TresSugar

Energy Faceoffs Spark Police Raids and Surprising Couplings

CitizenSugar — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:58:52 -0700

Grab a Redbull, it's a big week of energy match-ups: Obama vs. McCain, Protesters vs. Police, and Pickens plus Gore?

While Barack Obama may be declaring it "energy week" in a speech in the US today, in the UK police have cracked down on a camp of eco-activists protesting a new coal-fired power station. Police made arrests today during a second raid of the campsite.

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Earlier, around 200 officers raided the climate camp, taking custody of hundreds of items they said could be used to break the law. The week-long camp out is being held at the proposed site of the UK's first new coal-fired power station in 30 years.

To see their difference in opinion, plus the green team of Pickens and Gore, read more.

The protesters claim that the police are stopping their message that a new coal station will stop the UK from meeting CO2 targets, while the police have a different take. They say the items taken (super glue, climbing ropes, and bolt cutters) show the protesters had a more malicious intent.

Meanwhile, energy mavericks Al Gore and T. Boone Pickens have been in talks about what could be the most interesting combo of planet warriors to date. The duo are said to be in talks about their respective campaigns to overhaul US energy. Is it too late for Pickens/Gore '08?

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T. Boone Pickens Is Going to Save the Economy With Hot Air

CitizenSugar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:15:44 -0700

I'm saying it right now: T. Boone Pickens for president. The former oil-man-billionaire-turned-wind-power revolutionary is suddenly everywhere and it's like a breath of fresh air. Pickens of his eponymous Pickens Plan is building the world's largest wind farm. His website, which launched today, is determined to shock the US into becoming the Saudi Arabia of wind.

The hemorrhaging of $700 billion dollars a year, an increase of about 50 percent more reliance on foreign imports since the 1970s, is ruining our country. Pickens says, "I've been an oil man my whole life, but this is one emergency we can't drill our way out of."

To see a consciousness-rocking explanation of the Pickens Plan by T. Boone himself (oh, and also changing my name to T. Boone) read more.

Though he's started running flashy ads to promote his plan, I'm sold on this straight-forward, Perot-style chart presentation. One watch and you'll wonder why T. Boone just tipped today. Starting with the optimistic, "we got more wind than anybody else does," his plan is explained in the most lucid way I've seen, showing how his one wind farm in Pampa, TX, can save the US $300 billion a year.

Is wind power the answer, or a lot of hot air? At least there hasn't been a massive "wind spill" today, unlike some nuclear sites. Is the Pickens Plan the salvation our economy needs?

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Interactive Info on Ads: Who Spent How Much & Where

CitizenSugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 06:00:05 -0700

We've been soaking in a bathtub full of political ads for so long, my fingers are beyond pruney. Though there's great talk of who has how much money to spend on making the suckers, it's not until you can see the true data behind of the ad campaigns compared side by side that you can get a real fix on it.

Ever the masters of the interactive graphic, the Times has maps that let you pit the groups with money side by side to see how much was spent, and where ads were bought. The McCain vs. Obama number is interesting ($90,415,962 to broadcast 57 television ads compared to Obama's $145,064,338 to broadcast 86 television ads) but I was most struck by the DNC vs. RNC as shown in the maps above: $436,015 to $10,080,774. That's a discrepancy. Most of the RNC dough as you can see is pretty geographically targeted.

There are more fun features to play with, read more.

The feature lets you search by issue as well. For instance, a total of $1,356,628 was spent to broadcast five ads related to the presidential campaign on the issue. For comparison? My pal T. Boone Pickens spent $24,026,256 to broadcast nine ads.

It all makes me remember a wackier time in political ads, when Hillary wrapped up some Christmassy goodness, and Bill Richardson gave a pretty stellar and funny job interview, and who can forget - "my plan to secure the border? Two words: Chuck. Norris.

What do you make of the differences in spending?

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Progress? India Poised to Elect "Untouchable" Prime Minister?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:00:02 -0700

While India reels from a new spate of bombings over the weekend, terrorist attacks like these have become more prevalent in recent years, unsettling the country. Officials say the attacks are attempts to incite violence between Hindus and Muslims, which so far have failed. Who could be the perfect person to unite and lead a country in unsettled times? Perhaps an icon of uniting within division itself - Dalit leader Mayawati Kumari.

Usually answering just to Mayawati, this icon of the Dalit or "untouchable" caste has emerged as a political force. Leading the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which represents the most people (160 million) with the fewest seats in parliament (17), Mayawati is broadening her political appeal to include upper-caste Hindus and Muslims, creating a masterful and uniting coalition within India's fractious society.

To see where she came from, read more.

Born into the lowest caste, Mayawati studied law and was a teacher before entering politics and becoming the youngest person to become chief minister in India's most populous state. The Dalits see her as a symbol of dignity within oppression, with an inclusive stance - her newest slogan invites everyone, upper and lower castes, together to "come ride the elephant."

I'm on board - and I'm adding her to my list of people I'm watching: T. Boone Pickens meet Mayawati.

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