Not to get off topic, but did you hear about the family in Iowa (I don't recall what town, exactly) who got kicked out of an All-You-Can-Eat Chinese restaurant because they would fill their plates with food, take a few bites & leave most of it, then go back and get a new plate full of food..The owner said "This is "All you can eat", not "All you can waste"..
Anyway..The big thing here is ethanol. I'm not so sure growing a food crop and using it to power our cars instead is such a good idea. There are, after all, many prairie grasses that could do the same thing. Free & easy to grow, and nobody's going to go without food because of it..On the bright side, wind power is also a growing industy in Minnesota. Hopefully that trend will continue...

Algae- a new source

[Most of us think of solar power as coming from glass panels on rooftops, and increasingly large arrays in the middle of some sun-drenched desert. Now it can come from green, slimy ponds and bioreactors filled with algae that soak up the rays to make oil.

Some species of algae contain as much as 50% oil, and out-produce other biofuels. An acre of soybean produces around 70 gallons of biodiesel. The same area of corn makes roughly 420 gallons of ethanol. Algae can produce about 5,000 gallons of biodiesel per acre. Not too shabby!]
more-
http://www.scientificblogging.com/ja...fuel_literally

so true polar watched a show sometime back corn is not needed for this new fuel source. weeds work as well its all in how the sugars are broken down If i remember correctly

...And think of all the positives, Frank! We can use saw grass! No more headaches having to clear entire fields of it. No weed killer to mess up the environment even more. Don't even have to buy seed!

the radio guy's name is Thom Hartmann, and he's wonderful... I have most of his books, and never miss his show... even WAY down here in Belize (thank heavens for podcasts!)

I download the show, and listen while I do chores.

http://airamerica.com/thomhartmannpage

and Bernie Sanders, he's one very smart guy...

Bernie appears every Friday on the Thom Hartmann Radio Show's "Brunch With Bernie" (http://thomhartmann.com). It's a great show and a great opportunity to hear Vermont's Independent Senator in action - discussing the important issues that the mainstream media rarely covers.

http://www.sanders.senate.gov/news/r...OMING%20EVENTS

it's not just the US in trouble... gov't fell in Haiti, and food riots are happening all over:

Across Globe, Empty Bellies Bring Rising Anger

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/wo...pagewanted=all

If any one you watch PBS (which I love), there was just a documentary about the impacts of global/environmental change on sociological and political conditions historically.

If I can find the link I will post it here.

Basically it shows the link between climate change, food shortages, human migration to deal with the food shortages and the ensuring strife caused by over crowding with minimal food supplies.

The documentary even explains, with concrete evidence, why the Roman Empire fell, the Inca civilization fell, and why the great plagues hit Rome and the U.K.

There is evidence of that exact thing happening now, including the loss of an entire large village in India because of rat infestation (they are looking for food).

History repeats itself....

Oh, and by the way, the start of the climate change was associated with a change in atmospheric conditions and the subsequent impacts on the icecaps.

I love PBS- can't wait to get a new TV with the digital tuner so we can have 4 channels of it instead of 1.
I'll have to research for the TVs with lower power usage

Jo,

You can get a $40 coupon for the new tuner. The coupon is available from PBS and it should cover the cost of the entire box.

-Vic

what is amazing is how many of these green ideas are not new, they have been around for some time, its just getting them going thats been an issue,

i agree with you victor on what you said earlier about the politics of it all, and pbs is really a good channel

I have even told my kids that this exercise bike here at home, is going to be fitted with a generator and a battery real soon, you want to play video games and such ride the bike for an hour

I even have plans for a ranch I drew up years ago using nature and the lay of the land for building, and it included using solar and wind power,
as it has been from the day i drew them, very costly to do, thats where our govt is failing us without some great incentive programs, financial, they have no trouble with $$$$$ incentives for big corp and comps,

polar you are so right too, think of all the positive side effects of not having to use pesticides, thats just one factor

if my cogfog memory serves me correctly, in school we were taught the govt was to be a mediator between the people and the business, along with setting laws for a common good of a common people, sure doesnt seem like that is the fact anymore

Can you imagine the re-election chances of a politician that put a fuel rationing program like during ww2 into effect? The loss of campaign contributions from auto makers, construction industry, shopping mall owners and others?

Bio fuel made from food crops is an error in judgement, Argentina I believe uses waste products from sugar cane. Have they tried grass clippings? A lot of communities don`t want them thrown out in the trash it takes up land fill space. A free source if usable, and doesn`t affect food supply.