The Ball is dropping for 2006
The sun begins to set over Selinsgrove, PA.
Iran Nuclear Issue
For a while, now especially, Iran has been in the news for its plans to develop a nuclear energy program. Iran says that it will use the atomic energy for generating electricity only, and not for nuclear weapons. Many Western nations are skeptical on that claim and worry that Iran will produce nuclear weapons.
Iran may want to build nuclear plants to curb its use of oil for generating electricity, as that is their primary fuel. Nuclear power would do that, but I think that if Iran wants electricity, they should think about something other than nuclear. If Iran wants to get noticed in the world for something good, they should install solar and wind generating plants. A desert nation such as Iran would be the perfect place for generating electricity from the sun. They could use either photovoltaics to convert the solar energy directly into electricity or they could use solar thermal systems which concentrate the sun's rays onto a heat exchanger where water is boiled into steam for rotating a turbine-generator for electricity generation. More exotic devices use large buildings where the sun heats air in a wide greenhouse at the base, then funnels the air into a chimney containing a turbine. The rising air gains pressure and is used to spin the turbine.
If Iran were to pursue renewable energy rather than use nuclear fission for their energy needs, it would really turn heads. Perhaps it would issue a red flag to some of the industrialized nations saying "We need to get on the ball!"
I laugh at things that governments are giving, like "10 percent of energy will be renewable by 2020", although I am not an economist and of course it's ALL ABOUT MONEY!
IRAN: If all you want is electricity, you might as well invest for the future and GO RENEWABLE!
The Oil Party is Almost Over.
The party is nearing its end. The petroleum party that is. For 150 years, we have had oil, and it may only last for another 25, 30, or 40 years. Today, crude oil prices hit about U.S. $55 per barrel. (see this article for more information). The answer always seems to be "OPEC will increase production". They can increase production as much as they want, but eventually the oil in the ground will be pumped out and increasing production will require more oil wells and deeper ones, in places that are quite forbidding.
I think about the fact that if for some reason the oil supply were to be abruptly shut off. If this happened, I can not even really explain what the scene would be like. ALMOST EVERYTHING requires the use of a petroleum product. The production and distribution of food relies on oil. Almost all transportation - cars, planes, buses, ships, trains, and trucks - runs on oil. Even some of our electricity is generated in oil-fired power plants. Some countries get almost all of their electricity from imported oil. Plastics are made from oil. Countless chemicals used in thousands of products are made from oil.
Without oil, the entire industrialized world would come to a standstill. I guess they could modify engines to run on wood gasifiers, but how do we get wood? We use gasoline-powered chainsaws and logging equipment!
Suddenly, without oil, anaerobic digestion, waste-to-energy, ethanol production, and wind power are not considered "impractical" anymore! Well, business people, politicians, and even consumers of the world who are having throuble seeing the future through all of the green, you are in for a rude awakening! The key is not to increase oil production, it is to reduce dependence on it. Renewable energy is not an option...it is a requirement.
Groups say cartoon promotes homosexuality
A thing in the news right now is the criticism of the TV cartoon "Spongebob Squarepants" by certain Christian groups for promoting the acceptance of homosexuality (As if Christian groups don't promote the acceptance of Christianity). I honestly believe that this is a "great big load of crap", but see for yourself at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6850119/.