Tag Archives: Watermelonism

The War on Air Conditioning Heats Up

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“It started with the pope. In his recent encyclical, Laudato Si’, he singled out air conditioning as a particularly good example of wasteful habits and excessive consumption that overcome our better natures.  Now, it seems to be open season on air conditioning. From a raging Facebook debate over an article that claims that air conditioning is an oppressive tool of the patriarchy to an article in the Washington Post that calls the American use of air conditioning an ‘addiction’ and compares it unfavorably to the European willingness to sweat through the heat of summer, air conditioning is under attack. So I want to defend it.”

http://fee.org/freeman/detail/the-war-on-air-conditioning-heats-up

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Big U.S. coal miner Alpha Natural files for bankruptcy

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“The move comes as President Barack Obama is expected to unveil tough new measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants.  Alpha blamed its Chapter 11 bankruptcy on tougher regulatory standards and policies that favor renewable energy, as well tumbling prices for its coal.  Alpha is the world’s third-largest supplier of metallurgical coal used in making steel and has also been hit by a slowdown in China.  Walter Energy Inc and Patriot Coal Corp also filed for bankruptcy protection this year. Energy Future Holdings Corp, a power company that also has a large coal mining business, has been in bankruptcy since 2014.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/03/alpha-ntrl-resc-bankruptcy-idUSL3N10E4JP20150803

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“Green Banks” Will Drown in the Red

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“A state solvency report released by the Mercatus Center has each of these five states ranked in the bottom third of the country, with their solvency described as either ‘low’ or ‘poor.’  This all raises the question of whether these governments are able to find sound investment opportunities in the first place. Recently, though, there have been calls to extend the struggling green banking system to the federal level. Mark Muro and Reed Hundt at the Brookings Institute assert that demand for green banking institutions and the types of companies they finance is so strong that the existing state-based green banks cannot muster enough capital to meet demand.”

http://fee.org/anythingpeaceful/detail/green-banks-are-destined-to-drown-in-the-red

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Accusations Tom Selleck Stole California Water Dropped

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“Water from a public hydrant that Tom Selleck has been accused of stealing from in dry California was legally purchased, an official said.  The Calleguas Municipal Water District in Ventura County sued the ‘Magnum, P.I.’ star, alleging that a tanker truck filled up at the hydrant and took it to Selleck’s 60-acre ranch more than a dozen times in the past two years.  The district announced a tentative settlement with Selleck on Thursday.  Construction firms and contractors can obtain special meters that allow them to haul water from hydrants for large projects.  The water district said it spent nearly $22,000 for a private detective to investigate.  District officials declined to provide details.”

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/official-water-tom-selleck-accused-stealing-paid-32365871

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Meet the NSA’s disturbing Earth Day mascot, Dunk

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“Hey there. This is Dunk. Dunk is a trash can taken from the stuff of nightmares and repurposed by the NSA to promote Earth Day.  The NSA is currently hosting a STEM Recycling Challenge in Maryland schools in an attempt encourage students to consider what happens to the junk they discard daily.”

http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/19/8453531/nsa-mascot-dunk-earth-day

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Germany begs Sweden for more coal as renewable energy plan falters

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“After 2011’s Fukushima disaster in Japan, Germany gave itself not much more than 10 years to close down all it nuclear power plants.  The country also has a roadmap to switch to renewable energy for 80% of its electricity needs by 2050. That may sound like a long time, but the clean energy installed base today only provides 23% of the European Nations power demand.  But the nuclear energy phase-out has meant that at the moment Germany is burning more coal now than it did 24 years ago.  And it’s desperate for more reports the FT, even begging the Swedes who are divesting from coal to do the opposite and expand their operations inside Germany.”

http://www.mining.com/german-begs-sweden-for-more-coal-90155/

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Why Your Offshore Dream Home Might Be Illegal

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“While real estate fraud exists everywhere, it’s especially pervasive in Spain, where in the 1990s and early 2000s, developers bought property that government officials illegally rezoned for residential development in exchange for hefty bribes.  No one seemed to care in those boom times, and developers sold homes to expats as fast as they could build them. But today, there are more than 1 million ‘illegal’ properties in Spain owned by around 800,000 expats. And Spanish authorities have vowed to demolish these illegal dwellings, especially those built in ‘green’ spaces reserved for beach access or parks. Under Spanish law, owners may be forced to pay for the cost of the demolition.”

http://www.nestmann.com/why-your-offshore-dream-home-might-be-illegal

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Pulp Fiction: The Broken Promises of Biofuels

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“Despite optimistic federal mandates that required the addition of advanced biofuels to the fuel supply, commercialization has been slow to develop. Ethanol produced from cellulose was initially envisioned as a likely candidate for making a major contribution to the mandates, but project delays, overruns, and bankruptcy in the case of the first company to produce a qualifying batch of cellulosic ethanol have all tempered the initial enthusiasm. A different pathway called fast pyrolysis that results in drop-in fuels as the final product after upgrading has emerged as a contender, but this pathway has also struggled to gain a foothold.”

http://www.investingdaily.com/21069/pulp-fiction-the-broken-promises-of-biofuels-2/

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BP found ‘grossly negligent’ in 2010 U.S. spill, facing $18 billion fine

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“A U.S. judge has decided that BP Plc was ‘grossly negligent’ and ‘reckless’ in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill four years ago, a ruling that could add nearly $ 18 billion in fines to more than $ 42 billion in charges the company took for the worst offshore environmental disaster in U.S. history. Barbier ruled that BP was mostly at fault and that two other companies in the case, Transocean Ltd and Halliburton, were not as much to blame. The amount is far more than the $ 4.5 billion maximum fine that could have been levied under a simple ‘negligence’ ruling. BP has set aside only $ 3.5 billion for fines under the Clean Water Act.”

http://thebostonjournal.com/2014/09/05/bp-grossly-negligent-in-2010-u-s-spill-fines-could-be-18-billion-2/

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Homeland Security Raids Homes Seizing Vehicles For EPA Violations

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“As part of its mission to ‘protect the Homeland,’ the DHS has been busy seizing imported vehicles that don’t comply with safety and CO2 regulations.  Jennifer and Bill Brinkley were satisfied that their $60,000 dollar purchase of a Land Rover Defender on eBay complied with regulations because it fell into the exemption category of a vehicle 25 years or older.  However, when DHS agents turned up at the property, they compared the car’s Vehicle Identification Number to a list and immediately seized the Land Rover. The couple were not given ‘a chance to debate the issue.’  WBTV’s Steve Ohnesorge said DHS agents conducted ‘almost like a raid to get the car.'”

http://www.infowars.com/homeland-security-agents-raid-home-to-seize-land-rover-for-violation-of-epa-regulations/

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