Luane Todd's Blog (41)

TAXES: "The price we pay to live in a civilized society"

This is an interesting website which illustrates that not everyone who has benefited monetarily from doing business in the United States is against paying their fair share of the expense of maintaining this society...contrary to popular opinion.... ==================================================== Taxes: ‘The price we pay to live in a civilized society’ Two members of Wealth for the Common Good spoke out today about the role our nation’s infrastructure plays in creating indivi… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on August 3, 2009 at 2:18pm — 2 Comments

THE CHINESE COME CALLING...Creditors get to make that kind of call

I have included the comments posted so far as additional thinking contributed by American citizens... ======================================== Published on Wednesday, July 29, 2009 by TruthDig.com The Chinese Come Calling by Robert Scheer What a hoot. The Chinese Communists invaded Washington on Monday demanding not that we sacrifice our freedoms but rather that we balance our budget. Creditors get to make that kind of call. And the Marxists of Beijing, who have turned out to be the… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on July 29, 2009 at 11:55am — No Comments

Japan Plans to Make Solar Energy Cheap

I would suggest that you go to the website Common Dreams, the link for the article is at the end, and read the reader comments...they are eye-opening. There are more than a few spot-on assessments of what we need to do and why we don't. This piece focuses on solar but wind, geothermal and other technologies would benefit from the mindset described by Mr. Swezey. =============================================================== Published on Thursday, July 23, 2009 by Breakthrough.org Japan Pl… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on July 23, 2009 at 10:05pm — No Comments

When They Say Government They Mean YOU

Dave Johnson"Dave Johnson is a fantastic grandfather of the blogosphere." Posted: July 22, 2009 12:36 PM When They Say Government They Mean You I'd like to talk about government. The conservative/corporate propaganda machine has turned "government" into a bad word. Conservatives portray our government as some kind of enemy of the public. We have all heard the scare stories about the harm done by meddlesome regulations from intrusive big government programs run by gove… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on July 23, 2009 at 12:15pm — 3 Comments

Getting Mad At The Fed—And Getting Even

A place to start, a group to investigate if you want to try to make changes in the status quo. ====================================================== Published on OurFuture.org (http://www.ourfuture.org) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting Mad At The Fed—And Getting Even By Isaiah J. Poole Created 07/22/2009 - 10:44am Normally, working-class people don't think much about the Federal Reserve and, as a recent article in The New… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on July 23, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

U.S. MUST LEAD RENEWABLES

Who says the young people in this country aren't paying attention and reaching conclusions about our reality..... =================================================================================== Posted on July 17, 2009 U.S. Must Lead Renewables The U.S. must work harder at becoming a leader in the alternative energy industry. There is so much innovation and potential for the success of green technologies, but there just isn't enough capital available to support our entrepreneurs.… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on July 23, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

Nordex To Start Building Arkansas Wind Turbine Production Plant

July 21, 2009 Nordex To Start Building Arkansas Wind Turbine Production Plant Chicago, United States [RenewableEnergyWorld.com] Nordex USA Inc. will begin construction this week on its first U.S. manufacturing plant in Jonesboro, Arkansas. The announcement comes after a decision by the supervisory board of the parent company, Nordex AG. The facility is set to directly employ up to 700 skilled workers and other staff by 2014, the company said. Construction will take place in two phase… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on July 23, 2009 at 11:16am — No Comments

GWOTHERMAL HEATING AND SMALL POWER WORKSHOP-- Klamath Falls, OR--August 12, 2009

Anyone in the Pacific Northwest area with an interest in geothermal power might want to look into this event. ===================================================== powered by RenewableEnergyWorld.com Geothermal Energy Association A RenewableEnergyWorld.com Total Access Marketing Partner July 21, 2009 Case Studies, Technology, and Incentives to be Featured at Geothermal Heating and Small Power Workshop Klamath Falls, Oregon On August 12 the Geothermal Energy Association and the… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on July 23, 2009 at 11:11am — No Comments

More on Goldman Sachs..Taibbi adds more information on the workings of this monster

It really is time to deal with the runaway greed on the part of bankers in general and Goldman Sachs in particular. This, my friends, is fascism in action... From the 1983 American Heritage Dictionary: Fascism is: "A system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with belligerent nationalism." ===================================================== The Scandal Continues: The Billions in G… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on July 21, 2009 at 2:44pm — 1 Comment

Serious About Green Jobs? It's Time to Throw 'Free Trade' out the Window

Serious About Green Jobs? It's Time to Throw 'Free Trade' out the Window By Les Leopold, AlterNet Posted on July 20, 2009, Printed on July 21, 2009 http://www.alternet.org/story/141448/ If we're going to have green jobs in this country, we'll have to face up to the real world, rather than the one imagined by free trade apostles like New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman. He seems oblivious to the fact that the every nation, except ours, is trying to protect and enhance its ke… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on July 21, 2009 at 2:00pm — 3 Comments

Ideas & Practical Examples for Retrofitting Existing Houses and Other Buildings To Be Sustainable and Frugal

I thought this might be useful for making the transition to more efficient available energy use. A good part of what is suggested here can be done anyone who is the least bit handy. ==================================================================== A PERMACULTURE RETROFIT FOR AN OLDER DWELLING For more information about our plans for adapting our"urban homestead" to meet the looming challenges of peak oil, climate instability, and economic irrationality, see Gatewood Urban Homestead… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on July 9, 2009 at 1:29pm — 5 Comments

Now what, I wonder.....Boone's plans are changing as we watch....

T. Boone Pickens abandons plan for giant Texas wind farm By Steve Everly | Kansas City Star T. Boone Pickens is ditching his plans for a giant wind farm in Texas and wants to build some smaller ones in other places, possibly including Kansas. Pickens said in an interview with The Dallas Morning News that he wouldn't build what had been billed as the world's largest wind farm — a 1,000-megawatt project in Pampa, Texas — because of problems in getting a transmission line to the site. Bu… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on July 8, 2009 at 8:39pm — 6 Comments

A NEW TRADE BLOC BASED ON FOOD & OIL

It looks like these countries are dealing with each other as equals instead of dominate/subordinate client-states. It would appear that the IMF and the World Bank (both US controlled entities) are not part of the discussions. Could it be that cooperation will be the new international norm and bullies will be shunned? =================================================================== GCC, ASEAN eye new trade bloc based on food, oilposted 1-July-2009 Reuters | Tue Jun 30, 2009 G… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on July 2, 2009 at 8:17pm — 3 Comments

INVEST IN E3 BANK SO THEY CAN INVEST IN GREEN BUSINESSES......

I found this information a few minutes ago and thought some of you might have an interest in it. I think there is promise here. ============================== Invest in E3 Bank So They Can Invest in Green Businesses Previously on Triple Pundit, John Gartner covered the launch of a green bank that will provide loans with a Triple Bottom Line purpose and focus to green businesses and projects. Today at 3:30 EST, the bank is holding one of its investor webinars for those interested in owni… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on June 3, 2009 at 10:02am — No Comments

Mothers' Day: In the Name of Womanhood and Humanity

Maybe is does take mothers to call attention to the fact that brute force solves nothing. To quote one of my favorite writers, Robert Heinlein, "Women are more practical than men. Biology forces it on them.......... "Speaking of that, let’s go whole hog. Until a female bears a child her socio-economic function is male no matter how orthodox her sexual preference. But a woman who is mother to a child knows she has a stake in the future. So let’s limit the franchise and eligibility for office and… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on May 9, 2009 at 2:44pm — 1 Comment

Mother's Day Thoughts

Do You Know Why Mother's Day Was Started? By Jodie Evans, The Women's Media Center Posted on May 7, 2009, Printed on May 8, 2009 http://www.alternet.org/story/139897/ Women know that war is SO over. We know it in our hearts, in our guts, in our wombs. We know that the madness in Iraq and Afghanistan has to end, that we cannot keep sending our children to kill the children of mothers across the globe. Last month at an appearance in Turkey, President Obama himself said “…sometimes I think… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on May 8, 2009 at 1:54pm — 5 Comments

Will China Lead the Electric Car Revolution?

Thoughts to ponder...we really need to get over ourselves and agitate our business, banking and government people to get on the ball and MOVE before we get run over by the doers in the world. ================================================================= Will China Lead the Electric Car Revolution? At the bottom of a recent New York Times article about China's burgeoning electric vehicle market, I found quite a few hostile comments. Most seemed to be nationalistic in tone, and quest… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on April 18, 2009 at 2:53pm — 2 Comments

Credit Default Swaps...How they work, in layman's terms

This is about as good an explanation of what we are experiencing in the banking/credit industry as I have found yet. I knew it could be said in a simple manner ========================================================= Why credit swaps encourage bankruptcy The derivatives were supposed to protect lenders against bond defaults. Who knew they actually provide an incentive to let companies go bust? Andrew Leonard Apr. 17, 2009 | As if credit default swaps needed any more bad press! The… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on April 18, 2009 at 1:07pm — 2 Comments

Ten Principles for a Black-Swan Proof World

I have included a description of what the Black-Swan Theory is for those of you, like myself, who are in a learning mode where large scale financial issues are concerned..... =============================================================== Published on Wednesday, April 8, 2009 by Financial Times Ten Principles for a Black Swan-Proof World by Nassim Nicholas Taleb 1. What is fragile should break early while it is still small . Nothing should ever become too big to fail. Evolution in econom… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on April 8, 2009 at 2:46pm — 2 Comments

Rise of the Itty-Bitty Car: How Green Are the New Uber Compacts?

Here is another artcle on the upcoming New York International Auo Show. ......It seems the greater potential, in terms of advancing the auto industry toward cleaner technology, lies in what these models might spawn. Based on Daimler, Tata Motors and Toyota’s gameplans for their smallest models, the latest subcompacts could pave the road to a much greener generation of vehicles: namely, electric versions of the Fortwo (slated for a U.S. pilot rollout in 2010), Nano (Tata’s entry in this year’s X… Continue

Added by Luane Todd on April 8, 2009 at 12:30pm — No Comments