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Sunday, August 26, 2007
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Here's an opinion piece that looks at the history of the Viet Nam war, through red and blue eyes, from The Los Angeles Times. From the article:
About the only thing on which red and blue agree is that the Southeast Asian war was a historic tragedy compounded by bad American decisions. The Web -- even when it is serious and knowledgeable, as it was in this instance -- remains an intensely politicized medium. People talk past rather than to each other...
This new world in which online and print commentary complement each other already is deepening our civic conversation in ways that clearly matter. Will it help us move from cacophony to consensus? In a democracy, is that ever attainable -- or even desirable?
"2008 pres"
10:47:56 AM 
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Here's an article about a new solar powered irrigation project in the San Luis Valley, from The Alamosa News. They write:
Farmers Paul and Ernie New are harvesting more than crops from the San Luis Valley's 360 days of sun. As of yesterday, they are harvesting power from the sun to run a center pivot sprinkler on their farm near Mosca. "We're going to have to start finding energy somewhere," said Ernie New before flipping the switch on a new photovoltaic solar power system that will produce about 10,000 watts of electrical power. According to Kevin Goodreau of Direct Power and Water, the company that installed the system, that's about four times the power needed to run the average household. The News and five other farms in the San Luis Valley are part of a project spearheaded by the San Luis Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council with funding from a $75,000 Conservation Innovation Grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture...
Jim Mietz, coordinator for the RC&D Council, worked with council members to develop the program and obtain the grant funding. The project fit within the grant guidelines because it used farmland not in production - the corners of fields irrigated by pivot sprinklers - and used innovative conservation technology...
The solar system on the New's farm cost just under $90,000, according to Daniel Duffield, an electrical engineer with Direct Power and Water. But through rebates from Xcel Energy, which will cover about half the cost of the system, and tax credits from the government, the cost to the landowner is estimated between $8,000 and $10,000. While the solar power system could provide electricity directly to the sprinkler, it works in an indirect manner. Through a process called net metering, the system puts power into Xcel power lines, even when the sprinkler isn't running, building power credits for the farmer. When the sprinkler is on, the power is drawn from the lines and deducted from the built up credits. The solar power system generates one-sixth to one-fifth of the power needed to operate the sprinkler. That is estimated to be about $2,500 worth of power annually. Duffield said the system "provides independent, autonomous power that no one can turn off."
Thanks to SLV Dweller for the link.
"2008 pres"
7:11:46 AM
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Doc Searls: "Riverbend hasn't posted since April. Her last words: It's difficult to decide which is more frightening - car bombs and militias, or having to leave everything you know and love, to some unspecified place for a future where nothing is certain. She had her detractors. But I always found her reports to be powerful. And important to hear."
"2008 pres"
6:58:48 AM
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Political Wire: "'Florida's Democratic primary was thrown into disarray on Saturday when the Democratic National Committee voted to strip the state of its national convention delegates because the date of the primary -- Jan. 29 -- violates party rules,' the Miami Herald reports."
NYT: "Mitt Romney, an architect of Massachusetts' universal health coverage plan, is unveiling his proposal for overhauling the nation's health care system, calling for a state-by-state approach that he says will help millions of uninsured in this country gain access to affordable medical coverage. The proposal, which Mr. Romney will detail today before the Florida Medical Association, departs significantly from the universal health care measure that he helped forge as governor of Massachusetts, reflecting the conservative audience he must now appeal to in order to win the Republican presidential nomination. It relies on federal incentives for market reforms, tax deductions and other changes to encourage people to buy health insurance and drive down costs."
Political Wire: "'If Iowa pushes its presidential caucus into December of this year, could candidates tap old money veins all over again? The payoff could be millions of dollars of new, unanticipated cash,' reports the AP. 'The possibility is sending campaign finance teams to the law books. A wrinkle in federal law could open a tempting new money cycle for 2007 that would allow candidates to solicit donors who have already given the maximum.'"
"2008 pres"
6:43:50 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/15/09; 1:21:11 PM.
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