The Green Report: Is America A Bunch of Green Backsliders?

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

Now that gas and oil prices drop, will America keep its push to “go green?” A recent NPR article investigates whether American energy consumers will revert back to their old, gas guzzling, non-recyclable ways with low oil prices.

Speaking of fossil fuels, a new study by Greenpeace and the European Renewable Energy Council claims the world could be free of fossil fuels completely by 2090. What would it take? Only trillions of dollars worth of investments in renewable energy and a worldwide support, that’s all.

Google going Green? Google’s CEO, Eric E. Schmidt, joined forces with GE’s CEO, Jeffrey R. Immelt, to announce their “green” collaboration effort to generate renewable electricity. Additionally, Google’s nonprofit arm, Google.org, has already invested in clean energy startups like harnessing wind power with kites.

Ready for your next all-electric car? Well, chances are you might have to wait until 2012. The recent 2008 Paris Motor Show revealed the new generation of electric cars. It featured the electric Chevrolet Volt, gas-electric hybrids like 2009 Honda Insight. However, the show stopper was the 2012 Volage electric car by Venturi, Monaco’s only automaker. In addition to the Volage, Venturi also makes the Fetish, an all-electric, 2-seat sports car, available in 2009. Both the Volage and Fetish sell for a hefty price, $500,000 and $400,000 respectively. Hmm.. how’s that gasoline or hybrid car looking?

If Obama wins the presidential election, who will he select to lead his environmental and energy policies? Grist checks out the background and experience of people, like James Grumet, former head of the National Commission on Energy Policy (NCEP) and the Bipartisan Policy Center, whose names are being thrown around for the Secretary of Energy post and other environmental positions.

For all you Facebook users (yes, I count myself as one of them), the social networking site is helping us remain environmentally conscious and vote for our presidential choice all at the same time. Facebook has created an application, Carpool to the Polls, that lets you coordinate shared rides to the voting booths on Nov. 4. It also helps you find your polling station by connecting you to Google Maps. So, whatever your politics, you can still be green-minded.

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Music News You Can Use: Old Hitmakers Make Headlines

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

Move over New Kids On The Block, the real boy band’s back! Jermaine Jackson has confirmed a Jackson 5 reunion in 2009, according to the Australian AP. Sister Janet plans to be their opener, while Mikey is iffy. Even so, it’s a sweet way to end one of the longest boy band droughts of my lifetime (I’m an 80s kid, what can I say).

But Mr. Luscious Lips (Ladies Love Cool J) ain’t helping Janet at all. After rescheduling dates due to a bout of vertigo, Janet is facing more tour trouble as her opener, LL Cool J, has dropped out of all future dates of the “Rock Witchu” gigs. No word yet on who’s taking his place (you don’t need him anyway, the Ladies Love Janet).

The J5 aren’t the only old-timers makin’ big news. AC/DC’s Black Ice debuted at No. 1 this week, selling a whopping 784,000 copies with the second biggest sales frame this year. Do I have to mention who was first?  Still, the living legends accomplished a tough feat, given that the album was released exclusively through Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, and AC/DC’s Web site only.

MTV has redeemed itself by a decent fraction. The music-turned-trashy reality network has launched a music video archive site where anyone can search, post, or embed their favorite music videos, interviews, and live performances. After doing a little searching of my own, I’m impressed over its quality (better than YouTube) and database. I’ve found a few of my own nuggets here, here, and here.

Led Zep reunion without Robert Plant? There has been a slew of unfavorable fan reactions to the band’s announcement of a tour without the founding singer of the band, who refused to be part of the plans. They continue to search for a new singer, but insist that they are not trying to replace Plant. He is, after all, irreplaceable.

Is hip hop (not radio rap) making a comeback? Eh, maybe. Q-Tip and the Cool Kids are going on tour, Common has a firm date set for Universal Mind Control, the Beastie Boys are getting “highly wordy and political,” and Wu-Tang is planning a reunion tour.

Last, but not least. We would like to send our deepest condolences to Oscar-winning actress and accomplished singer Jennifer Hudson, and hope that the ongoing investigation will lead to answers to the tragedy.

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Notes from the Other Ground(s)

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

Not The Idiot Fyodor Dostoevsky, tortured Russian literary behemoth behind Crime and Punishment, Brothers Karamazov, Notes from the Underground and The Idiot (among many other works fit to make the rest of the world feel unworthy) would have been 187 today.

Another Casualty in the Afghan War...a soldier’s hearing. One of the 10 British soldiers in each regiment has come back from the Afghan front with permanent audial damage. The problem has, until now, been under reported. These injuries, likened to those caused by the “thunder” of the Korean War, have rendered most of these men unable to return to service.

Mis-catalogued and Murdered for It Colombia’s government has been found responsible for killing dozens of its nation’s down and out, mis-labeling them as “insurgents” and “duly” punishing them for it. Human Rights groups are appropriately outraged, but can their anger be enough of a catalyst for the necessary change?

Somalia Struck by Suicide Bombers At least twenty people died at UN and Somali government stations throughout the country as a result of the five suicide bombs detonated by what the Somali government termed the work of “Islamist terrorists.”

More From This Day in History…OCT. 30: 1885 celebrates poet Ezra Pound’s birth, 1918 sees an Armistice reached in the Middle Eastern front of WWI, 1920 founds the Communist Party in Sydney, Australia, 1922 finds the solidification of fascism in Italy in the guise of Mussolini’s rise to power, 1944 brings Anne and Margot Frank from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp, 1954 gives photographer Mario Testino to the world, 1983 grants Argentina its first democratic elections in seven years, 1988 has Philip Morris buying Kraft Foods for $13.1 billion,1991 creates The Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions with the post-Soviet states directly in mind and 2005 presents a Dresden rebuilt.

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Daily News Roundup: Got . . . Costume?

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

Who says you need blood dripping down your face and Palin’s spectacles bridging your nose to be scary this Halloween? Instead, you could easily be the next contestant on The Price Is Right, which is kind of a half-arse costume, but the economy is doing enough scaring for all of us these days. No ghosts, goblins, or vampires needed this year. (Oh, and the TPIR costume is a cheaper alternative to pulling off Palin’s wardrobe anyway. Mmm-hmm.)

Financial crisis got you down? Go shopping! Or, stay home and keep your head under the blankets. Consumers predict a Category Five credit card crisis is gaining momentum and will probably hit the country right about, uh, now.

Guess who’s NOT feeling the pinch at the pump? Exxon-f*cking-Mobil, that’s who. The oil company reported its biggest quarterly profit evah, earning just under $15 billion. No. Joke.

Did you see him? Did you see him? Did you see him? Obama bought his way onto five major television networks last night to give the American public thirty more minutes in his charismatic company—that is, before he’s elected president, cozies into the Oval Office, and we get sick of him. I kid, I kid. (Click here to see the infomercial chopped into four itty-bitty-YouTube-bits.)

Racists for Obama! Get this: There’s a home in Indiana with a Confederate flag raised high in the sky and an Obama sign planted deep in the grass. This could be irony at play here, but—for whatever reason—I think these people mean exactly what they mean, which is . . . who the heck knows, but I consider this two steps forward, one step back, so we’re in the green. No?

India hit hard by synchronized bombs. Four bombs targeted busy marketplaces and government buildings in the northeastern state of Assam today, killing 67 and wounding 210 peeps. National elections are approaching in India and internal violence is worsening with every passing day. Some fear this attack was a taste of more to come.

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