A comparison… More geographical comparisons here.
Is Kevin Costner Making Himself Useful?
The spill in the Gulf rages on. Animals are washing ashore dead. Efforts to stop the thing are proving unproductive. It is the worst environmental disaster the world has ever seen. And one man may have a solution: Kevin Costner. Yes, that Kevin Costner. Mr. Costner appeared in New Orleans last week to demonstrate a $24 million oil extraction device … Read More
Rand Paul Doubling Down By Showing Support For BP
Bruce Bartlett may have said it best when he wrote that Paul suffers from foolish consistency syndrome: I don't believe Rand is a racist; I think he is a fool who is suffering from the foolish consistency syndrome that affects all libertarians. They believe that freedom consists of one thing and one thing only–freedom from governmental constraint. Therefore, it is … Read More
How Much Oil Is Actually Being Spilled?
When the oil spill first occured, we were told it was about 1,000 barrels per day. Then BP upwardly revised its estimates a few days later… to 5,000 barrels per day, and that remains the official estimate. But within the past few days, we've been treated to video of the actual spill from deep underwater… And now we read this: … Read More
What New Offshore Drilling Will Get Us
Answer: Not much, as this picture-worth-a-thousand-words chart shows us…
Dig A Little Deeper, NYT
An article on the front page of today's New York Times contains quotes from various conservation groups indicating that perhaps the oil spill isn't as bad as people think it is. Example: Other experts said that while the potential for catastrophe remained, there were reasons to remain guardedly optimistic. “The sky is not falling,” said Quenton R. Dokken, a marine … Read More
The Oil Rig Explosion That Started It All
Look for stairs to get a sense of scale: The latest — President Obama visited Louisiana yesterday afternoon to observe the response effort to the BP oil spill, which he called a “potentially unprecedented environmental disaster.” “Your government will do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to stop this crisis,” he pledged. But Obama said taxpayers would … Read More
About Obama’s Plan To Do Offshore Drilling
In the wake of the biggest old spill catastrophe since Exxon Valdez, it looks like plans to do more off-shore drill-baby-drilling is on hold: As some Democratic lawmakers call on President Obama to suspend his plans to expand offshore oil drilling, the White House today said that there will be no new domestic offshore drilling until the investigation into the … Read More
Coal is Antiquated and Dangerous
Seems to me that in the 21st century, we shouldn't be sending men into miles-deep holes in the ground - a 17th century technology – in order to provide energy for all of us. The amount of energy that the Earth receives from the sun in one hour could (if harnessed) fufill the entire planet's energy needs for an entire year. Seems … Read More
Obama: “Drill, Baby, Drill”
Really? What a disappointment: President Obama will announce new plans to drill for oil and natural gas off America's coasts Wednesday but will rule out drilling off California, Oregon and Washington state through 2017, administration officials say. Obama's plans will include opening new areas of coastal Virginia and other parts of the mid-Atlantic region, Alaska and the eastern Gulf of … Read More
Republicans’ Boycott of Climate Change Bill Committee Fails
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee have been working for weeks on a bill to address climate change, and Republicans on the committee wanted to stop it. Their tactic? Not showing up. Republicans were aware of committee rules saying that no business could go forward unless two members of the opposite party were present. So, every day this week, … Read More
Stats From The Cash-For-Clunkers Program
The Top Ten Cash for Clunkers Trade-Ins: 1998 Ford Explorer 1997 Ford Explorer 1996 Ford Explorer 1999 Ford Explorer Jeep Grand Cherokee Jeep Cherokee 1995 Ford Explorer 1994 Ford Explorer 1997 Ford Windstar 1999 Dodge Caravan The Top Ten Cash for Clunkers New Cars: Ford Focus Honda Civic Toyota Corolla Toyota Prius Ford Escape Toyota Camry Dodge Caliber Hyundai Elantra … Read More
Dumb Idea
AP: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he wants to consider taxing motorists based on how many miles they drive rather than how much gasoline they burn—an idea that has angered drivers in some states where it has been proposed. The reason, says LaHood, is that gas taxes don't cover the cost of the federal and state highway and road infrastructure. … Read More
Speedy Trials? Not In These Bad Economic Times
This is bad: The economic storm has come to this: Justice is being delayed or disrupted in state courtrooms across the country. Financially strapped New Hampshire has become a poster child for the problem. Among other cost-cutting measures, state courts will halt for a month all civil and criminal jury trials early next year to save $73,000 in jurors' per … Read More
Fueling Your Car With Your Fat
It's possible: Love handles can power a car? Frighteningly, yes. Fat–whether animal or vegetable–contains triglycerides that can be extracted and turned into diesel. Poultry companies such as Tyson are looking into powering their trucks on chicken schmaltz, and biofuel start-ups such as Nova Biosource are mixing beef tallow and pig lard with more palatable sources such as soybean oil. Mike … Read More