Study: Fossil fuels better for environment than green fuels

The Times of London got their hands on a study that shows the use of fossil fuels, you know, coal, natural gas, and oil, are better for the environment than so-called green fuels.

The pillars of the environmental church are being knocked down...first global warming, now biofuels.

The findings show that the Department for Transport's target for raising the level of biofuel in all fuel sold in Britain will result in millions of acres of forest being logged or burnt down and converted to plantations. The study, likely to force a review of the target, concludes that some of the most commonly-used biofuel crops fail to meet the minimum sustainability standard set by the European Commission.

Under the standard, each litre of biofuel should reduce emissions by at least 35 per cent compared with burning a litre of fossil fuel. Yet the study shows that palm oil increases emissions by 31 per cent because of the carbon released when forest and grassland is turned into plantations. Rape seed and soy also fail to meet the standard.

Meanwhile, with Flat Earth Society certainty, Al Gore continues to sound the alarm about so-called man-man global warming, calling for a cap and trade scheme to limit carbon emissions, among other things.

Technorati tags: environment news farming agriculture biofuels green al gore cap and trade carbon

Japanese reality TV stars take part in U.P. outhouse race

If two people pushing a decorated outhouses in the snow sounds like a Japanese reality TV show to you, your perception isn't too far off. Yesterday two participants in such a show took part in the 17th annual Trenary Outhouse Classic on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the Mining Journal tells us.

Also entered were two Elvis impersonators, a pair of sasquatches, and a team dubbed Chupa Cabra Crap House.

As for the race, the bottom line is that the money raised from the event goes to pay for park equipment for the unincorporated town of Trenary.

Why aren't there outhouse races in the Olympics?

As for the U.P., hey, at least it's below freezing up there.

Related post:

Marathon Pundit Series: Upper Peninsula Upventure

Technorati tags: michigan upper peninsula byways japan winter Olympics sports vancouver humor satire humour joke Elvis Presley Elvis

RNC chairman Michael Steele on ObamaCare: Scrap it

Michael Steele, the chairman of the Republican Party, has some advice regarding ObamaCare: Scrap it.



Technorati tags: politics Republican RNC Michael Steele gop obamacare health universal health care

Obama signs one-year Patriot Act extension

Hey, when President Obama does something I agree with, I'm going to commend him. He approved a one year extension of the Patriot Act.

Technorati tags: government Barack Obama Obama Politics news democrats

A brief history of public sector unions and Democratic Party complicity

Doug Ross heads into the way-back machine and explores the history of public sector unions and their enabler, the Democratic Party, in a richly illustrated post.

Technorati tags: labor unions news government

Ill. homeless not receiving budgeted stimulus funds

Here's an imperfect storm for you, courtesy of Springfield's State Journal-Register: The federal government has budgeted almost $20 million to assist Illinois homeless. But the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has distributed just $1.8 million of those funds to non-profits and local governments.

Sangamon County, where Springfield is, has allocated $600,000 of that cash, and just a pittance has been spent so far--$35,000.

So who is to blame? Is it Illinois' bureaucrats, Congress for writing the stimulus bill, or is it President Obama for signing it into law?

Technorati tags: Politics Illinois Politics Barack Obama Obama arra government homeless poverty stimulus springfield illinois boondoggle