First citywide car sharing launched in Hoboken

Hertz Connect, launched in partnership with Hoboken, will start with 42 cars staged in 21 dropoff locations. Residents can rent cars as needed for as little as $5 an hour, gas included.

Instead of spending millions of dollars building structured parking, the first phase of the car-sharing program is expected to remove 750 cars [...]

Osmotic power. Where fresh water and salt water meet

Osmotic power puts salt water and fresh water in adjoining chambers separated by a membrane that can create a pressure buildup, which can in turn be used to create power.

The fresh water seeps into the salt water chamber by osmosis, increasing its volume and pressure which then drives the turbines.

There is [...]

Does an Afghanistan exit strategy hurt our allies?

Senate Republicans criticized President Obama’s decision to begin withdrawing from Afghanistan in July 2011, claiming it sends the wrong message to our allies. But is this really accurate? [...]

BP CEO grins upon leaving White House meeting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTP07adMR5A&feature=player_embedded

Here’s why. The $20 billion fund will be overseen by Kenneth Feinberg who has done such a wonderfully effective job of overseeing bankster salaries under TARP. Yeah, I bet BP is just shaking in their boots over this. (At last report Feinberg was still “reviewing” Wall Street salaries.)

It gets worse. BP doesn’t have [...]

Reaction to Obama’s speech uniformly negative

Obama’s speech was about the most abject failure for a major presidential address as I can remember. Conservatives aren’t rubbing it in either. Things are too serious for that and besides, they too want coherent leadership against the calamity facing us.

A sampling:

MSNBC trashes Obama’s address: Compared to Carter, “I don’t sense executive command”

[...]

I feel so much better now

BP chairman: “We care about the small people”

Jerry Brown’s eccentric campaign and the coming mudfest

Jerry Brown got the general election for governor off to an exciting start by comparing Meg Whitman’s campaign to saturation propaganda by Nazi minister of propaganda Joseph Goebbels, further adding that “Goebbels took control of the world.” [and has since apologized]

He followed that with a startling non sequitur, adding “She wants to be [...]

Insurance company refuses treatment recommended by Mayo Clinic

Someone close to us has extremely serious cancer. The Mayo Clinic recommended a specific new drug. Her insurance company refused, telling her to use another drug instead, one that is less expensive.

This is beyond wrong. This is evil. They are putting profits before someone’s life.

Silly goose expectations: Frustrated left-liberals and Obama

Obama is getting bad advice. That's it! Or maybe we just need to convince him to take progressive stances. Yeah, just a nudge or two. I'm sure he'll come around…

ZNet on the continued befuddlement of some liberals and progressives that Obama didn’t turn out to be a liberal after all.

Key quote, from [...]

Belkin releases new power-saving devices

The Belkin Conserve Valet (pictured here) charges up to four USB devices at once, manages cords nearly, and best of all, automatically shuts off power when a device is charged. They also have sockets with timers, auto-off surge protectors, and energy use monitors.

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