Electronic Writer

Tired of exorbinant gas prices, but still need to drive your car?

If you are dependent upon a vehicle and the gas prices are over budget, think about making Ethanol in your own home. That’s right!  You can make Ethanol in your very own home using simple ingredients, like water, household sugar, and left-over alcohol.

While this may sound a bit like an infomercial, it is actually true.  There is a FANTASTIC feature video on the it at the AutoChannel.com with the inventor of the EFuel 100 – Microfueler.

The EFuel 100 is a machine that creates 100% ethanol, which you can pour directly into your gas tanks and supplement or replace Gasoline or Diesel altogether. (Some cars may require a slight modification.)

The interview also discusses how Henry Ford created the Model A car to run on Ethanol–simply to avoid a dependence upon Oil.

Watch the Video:  http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2008/05/29/088371.html

How do YOU feel about this happening during a recession? Doesn’t it seem odd that a few profit while the rest of us struggle?

Exxon Mobil reports record profit

I have been reeling since the oil spill last week. Both my boats are on the bay (one in the Berkeley Marina), I belong to the Cal Sailing Club (out of Berkeley Marina), and race every chance I get. Much of my life revolves around the San Francisco Bay, and as a result, I have been both angry and frustrated with the oil spill.

By last reports, the Coast Guard reported that 12,000+ gallons have been recovered–leaving slightly more than 40,000 barrels to go, and the effects have been seen all the way down to Big Sur. And, while that is a good step in the right direction, I still want to know what happened–and, who is responsible. Fortunately, some people are helping with the answers.

All commercial vessels in the San Francisco Bay (can’t speak for the world) are required to have transponders that detail their exact position. Some really smart people put together a website where you can watch the commercial traffic in the bay almost in real-time. It is very cool.

This technology can also be used for some reconstructive purposes. They have created a “tape” of the timeline when the accident and oil spill happened. Check it out and see the path of the Busan as it hit the bridge base.

Here is the link:
http://www.boatingsf.com/busan.php

Finally, someone is making electric cars that are SEXY! And, finally, someone is building a nation-wide network of charging stations.

Reimagining the Automobile Industry by Selling the Electricity

Maybe we can finally dent the oil-guzzling car market . . . .

“Maxime Renaudin comes from a new generation of entrepreneurs who use sound business principles to tackle social problems in the world today.”

Renaudin’s vision includes planting 8-million trees in the shape of a heart in the Sahara Desert–and, how it is going to save the world.

Read the full article at OhMNews International.

I went fishing in Cabo San Lucas–the home of the largest sport fishing fleet in the World. Our Captains (we chartered boats on 4 separate days of our trip) navigated us through unbelievable waters and found fish. This was the 150lb Blue Striped Marlin that I caught.

We pulled the fish aboard the boat, removed the hook, looked for previous catch-and-release tags, and slid the fantastic fish back into the water.

While holding the fish, I could feel the fish breathing (or choking, as it were). I had decided BEFORE the trip that I would release anything that I caught. I had told the Captain and First Mate to release the fish BEFORE it had even reached the boat. It was while I held that fish, however, that I realized WHY it was necessary to release that fish.

Simply, that fish is a magnificent creation and not part of my food chain. If it were a matter of survival, things may be different. In the sport fishing world, however, killing it would be senseless and selfish.

Catch and release.

How many times have you heard the story about a person with a vision . . . who follows it through to the end? Well, here is your chance to be a part of history and see someone on their own personal quest.

The Earthrace boat is a new design of powerboat that has been engineered to pierce through and cleave waves, and it runs completely on Biodiesel.

The Captain of the boat and his crew are going to race around the world with the intention of breaking the world record AND raising awareness of Biodiesel.

The boat is on a promotional tour and is currently looking for sponsors. Earthrace will be at Pier 39 in San Francisco, CA this weekend. You can tour the boat, meet the crew, and make donations between 10am and 5pm, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (August 18 – 20).

For more information, videos, the Captain’s Blog, online donations, and other interactive features, visit the Earth Race Website at www.earthrace.net

Not sure how much press this is going to get, but here is an article about the Oil Spill in the Philippines from the Citizen Journalism website, Oh My News:

Oil Spill Threatens Philippines

Inclement weather last week was blamed for a maritime disaster involving an oil spill just off the island province of Guimaras, which belongs to the Western Visayas region of Central Philippines.

On Friday, an ill-fated oil tanker named Solar 1 was heavily battered by such giant waves and continuously buffeted by such strong winds that after hours of struggle, the crew was forced to abandon ship when it became uncontrollable and listed precariously to the right.

Read Entire Article

In bold letters, the headlines read: Blair and Schwarzenegger Sign Global Warming Agreement. And, while I think this is a great story, I also feel a bit of sadness about it all. The largest state of the Union (economically, at least), is making their own agreements with foreign countries to try to save and repair the environment. In many books, including my own, this is an absolute victory.

The bitter part about this message is that the reason why individual states are negotiating with foreign countries about saving the environment–you know, the place where we live and the air that we breathe–is because our own Federal Government is NOT LISTENING to us. Or, perhaps a bit more sinister, is the scenario where they are listening and simply do not care . . . .

The leader of the free world wants us to burn oil. The leader of the free world removed Carbon Dioxide from the watched gasses list in a nice Orwellian piece of legislation called, “The Clean Air Act.” In this ostrich approach, we bury our heads in the sand and stop tracking carbon dioxide–the greatest cause of Global Warming. By not monitoring that gas, our country immediately *ON PAPER* vaulted to the position of being a non-polluter. In reality, however, we gave free license to industry to make money irresponsibly–with our Federal goverment’s blessings.