Tuesday, December 3, 2002

Leading the way once again Oakland Tribune: The city of Berkeley's entire fleet of recycling trucks are now running on biodiesel from restaurants and doughnut shops. Under consideration: the city's public works fleet. Biodiesel is nearly double the cost of petroleum-based diesel, but prices are beginning to fall. 7:08:48 PM    comment []  trackback []

CNet.  Xerox researcher finds a new polymer that can replicate the price/performance of silicon-based displays.  Will Xerox blow it again?  "The reason the cost is lower is that we don't need the same capital-intensive process as the one used with silicon," Ong said. "In our process, we can make the material into ink and ink-jet print it to create a circuit." [John Robb's Radio Weblog] 6:21:01 PM    comment []  trackback []

A Carbon-Atom Combo: Diamonds Found in Crude Oil. Tiny diamond fragments found in crude oil might be just what scientists want: potential building blocks for the construction of molecular-scale machinery. By Kenneth Chang. [New York Times: Science] I've always felt that oil was far too valuable to burn... 2:02:14 PM    comment []  trackback []

Can Global Warming Be Studied Too Much?. Many climate experts say the perennial need for more study can no longer justify further delays in emission cuts. By Andrew C. Revkin. [New York Times: Science] 2:01:02 PM    comment []  trackback []

Never one to pull her punches I Stand with Israel: I Stand with the Jews Oriana Fallaci Corriere della Sera | December 2, 2002 I find it shameful and see in all this the rise of a new fascism, a new nazism... much more grim and revolting because it is conducted and nourished by those who hypocritically pose as do-gooders, progressives, communists, pacifists, Catholics or rather Christians, and who have the gall to label a warmonger anyone like me who screams the truth.... I have often had disagreements with the Israelis, ugly ones, and in the past I have defended the Palestinians a great deal. Maybe more than they deserved. But I stand with Israel, I stand with the Jews. I stand just as I stood as a young girl during the time when I fought with them, and when the Anna Marias were shot. I defend their right to exist, to defend themselves, to not let themselves be exterminated a second time. And disgusted by the anti-Semitism of many Italians, of many Europeans, I am ashamed of this shame that dishonors my Country and Europe. 11:54:36 AM    comment []  trackback []

Jay Leno's thinking about climate change too: What's the difference between Chanukah and an SUV? Chanukah is about a day's worth of oil lasting 8 days, whereas an SUV is about 8 days worth of oil lasting one day. :-) 11:49:55 AM    comment []  trackback []

Executives Could Face Liability Over Climate Change CERES: Company executives could find themselves losing protection against climate change-related liability claims brought by shareholders. SwissRe, the world's second-largest reinsurer, has announced it will withdraw coverage of such claims for senior executives of companies that fail to adopt adequate climate change policies. In the November issue of Environmental Finance, Roger Wenger of SwissRe said, "As an insurer, we only give coverage to 'fortuitous events.' If it is predictable that a liability would arise, we would have to exclude that cover from the policy." The insurance industry understands the issue far better than the White House. They don't need scientific certainty; their whole business is about playing the odds. And they can't even afford the risk of climate change and its consequences. Look for actions like these to have far more impact on business practices than treaties and regulations. 11:42:36 AM    comment []  trackback []