Microhydro energy: reinventing the wheel Dreifa Mills sits in a Welsh valley near Cwm Morgan, hidden up a narrow lane where the faint rush of river mingles with the rustle of foliage. So ensconced is the mill in the landscape that when owner Mike Godsell first saw it in 1978, it looked as if it was being eaten by woodland. Green moss crept over the red bricks and branches spread across the roof, while the 20ft water wheel stood motionless, like a stopped clock. "I saw this place and thought: 'It's rotting away and nobody seems to care.' It took 10 years to make the Dreifa Mills wheel turn again. Have a trickling burn on your land? Hydro schemes are among the most important potential sources of renewable energy in Britain. Microhydro has advantages over other forms of renewable energy. For Godsell, getting into hydropower by restoring Dreifa Mills felt like atonement. More than 20 years later, Godsell still captures the special emotion of that moment. Godsell now has a new neighbour. But what will the environmental impact be?
Green Party Candidates Vie Without Vitriol Green Party of Michiganwww.MIGreens.org News Release March 29, 2012 For More Information, Contact: Green Party Elections Coordinator, John Anthony La Pietra (269)781-9478 Media Coordinator: Jennifer La Pietra (508)280-1360 While the Republican candidates' now infamous tv ads spew gossip, hatred and downright lies towards each other, candidates for the Green Party's nomination are not shy in their respect for one another. When a voter financially supports a political campaign, what does their money actually buy? Just as an example, how about a quick look over the facts. The Santorum campaign, while funded much more modestly, still spends a better portion of their spending on advertisements: three (maybe four - one of the top companies has little public information available) of the top five. The Democratic party is no stranger to vice. A voter is done a disservice if they've never heard of a candidate or don't know whether they embody the ideals that voter would like to see in a president.
Toshiba Reactor Unites Feuding U.S. Nuclear Regulators (Corrects date for Scana’s second reactor in 15th paragraph.) Dec. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Toshiba Corp.’s Westinghouse Electric won majority support for the design of its AP1000 reactor from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, even as the members were feuding publicly over the panel’s leadership. The NRC issued a notice yesterday that the third of five commission members voted to certify the design that Southern Co. and Scana Corp. plan to use for new units at existing U.S. nuclear plants. The action opens the door for a new generation of U.S. nuclear plants, Dale Klein, a former NRC chairman, said yesterday in an interview. Commissioner William Magwood voted Dec. 6 to certify the design for the AP1000, the commission said. “It is a very encouraging first step on a lengthy road to the operation of new energy facilities,” Steve Kerekes, a spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute, a Washington-based industry group, said in an e-mail. ‘Extreme Behavior’ Possible Changes Design Changes
The world's oldest clove tree 23 June 2012Last updated at 10:51 GMT By Simon Worrall Ternate, Indonesia Indonesia's "Spice Islands" produced more nutmeg, mace, pepper and cloves than anywhere else in the world and on the island of Ternate, one particular tree has an extraordinary history. "Bule, Bule," shout the children excitedly, as our jeep threads its way up a steep road on the side of the volcano. "White man, White man." I am on Ternate, one of Indonesia's fabled Spice Islands. The midday call to prayer mingles with the mosquito-whine of motorcycles. It had erupted only a month earlier, sending a tongue of molten lava pouring down the mountain into the sea. I am searching for the world's oldest clove tree. For millennia, Ternate and the neighbouring island of Tidore were the world's only source of those fragrant, twig-like herbs that love to hide at the back of our kitchen cupboards. Cloves from Ternate were traded by Arab seafarers along the maritime Silk Route as far afield as the Middle East, Europe and China.
New Mexico Constitution Party and New Mexico Green Party Sue over Too-Early Petition Deadline On March 29, the Green Party and the Constitution Party jointly filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, alleging that the New Mexico deadline for petitions to qualify a party is too early. That deadline is the first Tuesday of April, which this year is April 3. In New Mexico, newly-qualifying parties nominate by convention, not by primary, so there seems to be no election-administration reason for the deadline to be so early.
Toshiba's 'Portable Gamma Camera' Takes Snapshots of Radiation Hotspots Toshiba has developed a radiation-sensing camera that overlays color-coded radioactivity measurements over visual images. The camera is a refined version of a similar concept tested and proven at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Toshiba may have dubbed this imaging device the “Portable Gamma Camera” but don't think you can tote one around in your back pocket: it weighs a hefty 9.8kg (21.6 lbs) and measures 380 x 110 x 241mm (15.2 x 4.4 x 9.64 inches). It's significantly smaller and lighter (by about half) than the brute used at Fukushima, however. What ISN'T miniaturized is the device's sensitivity to radiation. The device is a camera insofar as it can take photographs but that's where the resemblance ends. The images above are from the original device used at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant (left) and the new Portable Gamma Camera (right).
Wildfire sparked by target shooters results in Utah evacuations Thousands of families in Utah have been evacuated from their homes as winds continue to fuel a wildfire believe to have been sparked by target shooters. Residents of at least 2,300 properties in the northern part of the the state sought refuge Friday, as flames scorched a growing area around 40 miles south of Salt Lake City. High winds that have helped fan the blaze onto tinder-dry grasslands are expected to last throughout the weekend, prompting fears of further upheaval for some people in areas of risk. The fire began to take hold on Thursday. Authorities were initially worried as flames moved toward property owned by an explosives company, but the focus turned yesterday to saving homes as winds kicked up and the fire moved toward Saratoga Springs. On Friday, fire officials were calling in additional aircraft and extra ground crews. Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy said he feared the fire could take down the area's power grid, shutting off electricity to up to 7,000 homes.
Feinstein faces 22 challengers in senate race - National US Senate U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein will compete for votes against almost two dozen challengers in the June 5 California primary. According to the final list of candidates released Thursday by the secretary of state's office, five opponents are fellow Democrats, 14 are Republicans, two are members of the Peace and Freedom Party, there is one Libertarian and one American Independent. Under new election rules, voters can vote for any candidate, regardless of party registration. The top two vote-getters on June 5 will face each other again in November. So far, Feinstein appears to not have much to worry about. The list of challengers is: Free Senate email updates
Jaczko’s Outbursts Undermine NRC, U.S. House Republicans Say (Updates with comment from Jaczko spokesman in fifth paragraph.) Dec. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Gregory Jaczko’s “propensity for angry outbursts and aggressive behavior” as chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has created a toxic environment at the safety regulator, Republicans on a U.S. House panel said. Jaczko “gaveled down a fellow commissioner in mid- sentence” at a July 18 meeting amid objections to his plan for reactor safety after Japan’s nuclear crisis, “stormed out” and announced his proposal at a news conference, in an incident cited in the report today from Republicans on the U.S. House Republicans are investigating discord at the NRC, citing an Oct. 13 letter from the four other commissioners to White House Chief of Staff William Daley that expressed “grave concerns” about Jaczko, named chairman by President Barack Obama. Jaczko Ouster Sought Jaczko, Svinicki Meeting The Republican’s report said Jaczko may have let political considerations influence the commission’s actions.
I-40 in Arkansas Being Used as Military Staging Point for Future Event? | Plamero.com The Intel Hub December 27, 2011 Unconfirmed News Tip The Intel Hub has received multiple tips that indicate that Interstate 40 in Arkansas may be being used as a loading point for some sort of military operation that has been going on for a better part of a year. Eyewitness report: Not a trucker but regularly on the transportation hub of I-40 in Arkansas. After responding to this tip, the eyewitness further stated: Anyone traveling the stretch of 40 between Memphis and Little Rock sees this every time they travel. Considering the fact that Indefinite detention of Americans by the military is now the law of the land, this information is very startling. While many within the military are on the side of the American people, the fact remains that the powers that be are clearly attempting to use them against the people.