The company is hoping to build a community experience around the biodiesel industry and has some new forums that have just gone live. If you’re interested in helping the adoption of renewable fuels along I hope you will read the article on Red Herring and then visit the Fillmore Fuels website at: http://www.fillmorefuels.com/
[Note: The link to the company's site was miswritten in the HTML code in the article, so I have included it here. I sent a note to Red Herring about the link issue and am sure they will correct it soon.]
[Note: I wish WordPress had better support for embedding videos from other sources besides YouTube, as I had tried to include the video here. Sorry.]
I’m interested in learning more about it since getting an inside glimpse into ethanol production. My hometown is putting in what will become the first ethanol plant owned and operated by a municipal government in the state of Oklahoma. I’ve been to the plant and had a look inside and it is fascinating to hear how the process has gone. The City has no real template for the whole process since no other municipal governments have done this, but things are coming together. There is already another ethanol plant here (not bad for a place with a small population) commercially operated, and the two plants will certainly put the place on the renewable energy map.
It is exciting to see rural economic areas embracing technology and creating renewable energy initiatives. The expected revenue from the plant will do wonders for the community. A lot of people have their eye on the project—people in important places (it might surprise you, just who). Anyway, enjoy the articles!
Recently, I wrote about the kidnapping (i.e., an illegal abduction) of former SAS officer Simon Mann in Zimbabwe. He was taken to Equatorial Guinea—whose government now claims Mann has provided new evidence about Sir Mark Thatcher’s role in a failed coup plot in 2004.
Thatcher maintains that he has already been dealt with in a court of law in South Africa, but Equatorial Guinea is not happy with the fine and suspended sentence. Equatorial Guinea has now sought the help of Interpol in locating Mr. Thatcher, as it seeks his arrest on a warrant issued in response to this supposed new evidence. Or so some sources report.
According to an article in South Africa’s Mail & Gaurdian, however, Interpol has said that they have received no such notification.
Now, two things are possible here. One possibility is that Mann has been coerced into making statements under threats or torture in order for Equatorial Guinea’s government to make their claim. A second possibility is that Mann is simply telling the truth and turning the heat up on former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s son.
If the latter is the case, Mann could be hoping that those who might seek to aid and shield Sir Mark Thatcher might help him somehow—perhaps on some legal, political, or humanitarian grounds. Or, he could be wanting to make sure that those who like to instigate and stir the fires up don’t escape the heat because of their privilege, power, and social standing.
Whatever the case, Mann finds himself facing life in prison (his trial was set to begin just recently). Thatcher, on the other hand, just remarried—in secrecy.
What is not in question, though, is that Equatorial Guinea has one of the worst human rights records in the world. Also in related news, Equatorial Guinea’s government-in-exile had its status reversed by Spain’s Supreme Court. The Spanish government had taken action to remove refugee status from the government led by opposition leader Severo Moto but the Spanish Supreme Court overruled the government.
Equatorial Guinea is a major oil producer in the region, and it is no surprise to anyone that the government which came to power in a violent coup (in which the current President killed his uncle), should be plagued by corruption and abuse.
The host of Yahoo’s Condensed Soup segment apparently found an analogy by Elisabeth Hasselbeck too difficult to comprehend and tried to poke fun at her. Apparently, he did not realize just how stupid it makes him look.
That’s OK, he isn’t alone. Hasselbeck’s co-hosts on The View couldn’t make the connection either.
Apparently no one is smart enough to grasp the simple concept Elisabeth laid out: all the good one has done does not excuse any future action.
I think it’s time for some media companies to start looking in a different talent pool for hosts. Preferably, in the pool where people have something better than a third grade education.
Racists remarks by Rev. Jeremiah Wright, in the analogy Hasselbeck was trying to make, are not excused by his having previously done good works. She was simply making a point everyone in the world ought to understand really.
Everyone, that is, but wannabe comedians and talk show hosts with condensed soup for brains.
If you haven’t heard about the ridiculous incident that happened recently to a woman trying to board a plane, be prepared for another reason to ask, “What the hell is wrong with this country?”
Mandi Hamlin was forced to remove nipple rings with pliers while male TSA workers snickered about it, under the incredibly ignorant guise of Homeland Security policy. I’m sorry, skip this sentence if you are easily offended…but what the fuck kind of idiots and morons are airports hiring?
This is another example of a totalitarian government gone wrong, where complete idiots abuse We The People because there is no accountability. It is beyond time to scale back the bullshit the Bush administration implemented. We don’t need this kind of crap. What we need is our government to screen for terrorists, by making other nations vet their citizens before boarding planes, and then having only a few entry points where they can fly in and be screened. We don’t need this idiotic crap in every airport in the country.
Why is the government violating people’s privacy and dignity when they refuse to secure out borders? Why did this poor woman suffer this embarrassment and the pain it caused her when it could have been avoided with common sense and decency? Why the hell are we hiring complete fucking morons to do stupid jobs that we don’t need done in the first place?
We’ve wasted a lot of money on Homeland Security and all we have received for it are more abuses by the government, fewer freedoms, loss of liberties, more laws designed to make dissent harder, and further debt as a nation. I know, there are those out there who won’t care if TSA employees crawl up their ass with Geiger counters and metal detectors because they simply don’t care about freedom and liberties—just video games, fast food, sitcoms and sudoku. Oh, and because they are afraid of terrorists.
The same terrorists that are probably getting pierced right now, preparing to wreak havoc on the world with deadly nipple rings…
Just a short and sweet post to point out a great article on EQ Magazine’s website that makes a great introduction to mastering. The article offers a lot of tips on what is often considered an arcane art and is an excellent primer for the recording musician.
Even if you have no intention of attempting it yourself, understanding the mastering process will help you as a musician, especially if you consider your songs in a sonic context. If you’ve wondered how to turn your rough mix into a finished masterpiece, this article will tell you what you need to do it and how to do it.
I’m not going to say you will be mastering before the night is over or that it’s really easy, but after reading Mastering For Musicians, I was sure encouraged!
There are a lot of tips on mastering strategies, how to get increased loudness without over-compressing, tips on EQ, and creating a good album flow with your songs.
Update 1, 03-27-2008: There is another great article that is worth a read on the topic of mastering on EQ Mag’s site. Check out The 12 Step Mastering Program for some thoughts to keep in mind as you approach mastering a song.
Also, you might be interested in Tape Op: The Creative Recording Magazine, which offers a free subscription and is chock full of some of the best how-to information, gear reviews, interviews with pro sound engineers and recording musicians. The gear advertisements alone are worth looking at it, and I bet the articles will inspire your next recording session in some way or another. Hurry now…
I’ve been saying it for a long time, but Hillary has no real experience. Certainly not 35 years experience as anything other than a politicians wife and flip-flopper. Of course, according to her, she even had experience high-tailing it about in combat zones avoiding sniper fire.
She said there wasn’t even a greeting ceremony when she got there because of the sniper fire. Yet, there she is kissing a little girl in the non-existent ceremony.
Actually, she never had to avoid snipers by running across the tarmac in Bosnia (or anywhere else) and was doing her usual thing: making stuff up. Of course, she apologized and said she misspoke. Oh, really? Sort of like you misspoke when you called half of America’s citizens part of a vast right-wing conspiracy…when the evidence was there all along (giving blue dresses fashionable notoriety). How come we haven’t heard Hillary apologize for that?
Chelsea refused to answer a question at a university recently when someone in the crowd asked if she thought her father’s impeachment had hurt her mother’s reputation. Chelsea didn’t think it was anyone’s business. Well, Chelsea failed miserably at showing she is anything different from her parents. Apparently, the Clinton propensity for ignoring and dodging and making counter accusations is genetic. And lots of young Democrats with no clue about ethics and professionalism clapped and cheered.
Actually, it was a good question with a whole lot of merit. I mean, do you want a Commander in Chief who ignores facts and instead creates delusional and defensive responses when prudence and facts suggest something they don’t agree with? Is that the Commander in Chief that will be ready on day one as Hillary is so fond of saying is vitally important? One that exaggerates and ignores reality?
Will Hillary order military strikes based on her wonderful perception of reality that includes things that don’t really happen? I mean, even Bush had some half-assed intelligence reports that were real enough to manipulate.
In typical fashion among Democrats, they try to spin the response by Chelsea as a marvelous example of her budding speaking skills. Uhm…sorry. Dodging questions like that only shows she’s got a thin skin and wants to protect mommy—and might still have issues with daddy.
Anyway, I thought the Democrats were fed up with having a President that exaggerates and manipulates the truth…what gives? Why are so many then eager to put another one in office?
More of the same old bullshit from the same old sorts of politicians. Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton…is that what we’re going to see? I don’t think so. I think Americans have seen well enough that while many qualities may be inherited, that isn’t necessarily true about Presidential or leadership capabilities. And it is looking difficult for Hillary in any case.
Hillary ought to be ashamed of herself, trying to portray herself as an already experienced Commander in Chief when all she was, really, was a glorified tourist and wife of a politician. Apparently, though, that’s enough to bring peace to Ireland. I wonder if she’s already seen military action? Oh wait, never mind…she and the draft dodging hubby were in Russia throwing anti-war rallies along with our enemies who’s forces were serving in Viet Nam.
Sure, we’ll give her one completed term as a junior Senator under her belt…which did not produce the 200,000 new jobs for New York like she said she would. But hey, maybe she can also not do that for the whole country! Wouldn’t that be cool?
At least she can’t claim to have invented the Internet, right Al?
Do you need a quick and easy NAS solution? Check out the great tutorial on setting up FreeNAS over at BigUncleDave’s Weblog. Ten minutes to be up and running is all you need (after you have your ISO image burned).
He takes you through all the steps needed to get your own copy of FreeNAS (FreeBSD based Network Attached Storage server software) up and quickly running in the very aptly titled post, Creating NAS In 10 Minutes.
If you have basic networking skills (i.e., you can set up a router) and are familiar with Unix based disk management it will be easy enough. Even if you are unfamiliar with the latter, you should be able to get up and running with this great tutorial. The tutorial focuses on a live install based NAS solution rather than a full hard disk install, and shows you how to get a setup running that is suitable for LAN parties and similar immediate needs. You can find plenty of additional information in the FreeNAS wiki.
Here’s the skinny on FreeNAS from DL.TV…
Also, while mentioning BSD, you might want to take a look at:
pfSense — According to the website, it is “…a free, open source customized distribution of FreeBSD tailored for use as a firewall and router.”
I saw on CNN that Wal Mart is suing a former employee (link is to a different website article…CNN makes it incredibly difficult to link to videos on their site) who has brain damage and lives in a nursing home. Her former husband is recovering from cancer and works two jobs already to pay the bills. The couple also lost an 18 year old son in Iraq, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal.
What the hell is wrong with Wal Mart?
Wal Mart is a disgusting company whose business practices have bothered me for a long time. After reading this, they will never have my patronage. I personally am boycotting any company so inhumane as this. Granted, there was a clause in their health care coverage plan that allows them to recoup money in the event an employee gets a settlement, but they are going after a trust fund set up as part of the settlement.
Here’s a company raking in billions of dollars, suing a family who received a pitiful and inadequate settlement to begin with for the damage done to this woman. This is shameful. And this family has suffered so much already.
All employees of Wal Mart should think twice about how their company views them and to what end they will go to show their lack of compassion. This is a company that cares nothing for its employees, nor for the workers who supply products that line its shelves and make its stockholders rich.
I never thought I would ever link to the Daily Kos on purpose, but there is some discussion on that site about this story. It’s more important to share information and stand together with others who share a common vision or goals than to argue semantics and policies (especially since all political parties in the US are equally worthless), so I caved in. Sue me.
Holding such despicable companies accountable for their lack of compassion and concern is something all Americans should want to do. Having served my country, I consider myself somewhat patriotic. However, I find Wal Mart decidedly un-American in its values.
Maybe that’s because the company doesn’t really have any American values?
The woman’s husband ended up filing for divorce on the advice of health care administrators who told him she would be eligible for more health care assistance. The settlement they received was nowhere near enough in the first place, and this family has been through so much pain in the past few years. And Wal Mart wants to make the situation even worse. This is the most depraved sort of corporate behavior there is.
Wal Mart, like Starbucks (who does not support our troops) will never see another cent from me.
If you have an interest in comics you will likely find something here that will catch your attention. Topics of the comics you will find indexed are as varied as the styles of art you will stumble across. I checked a few out and had quite a few laughs doing so. It’s a great site and worth a peek.
If you’ve been drinking scotch in hopes of finding the inspiration to write a novel, you might have the right idea but the wrong beverage. What have some of the creative madmen and women of the world used to fuel the creative fire in the mind?
The world lost one of the greats today. Science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke passed away today at the age of 90. He was a master of speculative fiction and has had a great impact on not only the genre of science fiction, but on the world we live in. He is the guy credited with dreaming up satellites after all, and he gave us Hal—that favorite theatrical embodiment of artificial intelligence from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Here he is, reflecting on life just as he turned 90 recently, in which he tells of three wishes he held dear to his heart…
He was one of the most prolific writers, and he wrote a considerable amount of non-fiction in the realm of science as well. I recall fondly some of the specials and documentaries I watched that he narrated, and have enjoyed everything of his I have read. Some day, I hope to find a copy of Arthur C. Clarke & Lord Dunsany: A Correspondence in which he and the fantasy author shared in letters their ideas about life and fiction over a dozen or so years. That has to be one of the most interesting bits of authorial dialog ever. I am saddened to hear of his death.
I have an mp3 by the band Bloodhag, of their song entitled Arthur C. Clarke. They are a band that tries to educate people about science fiction and fantasy authors, via some vicious grindcore metal. [Note: The song appears on their album Necrotic Bibliophilia, which featured Frank Belknap Long, Issac Asimov, Alfred Bester, Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, Octavia E. Butler, Samuel R. Delaney, Kenneth Robeson, Roger Zelazny, William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Michael Moorcock, and J.R.R. Tolkien.]
Talk about a peer group! But Clarke certainly deserves to be among those distinguished names. He was one of the greats.
Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov and now Arthur C. Clarke. All my favorite science fiction authors are disappearing along with many authors of other genres that I grew up reading. While there are many great authors in the realm of science fiction out there, the old guard—those who lived through the earliest part of the 20th century and wrote many of the things that helped shape our world—were pioneering greats who helped birth the genre.
Clarke’s prolific writing has left a wonderful legacy behind. If you have never read any of his work, you owe it to yourself to treat yourself to it. If you are familiar with his writing, I’m sure you can understand why I am saddened.
Rest in peace, Arthur C. Clarke. At least one of your wishes came true, for you are indeed remembered as a writer who stretched our imaginations…and so much more.
In closing, here are the lyrics to the song which pays tribute to the man…
Arthur C. Clarke — by Bloodhag
Is this just a myth? Consciousness exists
Because of this monolithic obelisk genesis
Rewrite the ironic bit. His literary gift’s eclipsed
By Kubrick and a Script, but undiminished by it!
Matters of security, he wasn’t kept in the dark
For his help in the direction and perfection of radar
Now his life’s one long weekend he’s only speakin’ in Sri Lank
Nobody parts the sea or starts an odyssey like Arthur C. Clarke!
Give it to ‘em hard!! Hard SF!! …Hey!!
Rendezvous With Rama. The Nine Names of God.
Childhood’s End and then The Fountain of Paradise.
Then when we land on Venus or maybe Mars
Then when we touch the monolith-
Then we see the truth: Oh my God. It’s full of stars!
With China’s latest crackdown on the people of Tibet, it is clear that the time has come for the world to take a stand together and hold the Chinese government to account. The Dalai Lama recently called what China is doing “cultural genocide” and I don’t think any reasonable person with eyes or ears can really dispute that.
With many nations supporting and recognizing Kosovo’s independence, will they now do nothing to support the people of Tibet when they are being brutalized by the Chinese government? I think the hypocrisy of the developed nations of the world will be seen as clearly as can be when they refuse to boycott the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing. It is, like most everything in the sad world we have shaped, about money.
If China were suffer the embarrassment of losing the Olympic games, it would send several messages—and not just to China, but to all other nations as well. It would tell them that while they may be part of the international community, their human rights abuses and oppression will not be rewarded.
And that is what hosting the Olympic games is, it is a reward. Not just economically, but in the form of prestige. It is time the Olympics remember the intent behind their origins. It was far more than just a celebration of athletic prowess—it should not be forgotten that the winner was awarded a crown of olive leaves in ancient times, a symbol of peace and hope. Such things have been forgotten and it has become nothing more than a source of advertising revenue and political snobbery for many decades now.
China does not deserve to host the Olympics, and nations should either boycott the Beijing Olympics or request that it be moved. It would not be that hard to do, and it would show determination by the international community to say “We will not tolerate oppression and human rights abuses against the people of Tibet.”
It won’t happen though. People will say it will rob athletes of opportunities, or that contracts and broadcasting logistics make it impractical. People of little moral worth will find many reasons not to do the right thing, which is to not honor China with the Olympics—because that government is the antithesis of everything those games represent. The Chinese government has invaded and brutalized Tibet and is robbing it of its cultural heritage, of hope and the peace Tibetans seek.
How can you not be moved when people are protesting and using non-violent means to seek their independence? The world pays so much attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and makes much ado of the violence, yet tolerates it year after year. Tibetans protesting peacefully have been ignored, and some have taken the most drastic steps you can imagine, such as self-immolation.
[Note: You may find this video interesting, but it contains graphic footage of a Tibetan hunger striker who eventually set himself on fire during a protest. It is almost beyond comprehension, the amount of courage, desperation, and willpower it takes to do so---and to have your hands clasped together, praying and begging for freedom as you burn. Tibetan Exiles Grow Impatient In India ]
Sadly, because the international community has ignored the plight of Tibet, the people of that country are turning to more violent protests. The situation is on the verge of becoming another Kosovo, with actual genocide and needless deaths because people no longer want to be governed by a government they feel does not represent them and that does not fulfill the covenant between the governed and the government. The International Olympic Committee refuses to wade into the issue at all, and has shown itself to be completely and utterly devoid of ethics or compassion.
As a result, the situation is deteriorating and will only continue to do so. Those governments too cowardly to boycott, and the IOC will bear much of the burden of blame for the deaths that are to come in Tibet.
The games are still months away. There is time for the international community to take a stand. Sadly, I don’t expect anyone will. Stephen Spielberg shames the governments of the world. He pulled out of his involvement in the Beijing Olympics over China’s involvement in the crisis in Darfur (China’s arms sales have gone up noticeably during the crisis).
Since the games are about nothing more than money these days, I don’t expect any governments to do anything. Moral courage is elusive among the world’s governments…even when it involves nothing more than saying “no.” It was no big thing to carve Kosovo away from Serbia—China, with its vast military and economic resources is another matter altogether.
No one wants to incur the wrath of the dragon by telling it that it is acting like a monster.
Sadly, Tibet may have to endure genocide before the international community finds the will to act, but even then, that is no guarantee. Just look at Darfur. It will in the end probably require the people of Tibet to take up arms and fight for what they want. That is the sad truth of the world in which we live. Money causes governments and people to turn a blind eye until something intrudes on their life so much that they can no longer pretend to others that they were unaware of a situation and fear looking bad or to lack compassion.
Freedom is not free. But the Olympics could help lower the cost.
Update 2, 03-18-2008: The Dalai Lama has said he may step down as the political leader in exile of Tibet as a result of the growing unrest and violence, while maintaining his spiritual leadership. He does not approve of the violent protests. It may soon become something beyond peaceful protest however. I personally think this year will be the turning point and that a Tibetan insurgency will have begun by the year’s end as younger Tibetans decide they can no longer tolerate waiting on political processes nor count on peaceful protest. If the political leaders of the world do not apply a tremendous amount of pressure on the government of China and give them cause to rethink their approach to governance and the independence of Tibet, the situation will gradually steer further away from the possibility of a peaceful resolution. If the Dalai Lama steps down, it will be just the fractious political development that will leave a leadership vacuum perfect for those with more radical views on achieving independence to step in and take advantage of the lack of a central figure in Tibetan nationalism.
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