Biofuels Provide Energy Independence

At least Brazil isnt dependent on OPEC for oil...

Clipped from www.time.com

Brazil's Counterattack on Biofuels

But Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva complains that the criticism is driven by an ulterior motive. He suggests it forms part of a concerted effort by the industrialized world to prevent Brazil, one of the world's most important agricultural powers, from taking its place at the top table. The problem, he argues, lies with the "same old policies of the rich countries," such as subsidies and tariffs.

"Biofuels are not the villains threatening the food security of poorer nations," Lula told delegates at the Food and Agricultural Organization's regional conference in Brasilia last week. "Quite the contrary, as long as they are developed with the right criteria, and in keeping with each nation's own reality, they can be essential instruments for generating wealth and lifting nations out of food and energy insecurity... The real crime against humanity is discounting biofuels a priori."

"I think that the sudden rise in price of food has got people looking for causes, and biofuels are a convenient scapegoat," says Reid Detchon, Executive Director of the Energy Future Coalition, a think tank funded by the U.N. Foundation. "There's a connection to some degree... but increased demand from Asia for grain-fed meat, combined with some other factors like oil prices, droughts in wheat-producing countries, and the demand for corn in the U.S. for ethanol, have all contributed to this sudden price spike. Ethanol is not the major factor."

Brazil is most angered by critics' failure to distinguish between the sugar-cane-based ethanol produced in the tropics and the more expensive and less efficient ethanol that comes from wheat, corn, beets and other crops grown in more temperate climes.

Sugar-cane-based ethanol is up to eight times more efficient than its corn counterpart. (The amount of energy produced by one unit invested in producing sugar-cane ethanol is up to eight times greater than the amount of energy produced by investing that same unit in the process of making corn ethanol.) The crop itself uses less fertilizers and pesticides, and Brazilian farmers who grow it do not receive government subsidies. Crucially, Brazil last year exported two-thirds of its sugar crop, meaning no cane was diverted from human consumption to produce ethanol. Read more at www.time.com

 

US Gas Artificial & Dependant on Oil

Remove this tariff and start importing more sugarcane based ethanol!!

Clipped from en.wikipedia.org

Brazil's sugar cane-based industry is more efficient than the U.S. corn-based industry. Sugar cane ethanol has an energy balance seven times greater than ethanol produced from corn.[3] Brazilian distillers are able to produce ethanol for 22 cents per liter, compared with the 30 cents per liter for corn-based ethanol.[118] U.S. corn-derived ethanol costs 30% more because the corn starch must first be converted to sugar before being distilled into alcohol.[78] Despite this cost differential in production, the U.S. does not import more Brazilian ethanol because of U.S. trade barriers corresponding to a tariff of 54-cent per gallon, first imposed in 1980, but kept to offset the 45-cent per gallon blender's federal tax credit that is applied to ethanol no matter its country of origin.[5][90][91][92]

Alcohol and gasoline prices per liter at Rio de Janeiro (left) and São Paulo (right), corresponding to a price ratio of E100 ethanol to E25 gasoline of 0.64 and 0.56.

Ethanol fuel in Brazil

Brazil is the world's second largest producer of ethanol fuel and the world's largest exporter. Together, Brazil and the United States lead the industrial production of ethanol fuel, accounting together for 89% of the world's production in 2009.[1][2] In 2009 Brazil produced 24.9 billion litres (6.57 billion U.S. liquid gallons), representing 37.7% of the world's total ethanol used as fuel.[1] Read more at en.wikipedia.org

 

Is Glenn Beck Right? '50 were better?

Great Depression years of the early 1930s, a time when so many Americans seemed politically depressed and defeated, would have predicted that Americans, by the millions, would be “clamoring for redistribution” by the mid 1930s — and reshaping American politics with that clamor.

Out of that new politics would come, by the 1950s, a much more equal America. We’ve lost that equality over the last three decades. We can get it back.

Clipped from toomuchonline.org

Great Depression years of the early 1930s, a time when so many Americans seemed politically depressed and defeated, would have predicted that Americans, by the millions, would be “clamoring for redistribution” by the mid 1930s — and reshaping American politics with that clamor. Out of that new politics would come, by the 1950s, a much more equal America. We’ve lost that equality over the last three decades. We can get it back.

Inequality’s Impact: A New Debate Opens

If the wealth of the wealthy really bothered Americans, flacks for grand fortune enjoy declaring, our political system would be shaking something fierce. They don’t see a whole lot of shaking. Should we? Read more at toomuchonline.org

 

Wealthy 1% Have ALWAYS Controlled USA

Clipped from www.tax.com

Figure 5: Share of wealth held by the Bottom 99% and Top 1% in the United States, 1922-2007.

Here are some dramatic facts that sum up how the wealth distribution became even more concentrated between 1983 and 2004, in good part due to the tax cuts for the wealthy and the defeat of labor unions: Of all the new financial wealth created by the American economy in that 21-year-period, fully 42% of it went to the top 1%. A whopping 94% went to the top 20%, which of course means that the bottom 80% received only 6% of all the new financial wealth generated in the United States during the '80s, '90s, and early 2000s (Wolff, 2007). Read more at www.tax.com

 

Indiana Passes Largest Voucher Program

http://view.exacttarget.com/?j=fe5915797d6306797610&m=fef71276...

 

 

Size of Govt Conversation w/ TeaParty

A Teaparty activist send me this article which says Govt is too big.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704050204576219073867182108.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

I countered

 

In general I agree Govt is too big in terms of # of people and expenditures.  However, I disagree on the allocation.  I think military spending and people should be cut, not public service programs and education (You and I agree that education needs revamping and changes seem to be underway).  We could drop $400B from the defense budget and still have the largest military in the world. 

 

However, I would also point out that the US is the largest manufacturer, many people have moved to the services sector, and many people are unemployed as a result of manufacturing outsourcing.

 

The Govt sector hires more educated people but they are paid less and loss their job less frequently than private sector which is subject to faster extreme swings.  Currenlty unemployment for those with a only high school education is really high – like 16%.

 

Same line of thought:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0416/p01s04-usec.html

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/05/the_public_trough_is_bigger_th.html

 

Federal Civilian is 2% of the American population.  Close to 10% with city, state (teachers, police, fire, etc)

http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/78xx/doc7874/03-15-Federal_Personnel.pdf

 

This says 2007 numbers are 8% with military

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_percentage_of_americans_are_government_employed

 

Im sure that 1) outsourcing 2) Move from Farming and manufacturing to services sector and 3) job loss as a result of the crissis adjusted the numbers.

http://www.cfr.org/pakistan/trade-outsourcing-jobs/p7749

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_United_States

The United States is the world's largest manufacturer, with a 2007 industrial output of US$2.69 trillion. In 2008, its manufacturing output was greater than that of the manufacturing output of China, India, and Brazil combined, despite manufacturing being a very small portion of the entire US economy as compared to most other countries

 

http://facultysenate.unlv.edu/budget_memos/Public_Sector.pdf

More public sector workers are older, More public sector workers are more educated

 

Isnt this another GOP lie? @chrislhayes

URL:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704050204...

 

 

More Americans work for the government than in manufacturing, farming, fishing, forestry, mining and utilities combined

9/11 Families Press 4 Truth @Mr_Electro

No hype, no unproven theorys, just the struggle of the 9/11 survivors to get reasonable answers from our government. It is touching, and at the same time shocking as actual film clips connect the dots in a way that our media should have, but didn't. Every citizen of the US should see this film. (I am sure many low votes are from "patriots" that haven't even seen this touching, thoughtful and at the same time provocative film).
370 out of 428 members found this review helpful

This film is a brilliant as it is shocking. There is absolutely NO speculation included that would damage the films credibility, it contains documented facts complete with verifiable sources that prove the government is hard at work trying to keep the facts of 9/11 hidden from the American public. Every American needs to see this movie, within in lies critical knowledge required to regain control of OUR Nation.

This movie is GOOD! The only reason it doesnt have 5 stars is because lying republicans give it one star. I dont think that Bush engineered the attacks, rather I think he lied to coverup his incompetency. There are lots news stories revealed here that shead a new light on what really happened.

Clipped from movies.netflix.com

9/11: Press for Truth

Based partly on Paul Thompson's book The Terror Timeline, this documentary chronicles the efforts of family members who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attack as they hound powerful officials to uncover the truth. The families succeed in generating an independent investigation, but more questions than answers emerge as the film spotlights secretive politicians, buried news items, government press conferences lacking substance and more. Read more at movies.netflix.com

 

Republicans' Lies @ Jobs @Mr_Electrico

Its about bloody time the left begins standing up to this BS that has been propagated by Laffer and the Reagan Admin.

Supply side economics did not trickle down, it defied gravity and floated up.

Clipped from www.huffingtonpost.com

The Republicans' Big Lies About Jobs (And Why Obama Must Repudiate Them)

"And if all others accepted the lie which the party imposed -- if all records told the same tale -- then the lie passed into history and became the truth." ~ George Orwell, 1984 (published in 1949)

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor was in town yesterday (specifically, at Stanford's Hoover Institute where he could surround himself with sympathetic Republicans) to tell this whopper: "Cutting the federal deficit will create jobs."

It's not true. Cutting the deficit will creates fewer jobs. Less government spending reduces overall demand. This is particularly worrisome when, as now, consumers and businesses are still holding back. Fewer government workers have paychecks to buy stuff from other Americans, some of whom in turn will lose their jobs without enough customers. Read more at www.huffingtonpost.com

 

Global $$ Poured into Libya @chrislhayes

Clipped from www.libyaonline.com

ccidental - The company, which began business in Libya in 1966, reported first-quarter 2009 net production from Libya of 8,000 barrels per day, down from 22,000 bpd a year earlier.

Big foreign companies doing business with Libya .

Following is a list of some of the biggest foreign oil companies in Libya. Information is taken from previous Reuters stories.

See more at www.libyaonline.com

 

Halliburton Funding Terror @chrislhayes

U.S. law does ban virtually all commerce with the rogue nations, but there's a loophole that G.E., Conoco-Phillips and Halliburton have exploited: The law does not apply to any foreign or offshore subsidiary so long as it is run by non-Americans.

“These three companies, as far as we were concerned, appear to have violated the spirit of the law,” says Thompson. “In the case of Halliburton, as an example, they have an offshore subsidiary in the Cayman Islands. That subsidiary is doing business with Iran.”

That subsidiary, Halliburton Products and Services, Ltd., is wholly owned by the U.S.-based Halliburton and is registered in a building in the capital of the Cayman Islands – a building owned by the local Calidonian Bank. Halliburton and other companies set up in this Caribbean Island, because of tax and secrecy laws that are corporate friendly.

Halliburton is the company that Vice President Dick Cheney used to run. He was CEO from 1995 to 2000, during which time Halliburton Products and Services set up shop in Iran. Today, it sells about $40 million a year worth of oil field services to the Iranian government.

In the case of Iran, Thompson says they earn most of their revenues through their oil industry. So what is the connection between that oil business and terrorism and weapons of mass destruction?

“The Iranian government is receiving dollars from it. And then turning around and exporting terrorism around the world. It benefits terrorism. At least that's our belief,” says Thompson.

Clipped from www.cbsnews.com

U.S. law does ban virtually all commerce with the rogue nations, but there's a loophole that G.E., Conoco-Phillips and Halliburton have exploited: The law does not apply to any foreign or offshore subsidiary so long as it is run by non-Americans. “These three companies, as far as we were concerned, appear to have violated the spirit of the law,” says Thompson. “In the case of Halliburton, as an example, they have an offshore subsidiary in the Cayman Islands. That subsidiary is doing business with Iran.” That subsidiary, Halliburton Products and Services, Ltd., is wholly owned by the U.S.-based Halliburton and is registered in a building in the capital of the Cayman Islands – a building owned by the local Calidonian Bank. Halliburton and other companies set up in this Caribbean Island, because of tax and secrecy laws that are corporate friendly. Halliburton is the company that Vice President Dick Cheney used to run. He was CEO from 1995 to 2000, during which time Halliburton Products and Services set up shop in Iran. Today, it sells about $40 million a year worth of oil field services to the Iranian government. In the case of Iran, Thompson says they earn most of their revenues through their oil industry. So what is the connection between that oil business and terrorism and weapons of mass destruction? “The Iranian government is receiving dollars from it. And then turning around and exporting terrorism around the world. It benefits terrorism. At least that's our belief,” says Thompson.

Doing Business With The Enemy

Are U.S. Firms Doing Business In Nations That Support Terrorism?

(CBS)  Did it ever occur to you that when President Bush says, "Money is the lifeblood of terrorist operations," he's talking about your money -- and every other American's money? Just about everyone with a 401(k) pension plan or mutual fund has money invested in companies that are doing business in so-called rogue states. In other words, there are U.S. companies that are helping drive the economies of countries like Iran, Syria and Libya, all places that have sponsored terrorists. Correspondent Lesley Stahl reported on this story last January. "The revenue that is generated from the work that these companies are doing, we believe, helps to underwrite and support terrorism,” says William Thompson, the New York City comptroller who oversees the $80 billion in pension funds for all city workers. Read more at www.cbsnews.com

 

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act & Libya

I guess these companies that paid extensive fees to Libya will want their money back...

Clipped from www.minyanville.com

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Oil Companies That Gave 'Bonuses' to Libya Also Lobbied Against Disclosure Rules

A news report looks at what some oil majors are doing to get around anti-bribery rules.

Multinational companies operating in Libya have had to deal with many obstacles, including a government rife with corruption that often asked for what amounted to bribes.

Sometimes those companies balked; sometimes they paid them, the New York Times reported today.

The Times story doesn't actually mention the word "bribes," using instead the phrase "payoffs to keep doing business." U.S. companies are barred from paying bribes to foreign officials by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Read more at www.minyanville.com

 

Doing Business in Libya @chrislhayes

Not much US corporate involvement in Libya. I guess that explains why we are not pursuing regime change and bombing them into the 19th century with a budget that exceeds the educational budget of most US states.

Clipped from 247wallst.com

Companies & Funds Hit with Libya Exposure (ACM, E, EWI, OXY, RDS-A, BP, PBR, AFK, EGPT, TUR, EIS)

Another week, another North African country on fire.  As you would expect, many large American and European companies do business in these nations.  Libya has followed turmoil in Egypt and Bahrain and we wanted to see how the violence and unrest is impacting these companies now that the market is open. Libya produces around 1.5 million barrels per day, and that which is exported mostly goes to Europe.

AECOM Technology Corporation (NYSE: ACM) had what was roughly a $500 million contract over five years building Libyan infrastructure projects, much of which has apparently already been received.  Shares are down 5.6% at $28.19, so this is more heavily impacting than some might have considered. Read more at 247wallst.com

 

Are we better off?

Doesn't address potential food shortage issues but in terms of life expectancy we seem to be moving up.

Clipped from www.youtube.com

Hans Rosling's 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes - The Joy of Stats - BBC Four

More about this programme: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wgq0l Hans Rosling's famous lectures combine enormous quantities of public data with a sport's commentator's style to reveal the story of the world's past, present and future development. Now he explores stats in a way he has never done before - using augmented reality animation. In this spectacular section of 'The Joy of Stats' he tells the story of the world in 200 countries over 200 years using 120,000 numbers - in just four minutes. Plotting life expectancy against income for every country since 1810, Hans shows how the world we live in is radically different from the world most of us imagine.

See more at www.youtube.com

 

PNAC Source of all Evil where r they now

the 9-11 investigation should begin with every member of PNAC. Clearly these are maniacs that have continued the destruction of the world with WAR, LIES, and a lack of VIDEOTAPE (Pentagon video of plane crashing is not available)

Clipped from en.wikipedia.org

Project for the New American Century

The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) was an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. that lasted from early 1997 to 2006. It was co-founded as a non-profit educational organization by neoconservatives William Kristol and Robert Kagan. The PNAC's stated goal was "to promote American global leadership."[1] Fundamental to the PNAC were the view that "American leadership is both good for America and good for the world" and support for "a Reaganite policy of military strength and moral clarity."[2] The PNAC exerted influence on high-level U.S. government officials in the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush and affected the Bush Administration's development of military and foreign policies, especially involving national security and the Iraq War.[3][4]

On September 20, 2001 (nine days after the September 11, 2001 attacks), the PNAC sent a letter to President George W. Bush, advocating "a determined effort to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq," or regime change: Read more at en.wikipedia.org

 

Disappointed w/ Obama on Foreclosure

Clipped from www.huffingtonpost.com

Obama Administration Scales Back Proposed Homeowner Relief Effort Over Alleged Foreclosure Abuses

The Obama administration has significantly diminished a proposed homeowner relief program that initially aimed to force the nation's five largest mortgage companies to reduce monthly payments for three million distressed homeowners, according to documents and people involved in the discussions.

The administration has shifted its focus to delivering lowered payments for as few as one million homeowners, according to sources that are party to the deliberations.

The demise of the mortgage relief proposal would constitute a significant setback in state and federal efforts to resolve allegations of widespread legal abuses by major mortgage lenders. State law enforcement authorities have in recent months been in discussions with federal banking regulators and Obama administration officials to try to craft a settlement that could effectively close the books on complaints of wrongdoing that have been attendant to a historic surge in the numbers of American homes falling into foreclosure. Read more at www.huffingtonpost.com

 

Modern Life Got You Stressed? @npr

Maybe this is why so many Americans take countless drugs, cant sleep and are hopelessly overweight - Because our Govt allows our companies to destroy our lives and our planet and it is causing us STRESS.

Turn Off FOX News, MSNBC, list to NPR

Clipped from www.huffingtonpost.com

Are You An Anxiety Junkie? 7 Strategies To Break The Addiction (VIDEO)

Our world is in the midst of an emotional meltdown. As a psychiatrist, I've seen that many people are addicted to the adrenaline rush of anxiety, known as the "fight or flight" response, and they don't know how to defuse it. An example of this is obsessively watching the news about natural disasters, trauma, economic stress and violence, and then not being able to turn bad news off. Also, people are prone to "techno-despair" -- a term I coined in my book, "Emotional Freedom." This is a state of high anxiety that results from information overload and Internet addiction. It's also related to our super-dependence on smartphones and the panic of feeling disconnected if technology breaks down and we can't access emails or other communications -- a new version of what's psychiatrically known as an "attachment disorder." I've helped many patients address the adverse effects of techno-despair, such as insomnia, nightmares, restless sleep and ongoing angst. You, too, can break your addiction to anxiety and lead a more peaceful life. Am I Addicted To Anxiety?

7 Strategies To Overcome Anxiety (From "Emotional Freedom"

Eliminate caffeine, sugar and other stimulants. These fuel the "fight or flight" response.

Avoid people who reinforce your fear, whom I call "emotional vampires." They are biological irritants. Stick close to positive people. (See my previous post, "Who's the Emotional Vampire in Your Life?")

Stay away from violent newscasts, arguments, the Internet, paying bills or other stress inducers, especially before sleep.

Set healthy limits and boundaries. To combat stress, it's important to realize that "No" is a complete sentence, and a healthy way to set limits and boundaries with stress-inducing people and situations.

Pause when agitated. Make this vow: "I will never have a conversation with someone, send an email, or make a decision when gripped by anxiety." No matter what the upset is, do not act until you have gained calm and composure.

Use this Progressive Relaxation Technique. In a comfortable position, sitting or lying down, take a few deep breaths while letting your body go as limp as possible. When you're ready, begin by tightening the muscles in your toes. Hold to a count of 10, and then relax. Enjoy the relief of tension melting. Do the same with flexing your foot muscles, and move slowly through your entire body: calves, legs, stomach, back, neck, jaw and face, contracting and releasing each area.

Stay in "the now." Try not to project negative scenarios about the future. Stay solution-oriented in the present moment and be grateful for what is positive in your life. Read more at www.huffingtonpost.com

 

Email Congressman about Loose Change 911

http://www.loosechange911.com/get-involved/activism-resources/...

 

 

Neocons Divide and Conquer America

After seeing countless videos and reading a plethora of expert testimonies, I find it IMPOSSIBLE to believe the 9-11 Commission report and the official version of 9/11. The Neocons hijacked our foreign policy and doubled down on the military congressional industrial complex and the defense budget.

Do Americans realize how important this is? This dwarfs our debate about collective bargaining, healthcare, budget deficits, third world America, tax breaks, jobs, the poor economy, abortion, filibusters, clean energy, pollution, muslim extremists, planned parenthood, NPR, even the global economic crisis and financial bailout.

America is at war with itself. Americans are being pitted against each other. We are being distracted with each of these issues when in reality, the culprits responsible for 9/11 are profiting beyond our imagination.

Iraq and Afghanistan are WARS fought based COMPLETELY on LIES. Why are Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and others being SERIOUSLY investigated?

WTC Destroyed by Controlled Demolition

This cannot be denied. We MUST get Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld + others into Federal court ASAP.

Clipped from 911truth.org

Live Debate on Building Collapses Scheduled March 6th

Colorado 9/11 Visibility is pleased to announce a live debate addressing the collapse of the three World Trade Center buildings on September 11, 2001.

Sunday afternoon, March 6th, at the Boulder campus of the University of Colorado, Colorado 9/11 Visibility will host a debate between Richard Gage, AIA (American Institute of Architects), and Chris Mohr, Denver investigative journalist and nondenominational minister.

The question: What brought down the three World Trade Center skyscrapers? Read more at 911truth.org