Weather, Water, Energy 7-26-07

Nice overview of the way water technologies may revitalize floundering urban economies, especially those around the Great Lakes. Good update on where those techs may be heading, too. Sounds like the place to put some money if you could figure out which ones will be the ones to take off. . . . From the land that gave us Napoleon, a deal to give Libya a nuclear reactor that could supply material to Kaddafi for weapons. Good plan as usual there, Frenchies. Australia, meanwhile, is thinking about uranium sales to India, you know, that country most likely with Pakistan to start the first full-scale nuclear war. At least they can blame an idiot PM. France isn’t that well off. . . . “Eco-Towns.” Pretty interesting idea. Not in the US, of course, but still interesting. . . . Again, truly hard for me to get on board bailing out a nation like this on its screwed up industrial system rather than playing hard ball. A nation like this is more prone to exploit civility than to succumb to it. . . . .The energy blog at the Christian Science Monitor weighs in with a good counterbalance to all the pro-ethanol hype, particularly noting how all the opportunistic policymakers ushering subsidies to corn-based ethanol are keeping the market from finding a more realistic price for both the resulting fuel and for the food we’re giving up. . . . Before everyone goes running to diesel to bail us out supposedly, maybe we should take note of this finding that diesel fumes actually help clog arteries. Of course, that would mean more heart attacks, strokes, and deaths, which would lower population, which would lessen energy and water use . . . hmm, maybe it’s not a bad idea, after all.