Monday, November 10, 2014


News Clips For The Day


NET NEUTRALITY

http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/obama-asks-fcc-strong-net-neutrality-laws-white-house-n245096

Obama Asks FCC for Strong Net Neutrality Laws: White House
The White House        ✔ @WhiteHouse
 Reuters
9:20 AM - 10 Nov 2014

I'm urging the @FCC to keep the internet open and free. Here's my plan to protect #NetNeutrality for everyone: http://go.wh.gov/net-neutrality  –bo


U.S. President Barack Obama asked the Federal Communications Commission on Monday to set the 'strongest possible rules' to protect net neutrality as agency writes new Internet traffic regulations. Obama urged the FCC to prohibit so-called paid prioritization, deals in which content providers would pay Internet companies to ensure smooth delivery of traffic. He said the FCC should reclassify consumer broadband service to be regulated more like a public utility.

IN-DEPTH
99 Percent of Comments to FCC Favor Net Neutrality: Study
Netflix, Reddit Spin Wheel of Death for Net Neutrality
Final Count: FCC Received 3.7 Million Comments Over Net Neutrality


Netflix, Reddit Spin Wheel of Death for Net Neutrality

People visiting Reddit, Netflix, Digg, Vimeo and other popular sites on Wednesday might notice a familiar (and frustrating) symbol when logging on: the "spinning wheel of death." The websites are not actually running slowly; instead, the buffering symbol is being displayed in support of net neutrality. The goal of "Internet Slowdown Day" is to get people to weigh in on the hot-button web issue before an extended public comment period ends on Sept. 15.

New regulations from the Federal Communications Commission(FCC) could let broadband companies charge sites for access to a "fast lane" of service, which net neutrality supporters say would create a tiered Internet benefiting companies with deep pockets. More than a million comments have been submitted by the public so far, but Battle for the Net, the group behind Internet Slowdown Day, are hoping to get one last publicity push for its cause before the FCC begins the next step of its decision-making process.


Why Start-Ups Are Also Against the FCC's Net Neutrality Proposal
Julia Boorstin, CNBC
First published July 15th 2014,

It's no surprise that companies that rely on fast video streaming are against the FCC's controversial net neutrality proposal.

But it's not just the obvious candidates — Netflix, Amazon, Google, Yahoo, AOL — who are opposed. The list of companies who want to block the FCC proposal is much broader, including Etsy, Uber and AirBNB.

As it stands now, the FCC's proposal — initial public comments on it close Tuesday — would allow broadband providers to charge content companies for a so called "fast lane" of service.

However, in an effort to protect consumers and leave an even playing field, the proposal would also prohibit Internet providers from discriminating against legal Internet traffic and from blocking websites.

But that isn't reassuring to advocates of a "free and open Internet" who are pushing for the Web to be regulated as a utility. The issue, according the Internet Association, which represents 35 Internet companies, is that anything but vigilant protection of net neutrality will disadvantage Internet companies — start-ups in particular.

"Preserving the Internet's neutrality ensures that it remains an engine for economic growth, innovation, and democratic values.... Broadband Internet access providers, however, have the incentive to discriminate and block Internet traffic. They have the tools to carry this out. They also have the ability to hide their actions by distributing the blame to other stakeholders," the organization said in a 23-page document.

It's obvious why broadband-hogging services like Netflix and YouTube want net neutrality, but why is it so important for companies that do not stream large amounts of video, like Etsy, Uber or AirBNB?

In fact, smaller companies are worried that they won't be able to compete with giants like Amazon and Google, who have deep pockets and can therefore pay to have their data prioritized.

In a filing with the FCC, Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson wrote: "If the proposed rules were in place when Etsy was founded, we would never have achieved the success we have today. Etsy and other startups will suffer if the FCC allows some companies to negotiate priority or exclusive access to consumers."

(The company cites its inclusion as No. 3 on CNBC's "Disruptor 50" list as supporting the benefits of an open Internet.)

"According to CNBC, 'All of these companies entered traditional sectors and turned them upside down. It's not about one product or delivery method. It's the power of a company to displace the established incumbents in its own industry, prompting a ripple effect throughout its economic ecosystem,'" Dickerson wrote.



It is obviously in the interest of nearly all Internet users to leave well enough alone. There are some sites that are offensive and probably even damaging, but the Big Boys such as AT&T just want to make more and more and more money, and they don't care about the users. I'm afraid even my humble news blog might be displaced by the proposed rules change on the Net. The use of the Net by a huge range of small businesses and organizations that want to put their opinion on a zillion different issues before the eyes of the world is to me a definite public good. This Internet as it exists at the present is our guarantee of freedom of information. I don't want to look at a kiddie porn sites, so I just won't. I don't want the Internet rulers to censor content. If one thing is censored, everything else can be, too. The other obvious problem with the creation of a fast lane for a fee is that this will almost surely drive up rates for the ordinary user, even without the blog, and the cost is already high.





http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.624805

French MPs call for vote on recognition of Palestine
Move follows recognition of Palestinian state by Sweden and similar vote in the British parliament.

HAARETZ
By Haaretz
Sunday, November 05, 2014

French Socialist lawmakers are preparing a parliamentary motion calling on the government to recognize Palestine as a state, according to sources quoted by AFP.

British MPs passed a similar vote last month and Sweden officially recognized Palestine last week.

"The [National] Assembly asks the French government to use recognition of the state of Palestine as an instrument to obtain a final settlement of the conflict," reads the provisional motion seen by AFP.

While approval of the motion it is unlikely to change government policy in the short term, it would be of great symbolic significance. The vote in the lower house could take place within weeks, according to the sources.

The proposal is due to be discussed next week at a meeting with Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and Socialist senators who are working on a similar initiative.

Fabius acknowledged last month that Paris would eventually have to recognize Palestine, but wanted to choose the best moment to do so for the move to have a real impact.

Israel recalled its ambassador to Sweden after that country voted to recognize the Palestinian state. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called Sweden's move a "very unfortunate decision" that only strengthens "radical and intransigent" Palestinian elements".
 


“'Israel recalled its ambassador to Sweden after that country voted to recognize the Palestinian state. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called Sweden's move a "very unfortunate decision' that only strengthens 'radical and intransigent Palestinian elements'. Israel itself has become “radical and intransigent” in its goal of maintaining absolute power in the territory that includes the two peoples. Unfortunately Palestine does insist on failing to grant Israel the same rights. While I firmly feel that Palestine should be granted nation status and then be joined in a peace treaty by Israel, both parties have to give in on some things. As long as they are in a perpetual war, the whole Middle East region is affected and destabilized.





ISIS gaining followers but losing leaders?
CBS/AP November 10, 2014, 9:02 AM

CAIRO -- Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, a jihadi organization based in the Sinai Peninsula that has carried out several attacks targeting Egyptian security forces, has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The news that ISIS had gained followers in Egypt came amid unconfirmed reports that it may have been dealt a serious blow in its heartland of western Iraq. U.S. officials have not confirmed the claims, but Iraqi officials say senior leaders of the group have been killed and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, may have been seriously wounded in U.S. airstrikes in recent days.

"What's significant to me is that we hit a military convoy that we knew ISIS leadership was part of," said CBS News contributor Mike Morrell, the former No. 2 at the CIA. "Obviously if we got Baghdadi that's a good thing, but what's really important here is that we found a leadership target and we went after it."

"This was a convoy that we struck that we knew was a leadership convoy, that takes very good intelligence," said Morrell, adding that the "reason these strikes are so important is that they force the leadership of a terrorist group to focus on their own security rather than conduct their operations. The other reason is that as you remove leaders, over time you get weaker leaders, and that is one of the key ways to degrade a terrorist organization."

Morrell said in spite of those continuing efforts by the U.S. and its allies to attack ISIS in Iraq, it was a "very big deal" that not only Ansar Beit al-Maqdis in Egypt, but another jihadist group in Libya had pledged allegiance to al-Baghdadi's organization.

"It shows the popularity of the group, it shows the spread of its influence, and what you'll see as a result is these groups trying to mimic ISIS... trying to take territory in the weeks and months ahead," said Morrell.

The announcement by Ansar Beit al-Maqdis reflects, as Morrell said, the growing regional appeal of ISIS, an al Qaeda breakaway group that has carved out a self-styled caliphate in Syria and Iraq and demanded the loyalty of the world's Muslims.
The announcement pledging loyalty al-Baghdadi came in an audio speech posted late Sunday on the Egyptian militant group's official Twitter account and a militant website. Last week the group had used the same Twitter account to deny reports saying it had pledged allegiance to al-Baghdadi.

The unknown speaker in the recording released Sunday says Ansar Beit al-Maqdis decided to join ISIS, "whose emergence resembles a new dawn raising the banner of monotheism."

The speaker said al-Baghdadi was "chosen by God" to establish a new caliphate after "Muslims suffered decades of humiliation."

"Therefore, we have no alternative but to declare our pledge of allegiance to the caliph... to listen and obey him... and we call on all Muslims to pledge allegiance to him."

The speaker went on to urge Egyptians to rise up against what he called "the tyrant," apparently referring to President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who was elected earlier this year after leading the military overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013 amid massive protests demanding his resignation.

Since then Sinai-based militants have carried outscores of attacks mainly targeting soldiers and police, including a coordinated assault last month on an Egyptian army checkpoint that killed 31 troops.

No known group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which prompted the army to declare a state of emergency in parts of northern Sinai, where radical groups have long tapped into local grievances. The attack also led the army to begin demolishing homes along the Sinai border with the Gaza Strip in order to combat smuggling tunnels.

"What are you waiting for, after your honor has been aggressed upon and your sons' blood has been shed at the hands of this tyrant and his soldiers?" the audio statement said.

In a separate statement posted on its Twitter account, the group said the Egyptian army was bent on emptying the border town of Rafah.

"A whole town is removed from the map and no one stands in the face of this aggression or asks about the fate of its children, women and elderly ones," the statement said.
It said the plan is to turn the border area into army barracks to "protect their masters, the Jews, from the blows of the mujahideen, and to blockade Gaza." It went on to refer to el-Sissi by name as a "loyal guard dog" for Israel.

Neither statement referred to the earlier denial that the group had pledged allegiance to al-Baghdadi.

Egypt has long sought to link the radical Sinai group with Morsi's now-banned Muslim Brotherhood, accusing both of being behind the wave of violence since his ouster.

But the Ansar Beit al-Maqdis statement took a veiled shot at the Brotherhood, saying "peaceful means and infidel democracy are not of any benefit to you."

The Brotherhood, which publicly renounced violence decades ago and has condemned the recent attacks, won a series of elections following the 2011 uprising that toppled long-ruling autocrat Hosni Mubarak. But the Islamist group later alienated many Egyptians, who accused it of monopolizing power.

Iraqi officials on Sunday said al-Baghdadi was wounded in an Iraqi airstrike in the western Anbar province as he was meeting with militants. Pentagon officials said they had no immediate information about such a strike or on Baghdadi being wounded. There has been virtually no comment on the matter on jihadi websites.



“Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, a jihadi organization based in the Sinai Peninsula that has carried out several attacks targeting Egyptian security forces, has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The news that ISIS had gained followers in Egypt came amid unconfirmed reports that it may have been dealt a serious blow in its heartland of western Iraq. U.S. officials have not confirmed the claims, but Iraqi officials say senior leaders of the group have been killed and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, may have been seriously wounded in U.S. airstrikes in recent days.... In a separate statement posted on its Twitter account, the group said the Egyptian army was bent on emptying the border town of Rafah. 'A whole town is removed from the map and no one stands in the face of this aggression or asks about the fate of its children, women and elderly ones,' the statement said. It said the plan is to turn the border area into army barracks to 'protect their masters, the Jews, from the blows of the mujahideen, and to blockade Gaza.' It went on to refer to el-Sissi by name as a 'loyal guard dog' for Israel.'... But the Ansar Beit al-Maqdis statement took a veiled shot at the Brotherhood, saying 'peaceful means and infidel democracy are not of any benefit to you.' The Brotherhood, which publicly renounced violence decades ago and has condemned the recent attacks, won a series of elections following the 2011 uprising that toppled long-ruling autocrat Hosni Mubarak. But the Islamist group later alienated many Egyptians, who accused it of monopolizing power.”

“'... peaceful means and infidel democracy....'” The concepts of peace and democracy really mean a great deal to most Americans, but not to these Islamic thinkers. It would seem to me to be natural that the average people in any stable and free society would fight for those things, but not these Islamists. Free thought and justice are not among their aims, at least in this day and time. Their whole desire is to kill Western thinking. Justice is not one of their goals.

Individuals who come to the US to live must give up these ideas of jihadism if they are to remain free. They will simply end up in jail or even with the death penalty if they don't. The problem is that not all Islamic people are jihadists. There may be more and more moderate and liberal Middle Easterners coming here if this trend with ISIS and similar groups grows rather than diminishing. I hope we can avoid violence and even murder by the average John Doe here in this country, aimed by mistake at those who want to behave like loyal Americans and live a prosperous life. Likewise I hope our ever vigilant NSA and FBI will detect and arrest the radical fundamentalists.





"First SEALS": WWII veterans recount daring seaborne missions
CBS/AP November 10, 2014, 9:51 AM

Photograph – In this undated photo taken during World War II, Frank Monteleone, center, is seen with other members of the Maritime Unit of the Office of Strategic Services while serving in the Mediterranean theater attached to the British Eighth Army.  AP PHOTO/ COURTESY OF FRANK MONTELEONE

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Before there were heavily armed Navy SEALs conducting nighttime helicopter raids, there were guys like Frank Monteleone landing on beaches in the dark on two-man motorized rafts dubbed "flying mattresses."

The Brooklyn-born Monteleone was a member of an elite commando force within the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the CIA. Created after the United States entered World War II, the OSS pioneered many of the intelligence-gathering techniques and commando-style tactics used by today's U.S. special forces. The spy agency's Maritime Unit, formed in 1943, shares the credit for setting the foundation for what would become the Navy SEALs, created in 1962 during the Kennedy administration.

Often only armed with knives and wearing nothing more than swim trunks and flippers, the Maritime Unit's combat swimmers and other operatives carried out seaborne clandestine missions in the Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean theaters of World War II. Their story is told in a new book published last month, "First SEALS: The Untold Story of the Forging of America's Most Elite Unit."

The book's release comes as two members of the SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011 are making headlines and drawing criticism from U.S. military authorities for going public about their roles in taking down the terrorist leader inside his compound in Pakistan. As CBS News' Scott Pelley reported, one of the SEALs has been investigated by the government, excommunicated by the SEAL leadership and inundated with legal bills.

"I've always wanted to do a book on these (World War II) guys," said author Patrick K. O'Donnell. "The bin Laden raid was sort of the culmination of what all these men had built from 1943 to 1945."

O'Donnell, the author of eight previous books on WWII military and intelligence history, had met Monteleone 15 years ago while researching a book on the OSS, which was led by Gen. William "Wild Bill" Donovan, a Buffalo-born Wall Street lawyer. For the Maritime Unit, Donovan's OSS recruiters sought out yachtsmen, Olympic-caliber swimmers and California "beach rats" - lifeguards and surfers.

Monteleone, the son of Italian immigrants, was recruited by the OSS because he spoke fluent Italian and was trained as a Navy radio operator.

"The radio operator was the key to the mission," O'Donnell said. "If you could not send and receive information on missions behind the lines, you were dead."

Monteleone, 89, said he went through "all kinds of training" with the OSS, including demolition and hand-to-hand combat, but had missed out on parachute training, a must for any OSS operator. Once in the Mediterranean Theater, his detachment was assigned to the British Eighth Army.

"When they sent me to the British, they wanted to know if I had jump training," Monteleone, a retired tailor living in Staten Island, told The Associated Press in telephone interview. "I said no, and they gave it to me right then and there."

Monteleone said he conducted dangerous missions nearly the entire length of Italy, from the beaches at Anzio to the Alps, often working with Italian partisans behind the lines. Some of the missions entailed landing on beaches at night using the inflated craft that resembled mattresses and were powered by silent electrical motors. Monteleone and his Italian comrades had another name for the teardrop-shaped vessel: "tartuga," Italian for turtle.

Approximately 13,000 people served in the OSS during the war, but only a few hundred were in the Maritime Unit. O'Donnell believes Monteleone may be one of the last still living. Another member included in the book is Gordon Soltau, a combat swimmer considered one of the Navy's first "frogmen." Soltau, who starred for the San Francisco 49ers during the 1950s, died in California at 89 on Oct. 26, just days before "First SEALs" was published.




“The Brooklyn-born Monteleone was a member of an elite commando force within the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the CIA. Created after the United States entered World War II, the OSS pioneered many of the intelligence-gathering techniques and commando-style tactics used by today's U.S. special forces. The spy agency's Maritime Unit, formed in 1943, shares the credit for setting the foundation for what would become the Navy SEALs, created in 1962 during the Kennedy administration.... Their story is told in a new book published last month, 'First SEALS: The Untold Story of the Forging of America's Most Elite Unit.' The book's release comes as two members of the SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011 are making headlines and drawing criticism from U.S. military authorities for going public about their roles in taking down the terrorist leader inside his compound in Pakistan. As CBS News' Scott Pelley reported, one of the SEALs has been investigated by the government, excommunicated by the SEAL leadership and inundated with legal bills.... O'Donnell, the author of eight previous books on WWII military and intelligence history, had met Monteleone 15 years ago while researching a book on the OSS, which was led by Gen. William "Wild Bill" Donovan, a Buffalo-born Wall Street lawyer. For the Maritime Unit, Donovan's OSS recruiters sought out yachtsmen, Olympic-caliber swimmers and California 'beach rats' - lifeguards and surfers.... Monteleone, 89, said he went through "all kinds of training" with the OSS, including demolition and hand-to-hand combat, but had missed out on parachute training, a must for any OSS operator. Once in the Mediterranean Theater, his detachment was assigned to the British Eighth Army. 'When they sent me to the British, they wanted to know if I had jump training,' Monteleone, a retired tailor living in Staten Island, told The Associated Press in telephone interview. 'I said no, and they gave it to me right then and there.'”

Divulging tactical information and other secrets is usually, in my opinion a bad thing to do. I don't see why these two SEALS who have written about the bin Laden raid recently needed to do that. If they did it for financial reasons, it is especially shameful. I exempt the NSA computer specialist Edward Snowden from that label because the presence of a massive secret database that includes millions of innocent Americans is worse than any damage he may have done the US, in my opinion. I have noticed a couple of articles on a cooling of international relations with the US as a result, however, and that is very unfortunate. Of course, why the US was spying on those friendly foreign leaders such as Merkel is an unanswered question. “Spy versus Spy” is a conflict that has no good guys, in my opinion, overall. If a group or individual is known to be plotting a terrorist action that is different. They should by all means be put under surveillance, and their plot disrupted. The FBI has eliminated a number of such plots since 9/11. Hooray for every disaster that is thus avoided.





Your next car could run on diesel – CBS
By BRUCE KENNEDY MONEYWATCH
November 10, 2014, 5:15 AM

In the U.S., diesel fuel is often viewed as industrial: a dirty, smelly fuel used mostly in large vehicles like trucks and buses, or to power locomotives, construction and agricultural equipment and emergency generators.

But according to a new report by the Fuels Institute, a think tank founded by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), diesel-powered vehicles will start muscling market away share from gasoline vehicles over the next decade.

And in a recent Fuels Institute poll of over 2,000 people, 41 percent said they were very likely or somewhat likely to consider buying a diesel-powered vehicle within the next three years, compared to 31 percent of respondents a year earlier.

On the flip side, the number of consumers who said they were "not at all likely to consider a diesel vehicle" dropped significantly, from 41 percent to 25 percent.

"It is clear that forecasts support a bright future and consumer views of diesel are improving," John Eichberger, the Fuels Institute's executive director, said in a statement.

Diesel is petroleum distillate that that's oilier than gasoline and, in fact, is closely related to heating oil. It also delivers better fuel economy than gasoline, with diesel engines about one-third more fuel-efficient than similar gas engines, according to the Department of Energy (DOE).

Traditional diesel was also high in sulfur, which is harmful to both harmful to humans and the environment. But the development of ultra-low sulfur diesel(ULSD), which cut diesel's sulfur content by 97 percent, as well as government regulations requiring its use in many vehicles have contributed to cleaning up both diesel and its reputation.

And more automakers are coming out with attractive diesel-powered models. In addition to Volkswagen (VLKAY), which has done very well its diesel versions of the Jetta and Passat, now others such as BMW, Mercedes and General Motors (GM) all offer cars that run on diesel fuel.

While BMW and Mercedes are targeting higher-end buyers, GM is aiming for a different crowd with Chevy's diesel Cruze compact. And of course, all of the Detroit Three offer several models of diesel-powered pickup trucks.

Ten years ago, diesel prices were often below the average price of regular gas at the pump. The DOE says since 2004, rising international demand for diesel -- as well as higher excise taxes -- has made it more expensive in the U.S. But diesel prices in the U.S. are expected to peak next year, thanks in part to more fuel-efficient vehicles and the rising use of natural gas to power heavy trucks.

NACS also notes that, while prices for diesel fuel were on average 11.6 percent higher than gasoline, diesel has about 15.5 percent more "energy content" than a standard E10 gasoline, which means "diesel delivers more energy per consumer fuel dollar which could translate into more miles per dollar spent."

The number of U.S. gas stations carrying diesel fuel is also expected to increase.

Back in July Edmunds.com reported that U.S. sales of clean-diesel vehicles were up 25 percent during the first half of 2014, compared to that same time period a year earlier.

"Sustained and mostly double-digit increases in sales each month over a four-year period prove that U.S. consumers are embracing the benefits of clean diesel technology and its proven, high fuel efficiency, great driving performance, and long-term value," Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, told the website.

As Eichberger of the Fuels Institute put it, diesel's future "will rest on the ability of the auto and fuel retailing industries to educate consumer segments about the overall economic impact of diesel on their budgets."




“But according to a new report by the Fuels Institute, a think tank founded by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), diesel-powered vehicles will start muscling market away share from gasoline vehicles over the next decade. And in a recent Fuels Institute poll of over 2,000 people, 41 percent said they were very likely or somewhat likely to consider buying a diesel-powered vehicle within the next three years, compared to 31 percent of respondents a year earlier. On the flip side, the number of consumers who said they were 'not at all likely to consider a diesel vehicle' dropped significantly, from 41 percent to 25 percent.... It also delivers better fuel economy than gasoline, with diesel engines about one-third more fuel-efficient than similar gas engines, according to the Department of Energy (DOE). Traditional diesel was also high in sulfur, which is harmful to both harmful to humans and the environment. But the development of ultra-low sulfur diesel(ULSD), which cut diesel's sulfur content by 97 percent, as well as government regulations requiring its use in many vehicles have contributed to cleaning up both diesel and its reputation.... Ten years ago, diesel prices were often below the average price of regular gas at the pump. The DOE says since 2004, rising international demand for diesel -- as well as higher excise taxes -- has made it more expensive in the U.S. But diesel prices in the U.S. are expected to peak next year, thanks in part to more fuel-efficient vehicles and the rising use of natural gas to power heavy trucks.”

I didn't see in this article where it gave a CO2 emission comparison between diesel and gasoline. Other than that, and if the techies can really reduce the price and increase the availability of diesel, increasing its use should be okay. The question in my mind is whether or not it is really cleaner. See the following two articles on that subject.

According to eia.gov, “About 19.64 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) are produced from burning a gallon of gasoline that does not contain ethanol. About 22.38 pounds of CO2 are produced by burning a gallon of diesel fuel.” And according to the AFDC comment, the presence of ethanol in gasoline is required to meet the same emission standards of unmixed gasoline. So we should definitely switch to diesel unless is available in smaller quantities than gasoline. I won't be buying another car anyway, so I'll definitely stick to gasoline.


http://www.afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/flexible_fuel_emissions.html

Ethanol Vehicle Emissions

When blended with gasoline for use as a vehicle fuel, ethanol can offer some emissions benefits over gasoline, depending on vehicle type, engine calibration, and blend level. As with conventional fuels, the use and storage of ethanol blends can result in emissions of regulated pollutants, toxic chemicals, and greenhouse gases (GHGs). However, when compared to gasoline, the use of high-level ethanol blends, such as E85, generally result in lower emissions levels.
Today's emissions standards require ethanol/gasoline-capable flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) to meet the same emissions standards as conventional vehicles, regardless of the fuel used.


http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=307&t=11

How much carbon dioxide is produced by burning gasoline and diesel fuel?
U.S. Energy Information Administration
Last updated: May 21, 2014

About 19.64 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) are produced from burning a gallon of gasoline that does not contain ethanol. About 22.38 pounds of CO2 are produced by burning a gallon of diesel fuel.

EIA estimates1 that U.S. gasoline and diesel fuel consumption for transportation in 2013 resulted in the emission of about 1,095 and 427 million metric tons of CO2 respectively, for a total of 1,522 million metric tons of CO2. This total was equivalent to 83% of total CO2 emissions by the U.S. transportation sector and 28% of total U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions.

Under international agreement, CO2 from the combustion of biomass or biofuels are not included in national greenhouse gas emissions inventories.2  Most of the retail gasoline now sold in the United States contains about 10% fuel ethanol (or E10) by volume.  Burning a gallon of E10 produces about 17.68 pounds of CO2 that is emitted from the fossil fuel content. If the CO2 emissions from ethanol combustion are considered, then about 18.95 pounds of CO2 are produced when a gallon of E10 is combusted.  About 12.72 pounds of CO2 are produced when a gallon of pure ethanol is combusted.

It is possible to buy biodiesel fuel in many states. Biodiesel fuel is sold with various amounts of biodiesel content. A commonly sold biodiesel fuel is B20, which contains 20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel fuel.  Burning a gallon of B20 results in the emission of about 17.90 pounds of CO2 that is emitted from the fossil fuel content. If the emissions from burning the biodiesel in B20 are included, then about 20.22 pounds of CO2 are produced. About 20.13 pounds of CO2 are produced from burning a gallon of B100 (100% biodiesel).

1 As of April 25, 2014.
2 Environment (Section Note), Monthly Energy Review.

Learn more:
Carbon Dioxide Emission Factors for Transportation Fuels.
Historical U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions by source (fuel type) and sector.
Historical data on U.S. ethanol and biodiesel production and consumption (Tables 10.3 and 10.4).
Metric Conversion Factors (U.S. Unit to Equivalent in Metric Units).





Tools Of The Trade: The Abacus – NPR
MAANVI SINGH
November 10, 2014 8:04 AM ET

For this series, we've been thinking a lot about some of the iconic objects that some of us remember using — if only for a short period of time – in our early schooling. Slide rules, the recorder, protractors and Bunsen burners.

But when the abacus came up, we were a bit stumped.

"Does anyone still use these things?" we wondered. "And how the heck does it work?"

These days, you're most likely to find the simple abacus in the hands of preschoolers — with rows of rainbow-colored beads that kids can push around and shake and rattle.

But the abacus is much more than a fun toy for 3-year-olds. It's a fairly sophisticated calculating device that dates back to antiquity.

Ancient Romans used them to collect taxes. In the Middle Ages, European merchants used them to keep track of their finances. The Russians invented their own version, as did the Chinese and the Japanese.

And though very few Americans nowadays know how to work one, in the 19th century the abacus was actually a mainstay of classrooms around the country.

An Ancient Tool

"The abacus was really big in the U.S. for about 100 years," says Peggy Kidwell, a curator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., as she leads me through the museums' back rooms.

In the 1820s, inspired by teachers in Europe who were doing the same, a man called Josiah Holbrook championed for the use of simple abacuses in American schools.

The device was especially useful for teaching young factory workers who couldn't read or write how to do simple calculations, Kidwell says. Holbrook also felt that abaci were a good way to supplement formal education in Boston primary schools.

And he was right. The abacus can be used for basic counting, and young students can move the beads around to make shapes. But you can also use them to carry out a range of calculations, from simple addition and subtraction to multiplication and even square roots.

They all work a bit differently, but in most cases, each row represents an order of 10 — the bottom row may represent units, the second row represents tens and then hundreds and so on. The Chinese and Japanese abacuses are divided in to two sections; beads on one side are worth one each, and the beads on the other side are worth five each.

"It's almost impossible to generalize how they work," Kidwell says. "You think you know, and then you come across things like this" — she points to a giant abacus made in Mexico — "and this one has 13 beads across!"

(In fact, we're not even going to try to explain in a few paragraphs how they work. For more on that, you can find videos here and here.)
But it's the fact that they're so adaptable that makes them such a good tool for teaching.

Modern Appeal

Manisha Singh's 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds at Shining Stars Montessori in Washington, D.C., use a version with four rows of 10 beads each.

"The littlest ones, they just enjoy the colors of the beads," she says. Then they use it for simple counting exercises, before moving on to addition and subtraction.

"It gives children a visual understanding of how to perform these operations," Singh says.

When Singh taught in India for a stint, her students there studied with more complex Chinese and Japanese abacuses. There, and all over Asia, abacus classes are a popular afterschool activity and teachers often use them to help kids who are struggling in math.

"It takes about three years to master," says David Barner, a professor of psychology at the University of California, San Diego, who studies how children learn with the abacus. But once kids learn the basics, he says, "it can make a really significant difference in their ability to do computation."

Advanced abacus users are able to do quick computations using even imaginary, or mental abacuses. "You'll see them teasing their hands in the air as if they're holding a real abacus," Barner says. Chinese, Japanese and Indian kids who compete in mental abacus competitions can add up to 15 numbers in less than two seconds. "It's really incredible to watch," Barner says.

A lot of kids find it much easier to compute using an abacus because it engages their visual and tactile capacities, Barner says.

"Of course it's not for everybody," says Emi Takiguchi, who teaches the abacus at an afterschool program in San Diego.

Takiguchi grew up in Japan in the '70s, and she says back then the abacus was fairly commonplace. Most young students learned how to use them in school, and bank tellers used them in lieu of calculators and computers.

Now she's carrying on the tradition, teaching about 65 students, between the ages of 4 and 12, at a Chinese community church. It's not an easy skill to teach, or learn, Takiguchi says. But once it clicks with students, she finds that most of them really have fun with it.

"I had a student with ADD, and she had a very hard time at the beginning," Takiguchi says. But she kept coming into class – for over five years. "Eventually she was able to really focus on the calculations," Takiguchi says. "It really helped her confidence."



“But when the abacus came up, we were a bit stumped. 'Does anyone still use these things?' we wondered. 'And how the heck does it work?'... Ancient Romans used them to collect taxes. In the Middle Ages, European merchants used them to keep track of their finances. The Russians invented their own version, as did the Chinese and the Japanese. And though very few Americans nowadays know how to work one, in the 19th century the abacus was actually a mainstay of classrooms around the country.... And he was right. The abacus can be used for basic counting, and young students can move the beads around to make shapes. But you can also use them to carry out a range of calculations, from simple addition and subtraction to multiplication and even square roots.... 'It's almost impossible to generalize how they work,' Kidwell says. 'You think you know, and then you come across things like this' — she points to a giant abacus made in Mexico — 'and this one has 13 beads across!' (In fact, we're not even going to try to explain in a few paragraphs how they work. For more on that, you can find videos here and here.) But it's the fact that they're so adaptable that makes them such a good tool for teaching.... When Singh taught in India for a stint, her students there studied with more complex Chinese and Japanese abacuses. There, and all over Asia, abacus classes are a popular afterschool activity and teachers often use them to help kids who are struggling in math.... It's not an easy skill to teach, or learn, Takiguchi says. But once it clicks with students, she finds that most of them really have fun with it. 'I had a student with ADD, and she had a very hard time at the beginning," Takiguchi says. But she kept coming into class – for over five years. "Eventually she was able to really focus on the calculations,' Takiguchi says. 'It really helped her confidence.'”

“Advanced abacus users are able to do quick computations using even imaginary, or mental abacuses. 'You'll see them teasing their hands in the air as if they're holding a real abacus,' Barner says. Chinese, Japanese and Indian kids who compete in mental abacus competitions can add up to 15 numbers in less than two seconds. 'It's really incredible to watch,' Barner says.” I am completely convinced that if I had been taught arithmetic on an abacus I probably would be much more accomplished in the skill of computation than I am now. It is my opinion that when we learn anything using our hands, our eyes and our ears, we will retain the information better. I would like to be able to use the imaginary technique. It would have made the theoretical math easier for me if I were able to do calculations “in a few seconds.” Besides, the beads are pretty, and it would have been a lot more fun.





Solar Bike Path Opens This Week In The Netherlands – NPR
BILL CHAPPELL
November 10, 201411:03 AM ET

Photograph – Workers are seen installing a portion of SolaRoad, a project north of Amsterdam that will test the use of roadways to generate electricity.

A Dutch project that integrates solar panels into a bike commuter path will officially open this week, on a special roadway outside Amsterdam. Power generated by the SolaRoad's panels will be funneled into the national energy grid.

The project in the town of Krommenie is being called the world's first public road that includes embedded solar cells. The crystalline silicon solar cells are encased in two layers of tempered safety glass, mounted in a concrete housing.

The equipment is part of pre-built concrete slabs that SolaRoadsays have been refined in years of testing. The company says it's been a challenge to produce energy-producing slabs that are both durable and rideable by thousands of cyclists a day.

"It has to be translucent for sunlight and repel dirt as much as possible," the company says. "At the same time, the top layer must be skid resistant and strong enough in order to realize a safe road surface."

The section of the path that's opening this week is some 230 feet long. Its creators call it a test of an idea that could someday lead to roads that generate the same power that electric cars use to travel on them.

The researchers say that the portion of the path that's opening Wednesday could meet the electrical demands of two or three houses for a year.

Because they lie flat instead of being angled to take optimal advantage of the sun, the path's panels will produce about 30 percent less power than similar panels might produce on a roof-top. But the researchers also note that with around 87,000 miles of roadways, Holland's total road surface area is "significantly larger" than that of roof-tops that could host solar panels.

SolaRoad is a collaboration led by the research group TNO and the government of the province of North Holland. You can read more about its technical aspects at the Phys Org site, which reports that most of the $3.7 million cost was paid by the local authority.

This isn't the only project that tries to integrate electricity into roadways. In the U.S., an Indiegogo campaign for the Idaho-based Solar Roadways project raised $2.2 million earlier this year to pursue a more elaborate vision. It would integrate features such as LED lights and heating elements into structurally engineered road panels, as CNN reported in August.

And as we reported last summer, a city in South Korea has been testing its OLEV (Online Electric Vehicle) system, which uses special sections of road to recharge electric-powered buses, enabling them to carry less weight in batteries.




“Photograph – Workers are seen installing a portion of SolaRoad, a project north of Amsterdam that will test the use of roadways to generate electricity. A Dutch project that integrates solar panels into a bike commuter path will officially open this week, on a special roadway outside Amsterdam. Power generated by the SolaRoad's panels will be funneled into the national energy grid.... The crystalline silicon solar cells are encased in two layers of tempered safety glass, mounted in a concrete housing.The equipment is part of pre-built concrete slabs that SolaRoadsays have been refined in years of testing.... The researchers say that the portion of the path that's opening Wednesday could meet the electrical demands of two or three houses for a year. Because they lie flat instead of being angled to take optimal advantage of the sun, the path's panels will produce about 30 percent less power than similar panels might produce on a roof-top. But the researchers also note that with around 87,000 miles of roadways, Holland's total road surface area is 'significantly larger' than that of roof-tops that could host solar panels.... It would integrate features such as LED lights and heating elements into structurally engineered road panels, as CNN reported in August. And as we reported last summer, a city in South Korea has been testing its OLEV (Online Electric Vehicle) system, which uses special sections of road to recharge electric-powered buses, enabling them to carry less weight in batteries.”

A road which can generate heat would be able to melt off any ice or snow. What the LED lights would be used for I don't know unless it would enable drivers to see beyond their headlights. Recharging the electric-powered vehicles would be another great advantage. This article shows how the science of solar powered electricity has advanced in a relatively few years to this roadway.

Read the following really interesting article on a history of solar energy that goes back farther than I would have thought. Eere.energy.gov is a part of the US Department of Energy.

https://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/solar_timeline.pdf, Energy Efficiency And Renewable Energy – “The History Of Solar.” This article is twelve pages long and too much to reproduce, but it's full of information, and documents the first use of sunlight to produce heat goes back to the seventh century BC in Ancient Greece. It was even used against some Roman ships by Archimedes, or so the story goes, when he set them on fire. Supposedly he used bronze shields to reflect the sunlight. The exploit is said to have been repeated in 1973 by the Greek navy. Old stories tell of a fearsome Greek weapon called “Greek Fire” which in another article was said to be more like a flame thrower, which burned pitch. The Greeks would pull up close to an enemy ship and set it afire.