Clipmarks | vk2yoc's Pops

New twist on generating hydroelectricity

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:02:19 GMT

clipped by: pokkets

Eric Bland

An former steel town in the US may soon turn its local river into a source of power by using a grid of electricity-generating smart materials.

The town of Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, is planing to line the bottom of the Kiskiminetas River with tiny electric generators, which it hopes will generate between 20% to 40% of the city's electricity supply.

"Vandergrift is trying to be the model green town," says Assistant Professor Lisa Weiland, a scientist at the University of Pittsburgh

sustainable power will most likely come from a grid of undulating strips made of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a material that generates a slight electrical current when it is moved, in this case, by the currents and eddies in the Kiskiminetas River.

the resulting electrical current would pass to small substations along the river's edge

"There are other materials that give better performance or have higher energy densities

But we're willing to sacrifice a little power to keep the ecosystem happy."

War Defined...

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 07:54:21 GMT

clipped by: hitchhiker08
clipper's remarks: No comment required...caption says it all...

Clip Source: flickr.com

Tags: war, horror, death, killing, suffering, enmity

I Want My Country Back

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 06:37:50 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: "I love America, and I can't stand quietly by while the land of peace and liberty is being destroyed.

I love the America of the Constitution and limited government - not the America of the Patriot Act and the Orwellian Department of Homeland Security.

I love the America that Washington and Jefferson said should be far removed from all the age-old quarrels of Europe and Asia, while trading benevolently with people all over the world - not the America that has troops in a hundred countries while our own government prohibits us from peaceful trading with dozens of countries."

Clip Source: www.populistamerica.com

Thoughts on the American empire

Is it an empire?

Whenever I say that America has become an empire, someone is sure to say I'm being ridiculous.

But what do you call a government that has tried (usually successfully) to force "regime changes" in Panama, Grenada, South Vietnam, Cuba, Guatemala, Chile, Rhodesia, South Africa, Iraq (in 1963), the Philippines, Serbia, Afghanistan (twice), Iran and several other countries that don't immediately come to mind?

What do you call a government whose leader says everyone must play by his rules or risk being attacked?

World government

America rules the world - by force.

And that's ironic. Because for as long as I can remember, conservatives have been railing against the threat of world government.

But now we actually have a form of world government - a government run by George Bush and enforced by the American military - and most conservatives are all for it.

If you ask

foreigners, they make it clear that it's America's bullying foreign policy they detest.

Top 9 comments made by NBC sports commentators during the Olympics

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:00:05 GMT

clipped by: hitchhiker08
clipper's remarks: Howl-arious!

Clip Source: www.snopes.com

1. Weightlifting commentator: "This is Gregoriava from Bulgaria. I saw her snatch this morning during her warm up and it was amazing."

2. Dressage commentator: "This is really a lovely horse and I speak from personal experience since I once mounted her mother."

3. Paul Hamm, Gymnast: "I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father."

4. Boxing Analyst: "Sure there have been injuries,and even some deaths in boxing, but none of them really that serious."

5. Softball announcer: "If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again."

6. Basketball analyst: "He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn't like it. In fact you can see it all over their faces."

7. At the rowing medal ceremony: "Ah, isn't that nice, the wife of the IOC president is hugging the cox of the British crew."

8. Soccer commentator: "Julian Dicks is everywhere. It's like they've got eleven Dicks on the field."

Tags: nbc, commentators, humor, olympics, sports, comedy

Oil Prices are rigged by speculators it has nothing to do with supply demand..!

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:21:48 GMT

clipped by: TJColatrella
clipper's remarks: We must regulate once again the Futures market to really lower Oil prices the Republican drill here drill now is a total fraud..were lowering prices is concerned..!

Clip Source: www.time.com

Are Oil Prices Rigged?

Clip Source: www.time.com

Thanks to margin in the futures market, you can trade ten times more oil than you could otherwise afford. For only $9,000, you could control more than $140,000 of oil at recent highs.

All told, about one billion barrels of oil are traded daily through futures contracts at the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX). This volume significantly overshadows the 80 million barrels of oil consumed each day worldwide. Yet this large volume of trading is misleading. Most of the trades are just noise: speculators going for quick profits, taking a position, and closing it out immediately.

Tags: speculators, cftc, prof. greenberger, enron loophole, phil gramm, john mccain, bush, cheney, ice, ed wallace

MarsCam: World's most distant webcam goes live

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:16:22 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: blogs.discovermagazine.com

You can use a webcam to sneak peeks at birds’ nests, active volcanoes, watch the Shuttle launch, and even to check traffic. But that’s just local stuff. What if you want more of a far look?

Then you need to check out the most distant webcam (so far) in the solar system: the Mars Express Visual Monitoring Camera

This camera on board Europe’s Mars Express orbiter has been circling the red planet since 2003. It was used to confirm the Beagle lander’s separation from the main spacecraft, and that completed its main mission. But last year, controllers wondered if the camera could be turned back on to provide some tourist views of Mars, so they began a new campaign to check out the camera. It turned on just fine

The image above shows something we never can see from Earth: a crescent Mars, with the Sun peeking over the limb (you need to have Mars between you and the Sun to see this, and Earth is always closer to the Sun than Mars)

Clip Source: www.esa.int

The VMC: An ordinary camera in an extraordinary place!

Giant Problems

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:38:53 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: "We discussed what might have made her life better. If every time strangers spotted her, they focused on how they identified with her, perhaps her Indiana drawl, her Pacers hat, her jewelry (Allen loved jewelry, the only mainstream women’s apparel she could fit into), things would have been different.

No stares, no questions, no cellphone cameras. No hiding inside a nursing home, no abandonment. She would have loved that, I think. She would have been madly popular. "

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

SANDY Allen: superhero. That is how I perceived the world’s tallest woman, 7 feet 7 1/4 inches, from my vantage point as the tallest little girl in Delmar, N.Y. Ms. Allen, who died last week at the age of 53, appeared invincible in her photograph in the Guinness Book of World Records.

But when I drove to Shelbyville, Ind., last year to interview her, I found her alone in a claustrophobic convalescence-home room, made smaller by her 8-foot-long bed. She lived down the road from her childhood home, on $54 a month in discretionary income.

She greeted me with a hug and a joke: “If you ever want the ceiling painted, put a hat on my head and tell me which way to walk.

But she tried not to give into bouts of depression, which are shared by other giants, who live in isolation and poverty.

“I try to be friendly with everyone I meet,” she told me last year. “Some make it tougher than others

The decency was rarely returned to her

Mission Creep

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 21:22:45 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: "Our empire exists so we can exploit a much greater share of the world's wealth than we are entitled to, and to prevent other nations from combining against us to take their rightful share."

So why don't our politicians be honest with us? Because they are bought off by special interests in the name of wealth and power and greed. Now that FUCKING pisses me off that they think the American people are so stupid, save the Neocons who never cease to amaze me in any particular area of greed and stupidity.

Clip Source: www.motherjones.com

Imperialism, meaning militarily stronger nations dominating and exploiting weaker ones, has been a prominent feature of the international system for several centuries, but it may be coming to an end

The United States now seems to be the last of a dying species—the sole remaining multinational empire.

Counting domestic military bases and those on US territories, the total is 5,429.

But despite the wartime origins of many overseas bases, they have little to do with our national security.

In fact, the purpose of our overseas bases is to maintain US dominance in the world, and to reinforce what military analyst Charles Maier calls our "empire of consumption."

The United States possesses less than 5 percent of global population but consumes about one-quarter of all global resources, including petroleum.

Potential Alzheimer's, Parkinson's Cure Found In Century-old Drug

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:19:16 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: Also impressed is one of Dr. Atamna's co-authors, Bruce Ames, PhD, a senior scientist at Children's and world-renowned expert in nutrition and aging. "What we potentially have is a wonder drug." said Dr. Ames. "To find that such a common and inexpensive drug can be used to increase and prolong the quality of life by treating such serious diseases is truly exciting."

Dr. Atamna's research is the first to show that low concentrations of the drug have the ability to slow cellular aging in cultured cells in the laboratory and in live mice. He believes methylene blue has the potential to become another commonplace low-cost treatment like aspirin, prescribed as a blood thinner for people with heart disorders.

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

A new study conducted by researchers at Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland shows that a century-old drug, methylene blue, may be able to slow or even cure Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Used at a very low concentration – about the equivalent of a few raindrops in four Olympic-sized swimming pools of water – the drug slows cellular aging and enhances mitochondrial function, potentially allowing those with the diseases to live longer, healthier lives.

Dr. Atamna's research found that methylene blue can prevent or slow the decline of mitochondrial function, specifically an important enzyme called complex IV. Because mitochondria are the principal suppliers of energy to all animal and human cells, their healthy function is critical.

"The results are very encouraging," said Dr. Atamna. "We'd eventually like to try to prevent the physical and cognitive decline associated with aging, with a focus on people with Alzheimer's disease.

Tags: medicine, aging, alzheimer

Georgia-Ossetia: Context!!

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 22:57:57 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Georgia has massacred Ossetians for centuries; Ossetians have sought Russian protection. And this one began with Georgians (now aligned with the West) slaughtering Ossetians - again! Wake up, Cold Warriors, this is not about Big Bad Russia picking on pure-as-the-driven-snow helpless neighbor. Every player has mixed motives.

Clip Source: www.alternet.org

this war was framed as a simple tale of Good Helpless Democratic Guy Georgia versus Bad Savage Fascist Guy Russia

it is far more complex than this, morally and historically

there are two concentric David and Goliath narratives here

initial war pitted the Goliath Georgia-a nation of 4.4 million, with vastly superior numbers, equipment and training thanks to US and Israeli advisers-against David-Ossetia, with a population of between 50,000-70,000 and a local militia force that is barely battalion strength

Georgian rockets and artillery leveling every building in the capital city

Georgian troops lobbing grenades into bomb shelters and basements sheltering women and children

Ossetians

recall the centuries of massacres Georgians committed against them

traditionally relied on

Russia for protection against Georgia

is claiming its right as a sovereign nation to control the territory within its borders

ssetians are claiming their right to self-determination, a guiding principle since World War I

Tags: georgia, ossetia, russia

The Last Victorian Leviathan Steam Ship

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 10:04:13 GMT

clipped by: Aribeth
clipper's remarks: Alas, the end of the Eastern came with more of a whimper than bang. After suffering far too many accidents, and far too many money troubles, the Eastern passed from one hand to another until eventually the largest ship in the Victorian world came to a humiliating end, first as a floating billboard in Liverpool and then finally broken up and sold as scrap.

- It took two full years just to dismantle this ship (gives you an idea how big it was).
- A mysterious dead body was found inside the special double hull (one can only imagine the desperate story of that stowaway...)

At least Brunel didn't see the sad and pathetic end to his magnificent Great Eastern, though he didn't live to see its majesty either. Brunel died only four days after the great ship's first sea trial.

Clip Source: www.darkroastedblend.com

The More-Than-Great "Great Eastern"

- one of the most spectacular ships ever built!

Built in 1858, it was capable of bringing 4,000 people around the world, without ever once needing to refuel...

An Iron Monster, framed in a cloud of billowing white sails, or looming through the hellish black smoke - this was the ultimate Victorian luxury Trans-Atlantic liner, affectionately called the "great babe" by its eccentric designer:

perhaps the greatest of the great Victorian engineers

a rather small man with very big dreams

At just about five feet, Isambard Kingdom Brunel wasn't a striking figure but what he lacked in height he made up with towering ability.

the biggest and grandest of his

projects

what many folks see as one of the most spectacular ships ever built

construction photographs

a very intricate 3D model of the "Great Eastern" construction

National Maritime Museum

old illustrations and daguerreotypes

the end

came with more of a whimper than bang

Huge ship takes 2 years to dismantle

memorabilia

Tags: photos, history

The Real Aggressor

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:42:54 GMT

clipped by: sahara
clipper's remarks: You don't want to know the truth...

Clip Source: antiwar.com

The anti-Russian bias of the Western media is really something to behold: "Russia Invades Georgia," "Russia Attacks Georgia," and variations thereof have been some of the choice headlines reporting events in the Caucasus, but the reality is not only quite different, but the exact opposite

The Georgians have been openly engaging in a military buildup since last year, and President Mikhail Saakashvili and his party have been proclaiming from the rooftops their aim of re-conquering South Osseti

In a column entitled "Wars to Watch Out For," I wrote:

"As President Mikheil Saakashvili deflowers his own revolution and shuts down the opposition media, he could well try to divert attention away from his political problems by ginning up a fresh conflict with the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, both of which are protected by Russian troops and regional militias."

Saakashvili has been busy rounding up his political opponents and charging them with espionage,

beat demonstrators

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Clip Source: www.newsweek.com

Clip Source: www.csmonitor.com

Clip Source: www.tiraspoltimes.com

Tags: allied, assault, in, 3, 2, 1

koala takes flight

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 05:36:31 GMT

clipped by: zadoz
clipper's remarks: crow shows him how

Clip Source: www.news.com.au

Stone the crows, koala takes flight

JUST how much can a koala bear? On a blustery day, in the fork of a tree high above Happy Valley, a sleepy koala sat minding his own business.

The plucky koala swiped at the birds more than 25m above the ground while the crows landed pecks.

The birds' attack increased when the koala tried to beat a retreat down the tree.

In desperation, the koala took evasive action with a 2m horizontal leap of faith from one branch to another. That was too much for the birds. They took off for easier sport.

Tags: koala, crow

Musim father burns Christian daughter alive

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:54:17 GMT

clipped by: Antara
clipper's remarks: what can you say?

Clip Source: www.worldnetdaily.com

Muslim father burns Christian daughter alive

Man slices out girl's tongue, ignites her after 'heated debate on religion'

A Saudi Arabian Muslim father cut out his daughter's tongue and lit her on fire upon learning that she had become a Christian.

The child became curious about Jesus Christ after she read Christian material online, the Gulf News reported.

Her father read of her Internet conversation, detached her tongue and burned her to death "following a heated debate on religion," according to an International Christian Concern report.

The father is employed by the muwateen, or Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. The muwateen are police tasked by the government with enforcing religious purity. The man has been taken into custody, and his identity has not been released.

Tags: religion, islam, christianity, another dead girl

Can you find a single verse which specifically sanctions the use of violence

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:02:37 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Interesting article, at the source

Clip Source: blogs.guardian.co.uk

One of the peculiar features of the recent rise in Islamophobia is the manner in which so many opponents of the Muslim faith try to pass themselves off as experts on the Qur'an. In the wake of the Channel 4 Dispatches programme, It shouldn't happen to a Muslim, which I commissioned for Channel 4, numerous critics on Comment is free and on the channel4.com viewers' forum tried to convince me that the Qur'an preaches violence, terror and holy war. In my experience, such critics tend not to have actually read the Qur'an in its entirety, let alone in its original Arabic script, and prefer to rely on a rather disingenuous combination of mistranslation and misquotation.

A few years ago, the prominent Canadian-Muslim scholar, Dr Jamal Badawi, offered a prize of $1 million to anyone who could find any verses in the Qur'an which referred to "holy war". The prize remains unclaimed, as the Arabic translation of "holy war" - "harb muqaddasah" - appears nowhere in the Quran.

Tags: quran, islam