Notice: Undefined variable: galink_author_id in /home/premiumh/domains/northcoastblog.com/public_html/wp-content/plugins/google-author-link/google-author-link.php on line 114

Category: President 2008 (Page 30 of 80)

Google drills for geothermal energy

August 19, 2008 /

While John McCain pushes for offshore oil drilling, Google.org is investing in ground-breaking technology to develop geothermal energy.

Google on Tuesday took the drilling debate in a different direction – announcing that Google.org is investing nearly $11 million in technology to expand the nation’s geothermal reserves. That’s more than the U.S. government is spending on geothermal projects this year.

Traditional geothermal power plants, like those built by Calpine (CPN) in Northern California, sit atop reserves of naturally occurring steam or hot water that can be tapped to drive electricity-generating turbines. So-called Enhanced Geothermal Systems, or EGS, hope to tap geothermal energy in any location by drilling deep underground to fracture “hot rocks” and then pump them with water to create steam that can be used in a power plant. The great potential, of course, would be to liberate the Midwest and South from their dependence on coal-fired power plants.

“While the U.S. debates drilling in the ocean for oil, we are focused on drilling for renewable energy – and lots of it – right beneath our feet,” Google.org said in a statement, citing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology study that estimates the accessible heat below the U.S. represents more than 2,500 times the nation’s annual energy consumption.

It’s depressing, though not surprising, to learn that Google is investing more than our own government in trying to develop this energy source. More information on Google’s program can be found here.

Energy Independence, Environment, President 2008

Dick Morris proves he’s still an idiot

August 19, 2008 /

This might be the dumbest paragraph ever written.

If Obama can’t stand up to the Clintons, after they have been defeated, how can he measure up to a resurgent Putin who has just achieved a military victory? When the Georgia invasion first began, Obama appealed for “restraint” on both sides. He treated the aggressive lion and the victimized lamb even-handedly. His performance was reminiscent of the worst of appeasement at Munich, where another dictator got away with seizing another breakaway province of another small neighboring country, leading to World War II.

Sorry, but the “battle” with the Clinton drama team has nothing to do with war, and Hillary will do fine at the convention. Putin’s rise has been accelerated by the incompetent Bush administration, yet Morris is worried about Obama. So lame.

Even more pathetic is the Munich reference. If there’s any reference that indicates the intellectual laziness of the auther, it’s the attempt to equate a modern event to Munich. By referring to Hitler you usually prove you’re an idiot.

President 2008

Putting things in perspective

August 19, 2008 /

The angst on the web over the tightening of the race is starting to match the hype from the old media. Many sober bloggers like Josh Marshall are getting nervous, and others are chiming in. Meanwhile, you have Chris Matthews announcing that the race is “tied” based on a poll that has the Obama leading by 5 points.

Of course the race has tightened, and that makes all of us a little uneasy. But there are several things to keep in mind. McCain has been hammering Obama, and Obama has just come off a one-week vacation. Obama has generally had three bad weeks, as McCain found a good issue in drilling and Russia invaded Georgia, placing national security back in the spotlight.

Now, what is happening out there? Yes, the race is tightening. Barack’s numbers are coming down a little, and that is a concern. Yet McCain’s number are NOT GOING UP. There’s a price to pay for his tactics, and Obama and the press are running with that argument. It will take a toll on McCain over time. His “angry old man” image will not play well as the camapign goes on. McCain has basically repeated the Clinton “kitchen sink” strategy, and the result has basically been the same. Obama gets hurt a little, but he still stays ahead. The McCain people have to be worried that they haven’t been able to pull ahead, let alone take the lead.

There’s no doubt the Obama camapign needs to ratchet up the attacks. They’ve started to take shots at McCain, and they’ve run some decent negative ads. They need to get tougher, but everyone needs to understand that we’re still in the middle of summer. Their best attacks need should be rolled out during the convention and in early September when everyone is playing attention.

I will get more specific in a future post, but we heard next to nothing about health care (like pre-existing conditions) or social security. McCain is very vulnerable on both points. Expect a big push on both issues, with Hillary Clinton being one of the lead attackers on these points.

Obama needed to survive the inevitable summer onslaught. With the convention starting next week, he appears to have done so.

President 2008

John McCain has never used Google

August 19, 2008 /

Last month John McCain acknowledged that he doesn’t use a computer and that he never did a Google search. And, he wants to run the United States in the 21st century. I know, he has people who can do that for him, but it raises the question of whether this man is completely out of touch with the modern economy. It’s even more galling when one considers that McCain and his attack team are trying to portray Obama as the elitist.

And it’s an amazing country where an Arizona multimillionaire can attack a Chicago South Sider as an elitist and hope to make it stick. The Chicagoan was brought up by a single mom who had big ambitions for him, and he got scholarshipped into Harvard Law and was made president of the law review, all of it on his own hook, whereas the Arizonan is the son of an admiral and was ushered into Annapolis though an indifferent student, much like the Current Occupant, both of them men who are very lucky that their fathers were born before they were. The Chicagoan, who grew up without a father, wrote a book on his own, using a computer. The Arizonan hired people to write his for him. But because the Chicagoan can say what he thinks and make sense and the Arizonan cannot do that for more than 30 seconds at a time, the old guy is hoping to portray the skinny guy as arrogant.

Good luck with that, sir.

Meanwhile, the casual revelation last month that McCain has never figured out how to use a computer and has never sent e-mail or Googled is rather startling. It’s like admitting that you’ve never clipped your own toenails or that you didn’t know that toothpaste comes out of a tube because your valet always did that for you. It’s like being amazed at the sight of a supermarket scanner. What world does McCain live in? Where does he keep his sense of curiosity? My 94-year-old mother has sent e-mail. Does somebody plan to show him how it’s done and will they explain to him what “LOL” means?

Culture War, President 2008

Why did John McCain refer to John Lewis?

August 18, 2008 /

At Saddlebrook, John McCain was asked by Rick Warren to name three wise men he would consult with if he were elected president. Strangely, John McCain spoke about John Lewis. Lewis responds:

In response to McCain’s latest invocation of his name, Rep. Lewis said in a statement requested by Mother Jones, “I cannot stop one human being, even a presidential candidate, from admiring the courage and sacrifice of peaceful protesters on the Edmund Pettus Bridge or making comments about it.” But, he added, “Sen. McCain and I are colleagues in the US Congress, not confidantes. He does not consult me. And I do not consult him.”

John Lewis is a hero, and it’s proper that McCain and other politicians would honor and respect him, but it’s certainly misleading for McCain to suggest he would consult with Lewis and rely on his counsel. He has not done so in the past, and they agree on very little so it’s obvious he wouldn’t do so much in the future. It doesn’t sound like a very honest answer.

Culture War, President 2008

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2023 NorthCoastBlog.com

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑