September 11, 2008
Discussing Energy Alternatives in the Phoenix
I make my debut in the Providence Phoenix this week, with an article on the possibility of turning factory-grown algae into home heating oil, right here in Rhode Island.
However, my article may get upstaged by this "Almost Famous" item about someone else familiar to RI blog readers…
It's official: the days of calling the Phoenix Communist are over.
Posted by: rhody at September 11, 2008 2:12 PM"the days of calling the Phoenix Communist are over."
First of all - algae?? Too much like seaweed - a requisite of that lefty/hippie diet, macrobiotics.
Secondly, right-wingers want their oil created the way God intended: pumped out of the Texas ground or, better yet, from pristine waters offshore. With a minimum of environmental and other regulations, thereby maximizing the opportunity for oil slicks, oil-drenched water fowl and miles of those cool buoys.
In short, Rhody, this borderline commie article, though penned by a right leaning author, in no way moves the Providence Phoenix towards bi-partisanship.
(Congratulations, Andrew.)
Posted by: Monique at September 11, 2008 9:19 PMAndrew,
When did you join the Communist Party? :)
We have plenty of algae over at Willett Pond in Riverside, if anyone is in need!
By the way, I'm all for alternative energy -- all of the above, baby! Wind farms, solar panels, nuclear, tidal, biomass, clean coal, natural gas, you name it!
PS I've got a local alternative energy idea ... how about incinerating all the trash at the Central Landfill in Johnston? More energy, plus it extends the life of Mt. Trashmore indefinitely. I'm sure it can be done is a reasonably "environmentally friendly" way (I don't think leaving a pile of trash to just fester and rot on it's own is "environmentally friendly" to anyone).
Posted by: Will at September 12, 2008 1:40 AMBorderline Commie!?!? Au contraire, one advantage of heating oil-from-algae is that it is consistent with one of the goals set out in John McCain's nomination acceptance speech…
We are going to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don't like us very much. We will attack the problem on every front. We will produce more energy at home…When the stuff is being mass produced, tell me you wouldn't want to be on the team that walks into the offices of Citizens Energy Corp and tells Joe Kennedy "Good news Joe, you don't have to buy heating oil from Hugo Chavez anymore, because it's cheaper to grow at home" and watch him have to pretend to be happy about it.
And I can't wait to hear the creative explanations that will be coming forth in a decade or so, explaining why a country that is already hanging around 70th in GDP per-capita must be shown total deference when it expands by force into its "near abroad", after the bottom falls out of the price of the only valuable commodities it produces.
(And for the record, as I have said before, the Phoenix's Providence news bureau under Ian Donnis has always dealt things down-the-middle in its news articles, especially in the long-form analysis pieces).