Sunday, August 8, 2010

Sunday Train: Kasich says Outsource Ohio HSR jobs to California

by BruceMcF

Burning the Midnight Oil for Living Energy Independence

... or Virginia or Illinois or upstate New York or North Carolina or Washington and Oregon or ...

... well, any other state except Ohio. Outsourcing Ohio's HSR jobs to other states is a central plank of John Kasich's run to become Governor of Ohio.

Of course, we don't expect people from places like Lehman Brothers to flat out say something like that: instead, they give a plausible sounding sound bite which then falls apart the minute you think about it. Their hope, it seems, is that nobody thinks about it.

So too with Kasich's plan to hand Ohio's $400m in HSR Stimulus Funds back to the Federal Government for another state to use ... he hides his plan behind a red herring.



continued at Daily Kos...

Gulf Dead Zone: Confused yet? Clarified Here

by War on Error

All the talk of Dead Zone(s) and the inconsistencies being reported peaked my curiosity so I spent a few days researching for us..

Dead Zone Questions
http://www.smm.org/...

I think the major driver for doing this research was a sense that there is the distinct possibility that BP will wiggle out of having to pay fishermen for their losses now and into the future by using the long-standing dead zone as an excuse.

For decades there has been a 7,000 square mile Dead Zone.  Nothing has been done to save or repair it, sadly.  Research?  Oh yes.  Lot's of money has spent on research.  There are no doubts about what causes the dead zone.  Action?.....crickets.  The media's confusion has confused the public as well.

Between the past actions of Congress and the Supreme Court, we are here:

Included is a timeline on Gulf water oil drilling I found fascinating (such a wonk)



continued at Daily Kos...

Don't Fall for Ethanol Boogerman Stories

by TheTrucker

The corn ethanol story is the pick of the litter for oil companies and all other liars that infest the "preserve the carbon owners" lobby.  It is that corn is the WORST way to produce ethanol and the only reason it is subsidized is that it is a big vote getter in the midwest.

There are a great many biofuel sources that are economically superior to corn and much friendlier to the planet.  But these do not get the votes of the current majority of the farmers who inhabit the midwest. Quite simply, the alternatives do not compete with food crops and it is a double whammy for the midwest framers.  Pull the subsidy and the price of corn, wheat, alfalfa, and all the rest go down too.  And these guys have a loan at the bank for the new tractor.  And the ability to pay was/is based on  income from anticipated subsidized prices.  OUCH!



continued at Daily Kos...

Climate Change in Oklahoma

by bob zimway

Senator Inhofe of Oklahoma had himself a big ol time last winter when he derided global warming warnings during the famous DC snowstorm. His grandchildren made an igloo and the family put out the quip that it was Al Gore's New Home. Inhofe believes we're heading for another little ice age, plus, "God's still up there." Meaning that the Senator's catbird seat in life is assured; a snowstorm is all you'll ever need to discredit Al Gore, that and a dollop of Michael Crichton.

So then, what about this:



continued at Daily Kos...

BP Catastrophe Liveblog Mothership: 75

by Gulf Watchers

The current ROV DIARY: Daily Kos Gulf Watchers ROV #283 - Waiting and Watching - BP's Gulf Catastrophe - Lorinda Pike

Rules of the Road

  • We take volunteers for subsequent diaries in the sub diaries or ROV's as we have playfully coined them.
  • Please rec this mothership diary, not the ROVs.
  • Please be kind to fellow kossacks who may have limited bandwidth and refrain from posting images or videos.

PLEASE visit Pam LaPier's diary to find out how you can help the Gulf now and in the future. We don't have to be idle! And thanks to Crashing Vor and Pam LaPier for working on this!



continued at Daily Kos...

Overnight News Digest: Science Saturday (August auroras edition)

by Neon Vincent

Welcome to Science Saturday, where the Overnight News Digest crew informs and entertains you with this week's news about science, space, and the environment.

This week's featured story comes from Spaceweather.com.

Aurora Photo Gallery August 2010

Summary: Solar activity continues to increase after a two-year solar minimum that ranks among the century's deepest. The return of sunspots and a resurgent solar wind is good news for aurora watchers, who are seeing some of the best displays since ~2006.

More science, space, and environment stories after the jump.



continued at Daily Kos...