Jan 2009
Time For Airlines To Pay Fuel Tax
01/24/09 14:19
Unlike every other transportation mode, airliners don’t pay fuel tax.
Trains pay fuel tax, cars & buses pay, ferries and ships pay, trucks pay. (So do farm tractors and construction equipment.) Airliners don’t and this is neither right nor fair.
It is time to fix this now.
Free Rider...
Unlike vehicles, trains, boats and other fuel users, airlines pay no or fuel taxes virtually worldwide. In the U.S., airlines pay 8% of what other transportation methods use. They also do not pay state sales taxes while ferries and other transportation do.
This means other transportation methods subsidize airlines.
What To Do?Read More...
Comments
HCR-188c The Holy Grail Of Refrigerants?
01/04/09 13:10
Refrigerants - the liquid / gaseous material inside air conditioner and refrigerator compressors - are not the most glamorous of materials - but they are massive contributors to global warming.
What if a refrigerant...
What if this breakthrough was not developed by a giant chemical company, but over the past 15 years by a passionate former mechanic in Hawai’i?
Mr. Maruya of Kane’ohe Hawai’i could be one of this century’s energy heroes.
The EPA has just approved Mr. Richard Maruya’s remarkably simple HCR-188c refrigerant. Haier the Chinese white goods giant has provided research assitance, while Greenpeace has given him recognition.
While we would love to see the world beat a path to Mr. Maruya’s door, his challenge may be just beginning...Read More...
What if a refrigerant...
- Reduced refrigerator and A/C energy consumption by over 30%
- Cost just 1/3rd of conventional refrigerants
- Has 96% less global warming impact than conventional refrigerants
- Has zero ozone depleting impact
What if this breakthrough was not developed by a giant chemical company, but over the past 15 years by a passionate former mechanic in Hawai’i?
Mr. Maruya of Kane’ohe Hawai’i could be one of this century’s energy heroes.
The EPA has just approved Mr. Richard Maruya’s remarkably simple HCR-188c refrigerant. Haier the Chinese white goods giant has provided research assitance, while Greenpeace has given him recognition.
While we would love to see the world beat a path to Mr. Maruya’s door, his challenge may be just beginning...Read More...
Netflix Signals The End Of The DVD...
01/02/09 13:05
, one of UseHalf’s original energy savers has delivered the ultimate home movie solution: Any movie, any time, delivered instantly over the internet to “Network BluRay” high-definition DVD players for $8.99 a month. Over 800 (and counting) of the 12,000 available movies & TV shows are in stunning High Definition. This combination may be the iPod + iTunes of movies: the beginning of the end of the distribution of high quality video entertainment on plastic discs. Crucially, and unlike the rival Roku player, these BluRay players simply replace your old DVD player, and play your DVDs and BluRay discs. But once you try Netflix online, you might never buy another plastic DVD again.
Here’s why: Unlike music which is typically “consumed” repeatedly, most video entertainment is watched just once, occasionally twice. Only are kid-vid and favorites played repeatedly. This explains why people own lots of music but have cable service and video subscriptions like Netflix and Blockbuster by the millions. So Netflix’s HD video-on-demand is the right product with the right model.
Currently there are only two Network Blu-Ray DVD players that can perform this incredible stunt. The LG-BD300 or the Samsung BD-P2500. Both are top-rated, high-feature BluRay players and cost between $300 to $350. We love our LG unit (the HD pictures are stunning) and we’re sure the player list will grow.
UPDATE: LG has just introduced High-Definition TVs with Netflix HD built in. For many, this means they may never need to upgrade their old DVD player.
So what do you have to give up to get the ultimate Video On Demand?Read More...