Ed,

I have to agree with you on the border issue. It is frustrating to see the inaction on this issue. If he does not want to anger the Latino vote why not have members of the administration sit down with the leaders of that community and figure out how to set up a guest worker program that works. Then set it up at border crossings and let them come in and work for periods of time legally. We know who is coming in. They are not dying in the desert and they are legal. Give them the dignity they deserve. Don't make them sneak in like thieves.

Then seal the border tighter than the chinese do theirs. That will keep out the true bad guys (or at least make it harder for them to get in.)

This seems like such a winner for which ever party does it why hasn't it been done?

Oh, I know WHY he is taking the position that he is, I just don't like it. In my heart, I believe that what is beginning to happen by state officials and citizen's groups is what the administration wants to happen. Like you say, if he was rigid on immigration (illegal) he might have lost the election. With enough independent public pressure, he'll be able to say to the Vincente Foxs' of the world, "hey, what can I say, the nation is up in arms about this". That's politics. You cannot be a world changer if you run for President and lose. I understand that.

Nevertheless, illegal immigration is a huge problem; particularly in California, Arizona and New Mexico. But they don't stay in those states long. The migrate north and east. It truly IS effecting every state, with the possible exception of Hawaii and Alaska.

And, of course you are absolutely correct that coupled with this open border situation is an even greater collapse of our national security.

I'm convinced that, for many, nothing will really get done until a nuclear bomb is set off on our own soil.

Hey, just cause youse in Philly don't give you da right to know evr frickin thing bout our 4 fathers and how dey got started.

Dey was all abuncha frick'n long hairs....like youse.

Thank you, proud to be included in that illustrious group.

All: If you have been listening to the news lately, I am not the only one afraid that a recession is on the way. I saw it six months ago, but recently posted. Now some of the experts are starting to see the signs. Make no mistake, we are on the front lines of seeing what is happening in the economy. The normal retail customer, as opposed to the corporate customer, reacts first so we see it first. Spendable income goes down, we see it first.

Philadelphia, PA (Really Bensalem)

Harvey's Tips Page When you finally understand it completely... it changes.

Harvey,

What is your crystal ball saying about degree and duration?

Personally I think that all has to do with oil prices at the moment. I only get a feel of today and the very near future, (few weeks maybe). It all depends if conditions change and if the government can do anything about the conditions that are the root cause.

Bush did work out an increased oil production deal with Opec, but for 2009. A bit too late for what I see.

The only good that may come out of this is better alternative sources of energy. Wind and water are the best, non polluting and absorbing energy from the environment so when it is used we are back to whee we began. No net gain in energy to the environment. (Solar will do the same.)

Philadelphia, PA (Really Bensalem)

Harvey's Tips Page When you finally understand it completely... it changes.

I saw something years ago on proposed underwater turbines, powered by the ocean currents. They were supposed to be huge but slow, so no fish would be hurt. And out of sight for no "not in my back yard". And give consistent power due to the nature of the currents. I wonder what happened?

When I was in college I had a summer job one year at GE Nuclear, with the ALMR project. (Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor) It used sodium in the core instead of water for higher efficiencies. The system was designed with safety as the top priority. Its amazing how inherently safe the design was. Another advantage, it could be powered by the "spent" fuel cells from the existing nuclear infrastructure. I suspect it was canned because it could function as a breeder reactor. (It could be set up to make its own fuel, while generating electricity.)

There are different types of 'breeder reactors'. I remember the info on liquid sodium transfer reactors, but that seemed to disappear fast for some reason.

A liquid sodium leak would be devastating, it would burn furiously on contact with air. Also liquid metals tend to dissolve other metals into it. I always wondered how they overcame that problem, maybe it was only a short term solution, (pun).

I also always wondered why spent fuel was not just mixed with the dirt of the uranium quarries as new uranium was mined. It would return only about the same radioactive amounts that were removed originally giving a basically null effect on the environment.

Philadelphia, PA (Really Bensalem)

Harvey's Tips Page When you finally understand it completely... it changes.

Interesting idea of returning the radioactive waste to its source. I see no reason why they couldn't be worked out, but some issues might be transport, and distribution/disbursement. Its a lot more concentrated then when it was first removed. Then there is a trickier issue, if it was originally in stone and is returned to the dirt, will rain leach/wash it out.

I was in the controls group so I don't know the details of liquid metal. They did have a leak detection system. It used a series of sensitive microphones. A signal processor would look for common signals. (The same "noise" at multiple locations is really a signal too weak to detect at just one. The location can then be determined by looking at the time shift and triangulating.) - The whole project seemed to have more politics then engineering. Though its amazing what the engineers were doing with the little money that trickled down.

Another group was working on a liquid lithium unit for a space reactor. I heard that was canned because of space reactors coming out of Russia; they weren't all that safe or long lasting, but they were cheap enough to be considered disposable.

Like everyone else I don't want a power plant in my back yard. But given the choice I'd choose the liquid sodium system they were working on over one that burns fossil fuels. - Maybe someone will design a man-made photosynthesis process for separating oxygen and hydrogen, to power fuel cells. Or an efficient long lasting solar cell.

No, actually I MEANT Congress.... (as a whole body!) since PROgress is to move forward and CONgress.... well, you get the idea.... :-$ 

Uh, BTW, is Dee making KoolAid again? LOL!

It would have helped if the oil companies would have been permitted to build more refineries, but no, can't build them because of the enviroment. The oil companies can't even up the supply side by drilling for more oil in and offshore in our own country !!!! When the companies can produce more the price will come down.

Poke holes in ANWAR, the caribou will survive !!

Oregon State University is in the process of setting up what you describe a mile off the Oregon coast - and still people complained that it would ruin the view!! If you can see a mile off the coast with all the fog we get it would be a miracle.

I'm excited about this process of harnessing the ocean for power. Every time I visit the coast I think of all the potential in those powerful waves and currents.

Starting next week I will be car pooling to save on gas. We have a little car and a big truck for hauling our stock and supplies for our farm. I prefer to drive the truck (much more comfortable, better stereo system, a/c, power steering, auto everything - none of which our 95 Prism has), but it is time to get smart, not comfortable, about our gas consumption.

I heard that if we all decreased our gas consumption by 15% it would make a difference to the bottom line of the oil companies, who have just cleaned up profit wise during this oil "crisis".

Cindy M

Cindy,

If everyone stopped buying GAS for just One day it would make a serious dent in there pocket books!!!

You are doing the right thing! We are all to dependent on government regulated fuel sources.