Castro rails against Bush for promoting Biofuel

Bryan · 03-29-2007, 09:06 AM

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...=latin_america

his first public act since his surgery is against Bush, not surprised really.

JerryLove · 03-29-2007, 09:17 AM

Nor am I. Who is more deserving of railing against than Bush?

Bryan · 03-29-2007, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerryLove

Nor am I. Who is more deserving of railing against than Bush?

but for promoting biofuel? it's even more popular in Europe, why doesn't he rail against Europe too?

bobthecockroach · 03-29-2007, 10:17 AM

That article was really poorly written. I can't make heads or tails of the situation. Got anything else?

Ax · 03-29-2007, 10:20 AM

How stupid! Surely if there was that much corn produced then we'd make sure to produce enough excess to feed people at either the current availability or higher.... I mean, I know it'll take a lot of corn to make that much fuel but corn is relatively easy to grow and a little seed goes a VERY long way.. (Out of the seed from 2 ears last year my grandmother and I grew nearly 8 rows of corn... over half of it went to waste because my large extended family, which is my mom's 7 brothers and their children and my family, could not eat it all...) The question is finding famers and I believe that if we were to give incentives and subsidies to third world countries it might help them to develope and boost their economy and even help feed them...

Right now in the great planes there is an excess of corn grown every year that is, in honesty, enough for a really darn good head start into making all that fuel... Castro is an idiot. I don't really like Bush that much, but Castro, in my mind, has always been one of the dumbest people alive.

JerryLove · 03-29-2007, 11:05 AM

Actually, someone here on CGR just put up the math on this. Converting to biodisel would require an order-of-magniturd or better increase in production.

Bryan · 03-29-2007, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerryLove

Actually, someone here on CGR just put up the math on this. Converting to biodisel would require an order-of-magniturd or better increase in production.

yup, it was comitatus1, here's the link

http://www.christianguitar.org/forum...0&postcount=19

Ax · 03-29-2007, 08:56 PM

Yes, but he didn't take into account how much corn production would increase if we did start to convert all our resources... Also, he's promoting that we give incentives and subsidies to third world countries to grow corn... If we all do our parts then it's possible.... Another possibility was raised in that other thread and then we had another possibility still of mushrooms... I think it's hard to really come up with a good argument against biofuel...

Lightknight · 03-29-2007, 09:01 PM

I think Bush should retaliate by railing against Castro for still being alive.

Lightknight · 03-29-2007, 09:03 PM

Hmm, I think it's clear that unless new discoveries are made that we are going to have to abandon mass individual transportation methods for more reasonable public ones.

bobthecockroach · 03-29-2007, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lightknight

I think Bush should retaliate by railing against Castro for still being alive.

Brilliant!

normajean777 · 03-29-2007, 10:10 PM

I support Bush about 90% but I have to go with Castro on this, not because of his reasons though. The fact is biofuels are not a reliable or efficient source of energy and we should not subsidizing it. We should provide money for research into msking it more efficient but until then stay away.

The safest and cleanest energy in the world is nuclear power (not from a Chernobyl style plant of course, a modern one). The President should be passing bills to subsidize nuclear power plants.

JerryLove · 03-30-2007, 06:18 AM

Step 1: Efficiency. Green buildings, fuel-efficient cars, good public transport.
Step 2: Renewable augmentation. Windmills in the back yard, solar water heating for the home, etc.
Step 3: Redistribution of existing non-renewables (investment in Nuclear for example).
Step 4: The exotics that take a while (hydrogen or super-capacitance electrics etc)

In other words: First you make effeicient use of what you have, then you expand your supply of power, then you ome up woth better ways to transport that power.

bobthecockroach · 03-30-2007, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerryLove

Step 1: Efficiency. Green buildings, fuel-efficient cars, good public transport.
Step 2: Renewable augmentation. Windmills in the back yard, solar water heating for the home, etc.

I think we'd be surprised by how much these two steps could accomplish. If we just took advantage of all the free power that's available, it would drastically reduce fuel costs. Places that have wind should have windmills. Places that get a lot of sun should have solar panels. We should try to come up with other ways to get free power. Dams are great (but I certainly wouldn't want to see every river dammed for the purpose of power). There has to be other ways to get power straight from nature.

JerryLove · 03-30-2007, 08:28 AM

Throw in improving efficiency on power-plants (most are quite inefficient) and I think that a 50% reduction in fuel consumption would be easily accomplished.

I know, for example, I can cut the consumption of an average house in half with a little care in construction and use; and I can then cut it further with augmentation from "free power". What would that do for our energy independance?

As an easy example in Florida. Solar water heating removes all cost from heating water. A reflective roof (alumisol comes with a 100-year warranty), proper placement of trees, and good insulation can cut AC useage tremendously (downright off for most of the winter-half of the year). Flourescent, or better Krypton or LED lights, LCD/Plasma TVs/monitors, LEC computer hardware, highly insulated fridge... No reason not to have an average power bill on 2000ft^2 below $75/month.

In many areas, that power need can be met with a single windmill in your back yard.

BTW, here in Hillsborough county, a solar water heater (which costs about $2k) gets you a $450 subsidy from the county, and $500 from the state and a $2000 credit from the Fed.