Coachella Trading Company - recent posts from Green Life community

termites

2009-06-23T17:59:59-07:00

HI, The last time I talked about termites I suggested orange oil. Orange oil works but after about a year it evaporates and the termites are back. I have used some real nasty oil based products with very nasty poisons. But, the same problem exists the oil goes away and the termites come back. If one does not want to tent ones house the only choice is to spot treat or replace the wood. HOWEVER, I discovered something new. It is nontoxic easy to work with and water based. I built a kayak and had some “System Three” two part liquid epoxy glue left over. This stuff is great, it dries stronger than the wood one glues together. I mixed the System Three, drew it up into a disposable plastic syringe and injected it into the hole where termites were pushing out their waste. It killed the termites and filled the damaged wood. It has been nine months now and the termites have not come back. This System Three does the work! I buy mine from Pygmy Kayaks. Look it up on line if you wish to try it. Perhaps old Trader Dan could carry it
Baddog

A Silent Forest: The threat of Genetically Engineered Trees

2009-06-17T20:11:49-07:00

Hmmmm….I can hear it now…the kids of the future using the term “round up ready” to talk about any and all trees, just the way we use the terms Xerox or Kleenex. Mega-corporate owned forests! John Muir we need you now!

2 liter bottles as sky light.

2009-01-26T22:21:57-08:00

I just finished writing a piece about BPA and water bottles and I was reminded of this amazing video I stumbled on previously and just had to post it.

The video is in Spanish but you’ll have no problem understanding (update: found subtitled version). This fellow in Brazil is making skylights using 2 liter plastic bottles filled with water mounted permanently into the roofs of buildings. Ingenius, cost effective, and muy luz giving!

At the end of the video the documentarian covers the “2 liter lights” in a dark attic and uncovers them to reveal a massive amount of light. Brilliant.

What other nifty green things have you seen or done?

See the original video Use a 2-Liter Bottle as a 50 Watt Light Bulb lightbulb hack at YouTube

Well actually it’s not the original but this one has subtitles.

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Bad Patents,Evil Corprations, Intellectual Imperialism:I couldn't have said it better!

2009-01-22T21:13:27-08:00

Bad Patents, Evil Corporations and the Rise of Intellectual Imperialism

By Mike Adams
NaturalNews. com, March 1, 2008
Straight to the Source

It is a defining characteristic of Western civilization that power-hungry men seek to declare ownership over all things they discover. For most of human history, such ownership efforts were focused on usable land. Owning land that could grow food, after all, was a valuable strategy for staying alive. As mechanized farming methods spread, power-hungry white men sought to own and control a labor force—and so human slavery was pursued.

I don’t just mean slavery in the U.S., by the way, and it wasn’t pursued exclusively by rich white men. World history is rife with nations engaged in routine slavery, from the Roman Empire and ancient Egypt to the not-so-ancient Brazil, where nearly genetically-identical people enslaved each other to work the rich Brazilian soils and produce agricultural profits.

From agriculture came the recognition of the value of seeds, and it wasn’t long before power-hungry men began patenting the seeds they discovered in nature. Corporations like Monsanto even began performing dark experiments on those seeds, inserting “Terminator” genes that caused second-generation seeds to self-destruct, thereby ensuring their continued ownership and control over those seeds.

Now, as the U.S. patent office has allowed corporations to patent life forms and human gene sequences, we are entering a new age where human beings no longer control their own genes. Corporations currently own 20 percent of the human genome, and in the near future, couples who wish to reproduce may be forced to pay intellectual property royalties to wealthy corporations in exchange for the “rights” to copy their own genes through sexual reproduction.

This is not some distant dystopian future I’m describing, by the way: This is present-day reality. Corporations are attempting to exert control over every thing of value that can possibly be patented, from natural botanical medicines invented by Mother Nature to the very seeds of life found in human DNA. The goal in all this? Complete ownership over the human race and every thing of value on the planet.

You see, there is no longer any need to enslave the human race with whips and chains. Now, corporations have figured out how to accomplish the same thing by creating a web of virtual rules (patent laws) that don’t really exist in the real world, but can still enslave the population if the People are foolish enough to agree to honor those virtual rules. If the People of the world agree to play the patent game, they are playing right into the hands of the corporations that only seek to exploit and enslave them.

Be sure to see the related CounterThink cartoon at: http://www. naturalnews. com/022754. html

How corporations intend to enslave the human race
In the future being created by these corporations, you will not only have to pay money to reproduce, you’ll also have to pay to grow crops, to fertilize those crops, and to harvest those crops. And once that season is gone, you’ll have to pay all over again to buy seeds and pesticides for the next season. Forget about saving seeds or self reliance. The wealthy corporations of the world want the entire population to be dependent on them for food, medicine and even human reproduction. There is no human action that cannot be exploited by corporations for intellectual property claims.

The road to totalitarian enslavement is paved with patents…

If we continue to allow corporations to claim ownership over our money, our medicines, our seeds, plants and genes, then make no mistake about the outcome: We will all end up as worker slaves in an elitist plutocracy run by corporations. Some say we’re close to that already. Just look at how effectively corporate interests now control the U.S. Congress, for example. There’s hardly a law passed today that doesn’t have the backing of a profit-minded corporation.

What’s infuriating about the patents currently being awarded to corporations is that most of the things being patented were invented by Mother Nature! Arrogant Man, of course, comes along and claims that he “invented” these things by merely discovering them. It’s like walking through a forest, finding a beautiful waterfall, and proclaiming, “I invented this waterfall!” That’s what the U.S. patent office allows corporations to do right now with animals, genes, seeds and medicines. The human genome, for example, wasn’t “invented” by scientists; it was merely mapped by scientists. It was invented by Mother Nature or God, depending on your particular spiritual or religious beliefs.
By what arrogance should Man grant other men patents on the human genome?

Stealing from the poor to pay the rich Distorted in this way, the patent process followed in the United States is a system whereby the wealthy steal resources from the poor. Instead of a seed belonging to everyone (i.e. “community property”), ownership of that seed is now granted to one entity (a corporation) which can then charge the People for using it. This sort of patenting is nothing more than a fabricated system of ownership that funnels wealth from the hands of the many to the pockets of the few.

No wonder U.S. corporations so strongly favor the U.S. patent system. It is the legal machine by which corporations can strong-arm the masses, stealing not only their present resources but also their future wealth, effectively criminalizing farmers and peasants for daring to plant the same seeds they’ve planted for generations.

It is not surprising, then, that this system of patent protection was invented by power-hungry white men. It is the greedy white men who have invaded the world, committed genocide against the American Indians, wiped out ancient civilizations in South America, enslaved Southeast Asia, drugged the Chinese with Opium, colonized India, annexed Hawaii and subjugated defenseless populations all over the world. Can you guess where it all points back to? The British Empire, of course. No single empire has done more to decimate the cultures, religions and populations of this world than the British Empire. And today, the American Empire borrows its own brand of tyranny and imperialism from the historical actions of the British Empire. (America has created the very same tyranny and cruelty it sought to escape hundreds of years ago…)

Today, these two English-speaking nations (the U.K. and America) continue to invade the world with their junk foods, pharmaceuticals, soda pop, medical systems and exploitive intellectual property laws. The pushing of patents and intellectual property law onto third world nations amounts to a kind of intellectual imperialism And every nation that embraces Western culture finds itself, usually within one generation, diseased, bankrupt and destitute. Its monies have been stolen and exchanged for endless debt to the International Monetary Fund. Its crops have been replaced with seeds patented by Monsanto. Its cultural foods have been replaced with Western processed junk foods, and its People have been feed lies and propaganda about the “superiority” of Western banking, Western medicine, Western capitalism and Western culture.

This is how we wind up with doctors in China denouncing their own Chinese Medicine, or working people in South America giving up eating quinoa and starting to eat fast food hamburgers. The ultimate outcome for these people is not in doubt: Within a few years, they will find themselves diseased and bankrupt, with their natural resources exploited, their crops genetically contaminated and their futures mortgaged to corporations that rule the world.

I’m not sure exactly how corporations and patents will play a role in the destruction of Western civilizations. It could be that genetic pollution of our primary food crops causes runaway genetic contamination of corn, wheat and soy, followed by a blight that collapses the food supply (wheat supplies are already down to a 10-week supply for the entire world). Or it could be that financial disaster strikes first, collapsing the fractional-reserve financial institutions and worthless paper currencies that somehow still manage to move the economic machinery of modern society. There are a hundred different reasons why our current systems of consumption, pollution and economics are simply not sustainable—and it’s anyone’s guess which one is going to reach the point of implosion first.

How we protect our futures and stop the tyranny of intellectual property claims over seeds, genes and medicines
After Western society collapses (which will happen in our lifetimes, most likely, given the food bubble, oil bubble, financial bubble, massive chemical contamination, etc.), we will all have an opportunity to rebuild a new society based on new rules. When this opportunity arises, it is crucial that we radically reform intellectual property laws that deny the corporations the ability to steal our futures by claiming ownership over genes, seeds and medicines. These things in particular must be protected as being non-patentable so that the People of the world are never driven into povery by corporate claims over basic life necessities like food and medicine.

Much of the Western capitalism model must be thrown out, actually. It is a model that only subsists on the non-stop exploitation of natural resources and human beings. It is a model where everything is disposable, where the next fiscal quarter is more important than the next generation, and where ethics and integrity have absolutely no role. Any nation that trains its future on this model of mass exploitation ultimately has no future.

That’s why I support the immediate cancellation of all patents on life forms, genes, seeds and medicines. Those who ask, “But what is the incentive for people to create new medicines?” That’s an example of limited Western thinking. Greed is not the sole motivator for innovation. Individuals, universities and governments can create new medicines for the benefit of all people. Besides, Nature has already invented nearly all the medicines we really need. All we need to do is propagate those medicines through the mindful planting and harvesting of medicinal plants.

And if you really think only drug companies can come up with new medicines, then ask yourself this question: Why are 80% of all the “new” medicines invented by Big Pharma just “me-too” drugs that work no better than the older drugs with patents that are about to expire? Clearly, the motivation in Big Pharma today is not to create medicines for the benefit of mankind, but to create medicines for the benefit of corporate shareholders. Drug companies as operated today have no useful role in the future of society. We’d all be better off without them.

It’s time to end the “ownership” of genes, seeds and medicines. These belong to the People. I urge everyone reading this to take part in the movement to end greed-based intellectual property rights and help return our future to our children. And someone please yank the corporate charter out from under Monsanto so we can shut down that evil monstrosity that has already plundered our world’s resources and stolen so much from future generations.

pine

2008-12-17T10:35:45-08:00

Along with apple tree progress I have an additional tree. I Recently received this Afghan Pine in the mail courtesy a Wall-e promotion. Bought the movie, they mailed me this tree. cool.

Hello

2008-12-12T15:06:59-08:00

Willy Johnson here.

Apple trees

2008-12-12T13:49:50-08:00

These are my 3 Apple tree seedlings. They are also my 3rd attempt at growing an apple tree. The first 2 both died from wind and sun exposure (a testament to the use of sunscreen I Guess) upon leaving the security of home. These 3 however have boosted my my odds of success proportionately. Later, when they have better differentiated themselves, I will choose new names for each, then we can choose favorites. As of now, being less than one week since becoming little sproutlings, my original names, First, Second, and Runt will need to be replaced. I’m guessing Runt is just pacing himself. I have little info on these little guys background, They were growwn from apples bought at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve Harvest Market. The apples came across the California border and were grown pesticide free, They were tasty. These little guys need all the support they can get, just out of view are the remains of earlier attempts as well as dead and dying herbs(sorry tammy). I will keep all posted on their adventures.

A Recycling Idea That Makes 'Scents'

2008-09-19T21:00:03-07:00

“Parting with your empty perfume bottle just got easier on the environment. Bond No. 9 stores and Saks Fifth Avenue fragrance counters will now accept-and recycle- ANY empty glass fragrance bottle. And there’s a little extra incentive to replace those empties with a new Bond No. 9 scent: Buy any full-size favorite and you’ll also receive a free $40 pocket spray of your choice.” Shape Magazine, July 2008

More information:

Bond NO. 9 website

I'm going there...time to talk Christmas Lights-LED??

2008-09-19T20:09:17-07:00

Consumer Reports writes about the pros and cons of LED Christmas tree lighting. In summary:

• Not surprisingly, LEDs womp all over incandescents for power saving, using ~3-33% less power, saving you up to $10 bucks every 300 hours.
• Not surprisingly, LEDs won the durability test, failing to burn out over 4,000 hours, with standards burning one or two out per strand before half that time.
• LEDs were not brighter, but ran cooler—Did you know 14 people a year are killed as a result of Christmas tree fires?
• Surprisingly, LEDs and incandescents tied for initial price, at about an average of 7 bulbs per buck.
No word on the pros and cons of candles vs LEDs in menorahs. What are your experiences? And know any sources for reliable LED tree lights?

Agave for Ethanol: More Feasible than Corn

2008-08-09T16:26:11-07:00

It’s used in the production of Tequila, as sugar substitutes and ethanol.

Starrynight letter to Vista Mayor Vance

2008-07-05T15:04:59-07:00

Dear Mayor Morris B Vance,

I am writing to ask you, as the Mayor of my city, to declare Vista an official participant in next year’s Earth Hour event. Earth Hour, the switching of all non-essential lighting to off for one hour, will occur in cities all over the world on March 28, 2009 at 8:30pm. Started two years ago in Sydney, Australia, it has grown into a global collaborative effort with 50 million people in over 370 cities participating last year.

The focus of the Earth Hour event is uniting diverse groups of people around a single cause; reducing energy consumption in a one day symbolic event which will hopefully lead to long term changes in the way people use and think about energy. I see it as a fun way to create educational activities for our area’s schools based on energy production and conservation, to bring the community together through the creation of candlelit outdoor events, for example local acoustic bands at city parks for picnic opportunities, and to create promotional candlelit dining experiences at local restaurants. My ultimate goal is to turn off enough lights in all of San Diego County to allow the stars to shine in all of their glory. Working together we can succeed in this goal and provide suburban children with the opportunity to view the stars from their own backyards without competition from city lights. Local astronomy groups can provide telescopes for lessons in astronomy.

I am sure that as the event gains momentum people will find many creative ways to celebrate the evening without electricity. My brother has started designing a website http://starrynightsd.org which will serve as a posting place for local San Diego County events as they are planned. Also, the official Earth Hour web address is http://earthhour.org.

I hope to hear from you soon to know if Vista will have official city support of Earth Hour 2009 and to start planning city events if we do.

Sincerely,
Tammy M. Bowser

Substitute alcohol fuel

2008-06-29T19:21:52-07:00

Hi all: I have heard that using corn for alcohol fuel is making food prices go higher. In the desert there is lots of open land that will not support normal food crops. Why not cultivate native plants. Native plants are drought, insect and disease resistant. Plants like Agave, prickly pear and Joshua trees can be fermented and distilled to make alcohol fuel.The materal left over could be burned to produce steam for electricty. Waste water from desert cities could be
used to irrigate the native crops. Oil is a finite resource. We may be running out of it more rapidly then We are told.

Green Dating: "You Date. We Donate Trees."

2008-06-21T22:51:28-07:00

Do you recycle? Are you the fashionable reusable bag grocery shopper? Do you ride a bicycle? Take advantage of public transportation? Generally (or wholly) are you an environmentalist? Most importantly, are you a lover? Well, have I the site to introduce: datefortrees.com.

DateForTrees is an on-line dating service website, similar to others, but with a twist. For the initial sign-up, DateForTrees and American Forests will donate a tree (and for every month after for each paid user) in an effort to counter deforestation. DateForTrees is certainly for lovers and tree-huggers.

Hydrogen power in the news...in the 80's!

2008-06-13T19:34:11-07:00

This video, “1980’s Hydrogen in the News – Water HHO Torch Demonstration” is an example of the HHO water fueled torch seen in my previous post, Water as fuel. Has the process been perfected?

While the person who posted this video to YouTube seems to think that modern media isn’t covering this stuff, I don’t think that is quite true. I am including it here simply to show that some of these alternative, supposedly free (low cost :) energy concepts have been around for a while, and that either they are all scams, merely young technologies, or have been ignored or suppressed by corporate and political interests. While I don’t apply “faith” to a lot of things, in this case I “believe” that it is probably a combination of all three. Most of them are scams, some are just early breakthroughs that have yet to be fully explored, and of those some of these have been at least “held back” by a not quite free market. But that’s just me.

Or maybe I’m just bitter that the sci-fi cities of the future don’t exist yet and I still don’t have a flying car…

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Water as fuel. Has the process been perfected?

2008-06-13T19:17:53-07:00

This video show Denny Klein of Hydrogen Technology Applications, Inc. with a welding torch using water as the fuel source. He further claims to have a prototype car using the same technology.

Many commentators say that HHO gas is nothing new, but it is not viable as an alternative fuel for most applications, including vehicles. The concept isn’t new, the video isn’t new, but could it be made efficient enough to be new.

Hydrogen Technology Applications claims to have perfected the electrolytic hydrogenation process creating HHO (referred to as Klein’s gas here, now called Aquygen™, and Brown’s gas by others) a gas that burns clean with the atomic power of hydrogen and the stability of water.

The torch seen in this video is not new (see post of 1980’s news show demonstrating the process and the L & R Manufacturing Company’s welding torch already on the market ). But the detractors always argue that there is no way to get more energy out than was put in to create the gas in the first place.

I continue to research and post on alternative and so-called “free energy” concepts despite my “lack of faith” in other areas of life. Part of me continues to think this is just a new form of alchemy we all want so desperately to believe in. But the rest thinks that while some of these processes might not be fully efficient now, there is still more that can be to make them so.

For now we can only hope, because I’m already tired of paying $4.50 plus for a gallon of gas. Visit the Hydrogen Technology Applications, Inc. website to learn more about what Denny and his crew are up to. Otherwise, I guess the proof will come when something viable comes to market. Until then you better go ask your boss for a raise, $5.00 per gallon is right around the corner.

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Sick of always being in a hurry? Carl Honore discusses the SLOW movement

2008-06-12T23:35:11-07:00

In the modern era life has become more and more hectic, fast paced, and harried. We’ve got to stay ahead of the market, respond instantly to phone calls / emails / text messages, meet that next deadline to get our next incentive. Even our home lives have been sped up attempting to squeeze more and more into every day.

But maybe we need to consider slowing down. Is it possible or even desirable for us to slow down? I’m not sure, but in this video Carl Honore , author of, In praise of slowness discusses what “slowness” means in the modern era and steps various people are taking to slow down their hurried lives and live a little.

This video is a TED Talk . If you aren’t familiar with TED visit their website. Below is a brief explanation from their website:

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader.

The annual conference now brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).

Our mission: Spreading ideas.

Utopia from the mind of Jacques Fresco...cities of the future

2008-06-10T16:49:48-07:00

Learn more about a bigger better future through the visions, dreams, and architecture of Jacques Fresco. This video gives you some background on the man and his designs for utopia.

From the Future By Design website :

Future By Design presents a bold, new direction for humanity that entails nothing less than the total redesign of our culture. There are many people today who are concerned with the serious problems that face our modern society: unemployment, violent crime, replacement of humans by technology, over-population and a decline in the Earth’s ecosystems. As you will see, Future By Design is dedicated to confronting all of these problems by actively engaging in the research, development, and application of workable solutions. Through the use of innovative approaches to social awareness, educational incentives, and the consistent application of the best that science and technology can offer directly to the social system, The Venus Project offers a comprehensive plan for social reclamation in which human beings, technology, and nature will be able to coexist in a long-term, sustainable state of dynamic equilibrium.

Free power. When science becomes conspiracy.

2008-06-01T17:28:01-07:00

I wish I had the time and energy to explore this topic in more detail, this post, while not brief, will not be going into great detail. But I felt compelled to discuss the counter-arguments and implication of those arguments to some of the more radical concepts of sustainable renewable energy, sometimes referred to by the more idealistic as free energy.

While Nikola Tesla is well known and even revered for his contributions to science, physics, electromagnetism, and engineering, even referred to as “The Father of Physics” and “the man who invented the twentieth century”, is at the same time discredited as a bit of a crackpot, or mad scientist. It has been since discovered that he was exhibiting strong signs of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and could have misinterpreted some of his findings in unfounded claims. The overall body of his work however, demonstrates a man of genius. While you may not be aware, you can thank Nikola Tesla for such every day conveniences as AC (alternating current) power that we all use today as well as being the vindicated creator of radio leading to mass wireless communications.

One of his more outrageous lines of inquiry involved the wireless transmission of power using the, “ionosphere and the ground’s telluric currents via transverse waves and longitudinal waves.[1]”

Tesla’s diary contains explanations of his experiments concerning the ionosphere and the ground’s telluric currents via transverse waves and longitudinal waves. At his lab, Tesla proved that the earth was a conductor, and he produced artificial lightning (with discharges consisting of millions of volts, and up to 135 feet long).[1]

He transmitted extremely low frequencies through the ground as well as between the earth’s surface and the Kennelly-Heaviside layer. He received patents on wireless transceivers that developed standing waves by this method. In his experiments, he made mathematical calculations and computations based on his experiments and discovered that the resonant frequency of the Earth was approximately 8 Hertz (Hz). In the 1950s, researchers confirmed that the resonant frequency of the Earth’s ionospheric cavity was in this range (later named the Schumann resonance).[1]

Essentially Tesla was saying he had discovered a source of free energy and potentials means of distributing it. For various reasons Tesla’s work towards free energy never became reality.

He ripped up a Westinghouse contract that would have made him the world’s first billionaire, in part because of the implications it would have on his future vision of free power, and in part because it would run Westinghouse out of business, and Tesla had no desire to deal with the creditors.[1]

His motives were ostensibly pure and honest. Create free power, and make it freely available to everyone. And this is where the conspiracy begins.

As there are no existing operational energy systems as claimed by Tesla, the average person such as myself is left only with the bickering of scientists, the motives of political and corporate interests, and the wild claims and extrapolations of radical pseudo-scientists and even new-age occultists as to whether Tesla’s claims on free power were real.

Sadly, for a hundred years, it seems as though we haven’t made any further progress in definitively proving or disproving Tesla’s theories. Since Tesla there have countless other claims on sources and methods for achieving free energy, not to mention far less extravagant but no less extraordinary notions of renewable energy sources, including recent work in Algae Fuel or Biohydrocarbon

No one is saying that algae fuel doesn’t work. Scientists, business people, and politicians are merely arguing over it’s viability. But as The Largest Minority blog at jwharrison.com discusses in the write-up about Gashole , a film that, “pulls
back the curtain on the hidden hand of the Oil Industry,
exposing how it steals from our bank accounts, our
economy, and our climate,” blog contributor Allison Kilkenny says, “Depending on who you talk to, or whose column you read, biofuels are either the savior of humanity, or the worst thing to ever happen, ever.”

How can this be? Admittedly this argument is predominantly joisted towards the use of corn as a source of biofuel (ethanol), but once you start looking you find arguments against or at least naysaying algae as biofuel such as here and here

Despite arguments of limited commercial viability, algae fuel solutions are at least having their day in the sun, not only from new startups , but big oil companies are even on board. Yet even where big money is being invested, our general attitude towards alternative fuels are generally regarded as unrealistic with no short-term solution in sight, recommending we get used to our dependence on fossil fuels.

Consider though the fantastic claims of over unity motors or energy devices. “Over unity” , which is a fancy way of saying perpetual motion machine . These claims are typically ridiculed and mocked by the scientific community at large for the simple reason that according to the first, second, and maybe both of these laws of thermodynamics, “such a device or system would be in violation of the law of conservation of energy, which states that energy can never be created or destroyed, and is therefore impossible.[2]”

And yet, a layman such as myself is again left to wonder whether these laws are actually immutable or not. As Albert Einstein established with the famous discovery of E=MC², energy and mass are equivalent and convertible. This would indicate to me, with my limited understanding, that at the very least, there are things about the universe we don’t quite understand. If there are massive amounts of energy potentially available for “extraction” from mass, then taking that into account it seems at least plausible that over unity is possible (while not directly related). But I’m not a physicist and I am left only with what I can understand from scientific articles and media produced on these subjects.

I prefer to believe that over unity is possible and in recent example reference videos I have posted possibly being proven. Does this make me a new age occultist? An idealistic dreamer? Am I another crackpot wishing life were different than it was. Perhaps. But I would also like to consider myself among those who hope that humanity continues to explore possibilities and discover new technology for the betterment of all life. Unfortunately I think that is the part where I am sifted by mainstream culture as a lunatic.

As a child I was given countless books and exposed to articles discussing the possiblities of the future; how science and technology would miraculously change life as we know it on this planet. Many of the things I read about as hopeful science fiction fantasy have even come into existence in various forms. Nowhere in the text or description of these future technologies and ways of living did anyone say that it would be available only to those who could afford it, owned and governed by a ruling elite through complex patent laws and government protection. Nowhere did I learn in public school that potential innovations in science or culture could be suppressed by corporations and viable social infrastructure likewise subversively thwarted by commercial interests .

To this day despite economic and political environments that are at the very least not conducive to the betterment of all humanity, the fantastic tales of future life I was exposed to as a child, lacking as they were in cynical commentary on how multi-national corporations might withhold technology and benefits unless explicitly in their control and financial interests, continue to skew my view of a future where food, shelter, and even energy are freely available to all. I hold this view while still believing and supporting the basic tenets of a free market.

This kind of thinking though is a type of modern day heresy. Suggest that you have discovered free energy, worse that you would like to make it freely available to the masses, and you are instantly shunned by the scientific community, and even by the masses (individuals posting radical suggestions of alternative energy sources at sites such as YouTube, often simply turn off commenting or are subjected to verbal abuse for even hoping to dream).

It may well be that the supposed claims of free energy will never amount to anything. At this time in history and our understanding of the universe, it seems too early to simply throw in the towel. The naysayers, academic or otherwise, of alternative energy sources seem to be doing just that.

While there is any hint of promising new technologies in the field of alternative energy and fuel sources to explore, I think we should continue to investigate. It looks like we are, but I can’t help but be suspicious of who, what, and how those investigations are being done. I find it unfortunate that children of today exposed to the dream-like futures of science and technology we still offer our children will have them labeled as conspiracy theorists or radical activists, for believing that those futures might be true (without commercial and academic self interest getting in the way).

When science becomes conspiracy

The title of this post asks, “When does science become conspiracy?” Unfortunately I believe it happens when we begin discussing scientific claims that are fantastic, defy generally accepted scientific views, and lead straight into talk of information and technology suppression due to greed. Seems obvious enough. Claim that free energy is not only possible but invented at least a hundred years ago and repeatedly withheld from the public by greedy corporations and individuals, and the brand of nut job seems inevitable.

When I look around and start inquiring though, I don’t see claims of free energy and conspiracy theory intrinsically linked. Yes, there are those that won’t stop about the men in black and oil companies buying up and “black-shelving” promising free energy solutions. But I also see concerned and passionate individuals who believe they have discovered means of tapping into that free energy, albeit wild claims, but are going so far as to prove their point as best they can without screaming about UFO’s and New World Orders in the same sentence.

My intention in writing this post, was to hopefully present a rational opportunity for discourse on the subject of alternative, and even free energy possibilities, while presenting some background on the subject that would allow future discussion without the taint and rivalry that currently exists.

While free energy may prove to be fantasy, that doesn’t mean that a goal of “practically free energy” isn’t within our grasp. I rather hope that the “magical” world of science and technology I was exposed to as a child is where we are headed. Those books didn’t discuss conspiracy theory, patent law, and corporate ownership. They simply showed what could be possible through human endeavor. I like that world a whole lot better.

You may be interested in

_ Nikola Tesla _
used under a Creative Commons License
courtesy of John Griffiths / indieflickr at Flickr

¹ Most information on Nikola Tesla in this post comes the Wikipedia article . See the article for citations.

² Wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_unity

All other citations were made by links where ever possible.

Over unity devices: EBM (Energy by Motion) from Gamma Manager, Budapest, Hungary

2008-06-01T14:11:13-07:00

Upon discovering The Orion Project and their Breakthrough Campaign I have been compelled to expand and share my knowledge of the concepts of non-polluting, sustainable, renewable, and even free energy sources. In my previous post Sustainable power now? The Orion Project needs your help. I mention the existence of over unity as proof of concept to the goals of The Orion Project and will be periodically posting new and interesting links and information on the subject. This is one of those posts.

This video was produced for the Gamma Manager EBM company in Budapest, Hungary.

More than a simple demonstration, this video goes into a small amount of the science and history of how Gamma Manager developed the EBM overunity device.

From the video description at YouTube:

This uniquely configured rotating machine generates additional torque on the shaft when rotated through the magnetic field. Combined electrical/heat output exceeds input energy by over 40 percent.

EBM (Energy By Motion) Overunity or perpetual motion labeled as impossible. This single device will threaten all other forms of energy, oil, coal, even solar. the uses of this device are endless, generating endless electricity with no fuel. A similar device is being made into a car engine, smaller devices can power a house forever for free with zero emissions. A very small magnetic motor will run endlessly to charge an electric car.

If I understand correctly this implementation of an over unity motor utilizes the second method being explored by The Orion Project, Thermal Exchange Motors . The other over unity energy devices I have posted here so far have all been of the pulsed motor generator type . I have not yet found an example demonstration of the Hydroxy Gas Energy Systems discussed as a potential sustainable energy source by The Orion Project.

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Over unity devices: Lutec over unity motor proof of concept

2008-06-01T13:49:59-07:00

Lutec Australia PTY LTD has created a proof of concept over unity motor, that in this video runs at a claimed 362% over unity.

Learn how the Lutec motor works at their site as well as more pictures, facts, and information.

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Over unity devices: Doug Konzen's Pulse Motor

2008-06-01T13:35:14-07:00

From Doug Konzen’s video description at YouTube:

One motor takes in .63 watts DC and lights up two one watt AC light bulbs. That’s all you need to know to see that this motor puts out more watts than what takes to run it: Under a watt DC to run it; two watts AC output. Last year, Doug demonstrated a new type of electric motor/alternator designed 10 times more efficient than a conventional electric motor from the alone. This year he has come to the realization that some aspects of his motors can be found in the EV Gray motor. Many believe that ZPE is involved, and it needs a medium such as a battery to interface with conventional circuits. It makes sense in that the Bedini, Konzen, EV Gray, and Kipper motors all need batteries. He is making great progress on the pulse-motor—recent tests in El Paso, TX verified that it is an over unity device!

Visit http://www.geocities.com/koneheadx/ and http://www.usajohnsons.com/cool_energy_stuff/experiments/afreeenergy.html to learn more about Doug Konzen and his over unity pulse motor. Also see the pages he links to containing information about Nikola Tesla and his patents and technology .

Doug Konzen I think is a perfect example of what Dr. Steven Greer talks about with The Orion Project. Individuals like Doug, who may not look so impressive working off a “picnic table” outside, may actually be the scientists and inventors who hold the key to truly sustainable energy. But while folks like Doug may have the answers, they may lack the resources needed to make the technology truly viable on a large scale. Doug we commend you for your work and reminding us all that corporations and government were not always behind radical new inventions and technology, but the common man working in their studies, home laboratories, garages, or backyards have made some of the most important discoveries throughout history. Thank you Doug.

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The Orion Project. About the Scientists.

2008-06-01T13:14:51-07:00

In my previous post, Sustainable power now? The Orion Project needs your help. I introduced you to The Orion Project (TOP) and their Breakthrough Campaign .

Here I am including the TOP video where Dr. Steven Greer, founder of The Orion Project discusses the background of scientists involved in TOP.

We are a non-profit 501c3 foundation dedicated to transforming the world’s energy and social crisis into a world of sustainable, enlightened abundance. We need your support now to develop the smart, affordable, clean energies that were discovered… at the turn of the last century!

I encourage you to take a moment and learn more about the history of renewable energy sources and how The Orion Project is attempting to finally bring their goal of sustainable, non-polluting, renewable energy to the world.

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Sustainable power now? The Orion Project needs your help.

2008-06-01T13:03:57-07:00

I have always wondered, if Nikola Tesla had actually discovered global unlimited power, even with suppression by government, power companies, and other inventors, why in the past 100 years someone else hasn’t revived or rediscovered that knowledge and brought it to market. This post is not about why it would be suppressed in the first place, but why, given the supposed validity of such energy solutions we don’t see these power technologies in use somewhere today.

The Orion Project (TOP) is a new non-profit foundation formed to essentially accomplish this goal. Founded by Dr. Steven Greer, The Orion Project’s goal is nothing short of completely sustainable renewable energy systems.

TOP has built a network of scientists, engineers, physicists, and inventors around the world to harness the best knowledge in the area of over unity devices. TOP hopes to remove the obstacles from these inventors such as low budgets, limited equipment & facilities, limited access to other specialized skill sets to balance their knowledge base, and even ridicule and harassment from the established energy companies and business interests who ostensibly have nothing to gain from cheap sustainable energy.

The Breakthrough Campaign

Dr. Greer has spent 17 years creating this network and making preparations to not only help discover truly non-polluting sustainable energy devices, but the network and market expertise to actually bring the successful devices to market once a proven and robust demonstrator has been created.

That is where the The Breakthrough Campaign comes in. From The Orion Project website:

The mission of the Breakthrough Campaign is to bring the very best inventors in the world of sustainable, non-polluting, “free” energy together under one roof to achieve a very specific objective. Our ultimate goal is to produce an Energy Generating System for the home or business, which will forever transform the current energy paradigm. The charter for our inventor team is to create a free energy generator for the global general public that frees us from dependence on costly, limited, and polluting fossil fuels.

We have further narrowed our focus to the most promising core technologies we believe can fulfill this mission either by themselves or in combination with others: Hydroxy Gas Energy Systems and Thermal Exchange motors .

It is time for the Breakthrough! The Orion Project has launched a campaign to bring the brightest inventors on the planet together, under one roof, to collaborate with one another to develop the first consumer-friendly, non-polluting, sustainable free energy generator. To achieve this, our goal is to raise $3 Million in the next 60 days.

So much has already been achieved by these inventors operating independently under the most adverse conditions. Bringing them together, with full support, clear direction, and aligned effort will certainly produce the Breakthrough humanity so sorely needs.

We are appealing to the general public and private donors to achieve this goal…

I encourage you to learn more about this project and consider supporting them either through a cash donation or by volunteering . And of course if you are a scientist, physicist, or inventor who has useful knowledge to bear please get involved.

Visit The Orion Project website and learn more about their:

If you are skeptical or like me simply want to have a complete understanding of what you are supporting also see their FAQ , don’t hesitate to contact them , and do your own research. Unfortunately there isn’t a lot of information out there yet about The Orion Project (and the various Orion space projects don’t help narrow it down).

Personally, I have never doubted that Tesla had discovered some kind of power option. Whether it was a true solution I do not have the knowledge to say. Nonetheless a quick search for over unity motors makes it clear the concepts and goals of The Orion Project are valid. Let’s help them turn these countless proofs of concept into a commercially viable, non-polluting sustainable power source that is proven in every day living.

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Alcohol fuel

2008-05-17T10:30:19-07:00

Hi: I was looking at all of the wind falls from my orange tree and I got to wondereing. What happens to the wind fall from orchards and citrus groves?
Wind fall fruit can not be sold for human consumption. Could that fruit be used to make alcohol fuel? Could the left overs from distillation be used as animal feed or fertilizer? Is this an over looked resource?

The photo is of a mine that is exempted from the Death Valley National Park.
There are places in Death Valley where you can not go. But, commerical interests can do this to the environment.

City Beat article on Earth Hour

2008-05-15T21:08:49-07:00

No conservation without mayoral oration?

The night the lights didn’t go out in San Diego

By John R. Lamb

“The darkest hour is just before the dawn.”—A proverb

The Union-Tribune sure thinks Mayor Jerry Sanders has the Midas touch. On the city’s financial quandary, Sanders is “changing [the] pension footprint.” Sanders mentions water conservation a few times and—voila!—San Diegans obey, the U-T tells us, despite water officials’ suggestions that rainy weather probably played a bigger role in recent reduced water use.

So, employing the U-T’s logic, the total news blackout from the mayor on the subject of Earth Hour, which took place with great worldwide fanfare on March 29, should have doomed the “lights out” event locally to the ash heap of non-participation, right?

Well, apparently, wrong!

It seems it doesn’t take a mayor to get San Diegans busy with globe-saving gestures. Despite no mayoral pronouncements and minimal media coverage, residents across the county seemed to heed the call of Earth Hour to turn off their lights from 8 to 9 p.m. a week ago Saturday.

Spin Cycle asked Sempra Energy—which did zero promotion for the event (by comparison, Chicago’s power company, ComEd, took the lead in dimming its city’s skyline)—to check on power usage locally during that hour. Sure enough, the electrical load dropped by as much as 3 percent.

“San Diego appears to have heeded the Earth Hour appeal despite the lack of media attention,” Sempra spokesperson Rachel Laing reported. “I told you San Diegans heart Mother Earth!”

Laing said usage throughout the service territory (which includes San Diego County and a portion of southern Orange County) dropped anywhere from 50 megawatts to 100 megawatts—the equivalent, she said, of “shutting down all electrical use for between 32,500 and 65,000 homes.”

Compare that with usage drops in participating cities like Chicago, where the power load dipped 7 percent, and it seems San Diego didn’t do too badly despite the lack of official backing and media coverage.

While cities like Toronto embraced the event with gusto—the Toronto Star produced hundreds of stories and photos in its Earth Hour coverage—San Diego’s largest daily newspaper offered a tepid three-paragraph acknowledgement buried in a quirky science column.

And while the U-T did run a story the day after the worldwide event, it carried a dateline of Dublin, Ireland. The Associated Press story recounted the dimming of landmarks the world over, from Bangkok’s famed Wat Arun Buddhist temple and the Sydney Opera House to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and the Coliseum in Rome during the admittedly symbolic gesture raising awareness of the threat of global warming.

So, if 400 cities worldwide—Tel Aviv, Dubai, Atlanta, Phoenix, St. Louis and even little Homer Glen, Ill., to name a few—could get involved, why not San Diego?

George Biagi, a spokesperson for Sanders, told Spin Cycle: “Unfortunately, we didn’t get word of the Earth Hour event until the Tuesday prior…. We would have loved to have participated, but there simply wasn’t adequate time to pull anything together. Hopefully, if this occurs again next year, we can participate in an appropriate manner.”

This from Mayor Press-Conference-Every-Day? Guess there wasn’t a two-minute window in there somewhere to ask residents to turn off their lights for an hour.

Biagi did note the mayor’s support last June of the formation of CleanTECH San Diego, which Sanders suggested would “nurture and accelerate the growth of companies with environmentally friendly technologies and foster sustainable development and green enterprises.”

But a quick check of CleanTECH’s website indicates little or no movement on that crusade since then. No news announcements, no event-calendar listings.

Not missing a political opportunity, Charles Gallagher, campaign manager for mayoral hopeful Steve Francis, chastised the city’s missed chance to join other cities in their enthusiasm for Earth Hour.

“As mayor, Steve would promote Earth Hour and not ignore it like Mayor Sanders,” Gallagher said in an e-mail. “Steve wants to do more than sign agreements to protect our local environment. Steve believes that when it comes to our natural resources and energy, actions speak louder than words.”

So, it appears that, should either of these gentlemen be mayor next March, Earth Hour will get its due in San Diego in 2009.

This makes folks like Joe Vecchio and Tammy Bowser glad. Vecchio, who heads up eco-encouraging nonprofit Home International (Home, as in Heal Our Mother Earth), signed up as a local business participant for Earth Hour.

Vecchio, a Chicago native, has been drawn to the global-warming cause since seeing Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth about a half-dozen times. His organization now helps set up screenings of various environmentally friendly films and co-sponsors UCSD’s Earth Week Vidfest, in which students submit homemade films that raise environmental awareness.

He’s already preparing a list of San Diego landmarks that should be dimmed for next year’s Earth Hour—from the SeaWorld tower to the Coronado Bridge and various skyscrapers Downtown. Vecchio wasn’t so ticked at Sanders as he was at the local media.

“It used to be, ‘It’s the economy, stupid,’” he said. “Now, ‘It’s the media, stupid,’ because the mainstream media wants to keep us stupid and in debt.” He said he went to a comedy club after the Earth Hour event, where a comic asked the audience how they celebrated Earth Hour.

“The audience didn’t respond. They were like an oil painting,” Vecchio recalled.

Bowser, of Vista, meanwhile, did what she could to promote Earth Hour. Bowser, who waters indoor office plants for a living, mentioned Earth Hour at every office she visited leading up to the day. At the appointed hour, she found herself in a mom-and-pop coffee shop with the lights blaring. She asked an employee if the lights could be turned off, but “nothing happened.” She then enlisted eight other customers to make the request, but they were told “all the lights were connected” and couldn’t be dimmed.

“My heart was in the right place,” Bowser said.

Indeed. And that’s why people should be encouraged, not discouraged, said Dan Forman, a spokesman for the World Wildlife Fund, which sponsored Earth Hour.

Forman said he thinks participation did not depend on political ideology. After all, Phoenix is a pretty conservative town, and its mayor did the honors in dimming City Hall there, he said.

“I’m not going to slight San Diego,” Forman said. “Hopefully, your city will participate next year. We knew Earth Hour wasn’t going to solve global warming. But long-term, maybe it changes the way people think about the energy they use.”

Send tips to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

It’s Easy Being Green – Green meetings article from issue 11 of the Conceptualize! newsletter

2008-05-01T16:20:20-07:00

It’s Easy Being Green

Recent Green Meetings Industry Council conference gives planners practical tips for turning green

Article from reprinted from Issue 11 of the Concepts Worldwide newsletter, Conceptualize! : It’s Easy Being Green by Lisa English, CMP, CMM, Director of Operations

I have never been much for recycling paper. Oh, I believe in saving the world and having a clean environment. I saw Al Gore’s movie and believe in all these important issues. I just never saw the need to take it personally. At Concepts Worldwide, we have a long tradition of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental practices. For myself, I have always been the first to admit that I will not save the planet by stopping my habit of printing every email – it is something I just “need to do”. Until now.

In February, I attended the Green Meetings Industry Council’s 4th Annual Conference in Vancouver, BC. Over 150 meeting and hospitality professionals gathered to discuss the “greening of meetings” and our responsibility to give back. I knew going in that this was going to be challenging subject-mater for someone like me – someone who was not quite ready to take action. I think this is why I was the perfect person to go – because I represented the majority of people out there! During the three days of conference sessions I heard from speakers who discussed such issues as alternative power for hotels, water-saving practices, carbon omissions, volunteer projects, and donating food. I learned about purchasing carbon offsets and where to source conference tote bags made from recycled soda bottles. There were alternatives to plastic silverware, and much discussion about the difference between 100% recycled paper and 100% post-consumer recycled paper. (Do you know the difference? I do now.) It was a different experience than any other industry conference I’ve ever attended. It was serious. The subject is one that, once you’ve been truly exposed to, can no longer be ignored. Even for someone like me.

I found myself reviewing my own behavior as I walked between sessions – how many times have I thrown away perfectly good paper? Why don’t I recycle at home? Why do I keep buying plastic water bottles when I could refill a container? I had to stop beating myself up and look to the opportunity. And that is what we have – the opportunity to reinvent the environmental and social impact we make with the meetings we plan. At an average of $3.50 per bottle of water, having central dispensers and cups available for attendees not only is friendly to the environment, it saves money. And planners who have tried it tell me that once meeting attendees understand why you are making the change, they support it and actually admire it. When we conduct site visits, it’s time to check into the recycling practices of the venues consider – and use this criteria to select properties that help our clients’ match their own corporate objectives around being green. Companies like offsetters.ca in Canada offer a way for meeting attendees to purchase carbon offsets for their flights as they register to attend a meeting. Working on our own programs toward a common goal, we will make a difference – I can see that more clearly now. The more I think about the opportunities, the more excited I become!

I encourage every reader to visit greenmeetings.info to learn more about the Green Meetings Industry Council (GMIC) and get involved. Learn all you can yourself or partner with a company that believes in the importance of this work and become inspired. For our clients, we continue the practice of offering community service projects on all programs and following our own “10 Steps to Green” guide for meeting operations.

My biggest take-away from the conference? CSR is a journey. And like any journey, it starts with that first step. I took mine – it was a newly-placed recycle bin in my kitchen. Next will be a composting bin in the lunchroom at the office! Challenge yourself to take a small step today.

Conceptualize! is a meetings industry online publication of meeting news and know-how by Concepts Worldwide . Enjoy our latest issue, and sign-up for our Conceptualize! mailing list to be alerted when new issues are released.

Concepts Worldwide www.conceptsworldwide.com is the recognized leader in strategic meeting management with a 20-year proven track record of planning thousands of successful meetings around the world. Innovation, experience and collaborative processes enable the company to function as an integral member of their client’s team, producing impactful events that deliver measurable results with the highest return on objectives—and investment. Services encompass strategic planning, contract negotiation, theme design, logistics management and program execution, as well as consulting services. A privately held company with headquarters in Carlsbad, California and an office in Memphis, Tennessee, Concepts Worldwide is one of only a handful of companies certified in Return on Investment Methodology from the ROI Institute, and has a prestigious Women’s Business Enterprise certification from the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. Founder & CEO Terri Breining, CMP, CMM, voted one of the 25 most influential people in the meeting industry, served as past Chair of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and currently chairs the APEX Commission, charged with establishing meeting and exposition industry standards.

Vegetarian main courses

2008-05-01T11:26:18-07:00

I’m always on the lookout for ways to liven up the easily-repetitive dinner repertoire, so this list, 25 Vegetarian Main-Course Recipes on Real Simple was a good find.

Reusable Bags for lunches

2008-04-19T14:59:57-07:00

This is in response to Stacey’s prior post, which sadly I can’t find.
I found them! They are called the Wrap-N-Mat and they look really neat – a good way to eliminate those pesky plastic lunch bags!

Local organic food

2008-04-14T09:22:32-07:00

Check out Local Harvest to find local organic farmers and farmers markets to frequent. Also try the Eat Well Guide they have a search for local CSAs¹. Too bad the one close to San Diego is full.

¹ Community Supported Agriculture is where you subscribe to a farm and they give you a weekly box of food.

Help! What are my dimmable green lighting options?

2008-04-11T12:22:58-07:00

I am trying hard to improve my views and habits when it comes to environmental issues and resource/energy conservation. While we have many low wattage and compact flourescent bulbs in our home, my studio still used several halogen bulbs in hanging pendant lamps on a dimmer, which creates the perfect amount of pleasant and friendly illuminiation regardless of the task at hand. The feeling ranging from intimate and relaxing to bright and ready for the next major project.

Switching these lights to compact fluorescents would save a lot of energy and money in the long run, but I would entirely loose the flexibility in lighting for this space.

Admittedly I have only done preliminary research, but I can’t find a lot of dimmable green lighting options. I found some potential dimmable led solutions such as this under the counter IllumaLed under cabinet light at Squidoo but I’m not sure if this alone would work.

Anybody out there have any thoughts or solutions. I would like to continue using the hanging pendants, but I am open to other potential solutions. Any thoughts or direction would be helpful.

Thanks.

“Compact fluorescent light image”: by Mark Weiss and borrowed from the This Old House article, A Green, Well-Lighted Place by Mark Loeffler