Solar World Round Up - 10/30/09

While the oil still flows in the waters off Australia's Coast - the status quo back home isn't going to give an inch. Anything the progressives want we are going to have to take from them. If we do nothing we'll have oil spills everywhere, mercury to breath, mountains destroyed, the extinction of tuna (that means no more tuna fish sandwiches everyone)and more and more nuclear everything, waste, subsidies and proliferation.

The dirty energy extractors and their profit margins are going to march the economy and our collective, global survival right off the proverbial cliff. They can't stop themselves. They know better but they will try and eliminate any and all competition stifling innovation and any and all competition.

Thank god for Europe. They are a little more sane when it comes to global, environmental and economic survival. They know its a balancing act. Winner takes all, dog eat dog, rugged individualism leads to ruin, pollution, and war.

Those are the facts so we better stay on top of our elected leaders and kick to the curb anyone who stands in our way of a more perfect, equitable and sustainable world.

When we are done with health care we have to fix Energy, Wall Street, Election laws and the Tax Code. This all has to be done or we loose the world to the dirty fuel extractors and their addiction to short term profits. People of vision stay strong and focused our time is NOW!
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Here's what the future is bringing - America you are behind the curve....

German Energy Giants Eager for US Green Transformation

Earlier this month, Siemens also announced its plans to acquire solar thermal power company Solel Solar Systems Ltd. of Israel for $418 million. ...

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LEBANON: Solar power helps schools, hospitals

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The Oil Drum: Australia/New Zealand | Details of Solar Flagships ...

The successful solar thermal project in round 1 will be allowed to include hybrid solar generation combining gas or other types of renewable energy, adding no more than 15 percent of the project's total electricity output. ...

Can Renewable Energy Save The World?

Solar thermal or concentrated solar power concentrates the sun's heat to generate steam and drive a turbine, the usual method of generating electricity. ...

DeSoto desoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center Commissioned

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Wind energy and hydroelectric power are indirect forms of solar thermal energy. Solar chimneys, solar towers and the vortex engine are among the more recent proposals by which to generate electric power from solar thermal energy. ...

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Australian Oil Rig Blowout Creates Environmental Catastrophe - (With Photos) http://ping.fm/tDHF7

Australian Oil Rig Blowout Creates Environmental Catastrophe

WASHINGTON (Oct. 28, 2009) – The impacts of the nine-week West Timor oil rig blowout are creating an environmental catastrophe for wildlife and ocean ecosystems, Defenders of Wildlife said today. In August, the West Atlas/Montara offshore drilling rig, widely touted as a “safe, modern” operation, suffered what the rig’s operators termed a “loss of well control.” Despite three attempts to stop the resulting massive oil spill, oil continues to leak into the surrounding ocean.



“A global-scale environmental catastrophe so large that it is visible from space is unfolding in one of earth’s last marine wilderness areas,” said Richard Charter, government relations consultant with Defenders of Wildlife, “It is time for the dithering, excuses, and failed response efforts to end and for the international community to get the full story on how and why this spill has been allowed to continue for so long. This persistent mess is too big and too damaging to hide any longer.”



Estimates of the volume of oil spilled since the August 21 Australian blowout have now expanded as much as five-fold, to more than 9.7 million gallons, while the oil slick has covered several thousand square miles of ocean waters. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate is now discussing allowing essentially the same kind of “environmentally-responsible” offshore drilling to go forward off the coasts of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida’s Gulf Coast and Panhandle beaches.



“If anything like the Australian blowout ever takes place off of the Southeast U.S. beaches or in Florida waters, the economic and environmental consequences will last for decades,” Charter emphasized.



Worldwide, conservation interests have become increasingly concerned as satellite images have shown that the mega-spill has spread from Australia’s whale and sea-turtle rich Kimberley Coast into distant Indonesian waters as well. Three prior attempts to stop the flow of oil have failed, and a fourth attempt this week had to be postponed due to equipment failure.


Satellite imagery of the spill can be downloaded courtesy of Skytruth

and here:


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Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 1 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org.

Thanks to the Friends of the Lower Calaveras River for the repost of this press release

Lieberman is a corporate whore - his wife works for a big insurance lobbying firm - give Joe a piece of your mind http://ping.fm/yx7f6

Joe Lieberman is a Piece of Shit

...and always has been - for the record Sen. Lieberman has long been known to cultivate the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, which provide jobs in his home state and contributions to his campaign fund.

His wife, Hadassah joined Hill & Knowlton last year. The legendary lobbying and PR firm hired her as a “senior counselor” in its “health and pharmaceuticals practice."

Lieberman is beyond contempt and a real slimy piece of shit. The contempt for him is real. This move "IF" the wormy, mealy mouthed, flip flopper, sticks to his word (he never does) but if he does lead a filibuster to prevent a VOTE on healthcare this will be Joe's last act as a politician. He will get run out of the Senate and Connecticut. What a bunch of intellectual lightweights and misfits that re-elected him. I can tell you one thing he's not much of an independent. He's a hack for the Status Quo and his days are numbered.

Here's his website - give the complete piece of shit a piece of your mind.

Broad Support for Public Option

When respondents were asked to decide about "a government-administered health insurance option that anyone can purchase," a clear majority favored it. Fifty-seven percent supported it overall (though Republicans were against it by 2 to 1).

Those who opposed the broad public option were asked about a Plan B version: "What if [it] were offered as an option only to people who cannot get insurance through their employers?" Another 18 percent of the full sample supported this idea - making 75 percent in all who would support a public option as a choice for those who cannot get employer-based health insurance. And among Republicans, 59 percent supported this approach.

Abortion, Love and the Corporate CEO

I think the whole anti-choice movement is born out of the fear that someone is going to abort their belief in the second coming...I can fathom no other rational explanation and reconcile their free market passions with their elimination of self determination when it comes to child rearing.

In other words its perfectly okay for a corporate ceo to be unregulated ruining lives, the environment, spoiling the food chain and water and wreaking the economy and environment for self directed financial gain and profit no matter who gets hurt but those rules of unfettered self determination don't apply to individuals when it comes to child rearing and that responsibility.

I can not reconcile their concern with a microscopic cellular unconscious molecular mass with their entire disregard for human life after it is born.

Nor can I reconcile their love of the death penalty and their shooting of doctors, and defenseless animals with the teachings of their messiah or their complete contempt and utter disregard of the poor, uneducated, hungry, sick and dying at home and abroad with their obsessive action and violent defense of a microscopic cellular mass.

Abortion is not a religious event for most and those to whom it is a religious issue should have more faith in their god and the way he directs our lives and the choices and roads he lays out before us...Life is a learning experience and I severely doubt that any of this would be here if we all didn't have a lot to learn.

The sheer magnitude of the infinite variety of life on this earth as represented in the animals, trees, fish, insects, frogs, flowers, weather, culture, size and shape, color, grass, fields, mountains, streams, rivers, valleys, music, art and literature as well as the birds of the Galapagos Islands should certainly be a clue, and hint as to otherwise that their isn't only one way for life or ourselves to evolve and certainly not one way for us to live our lives outside the guiding principle of love.

Paul Burke
Author-Journey Home

Scientology Again - Paul Haggis's Public Awakening

It is such a shame that true believers get associated with corrupt organized religion - whether in a theocracy, catholic church or any other sect, cult or philosophy good people are used, misrepresented and taken advantage of to empower the few at the top.

There is a lot of bad mixed in with the good in the pews and I implore people of all walks of life and in all countries to look for your answers within your own self because it is there that they lay. Listen to your own consciousness it is the true honest voice of right and wrong. No dogma, no building, no cloaked, bearded, staff holding man or woman can direct you better than your own inner voice.

You can suppress it for a time but it will surface time and time again in your own consciousness the innate knowledge of the right way to be. Within you and within everyone is where the voice of your creator resides.

The only temple you need is your own body for it is there that the creator however you imagine or whatever you call him will meet you and confront you with your self and the choices you have made in life.

When will people realize that this whole Earth, this whole universe and all that is in it is sacred. We did not create it but how we individually choose to act upon it is our destiny as individuals and together globally as all of mankind.

We are all equal and what is different about us is the same - our sex, our culture, our education but where the rubber hits the road we are all the same flesh and blood. There is no pope, no priest, no ayatollah, no written scripture, no book and no dogma that holds greater truth, instruction or greater wisdom than you already posses in your inner core of being. We all know the difference between right and wrong. And we all know that excuses do not absolve our heinous acts toward each other.

Worship as you see fit, love your rituals, read the words in the books that remind you of the inner truth that resides in all of us and enjoy life. Know that no matter what choices you make they must be worked at and know that each individual has their own road to travel to enlightenment. You can not force your beliefs on others. That is repression and control for the enrichment and empowerment of others. As long as you are not harming any one do as you see fit and let your conscience be your guide.

Remember always no matter where you are in the world and I suspect universe that if you aren't following these two rules: live and let live and do unto others as you would have them do unto you - you are the one doing the wrong thing.

Paul Burke
Author - Journey Home

Read Haggis's Letter renouncing Scientology in the link above or here.

AUSTRALIAN OIL SPILL APPROACHING
"EXXON VALDEZ" SCALE - http://ping.fm/l1RuE

New Blogs Up at http://ping.fm/KzwNo
The Cost of Healthcare in America - Insurance Companies Anti-Trust Status - Federal Health Insurance to Everyone - Solar World Round Up - all with links to take action!

Solar World Round Up - 10/15/09

While we continue to slowly pull the healthcare bill away from the death grip the insurance companies have on it - Olympia Snowe - who cares - the fact remains the insurance companies have been living off of blood money and ripping us off for decades.

We're pissed and the party is over - even their ultra hush, hush anti-trust exemption from 1945 is finally being talked about.

They are scum (that's not hyperbole)and do not care about the economy as a whole or the damage and pain and suffering they have caused regular people. They don't care - too bad you made a typo - have fun dying. We're not sorry YOU got sick - thanks for the policy payments! That's whats going on people and they are finally being called out on their bizarre behavior. They gilded the lilly for so long pushed the premiums up too high. Those of us who have been saying WTF for decades are finally seeing some action on the HILL not because its the right thing to do but because its a huge drag on the economy - freakin' geniuses no duh.


Here's what's happening in the rest of the world while the dirty energy sector is asleep at the switch getting ready to defend their turf as doggedly as the insurance whores. Get ready for another battle but stay focused on health care and pump up the volume. I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!
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German industrial conglomerate Siemens acquires Israel's Solel Solar Systems ...
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Midwest Renewable Energy Association Receives $3.3 Million Award
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Bridging the development gap
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Andy Reynolds, program leader for clean energy at the Alberta Research Council, sees enormous potential for the province to develop solar thermal energy. ...

Duke Announces Solar on Customer Rooftops
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Since solar photovoltaic (PV) systems can be more costly than buying electricity at today's prices, Michael particularly recommends solar thermal (hot water ...

US NAVY: Navy Finalist in Two Categories for Platts Global Energy Awards
Trading Markets (press release)
... wind energy generation, solar photovoltaic energy generation, solar thermal energy systems, geothermal energy generation and ground source heat pumps. ...

The NAVY - you right wing elitists - and political whores - the Navy - the freakin' Pentagon knows damn right well that oil is unsustainable and a national security risk - keep playing politics and slow our real independence down to a crawl - Un-American morons.

Love,

Paul
Stay informed daily here

Insurance Companies Anti-Trust Status Explained

In 1868, the U.S. Supreme Court held that insurance is not interstate commerce and, therefore, insurers are not subject to federal regulation. The court reversed itself in 1944, and insurers were first subject to the federal antitrust laws that ensure competition in the marketplace.

The industry appealed to Congress to reinstate the old rules, and in 1945, lawmakers passed the McCarran-Ferguson Act, which gave states broad authority to regulate the "business of insurance" without interference from federal regulation. To the extent that insurers were regulated by state law, federal antitrust law no longer applied to them.

In the years since, attempts to transfer regulatory authority back to the federal government have been opposed by states and the insurance industry.
Insurance companies warn that repealing the 1945 law would result in fewer insurance companies, ultimately harming consumers. The House and the Senate are considering legislation that would eliminate the exemption and ensure that insurers do not engage in price-fixing or bid-rigging.

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This is a repost from Madonna Lebling which I thought was concise and to the point

Open Up Federal Health Insurance to Everyone

Federal workers and retirees can select plans at a cost range from $100 dollars a month for the cheapest individual coverage to $500 dollars for the most expensive family plan. Click here to see what the employee's actually pay under the employees pay column far right.

That plan should be open to everyone, small businesses and corporations as well. Rockefeller's Medicare plan should also be activated for qualified recipients who can demonstrate that the deductibles are unaffordable to them, and lower the age of medicare to 55.

The 1945 anti-trust exemption for private insurance companies has to be repealed. Click here to learn more and take action

With coverage being mandatory like a drivers license the market will burst open with competitors trying to get in on the uber-lucrative insurance business that has been raping our country for decades.

Do those three simple things and you will create a boom market for insurance start ups and lower cost for everyone. Those reforms in conjunction with streamlined paperless record keeping and the elimination of the games the insurance companies play so they don't have to pay (pre-existing conditions, typos - needing referrals for treatment - non-medical people advising course of treatment) and you will have a renaissance in the medical care field for doctors, patients and the insurance providers.

The current system can't stand because it's beyond horrible for the overall economy and beyond unethical with huge conflicts of interest in its implementation.

Over 60% of All US Bankruptcies are Attributable to Medical Problems. Most victims are middle class, well educated and have health insurance.

In 2007, before the current economic downturn, an American family filed
for bankruptcy in the aftermath of illness every 90 seconds; three-quarters of them were insured. Over 60% of all bankruptcies in the United States in 2007 were driven by medical incidents.

The share of bankruptcies attributable to medical problems rose by 50% between 2001 and 2007.

Finally I would add that 90% of the wealth concentrated in 1% of the population will kill our economic engine cold - it doesn't trickle down - it gets horded at the top. Yacht sales can not sustain 350 million people.

All of the ideas to promote competition need to be rolled out this is not a problem with a one way solution. It is a multifaceted problem that requires a myriad of approaches.

Politically let the insurance company representatives on the Hill stick their necks out because people elect politicians not insurance companies.

Let those insurance company political corporatist whores who put the insurance company profits over the health of the people and well being of the entire National Economy come forward - filibuster and vote against whats best for the Country.

They will not get re-elected no matter how much blood money they get from the insurance companies. Let them make themselves known...it will be the end of their careers and I say good riddance.

It is now more important than ever that you contact Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and urge him to include a public plan option in the Senate version of the health care reform bill.

Take Action - Email Harry Reid NOW

Paul Burke
Author-Journey Home

Solar World Round Up – 10/09/09

There was an old saying when I was growing up - “you can’t stop progress”. Although the Status quo is trying like hell. Big Insurance Companies have an anti-trust exemption (like baseball) that keep competitors from entering the field of healthcare. I say lets rescind, extinguish and blow up their anti-trust exemption and see what real competition looks like.

Put that chip on the table legislators and you’ll get your full, free and open Public Option.

Here’s the latest on SOLAR ENERGY!

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DoE to provide USD 87 million to support solar energy technologies. October 9th, 2009. The National Solar Thermal Test Facility provides experimental engineering data for proposed plants that are planned for large-scale power generation …

Global Economic Meltdown and the Cost of Healthcare in America

The smartest people in the world learn from everyone and everything - to dismiss what lessons can be learned in a foreign country - because it is a foreign country or has some other not so envious condition is to be blind - completely blind and closed off to ideas. That's not a very smart way to find solutions. You pick and choose from the best of what works. You leave behind the bad habits or missteps and learn from the mistakes of others. Check your red, white and blue arrogance at the door if you really want to learn anything and live in a better more peaceful, stable, equitable and sustainable world.

The fact remains that big insurance by refusing care to patients and reimbursement to doctors over typos has ticked everyone off - both patients and doctors.

They have a virtual monopoly over the whole process a hugely well financed lobby team and representatives on both sides of the isle.

At the end of the day healthcare reform is about the take down of a system that is squeezing profits out of everyone so hard that it is crippling the economy.

A friend of mine recently laid off without children - just he and his spouse is paying $2,500.00 dollars a month for his COBRA - that is outrageous. Health insurance costs more than his mortgage - unbelievable.

If you think the status quo is going to self regulate - in any market sector, insurance, timber, big pharma, finance, coal, oil, or nuclear - then you don't know how the "real" world works.

From the guy who runs a Kinko's worrying about the Copy Connection opening up down the street - every single individual business man wants to "corner" the market.

It's up to the people through the execution of laws to unlock their grip when it harms the overall markets.

Individual corporations work at cross hairs to the health of the overall market. Self interest isn't good for the overall health of the markets when it runs rampant and chokes off the competition smothering and in some cases outlawing innovation, technology, advancement, and invention. We all loose then.

The "free market system" is a myth and if left to its own devise as so many corporatist trust it should - it leads to anarchy - boom, bubble and bust and hyper economic cycles once every 15 years.

The markets crave and deserve stability. That's why foreign countries invest here in our Country. Stability for your hard earned cash is lucrative. And economic growth thrives on competition. You want a better return on your money you better hope for a robust, secure and vibrant market. Not one "cornered" by a stagnant antiquated status quo draining as much of the froth and discretionary income off the top for itself and itself alone.

You want venture capital you better make sure small business and the middle class are firing on all cylinders. 90% of the wealth concentrated in 1% of the population will dry up the economic engine - it doesn't trickle down - it gets horded at the top. Yacht sales can not sustain 350 million people.

The "public option" using the bureaucracy of medicare that is already set up and running processing a billion claims a year is the smart, efficient way to go.

Pooling that many people together will incentivise the private sector to stop gouging us - as we lay on our sick beds.

As it stands right now the economic impact of getting sick to the individual is catastrophic and that effects the whole market system because lots of people get sick.

When Bush implored people to go out and spend - well that's kind of hard to do when you are buried in health care bills, filling and refilling out forms and in foreclosure because you made a typo.

The system is broke and well heavily stacked in the insurance industry's favor - with no incentive except global economic melt down to fix it.

Oh wait a minute didn't that just happen....

Paul Burke
Author - Journey Home

Want to help check these links for information and ways to take action here, here, and here.