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Politics : Rat's Nest - Chronicles of Collapse -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: SiouxPal who wrote (4206)	5/28/2006 8:57:23 PM
From: Wharf Rat	Respond to of 24210

On other planets with different chemical and mineral compositions natural selection may well have come up with something called 'life' that bore almost no resemblance to life as it developed on Earth. There is nothing magical about life as it is here. Life here is based on carbon compounds and oxygen and water, and involves the properties of coming into being (in various ways), growing, reproducing, and, usually, dying. On other planets in other galaxies there may or not be similar processes representing a particular way of organising matter. Interesting idea. I remember we had a test question in cell physiology, in which we had to discuss an alien, silicon based organism. (The element below carbon in the periodic table.) Don't think I did too well.

To: SiouxPal who wrote (4206)	5/31/2006 1:00:42 PM
From: Wharf Rat	Respond to of 24210

Electrification 101 A 10% Reduction in America's Oil Use in Ten to Twelve Years An Overlooked, Practical, and Affordable Approach Using Mature Existing Technology Commentary by Alan S. Drake May 2006 Rat note...TOD's AlanfromBigEasy NOTE: This is the third commentary in our series Electrification 101 – a discussion aimed at informing transportation professionals, decisionmakers, and the public at large of the value and advantages of electrifying transportation operations, and the electrification of public transport systems in particular. The following essay is a slightly edited version of a summary position paper disseminated by the author at a recent Peak Oil conference in Washington, DC. Alan S. Drake, a former accountant, is an engineer, and professional researcher based in New Orleans. Step One – Electrify US Freight Rail Lines and Shift Freight to Rail The Russians finished electrifying the Trans-Siberian Railroad, from Moscow to the Pacific, in 2002 and electrified to the Arctic Ocean port of Murmansk several months ago. Almost all of Japan and the continental European Union (EU) have already electrified their railroads – so there are no technical limitations. Electric railroads are cheaper to operate and can carry more freight because they accelerate and brake faster (and can generate electricity while braking, saving energy) and have no delays for refueling. The United States used 19.8 million barrels of oil per day in 2002 with two-thirds for transportation. (Today, consumption is about 20.7 million barrels per day.) Railroads carried 27.8% of total US ton-miles with 220,000 barrels per day whilst trucks carried 32.1% of total ton-miles with 2,070,000 barrels per day (2002 data). Clearly, railroads are 8 times more energy efficient than heavy trucks and also are more labor-efficient. lightrailnow.org