Saturday, January 23, 2010

George Bush Billboard Seen on Highway in Minnesota ("Miss Me Yet?")

I was not a George Bush fan when he was the President for eight (8) years nor am I a fan now. However, Bush appears to be much more comical and silly than his successor. While I do not miss Bush, this billboard is pretty funny.

I wonder who paid for this billboard?

Source:
The Power Hour

Venezuela's Orinoco Oil Belt Holds One of the World's Largest Oil Accumulations at 513 Billion Barrels

Here is an interesting press release from the U.S. Department of the Interior. If you believe the information presented in a previous Remixx World! article entitled Haiti Has Larger Oil Reserves Than Venezuela Say Scientists (An Olympic Pool Compared to a Glass of Water), then based on the information defined below by the government, Haiti's oil reserves are greater than 513 billion recoverable barrels.

###

Technical Announcement:
Venezuela Holds One of the Largest Oil Accumulations

Released: 1/22/2010 6:31:58 AM

Contact Information:
U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
Office of Communication
119 National Center
Reston, VA 20192
Chris Schenk 1-click interview
Phone: 303-236-5796

Jessica Robertson 1-click interview
Phone: 703-648-6624

Brenda Pierce 1-click interview
Phone: 703-648-6421

New Research on How Much is Currently Recoverable

An estimated 513 billion barrels of technically recoverable heavy oil are in Venezuela’s Orinoco Oil Belt.

This area contains one of the world's largest recoverable oil accumulations, and this assessment is the first to identify how much is technically recoverable (producible using currently available technology and industry practices).

Worldwide consumption of petroleum was 85.4 million barrels per day in 2008. The three largest consuming countries were United States with 19.5 million barrels per day, China with 7.9 million barrels per day, and Japan with 4.8 million barrels per day.

“Knowing the potential for extractable resources from this tremendous oil accumulation, and others like it, is critical to our understanding of the global petroleum potential and informing policy and decision makers,” said USGS Energy Resources Program Coordinator Brenda Pierce. “Accumulations like this one were previously very difficult to produce, but advances in technology and new understandings in geology allow us to assess how much is now technically recoverable."

“Heavy oil is a type of oil that is very thick and therefore does not flow very easily,” said USGS scientist Christopher Schenk. “As a result, specialized production and refining processes are needed to generate petroleum products, but it is still oil and can generate many of the same products as other types of oil.”

This is the largest accumulation ever assessed by the USGS. The estimated petroleum resources in the Orinoco Oil Belt range from 380 to 652 billion barrels of oil (at a 95 and 5 percent chance of occurrence, respectively). The Orinoco Oil Belt is located in the East Venezuela Basin Province.

The USGS conducted this assessment as part of a program directed at estimating the technically recoverable oil and gas resources of priority petroleum basins worldwide. To learn more about this assessment, read the fact sheet, "An Estimate of Recoverable Heavy Oil Resources of the Orinoco Oil Belt, Venezuela" and visit the USGS Energy Resources Program web site.

FDIC Friday Night Feast (Failed Bank List as of January 22, 2010 - 5 Banks Closed Today - $531.7 Million Total Insurance Charge)

Bank Name

City

State

CERT #

Closing Date

Updated Date

Columbia River Bank The Dalles OR 22469 January 22, 2010 January 22, 2010
Evergreen Bank Seattle WA 20501 January 22, 2010 January 22, 2010
Charter Bank Santa Fe NM 32498 January 22, 2010 January 22, 2010
Bank of Leeton Leeton MO 8265 January 22, 2010 January 22, 2010
Premier American Bank Miami FL 57147 January 22, 2010 January 22, 2010

The FDIC closed five (5) banks on January 22, 2010 -- Premier American Bank in Miami, Florida; Bank of Leeton in Leeton, Missouri; Charter Bank in Santa Fe, New Mexico; Evergreen Bank in Seattle, Washington; and Columbia River Bank in The Dalles, Oregon.

Premier American Bank will cost $85 million against the FDIC insurance fund. Bank of Leeton will cost $8.1 million against the FDIC insurance fund. Charter Bank will cost $201.9 million against the FDIC insurance fund. Evergreen Bank will cost $64.2 million against the FDIC insurance fund. Columbia River Bank will cost $172.5 million against the FDIC insurance fund.

The total amount charged against the FDIC insurance fund today is $531,700,000 (or $531.7 million). At this point, nine (9) banks have closed this year.



Friday, January 22, 2010

NORAD to Patrol Vancouver's Skies During 2010 Winter Olympics

I guess NORAD will be in full effect at the Winter Olympics 2010 if something goes down on the terrorist tip. This is probably a good thing, because the Canadian Parliament has been suspended until after the Olympics.

NORAD will keep watch over the skies of Vancouver during the Winter Olympics next month, and is ready to launch a joint response with Canadian authorities in case of a terrorist attack...

It’s routine for NORAD to monitor prominent public events in North America, such United Nations summits, national political conventions and even the Superbowl, the officials said.


Unlike those events, however, Vancouver’s Winter Olympics will require 2 ½ weeks of vigilance. Crafting a cohesive approach with Canada’s domestic authorities has involved “countless” training scenarios over the past 2 ½ years, and the planning has included the Canadian prime minister, said Lt. Gen. Marcel Duval of the Canadian Forces, NORAD’s deputy commander.

Source: The Gazette

South Korea and Illinois to Cooperate in Construction of Viable Smart Grid Electrical Network in the United States of America

I would highly recommend watching the movie "Eagle Eye," if you have any questions about what a "smart grid" is. Once you watch that movie, you will understand what a smart grid is and likely realize that America will soon have a smart grid. In fact, South Korea and the State of Illinois are teaming up to develop a smart grid - a smart grid for America.

Knowledge Economy Minister Choi Kyung-hwan and Warren Ribley, head of Illinois's Department of Commerce, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the deal that calls for the two sides to set up a pilot community in, conduct research and development (R&D) and the training of related personnel.

A smart grid refers to an emerging technology that allows real-time monitoring of electricity output and demand. The system is designed to incorporate solar panels and wind generators into the main power grid, and lets consumers store energy and sell it back to the power company.

Source: The Korea Herald

See Also:
Commerce Department: NIST Framework and Roadmap for Smart Electrical Grid Interoperability Standards Release 1.0 (Draft)


Earth-Orbiting Satellites Detect M-2 Class Sunspot Eruption (Strongest Solar Flare in Almost Two Years)!


This article will not do anything to disprove the 2012 rumors and discussions that a large solar flare is going to wipe out the country's electrical grid and/or worse.

Earth-orbiting satellites detected the strongest solar flare in almost two years. The M2-class eruption came from old sunspot 1039, currently located behind the sun's eastern limb. NASA's STEREO-B spacecraft recorded this extreme ultraviolet movie of the blast.

Source:
Spaceweather.com


Energy Department to Impose New Safety Regulations on Geothermal Drilling to Address Concerns About Induced Earthquakes


Pop quiz question of the day. Do companies have the capacity to induce and cause localized earthquakes? Yes or no. Take your time and think about it for a second.

Are you done? If you said yes, then you win the no-prize.
Why is the answer yes?

According to recent news, “The US Department of Energy (DoE) is to impose new safety regulations on geothermal energy projects designed to address fears that drilling deep holes in order to access energy released by so-called hot rocks could increase local earthquake risks.

If earthquakes can be caused by deep drilling, then what would stop a person who wants to cause a localized earthquake from simply deep drilling in the desired location?

Source: ThinkGeoEnergy


Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Haiti: An Unwelcome Katrina Redux by Cynthia McKinney


by Cynthia McKinney

Global Research, January 19, 2010

President Obama's response to the tragedy in Haiti has been robust in military deployment and puny in what the Haitians need most: food; first responders and their specialized equipment; doctors and medical facilities and equipment; and engineers, heavy equipment, and heavy movers. Sadly, President Obama is dispatching Presidents Bush and Clinton, and thousands of Marines and U.S. soldiers. By contrast, Cuba has over 400 doctors on the ground and is sending in more; Cubans, Argentinians, Icelanders, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, and many others are already on the ground working--saving lives and treating the injured. Senegal has offered land to Haitians willing to relocate to Africa.

The United States, on the day after the tragedy struck, confirmed that an entire Marine Expeditionary Force was being considered "to help restore order," when the "disorder" had been caused by an earthquake striking Haiti; not since 1751, 1770, 1842, 1860, and 1887 had Haiti experienced an earthquake. But, I remember the bogus reports of chaos and violence the led to the deployment of military assets, including Blackwater, in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. One Katrina survivor noted that the people needed food and shelter and the U.S. government sent men with guns. Much to my disquiet, it seems, here we go again. From the very beginning, U.S. assistance to Haiti has looked to me more like an invasion than a humanitarian relief operation.

On Day Two of the tragedy, a C-130 plane with a military assessment team landed in Haiti, with the rest of the team expected to land soon thereafter. The stated purpose of this team was to determine what military resources were needed.

An Air Force special operations team was also expected to land to provide air traffic control. Now, the reports are that the U.S. is not allowing assistance in, shades of Hurricane Katrina, all over again.

On President Obama's orders military aircraft "flew over the island, mapping the destruction." So, the first U.S. contribution to the humanitarian relief needed in Haiti were reconnaissance drones whose staffing are more accustomed to looking for hidden weapon sites and surface-to-air missile batteries than wrecked infrastructure. The scope of the U.S. response soon became clear: aircraft carrer, Marine transport ship, four C-140 airlifts, and evacuations to Guantanamo. By the end of Day Two, according to the Washington Post report, the United States had evacuated to Guantanamo Bay about eight [8] severely injured patients, in addition to U.S. Embassy staffers, who had been "designated as priorities by the U.S. Ambassador and his staff."

On Day Three we learned that other U.S. ships, including destroyers, were moving toward Haiti. Interestingly, the Washington Post reported that the standing task force that coordinates the U.S. response to mass migration events from Cuba or Haiti was monitoring events, but had not yet ramped up its operations. That tidbit was interesting in and of itself, that those two countries are attended to by a standing task force, but the treatment of their nationals is vastly different, with Cubans being awarded immediate acceptance from the U.S. government, and by contrast, internment for Haitian nationals.

U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral James Watson IV reassured Americans, "Our focus right now is to prevent that, and we are going to work with the Defense Department, the State Department, FEMA and all the agencies of the federal government to minimize the risk of Haitians who want to flee their country," Watson said. "We want to provide them those releif supplies so they can live in Haiti."

By the end of Day Four, the U.S. reportedly had evacuated over 800 U.S. nationals.

For those of us who have been following events in Haiti before the tragic earthquake, it is worth noting that several items have caused deep concern:

1. the continued exile of Haiti's democratically-elected and well-loved, yet twice-removed former priest, President Jean-Bertrand Aristide;

2. the unexplained continued occupation of the country by United Nations troops who have killed innocent Haitians and are hardly there for "security" (I've personally seen them on the roads that only lead to Haiti's sparsely-populated areas teeming with beautiful beaches);

3. U.S. construction of its fifth-largest embassy in the world in Port-au-Prince, Haiti;

4. mining and port licenses and contracts, including the privatization of Haiti's deep water ports, because certain off-shore oil and transshipment arrangements would not be possible inside the U.S. for environmental and other considerations; and

5. Extensive foreign NGO presence in Haiti that could be rendered unnecessary if, instead, appropriate U.S. and other government policy allowed the Haitian people some modicum of political and economic self-determination.

Therefore, we note here the writings of Ms. Marguerite Laurent, whom I met in her capacity as attorney for ousted President of Haiti Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Ms. Laurent reminds us of Haiti's offshore oil and other mineral riches and recent revivial of an old idea to use Haiti and an oil refinery to be built there as a transshipment terminal for U.S. supertankers. Ms. Laurent, also known as Ezili Danto of the Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network (HLLN), writes:

"There is evidence that the United States found oil in Haiti decades ago and due to the geopolitical circumstances and big business interests of that era made the decision to keep Haitian oil in reserve for when Middle Eastern oil had dried up. This is detailed by Dr. Georges Michel in an article dated March 27, 2004 outlining the history of oil explorations and oil reserves in Haiti and in the research of Dr. Ginette and Daniel Mathurin.

"There is also good evidence that these very same big US oil companies and their inter-related monopolies of engineering and defense contractors made plans, decades ago, to use Haiti's deep water ports either for oil refineries or to develop oil tank farm sites or depots where crude oil could be stored and later transferred to small tankers to serve U.S. and Caribbean ports. This is detailed in a paper about the Dunn Plantation at Fort Liberte in Haiti.

"Ezili's HLLN underlines these two papers on Haiti's oil resources and the works of Dr. Ginette and Daniel Mathurin in order to provide a view one will not find in the mainstream media nor anywhere else as to the economic and strategic reasons the US has constructed its fifth largest embassy in the world - fifth only besides the US embassy in China, Iraq, Iran and Germany - in tiny Haiti, post the 2004 Haiti Bush regime change."

Unfortunately, before the tragedy struck, and despite pleading to the Administration by Haiti activists inside the United States, President Obama failed to stop the deportation of Haitians inside the United States and failed to grant TPS, temporary protected status, to Haitians inside the U.S. in peril of being deported due to visa expirations. That was corrected on Day Three of Haiti's earthquake tragedy with the January 15, 2010 announcement that Haiti would join Honduras, Nicaragua, Somalia, El Salvador, and Sudan as a country granted TPS by the Secretary of Homeland Security.

President Obama's appointment of President Bush to the Haiti relief effort is a swift left jab to the face, in my opinion. After President Bush's performance in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the fact that still today, Hurricane Katrina survivors who want to return still have not been provided a way back home, the appointment might augur well for fundraising activities, but I doubt that it bodes well for the Haitian people. Afterall, the coup against and the kidnapping of President Aristide occurred under the watch of a Bush Presidency.

Finally, those with an appreciation of French literature know that among France's most beloved authors are Alexandre Dumas, son of a Haitian slave, and Victor Hugo who wrote: "Haiti est une lumiere." [Haiti is a light.] Indeed, Haiti for millions is a light: light into the methodology and evil of slavery; light into a successful slave rebellion, light into nationhood and notions of liberty, the rights of man, and of human dignity. Haiti is a light. And an example that makes the enemies of black liberation tremble. It is precisely because of Haiti's light into the evil genius of some individuals who wield power over others and man's ability, through unity and purpose, to overcome that evil, that some segments of the world have been at war with Haiti ever since 1804, the year of Haiti's creation as a Republic.

I'm not surprised at "Reverend" Pat Robertson's racist vitriol. Robertson's comments mirror, exactly, statements made by Napoleon's Cabinet when the Haitians defeated them. But in 2010, Robertson's statements reveal much more: Haitians are not the only ones who know their importance to the struggle against hatred, imperialism, and European domination.

This pesky, persistent, stubbornly non-Western, proudly African people of this piece of land that we call Haiti know their history and they know that they militarily defeated the ruling world empire of the day, Napoleon's France, and the global elite at that time who supported him. They know that they defeated the armies of England and Spain.

Haitians know that they used their status as a free state to help liberate Latin Americans from Spain, by funding and fighting alongside Simon Bolivar; their example inspired their still-enslaved African brothers and sisters on the American mainland; and before Haitians were even free, they fought against the British inside the U.S. during its war of independence and won a decisive battle in Savannah, Georgia, where I have visited the statue commemorating that victory.

Haitians know that France imposed reparations on them for being free, and Haiti paid them in full, but that President Aristide called for France to give that money back ($21 billion in 2003 dollars).

Haitians know that their "brother," then-Secretary of State Colin Powell lied to the world upon the kidnapping and second ouster of their President. (Sadly, it wouldn't be the last time that Secretary of State Colin Powell would lie to the world.) Haitians know, all-too-well, that high-ranking blacks in the United States are capable of helping them and of betraying them.

Haitians know, too, that the United States has installed its political proxies and even its own soldiers onto Haitian soil when the U.S. felt it was necessary. All in an effort to control the indomitable Haitian spirit that directs much-needed light to the rest of the oppressed world.

While the tears of the people of Haiti swell in my own eyes, and I remember their tremendous capacity for love, my broken heart and wet eyes don't dampen my ability to understand the grave danger that now faces my friends in Haiti.

I shudder to think that the "rollback" policies believed in by some foreign policy advisors to President Obama could use a prolonged U.S. military presence in Haiti as a springboard for rollback of areas in Latin America that have liberated themselves from U.S. neo-colonial domination. I would hate to think that this would even be attempted under the Presidency of Barack Obama. All of us must have our eyes wide open on Haiti and other parts of the world now dripping in blood as a result of the relentless onward march of the U.S. military machine.

So, on this remembrance of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I note that it was the U.S. government's own illegal Operation Lantern Spike that snuffed out the promise and light of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Every plane of humanitarian assistance that is turned away by the U.S. military (so far from CARICOM, the Caribbean Community, Médecins Sans Frontieres, Brazil, France, Italy, and even the U.S. Red Cross)--as was done in the wake of Hurricane Katrina--and the expected arrival on this very day of up to 10,000 U.S. troops, are lasting reminders of the existential threat that now looms over the valiant, proud people and the Republic of Haiti.

For further reading:

1. U.S. SOUTHCOM Ran Complex Haiti Command and Control Emergency Relief Drills on January 11, 2010 (Day Before 7.0 Earthquake)

2. Haiti Has Huge Resources of Gold and Iridium Says Former Dominican Petroleum Refinery President Leopoldo Espaillat Nanita

3. Haiti Has Larger Oil Reserves Than Venezuela Says Scientists (An Olympic Pool Compared to a Glass of Water)


Duke Awarded Up to $43 Million By Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to Develop Test for Dirty Bomb/Radiation Exposure

Contact: Michelle Gailiun
michelle.gailiun@duke.edu
919-660-1306

Duke University Medical Center


Duke awarded up to $43 million to develop test for dirty bomb/radiation exposure

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke University has received a $3.7 million contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to develop a rapid and accurate genomic-based diagnostic test that can determine if a person has been exposed to radiation from a dirty bomb or nuclear attack. In the event that all option years are exercised by the government, Duke University could receive up to $43.6 million from the contract.

"Since 9/11, there has been national concern about the possibility of a terrorist attack in the U.S. involving radiological or nuclear materials. Such an attack could kill or injure hundreds of thousands of people," says John Chute, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Duke and principal investigator of the project. "The problem is that right now, we don't have any way to rapidly screen thousands of people to determine their level of radiation exposure. Many people who suffer radiation injury can recover and survive if they are promptly and properly treated."

BARDA is part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It manages Project BioShield and the Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise, two organizations charged with the development of medical response to pandemic disease and countermeasures for chemical, biological and nuclear attacks.

The award builds upon Chute's previous collaborations at Duke with Joseph Nevins, Ph.D. and Nelson Chao, M.D. that identified a set of 25 genes in human peripheral blood that are activated in response to radiation. Chute says that radiation exposure causes a characteristic pattern of expression in those 25 genes and this "signature" can diagnose radiation status with over 90 percent accuracy. Chute's earlier work was supported by a $25 million grant from the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases that established the Duke Center for Medical Countermeasures Against Radiation, now in its fifth year of funding.

The new contract calls for Chute and his team at Duke to further validate the accuracy of the gene profile in animal and human testing. Collaborators at DxTerity Diagnostics, a biotechnology company based in California, will utilize the Duke gene panel to develop a rapid gene expression test while colleagues at the University of Arizona and Invetech Corporation will design and develop the instrument in which the assay will be performed. The end product will be a portable, 30-minute test for radiation injury that can be used to triage thousands of individuals in a short time following a radiological or nuclear attack.

"The Homeland Security Council document, 'Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation' indicates that a 10-kiloton improvised nuclear device would likely be lethal to individuals within about a half-mile radius of the blast," says Chute. "Outside this zone, however, thousands of individuals would be exposed to high-dose radiation but may be able to survive with prompt medical intervention. Further from the blast area, there would be additional thousands who have suffered little or no exposure, and may not need medical attention, but who will still be seeking it."

Chute says that such a scenario will require early and accurate triage of mass casualties to provide an effective health care response. "Imagine a blast zone with a ring of triage stations at the perimeter. We believe that using our diagnostic assay in such points would allow us to screen tens of thousands of individuals in a 24-hour period and to distinguish true radiation victims from the uninjured," says Chute.

Chute says the assay will involve a single collection of only a few drops of blood that will be analyzed in a fully automated instrument with each result provided in about 30 minutes. That dramatically shortens the time it currently takes to analyze large numbers of genes, a process that takes several days and requires large equipment. Researchers hope to have a prototype ready for demonstration by 2012.

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Space Foundation's Cyber 1.0 Conference to Address Air Force Space Command (AFSPC)'s Newly Acquired Cyberspace Mission on April 12, 2010 in Colorado

Offered in Conjunction with the 26th National Space Symposium, New Event Features Top-Level AFSPC and Industry Leaders

Colorado Springs, Colo. (January 19, 2010)

The Space Foundation's Cyber 1.0 Conference, an important new event that addresses the Air Force Space Command (AFSPC)'s newly acquired cyberspace mission, will be held April 12 at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo., immediately before the official kickoff the 26th National Space Symposium.

Conducted by the Space Foundation, Cyber 1.0 will feature presentations by senior AFSPC and industry leaders, interactive displays, a policy-focused luncheon, and networking opportunities.

Registration for the limited-seating event is now open. Although 26th National Space Symposium registration is not a requirement for attending Cyber 1.0, Symposium registrants will receive a $100 discount off the $395 Cyber 1.0 fee. For information about package pricing, military rates, and how to sign up, go to www.NationalSpaceSymposium.org/Register.

Cyber 1.0 Agenda
The Cyber 1.0 agenda includes:

  • A "cyber reality" discussion that explores the pervasive influence of the cyber domain on myriad aspects of modern life;
  • A look at cyberspace from a Department of Defense perspective;
  • A detailed overview of the 24th Air Force cyberspace mission, including presentations from the 24th Air Force, the 688th Information Operations Wing, the 67th Network Warfare Wing, and the 689th Combat Communications Wing;
  • Interactive demonstrations from AFSPC Command Units and commercial cyberspace providers;
  • A detailed discussion of cyber acquisition policies and procedures; and
  • The Cyber 1.0 Luncheon, sponsored by General Dynamics, which looks at the domain from a policy perspective.

Cyber 1.0 confirmed speakers include:

Additional military, government, and industry speakers will be announced as they are confirmed.

What is Cyberspace?
Cyberspace is the modulation of electromagnetic energy to achieve a wide range of communication and control system capabilities. It integrates sensors, signals, connections, transmissions, processors, and controllers to create an interdependent network of information technology infrastructures and telecommunications networks. From a military perspective, cyberspace is a domain for both strategic and tactical operations characterized by the use of electronics and the electromagnetic spectrum to store, modify, and exchange data via networked systems and associated physical infrastructures. Cyberspace is not a mission; it is a place where the full range of missions is conducted. The term cyberspace was coined by the science fiction author William Gibson in his 1982 story "Burning Chrome" and popularized by his 1984 novel Neuromancer.

About the 26th National Space Symposium
More than 8,000 attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, and speakers are expected at the 26th National Space Symposium, which offers workshops, forums, panels, and presentations covering all aspects of space and is known as an extraordinary venue for networking and conducting meaningful business. In addition to the mainstream program, the Symposium includes presentation of prestigious space awards, a spectacular opening ceremony, engaging programs for selected teachers and students, and the extensive AMERICOM Government Services (AGS) Exhibit Center. In addition to Cyber 1.0, this year's event also offers greatly expanded programs for young, up-and-coming "new generation" space professionals.

Online registration and more information, including agenda, speakers, and exhibitors, are available at www.NationalSpaceSymposium.org.

About the Space Foundation
The Space Foundation is an international, nonprofit organization and the foremost advocate for all sectors of the space industry - civil, commercial, military and intelligence. Founded in 1983, the Space Foundation is a leader in space awareness activities, educational programs that bring space into the classroom, and major industry events, all in support of its mission "to advance space-related endeavors to inspire, enable, and propel humanity." An expert in all aspects of the global space industry, the Space Foundation publishes The Space Report: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity and provides three indices that track daily performance of the space industry. Through its Space Certification and Space Technology Hall of Fame programs, the Space Foundation recognizes space-based technologies and innovations that have been adapted to improve life on Earth. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, the Space Foundation conducts research and analysis and government affairs activities from its Washington, D.C., office and has field representatives in Houston, Texas, and Cape Canaveral, Fla. For more information, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and read about the latest space news and Space Foundation activities in Space Watch.

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Monday, January 18, 2010

New Mexico's Jemez Pueblo Tribe Looks to Use Land for Four (4) Megawatt Solar Energy Power Plant

This Jemez Pueblo solar energy plant seems to be very similar to how the Navajo tribe is using its lands for a wind farm. Disgraced green czar Van Jones predicted that the Native American tribes would be at the forefront of the alternative energy movements, because their lands are in areas with substantial wind and sunlight. I applaud these tribes and hopefully they are able to generate incomes for their peoples by generating productive energy!

The 3,000 members of the Jemez Pueblo are on the verge of building the nation's first utility-scale solar plant on tribal land, a project that could bring in millions of dollars.

Experts say tapping into the sun, wind and geothermal energy on Indian land could generate the kind of wealth many tribes have seen from slot machines and blackjack tables...

The 30-acre site where 14,850 solar panels will be set up has been selected, and after four years of arduous planning and negotiations, a contract to sell outsiders the electricity produced by the four-megawatt operation is at hand. The plant would be capable of cranking out enough electricity to power about 600 homes.

Source: Denver Post


U.S. Navy to Make Jet Fuel From Seawater Using Fischer-Tropsch Process

I guess if the planet is mostly covered with seawater, we might as well figure out a way to use it. The Navy believes it can take the seawater that covers 70% of the planet and make jet fuel from it.

See seventy percent of the world's underwater

Seventy percent of your body's underwater

Seventy percent of what we live is out of range

We rearrange disorder, but n****z say we strange...

Thanks Boogiemonsters! I don't know if the Navy will be able to succeed in converting seawater to fuel, but if they are successful, then it will be a tremendous breakthrough. Though I can imagine some crazy time a few hundred years into the future when the oceans will be nearly dry and the planet dead, because people didn't believe they could ever use all the water in the seas.

"The U.S. Navy is surrounded by seawater and the Navy needs jet fuel," said Robert Dorner, a scientist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. who works on the technology.

"In the seawater you have CO2 and you have hydrogen. The question is how do you convert that into jet fuel."

The answer, according to Dorner, is a modified version of the chemical reaction known as the Fischer-Tropsch process.

Source: Discovery Channel News


U.S. SOUTHCOM Ran Complex Haiti Command and Control Emergency Relief Drills on January 11, 2010 (Day Before 7.0 Earthquake)

I don't know if I should read more into the fact that there was an emergency command and control operation drill for Haiti happening the day before the earthquake happened. Basically, US SOUTHCOM was running a drill for a hurricane emergency. The earthquake hit. SOUTHCOM decided to take the drill live and go into operation. Now, the military has complete command and control of Haiti in light of this disaster just like the parameters likely defined in the drill.

On Monday, Jean Demay, DISA's technical manager for the agency's Transnational Information Sharing Cooperation project, happened to be at the headquarters of the U.S. Southern Command in Miami preparing for a test of the system in a scenario that involved providing relief to Haiti in the wake of a hurricane. After the earthquake hit on Tuesday, Demay said SOUTHCOM decided to go live with the system. On Wednesday, DISA opened up its All Partners Access Network, supported by the Transnational Information Sharing Cooperation project, to any organization supporting Haiti relief efforts.

If you are interested, the rest of the article discusses how Defense Information Systems Agency has set up a web portal to assist in the emergency communications in Haiti. The note about the drill was hidden in the middle. I must thank
Anti Illuminati from the Prison Planet boards for pointing out this drill.

If Acme earthquake machines existed, then we would likely have a bona fide conspiracy on our hands involving out of control scalar weapons.

Source: nextgov


Mutated Human Body with Very Long Fingers Washes Ashore Beach at Plum Island, New York

The Toxic Avenger is a copyright and trademark of Troma Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Actual Plum Island Mutant may not resemble this guy above.

***(UPDATE - October 16, 2010) The original Arizona Daily Sun link is no longer available, but here's an alternative link to The Huffington Post. Arianna wouldn't lie to you, would she?

Aerial photographs of Plum Island.

***

The mutants are coming, the mutants are coming. A mutated human body with freakish fingers just washed up on a Plum Island beach. This guy's fingers must have been really long if the writer of the quoted story felt the need to comment on their length. I wonder what Plum Island experiment he escaped from before succumbing to his fate. Someone please call the Toxic Avenger!

Police on Long Island say an autopsy found no immediate cause of death but determined the partially decomposed body was that of a black male about 6 feet tall with a large build and very long fingers. They say there were no obvious signs of trauma.

Plum Island is about 100 miles northeast of New York City in the Long Island Sound. It has been called a potential target for terrorists because of its stock of vaccines and diseases, such as African swine fever.

Source: Arizona Daily Sun