classicBacsik

Garbage as Fuel

We all remember the end of 'Back to the Future' when the Doc fills up his DeLorean with garbage.  Well, one of the areas of biofuel technology that must be watched is 'garbage as fuel'.  A recent New York Times article, Gassing Up With Garbage, solidly summarized the existing condition of the quest.

As with most venture capital projects, there is no agreed-upon timeline, for full-scale production, but the market is making the research and long-term viability spring to life.  Much of the garbage will be agricultural waste (see the photo of pine waste collected by the Forest Service). Garbage as fuel can be part of the mandated 36 billion gallons of biofuel by 2022 solution.

Perhaps the day will come when landfills will be mined for organics and the operators can get paid twice for our waste!

Liberal Bias. What Liberal Bias?

Like flag burning, gay bashing, and abortion - conservatives trot out the media's liberal bias every once in a while.  In places like Fox News it's a regular feature.  In the meantime, James Rainey writing for the LA Times nicely summarizes the results of a study conducted between the day that Hillary Clinton dropped out of the primary race and the day that Senator Obama left for the Middle East.  The result: Obama got more negative press than McBush!

The study, by The Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University, was headed by Robert Lichter, someone who has historically endeared himself to conservatives, and confirms that Obama received more 'network' coverage than McBush, but the networks were negative to Obama 72% of the time and only 57% of the time to McBush.

From the LA Times article, Rainey notes - 'In 2006, conservative cable showmen Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly had Lichter, a onetime Fox News contributor, on their programs. They heralded his findings in the congressional midterm election: that the networks were giving far more positive coverage to the Democrats'.

I'm no fan of the networks, and I get exactly 0% of my news from them, but these numbers remind us that true journalism tries to be fair and balanced!  Fairness is one of those concepts that 'I know it when I see it!'

Smart Meters in the Home

A New York Times article about the energy efficiency of two towns in Britain, Hove and Brighton, highlighted a simple device that could significantly reduce our energy consumption - a smart meter.  The meter tells you how many watts of electricity you're using in your home at any given moment.  The ability to equate watt usage with energy costs becomes instantaneous and second nature, and prompts many people to become very vigilant. 

Here in Southern California, Southern Cal Edison, is in the process of providing these smart meters on a large scale.  This simple step in energy conservation will go a long way to reducing consumption, reducing greenhouse gases, and saving money!  It displays real-time information about watt usage and enables all family members to monitor their electricity usage.

A quick Google search will provide local information for your area of the country. 

W. Plays Politics with Offshore Drilling

The Shrub re-inserted himself into the 2008 campaign by lifting the presidential moratorium on offshore oil drilling (i.e., 3 to 200 miles from the coast).  "Now the ball is squarely in Congress' court," the Shrub stated. "Democratic leaders can show that they have finally heard the frustrations of the American people by matching the action I have taken today."

“Failure to act is unacceptable,” the president said, asserting that obstructionists in the Democratic-controlled Congress have been blocking progress on energy exploration and that “now, Americans are paying at the pump.”

What the Shrub is referring to is the congressional moratorium (established in 1982) that must be lifted for any offshore drilling to begin.  We have record high gas prices and its an election year, so many congresspeople will feel pressured to act, hence the Shrub's posturing.

Of course, any increased production from offshore drilling will take at least a decade to realize.  Many people, including our Governator and this writer, believe we should use this time and money to advance renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.

I ask you, Mr. Shrub, 'If offshore drilling were really the answer, how come you didn't lift this moratorium when your party controlled Congress?' 

If it was so important, action taken early in the decade would mean we'd be six or seven years closer to realizing production from offshore drilling and therefore, a reduction in gas prices.  However, lifting the moratorium earlier might have actually reduced prices, and that would have cut into the profits of his oil baron cronies.   The moratorium is only a political football and must be resisted at all costs. 

To Congress, including my surfer congressman, don't savage the ocean environment with this short-sighted plan, but keep pushing for alternative energy sources instead.

W = Waste!

It seems so simple.  W = Waste.  The City of San Francisco may vote to name a sewage treatment facility after our President.  A story in the LA Times today states that a facility in SF wants its name to reflect a shitty president!  At least his name will be attached to something!

Where do I sign?!

Wesley Clark Speaks a Truth about McBush

Wesley Clark made a simple point the other day that John W. McBush's experience in the military did not explicitly qualify him to be president (the comments are given below).  In their zeal to make news, some media outlets stated that Clark 'swift-boated' McBush. 

In fact, he merely made a point about serving in the military versus holding a position of responsibility for the lives of troops during war.  If Clark had been shortlisted for VP, the media will never let it happen now, and that's too bad.

Clark's comments:

BOB SCHIEFFER: How can you say that John McCain is untested and untried, General?

CLARK: Because in the matters of national security policy making, it's a matter of understanding risk. It's a matter of gauging your opponents and it's a matter of being held accountable.

John McCain's never done any of that in his official positions. I certainly honor his service as a prisoner of war. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands and millions of others in the armed forces, as a prisoner of war. He has been a voice on the Senate Armed Services Committee. And he has traveled all over the world.

But he hasn't held executive responsibility. That large squadron in the Navy that he commanded—that wasn't a wartime squadron. He hasn't been there and ordered the bombs to fall. He hasn't seen what it's like when diplomats come in and say, I don't know whether we're going to be able to get this point through or not. Do you want to take the risk? What about your reputation? How do we handle this publicly? He hasn't made that calls, Bob.

SCHIEFFER: Well, General, maybe—could I just interrupt you?

CLARK: Sure.

SCHIEFFER: I have to say, Barack Obama has not had any of those experiences, either, nor has he ridden in a fighter plane and gotten shot down. I mean...

CLARK: Well, I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.