New York Times has marble contest...

TIANJIN, China — China’s frenetic construction of coal-fired power plants has raised worries around the world about the effect on climate change. China now uses more coal than the United States, Europe and Japan combined, making it the world’s largest emitter of gases that are warming the planet.

But largely missing in the hand-wringing is this: China has emerged in the past two years as the world’s leading builder of more efficient, less polluting coal power plants, mastering the technology and driving down the cost.

While the United States is still debating whether to build a more efficient kind of coal-fired power plant that uses extremely hot steam, China has begun building such plants at a rate of one a month.

Personally, I wasn't aware that we were in a competition with China to see which country could build the most coal-fired power plants. Secondly, the headline is disingenuous:

"China Outpaces U.S. in Cleaner Coal-Fired Plants"

The headline should read:

" Current Administration promised to bankrupt coal-fired plants, and his lemmings are letting him do it...and China is kicking our ass in this faux competition overseen by the NY Times..."

Of course, the US outpaces China in freedoms, convenience stores, brands of ice cream, life expectancy etc...you get the idea. However, this "journalist" finds this comparison necessary for some reason. I've seen other blogs point out that US journalists were incessantly anti-American. I guess this is one of those journalists.

Incidentally, what was all that nonsense during the last Summer Olympics about air quality? It must have been my imagination, but there seemed to be a filthy haze all around the venues. Anyone who has ever been to the metropolitan centers of mainland China knows just how filthy and lacking in environmental respect they really are. I'm wondering if KEITH BRADSHER has every been there...and I shouldn't have that concern from a regional journalist.

Ooooo...cat fight....CAT FIGHT!!!!

Among other things, the appointees will have to deal with bruised feelings among many Democrats over the coup Waxman mounted last November to wrest the gavel of the Energy and Commerce Committee from its longtime leader, Representative John Dingell, Democrat of Michigan and a longtime champion of the auto industry and other Midwest manufacturers.

"For us, it's still a big disappointment," said Senator Debbie Stabenow, Democrat of Michigan, referring to the unseating of Dingell, who was pursuing a more moderate climate proposal than those advocated by Boxer and Waxman.

Stabenow is a leader of the so-called Gang of 10, representing the coal-dependent states in the middle of the country; the group was formed after the failure of a Senate global warming bill pushed by Boxer last June. The members' goal is to assure that their concerns are met in any future legislation.

"We will play an important role in the final bill," Stabenow said.

Yeah...your role will be to sit down and shut up. Ok, Sherman...to the Wayback Machine.

Right away, Mr. Peabody...

This still consists of Obama sending “price signals” that discourage the use of coal. He does say that getting rid of coal altogether is an illusion, but he’s obviously opposed to expanding its use or even keeping it at current levels. He wants to heavily fine coal operators in order to get “billions” for R&D on alternatives, which will send the coal industry reeling and energy prices skyrocketing, as Obama himself pledges later in the same interview.

How do ya like me now??? Cha-cha-cha...

The power of politics...

TOKYO: The Japanese government has acknowledged for the first time that Allied prisoners during World War II were made to work at a coal mine owned by the family of Prime Minister Taro Aso, contradicting longstanding denials by the Japanese leader.

The admission came after the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, under prodding from an opposition lawmaker, released documents showing that 300 British, Dutch and Australian prisoners of war worked at a mine owned by Aso Mining during the last four months of World War II in western Japan.

There is nothing quite so nasty and perverted as politics...and their administrators. For sixty-three years, this dirty little secret festered in (of all places) the basement of the Health Ministry building. The only way it saw the light of day was motivated by an opposition leader to Prime Minister Taro Aso to gain political acuity.

Wrong motivation...desired result.

On a separate note...Al Gore's camp has issued no comment as of yet as to the negative effect that these POW's had on our environment in mining the poison known as coal.