Supertramp               Crime of the Century, 1974               8 tracks, 43:34 in length

Genre: Rock

This album started off with a harmonica so it had my attention, and it proved to be quite fun to have on in the background while I worked. There was nothing on it that particularly jumped out and grabbed me, but I did enjoy it.

Would I listen to this album again?

I would have nothing against it.

Would I spend money on this album?

If there were a good deal to be had…

Will I add any songs to my collection?

None in particular.

Supertramp are one of those bands that I adore. Yet, perversely I am embarrassed to admit this.  They made wonderful music and better still they got up the nose rock music’s self imposed arbiters of what should be considered ‘cool’ and what is music for dinosaurs.  Mind you, when the above album was released it was generally received and listened to in a positive light.  Those people that objected to Supertramp (and their ilk) tended to come from within the punk movement.  It was amongst these people that I seeped into my teens and I suppose that in an attempt to convince my peers of my credibility I tacked on to their dismissive opinion of anything outside of The Sex Pistols.

Maybe to the punk ethic, a band such as this were guilty of two crimes (of the century, sorry, couldn’t resist).  Namely being progressive and therefore by definition pompous and musically bloated.  This, allied with Supertramp’s accessibility makes them quite poppy as well, which of course is anathema to many punks.  Yet, I can listen tirelessly to the harmonies of ‘Dreamer’ and if that places me outside of the punk mentality, well, so be it.

Yet this does not explain why I am still embarrassed to admit that I like Supertramp and, what’s more, why I adore the track ‘Dreamer’.  Maybe it’s a legacy of my formative years.   To counterbalance my inverted music snobbery and by way of penance for my cowardice with regard to standing up and being honest, please find below an article grabbed from the NME.  Published in 1974 the author reviews the excellent album (there, I can admit it now) Crime Of The Century.

Dreamer by Supertramp.  This video is of the band performing at The Great Hall, Queen Mary’s College in 1977.

Supertramp: Crime Of The Century (A&M)

Fred Dellar, NME, 26 October 1974

Own up – you’d written Supertramp off, hadn’t you?

To tell the truth, so had I. Their first album, which appeared in 1970, was a good enough effort though I doubt if, saleswise, it did enough to keep Herb Alpert in bedsocks for a week. And the band’s drummer had a breakdown about that time – which really didn’t help much.

Between then and now there’s been just one album and a few changes in personnel.

And that, my friends, is the history of Supertramp. Not impressive huh?

But now they’ve come up with Crime Of The Century which, whisper it not, has the makings of a monster.

I suppose a lot of the credit for the band’s apparent transformation must go to producer Ken Scott who (Bowie fans please note) has surpassed himself on this occasion and shaped an album that grips you right from the first eerie sound of Richard Davies’ mouth-harp.

But the more I play Crime – and that’s pretty often – the more I appreciate the strength of Supertramp’s writing and playing abilities.

The band – Davies (keyboards, vocals), Roger Hodgson (guitars, keyboards, vocals), John Helliwell (reeds and vocals), Dougie Thomson (bass), Bob Bemberg (drums) have at last come up with something they can justifiably call Supertramp music – seventies rock that stems from many sources but funnels down to an almost orchestral sound that’s impressive, though not pretentious.

Among the high-grade tracks are ‘Bloody Well Right’, which moves from a meditative piano lead-in, punctuated by ‘heavy’ blasts, into a solid little bouncer, basically simple but schemed in diverting manner; ‘Rudy’ a song about a guy who’s on a figurative train to nowhere, which comes replete with some Paddington sounds that would have pleased Izzy Brunei mightily; and ‘If Everyone Was Listening’, a pretty ballad and Beatle-ish in so far as Helliwell’s clarinet gives it that kind of aura.

Right then – fair dues to all those involved in Crime Of The Century – to Ken Scott a mention in the New Year’s Honours List, to Richard Davies a gold-plated Steinway…and a fair share of the spoils to A & M, who have for so long placed confidence in the band.

© Fred Dellar, 1974

Bloody Well Right by Supertramp.  The song is about society’s infatuation with money and heritage at the expense of knowledge and education.  Maybe the punks I alluded to above should have considered this before writing the band off. This video is of the band performing at The Great Hall, Queen Mary’s College in 1977.

Prendendo il nome da un libro del 1910,”Autobiography of a Supertramp”,Rick Davies alla fine degli anni ‘60 cerca membri per formare una band,i Supertramp appunto. Costituisce così un capitolo della storia del rock alquanto originale per le vicissitudini che poi si legheranno a questo nome. Dall’anonimato completo degli inizi che si rispecchia nei risultati nulli di vendita dei primi due album e in tournée disastrose(in Svezia il furgone con a bordo la strumentazione che precipita in un burrone,al Bataclan di Parigi davanti a 9 spettatori paganti di cui 7 alla fine si scopriranno figuranti assunti dal tour manager) fino ad una fama discreta,per poi sfociare nell’incredibile successo mondiale assolutamente inaspettato a cui li porterà “Breakfast in America” ed al ritorno alla normalità negli anni successivi.

Dicevamo…..la band riesce nei suoi esordi discografici ad ottenere un contratto con la A&m Records ed il sostegno economico di un mecenate olandese innamorato della loro musica, tal Stanley Arthur Miesegaes. Entrato nel gruppo Roger Hodgson,polistrumentista dalla voce eterea e reclutati altri membri i Supertramp sperimentano e cercano il sound definitivo che possa contraddistinguere la band. Nel 1974 la casa discografica minaccia i due leader di rescindere il contratto se il nuovo lavoro avrà risultati disastrosi come i precedenti. Così Roger e Rick cacciano gli altri componenti e si mettono alla ricerca di nuovi musicisti. La line up si completerà con l’arrivo di Dougie Thomson al basso,Bob C. Benberg alla batteria e John Anthony Helliwell al sassofono e fiati.

I cinque si rinchiudono ad libitum in un cottage della campagna inglese. Il risultato che ne uscirà é il loro album migliore(a mio parere assai superiore al più idolatrato “Breakfast in America”)che prenderà il titolo di “Crime of the century”. Con un artwork stupendo e un mix di blues,jazz e atmosfere progressive molto oscure ed un ampio uso di effetti sonori registrati dalla band stessa in giro, il disco balza al primo posto della chart inglese ottenendo successo anche di critica.

L’opera si apre con “School” ,una canzone capolavoro. L’armonica a bocca iniziale può essere scambiata per un grido,ma quello che caratterizza il pezzo sono l’assenza totale di un ritornello ed il lungo intermezzo che sembra provenire dalla colonna sonora di un film horror e che descrive i dubbi del bimbo in questione riguardo l’educazione data dagli insegnanti. “Bloody well right” é una perla di blues jazz old school,introdotta da un grande Rick Davies che vola sui tasti del piano elettrico,vero e proprio marchio di fabbrica della band.

“Hide in your shell” contiene nel suo ritornello il suono di una sega appositamente suonata da un artista di strada chiamato in studio.”Asylum” é totalmente coinvolgente,durante il suo ascolto si finisce sempre più ad immaginare di essere in camice bianco in un elegante giardino a contemplare quello che gli altri non vedono o non vogliono vedere.

“Dreamer” si basa totalmente sul piano elettrico,gli altri strumenti sono quasi totalmente assenti nell’arrangiamento e la sua melodia diventa talmente celebre che Renato Zero la utilizzerà per una versione italiana col testo completamente cambiato intitolata “Sgualdrina”.

“Rudy”,lunga quasi sette minuti,narra con un mood ed un pathos incredibilmente riusciti i tormenti di un innamorato.”If everyone was listening”,nel suo testo,mette in scena la vita come se fosse un’opera teatrale recitata da giullari e clown.

Chiude l’album “Crime of the century”,incredbile pezzo che come l’opener “School” é senza ritornello,e con una struttura che sembra  sospesa nell’aria.Forse la canzone più bella e tignosa al primo ascolto di tutta l’opera.

E’ strano al giorno d’oggi ascoltare questo disco. Lo stile dei Supertamp si basa soprattuto sull’uso di pianoforte e tastiere ed un ampio uso di sax di ogni tonalità e clarinetto. Il tutto in un mix che ,ci tengo a ribadire,in qualche caso risulta quasi inquietante nelle atmosfere che si vengono a creare.

“….Who are these men of lust, greed, and glory? Rip off the masks and let see…” diceva trent’anni fa Rick Davies mentre cantava “Crime of the century”…….

Glenn Beck – Exposes ACORN

Glenn Beck, ACORN & Relation to Sanders of Golden West Financial 06/03/09
 
 

Glenn Beck – ACORN & SEIU using Thug Tactics?

Barack Hussein Obama and Friends – A History of Radicalism

Glenn Beck ACORN With Bill O’Reilly 05 28 09 Part 2

Glenn Beck Interviews Marcel Reid of ACORN 8 on Audit Request. 05 29 09

Glenn Beck & Judicial Watch Pres Tom Fitton, on ACORN Involvement in 2010 Census. 05 29 09

Matthew Vadum on Glenn Beck Program, May 13, 2009, part 1 of 2

Matthew Vadum on Glenn Beck Program, May 13, 2009, part 2 of 2

Kevin Whelan, ACORN Spokesperson

Barack Obama – ACORN Will Shape My Domestic Policy

OBAMA’S ACORN EXPOSED PART 1 OF 2

OBAMA’S ACORN EXPOSED PART 2 OF 2

SEIU Boss Puts Politicians On Notice

Political Payback: SEIU Influences Use of Stimulus Money in California

National Right to Work Talks Card Check On Lou Dobbs

Obama supports the Employee Free Choice Act

Former Union Organizing Director discusses Card Check

 US Federal Government Deficits

Stop Spending Our Future – The Crisis

Joe Stiglitz …explains how we got robbed by tarp 2

Inside Look – How Not to Fix the Financial System – Bloomberg

Is TARP a Criminal Enterprise ? part 1/2 

Is TARP a Criminal Enterprise ? part 2/2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtfhVdvrZkY 

Why Toxic Assets and Incompetent CEOs Persist (FRAUD) 1/3

Why Toxic Assets and Incompetent CEOs Persist (FRAUD) 2/3

Why Toxic Assets and Incompetent CEOs Persist (FRAUD) 3/3

GE Shareholder Meeting: Investors of Tanking Co. Outraged over NBC, MSNBC Bias

GE CORRUPTION: How GE Intends to Make Money from Stimulus Package and Obama Administration

Glenn Beck & Bill O’Reilly: GE, NBC & MSNBC in Corruption Racket with Barack Obama Admin?

Rep. Dingell on Cap and Trade

Cap and Trade: It’s an Energy Tax

Warren Buffett Slams “Cap and Trade” as a Regressive Tax on All Americans

Obama: My Plan Makes Electricity Rates Skyrocket

Kudlow Blasts Cap and Trade

MAJOR REDUCTIONS IN CARBON EMISSIONS ARE NOT WORTH THE MONEY DEBATE: PETER HUBER

You are invited to attend a Tea Party on July 4, 2009, Independence Day!

Join the Second American Revolution

The Meaning of Independence Day

Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights

Second American Revolution–Tea Party Celebrations–Washington Fair–July 4, 2009–An Open Invitation To The American People 

American People’s Plan = 6 Month Tax Holiday + FairTax = Real Hope + Real Change!–Millions To March On Washington D.C. Saturday, July 4, 2009!

Millions of Rightwing Extremists To March On Washington D.C. Fair–Celebrating Independence Day Tea Parties and Chanting “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice!” 

Please Spread The Message of Liberty

 “Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants.”

 Let Freedom Ring  

Thomas Paine on to Washington

switchfoot-dare you to move(live)

Background Articles and Videos

Defending the American Dream

The U.S. Department of Injustice

By Michelle Malkin  •  June 5, 2009 09:56 AM

Heute erinnerte ich mich schlagartig an ein Missverständnis aus einer Jugend. Auf dem Weg zur Arbeit lief ich an einem Plakat zum neuen Film Vorstadtkrokodile vorbei. Und ich musste beschämt zu Boden schauen und lachen, als ich das Logo der Jugendbande sah, eben das Krokodil. In meiner Jugend sah ich 1977 natürlich den Film von Wolfgang Becker. Als ich später in die Schule kam, sah ich auf einmal viele Mitglieder von Jugendbanden. Meine Mitschüler hatten Lacoste-Klamotten an und das Logo dieser Edelmarke von damals war auch ein Krokodil. Und naiv, wie ich war, dachte ich, das Lacoste-Kroko ist das gleiche wie das der Vorstadtkrokodile. Ich war neidisch auf meine Schulkollegen, denn ich wollte der Gang auch angehören. Als ich frage, wie ich denn zu so einem Krokodil mein Eigen nennen könnte, wurde wir der Weg in eine Nobelboutique gewiesen, doch leider konnten die freundlichen Verkäufer mein Problem nicht lösen.

Ich hatte die ganze Sache verdrängt und erst als ich das Plakat wieder sah, kamen die Gedanken wieder hoch. Peinlich, peinlich.

Der Film von 1977 hat mir übrigens gut gefallen. Die Musik war stark. Der Film enthält unter anderem viele Lieder aus der LP Crime of the Century (School, Bloody Well Right, Rudy) von Supertramp, Fools von Deep Purple, Mistreated von Rainbow, Time has come today von den Chambers Brothers. In der Szene, in der Frank die Krokodiler-Hütte auf dem Ziegeleigelände demoliert, hört man Ausschnitte aus Tales of Mystery and Imagination von The Alan Parsons Project. Ich glaube, ich schaue mir die Neuverfilmung von Christian Ditter auch an. Im Keller hab ich noch das Buch von Max von der Grün.

Governor Rod Blagojevich and President-elect Barack Obama

Governor Rod Blagojevich Was Arrested On Corruption Charges | Rezko – Obama Connection?

obama’s Chicago- Rod Blagojevich Invites People To Record Him

Exposing Blagojevich

Obama’s Chicago- Reports On The Arrest Charges Against Rod Blagojevich

Obama talks- Gov Blagojevich Political Scandal Dec 9th 2008

Axelrod says Obama talked with Blagojevich about who he wants to replace him

Obama speaks on Illinois Governor and Climate-Change 10 Dec 08

Connecting the Dots in the Corrupted Chicago Politics–Blagojevich, Rezko, Obama, Emanuel, Axelrod

Al Capone – The Untouchables

The Chicago Way

The french connection (1971) car chase

The climate in Chicago and Illinois politics just got very hot for the Chicago professional criminal class–Democratic politicians.

Instead of using the royal we, President-elect Barack Obama was quick to use the word I:

“I had no contact with the governor or his office, and so we were not — I was not aware of what was happening,”

So, who in the Obama family contacted Governor Blagojevich to make known BO’s pick to fill the Senate seat.

BO apparently wanted Valerie Jarrett and not Jessee Jackson Jr. to fill the Senate seat he resigned from recently.

Why did she suddenly backoff given the support of President-elect Barrack Obama?

Did she report back to Obama that the Governor was looking for some form of payoff for the appointment or “pay to play”?

If she did, then did President-elect report this to the FBI or US Attorney in Chicago?

Obama’s “Other Half”

Transition Update: Valerie Jarrett on Ethics Reform

Valerie Jarrett Obama’s secret campaign weapon

Valerie Jarrett’s Thoughts on Barack Obama

Looks like it is Jesse Jackson Jr. might be the French Connection and he is running scared.

Jesse Jackson Jr.’s Press Conference

Jesse Jackson Jr. Denies Offering Payment for U.S. Senate Seat

Jesse Jackson Jr on Cnn’s Larry King Live

Jackson is protesting too much.

The reporter should have asked Jackson when he said he was not a target of the investigation, whether he was a subject of the investigation?

I suspect he is a subject of the investigation and might be a future target if the scope of the investigation is expanded.

Did he speak with the Governor on a telephone in the same four years that he did not meet with him?

Observe that President-elect Obama was not as emphatic or forthcoming as Congressman Jackson as to what his ”family”  or staff said to Governor Blagojevich.

Both Barack Obama and Jessee Jackson Jr. did not take any questions at their press conferences.  

Instead of being outraged and offended by the Governor’s behavior, Obama was “saddened” and “sobered”.

Who is the French Connection or the Obama family “we”  that was in contact with Governor Blagojevich regarding the Senator apppointment?

Were their conservations also captured on tape?

Were crimes committed?

Was someone setup?

Who flipped on the Governor and wore the wire?

Did Rezko give up someone close to the Governor who in turn gave them the Governor by wearing a wire? 

The timing of the announcement of the arrest is also suspect.

If there were crimes committed before the election, why were arrests not made then?

Why shut down the investigation and not let it run to see who pays for being appointed Senator?

Who is protecting who?

The irony and arrogance  of the Gore Obama press conference is President-elect Barack Obama aids and abetts the tax and investment fraud of man-made global warming requires a new cap and trade tax to save the planet –the biggest rip-off of the American people in a century!

Obama Carbon Tax Will Destroy Economy, Based on Hoax

Shikha Dalmia on Cap and Trade

Cost of Cap & Trade

The climate of earth has been changing since the formation of the planet.

Man-made climate change caused by carbon dioxide emission from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and gasoline is a rounding error or immaterial in changing the climate of planet earth.

The junk science of climate computer models is being wrongly used to justify the biggest tax increase in US history, namely the cap and trade tax.

The professsional criminal class is trying to rip off the American people by increasing taxes on energy use and justifying it in terms of  “saving the planet”.

Neither the American people nor reputable scientists are buying man-made global warming.

The climate of the planet has turned cool to cold as solar activity declines and temperatures fall.

Note the change in wording from man-made global warming to man-made climate change.

The sun or variation in solar activity  is the primary driver of climate change! 

Unstoppable Solar Cycles

This video sets aside doomsday alarmism and political axe-grinding to look at the science behind the history of climate change on earth. An examination of early Viking colonies on Greenland, wiped out by a period of global cooling, enables scientists to draw important conclusions about our current phase in the climate cycle. What we learn in this program is that earth’s climate is always changing – from The Middle Ages and the “Little Ice Age” to the modern warming that has been going on since 1850 (well before human-generated CO2 began increasing in our atmosphere).

Dr. Willie Soon, an Astrophysicist from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and Dr. David Legates, a Climatologist from the Center from Climate Research at the University of Delaware provide an easy-to-follow review of current climate science, which suggests that the sun’s irregular patterns and other natural forces are the major sources of climate change.

Climate Change – Bob Carters 5 Tests of CO2 part 1

Climate Change – Bob Carters 5 Tests of CO2 part 2

Apparently the sun is not cooperating with the crime of the century.

Rumor has it that a new energy and climate change czarina will be appointed soon, namerly Carol M. Browner, an Al Gore global warming fanatic and his former Legislative Director.

 Carol M. Browner

“…Browner also has taken action against one of the nation’s most serious threats: global warming. She believes the country, working together, can address this problem in ways that grow our economy and improve our competitiveness. For example, under her leadership, EPA has built partnerships with thousands of businesses and organizations to use energy more efficiently. Just in 1997, these partnerships prevented the release of nearly 60 million tons of carbon dioxide, the primary contributor to global warming. At the same time, these measures saved businesses and consumers more than $1 billion. …”

http://www.epa.gov/history/admin/agency/browner.htm

She will responsible for coordinating  energy, climate and environmental issues and initiatives.

She appears to be just another lawyer that does not understand either economics or science but knows how to wreck the US economy and destroy jobs by advocating the carbon cap and trade tax.

Browner and Greener
Needless to say, the nation’s energy crisis is no longer Barack Obama’s top priority.By Max Schulz“…Browner served eight ferocious years as Bill Clinton’s

EPA chief, after having been Senator Al Gore’s legislative director. At EPA, she worked hand-in-glove with the nation’s politically minded environmental organizations (and now, handily enough, sits on the boards of several of them), and became known for favoring a heavy-handed regulatory agenda. Browner was the driving force behind the federal government’s effort to force GE to spend $490 million to dredge New York’s Hudson River to rid it of PCBs that — because they were buried under layers of silt — posed no environmental harm.

Browner’s push for overly stringent clean-air regulations drew cries of alarm from across the political spectrum. Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Richard Daley, for instance, warned that Browner’s regs would quash economic development in inner cities. Fortunately, many of the Browner EPA’s more aggressive actions were reversed in the legislature or through the courts — in fact, some of her employees wound up facing criminal charges for falsifying evidence and manipulating lab results. Far-left environmentalists are more likely to be cheered than troubled by that fact, of course.

What is generally missing from the Obama green team is a recognition of the critical need to increase the supplies of energy that power our economy. It’s one thing to pine for a day when everything runs on clean, green energy; it’s quite another to bravely acknowledge that fossil fuels like oil, natural gas, and coal (along with nuclear power) do the heavy lifting in our energy economy, and will continue to do so for years to come. Energy issues gathered steam over the summer because consumers were fed up with skyrocketing prices. When the economy picks back up, and demand for oil with it, prices will likely soar once more. Nothing in Obama’s impending selections suggests a desire to address those fundamental supply questions. …”

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NWQyZWEzOWQ3MTRhOTYxMzZjNDlkYTg5NzdhODRmOWM= 

 

Carol Browner – Embrace a Cap-and-Trade Requirement

Inside the Transition: Energy & Environment Policy Team

Carol Browner on Climate Matters Act

Energy & Environment, – America’s Role in the World

Browner likes to equate carbon dioxide emissions with sulfur dioxide emissions when advocating a cap and trade tax.

The problem is carbon dioxide is not a pollutant and sulfur dioxide is a pollutant.

Nor does carbon dioxide cause global warming or climate change.

The level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a lagging result of climate change not the cause of climate change.

She will be a shill for proposing the largest tax increase in US history and say she is recommending this to “save the planet”.

George Carlin – Saving the Planet

The majority of the American people are not buying this junk science rubbish from the so called American elites.

20/20 Stossel- GMAB – Al Gore Global Warming Debate

Carbon Dioxide is Our Friend

Global Warming – Carbon Dioxide

The arrest of Governor Blagojevich for the crime of solicitation of bribery is chump change, a triffling sum of money.

Compare this  crime to both former Vice-President Gore’s and President-elect Obama’s continuing efforts to rip off the American people and wreck the American economy by imposing a cap and trade tax to “save the planet” from climate change.

Give me a break! 

The world is not running out of oil, just cheap oil.

ABC News : 20/20 : Myth : Is Oil Truly…

Build 500 nuclear plants over the next twenty-five years to produce over 95% of the United States’ electrical power requirements.

Gradually transition to electrical powered  vehicles as the nuclear power plants come on line and technology and innovation make electrical vehicles affordable.

This would lead to real energy independence for the United States of America.

Go nuclear! 

Background Articles and Videos

Obama reacts to Illinois governor’s arrest

Chicago Mob, JFK, & Cuba

Dirty Barack Obama

Obama and Rezko

Barack Obama – Tony Rezko Convicted – Political Fixer

Man vs. Mob

How to win an election (by Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.)

Crooked Carol Browner: Obama’s ethically-challenged energy czar

By Michelle Malkin

“…On her last day in office, nearly eight years ago, Browner oversaw the destruction of agency computer files in brazen violation of a federal judge’s order requiring the agency to preserve its records. This from a public official who bragged about her tenure: “One of the things I’m the proudest of at EPA is the work we’ve done to expand the public’s right to know.”

Asked to explain her track-covering actions, the savvy career lawyer Browner played dumb. Figuratively batting her eyelashes, she claimed she had no clue about a court injunction signed by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth on the same day she commanded an underling to wipe her hard drives clean. Golly gee willikers, how could that have slipped by her? …”  

“…Is this a gamble the Obama administration wants to take? Browner has crossed the line and violated public trust before in her capacity as eco-chief. Early in her first term as EPA head, Browner got caught by a congressional subcommittee using taxpayer funds to create and send out illegal lobbying material to over 100 grassroots environmental lobbying organizations. Browner exploited her office to orchestrate a political campaign by left-wing groups, who turned around and attacked Republican lawmakers for supporting regulatory reform. These are the very same groups – anti-business, anti-sound science, pro-eco-hysteria – that Browner would be working arm in arm with as Obama’s “energy czar.”

This is regression we can’t afford. …”

http://michellemalkin.com/2008/12/12/crooked-carol-browner-obamas-ethically-challenged-energy-czar/

Breaking: Obama calls for Blago’s resignation

 by Ed Morrissey

“…Well, well, well.  It didn’t take long for Barack Obama to throw his former political ally Rod Blagojevich under the bus.  Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs announced just a few minutes ago that Obama wants Blagojevich to resign as governor of Illinois:

President-elect Barack Obama is calling for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to resign. Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs says the president-elect agrees with other prominent politicians that “under the current circumstances, it is difficult for the governor to effectively do his job and serve the people of Illinois.”

Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday, accused of scheming to enrich himself by selling Obama’s vacant Senate seat. The governor has authority to appoint the replacement. He denies any wrongdoing.

Obama had tried to avoid commenting on Blagojevich’s options yesterday, preferring to remain aloof and let the process work itself out.  Within 24 hours, Obama apparently changed his mind.  Why?  Perhaps David Axelrod’s remarks from last month unnerved the President-elect, and he decided that he had to get significant distance from Blagojevich. …”

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/12/10/breaking-obama-calls-for-blagos-resignation/

FULL CHARGES AGAINST ILLINOIS GOVERNOR ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH AND HIS CHIEF OF STAFF JOHN HARRIS ARRESTED ON FEDERAL CORRUPTION AT A STAGGERING LEVEL

“Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff, John Harris, were arrested today by FBI agents on federal corruption charges alleging that they and others are engaging in ongoing criminal activity: conspiring to obtain personal financial benefits for Blagojevich by leveraging his sole authority to appoint a United States Senator; threatening to withhold substantial state assistance to the Tribune Company in connection with the sale of Wrigley Field to induce the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members sharply critical of Blagojevich; and to obtain campaign contributions in exchange for official actions – both historically and now in a push before a new state ethics law takes effect January 1, 2009.

Blagojevich, 51, and Harris, 46, both of Chicago, were each charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery. They were charged in a two-count criminal complaint that was sworn out on Sunday and unsealed today following their arrests, which occurred without incident, announced Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Both men were expected to appear later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

A 76-page FBI affidavit alleges that Blagojevich was intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps during the last month conspiring to sell or trade Illinois’ U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama for financial and other personal benefits for himself and his wife. At various times, in exchange for the Senate appointment, Blagojevich discussed obtaining:

• A substantial salary for himself at a either a non-profit foundation or an organization affiliated with labor unions;
• Placing his wife on paid corporate boards where he speculated she might garner as much as $150,000 a year;
• Promises of campaign funds – including cash up front …”

http://www.thechicagosyndicate.com/2008/12/full-charges-against-illinois-governor.html

Boomerang: The Democrat culture of corruption

By Michelle Malkin

“My syndicated column today looks at how the Democrat “culture of corruption” boomerang has returned to smack the donkeys right back in the face.

Snort-worthy: Guess what big national event is taking place in Chicago this week? The 30th annual COGEL (Council on Governmental Ethics Laws) Conference.

“…U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald called the breadth and depth of charges against Blagojevich and his Democratic Chief of Staff John Harris “staggering.” That’s an understatement. Anything that breathed was a potential shakedown target. It’s the Chicago way. Democrat Blago’s so dirty he’d hit up a children’s hospital for money. Oh, wait. He’s accused of doing that, too.

Democrat Blago allegedly conspired to use his power to appoint President-elect Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat as a bargaining chip for financial payment. He explored trading on that authority for an appointment as Health and Human Services secretary or as an ambassador or for installment in a cushy union position. (He discussed his trading scheme with an unnamed “SEIU (Service Employees International Union) official” and unnamed “various consultants” in Washington.)

According to the criminal complaint released yesterday, he also tried to leverage his influence over the sale of Wrigley Field (owned by Tribune media company) in an attempt to get Chicago Tribune editorial writers who called for his impeachment fired — which illustrates the very perils of media/government entanglements I warned about in my newspaper bailout column last week. His wife, Patricia Blagojevich, was apparently in on the thuggery, too. Taking a break from her first lady duties advocating “on behalf of women and children,” she is heard in taped discussions about the Chicago Tribune/Wrigley Field deal telling a governor’s aide “to hold up that f**king Cubs sh*t. … F**k them.” …”

http://michellemalkin.com/2008/12/10/boomerang-the-democrat-culture-of-corruption/

Governor Accused in Scheme to Sell Obama’s Senate Seat

“…Mr. Obama, who Mr. Fitzgerald said was not implicated in the case, sought to put distance between himself and the governor during brief remarks on Tuesday afternoon and later in an interview with The Chicago Tribune, saying he did not discuss his Senate seat with Mr. Blagojevich.

“I had no contact with the governor or his office, and so we were not — I was not aware of what was happening,” Mr. Obama said. “And as I said, it’s a sad day for Illinois. Beyond that, I don’t think it’s appropriate to comment.”

Throughout his career, Mr. Obama has adroitly straddled the state’s bruising politics, forming alliances with some old-style politicians even as he pressed for ethics reform. But Mr. Obama had long been estranged from the governor, even though some in his political circle have had relationships with both of them, including Rahm Emanuel, his chief of staff, and Emil Jones Jr., the retiring State Senate president and a longtime mentor.

The federal accusations against Mr. Blagojevich go beyond the Senate question into what the authorities here described as a “political corruption crime spree.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/us/politics/10Illinois.html?_r=1

The Blagojevich Case: Why Did Fitzgerald Act Now?
A corruption investigation stopped short.

By Byron York 

“There are a lot of questions stemming from the criminal complaint detailing Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s alleged efforts to sell the Senate seat vacated by President-Elect Barack Obama. Who are the various advisers and potential candidates named in the 76-page complaint? What, if any, contacts did Blagojevich or his emissaries have with representatives of the Obama transition? And did Obama ever speak to Blagojevich about the issue? (Obama says he didn’t, and top adviser David Axelrod now says he was “mistaken” when he said the two men had, in fact, talked.)

But of all those questions, perhaps the most intriguing is why prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, whose office had been gathering astonishing evidence implicating Blagojevich and others, went public Tuesday with the criminal complaint and arrest of Blagojevich. Why not let the investigation go on, at least for a bit longer? At his news conference, Fitzgerald attributed his action to Blagojevich’s allegedly corrupt dealings involving a Chicago hospital, and corrupt dealings toward the Tribune company, and then added, “You take that, and what’s going on, and add it to the fact that we have a Senate seat that seemed to be as recently as days ago auctioned off to the highest bidder for campaign contributions and Gov. Blagojevich’s own words on the tape, on the bug, that set forth in the complaint talked about selling this like a sports agent. So we stepped in for a number of reasons.”

Later in his news conference, however, Fitzgerald suggested that the alleged Senate deal had come to drive the investigation — “When there’s a bunch of people scheming in private, and they think no one’s listening and no one’s aware of it, they can do a heck of a lot more than when someone goes and basically raids the crime in plot and airs what’s going on,” he said. And a reading of the criminal complaint suggests that events in the alleged Senate selloff might have been what tipped prosecutors toward action. As the investigation moved toward what appeared to be a climax, with perhaps a deal to be made for a Senate seat, a media report scared Blagojevich, who up to that point had displayed astonishingly brazen behavior. Blagojevich stopped the Senate-selling negotiations and began planning a legal defense — and Fitzgerald, his target now on the alert, went public a short time later. …”

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NzhiYmFlMDZiNzkxYmZlMThmMTZjNDJlYzYwM2ZhNjY= 

Illinois Governor arrested for attempted sale of Obama’s Senate seat

Thomas Lifson

“…The political cesspool which gave birth to Barack Obama’s political career has served up yet another scandal , this time involving the alleged attempted sale of the Senate seat President-elect Obama will soon vacate. The Chicago Tribune reports:

Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested by FBI agents on federal corruption charges Tuesday morning.

Blagojevich and Harris were arrested simultaneously at their homes at about 6:15 a.m., according to Frank Bochte of the FBI. Both were awakened in their residences and transported to FBI headquarters in Chicago.

In one charge related to the appointment of a senator to replace Barack Obama, prosecutors allege that Blagojevich sought appointment for himseld as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the new Obama administration, or a lucrative job with a union, in exchange for appointing a union-preferred candidate.

Another charge alleges Blagojevich and Harris conspired to demand the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members responsible for editorials critical of him in exchange for state help with the sale of Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs baseball stadium owned by Tribune Co.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/12/illinois_governor_arrested_for.html  

Barack Obama & Chicago mob: next on Patrick Fitzgerald’s agenda?

“…Michael Sneed dropped a juicy hint in yesterday’s Chicago Sun Times.  To wit:

Sneed hears rumbles political fund-raiser/fixer Tony Rezko, who is now singing sweetly to the feds from his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, has been talking about his “dealings” with a Chicago bank, which has political connections.

A Chicago bank with “political connections”?  Hillbuzz makes the case that it’s Broadway Bank, formerly run by youngster Illinois State Treasurer and Obama banker Alexi Giannoulias who . . .

1. financed Chicago mobster Michael “Jaws” Giorango;

2. reportedly served as banker for Obama’s 2004 Illinois Senate campaign and made a subprime loan in 1996 to Barack Obama for the purchase of a Chicago townhouse; and

3. surprisingly, bumped Rep. Charlie Rangel out of the Dem Convention in July.

With such a cast of characters — including slumlord and key Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett — surrounding the current poll leader for the U.S. presidency, the White House, after four years, might just look like the dilapidated, federally subsidized Chicago tenements in this Boston Globe expose: …”

http://iperceive.net/barack-obama-chicago-mob-next-on-patrick-fitzgeralds-agenda/

Chicago Democrats and The Chicago Mob

 By Steve Bartin

“…Chicago has had a Democratic Mayor since 1931,and today in 2008, 49 of 50 Chicago Aldermen are Democrats.This long post is about the Chicago Mob and the Democratic Party machine.
Former Alderman Dick Simpson, who’s now a professor at University of Illinois-Chicago, has some disturbing numbers on Chicago and Illinois politicians:

Since 1973, the U.S. attorney has indicted 30 aldermen and convicted 27 (one died before trial and two stand trial this spring).The Public Corruption and Accountability Project at UIC calculates that there have been more than 1,000 local and state governmental officials convicted since the 1970s. The “corruption tax,” or cost of government corruption for Cook County residents, is now more than $300 million a year, greater than the local government tax increases this year. We can’t really afford more local “Hired Truck” schemes, patronage hiring, or the state pension and driver license scandals of recent years.

Sounds like becoming an elected Alderman in Chicago has an unusual felony conviction rate,which certainly says something about the people who seek elected office in Chicago and the voters who put them in office.Yes,there have been many corrupt Aldermen in Chicago.But,one man stands above all other in terms of institutionalizing corruption in Chicago: Alderman Fred Roti.

Unless we understand the prolific criminal legacy of Alderman Roti,we can’t understand how today,in 2008,Alderman Roti along with his friends,relatives,and associates have turned Chicago’s city government into a racketeering enterprise.We must go back in time to a Chicago Tribune article on February 14,1982 titled BEST AND BRIGHTEST NO MATCH FOR OLD GUARD AT CITY HALL to understand the power of Alderman Roti:

Roti has placed nearly as many city employees on the payroll as the city personnel department,and many of them are his own family members.This is not a new trend under [Mayor] Byrne,however.Under former Mayors Richard Daley and Michael Bilandic,members of the Roti clan have always had spectacular success gaining public employment.Last fall it was disclosed that Roti family payrollers include his daughter,Rosemary,a press aide to Mayor Byrne at $25,992 a year;and Rosemary’s husband,Ronald Marasso,who had been promoted from city painter to $34,000 -a -year general manager of maintenance at O’Hare International Airport.Fourteen other Roti clan members were on various other city payrolls.Because of his ward number,Roti’s name is always called first during council roll calls,and he revels in that privilege.His initial response gives other administration alderman their cue as to what Roti-and,therefore,the mayor-wants.It’s often said that roll calls could stop after Roti votes-the outcome is already known.Roti,an affable fellow, controls the Chicago City Council with an iron fist.

Years later in May of 2006, The Chicago Sun-Times gave a more disturbing explanation of who Alderman Fred Roti really was:

Roti became 1st Ward alderman in 1968. He soon became one of the most powerful, well-liked and respected members of the City Council. Roti was also a “made member” of the mob, according to the FBI …” 

http://nalert.blogspot.com/2008/03/chicago-democrats-and-chicago-mob.html

When Corruption Was King

“…By the second half of the twentieth century, Chicago’s Mafia, known as The Outfit, was the most powerful Mob in the history of organized crime. While Mafia families warred among themselves on the East Coast, in Chicago they united into one monolithic force, not only controlling all major criminal activity in the city, but eventually, everything west of the Mississippi. They skimmed cash from casinos in Las Vegas and looted pension funds from two national unions, the Teamsters and the Laborers. The key to the Mob’s power in Chicago was their unprecedented ability to corrupt the city’s political and judicial leadership. Crooked judges threw out cases against Hit Men. Mobsters and Mob associates took top jobs in city government, including, at one point, Chief of Detectives for the Chicago Police Department. …”

http://www.whencorruptionwasking.com/chicago.html

What Happens to Chicago’s Top Mob and Corruption Fighter After the Presidential Election?

“…Despite the national media’s childlike fantasy that Illinois is something like Camelot—where the knights rise to power without staining their shining armor—we’re still neck deep in corruption and sleazy pay-to-play politics.

The Chicago Outfit, though wounded, still reaches out to friendly pols. The bipartisan Illinois Combine that runs things isn’t finished, though a Republican boss was indicted last week. The Democratic half of the Combine, Chicago’s Daley machine, is now poised to leverage the awesome power of the White House. And what the machine wants is control of the federal hammer in its backyard.

Readers keep asking me the same question: Will the next president keep Patrick Fitzgerald as the U.S. attorney in Chicago?

I really can’t say. What are political promises worth from politicians with debts to pay? But here’s what I do know. There is no story more important to the people of Chicago and of Illinois than the future of Fitzgerald, who has systematically hunted down the corruption.

Corruption the Chicago Way doesn’t only waste money and burden taxpayers. This isn’t only about isolated instances of graft and amusing, earthy rapscallions. That is a cartoon. The reality is that Illinois political corruption is an infection that spreads. The people either are numbed and deny it, or they feel pressured to suck up to their overlords. That’s not American. That’s positively Medieval.

That’s how important this is. Both John McCain and Barack Obama have promised to keep Fitzgerald here.

“If we lose him, we lose everything,” said a Chicago FBI agent wise in the ways of Chicago politics and its symbiosis with the Chicago mob. “I can’t imagine it happening. He’s the guy who pulls the trigger on all these investigations. If it happens, if they get rid of him, forget it.” …”

“…Another Chicago connection, U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Tomczak), is being rumored as a possible White House chief of staff. Emanuel would also look first to protect the mayor. Washington Beltway reporters won’t tell you this, because they must figure that what happens in Chicago stays in Chicago, but a few years ago, Emanuel was elected with the help of a massive patronage army of stooges on the City Hall payroll who pounded the precincts.

The fellow who directed this army for Emanuel is the corrupt former city water boss Donald Tomczak. He now sits in federal prison in Duluth, Minn., while Emanuel prepares to reform us all. It was Fitzgerald’s office that put Tomczak away.

Back in March, Obama visited the Tribune’s editorial board. He said that if elected president, he would keep Fitzgerald in place. …”

http://www.thechicagosyndicate.com/2008/11/what-happens-to-chicagos-top-mob-and.html

Web of Influence

“…The United States attorney’s office in Chicago accused Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of having numerous schemes for profiting from his office. The affidavit contains details of a five-year investigation into public corruption and accusations of “pay to play” deals. This chart shows some of Mr. Blagojevich’s interactions with advisers, fund-raisers and other individuals, both named and unnamed. …”

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/12/09/us/20081209_corruption.html  

Will Chicago’s Mob History and Clout Mentality Follow Obama to the White House?

“The city of Chicago is one of the few major metropolitan areas that runs away from its past at every opportunity. Yet, indeed, the very construction of the city led to the term “underworld.” And with rampant corruption controlled by infamous individuals like “Big Jim” Colosimo, Al Capone, Paul “The Waiter” Ricca, Murray “The Camel” Humphrey and Tony “Joe Batters” Accardo, Chicago can hardly bury its past — no pun intended.

Since the turn of the 20th century, what Carl Sandburg referred to as the “City of Big Shoulders” was perhaps the center of organized crime in the United States. Though New York had its Syndicate and Detroit had the Purple Gang, many believe true power in America’s underworld was concentrated in something called the Outfit.

With the election of Barack Obama will come a great deal of history-laden baggage, which will make the movie “The Godfather” seem like a Walt Disney cartoon.

From David Axelrod, who was nurtured on the Daley Machine, to the political organizing, which Barack Obama so proudly claims a lineage, Chicago’s brand of one Party politics may be a model for the Obama administration in Washington, D.C.

It is no mistake the president-elect joined Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s South Side Chicago church. Obama wanted to learn the ropes of power politics and how it was played in the Windy City. There were no better teachers than Mayor Daley and his cadre of obliging aldermen who responded to the cracking of the political whip. A failure to do so would quickly leave them on the outside looking in — without protection from the media, the law and any other threat which loomed on the horizon. …”

http://www.thechicagosyndicate.com/2008/12/will-chicagos-mob-history-and-clout.html

 

Global Warming: How Hot Air and Bad Science Will Give You Staggeringly Higher Taxes and Prices

 

Cap-and-trade like Soviet-style central planning

 

Letterman – Politics – fun with palin, obama, blagojevich, the bailouts, bill clinton – 12-09-2008

 

 

Carol Browner

“Carol M. Browner (born December 16, 1955) served as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency during the Clinton Administration in the United States and President-Elect Obama’s future Energy Czar. She is the longest-serving administrator in the history of the agency, staying through both terms of the Clinton presidency. …”

“…Browner received her undergraduate degree and law degree from the University of Florida in 1977 and 1979. In the early stage of her career, she worked for Citizen Action as its associate director and served as general counsel to the Florida House Committee on Government Operations.

Between 1986 and 1991, she served as a key aide to Senator Lawton Chiles and then-Senator Al Gore. Browner headed the Florida Department of Environmental Protection from 1991 to 1993.^[1] ” 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Browner

 

Carol Browner Set to Be Obama’s Energy Coordinator (Update1)

“…President-elect Barack Obama is in the final stages of putting together his energy team, with former Environmental Protection Agency chief Carol Browner as his likely pick for a newly created position overseeing energy, climate and environmental issues, Democratic aides said. …”

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a1T31BGhDxT8&refer=home

 

Nuclear power in France

“In France, as of 2002^[update], Électricité de France (EDF) — the country’s main electricity generation and distribution company — manages the country’s 59 nuclear power plants. As of 2008^[update], these plants produce 87.5% of both EDF’s and France’s electrical power production (of which much is exported),^[1] making EDF the world leader in production of nuclear power by percentage. In 2004, 425.8 TWh out of the country’s total production of 540.6 TWh was from nuclear power (78.8%).^[1]

France is the world’s largest net exporter of electric power, exporting 18% of its total production (about 100 TWh) to Italy, the Netherlands, Britain, and Germany, and its electricity cost is among the lowest in Europe.^[1][2]

In 2006, the French Government asked Areva and EDF to build a next generation nuclear reactor, the EPR (European Pressurized Reactor), at the Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant. This was followed in 2008 by an Presidential announcement of another new EPR, spurred by high oil and gas prices.^[3] A site for that unit should be selected in 2009, and construction should start in 2011. …”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_France

 

Nuclear power in the United States

“…As of 2007 in the United States, there are 104 (69 pressurized water reactors and 35 boiling water reactors) commercial nuclear generating units licensed to operate, producing a total of 97,400 megawatts (electric), which is approximately 20% of the nation’s total electric energy consumption. The United States is the world’s largest supplier of commercial nuclear power. …”

“…In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in nuclear power in the US. This has been facilitated in part by the federal government with the Nuclear Power 2010 Program, which coordinates efforts for building new nuclear power plants,^[3] and the Energy Policy Act which makes provisions for nuclear and oil industries.^[4][5]

As of April 2008, the NRC is expecting 23 COL applications for a total of 34 new plants.^[6]

As of 2005^[update], no nuclear plant had been ordered without subsequent cancellation for over twenty years. However, on September 22, 2005 it was announced that two sites had been selected to receive new power reactors (exclusive of the new power reactor scheduled for Idaho National Laboratory) and two other utilities have plans for new reactors.^[7] There has also been an application for an early site permit at Exelon’s Clinton Nuclear in Clinton, Illinois to install another reactor as well as a reactor restart at the Tennessee Valley Authority Browns Ferry nuclear station.^[8]

On September 25, 2007, South Texas Project filed the application for a Combined Construction and Operating License (COL). Two new GE-Hitachi ABWRs will be built adjacent to the existing PWRs.^[9] This is the first application for a new nuclear plant in the US for nearly 30 years.^{[citation needed]} This was followed in October, 2007 by TVA and NuStart filing for a COL for two Westinghouse AP1000s to be built at Bellefonte in Hollywood, Alabama.^[10]

In April 2008 Southern Company signed an engineering and procurement contract with Westinghouse and Shaw Group for two AP1000s to be built at Vogtle in Georgia.^[11] This is the first construction contract for a new nuclear power plant in the US to be signed since 1978.

However, MidAmerican Energy Company decided to “end its pursuit of a nuclear power plant in Payette County, Idaho.”^[12] MidAmerican cited cost as the primary factor in their decision.

On August 26, 2008, it was reported that The Shaw Group and Westinghouse would construct a factory at the Port of Lake Charles at Lake Charles, Louisiana to build components for the Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear reactor. ^[13]

On October 23, 2008, it was reported that Northrop Grumman and Areva were planning to construct a factory in Newport News, Virginia to build nuclear reactors.^[14]

 

^{Feb 2005 opinion poll regarding nuclear power in the USA.
Blue represents people in favor of nuclear power
Gray represents undecided
Yellow represents opposed to nuclear power}

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_the_United_States

 

Electric Cars, Nuclear Power Seen as Top Non-Drilling Alternatives to Foreign Oil

“…With energy policy at the center of the current presidential campaign, voters believe electric or hybrid cars and nuclear power plants are more likely than solar or wind power to significantly reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. Biofuels such as ethanol are seen as even less likely to help.

Still, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 37% believe electric or hybrid cars are Very Likely to have such a positive impact. Thirty-two percent (32%) say the same about nuclear power; 25% are that optimistic about solar power, and 22% say wind power can accomplish the goal.

While none of these alternative energy sources are seen as overwhelmingly likely to reduce dependence on foreign oil, roughly two-thirds or more say each is at least somewhat likely to reduce U.S. reliance on oil from afar. …”

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/general_lifestyle/electric_cars_nuclear_power_seen_as_top_non_drilling_alternatives_to_foreign_oil

Electric vehicle

“An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle with one or more electric motors for propulsion. This is also referred to as an electric drive vehicle. The motion may be provided either by wheels or propellers driven by rotary motors, or in the case of tracked vehicles, by linear motors.

Unlike an internal combustion engine (ICE) that is tuned to specifically operate with a particular fuel such as gasoline or diesel, an electric drive vehicle needs electricity, which comes from sources such as batteries or a generator. This flexibility allows the drive train of the vehicle to remain the same, while the fuel source can be changed.

The energy used to propel the vehicle may be obtained from several sources, some of them more ecological than others:

• on-board rechargeable electricity storage system (RESS), called Full Electric Vehicles (FEV). Power storage methods include:
  • chemical energy stored on the vehicle in on-board batteries: Battery electric vehicle (BEV)
  • static energy stored on the vehicle in on-board electric double-layer capacitors
  • kinetic energy storage: flywheels
• direct connection to land-based generation plants, as is common in electric trains and trolley buses (See also : overhead lines, third rail and conduit current collection)
• renewable sources such as solar power: solar vehicle
• generated on-board using a diesel engine: diesel-electric locomotive
• generated on-board using a fuel cell: fuel cell vehicle
• generated on-board using nuclear energy: nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers

It is also possible to have hybrid electric vehicles that derives energy from multiple sources. Such as:

• on-board rechargeable electricity storage system (RESS) and a direct continuous connection to land-based generation plants for purposes of on-highway recharging with unrestricted highway range
• on-board rechargeable electricity storage system and a fueled propulsion power source (internal combustion engine): plug-in hybrid

Electric vehicles can include electric airplanes, electric boats, and electric motorcycles and scooters. …”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_vehicle 

 

 

Who Killed The Electric Car?

 

The GM EV1

 

GM Unveils VOLT All-Electric Concept Car – Presented By The

 

Chevy Volt – Electric Car – Introduction

 

GM Volt and Toyota Prius on streets of Washington D. C.

 

LOL

Penn & Teller Bullshit Nukes, Hybrids and Lesbians Part 1

 

Penn & Teller Bullshit Nukes, Hybrids and Lesbians Part 2

 

Penn & Teller Bullshit Nukes, Hybrids and Lesbians Part 3

 

 

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Saving The World: The Importance of Getting The Priorities Right

As you know, I just returned from 10 days on the road and a visit to way too many sites to talk about in a single post, so I’ve decided to split the travel tales up into three categories: the historic, the fun and the popular. Today, a look at history:

Stop 1: Nearly 77 years ago, the “crime of the century” took place in Hopewell, N.J., when the 20-month-old son of famous aviator Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped from his nursery and found murdered two months later. The wooded land surrounding the Lindbergh home has shrunk from 600 acres to 350, but the original home still stands. Lindbergh gave the estate to the State of New Jersey to be used to help boys; it now houses the Albert Elias Residential Group Center.

Stop 2: The New Jersey State Police oversaw the investigation into the kidnapping and has the largest collection of archives of the crime. It’s museum in West Trenton houses a wonderful exhibit that includes the wooden ladder used to reach the outside nursery window, ransom notes, ransom money, the baby’s clothes, other trial evidence, and trial footage.

Stop 3: If the kidnapping was the crime of the century, the trial of Bruno Hauptmann, the man accused of the kidnapping, was the trial of the century. It was held at the Hunterdon County Courthouse in Flemington, N.J. Hauptman was found guilty and died in the electric chair (which is usually at the state police museum, but is currently on loan to the Newseum in Washington, D.C.). The trial is reenacted at the courthouse every October. The conviction of Hauptmann remains controversial to this day. My aunt was 10 at the time and recalls the family huddled around the radio the day he was executed. She said she remembers no one in the room saying anything until after it was over. Then my grandfather uttered, “Some day they’ll find out that man didn’t do it.”

Stop 4: More than a century before the Lindbergh kidnapping, two American political rivals met in Weehawken, N.J., along the Hudson River to engage in a famous duel. Alexander Hamilton would die in the duel with Aaron Burr. A bust of Hamilton and the rock where he supposedly collapsed is near the original dueling site.

You know, Sean, I can occassionally sympathize with your undying hatred of the human race. After playing “My Hump”, Alanis Morrissette, and “Numa Numa”, I’m feeling like I need to return to my roots somewhat.

And for the purposes of this post, anyways, that would be Supertramp. I did live in the Nevada City/Grass Valley area, and the local celeberty there was Roger Hodgeson, one of the two main members of Supertramp.

In any case, if you feel like killing all the humans, be careful, or people might talk about putting you in an asylum:

Asylum

I’ve always had an affinity with this song, which should surprise no one. After all, I read things like this[1]:

Don’t arrange to have me sent to no asylum
I’m just as sane as anyone
It’s a just a game I play for fun – for fun.
I told em – look! – I said I’m not the way you’re thinking,
Just when I’m down, I’ll be a clown, I’ll play the fool.

Hide In Your Shell

Ok, let’s be honest; I loved the whole album “Crime of the Century“, which both these songs are off of. This was a particularly good song, though.

Part of why I like this song is that ‘hiding in your shell’ is unfortunately something I’m rather good at. The complex structure on this song is also part of it. And the lyrics are certainly worth a look.

Maybe I'm A Beggar

Now, you might notice the sound of this song is a bit different. That is because this is off of Supertramp’s first album (titled simply “Supertramp”), and Rick Davies and Roger Hodgeson are the only musicians on this album that were on later albums.

Notably, all the lyrics on this album were written Richard Palmer, who also did some of the vocals, including on this song, and wrote lyrics for the band King Crimson.

Oh, and if this song seems like there should be more at the end, the songs on this album tended to work into each other. Really good album, actually, just hard to find, which is why the only copy I have of it is a tape tucked away somewhere.

[1] Skin Horse, by Shaenon Garrity & Jeffrey Wells, incidentally.

I was in the kitchen fashioning myself a decadent London Fog in the usual manner of drama and geist when my mother told me I should have my own TV show. Now, this does stand next to people telling me to do stupid things with my life like being a lawyer or any similar job you can throw a dart at and I won’t shed interest on no matter how many zeros are promised in my paycheck, but I was glad she said that. Even if she didn’t, I’d say she – or someone – did, so I could justify a nonmainstream dream with the assurance that I have what I think it takes.

Not only do I know I have the necessary persona, I have a bunch of friends with equal parts ability and understanding to sacrifice their sanity for a drop of humour and, access to a camera.

What I’m saying is, pursuing a regimented career to gain respect and authority is limiting when you can simultaneously explore the (antipodean!) painfully obvious talent we have to entertain (we could cripple american late night shows, and with a grain of salt, Monty Python). We have to put something together this summer (QED) or I am breaking up with all of you and killing myself with a Sun Hammer.

Tuntini maapallolle:

Kiitos kaikille eiliseen Earth Hour 2008 – tempaukseen osallistumisesta. Hyvinhän se meni Raportit kommenttilaatikossa ja teidän blogeissa lämmittää sydäntä; minulla on ympäristöstä ja sen tulevaisuudesta välittäviä lukijoita. Uskon myös, että usea ohikulkija otti osaa tempaukseen.

Täällä tuo ‘Tunti maapallolle‘ hurahti uskomattoman nopeasti. Kuvailin kynttilöitä, kokeilin valotusasetuksia ja leikin lasipöydän heijastuksilla. Tuli taas opittua uutta tuosta pikku-Nikonista.

Blogiystäviä, jotka ovat tähän mennessä kertoneet blogeissaan eilisestä tunnista ja sen aikaansaamista ajatuksista:

Mehtäsielu
Katriina
MM
Auringonkukkametsä

Tuima

Vaiheinen (lisätty klo. 20:36) Vaiheisella on muuten muulloinkin kuin näinä teemapäivinä ympäristöasioihin liittyviä hyviä kirjoituksia. Suosittelen.

Virallinen Earth Hour kuvasivusto Flickerissä

Päivittelen tätä listaa sitä mukaan kuin niitä tulee eetteriin

Tästä on hyvä jatkaa ilmastonmuutoksen ehkäisemistä pienin jokapäiväisin teoin. Sähkössä säästäminen on oikeastaan aika helppoa, sen kuin napsuttelee niitä nappuloita kiinni. Toisaalta minä olen niin saita, että täällä ei ylimääräiset sähkösyöpöt pääse juhlimaan arkanakaan. Suurin kompastuskivi on ehkä tämä läppäri… Jospa opettelisi pitämään sitä vähemmän auki. Lupaan yrittää. (Kesä tulee, se pysyy kiinni jo luonnostaan huomattavasti enemmän.)

…

(joku on jaksanut värkätä )

Now they’re planning the crime of the century

Well what will it be?
Read all about their schemes and adventuring
It’s well worth a fee
So roll up and see
And they rape the universe
How they’ve gone from bad to worse
Who are these men of lust, greed, and glory?
Rip off the masks and let’s see.
But that’s no right – oh no, what’s the story?
There’s you and there’s me
That can’t be right

A song by Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson

enron the smartest guys in the room – Trailer

Now they’re planning the crime of the century
Well what will it be?
Read all about their schemes and adventuring
It’s well worth a fee

–Supertramp 

enron the smartest guys in the room – Trailer

I normally don’t get too excited about exposé documentaries. So when I was informed of this flick I figured it would be full of the same kind of cherry-picked propaganda that we find in most conspiracy theory movies.

Well, if it is, it sure does a pretty good job of appearing balanced. I watched the full feature last night and found it fascinating.