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POPSNew Exotic Particle May Explain Milky Way Gamma Phenomenon So what produces gamma-rays in large numbers? The first thing that comes to mind is a gamma-ray burst, produced when a massive star dies and collapses as a supernova. But this is short-lived and not sustained. How about the supermassive black hole sitting in the middle of the Milky Way’s galactic nucleus? This theory was recently discussed on Astroengine, but the production of antimatter (i.e. positrons) is more of a slow leak than anything substantial, certainly not of the scale that is being measured. As we are dealing with gamma-rays of the exact rest mass energy as a positron, so we know that the source is some kind of positron annihillation. What could possibly be doing this?
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POPSIs a 'Dark Force' Pushing the Universe Apart? Astronomers now recognize that the eventual fate of the universe is inextricably tied to the presence of dark energy and dark matter.The current standard model for cosmology describes a universe that is 70 percent dark energy, 25 percent dark matter, and only 5 percent normal matter.
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POPSU.N. Chief Meets With Ahmadinejad
particularly the demand that it suspend its uranium enrichment. "We expect to hear that the secretary-general told the Iranian president that he was in violation of three Security Council resolutions, that he should comply with international demands to stop enriching uranium, and to stop the crazy talk," a spokesman for the American mission to the United Nations, Richard Grenell, said. Iranian officials increasingly are emphasizing Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's prophecy that Israel will be erased from the map of the region, but the Western response has been muted. The U.N.-affiliated Food and Agriculture Organization is hosting the three-day food conference in Rome, where yesterday Mr. Ahmadinejad blamed the "bullying powers" for creating a food crisis and called for the formation of "an independent and powerful body" that would "justly regulate" food distribution. Mr. Mugabe, who critics say has single-handedly transformed his country from a food exporter into a starving n
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POPSClimate Reality Bites price of every good and service in the economy. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that this meddling would cause a cumulative reduction in the growth of GDP by between 0.9% and 3.8% by 2030. Add 20 years, and the reduction is between 2.4% and 6.9% – that is, from $1 trillion to $2.8 trillion. These estimates assume that electricity prices will increase by 44% above what they would otherwise be by 2030. They also assume that existing coal-fired power plants, which currently provide about 50% of U.S. electric power, will be shut down – to be replaced with at least 150% growth in new nuclear facilities, plus other "alternatives." California Democrat Barbara Boxer last week introduced 157 pages of amendments to Warner-Lieberman. Most notably, she sets aside at least $800 billion through 2050 for consumer tax relief. So while imposing a huge new tax on all Americans, she vouchsafes to return some of the money to some people.
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POPSFocus fusion: Is it the next big thing in energy production? A 20MW focus fusion reactor may cost around $500,000 and produce electricity for 1/20th of a cent per kWh. This is a hundred times less than current electric costs. Fuel costs will be negligible because a 20MW plant will require only twenty pounds of fuel a year.
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POPSChange We Can Stomach--I Big Ag on the downslide? Now that argument no longer holds true. With the price of oil at more than $120 a barrel (up from less than $30 for most of the last 50 years), small and midsize nonpolluting farms, the ones growing the healthiest and best-tasting food, are gaining a competitive advantage. They aren’t as reliant on oil, because they use fewer large machines and less pesticide and fertilizer. In fact, small farms are the most productive on earth. A four-acre farm in the United States nets, on average, $1,400 per acre; a 1,364-acre farm nets $39 an acre. Big farms have long compensated for the disequilibrium with sheer quantity. But their economies of scale come from mass distribution, and with diesel fuel costing more than $4 per gallon in many locations, it’s no longer efficient to transport food 1,500 miles from where it’s grown.
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POPSWhere the Real Power Lies- in the Distribution Network This article touches on one of the great strengths of solar energy - the ability to produce power in many de-centralized locations and distribute it widely with very little loss. And as in the spread of telephones, electricity, tv and railway, the real power is held by those who own the distribution network. What's especially interesting here is that you can draw parallels between solar power and the biggest network around at the moment - the internet. The way in which both these mediums are alike is that they inherently resist centralized control. While you can build giant solar power stations, there is still the capability for a homeowner to have their own mini-power station on their roof. This democratization, of information by the internet, and electricity by solar power, is, I think ,a good thing. Both for the environment and for the individual.
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POPS Beyond Peace
Now it's time for those of us in the peace-and-justice movement in the First World, especially in the United States, to take the next step: We must recognize that there can be no justice over the long term without sustainability, and creating a sustainable world will require not only radical change in systems and structures of power but also a radical change in the way we in affluent societies live. It's time to recognize that if we are serious about the values of equality that we claim to be the core of our politics, we must scale back the level at which we live. In other words: No reduction in First World consumption, no justice; and no justice, no peace. Put simply: One cannot be a serious peace activist without putting peace in the context of justice and sustainability, and the high-energy/high-tech lifestyle of the First World is not sustainable and not compatible with the demands of justice. Meaningful peace requires real justice, which means we must learn to live with less
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POPSHotel Energy Efficiency As a traveler, you can save energy by reusing your towels and turning off the lights, TV, & AC when you leave the room. You can also NOT have your room serviced everyday. Do you really need your floor vacuumed everyday? Probably not.
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POPSDark energy a furphy says new paper Dark energy does seem like the 'unknown unknown' that exists purely to balance equations. Trying to make the universe fit our picture, rather than the other way around. If they want to call it anything but an illusion, they have to find a way to measure it independently, or fix their theories. The most significant feature of dark energy so far has been, that they're not sure if it's there or not.
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POPS Melting ice pack displaces Alaskan walrus Global warming and its effects on wildlife is rarely discussed, and is happening faster than predictions. There are two solutions for the Alaskan walrus - it is prevention on a global scale or EXTINCTION. That's why urgent action must be taken worldwide to reduce gaseous greenhouse emissions...........before it is TOO LATE!
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POPSKucinich: Bush Cronies and privitization of Iraqi Oil
More: The connections between Hunt Oil Company and the Bush Administration are numerous: * Mr. Ray Hunt, CEO of Hunt Oil, acted as the finance chairman of the Republican National Committee for President George W. Bush in 2002, led the Republican National Committee's Victory Fund for President George W. Bush and personally donated $20,000 to the Committee. * Mr. Hunt contributed $100,000 toward inaugural festivities for President George W. Bush in 2001, while Hunt Consolidated contributed $250,000 toward the 2005 Bush presidential inaugural gala. * Mr. Hunt has also given generously toward construction of the Bush library by securing $35 million in additional property for the endeavor. * President George W. Bush has twice appointed Mr. Hunt to a seat on the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (PFIAB), which is said to have access to intelligence that experts acknowledge is advantageous to the international energy interest of the Hunt Oil Company.
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POPSThe biofuel myths Note, the source is the International Herald Tribune, not some NGO or pressure group. The only upside is that these guys are investing mega-money, but will probably lose it all.
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