Couple arrested for attempting to sell infant outside Walmart

I read that headline and thought, they must be tweakers. They are. Meth is an evil drug. Look, potheads or even junkies don’t seem to get busted for trying to sell their kids for drug money. But meth heads do.

The Meth Project uses innovative advertising targeted at teenagers to get them to never [...]

Financial reform bill agreement

Firedoglake and Clusterstock detail its mostly tepid provisions. Oh gosh, you mean the consumer protection agency will be part of the Fed. Surely, we will protected now. Blanche Lincoln’s attempt at serious derivative regulation got whacked.

Look, it’s being dubbed the Dodd-Frank bill, and both those senators are notorious for being Huge Champions of the [...]

46% in poll now open to voting for third party candidates

46% of respondents stated that they would be enthusiastic or comfortable with an independent or third party candidate, while only 23% stated that they would have reservations or be uncomfortable about the prospect. Perhaps what is most instructive about these results is not the fact that such a large portion of the public is willing [...]

FabLab passive solar house unveiled at Europe’s Solar Decathlon

The prefabricated wood FabLab house features a photovoltaic skin that is customized for Madrid’s unique solar resources. It is built on three legs and has space underneath for natural ventilation and a shaded patio. FabLab also features smart energy and temperature-monitoring systems, a garden, and a rainwater collection system on its roof.

Not only [...]

We have an important anti-Perkypants announcement

Deutsche Bank: U.S. financial conditions just collapsed back to crisis levels

Just so there’s no irrational exuberance…

Coal Country. The Movie

While looking at at schedule for this weekend’s Groovefest, a free two-day Americana / roots music festival here in Cedar City, I discovered Great American Taxi, who linked to Coal Country.

“Coal Country” is a film by Mary-Lynn Evans and Phylis Geller that tells of the dramatic struggle around the use of coal, which [...]

Lord of the Rings. The Fellowship of the Vuvuzela

The horror

McChrystal’s revenge: Everyone hates Karl Eikenberry

In the wake of General McChrystal’s firing, supporters of his counterinsurgency strategy have shifted to the blame game. Their target? US Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry. But is Eikenberry really at fault, or has he been right all along? [...]

Solar power from Sahara to Europe within 5 years

If just one percent of the Saharan Desert were covered in concentrating solar panels it would create enough energy to power the entire world. That’s a powerful number, and the European Union has decided to jump on their proximity to the Sahara in order to reap some benefits from the untapped solar energy beaming down [...]

Gulf oil spill photos and video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fqu3beMcIw&feature=player_embedded

“Aerial footage of tar on Pensacola Beach from Escambia County Sheriff’s Office helicopter.” It goes for miles and miles on (formerly) white sandy beaches in a major tourist area. Near the piers, people are looking at the oil. There are no clean up crews and the beach is apparently still open. This is devastation, [...]