Disqus - Latest Comments for dshacks

Re: Grothman: Border Security Is The Most Important Issue We're Dealing With

dshacks — Thu, 24 Jan 2019 14:10:56 -0000

Donald Trump captured the imagination of many American voters with a single campaign promise. “I will build a great, great wall on our southern border,” he boasted in June 2015. For good measure, he added, “And I will have Mexico pay for that wall.” The twin pledges-which followed a tirade about Mexican rapists and drug dealers-neatly captured everything that was either attractive or repulsive to voters in the real estate mogul’s presidential run: bravado, nationalism, and controversy.

Re: Record Tax Revenues Under Trump

dshacks — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 15:41:20 -0000

Irrespective of why there are higher deficits...higher deficits are better for the country? That doesn't seem to follow, rather a circumstance that would lead to lenders perception that the risk of lending is low could be better for the country, if the country was in need of borrowing. However, once the need for borrowing is driven by the demand for paying interest on the loans already incurred, although the ability to borrow may be welcome the need to borrow can not be considered a benefit. The old saw: "Once your outgo exceeds your income, you upkeep becomes your downfall" comes immediately to mind.

The true question isn't whether spending is good or bad, but rather the priorities placed on that spending.

Re: Congressional Freedom Caucus Takes Wrong Turn

dshacks — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 08:49:05 -0000

It is certainly of great importance to go beyond the discussion of insurance in the arena populated primarily by medical and healthcare. The deep and debilitating problems of food and health caused principally by BigAg and BigPharma, abetted by the AMA supported aggressively by the bought & paid for legislative entities. However, the comments made about insurance above are on point and, I believe, germane to the issue at hand. We can, of course expand the discussion in many directions up to including "god, the universe and other related topics", if desired and agreed.

Re: Congressional Freedom Caucus Takes Wrong Turn

dshacks — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 08:04:20 -0000

Insurance is insurance. It only works if the pool of money coming is more than the pool of money going out. There is no way around that reality. The best way to minimize catastrophic health costs is to maintain healthy lifestyles and catch serious illness as early as possible. That is also the best way to deliver real results at the lowest cost. Just as auto insurance won't work if everyone isn't required to participate, medical and health insurance, to be viable, requires near 100% participation. This was the reality that the ACA was created to address with the goal of providing protection for the greatest number of citizens. That political dogma and grandstanding blocked many of the parts necessary to bring it to completion doesn't alter the facts of the matter. The decision to be made is do you want "cheap" or do you want everyone in the society adequately covered.

Re: The World’s First “100% Renewable” Grid

dshacks — Wed, 30 Mar 2016 08:29:05 -0000

Being a Business Development kind of guy I can't help but compare. I don't know what the power demands are on the island (of course) But, we can delver a reliable, 24/7 15MW, 100% renewable energy system for <$70mm that also disposes of ~70 mtpd of MSW (trash) with no negative environmental impact. That's a CAPEX of $4.5mm/MW VS the $30mm/MW for the battery system...an 84% decrease in cost per power generated capacity, along with the elimination of landfill operations in the community. Even "way out in the Atlantic" that's going to be a better choice.

Re: The World’s First “100% Renewable” Grid

dshacks — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 08:59:56 -0000

Did I miss read the article ...~$30mm (US) for a "1" MW system?

Re: IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST: A Cahill waste of time, energy

dshacks — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 12:32:41 -0000

The conversion of organic carbon from such sources as municipal solid waste, agricultural waste, animal manure, animal processing food operations is a necessary and logical strategy for every community on the globe. It is even more critically important for isolated or island communities for environmental ,health, aesthetic and economic reasons.
The real challenges are selecting the most effective, safe technology and the most appropriate partner to implement it. If the council, Mr. Morris and the concerned members of the community have an interest I can introduce you to what I have come to believe is the best and most commercially viable option yet devised. It focuses on delivering the best solution (environmental clean-up, energy security, -ZERO- additional cost to the community).

Re: Action Alert: Oppose the DARK Act

dshacks — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 16:17:08 -0000

Climate change and climate forecasting are pretty much beyond our capabilities...whether the predictions are right or wrong is something we'll learn, if there're right it'll be to late, if there're wrong so what?
However, acidification of the oceans is measurable and glaringly apparent. This may be the greatest threat to the survival of animal life on the planet. Aggressively reducing CO2 in the atmosphere WILL minimize this serious environmental impact. Fossil fuels are the clear cause and should be replaced with non-carbon and carbon neutral alternatives.
So there...

Re: Waste-to-energy incinerator bidders want more time

dshacks — Sun, 24 Aug 2014 17:32:02 -0000

There are two major considerations in selecting the project developer which are not adequately addressed in this discussion. They are: 1] How efficient is the energy conversion process (although well known, when properly operated incineration produces predictable results, however incineration, even with co-generation is a low conversion ratio technology...there are much more efficient technologies now available - see www.d4energy.com). 2] Based on the local market the system must be flexible enough to generate energy products that, when sold, deliver adequate revenue to afford the project commercially viability...without added subsidies and tariffs on the community residents and businesses . The D4 Energy "Devolitization" process eliminates the concerns about hazardous and toxic emissions while improving energy conversion by 20% to 30% when compared to mass burn (incineration). New stuff is new stuff and if a 20 year history is the primary qualifier for selection, incineration is your only choice...but certainly not the best choice. Not only is this technology a significant improvement, it also has the capability to eventually eliminate the need for fossil fuels on the Islands. The mayor and the county officials need to think innovation, environmental health, climate change minimization.

Re: nation.lk ::: - Proposed waste disposal project not eco-friendly

dshacks — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 17:15:13 -0000

Landfills are an unnecessary and expensive environmental, health hazard that is no longer needed. Now municipal solid waste is a source of feedstock for a customized process that delivers valuable, renewable, carbon neutral energy products that are matched to local community needs and markets. www.d4energy.com

Re: EcoWaste tells environmentalists to avoid waste-to-energy incineration technology

dshacks — Sat, 15 Mar 2014 13:38:54 -0000

I admit bias readily. The Municipalities can get More power derived from waste at less CAPEX and lower OPEX. The Philipines should be seriously considering the modular systems designed by: www.d4energy.com. These systems can be located in areas close to the collection points minimizing transportation costs and providing secure "distributed energy" a safer, more efficient distribution of power with less reliance on the grid.

Easily 20%-30% more usable energy produced at lower temperatures, lower pressures and with the only emissions being those similar to a natural gas fired home furnace.

Re: Consumers put clean energy above reliability

dshacks — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 08:22:23 -0000

The reality that is missing from the discussion is that due to the intermittent availability of the leading alternative/renewable energy sources, the inclusion of them beyond a very meager percentage will severely degrade the reliability of any large grid delivery system. Until the technologies catch up to the vision this will remain the primary limitation, in addition to the capital cost of any large scale conversion, of course.

Re: Victim sentenced 200 lashes by Saudi court

dshacks — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 17:47:22 -0000

It's not the religion...it's the leaders that subvert the teachings for their own purposes, mostly power and secondarily money. Billie Graham or Osama Bin Laden, it is always the same...gimme your money and do what I tell you or the boggyman will get you and if he doesn't I will.

Re: Politics and the flood recovery effort

dshacks — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:25:51 -0000

Local communities that are threatened by flooding must develop their own emergency response plans, systems and materials. 1] The number of reported flood events in the US has increased by a factor of 12 since 1950; 2] The increase in flood events is nearly the same in Europe, Asia, and Africa; 3] The cost of flood damage, in the US, averages around $30 billion annually and insurance covers only about 20% of the cost; 4] 75% of flood damage comes from water that is less than 3' deep; 5] 60% of all damage from severe weather comes from flooding; 6] Flood damage losses are increasing at a rate of ~20% annually in adjusted dollars.

If you live where it has flooded before it will flood again. Flood control projects by organizations like the USACE take a decade and more to complete. Therefore, every flood threatened community must have an emergency flood protection system available. Sandbags are not the answer. The cost and resource destruction by sandbags is unsustainable at the increasing rate of demand. New systems are significantly less costly on a per use basis, can be deployed in less than 1/10th the time, and many of them require no disposal and pose no health, safety or environmental risks. You can see one new flood protection system at www.floodwalls.com.