of the beets, which have been widely adopted by farmers.
In a decision issued Monday, Judge Jeffrey S. White of Federal District Court in San Francisco, said that the Agriculture Department should have done an environmental impact statement. He said it should have assessed the consequences from the likely spread of the genetically engineered trait to other sugar beets or to the related crops of Swiss chard and red table beets.
The decision echoes another ruling two years ago by a different judge in the same court involving genetically engineered alfalfa. In that case, the judge later ruled that farmers could no longer plant the genetically modified alfalfa until the Agriculture Department wrote the environmental impact statement. Two years later, there is still no such assessment and the alfalfa, with rare exceptions, is not being grown..."
Science Daily: Using Waste To Recover Waste Uranium
"Using bacteria and inositol phosphate, a chemical analogue of a cheap waste material from plants, researchers at Birmingham University have recovered uranium from the polluted waters from uranium mines. The same technology can also be used to clean up nuclear waste. Professor Lynne Macaskie, this week (7-10 September), presented the group's work to the Society for General Microbiology's meeting at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh..."
Inhabitat.com » Spray-On Solar Cells Energize Almost Any Surface
"Bulky and expensive photovoltaic panels are so 2008. What does the future look like? Entire buildings, rooftops and even windows spray-painted with revolutionary nanoparticle inks that channel solar power into a thin, semi-transparent and relatively inexpensive medium. Sound crazy? Not at all, according to one group of chemical engineers.
Spray-on solar cells may sound like a high-end development, but the technology actually stands to be cheaper than traditional solar panels. “The sun provides a nearly unlimited energy resource, but existing solar energy harvesting technologies are prohibitively expensive and cannot compete with fossil fuels,” says chemical engineer Brian Korgel of the University of Texas at Austin whose team is developing the graffiti-capable solar cells..."
Inhabitat.com » Carbon Nanotubes Could Create Better Solar Cells
"Creating the perfect solar cell (i.e. a cell that’s both efficient and cheaply produced) is certainly a work in progress. Researchers across the world have attempted to create cells from silicon, plastic and even human hair! Now, researchers at Cornell University came up with another concept: crafting solar cells from carbon nanotubes. Though still in the very early stages of development, if perfected, carbon nanotube-based cells could provide a more efficient method of converting light to electricity.
Led by professor Paul McEuen, researchers at Cornell recently tested a simple solar cell (called a photodiode) crafted from a single carbon nanotube. In this case, a carbon nanotube is basically a rolled up sheet of graphene the size of a DNA molecule. The nanotube was wired between two electrical contacts, one negatively and one positively charged. As electrons moved through the nanotube, they became excited and released excess energy, which then created even more electrons flowing through the tube. Researchers discovered that more light shined on the nanotube created even more electricity, a huge difference from today’s silicon solar cells where excess energy is lost in the form of heat rather than used to create more electricity.
While the device is certainly in its earliest stages of development, the discovery does show that carbon nanotubes can efficiently convert light to electricity. Now, researchers need to figure out a way to scale up the device while still keeping it efficient and relatively inexpensive..."
Wired.com Newly Declassified Files Detail Massive FBI Data-Mining Project
"A fast-growing FBI data-mining system billed as a tool for hunting terrorists is being used in hacker and domestic criminal investigations, and now contains tens of thousands of records from private corporate databases, including car-rental companies, large hotel chains and at least one national department store, declassified documents obtained by Wired.com show.
Headquartered in Crystal City, Virginia, just outside Washington, the FBI’s National Security Branch Analysis Center (NSAC) maintains a hodgepodge of data sets packed with more than 1.5 billion government and private-sector records about citizens and foreigners, the documents show, bringing the government closer than ever to implementing the 'Total Information Awareness' system first dreamed up by the Pentagon in the days following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Such a system, if successful, would correlate data from scores of different sources to automatically identify terrorists and other threats before they could strike. The FBI is seeking to quadruple the known staff of the program.
But the proposal has long been criticized by privacy groups as ineffective and invasive. Critics say the new documents show that the government is proceeding with the plan in private, and without sufficient oversight..."
Science:
NY Times: Judge Rejects Approval of Biotech Sugar Beets
"A federal judge has ruled that the government failed to adequately assess the environmental impacts of genetically engineered sugar beets before approving the crop for cultivation in the United States. The decision could lead to a ban on the planting of the beets, which have been widely adopted by farmers.
In a decision issued Monday, Judge Jeffrey S. White of Federal District Court in San Francisco, said that the Agriculture Department should have done an environmental impact statement. He said it should have assessed the consequences from the likely spread of the genetically engineered trait to other sugar beets or to the related crops of Swiss chard and red table beets.
The decision echoes another ruling two years ago by a different judge in the same court involving genetically engineered alfalfa. In that case, the judge later ruled that farmers could no longer plant the genetically modified alfalfa until the Agriculture Department wrote the environmental impact statement. Two years later, there is still no such assessment and the alfalfa, with rare exceptions, is not being grown..."
Science Daily: Using Waste To Recover Waste Uranium
"Using bacteria and inositol phosphate, a chemical analogue of a cheap waste material from plants, researchers at Birmingham University have recovered uranium from the polluted waters from uranium mines. The same technology can also be used to clean up nuclear waste. Professor Lynne Macaskie, this week (7-10 September), presented the group's work to the Society for General Microbiology's meeting at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh..."
Inhabitat.com » Spray-On Solar Cells Energize Almost Any Surface
"Bulky and expensive photovoltaic panels are so 2008. What does the future look like? Entire buildings, rooftops and even windows spray-painted with revolutionary nanoparticle inks that channel solar power into a thin, semi-transparent and relatively inexpensive medium. Sound crazy? Not at all, according to one group of chemical engineers.
Spray-on solar cells may sound like a high-end development, but the technology actually stands to be cheaper than traditional solar panels. “The sun provides a nearly unlimited energy resource, but existing solar energy harvesting technologies are prohibitively expensive and cannot compete with fossil fuels,” says chemical engineer Brian Korgel of the University of Texas at Austin whose team is developing the graffiti-capable solar cells..."
Inhabitat.com » Carbon Nanotubes Could Create Better Solar Cells
"Creating the perfect solar cell (i.e. a cell that’s both efficient and cheaply produced) is certainly a work in progress. Researchers across the world have attempted to create cells from silicon, plastic and even human hair! Now, researchers at Cornell University came up with another concept: crafting solar cells from carbon nanotubes. Though still in the very early stages of development, if perfected, carbon nanotube-based cells could provide a more efficient method of converting light to electricity.
Led by professor Paul McEuen, researchers at Cornell recently tested a simple solar cell (called a photodiode) crafted from a single carbon nanotube. In this case, a carbon nanotube is basically a rolled up sheet of graphene the size of a DNA molecule. The nanotube was wired between two electrical contacts, one negatively and one positively charged. As electrons moved through the nanotube, they became excited and released excess energy, which then created even more electrons flowing through the tube. Researchers discovered that more light shined on the nanotube created even more electricity, a huge difference from today’s silicon solar cells where excess energy is lost in the form of heat rather than used to create more electricity.
While the device is certainly in its earliest stages of development, the discovery does show that carbon nanotubes can efficiently convert light to electricity. Now, researchers need to figure out a way to scale up the device while still keeping it efficient and relatively inexpensive..."
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Gary Younge: A Method to Their Madness
"...It's not difficult to ridicule the American right. Its peculiar blend of paranoia, mania, fantasy and misanthropy has been given full rein these past few months. Those who demanded in July to see Obama's birth certificate (which does exist) ended August invoking the British healthcare system's 'death panels' (which do not). That most of their claims were verifiably false was of little consequence--to them at least...
...So progressives could be forgiven for branding the right as stupid and crazy. But they would also be wrong. For if this is madness, there is great method in it. It is well organized and well funded. It has proven effective in mobilizing support, creating 'controversy' where little exists and disrupting and disorienting whatever national conversation there is. If it is stupid, then what does it say about us, since time and again it manages to outmaneuver the left? Annoying, bizarre, incoherent, divisive, intolerant, small-minded, misinformed, ill informed and disinformed, certainly. But stupid and crazy--anything but. It takes considerable skill to convince people that something that is clearly good for them--like universal healthcare--is not...
...you can't argue with them. A good two and a half weeks after failed rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina left bodies floating in the streets and people abandoned on roofs, 35 percent of the country believed that George W. Bush had done a good or excellent job responding to the crisis. That is roughly the proportion of the country with whom there is no real means of engagement. These are the birthers, Swiftboaters, climate change skeptics, Obamaphobes and Palin-tologists--the base. They live in a politically parallel world where everyone they know believes the same as they do. They don't like established facts, so they come armed with their own. The left has such people too, but they are marginal. With no news channels to promote them or Congressmen prepared to advocate for them, their views rarely reach the mainstream.
Third, we can beat them. These people gain the kind of purchase that shifts them from an irritant to an obstacle only when there is a vacuum of leadership and the absence of good alternatives. It is only under these conditions that they are able to cast unreasonable doubt in the reasonable minds of those who seek clarification, encouragement or a stake in any substantive change..."
"...It's not difficult to ridicule the American right. Its peculiar blend of paranoia, mania, fantasy and misanthropy has been given full rein these past few months. Those who demanded in July to see Obama's birth certificate (which does exist) ended August invoking the British healthcare system's 'death panels' (which do not). That most of their claims were verifiably false was of little consequence--to them at least...
...So progressives could be forgiven for branding the right as stupid and crazy. But they would also be wrong. For if this is madness, there is great method in it. It is well organized and well funded. It has proven effective in mobilizing support, creating 'controversy' where little exists and disrupting and disorienting whatever national conversation there is. If it is stupid, then what does it say about us, since time and again it manages to outmaneuver the left? Annoying, bizarre, incoherent, divisive, intolerant, small-minded, misinformed, ill informed and disinformed, certainly. But stupid and crazy--anything but. It takes considerable skill to convince people that something that is clearly good for them--like universal healthcare--is not...
...you can't argue with them. A good two and a half weeks after failed rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina left bodies floating in the streets and people abandoned on roofs, 35 percent of the country believed that George W. Bush had done a good or excellent job responding to the crisis. That is roughly the proportion of the country with whom there is no real means of engagement. These are the birthers, Swiftboaters, climate change skeptics, Obamaphobes and Palin-tologists--the base. They live in a politically parallel world where everyone they know believes the same as they do. They don't like established facts, so they come armed with their own. The left has such people too, but they are marginal. With no news channels to promote them or Congressmen prepared to advocate for them, their views rarely reach the mainstream.
Third, we can beat them. These people gain the kind of purchase that shifts them from an irritant to an obstacle only when there is a vacuum of leadership and the absence of good alternatives. It is only under these conditions that they are able to cast unreasonable doubt in the reasonable minds of those who seek clarification, encouragement or a stake in any substantive change..."
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Economics:
Johnson prvides excellent analysis of the financial sector's compensation trends.
BBC World Service: (23 min. audio program) Bankers on the Brink
"The finance industry has effectively captured the US government. Recovery, says Professor Simon Johnson, will fail unless the financial oligarchy that is blocking essential reform is broken. And, if a true depression is to be avoided, he says, we need to act quickly..."
The Environment:
Huffington Post: Fake New York Post: The Yes Men's Latest Takes On The Environment
"Just about ten months after the successful distribution of a lovingly crafted, satirical facsimile of the New York Times, the activist-pranksters known as The Yes Men have distributed a fake edition of the New York Post throughout New York City. This spoof bears the headline, 'We're Screwed,' so, naturally, the fakeness of the paper will probably escape detection, even among discerning employees of the New York Post.
The fake Post focuses on environmental issues. And while the paper is fake, the reporting is entirely on the level..."
Johnson prvides excellent analysis of the financial sector's compensation trends.
BBC World Service: (23 min. audio program) Bankers on the Brink
"The finance industry has effectively captured the US government. Recovery, says Professor Simon Johnson, will fail unless the financial oligarchy that is blocking essential reform is broken. And, if a true depression is to be avoided, he says, we need to act quickly..."
The Environment:
Huffington Post: Fake New York Post: The Yes Men's Latest Takes On The Environment
"Just about ten months after the successful distribution of a lovingly crafted, satirical facsimile of the New York Times, the activist-pranksters known as The Yes Men have distributed a fake edition of the New York Post throughout New York City. This spoof bears the headline, 'We're Screwed,' so, naturally, the fakeness of the paper will probably escape detection, even among discerning employees of the New York Post.
The fake Post focuses on environmental issues. And while the paper is fake, the reporting is entirely on the level..."
Monday, September 21, 2009
Energy:
The Union of Concerned Scientists is urging citizens to write their Senators to stop the Senate from giving nuclear power a blank check. I would add that if the newest generation of nuclear power plants is, indeed, as safe as they claim, then the industry should have no obstacles to purchasing liability insurance on their own, without the caps provided under the Price Anderson Act or operating competitively in the energy market.
Thomas Friedman: Real Men Tax Gas
"...Little Denmark, sweet, never-hurt-a-fly Denmark, was hit hard by the 1973 Arab oil embargo. In 1973, Denmark got all its oil from the Middle East. Today? Zero. Why? Because Denmark got tough. It imposed on itself a carbon tax, a roughly $5-a-gallon gasoline tax, made massive investments in energy efficiency and in systems to generate energy from waste, along with a discovery of North Sea oil (about 40 percent of its needs).
And us? When it comes to raising gasoline taxes or carbon taxes — at a perfect time like this when prices are already low — our politicians tell us it is simply 'off the table.' So I repeat, who is the real tough guy here?
'The first rule of warfare is: ‘Take the high ground.’ Even the simplest Taliban fighter knows that,' said David Rothkopf, energy consultant and author of 'Superclass.' 'The strategic high ground in the world — whether it is in the Middle East or vis-à-vis difficult countries like Russia and Venezuela — is to be less dependent on oil. And yet, we simply refuse to seize it.'
According to the energy economist Phil Verleger, a $1 tax on gasoline and diesel fuel would raise about $140 billion a year. If I had that money, I’d devote 45 cents of each dollar to pay down the deficit and satisfy the debt hawks, 45 cents to pay for new health care and 10 cents to cushion the burden of such a tax on the poor and on those who need to drive long distances.
Such a tax would make our economy healthier by reducing the deficit, by stimulating the renewable energy industry, by strengthening the dollar through shrinking oil imports and by helping to shift the burden of health care away from business to government so our companies can compete better globally. Such a tax would make our population healthier by expanding health care and reducing emissions. Such a tax would make our national-security healthier by shrinking our dependence on oil from countries that have drawn a bull’s-eye on our backs and by increasing our leverage over petro-dictators, like those in Iran, Russia and Venezuela, through shrinking their oil incomes.
In sum, we would be physically healthier, economically healthier and strategically healthier. And yet, amazingly, even talking about such a tax is 'off the table' in Washington. You can’t mention it. But sending your neighbor’s son or daughter to risk their lives in Afghanistan? No problem..."
The Union of Concerned Scientists is urging citizens to write their Senators to stop the Senate from giving nuclear power a blank check. I would add that if the newest generation of nuclear power plants is, indeed, as safe as they claim, then the industry should have no obstacles to purchasing liability insurance on their own, without the caps provided under the Price Anderson Act or operating competitively in the energy market.
Thomas Friedman: Real Men Tax Gas
"...Little Denmark, sweet, never-hurt-a-fly Denmark, was hit hard by the 1973 Arab oil embargo. In 1973, Denmark got all its oil from the Middle East. Today? Zero. Why? Because Denmark got tough. It imposed on itself a carbon tax, a roughly $5-a-gallon gasoline tax, made massive investments in energy efficiency and in systems to generate energy from waste, along with a discovery of North Sea oil (about 40 percent of its needs).
And us? When it comes to raising gasoline taxes or carbon taxes — at a perfect time like this when prices are already low — our politicians tell us it is simply 'off the table.' So I repeat, who is the real tough guy here?
'The first rule of warfare is: ‘Take the high ground.’ Even the simplest Taliban fighter knows that,' said David Rothkopf, energy consultant and author of 'Superclass.' 'The strategic high ground in the world — whether it is in the Middle East or vis-à-vis difficult countries like Russia and Venezuela — is to be less dependent on oil. And yet, we simply refuse to seize it.'
According to the energy economist Phil Verleger, a $1 tax on gasoline and diesel fuel would raise about $140 billion a year. If I had that money, I’d devote 45 cents of each dollar to pay down the deficit and satisfy the debt hawks, 45 cents to pay for new health care and 10 cents to cushion the burden of such a tax on the poor and on those who need to drive long distances.
Such a tax would make our economy healthier by reducing the deficit, by stimulating the renewable energy industry, by strengthening the dollar through shrinking oil imports and by helping to shift the burden of health care away from business to government so our companies can compete better globally. Such a tax would make our population healthier by expanding health care and reducing emissions. Such a tax would make our national-security healthier by shrinking our dependence on oil from countries that have drawn a bull’s-eye on our backs and by increasing our leverage over petro-dictators, like those in Iran, Russia and Venezuela, through shrinking their oil incomes.
In sum, we would be physically healthier, economically healthier and strategically healthier. And yet, amazingly, even talking about such a tax is 'off the table' in Washington. You can’t mention it. But sending your neighbor’s son or daughter to risk their lives in Afghanistan? No problem..."
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Banks:
Charlotte Observer: FBI looking into BofA-Merrill deal
"The FBI in Charlotte and the U.S. Justice Department are among the multitude of agencies investigating Bank of America Corp.'s acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co., a knowledgeable source told the Observer Friday.
The criminal investigation has been under way for about six months, the source said. The probe means an additional layer of scrutiny for the Charlotte-based bank, which bought Merrill on Jan. 1.
Bank of America already faces investigations from the New York attorney general's office, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the N.C. attorney general's office. Those probes have largely focused on the payment of billions in Merrill bonuses before the deal closed and the lack of disclosure of Merrill's ballooning fourth-quarter losses.
The previously disclosed investigations of the bank have appeared to largely involve civil matters that could lead to financial or regulatory penalties against the bank, or fines against some of its leaders..."
Health Insurance Reform:
RJ Eskow: Top Five Reasons the Baucus Bill Is Really, Really Bad
"By now you've probably heard about the draft bill submitted by Sen. Max Baucus. You may even have heard it's not a very good bill -- for the American public, anyway. But it's a complex topic, and a complex bill (even though it has been written in relatively plain English and posted on the Web, to the Senator's credit).
So in order to clarify this complicated issue, here are the top five reasons why it's a really bad bill..."
Organized Environmental Crime:
BBC: Mafia 'sank ships of toxic waste'
"A shipwreck apparently containing toxic waste is being investigated by authorities in Italy amid claims that it was deliberately sunk by the mafia.
An informant from the Calabrian mafia said the ship was one of a number he blew up as part of an illegal operation to bypass laws on toxic waste disposal.
The sunken vessel has been found 30km (18 miles) off the south-west of Italy.
The informant said it contained 'nuclear' material. Officials said it would be tested for radioactivity.
Murky pictures taken by a robot camera show the vessel intact and alongside it are a number of yellow barrels.
Labels on them say the contents are toxic.
The informant said the mafia had muscled in on the lucrative business of radioactive waste disposal.
But he said that instead of getting rid of the material safely, he blew up the vessel out at sea, off the Calabrian coast.
He also says he was responsible for sinking two other ships containing toxic waste.
Experts are now examining samples taken from the wreck..."
Energy:
NY Times Green Inc. Blog: A New Way to Turn Plastic Into Fuel?
"Entrepreneurs have been trying for years to turn low-value wastes into high-value products. Waste plastic is among the lowest in value, and gasoline or diesel fuel the highest, but machines that carry out that conversion usually consume a lot of energy and get gummed-up by leftover materialthat they cannot convert.
Now a company in Washington, D.C., is trying out a new way — heating the plastic to a very carefully controlled temperature range, with infrared energy.
The company, Envion, is expected to cut the ribbon on Wednesday morning on a $5 million plant that it says will annually convert 6,000 tons of plastic into nearly a million barrels of something resembling oil. The product can be blended with other components and sold as gasoline or diesel.
“We are the world’s largest oil consumer and the world’s biggest producer of waste,’’ said Michael Han, chairman and chief executive of the company.
This process will convert one to the other for about $10 a barrel, he said.
Montgomery County, just north of Washington, D.C., apparently agrees, at least to the extent that it is giving Mr. Han a free supply of plastic and a spot at its waste transfer station to set up shop..."
Der SPIEGEL (DE): Alternative Energy at Sea: German Cabinet Approves Massive Expansion of Offshore Wind Farms
"Germany's coastline may soon be bristling with wind turbines. A new plan involves 2,500 turbines, 30,000 new jobs and enough power for over 8 million households. Still, some worry that environmental regulations, financing difficulties and even security issues might hurt the ambitious plan.
On Wednesday, Germany's cabinet approved plans to dedicate special zones off its northern coast to house up to 40 offshore windparks that could provide electricity to over eight million households..."
Charlotte Observer: FBI looking into BofA-Merrill deal
"The FBI in Charlotte and the U.S. Justice Department are among the multitude of agencies investigating Bank of America Corp.'s acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co., a knowledgeable source told the Observer Friday.
The criminal investigation has been under way for about six months, the source said. The probe means an additional layer of scrutiny for the Charlotte-based bank, which bought Merrill on Jan. 1.
Bank of America already faces investigations from the New York attorney general's office, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the N.C. attorney general's office. Those probes have largely focused on the payment of billions in Merrill bonuses before the deal closed and the lack of disclosure of Merrill's ballooning fourth-quarter losses.
The previously disclosed investigations of the bank have appeared to largely involve civil matters that could lead to financial or regulatory penalties against the bank, or fines against some of its leaders..."
Health Insurance Reform:
RJ Eskow: Top Five Reasons the Baucus Bill Is Really, Really Bad
"By now you've probably heard about the draft bill submitted by Sen. Max Baucus. You may even have heard it's not a very good bill -- for the American public, anyway. But it's a complex topic, and a complex bill (even though it has been written in relatively plain English and posted on the Web, to the Senator's credit).
So in order to clarify this complicated issue, here are the top five reasons why it's a really bad bill..."
Organized Environmental Crime:
BBC: Mafia 'sank ships of toxic waste'
"A shipwreck apparently containing toxic waste is being investigated by authorities in Italy amid claims that it was deliberately sunk by the mafia.
An informant from the Calabrian mafia said the ship was one of a number he blew up as part of an illegal operation to bypass laws on toxic waste disposal.
The sunken vessel has been found 30km (18 miles) off the south-west of Italy.
The informant said it contained 'nuclear' material. Officials said it would be tested for radioactivity.
Murky pictures taken by a robot camera show the vessel intact and alongside it are a number of yellow barrels.
Labels on them say the contents are toxic.
The informant said the mafia had muscled in on the lucrative business of radioactive waste disposal.
But he said that instead of getting rid of the material safely, he blew up the vessel out at sea, off the Calabrian coast.
He also says he was responsible for sinking two other ships containing toxic waste.
Experts are now examining samples taken from the wreck..."
Energy:
NY Times Green Inc. Blog: A New Way to Turn Plastic Into Fuel?
"Entrepreneurs have been trying for years to turn low-value wastes into high-value products. Waste plastic is among the lowest in value, and gasoline or diesel fuel the highest, but machines that carry out that conversion usually consume a lot of energy and get gummed-up by leftover materialthat they cannot convert.
Now a company in Washington, D.C., is trying out a new way — heating the plastic to a very carefully controlled temperature range, with infrared energy.
The company, Envion, is expected to cut the ribbon on Wednesday morning on a $5 million plant that it says will annually convert 6,000 tons of plastic into nearly a million barrels of something resembling oil. The product can be blended with other components and sold as gasoline or diesel.
“We are the world’s largest oil consumer and the world’s biggest producer of waste,’’ said Michael Han, chairman and chief executive of the company.
This process will convert one to the other for about $10 a barrel, he said.
Montgomery County, just north of Washington, D.C., apparently agrees, at least to the extent that it is giving Mr. Han a free supply of plastic and a spot at its waste transfer station to set up shop..."
Der SPIEGEL (DE): Alternative Energy at Sea: German Cabinet Approves Massive Expansion of Offshore Wind Farms
"Germany's coastline may soon be bristling with wind turbines. A new plan involves 2,500 turbines, 30,000 new jobs and enough power for over 8 million households. Still, some worry that environmental regulations, financing difficulties and even security issues might hurt the ambitious plan.
On Wednesday, Germany's cabinet approved plans to dedicate special zones off its northern coast to house up to 40 offshore windparks that could provide electricity to over eight million households..."
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Economics:
The Daily Mail (UK) ~ Revealed: The ghost fleet of the recession anchored just east of Singapore
"The biggest and most secretive gathering of ships in maritime history lies at anchor east of Singapore. Never before photographed, it is bigger than the U.S. and British navies combined but has no crew, no cargo and no destination - and is why your Christmas stocking may be on the light side this year..."
Bloomberg.com ~ Stiglitz Says Banking Problems Are Now Bigger Than Pre-Lehman
"Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel Prize- winning economist, said the U.S. has failed to fix the underlying problems of its banking system after the credit crunch and the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.
'In the U.S. and many other countries, the too-big-to-fail banks have become even bigger,' Stiglitz said in an interview today in Paris. 'The problems are worse than they were in 2007 before the crisis,'...
...'It’s an outrage,' especially 'in the U.S. where we poured so much money into the banks,' Stiglitz said. 'The administration seems very reluctant to do what is necessary. Yes they’ll do something, the question is: Will they do as much as required?'
Stiglitz, former chief economist at the World Bank and member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said the world economy is 'far from being out of the woods' even if it has pulled back from the precipice it teetered on after the collapse of Lehman.
'We’re going into an extended period of weak economy, of economic malaise,' Stiglitz said. The U.S. will 'grow but not enough to offset the increase in the population,' he said, adding that 'if workers do not have income, it’s very hard to see how the U.S. will generate the demand that the world economy needs.'
The Federal Reserve faces a 'quandary' in ending its monetary stimulus programs because doing so may drive up the cost of borrowing for the U.S. government, he said.
'The question then is who is going to finance the U.S. government,' Stiglitz said."
Business Intelligence Middle East: 'We're going to have zombie capitalism for the next 15-20 years,' says Jim Rogers
"Legendary global investor and chairman of Singapore- based Rogers Holdings, Jim Rogers said the Fed and the US Treasury should have let 10 banks fail, not just Lehman Brothers, for the financial system to clean itself up.
Speaking to CNBC Wordwide Exchange today Rogers said 'All the government officials and bureaucrats loved the fact Lehman failed, because they could all jump in and support banks.'
'This whole problem was not caused by Lehman Brothers or Lehman Brothers failure. Lehman was an effect not a cause.'
'The real problem over the past 10-15 years has been that regulators have not let people fail. Had they let people fail we would have solved this problem a long time ago. I don't know why they're not in jail,' Rogers said.
Reiterating his view about US monetary policy and their effect on the Dollar, Rogers warned. 'I would expect there to be a currency crisis or a semi-crisis this fall or next year. It's crony capitalism, Bernanke and Greenspan have brought crony capitalism to America … but that's not going to solve the world's problems.'
'We're going to have zombie capitalism for the next 15-20 years. How long are you going to let the bureaucrats run the thing so we can't have a clean system?,' he added.
'Banks have been going bankrupt for a few hundreds years. The way the system works is when somebody fails you let him fail. What we're doing now is we're taking the assets away from the competent people and giving them to incompetent people and telling them now you can compete with competent people with their money.'
Addressing debt & consumption and how more of the same can solve the problem, a theme that has become classic Rogers rants, he said: 'How can the solution for debt and consumption be more debt and more consumption? How can that be the solution to our problems?'..."
The Daily Mail (UK) ~ Revealed: The ghost fleet of the recession anchored just east of Singapore
"The biggest and most secretive gathering of ships in maritime history lies at anchor east of Singapore. Never before photographed, it is bigger than the U.S. and British navies combined but has no crew, no cargo and no destination - and is why your Christmas stocking may be on the light side this year..."
Bloomberg.com ~ Stiglitz Says Banking Problems Are Now Bigger Than Pre-Lehman
"Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel Prize- winning economist, said the U.S. has failed to fix the underlying problems of its banking system after the credit crunch and the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.
'In the U.S. and many other countries, the too-big-to-fail banks have become even bigger,' Stiglitz said in an interview today in Paris. 'The problems are worse than they were in 2007 before the crisis,'...
...'It’s an outrage,' especially 'in the U.S. where we poured so much money into the banks,' Stiglitz said. 'The administration seems very reluctant to do what is necessary. Yes they’ll do something, the question is: Will they do as much as required?'
Stiglitz, former chief economist at the World Bank and member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said the world economy is 'far from being out of the woods' even if it has pulled back from the precipice it teetered on after the collapse of Lehman.
'We’re going into an extended period of weak economy, of economic malaise,' Stiglitz said. The U.S. will 'grow but not enough to offset the increase in the population,' he said, adding that 'if workers do not have income, it’s very hard to see how the U.S. will generate the demand that the world economy needs.'
The Federal Reserve faces a 'quandary' in ending its monetary stimulus programs because doing so may drive up the cost of borrowing for the U.S. government, he said.
'The question then is who is going to finance the U.S. government,' Stiglitz said."
Business Intelligence Middle East: 'We're going to have zombie capitalism for the next 15-20 years,' says Jim Rogers
"Legendary global investor and chairman of Singapore- based Rogers Holdings, Jim Rogers said the Fed and the US Treasury should have let 10 banks fail, not just Lehman Brothers, for the financial system to clean itself up.
Speaking to CNBC Wordwide Exchange today Rogers said 'All the government officials and bureaucrats loved the fact Lehman failed, because they could all jump in and support banks.'
'This whole problem was not caused by Lehman Brothers or Lehman Brothers failure. Lehman was an effect not a cause.'
'The real problem over the past 10-15 years has been that regulators have not let people fail. Had they let people fail we would have solved this problem a long time ago. I don't know why they're not in jail,' Rogers said.
Reiterating his view about US monetary policy and their effect on the Dollar, Rogers warned. 'I would expect there to be a currency crisis or a semi-crisis this fall or next year. It's crony capitalism, Bernanke and Greenspan have brought crony capitalism to America … but that's not going to solve the world's problems.'
'We're going to have zombie capitalism for the next 15-20 years. How long are you going to let the bureaucrats run the thing so we can't have a clean system?,' he added.
'Banks have been going bankrupt for a few hundreds years. The way the system works is when somebody fails you let him fail. What we're doing now is we're taking the assets away from the competent people and giving them to incompetent people and telling them now you can compete with competent people with their money.'
Addressing debt & consumption and how more of the same can solve the problem, a theme that has become classic Rogers rants, he said: 'How can the solution for debt and consumption be more debt and more consumption? How can that be the solution to our problems?'..."
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Toxic Drinking Water:
The practices of companies who illegally dump toxins should land their corporate officers in prison and result in their corporate charters being revoked for failing to serve the public interest. This behavior is nothing short of reckless & willful endangerment of public health.
NY Times: Clean Water Laws Are Neglected, at a Cost in Suffering
"Jennifer Hall-Massey knows not to drink the tap water in her home near Charleston, W.Va.
In fact, her entire family tries to avoid any contact with the water. Her youngest son has scabs on his arms, legs and chest where the bathwater — polluted with lead, nickel and other heavy metals — caused painful rashes. Many of his brother’s teeth were capped to replace enamel that was eaten away.
Neighbors apply special lotions after showering because their skin burns. Tests show that their tap water contains arsenic, barium, lead, manganese and other chemicals at concentrations federal regulators say could contribute to cancer and damage the kidneys and nervous system.
'How can we get digital cable and Internet in our homes, but not clean water?' said Mrs. Hall-Massey, a senior accountant at one of the state’s largest banks.
She and her husband, Charles, do not live in some remote corner of Appalachia. Charleston, the state capital, is less than 17 miles from her home.
'How is this still happening today?' she asked.
When Mrs. Hall-Massey and 264 neighbors sued nine nearby coal companies, accusing them of putting dangerous waste into local water supplies, their lawyer did not have to look far for evidence. As required by state law, some of the companies had disclosed in reports to regulators that they were pumping into the ground illegal concentrations of chemicals — the same pollutants that flowed from residents’ taps.
But state regulators never fined or punished those companies for breaking those pollution laws.
This pattern is not limited to West Virginia. Almost four decades ago, Congress passed the Clean Water Act to force polluters to disclose the toxins they dump into waterways and to give regulators the power to fine or jail offenders. States have passed pollution statutes of their own. But in recent years, violations of the Clean Water Act have risen steadily across the nation, an extensive review of water pollution records by The New York Times found..."
The practices of companies who illegally dump toxins should land their corporate officers in prison and result in their corporate charters being revoked for failing to serve the public interest. This behavior is nothing short of reckless & willful endangerment of public health.
NY Times: Clean Water Laws Are Neglected, at a Cost in Suffering
"Jennifer Hall-Massey knows not to drink the tap water in her home near Charleston, W.Va.
In fact, her entire family tries to avoid any contact with the water. Her youngest son has scabs on his arms, legs and chest where the bathwater — polluted with lead, nickel and other heavy metals — caused painful rashes. Many of his brother’s teeth were capped to replace enamel that was eaten away.
Neighbors apply special lotions after showering because their skin burns. Tests show that their tap water contains arsenic, barium, lead, manganese and other chemicals at concentrations federal regulators say could contribute to cancer and damage the kidneys and nervous system.
'How can we get digital cable and Internet in our homes, but not clean water?' said Mrs. Hall-Massey, a senior accountant at one of the state’s largest banks.
She and her husband, Charles, do not live in some remote corner of Appalachia. Charleston, the state capital, is less than 17 miles from her home.
'How is this still happening today?' she asked.
When Mrs. Hall-Massey and 264 neighbors sued nine nearby coal companies, accusing them of putting dangerous waste into local water supplies, their lawyer did not have to look far for evidence. As required by state law, some of the companies had disclosed in reports to regulators that they were pumping into the ground illegal concentrations of chemicals — the same pollutants that flowed from residents’ taps.
But state regulators never fined or punished those companies for breaking those pollution laws.
This pattern is not limited to West Virginia. Almost four decades ago, Congress passed the Clean Water Act to force polluters to disclose the toxins they dump into waterways and to give regulators the power to fine or jail offenders. States have passed pollution statutes of their own. But in recent years, violations of the Clean Water Act have risen steadily across the nation, an extensive review of water pollution records by The New York Times found..."
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Fossil Fuel vs. Clean Water?
AP: Colorado following Wyo. 'fracking' study
"Colorado regulators say they're monitoring a federal study of contaminated drinking water around oil and gas wells in Wyoming.
The Environmental Protection Agency found traces of toxins in water wells. The agency is doing more tests to determine the source and amounts of the contaminants, and to see whether they pose a health hazard.
Some residents blame the contamination on hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking.' The process injects pressurized water, sand and chemicals into the ground to open channels so oil and gas can be recovered more easily..."
AP: Colorado following Wyo. 'fracking' study
"Colorado regulators say they're monitoring a federal study of contaminated drinking water around oil and gas wells in Wyoming.
The Environmental Protection Agency found traces of toxins in water wells. The agency is doing more tests to determine the source and amounts of the contaminants, and to see whether they pose a health hazard.
Some residents blame the contamination on hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking.' The process injects pressurized water, sand and chemicals into the ground to open channels so oil and gas can be recovered more easily..."
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Economics:
AP: Study: 2 out of 5 working-age Californians jobless
"A report released Sunday says two of five working-age Californians do not have a job, underscoring the challenges in one of the toughest job markets in decades. A new study has found that the last time employment levels among this group were this low was February 1977.
The study was done by the California Budget Project, a Sacramento-based nonprofit research group that advocates for lower- and middle-income families. The report said that California now has about the same number of jobs as it did nine years ago, when the state was home to 3.3 million fewer working-age people..."
Investment Banking:
Raw Story: Wall Street wants to do to life insurance what it did to housing
"The 'securitization' of mortgages — bundling mortgage policies and selling them on to investors — is considered to be one of the major reasons for last year’s financial collapse.
Now, Wall Street banks want to do it all again — but this time, with life insurance policies instead of real estate.
The New York Times reports that large investment banks are lining up to begin securitizing 'life settlements,' life insurance policies that ill and elderly people sell so that they can get cash before they die..."
'Non-Bank' Banking:
Elizabeth Warren: Real Change: Turning Up the Heat on Non-Bank Lenders
"The big banks are storming Washington, determined to kill the Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA). They understand that a regulator who actually cares about consumers would cause a seismic change in their business model: No more burying the terms of the agreement in the fine print, no more tricks and traps. If the big banks lose the protection of their friendly regulators, the business model that produces hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue -- and monopoly-size profits that exist only in non-competitive markets -- will be at risk. That's a big change.
But there is an even bigger change in the wind: regulating the non-banks. Democrats and Republicans alike agree that the proliferation of unregulated, non-bank lenders contributed significantly to the financial crisis by feeding millions of dangerous financial products into the economic system. Non-bank institutions were active participants in the race to the bottom among lenders. From subprime mortgage loans to small dollar loans, they showed how to wring high fees and staggering interest rates out of consumer lending. Their fine-print contracts, and new tricks and traps, transformed the market..."
AP: Study: 2 out of 5 working-age Californians jobless
"A report released Sunday says two of five working-age Californians do not have a job, underscoring the challenges in one of the toughest job markets in decades. A new study has found that the last time employment levels among this group were this low was February 1977.
The study was done by the California Budget Project, a Sacramento-based nonprofit research group that advocates for lower- and middle-income families. The report said that California now has about the same number of jobs as it did nine years ago, when the state was home to 3.3 million fewer working-age people..."
Investment Banking:
Raw Story: Wall Street wants to do to life insurance what it did to housing
"The 'securitization' of mortgages — bundling mortgage policies and selling them on to investors — is considered to be one of the major reasons for last year’s financial collapse.
Now, Wall Street banks want to do it all again — but this time, with life insurance policies instead of real estate.
The New York Times reports that large investment banks are lining up to begin securitizing 'life settlements,' life insurance policies that ill and elderly people sell so that they can get cash before they die..."
'Non-Bank' Banking:
Elizabeth Warren: Real Change: Turning Up the Heat on Non-Bank Lenders
"The big banks are storming Washington, determined to kill the Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA). They understand that a regulator who actually cares about consumers would cause a seismic change in their business model: No more burying the terms of the agreement in the fine print, no more tricks and traps. If the big banks lose the protection of their friendly regulators, the business model that produces hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue -- and monopoly-size profits that exist only in non-competitive markets -- will be at risk. That's a big change.
But there is an even bigger change in the wind: regulating the non-banks. Democrats and Republicans alike agree that the proliferation of unregulated, non-bank lenders contributed significantly to the financial crisis by feeding millions of dangerous financial products into the economic system. Non-bank institutions were active participants in the race to the bottom among lenders. From subprime mortgage loans to small dollar loans, they showed how to wring high fees and staggering interest rates out of consumer lending. Their fine-print contracts, and new tricks and traps, transformed the market..."
Friday, September 04, 2009
Health Insurance Reform:
A family friend of ours sent me document I'd like to share with you. He explains his and his relatives' experience with the German system, provides practical examples, and covers its basic features. Please share this with anyone who might be interested.
Norbert Schulte - The German Health Care System
A family friend of ours sent me document I'd like to share with you. He explains his and his relatives' experience with the German system, provides practical examples, and covers its basic features. Please share this with anyone who might be interested.
Norbert Schulte - The German Health Care System
Thursday, September 03, 2009
The Rule of Law:
Raw Story » Former Deputy Attorney General under Reagan calls for expanded CIA probe
"In an interview late Tuesday, Bruce Fein, an Associate Deputy Attorney General during President Ronald Reagan’s administration, said the Justice Department should expand a probe into the CIA’s interrogation techniques — including the possibility of targeting former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Likening the probe to those conducted over murders during the civil rights era — where new investigations began even though few facts had been unearthed — Fein said that the new probe was appropriate.
'Well, there may be no new facts but that’s what you could say about a lot of things in the South during the civil rights movement… I’m not trying to suggest they’re identical, but this is not unheard of,' Fein said. 'You have a new assessment of what the situation was; the climate is different, and if they’re showing violations of law there’s always the pardon power if there is extenuating circumstances.
'My objection is really [the investigation] is much too narrow,' Fein continued. 'It’s a little bit like looking at the burglars of Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist without looking into who authorized it, and we did both. Or the case of Felton Miller who got pardons for doing break-ins against the Weathermen Underground when there’s national security here,'..."
Population Surveillance:
Katie Shilton (UCLA) - Four Billion Little Brothers?
"They place calls, surf the Internet, and there are close to 4 billion of them in the world. Their built-in microphones, cameras, and location awareness can collect images, sound, and GPS data. Beyond chatting and texting, these features could make phones ubiquitous, familiar tools for quantifying personal patterns and habits. They could also be platforms for thousands to document a neighborhood, gather evidence to make a case, or study mobility and health. This data could help you understand your daily carbon footprint, exposure to air pollution, exercise habits, and frequency of interactions with family and friends.
At the same time, however, this data reveals a lot about your regular locations, habits, and routines. Once such data is captured, acquaintances, friends, or authorities might coerce you to disclose it. Perhaps worse, it could be collected or reused without your knowledge or permission. At the extreme, mobile phones could become the most widespread embedded surveillance tools in history. Imagine carrying a location-aware bug, complete with a camera, accelerometer, and Bluetooth stumbling, everywhere you go. Your phone could document your comings and goings, infer your activities throughout the day, and record whom you pass on the street or who engaged you in conversation. Deployed by governments or compelled by employers, 4 billion 'little brothers' could be watching you..."
Weapons of War:
A further way to destroy humans/things without having to be face-to-face...
Layer 8 - NetworkWorldZapping things from the sky: Airborne Boeing laser blasts ground target
"The airborne military laser which promises to destroy, damage or disable targets with little to no collateral damage has for the first time actually blown something up.
Boeing and the US Air Force today said that on Aug. 30, a C-130H aircraft armed with Boeing's Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) blasted a target test vehicle on the ground for the first time. Boeing has been developing the ATL since 2008 under an Air Force contract worth up to $30 million.
According to Boeing, the C-130 fired its 12,000lb high-power chemical laser through the beam control system while flying over White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The beam control system acquired the ground target and guided the laser beam to the target..."
Raw Story » Former Deputy Attorney General under Reagan calls for expanded CIA probe
"In an interview late Tuesday, Bruce Fein, an Associate Deputy Attorney General during President Ronald Reagan’s administration, said the Justice Department should expand a probe into the CIA’s interrogation techniques — including the possibility of targeting former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Likening the probe to those conducted over murders during the civil rights era — where new investigations began even though few facts had been unearthed — Fein said that the new probe was appropriate.
'Well, there may be no new facts but that’s what you could say about a lot of things in the South during the civil rights movement… I’m not trying to suggest they’re identical, but this is not unheard of,' Fein said. 'You have a new assessment of what the situation was; the climate is different, and if they’re showing violations of law there’s always the pardon power if there is extenuating circumstances.
'My objection is really [the investigation] is much too narrow,' Fein continued. 'It’s a little bit like looking at the burglars of Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist without looking into who authorized it, and we did both. Or the case of Felton Miller who got pardons for doing break-ins against the Weathermen Underground when there’s national security here,'..."
Population Surveillance:
Katie Shilton (UCLA) - Four Billion Little Brothers?
"They place calls, surf the Internet, and there are close to 4 billion of them in the world. Their built-in microphones, cameras, and location awareness can collect images, sound, and GPS data. Beyond chatting and texting, these features could make phones ubiquitous, familiar tools for quantifying personal patterns and habits. They could also be platforms for thousands to document a neighborhood, gather evidence to make a case, or study mobility and health. This data could help you understand your daily carbon footprint, exposure to air pollution, exercise habits, and frequency of interactions with family and friends.
At the same time, however, this data reveals a lot about your regular locations, habits, and routines. Once such data is captured, acquaintances, friends, or authorities might coerce you to disclose it. Perhaps worse, it could be collected or reused without your knowledge or permission. At the extreme, mobile phones could become the most widespread embedded surveillance tools in history. Imagine carrying a location-aware bug, complete with a camera, accelerometer, and Bluetooth stumbling, everywhere you go. Your phone could document your comings and goings, infer your activities throughout the day, and record whom you pass on the street or who engaged you in conversation. Deployed by governments or compelled by employers, 4 billion 'little brothers' could be watching you..."
Weapons of War:
A further way to destroy humans/things without having to be face-to-face...
Layer 8 - NetworkWorldZapping things from the sky: Airborne Boeing laser blasts ground target
"The airborne military laser which promises to destroy, damage or disable targets with little to no collateral damage has for the first time actually blown something up.
Boeing and the US Air Force today said that on Aug. 30, a C-130H aircraft armed with Boeing's Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) blasted a target test vehicle on the ground for the first time. Boeing has been developing the ATL since 2008 under an Air Force contract worth up to $30 million.
According to Boeing, the C-130 fired its 12,000lb high-power chemical laser through the beam control system while flying over White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The beam control system acquired the ground target and guided the laser beam to the target..."
