Sixty one years ago 140,000 residents of the city of Hiroshima died when the United States Air Force dropped a nuclear bomb on the city. Three days later, the Americans bombed Nagasaki with another nuclear weapon, killing another 74,000 people. We may debate over the role of these bombings in WWII, but we shall never […]
What a week: Snow and Tornadoes in South Africa and a deadly heatwave in the US. In the US, the Midwest and East Coast were cooking – New York declared a heat emergency with temperatures of up to 38°C/101F and a heat index of up to 110F/43°C. Here in Bahama it was sweltering, too, with […]
According to the Global Crafts website, Volkswagen of America has backed off: Volkswagen of America have sent a letter of apology and revoked the Cease & Desist notice. Thank you for your support, I know many of you emailed Volkswagen on our behalf. They have also offered to work with us towards a license which […]
This is a great example of elephants with sledgehammers protecting a china store: VW of America’s lawyers have sent “cease and desist” orders to the Fair-Trade importers of toys made by the Teenage Mothers of Kenya crafts cooperative: Teenage Mothers and Girls Association of Kenya is an organization working for the rescue, rehabilitation and economic […]
Last weekend was a big weekend for my biodiesel production project. Friday I pulled a 220 Volt/30 Amp circuit to the reactor in the basement. A friend who is an electrician emailed me instructions for what breaker and wiring to get, after I explained the project. So I cut the power, plugged in the new […]
Wal Mart is throwing the towel in Germany! Looks like they’ll sell their 85 German stores at a loss of $1Billion to Germany’s largest retailer Metro. I despise Wal Mart, and I find an odd sense of satisfaction in the news that German stubborn attitudes brought Wal Mart, the death star of retail, to its […]
Ah – hark the master of the moral high ground: the chief ethical executive from Royal Dutch Shell has spoken: Royal Dutch Shell, the world’s top marketer of biofuels, considers using food crops to make biofuels “morally inappropriate” as long as there are people in the world who are starving, an executive said on Thursday. […]
No, biodiesel is not much of a spectator sport and provides only little entertainment value to most people. But when Lyle talks about biodiesel he is really funny and quite entertaining. Lyle’s humorous and insightful stories from the epicenter of the North Carolina biofuels movement made yesterday’s book reading at the Regulator Bookstore in Durham […]
Mexico’s presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (or AMLO), unlike Gore or Kerry, is not about to give up his fight for democracy and justice in his country. In light of evidence of blatant ballot-stuffing by the ruling party PAN, and considering that nearly one million votes have not been counted, the PRD’s candidate has […]
President Bush is visiting (de) Angela Merkel’s home district in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The cute, historic town of Stralsund is under siege: all cars had to be removed to lots outside the town, gutters are welded shut, mailboxes sealed, stores cannot open, and residents are even prohibited from opening their WINDOWS in July! […]
The German Football Federation announced (de) that assistant coach Joachim Löw got a 2-year contract as national trainer, after Jürgen Klinsmann elected not to renew his contract after the Worldcup. Löw hails from Schönau (de) in the Black Forest, and I find it intriguing to see a fellow Badenser and former player at SC Freiburg […]
Germany’s biggest loss of this Worldcup came today – two days after the closing ceremony, as the German Football Federation (DFB) confirms Jürgen Klinsmann’s decision to quit. Considering his commute and the amount of abuse he had to suffer before the Worldcup, his decision does not come as a total shock – just as a […]
Busy, hot day today at the Eno Festival – but lots of fun! The festival was well attended and we had a constant stream of people with questions about biodiesel: “Can I use it in my car?” – “Where can I get it?” – “How is it made?” – What do you do with the […]
The BBC’s Newsnight published an interviw with Joseph Kony (left), the leader of the so-called “Lord’s Resistance Army” (LRA), which is responsible for the genocide on the Acholi people of Northern Uganda. This is the first-ever interview with Kony, who is wanted by a UN court for war crimes. The BBC also posted an interview […]
With Ghana, Australia and Ecuador out, all that is left at the FIFA Worldcup® is millionaire football. Both Ghana and Australia got screwed by the FIFA refs (unfair, 92nd-minute penalty against the socceroos and two off-side goals for Brazil against Ghana). Too bad – millionaire football is not that much fun.
Most Germans, I think, would profess to “love nature.” yet, when “nature” has claws and teeth, it must die. Naturliebe auf Deutsch: gepflegte Waldwege zum Wandern, ein sauberes Gasthaus zum einkehren, ein paar Rehe am Waldrand. Bloss kein Stress. Ein wilder Bär? Ein “Risikobär??” Das kann ja wohl nicht sein! Der muss abgeschossen werden befor […]
As of last weekend TDI does not only stand for outstanding fuel economy but also for “superior racing platform.” The Audi R10 TDI of Joest Racing made history with the first-ever win of a diesel-powered race car at the 24-hours of LeMans – one of the toughest and most prestigious races in motor sports. The […]
…. for the goal-less first half of the game, but after Patrick Vieira’s goal in the 55th Minute the Eperviers collapse and France reels in a 2-0 victory. Too bad that the first appearance at the Worldcup was such a bumpy ride for the team from Togo. But I hope they still had a good […]
Ghana beat USA and qualifies for the next round! Only to meet Brazil … oh well …
Happy solstice to all you Wiccans!
