Salt Water Power?

David Sirota points out this interesting article:

Salt water as fuel? Erie man hopes so

Sunday, September 09, 2007
By David Templeton, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

For obvious reasons, scientists long have thought that salt water couldn't be burned.

So when an Erie man announced he'd ignited salt water with the radio-frequency generator he'd invented, some thought it a was a hoax.

John Kanzius, a Washington County native, tried to desalinate seawater with a generator he developed to treat cancer, and it caused a flash in the test tube.

Within days, he had the salt water in the test tube burning like a candle, as long as it was exposed to radio frequencies.

His discovery has spawned scientific interest in using the world's most abundant substance as clean fuel, among other uses.

Whether or not salt water could be a viable fuel to replace fossil fuels is yet to be seen. The larger issue here is that there are all kinds of discoveries going on in the scientific world, and we need to support science and research that may lead to green energy and, by doing so, avoiding a global catastrophe from global warming.

To do that, we need to defeat the Republicans in their Global War on Science. Republicans don't support science or green energy (or peace or human rights or privacy, for that matter), and, therefore, they don't support this world. They don't support human life. They don't support you.

So... you know... Don't support Republicans. It's that simple.

The End of Oil?

I hate to get my hopes up, but this sounds pretty exciting:

Reclusive green-tech startup whispers a eulogy for the battery

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Millions of inventions pass quietly through the U.S. patent office each year. Patent No. 7,033,406 did, too, until energy insiders spotted six words in the filing that sounded like a death knell for the internal combustion engine.

An Austin-based startup called EEStor promised "technologies for replacement of electrochemical batteries," meaning a motorist could plug in a car for five minutes and drive 800 kilometres roundtrip between Dallas and Houston without gasoline.

By contrast, some plug-in hybrids on the horizon would require motorists to charge their cars in a wall outlet overnight and promise only 80 kilometres of gasoline-free commute. And the popular hybrids on the road today still depend heavily on fossil fuels.

This could mean the end of oil and a major step in the fight against global warming. I hope that this is real and that it moves to the market as quickly as possible.

...oh, and I hope that the oil industry doesn't buy them out.

Note To Self: Do Not Trust Bush On Nuclear Power

Bush keeps promoting nuclear power as "clean" energy, but while nuclear energy may not produce greenhouse gases, only a complete idiot would call it clean energy.

There is just no reason to trust someone on nuclear power when that person can't even pronouce "nuclear."

An Admission That We Are In Iraq For Oil

Finally, a conservative in government admits the real reason we are still in Iraq: oil.

Of course this conservative isn't from our government:

Australia 'has Iraq oil interest'

Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson has admitted that securing oil supplies is a key factor behind the presence of Australian troops in Iraq.

He said maintaining "resource security" in the Middle East was a priority.

[...]In comments to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Mr Nelson admitted that the supply of oil had influenced Australia's strategic planning in the region.

"Obviously the Middle East itself, not only Iraq but the entire region, is an important supplier of energy, oil in particular, to the rest of the world," he said.

"Australians and all of us need to think what would happen if there were a premature withdrawal from Iraq.

"It's in our interests, our security interests, to make sure that we leave the Middle East, and leave Iraq in particular, in a position of sustainable security."

There you have it, folks: A conservative admits the truth about why we are in Iraq.

It is not because we want to spread freedom or democracy. It is because the greedy men in power want oil, and they have sacrificed the blood of the innocent for that oil.

Naturally, this admission wasn't from an American conservative (I'm not going to hold my breath for that to happen), and naturally, this is something we liberals have been saying throughout this tragic debacle.

We have the capability to ween ourselves off of oil and convert to a eco-friendly energy infrastructure, but evil men in power like Bush and Cheney would rather sacrifice the lives of Americans to keep us slaves to the oil industry. They are traitors to this country, and even if they spend the rest of their lives in prison (and they should), it wouldn't be enough of a punishment for all the evil they have wrought.

Green Google

Google is setting a good example to the "old dog" companies who refuse to learn planet-saving new tricks:

Google turns on solar panels, plans $10 million in grants

Google activates the solar panels covering the roof space on its campus and says it will provide $10 million in grants for hybrid cars.

Nancy Gohring
PC World
Tuesday, June 19, 2007; 9:32 AM

Google Inc. on Monday turned on the solar panels covering nearly all the roof space on its corporate campus and announced that its philanthropic arm plans to dole out over US$10 million in grants to support hybrid cars.

The announcements follow one last week made from Google's offices in Mountain View, California that launched an industry-wide initiative around improving the energy efficiency of PCs and servers.

I really need to invest in Google stock. (I hope that, someday, I will be able to afford it.)

PG&E Studies Tidal Power

I have been talking about tidal power for years. It is long past time for a power company to seriously consider it and move us closer to energy independence and, eventually, an end to global warming.

PG&E backs new study of bay's tidal power

Cecilia M. Vega, Chronicle Staff Writer

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

In September, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom held a news conference on the shores of the San Francisco Bay -- the perfect photo op with the iconic Golden Gate Bridge as a backdrop -- and announced a plan to study whether it would be possible to submerge giant turbines below the choppy waters as a means of generating alternative energy.

On Tuesday, Newsom stood at the same Crissy Field location in front of the same backdrop and announced another study on how to harness the tides in the bay to create power.

It's the third city-backed study on tidal power in two years