text:
MLive.com -- DETROIT, MI- The U.S. government's $85 billion bailout of General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC was more successful than many first anticipated, according to a new study released today.The Center for Automotive Research study – called "The Effect on the U.S. Economy of the Successful Restructuring of General Motors" – found that the controversial 2008-2009 bailout, saved 2.6 million jobs in 2009 alone and $284.4 billion in personal income was preserved over 2009-2010.CAR concluded that if the U.S. government had refused to assist GM and Chrysler in their financial crisis of "unprecedented proportions," then the whole U.S. economy would be "operating without a safety net, with the exception of course, of the banking system." (go to article)
Boston Globe -- Most public safety campaigns against texting while driving take a "just don't use your cellphone" approach.But for local software engineer Paul English, the solution is to turn technology against itself. How? With a smartphone, of course.English has designed an in-car app that awards points for safe driving, but takes them away for texting.It joins a growing number of apps that aim to convert the device that contributes to distracted driving into a tool that combats the problem. (go to article)
Smart Planet -- In February, coverage of California's Monterey Shale exploded in the mainstream press. "The Next Oil Boom," shrieked CNBC. "Vast Oil Reserve May Now Be Within Reach," declared The New York Times. Investor's Business Daily wondered if it could "save California." The Economist quoted the president of a small oil producer in the region, Santa Maria Energy, as saying that the formation would be "California's way out of the 'fiscal toilet'." Fox News gushed about the region's potential for "making California the country's top oil producer and revving up the state's economy like a smaller shale-oil deposit did for North Dakota."As usual, the purveyors of this pablum were mainly interested in generating buzz, not investigating the reality. And as usual, it worked. Millions of readers took awa (go to article)
FoxsNews -- According to the writer, of the article. (go to article)
BLOOMBERG NEWS -- Bitcoin, the virtual money former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan called "a bubble," was accepted as payment in the purchase of a Tesla Motors Inc. Model S electric car at a California Lamborghini dealership.Lamborghini Newport Beach sold the car for about $103,000, or 91.4 Bitcoins, in a transaction handled by payment processor BitPay, said Cedric Davy, marketing director for the Costa Mesa, Calif.-based dealership. The sale cleared Dec. 6 and the Model S will be delivered to its Florida-based buyer, who asked not to be identified, Davy said by telephone."We're a dealership -- we're not in the business of doing any speculation," he said. "For us, it was just important that the money could be transferred into U.S. dollars." (go to article)
GasBuddy Blog -- Up one day, down big the next, up big next week- that's seemingly been the story while yours truly has been away from the desk. One day last week I noticed a massive 17-cent a gallon drop in wholesale prices in the Great Lakes, leading some prices down under $3/gal again, the next day a big spike.The markets seem punch drunk, and believe me: motorists don't love it as much as they loved the 2002 flick featuring Adam Sandler. And after some time off, I feel like the markets moved in tandem with the weather in a certain city last week: all over the map.It makes filling up more of a game than anything else, and it sure makes things a bit challenging for us here at GasBuddy- trying to explain every different trend in the... (go to article)
USA Today -- If you're wondering why automakers seem so hellbent all of a sudden on developing driverless car, blame Gen Y.The technologies that Gen Y consumers want the most in a new car are the same safety systems that would be found in driverless cars, a new survey by Accenture consulting finds. The survey covered 14,000 drivers in 12 countries, including the U.S.Here are some of the features they favored:•82% want automatic braking systems that stops the car in an emergency.•76% want automatic breaking systems that prevent hitting an object.•72% are most interested in collision-warning systems.•71% percent want fully automatic parking,•48% want lane-keeping systems.At present, Millennials make up about a third of all U.S. drivers. (go to article)
Today News -- When Ryan Barber turned 16, his father went online and bought him a Honda Civic that showed 42,000 miles on its odometer. But they later found out through records that it really had 140,000 miles.Authorities say it's a growing problem. According to a new report from Carfax, 190,000 cars have their odometers rolled back every year, bilking Americans out of $760 million in lost value and unexpected repairs.Criminals have been tricking customers for years by rolling back the mileage on the odometer, then selling the car for more money. But now the scam has gotten so profitable, investigators say it's become organized crime.Want a scam, rip-off or issue investigated? Email Rossen Reports.Ryan and his father, Troy Barber, say they've already had to shell out hundreds for expensi (go to article)
resilience.org -- ...I am suggesting that we not allow ourselves to be suckers. And, one of the surest signs that we are on the road to being suckers is when we take the advice of someone who has little or no personal downside if he or she is wrong. (go to article)
Eau Claire Leader-Telegram -- Concerned about an oncoming wave of fragile older drivers, the federal government is working to beef up its safety programs aimed at seniors behind the wheel.According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drivers 65 and older are more likely to die or suffer serious injuries, even in low-severity crashes, than younger drivers.It prompted the agency, which is part of the Department of Transportation, to announce a new, five-year comprehensive safety plan this week. The plan seeks to improve the data it collects on crashes and injuries sustained in them, explore new research on technology that could help drivers avoid collisions and improve the system for identifying dangerous drivers. (go to article)
AP -- The price of oil remained close to $98 a barrel Monday after figures showing stronger U.S. hiring suggested demand for crude could increase.By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark U.S. crude for January delivery was down 2 cents at $97.63 a barrel time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract closed up 27 cents at $97.65 on Friday. (go to article)
Detroit News -- All-wheel drive is gaining traction among car buyers looking for safer handling, and those shopping for crossovers and luxury vehicles. Almost a third of all new vehicles sold through September of this year had all-wheel and four-wheel drive. That's up 5 percentage points for the same period just five years ago, according to Southfield-based Polk, an automotive market research firm. The growth in all-wheel-drive sales is due in part to the increasing popularity of crossovers, said Tom Libby, lead analyst for North American forecasting with Polk. The non-luxury compact crossover segment, which includes the likes of the Ford Escape and Toyota RAV4, had grown to 13.6 percent of the industry through September of this year, compared to 9.3 percent in the same months in 2008. The luxury compa (go to article)
STATE COLUMN -- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says it will work to change its strategic plan to ensure the safety of the U.S.'s growing population of older drivers and passengers.In a statement released earlier this week, the NHTSA says its changes are the result of the growing population of elderly drivers. The agency says it will make a number of changes, including researching a number of advanced vehicle technologies including vehicle-to-vehicle communications, refining its data collection systems, and shifting its focus to efforts on public education and identifying functional changes including vision, strength, flexibility and cognition"NHTSA's Older Driver Highway Safety Program Guidelines are based on best practices around the country and include countermeasures ..... (go to article)
Star Tribune -- Over the past couple of construction seasons, the Minnesota Department of Transportation has rebuilt portions of Interstate 35 between Forest Lake and Duluth and repaved others.It took a lot of time and cost a lot of money, but the result is a smooth ride for motorists traveling between the Twin Ports and the Twin Cities and should serve them well for years to come.Unfortunately, many motorists on other state roads find them in need of a similar makeover. MnDOT will get $18 billion over the next 20 years to do that. While that sounds like a whole lot of cashola, a recent report found that the agency will need $30 billion "to keep pace with Minnesota's growing population and aging infrastructure."Minnesota ranks 38th in pavement quality, and more than half of the state's highways an (go to article)
MSN -- Old or new, hot-rod trucks remain eternally cool (go to article)
Reuters -- Scientists have produced hydrogen by accelerating a natural process found in rocks deep below the Earth's surface, a short-cut that may herald the wider use of what is a clean fuel, a study showed on Sunday.Used in rockets and in battery-like fuel cells, hydrogen is being widely researched as a non-polluting fuel, but its use is so far hampered by high costs. A few hydrogen vehicles are already on the roads, such as the Honda FXC Clarity and Mercedes-Benz F-Cell, and more are planned. (go to article)
Bloomberg -- Energy companies trying to raise almost $50 billion for Canada's first network of natural gas export terminals will face an even more basic challenge: finding the workers to build them.Housing complexes boasting an indoor golf driving range, a two-story gymnasium and a private movie theater are among perks companies are mulling to lure tradesmen to Canada's remote, snow-swept West Coast and mitigate wage inflation that could blow up project budgets. Labor shortages in the country already have pushed wages for some oil and gas workers as much as 60 percent higher than their counterparts in the U.S., according to U.S. and Canadian labor data."The lack of skilled workers is a major component for the reason why you're often behind schedule and over budget," said Geoff Hill, partner and... (go to article)
U.S.NEWS on NBCNEWS.com -- The gators are coming from a refinery waste disposal site owned by ExxonMobil, according to court documents.The ExxonMobil site, called the Centreville Landfarm, contains 19 rainwater retention ponds with about 85 surface acres of water, according to a court document. It's been around for decades but the operators stopped accepting new refinery waste in the 1990s.The gators "were allegedly introduced to the site as 'canaries' to warn of hazardous contamination in the retention ponds," according to the document. In August 2008, the Christmases sued, alleging that runoff from the site contaminated their property and that the ExxonMobil site was infested with alligators.(VIDEO) (go to article)
KFOR -- OKLAHOMA – Gas prices are inching up.AAA reports the National average for the price of a regular gallon of gas increased a tenth of a cent Sunday.That's the third consecutive increase.The average now sits at $3.26. But, that's still a penny less than the average a week ago."Despite the recent uptick, gas prices fortunately remain noticeably less expensive than in recent years," said Avery Ash, AAA spokesman. (go to article)
Cape Cod Times -- FALMOUTH — Wind turbine opponents scored another victory this week when the Zoning Board of Appeals agreed once again that Falmouth's municipal turbines are a nuisance to nearby residents.This time, it was West Falmouth resident Barry Funfar who got a favorable ruling from the ZBA. Funfar, who lives on Ridgeview Drive with his wife, Diane, complained to the town in April that the two town-owned turbines were making his pre-existing health problems worse. Funfar, a Vietnam veteran, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and says the turbines exacerbate the effect of his PTSD symptoms.But Building Commissioner Eladio Gore determined they were not a nuisance, so Funfar appealed that decision to the ZBA.Thursday night, the zoning board unanimously voted to overturn Gore's determina (go to article)
Bladen Journal -- "We believe in a national renewable fuels policy, but one that is both safe for boaters and sound for the environment," said Wood, "However, until the current ethanol mandate is removed, there is little room for investment in other renewable fuels that may not have the current negative impact of corn-based ethanol." Wood explained that the real success would come if Congress changes the law to recognize today's decreasing fuel usage in the US.Wood added: "As the Renewable Fuel Standard policy pushes higher blends of ethanol gasoline into the market, there is an increased potential for misfueling and engine failure that needs to be made clear. It is the responsibility of the EPA and Congress however, to ensure that the fuel they approve for our consumers is a safe and reliable fuel for (go to article)
examiner.com -- One of the biggest challenges to solar energy is what happens at night or on cloudy days when the sun is not shinning? The solution was to use an energy storage system, but until recently, that technology was not perfected. Now, there is a solution, at least for businesses and large electrical users.A publicly-traded solar provider, SolarCity, announced Wednesday that it is using battery packs supplied by electric car manufacturer Tessla to allow business customers to store solar-generated energy. Then to manage that stored energy efficiently, SolarCity has developed a system called DemandLogic™ that that automates the discharge of the stored energy to optimize utility charges resulting in savings for customers.The batteries offered by SolarCity are the same lithium-ion ones that (go to article)
Charleston (WV) Daily Mail -- A memo released quietly by regulators earlier this year has carved a major loophole in West Virginia's rules restricting the amount of waste that can be accepted by the state's landfills, all with the intent to ease a burgeoning problem caused by the boom in gas drilling, environmentalists say.The new rule specifies that landfills can accept unlimited amounts of solid waste from horizontal gas drilling, more commonly known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking. The rule carves out an exception to a decades-old state law that limited landfills' intake to only 10,000 or 30,000 tons a month, depending on their classification.In the industry, the drilling waste is called "drill cuttings," a sludgy mix of dirt, water, sand and chemicals dredged up in the drilling process. (go to article)
The Fresno Bee -- Two pieces of property in Fresno are being targeted as the first parcels to be condemned for California's high-speed train system.The fight for the properties — one a small, vacant retail building on Belmont Avenue, the other an office building leased by the state near downtown — marks the start of a new stage of development for the proposed bullet train that would connect San Francisco and Los Angeles by way of the San Joaquin Valley.Progress has been slow — very slow — in the California High-Speed Rail Authority's efforts to buy the right of way it needs for the first 29 miles of construction planned between the northeast fringe of Madera and the south edge of Fresno. (go to article)
JournalStar . Com -- U.S. ethanol companies, producing at the fastest pace in 21 months, expect mill closings and cuts in production since President Obama's administration proposed reducing consumption targets for the first time.The Environmental Protection Agency proposed last month cutting the amount of ethanol that refiners are required to blend with gasoline by 9.7 percent next year from the targets set in 2007. Production of the corn-based fuel has rebounded across the nation's 210 plants as crop supplies recovered from last year's drought, the worst since the 1930s.Ethanol plants, concentrated in the grain-rich Midwest, face shutdowns less than seven years after the start of the law designed to help the U.S. wean itself off foreign energy. (go to article)
Reuters -- WASHINGTON/CALGARY (Reuters) - Canada is running out of time to offer U.S. President Barack Obama a climate change concession that might clinch the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline, as the country's energy industry continues to resist costly curbs on greenhouse gas emissions. (go to article)
automotive-fleet.com -- Output shafts installed in some 2013 model-year vehicles were shaped using a two-stage forging method during early production. The resulting components may be subject to fracture in rare circumstances, Chrysler said. A single-stage forging method has since replaced the earlier process.Chrysler Group said it is unaware of any injuries or accidents resulting from the transmission issue. (go to article)
worktruckonline.com -- AMP Holding, Inc. has announced that its AMP Trucks subsidiary has received an initial purchase order for Workhorse E-100 Walk-In Vans from a national bakery company. The Workhorse Electric Vans have a range of up to 100 miles and will be built on the renowned W62 chassis."These vehicles are particularly well-suited for the stop and go nature of route delivery," said Steve Burns, CEO of AMP/Workhorse. "With electric cost of approximately $0.11 per mile, these trucks are remarkably cost-efficient, dependable, zero-emission vehicles." (go to article)
The Motley Fool -- Tesla has come under fire of late after a couple of its batteries caught burst into flames. While the company doesn't believe this is anything to fear, it certainly is something to keep tabs on.This is not a problem that's unique to Tesla. Both General Motors' Chevy Volt, and Boeing's Dreamliner 787, have been hurt by fires that were linked to the batteries. It's a risk these manufacturers are still trying to mitigate.At present, the fire risk is being managed by tweaking the structural design to allow for more cooling. However, the real issue could just be the lithium-ion battery itself. It contains a flammable liquid electrolyte. (go to article)
AFP -- Chevron said Sunday it has restarted work on its first shale gas exploration well in Romania, a day after protests forced the US energy giant to suspend the operation. Romanian police declared the area around the planned mine a "special security zone" and installed check-points on all roads leading to the nearby village of Pungesti after Saturday's protests."Chevron can confirm that it has resumed activities in Pungesti commune," in northeastern Romania, the company said in a statement Sunday. (go to article)
WND.com -- Critics of Barack Obama, horrified at his "transformation" of America and particularly his government takeovers of large parts of the U.S. economy, have gone so far as to accuse him of being a communist or neo-communist. However, those critics are mistaken, contends a conservative talk host and author whose new book "Was Hitler a Leftist?" examines the German dictator's radical agenda in light of today's leftist movement in the United States.His conclusion? Obama is, at least in some ways, more akin to a "national socialist" than a communist."I have to be careful saying that," said Chuck Morse, host of the IRN USA News talk show."I'm not suggesting [Obama] is an anti-Semite. I'm not suggesting he's going to set up a Holocaust. But putting all that stuff aside, when you strip that aw (go to article)
Detroit News -- The average price for regular gasoline at U.S. pumps rose 2.73 cents in the past two weeks to $3.2790 a gallon, according to Lundberg Survey Inc. The survey covers the period ended Dec. 6 and is based on information obtained at about 2,500 filling stations by the Camarillo, California-based company. The average, which reached a year-to-date peak in the survey of $3.795 on Feb. 22, is about 9.61 cents below a year earlier. "This is another modest rise," Trilby Lundberg, president of Lundberg Survey, said in a telephone interview today. Another slight jump in the next two weeks is likely as U.S. crude has rallied in that time, she said. The highest price for gasoline in the lower 48 U.S. states among the markets surveyed was in Los Angeles, at $3.61 a gallon, Lundberg said. (go to article)
The Globe and Mail -- Catholicism divides sin into 2 categories, for example: the Venial (bad but forgivable) and the Mortal (condemns you to an eternal stay in the fires of Hell.) Here's the list of the Seven Deadly Winter Driving Sins1. Slothful. You must clear snow off every surface of your car, not just the windows2. Aggressive. Spinning wheels and tailgating3. Shortsighted. Focusing on the area immediately in front of your car4. Panicked. Slamming on the brakes and holding the wheel in a death grip5. Ignorant. Icy when temperatures rise above freezing, then fall again6. Unprepared. Not using winter tires, not topping up the fuel tank and windshield washer, worn-out wiper blades 7. Feeling invincible (a.k.a. All-Wheel-Drive Pride) A 4WD vehicle does not make you immune to the laws of physics (go to article)
Bloomberg -- International oil producers are girding for carbon emission costs that may surge to almost 10 times the current prices in Europe, the world's largest greenhouse gas market, as governments around the world step up efforts to curb climate change.Exxon Mobil, the biggest energy company by market value, is basing plans for future capital investments on the assumption that it will have to pay $60 a metric ton for carbon emissions.That's the most among 11 U.S. and European companies that provided figures in a report released yesterday by CDP, a nonprofit that compiles environmental performance data for investors. Royal Dutch Shell and BP Plc are planning on $40, and Total SA anticipates a carbon cost of $34, according to the New York-based group formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Projec (go to article)
newsmax.com -- The discovery of massive oil deposits in Australia could shake up the world's energy industry and threaten OPEC's grip on oil markets. Australia's Linc Energy has released reports, based on exploration near the remote town of Coober Pedy in South Australia, estimating the amount of oil in the untapped Arckaringa Basin could range to as high as 233 billion barrels. That could turn Australia from an oil importer into a large-scale exporter. Estimates of 233 billion barrels are just 30 billion fewer than the estimated reserves in Saudi Arabia, 263 billion barrels. They are more than in Venezuela (211 billion barrels), Canada (175 billion), Iran (137 billion), and Iraq (115 barrels), and could be worth more than $20 trillion. The discovery isn't fresh news, however — reports about Coob (go to article)
Detroit Free Press -- The customer is frequently right. It's hard to argue with that conclusion when you look at the cars and trucks automakers pulled the plug on this year. Some were misbegotten projects that should never have been built. Others had their moment, but outlived their usefulness. A few, I'll miss. This is not a complete list because I'd probably forget some if I tried to name them all. Tell the truth; you forgot about most of these years ago, didn't you?Acura ZDX: Not even I could love the outlandish and impractical Acura ZDX luxury hatchback.Cadillac Escalade EXT: It turns out that America's voracious appetite for pickups didn't extend to a luxury crew cab with a $63,060 base price.Nissan Altima coupe: Really, why bother? Toyota Matrix: I still can't believe Toyota abandoned this gem.Volksw (go to article)
AlterNet -- Wiebo Ludwig took his interpretations of God's laws quite seriously.CALGARY, Canada—Oil and natural gas drilling in the province of Alberta has turned Calgary into a boomtown. Glittering skyscrapers, monuments to the obscene profits amassed by a fossil fuel industry that is exploiting the tar sands and the vast oil and natural gas fields in Alberta, have transformed Calgary into a mecca for money, dirty politics, greed and industry jobs. The city is as soulless and sterile as Houston. The death of the planet, for a few, is very good for business. The man who waged North America's first significant war against hydraulic fracturing was from Alberta, an eccentric, messianic Christian preacher named Wiebo Ludwig who died last year. (go to article)
RIGZONE -- HOUSTON (AP) — Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. increased by 12 this week to 1,775. The Houston-based company said in its weekly report Friday that 1,397 rigs were exploring for oil and 375 for gas. Three were listed as miscellaneous. A year ago there were 1,800 active rigs. (go to article)
Green Car Reports -- When debating the merits of electric cars, hybrids, hydrogen and other alternative fuels, it's easy to get tied down in the notion they're the solution to all our transport problems. They aren't of course--they're just a solution. Improvements to public transit, encouraging people to walk a little more and even the humble bicycle will play a part. The latter in particular is getting plenty of attention at the moment, as electrically-assisted biking gets ever more popular. With the launch of all-in-one e-bike wheels, it could become an even bigger phenomenon. And, says Navigant Research, they have the potential to seriously boost America's e-bike market. (go to article)
GasBuddy Blog -- The latest EIA monthly update of estimated crude oil production in the Bakken region of North Dakota and Montana shows total wellhead output topping 1 million barrels of oil per day (bbl/d) next month. The update appears in the most recent issue of the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Drilling Productivity Report (DPR).The Bakken region now accounts for a little over 10% of total U.S. oil production and is expected to be the fourth region (along with the Gulf of Mexico, Eagle Ford, and Permian basins) producing more than 1 million bbl/d in the nation in December.Infrastructure improvements in the central part of the nation carried more of this oil to refineries in recent months, helping to narrow the price difference... (go to article)
The Motley Fool -- For decades, the utility monopoly in the U.S. has been an investor's dream. Companies could generate a guaranteed return on assets, protecting profits year after year with little fear of competition.But the solar industry has suddenly thrown a wrench in that model. The centralized power model is predicated on having the utility own, or buy, power and then distributing it to customers. Solar allows customers to be the generators and even to sell power to the utility, which is known as distributed solar.This is an incredibly disruptive model, and now that solar energy is cost-efficient for homeowners, it's spreading across the country like wildfire. SolarCity (NASDAQ: SCTY ) and SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR ) have made $0 down solar leases possible, and solar loans are available for homeowne (go to article)
The Motley Fool -- ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP ) is the largest exclusive E&P company in the world. The company owns a lot of acreage in promising shale plays such as the Eagle Ford, the Permian Basin, and Bakken as well as Canadian oil sands. Many of its fields should be profitable even if the price of oil should fall. For example, ConocoPhillips' incremental finding and development cost for the Eagle Ford and Bakken is just $20 per barrel of oil equivalent. So why did Warren Buffett, the legendary investor and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, sell 43% of his stake in ConocoPhillips?Refiner spinoff (go to article)
The Star -- The pursuit of power — electrical and political — is what keeps Queen's Park fired up. And so the governing Liberals have conjured up yet another Long Term Energy Plan for the next two decades.Over the past decade, the governing Liberals bought into (and spent billions on) green energy. In prior decades, the governing Tories bought into (and borrowed billions for) nuclear energy.In the new Liberal paradigm, a futuristic green industry would be attracted by (unaffordably) high prices for wind turbines and solar panels — in hopes of windfall returns.But governments can no more rewrite the laws of economics than they can reinvent the laws of physics.Wind power is in a stall and green jobs are failing to take root across the industrial belt as once promised. (go to article)
Associated Press -- Under pressure from the wind-power industry, the Obama administration said Friday it will allow companies to kill or injure eagles without the fear of prosecution for up to three decades.... An investigation by The Associated Press earlier this year documented the illegal killing of eagles around wind farms, the Obama administration's reluctance to prosecute such cases and its willingness to help keep the scope of the eagle deaths secret. President Barack Obama has championed the pollution-free energy, nearly doubling America's wind power in his first term as a way to tackle global warming...."Instead of balancing the need for conservation and renewable energy, Interior wrote the wind industry a blank check," said Audubon President and CEO David Yarnold in a statement. (go to article)
Seattle pi.com -- MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Mexican senate committee on Saturday proposed the most dramatic oil reform in decades that would open the country's beleaguered, state-run sector to private companies and investment.The Senate proposal would allow the government to grant contracts and licenses for exploration and extraction of oil and gas to multinational giants such as Exxon or Chevron, something that is currently prohibited under Mexico's constitution.It also says that contracts could be made directly with the state, rather than issued by the state-run oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, ending its monopoly on Mexican oil.The proposal, which gets official committee consideration on Sunday, could allow contracts for profit- and production-sharing, as well as licenses, in which companies (go to article)
Science Daily -- Thermoelectric materials can convert waste heat directly into electricity. Tommi Tynell, M.Sc. (Tech.), who is a doctoral candidate at the Aalto University School of Chemical Technology, has developed hybrid thermoelectric materials which combine useful properties from different types of materials.He found that by adding organic layers between layers of zinc it is possible to improve the performance of thermoelectric materials. The organic layers are also believed to have a major effect in reducing thermal conductivity, which would be very useful in thermoelectric materials (go to article)
San Antonio Business Journal -- Oil and gas companies in Texas and nearby states are expecting continued growth next year, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas reports.Oil and gas activity in Texas was "particularly strong," both inland and offshore, according to the Dallas Fed Beige Book survey released this past week.Meanwhile, the two largest public companies in Houston — Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX) and ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) — also released their 2014 capital expenditure budgets this past week. Phillips 66 plans to boost spending by 40 percent to focus on growing its midstream and chemicals segments, and ConocoPhillips plans to focus much of its budgeted $16.7 billion on North American shale.According to the Dallas Fed, demand for oilfield services are steady even though the number of active drilling rigs is down (go to article)
Transport Topics -- Ford has begun production of F-150 pickups with a gaseous-fuel prep option that enables the truck to run on compressed natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas, the company announced.The factory-installed package, available on the truck's base, a 3.7-liter V-6 engine, includes hardened valves, valve seats, pistons and rings. When equipped with the bifuel package and larger tanks, the truck can travel more than 750 miles on combined tanks of gasoline and CNG, Ford said. The V-6-powered F-150 has an EPA-estimated rating of 23 mpg on the highway and 19 mpg combined.The package itself is a $315 option. From there, conversions that are handled by one of Ford's pre-selected upfitters can cost between $6,000 and $9,500, depending on fuel tank capacity. In addition to fuel tanks, the conversions (go to article)
Your Drilling News -- Claxton Engineering Services Ltd, a member of the Acteon Group's risers, conductors and flowlines business, has celebrated the 10th anniversary of its success with the world's first rigless platform well abandonment and continues to set new standards in engineering innovation.In the 10 years since its feat at the Perenco Well A1 in the Leman field, southern North Sea, UK, Claxton has become the North Sea's preeminent riser supplier and launched an expanding range of product, process and running tool innovations. The company has also been involved in decommissioning more than 60 North Sea platform wells, in most cases without using a drilling rig or lift vessel. In total, the Claxton decommissioning tooling spread has been used on more than 260 successful well abandonment and conductor re (go to article)
Science Daily -- Trucks are responsible for 4,500 deaths per year in the United States. Truck crashes also cause huge losses in productivity, property and personal injury. New research just published in the International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion details how trucks account for 8% of US highway traffic, yet are involved in 11% of fatal road crashes.1,134 crashes were examined -- 101 single-vehicle, and 1,033 multi-vehicle crashes. Crash severity was categorized as couched property damage only, non-incapacitating injury, incapacitating injury, and fatal. Factors affecting crash were categorised into groups of differing characteristics -- traffic, driver, vehicle, environmental, and geometric. The authors considered 15 traffic factors ranging from condition of the driver, speed, vehicle (go to article)
Star Tribune -- Using mobile technology, CEO Jay Coughlan rebooted his company. Then he renamed it XRS Corp.The tiny tech company, which makes communications systems for the trucking industry, was recognized for its transition to mobile with a Tekne Award in the "mobile technologies category'' from the Minnesota High Tech Association last month."We moved all of our chips onto the table on mobile," Coughlan said.At a recent conference, Coughlan explained to a group of tech entrepreneurs and mobile application developers his perspective on the concept of "discontinuous innovation" — the idea that entirely new products and technologies can quickly make established technology obsolete.A former computer mainframe salesman and later the CEO of Lawson Software, Coughlan spoke from personal experience (go to article)


text:
After four years of court battles and lobbying in New Hampshire, Nixon Peabody lawyers could eventually reap as much as $27.5 million in contingency fees for helping medical malpractice policyholders in the state secure $110 million in excess premiums paid to a quasi-governmental insurance fund.
Font Size:
Nixon Peabody Gets $20 Million Fee for '100 Percent' Win in New Hampshire Budget Battle
The Litigation Daily
November 13, 2012
This content is now available at LexisNexis®.
The ALM® and LexisNexis® Content Alliance
LexisNexis® is now the exclusive third party online distributor of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® customers will be able to access and use ALM's content by subscribing to the LexisNexis® services via lexis.com® and Nexis®. This includes content from The National Law Journal®, The American Lawyer®, Law Technology News®, The New York Law Journal® and Corporate Counsel®, as well as ALM's other newspapers, directories, legal treatises, published and unpublished court opinions, and other sources of legal information.
ALM's content plays a significant role in your work and research, and now through this alliance LexisNexis® will bring you access to an even more comprehensive collection of legal content.
If you are not currently a LexisNexis subscriber, contact 1-800-227-4908 to find out more or click here to have a customer representative contact you directly.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
August has for sure lived up to it's name with afternoon highs topping off near, at or slightly above 100° each and every day this past weekend.
The good news for your Friday? There is a cold front currently sliding it's way towards the Brazos Valley. The bad news? This "cold" front won't actually bring any cooler air with it. All it has to back it up is that it will sink in some slightly drier air across the area. In the mean time it is all of muggy with dew points running in the low to mid 70s across this morning.
Chance of Storms Today
The benefit from this front making it's way into the neighborhood later this afternoon will be a slight shot at showers and thunderstorms in the area. The front it's self -- with drier air behind it clashing with the warm, moist Gulf air mass we have overhead -- should act as a focal point for a thunderstorm or two to fire up along with our afternoon heat.
If these storms really can fire up, there may be a strong to severe storm that could bring strong, damaging winds with it (along with a heavy downpour). While that is possible, the chance of it happening will remain low since rain and thunderstorm chances are low as well.
Hot Weekend Ahead
Do yourself a favor and be sure to set the alarm (yes, on a Saturday) and enjoy some outside time shortly before the sun takes to the sky. With a slightly lower amount of moisture in the air, overnight lows will have the chance to fall between 74° and 76° across the area -- and here is the kick, it should actually feel like 74° to 76° for a change (vs. feeling like the low to mid 80s by 7am).
That being said, RUN back inside after you enjoy a slightly cooler start to your day. Afternoon highs will ramp right back up towards the triple digits by the afternoon and the little moisture we lost will be right back overhead by Sunday. With high pressure clinging on this weekend, don't expect much in the way of relief from Mother Nature.
Have a great weekend, enjoy & be safe and we'll see you back here on Monday morning.


text:
Teachings |
Catholic Q&A |
Devotions |
Bulletin Board |
Prayer Intention Cards |
EWTNKids |
EWTN Mini Sites |
Motu Proprio Resources |
Saints |
Post a question to any of our Catholic experts |
Search previously asked questions |
Faith FAQs |
Ask a new question |
Our Catholic experts |
---------- Forums ---------- |
Post a request for the prayers of others or an announcement of an upcoming Catholic event. |
Read Prayer Requests |
Read Event Announcements |
Post a New Item |
Papal Visit to the Holy Land |
The 2008 Visit to the U.S. |
World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney |
World Youth Day 2005 in Cologne |
Apostolic Journey To Brazil |
Pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI |
Pontificate of John Paul II |
Great Jubilee |
John Paul II In The Americas |
Papal Visit to the Holy Land |
Papal Visit to Cuba |
World Youth Day 2000 in Rome |
Holy Father With Families |
St. Faustina Kowalska |
St. Padre Pio |
St. Thérèse of Lisieux |
Children of Fátima |
Mother Teresa |
Pius IX - John XXIII |
A sampling of books written by Mother Angelica. |
Fruits of His Love |
His Pain Like Mine |
In His Sandals |
Jesus Needs Me |
Living the Way Of The Cross |
Marriage |
My Life In The Rosary |
Spiritual Hangovers |
The Promised Woman |
TELEVISION HOME | Channel Finder |
EWTN Prime |
Program Schedules |
Television Specials |
Television Series |
Live TV - English |
Live TV - Spanish |
List of all Live TV |
NewsLink |
The World Over |
Seen & Unseen |
Joan's Rome |
Power & Witness |
A Catholic Journalist in London |
EWTN Live |
Mother Angelica Classics |
Life on the Rock |
The Journey Home |
The World Over |
Sunday Night Live |
Windows Media- US |
Windows Media- Europe |
Windows Media- UK / Ireland |
Windows Media- Canada |
Windows Media- Pacific Rim |
Windows Media- Africa and South Asia |
Windows Media - US |
Windows Media - International |
Program Schedule |
Stations |
Listen Live |
Open Line |
SW Frequency Guide |
Listening Advice |
SW Monitoring Form |
Monday <%=monday_date%> |
Tuesday <%=tuesday_date%> |
Wednesday <%=wednesday_date%> |
Thursday <%=thursday_date%> |
Friday <%=friday_date%> |
Video |
Live TV - English |
Live TV - Spanish |
-- Archived Video -- |
Audio |
Live Radio - English |
Live Radio - Spanish |
MP3 / Podcast |
-- Archived Audio -- |
Help |
Windows Media- US |
Windows Media- Europe |
Windows Media- UK / Ireland |
Windows Media- Canada |
Windows Media- Pacific Rim |
Windows Media- Africa and South Africa |
Windows Media -US |
Windows Media - International |
OLAM Shrine |
Eucharistic Pilgrimages |
Welcome |
Pilgrimage Schedule |
Live Show Tickets |
Lodging |
Maps |
Essentials |
Picture Gallery |
Pro-Life Programs -
Pro-Life News
Irish Pro-lifers: Abortion Legislation Will Have Election Consequences
DUBLIN, IRELAND, December 19 (CNA/EWTN News) .- Pro-life leaders in Ireland have warned that the Fine Gael-run government's introduction of legislation to legalize abortion will have consequences for the party at the next election.
Rebecca Roughneen, a spokeswoman for Youth Defence, said Dec. 18 that her organization will make sure the Irish public does not forget that Prime Minster Enda Kenny and his party "broke the pro-life promise" they made before the 2011 election. .... MORE
A Pro-Life Prayer For Our President And Public Officials
Lord God, Author of Life and Source of Eternal Life,
Move the hearts of all our public officials and especially our President, to fulfill their responsibilities worthily and well to all those entrusted to their care.
Help them in their special leadership roles, to extend the mantle of protection to the most vulnerable, especially the defenseless unborn, whose lives are threatened with extermination by an indifferent society.
Guide all public officials by your wisdom and grace to cease supporting any law that fails to protect the fundamental good that is human life itself, which is a gift from God and parents.
You are the Protector and Defender of the lives of the innocent unborn. Change the hearts of those who compromise the call to protect and defend life. Bring our nation to the values that have made us a great nation, a society that upholds the values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all.
Mary, the Mother of the living, help us to bear witness to the Gospel of Life with our lives and our laws, through Christ, Our Lord.
January 22, 2009
Most Reverend Robert J. Baker
Bishop of Birmingham in Alabama
Library Highlight
Dignitas Personae, an Instruction on ethical issues arising from biomedical research, was published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 12 December 2008. The Instruction defends the life of unborn human beings, created in the image of God, and provides guidance on how to respect human life and human procreation in our scientific age. View Document
Bioethics and the Myth of Relativism
In this interview with ZENIT, Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, director of
education at the Philadelphia-based National Catholic Bioethics Center,
discusses the need to base bioethics on absolute moral principles. He
affirms that even people who profess relativism count on certain
absolutes in life.
View Document
Religious Catalogue Pro-Life Resources- View More from Religious Catalogue
Fr. Frank Pavone provides a reflection on a passage from Scripture or other Church document and a prayer for each day of the year. | This program focuses on the everyday, ordinary people who - by relying on Christ - help save lives from abortion through prayer and activism. Includes interviews with three volunteers: a businessman, a mother and a college student. Features expert commentary. 30 min. |
See Below For More Pro-Life Resources Being Human: 40 days for Life • Defending Life • Ending Abortion
Audio - Click playlist items below.
Video - Click playlist items below.
Prayer for the Unborn
Heavenly Father, in Your love for us, protect against the wickedness of the devil, those helpless little ones to whom You have given the gift of life.
Touch with pity the hearts of those women pregnant in our world today who are not thinking of motherhood.
Help them to see that the child they carry is made in Your image - as well as theirs - made for eternal life.
Dispel their fear and selfishness and give them true womanly hearts to love their babies and give them birth and all the needed care that a mother can give.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, Your Son, Our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen.