The Challenge For Renewable Energy

by Stuart Shapiro

When thinking about solutions for climate change (and yes I am making the assumption that it is occurring — so there!), increased investment in renewable energy always is near the top of the solution list because of its political attractiveness.  Scientist Vaclav Smil tosses some water on these hopes:

Energy transitions—shifts from a dominant source (or a combination of sources) of energy to a new supply arrangement, or from a dominant prime mover to a new converter—are inherently prolonged affairs whose duration is measured in decades or generations, not in years. The latest shift of worldwide …

Buckingham Palace Won’t Keep Lights On For U.S. TV Coverage, So Here’s An Idea: Don’t Cover It

Who in his or her right mind is going to get up at 4AM to watch people they don’t know and have no reason to care about get married? I don’t even enjoy going to weddings of people I like. Now comes word that Buckingham Palace is ignoring pleas from U.S. television networks to keep lights on during the dark hours after the wedding so they can get good shots, and the Palace is ignoring the request. They don’t care about us, so why should we care about them?

The lights that illuminate the façade of the royal residence …

Top Republicans Embarrassed By Birthers

Karl Rove speaks out against them, saying Donald Trump is “off there in the nutty right” and a “joke candidate.”  Arizona Governor Jan Brewer vetoes a birther bill. The saner voices in the party are working to distance themselves from the crazies.

The renewed effort to tamp down birtherism underscores a view held by many establishment Republicans that the conspiracy theorists make up a small subset of the party base and risk turning off swing voters more interested in jobs and economic concerns.

The new chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, Ryan Call, said Tuesday that “getting distracted” with …

New Ad In Maine Fights Conservatives’ Attempts To Rollback Child Labor Protections

by toma

It’s hard to believe we need to discuss seriously the pros and cons of child labor laws in 2011, but then who thought we’d need to lecture Maine Governor Paul LePage about dismantling a perfectly good labor mural?

[Rep. David] Burns’ bill, LD 1346, suggests the implementation of a “training wage” of $5.25 an hour for 180 days for workers under the age of 20. Maine state minimum wage is $7.50 an hour, 25 cents more than federal minimum wage.

Under Burns’ bill, young Mainers would be earning $2.25 less an hour than state minimum wage.

[Sen. Debra] …

Red Capes And Other Depressing Government Propaganda For You To Wear

by toma

When Alan put up a post earlier today on a Central Florida agency buying bright red capes to hand out to the unemployed, I cringed. Surely the folks that run a place meant to improve the lives of the jobless aren’t that dumb.

WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA TAKES ON DR. EVIL UNEMPLOYMENT WITH NEW CAPE-A-BILITY CHALLENGE

How can Central Florida help fight Dr. Evil Unemployment? . .

Oh no. Yes they are. How can they be so blind? Not only is it a childish, insulting and fiscally irresponsible effort, it’s a fiasco we’ve seen before.

Not …

Questions About Donald Trump’s Business Practices

Michael Isikoff looked into Donald Trump’s business practices and the view isn’t always pretty.

Trump hotels and casinos in Atlantic City have filed for bankruptcy protection three times. While Trump blamed market forces, he has long been chairman of the board for the casino businesses.

In his defense, Trump said he “didn’t run the company.” Isikoff then asked why he was paid $2 million per year to chair the board of that business. Trump replied: “Excuse me. Because I’m a genius, okay.”

Trump said many different businesses license the use of his name, but he’s not directly involved in …

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer Ups Tea Party Flag To Stars And Stripes Status

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, following one day of sanity, hasn’t maintained the new normal. She signed legislation giving the Gadsden Tea Party flag equal status with the American flag. The law she created allows home owner associations to fly a number of different flags, in spite of regulations that say otherwise.

Current law overrides any rules when it comes to the U.S. flag, the flags of any branch of the military, the state flag, the POW-MIA flag and the flag of any Indian nation. The new law will add the Gadsden flag to that protected list, that yellow flag …

How Well Does Donald Trump Understand The Constitution?

NBC’s Savannah Guthrie did a lengthy interview with Donald Trump, and one of the most telling segments was when she asked if he believes we are constitutionally guaranteed a right to privacy. That right is the underpinning of the Roe v. Wade decision, so it was a way of leading in to his views on abortion.

Guthrie: “Is there a right to privacy in the Constitution?”

Trump: “I guess there is, I guess there is. And why, just out of curiosity, why do you ask that question?”

When pressed to explain how his position on the right to …

Rep. Allen West Likens Obama To A “Third World Dictator”

On Laura Ingraham’s radio show, Congressman Allen West said that President Obama has arrogance like a “third world dictator.” Also:

“This whole talk about shared prosperity–that really gives me the goosebumps because I’m starting to believe that a community organizer is nothing but a low-level socialist agitator,” Rep. Allen West (R-FL) said on Laura Ingraham’s show today.

…

Florida Gives Handout To The Jobless…Superhero Capes Costing $73,000

Let it never be said that a Republican government never gives handouts to the needy. Jobless Floridians will be able to get superhero capes as part of a “Cape-A-Bility Challenge” by Workforce Central Florida that will cost taxpayers $73,000.

The campaign, revealed Saturday in a report in the Orlando Sentinel, was met with derision by many unemployed who questioned spending more than $14,200 on capes and $2,300 on foam cutouts of “Dr. Evil Unemployment.” They said the campaign’s tone risked minimizing the severity of the region’s labor problems.

Central Florida Executive Director Gary J. Earl says he “absolutely” …

My Interview With Andrew Breitbart

Conservative flame-thrower Andrew Breitbart stepped into my studio for an interview Monday night to promote his book, Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World. It would be an understatement to say that I have not been a fan of Andrew’s and have often taken him to task on Liberaland. While I raised many of the issues for which I’ve criticized him, I also wanted to get to know him and understand how his mind works. Some of the chat room denizens thought I was too soft on him as a result. However, it isn’t always my style …