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Can a commercial development be used to block Big Oil?

by LettieTardent Posted on December 29, 2014

Can a commercial development be used to block Big Oil?

By on 29 Dec 2014commentsShare

Environmental groups in Vancouver, Wash. are rallying for the rapid development of a $1.3 billion real estate project along the Columbia River. We know, we know: Why would environmentalists want to see the bank of a river plastered with 32 acres of shops, office buildings, and apartment towers? To block something even worse: oil.

Here’s the scoop: The development, called Waterfront, would sit two miles west of the proposed terminal. Oil trains would pass within a few hundred feet of the project’s towers. So, if there was ever a teensy mishap — a spill, or perchance a derailment? — public safety would be at risk. If Waterfront, which was approved back in November 2013, is built soon, it will make for a steep path to approval for the oil terminal.

That gigantic terminal would transfer North Dakota crude oil by rail cars to barges, on which trains would pass through Vancouver each day, carrying approximately 360,000 barrels of oil. Here’s more on the two projects from the New York Times:

Vancouver’s dueling projects — with the city government caught in the middle, opposing the oil project at its own port and backing the Waterfront project — crystallize the terms and stakes of the energy wave in one place, people on both sides of the issue said.

The Waterfront project, Mr. VandenHeuvel said, makes the threats from the oil trains “more tangible and more real.” At least 10 large crude oil spills have been reported since early 2013 because of train accidents in the United States and Canada, including one in Quebec that caused a fire and explosion and killed 47 people.

Every fiber of my divestment-loving, tree-hugging being is balking at the thought of waterfront apartments saving a local environment (truly, I shudder). But this may be the greener of two evils.

Source:
Race to Build on River Could Block Pacific Oil Route

, New York Times.

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Can a commercial development be used to block Big Oil?

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The Ruble Continues Its Free Fall

by SelinaSkirving Posted on December 16, 2014

Mother Jones

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Well, we have our answer: the Russian central bank’s last-ditch effort to stop capital flight didn’t work. It was indeed taken by the market as a sign of desperation, not strength. The ruble recovered a bit right after the surprise interest hike in the middle of the night, but by mid-morning panic had settled back in and the ruble was once again in free fall. Even the enticement of 17 percent interest wasn’t enough incentive for people to keep their rubles in Russian banks:

By early afternoon in Moscow, the ruble dropped sharply, reaching 80 to the dollar, a record low and a 35% decline from opening levels when it rallied briefly. At 1630 local time, the dollar was trading around 73 rubles….Deputy Chairman Sergei Shvetsov called the situation “critical,” the Interfax news agency reported. “At lot of (market) participants are in serious condition because of these events.”

“The choice the central bank made (to raise rates) was between very bad and very, very bad,” he said, noting that the bank could yet take more measures to stabilize the market….Economists warned that the central bank appeared to be losing control of the market and might have no alternative but to restrict trading. “Capital controls as a policy measure cannot be off the table now,” said Citigroup’s Mr. Costa.

Stay tuned.

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The Ruble Continues Its Free Fall

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Success Through Stillness – Russell Simmons

by Myrna Posted on March 4, 2014

READ GREEN WITH E-BOOKS

Success Through Stillness

Meditation Made Simple

Russell Simmons

Genre: Self-Improvement

Price: $10.99

Publish Date: March 4, 2014

Publisher: Penguin Group US

Seller: Penguin Group (USA) Inc.


Master entrepreneur, original hip-hop mogul, and New York Times bestselling author Russell Simmons shares the most fundamental key to success—meditation—and guides readers to use stillness as a powerful tool to access their potential. In the New York Times bestseller Super Rich , Russell Simmons proved that to be rich is more than just having money in the bank—wealth is about balance, joy, and conscientious living. In Success Through Stillness , Simmons shows the connection between inner peace and outward success through interviews with other successful leaders in various industries, and how learning to be still has been instrumental in his own career. Simmons attributes his meditation practice with changing his life for the better and says that there is no “bad” way to meditate, only different forms for different people. In this highly anticipated new book, Russell Simmons guides readers into finding greater clarity and focus, and explains how to be healthier in both mind and body. Simmons breaks down what he's learned from masters of meditation into a guide that is accessible to those unfamiliar with the practice.

Continue reading – 

Success Through Stillness – Russell Simmons

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There’s One Group of Voters Who Likes Chris Christie More Than Ever

by KristinaRosenba Posted on February 5, 2014

Mother Jones

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Jonathan Bernstein notes today that Chris Christie’s poll numbers have actually risen among one particular group of voters: tea partiers. It’s a small sample from a single poll, so you don’t want to take this to the bank until we get confirmation. And yet:

If true (and again: see caveats above), it’s a fascinating finding, confirming that for at least some non-trivial group of Republicans, all a politician has to do to win their favor is to get attacked by anyone outside of the conservative bubble.

Which is, to put it bluntly, pathetic.

But it does suggest — at least a little — the appeal of a Sarah Palin or a Herman Cain….Or, for that matter, the continuing appeal of Newt Gingrich to some conservatives despite his frequent and major deviations on public policy over the years. If the core credential for being a Real Conservative is to be attacked (by liberals? by the “neutral” news media? by prosecutors?), then demagogues, charlatans and the inept have a real advantage over responsible, competent politicians. Which really is a problem for the Republican Party, but beyond that, is an even more important problem, I would think, for actual ideological conservatives — that is, people who care about public policy and ideology, as opposed to being purely concerned with tribal allegiances.

Partisans are always susceptible to circling the wagons when one of their own is attacked. But conservatives have turned victimization into a high art over the past few years—led, as Bernstein points out, by the high priestess of grievance and victimization herself, Sarah Palin. When reports surface that make you look bad, just spin them as desperate attacks against real American values by East Coast elitists and you’re golden. After all, if the lamestream media says you did something bad, then you must actually be doing something very, very good, amirite?

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There’s One Group of Voters Who Likes Chris Christie More Than Ever

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Anker® Astro3E 10000mAh High Capacity Power Bank Pack Portable External Battery Charger for iPhone 5, 4S, 4, iPad 4, 3, 2, Mini, iPods (Lightning adapter not included); Samsung Galaxy S4, S3, S2, Note 2; HTC One, EVO, Thunderbolt, Incredible, Droid DNA; Motorola ATRIX, Droid; Google Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 10; LG Optimus; PS Vita, GoPro (Dual 5V 3A USB Output) [0.6 inch slim design, customized for Apple & Android Devices]

by Myrna Posted on August 7, 2013

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World Bank joins war on coal

by Susie Quan Posted on July 18, 2013

World Bank joins war on coal

By John Upton

Shutterstock

There’s a new ally in the fight against the dirtiest of fossil fuels.

The World Bank’s board of directors approved a strategy shift this week that will move the lending body formally away from its longstanding support of coal-fired power plants in favor of cleaner and smarter alternatives.

Following the adoption Tuesday of its Energy Sector Directions Paper [PDF], the World Bank will “provide financial support for greenfield coal power generation projects only in rare circumstances,” such as where there are “no feasible alternatives to coal.”

The bank isn’t morphing from sinner to saint. It will still support new fossil-fuel projects, including those powered by natural gas, along with hydropower projects that wreck rivers and displace communities. But its shift away from coal could be significant, particularly as an example for other international financing groups. In the same vein, President Barack Obama recently called for an end to America’s financing of new coal plants abroad in most circumstances.

The World Bank is a huge financier of infrastructure projects, loaning nearly $53 billion last year to poor and developing countries. Its most recent support for construction of a coal-fired power plant came three years ago, when it approved a $3 billion loan for a coal facility in South Africa.

The shift is being welcomed by environmentalists, but they are anxious to find out how the bank will define the situations in which there are “no feasible alternatives to coal.” From Reuters:

“While it misses an opportunity to close the door for good (on coal lending) it only allows it in narrowly defined cases where there are no feasible alternatives,” Justin Guay, a Washington representative for the Sierra Club, said about the new strategy.

Guay said there had been concerns China would not allow the new language to go through, as had happened with past proposals to cut back on coal funding.

The real test of the strategy may come next year, when the World Bank should decide whether to provide loan guarantees for [a] Kosovo power plant fired by coal.

The strategy paper lays out the World Bank’s new energy priorities:

In countries with low energy access, the priority will be affordable and reliable energy. Grid, mini-grid, and off-grid solutions will all be pursued for electricity. In rural, remote or isolated areas, off-grid solutions based on renewable energy combined with energy efficient technologies could be the most rapid means of providing cost-effective energy services. Engagement in cleaner cooking and heating solutions will grow. …

Efforts to improve energy efficiency — one of the most cost-effective ways to expand supply and reduce environmental impact — will be scaled up according to countries’ needs and opportunities. …

The World Bank Group will continue to support and finance all forms of renewable energy … Rapidly declining costs are making wind and solar power competitive in some settings, while geothermal energy is a relatively low-cost source of renewable energy providing a dependable supply. Biogas and biomass-based energy also play useful roles.

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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World Bank joins war on coal

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