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The Tribe aims for its third consecutive NCAA playoff berth, a feat the program has never accomplished. W&M has made back-to-back playoff appearances twice, in 2009 and 2010, and 1989 and '90. If returning players and preseason predictions are worth anything, the Tribe should make the postseason again. W&M was picked to win the CAA. Fourteen starters return, and the core of the coaching staff remains intact.
32nd year (208-145-2, all at W&M)
Not much to say about Laycock that hasn't already been said or written. He's been the face and voice of the program for more than three decades and is the reason that Tribe football matters. Only Joe Paterno (46) and Bob Ford at Albany (39) have been at their respective schools longer. As a player and coach, Laycock has been a part of 36.7 percent of all the games in the history of William and Mary (395 of 1,077).
Sr. | 5-10 | 201 | RB
The preseason CAA offensive Co-Player of the Year. He led the CAA in all-purpose yardage in 2010 with 135 yards per game. He needs 635 yards to set the school career rushing record. A complete player who runs, catches, blocks and leads.
Sr. | 6-1 | 240 | LB
The senior returns to the program after leaving school last fall for personal reasons. He was second-team All-CAA in 2009. He's a superior middle linebacker and a defensive coach on the field capable of getting people to the right spots.
Sr. | 6-4 | 255 | TE
He was first-team All-CAA a year ago and an All-America candidate this season. He caught 34 passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns. He's the best receiving tight end in the CAA and a solid blocker.
Mike Paulus gets first crack at the starting job, but the transfer from North Carolina is coming off of shoulder surgery and didn't participate in spring drills. He played well in spots last year before the injury and by all accounts is fit, though he and the coaches won't have a feel for his recovery until well into camp. If his talent and touch emerge, it bodes well for the Tribe offense.
Who catches passes besides Alex Gottlieb? Top-shelf WR Ryan Moody is recovering from April knee surgery and is likely out for at least the first part of the season. Among receivers, Moody had more receptions than the rest of the returning group combined. D.J. Mangas and Ryan Woolfolk contributed last season, but the remainder of the receiver corps lacks experience.
New coordinator Scott Boone takes over for Bob Shoop, the architect of the Tribe's defensive improvement over the past three seasons. Though Boone provides continuity and a comfort level for the players, he is untested as a coordinator and game manager. Seven returning starters, including a stout group of linebackers and a pair of excellent corners, should aid the transition.
Punting is a major unknown after the graduation of all-conference punter David Miller, one of the best in school history. Redshirt freshman John Carpenter had an outstanding prep career and possesses a good leg, but hasn't performed in college. The Tribe hopes that placekicker Drake Kuhn is the guy who made his last eight attempts a year ago and not the one who missed half of his first 10 field goals.
Given the quality and depth of the CAA, every team seems to have a nasty stretch of games. The Tribe has a particularly brutal four-week stretch that begins Sept. 24: James Madison, at Villanova, at Delaware, New Hampshire. All four are ranked in preseason polls. The Dukes were picked to finish second in the CAA, and W&M hasn't won at 'Nova since 2000.
Sept. 3 | at Virginia | 6 p.m.
Upset Alert. The Tribe won in Charlottesville 26-14 in 2009, highlighted by B.W. Webb's three interceptions.
Sept. 10 | at VMI | 1:30 p.m.
W&M shoots for its 83rd consecutive win over the rival Keydets. Actually, the Tribe has won the past 24; it just seems like more.
Sept. 17 | vs. New Haven | 7 p.m.
The home opener against the Division II Chargers is a tuneup before things get serious the following week.
Sept. 24 | vs. James Madison | 7 p.m.
The conference opener between the teams picked to finish 1-2. The Dukes have won eight of the last 10 in the series.
Oct. 1 | at Villanova | Noon
The Tribe snapped a six-game losing streak to 'Nova last season, but haven't won there since 2000.
Oct. 8 | at Delaware | 6 p.m.
The Tribe has won three in a row in the series, including last year's 17-16 comeback, in one of the CAA's fiercest rivalries.
Oct. 15 | vs. New Hampshire | Noon
W&M has won eight straight in the series, seven of which have been 10 points or closer.
Oct. 22 | vs. Towson | 3:30 p.m.
The Tribe has won all seven meetings against the Tigers, trying to make strides under third-year coach Rob Ambrose.
Nov. 5 | at Rhode Island | 1 p.m.
After a much-needed bye week, the Tribe faces the Rams, a darkhorse pick for a breakout season.
Nov. 12 | vs. Old Dominion | Noon
The Tribe's home finale against a team it had to battle to defeat last season in Norfolk.
Nov. 19 | at Richmond | Noon
The traditional season-ender against the Spiders marks W&M's first trip to UR's cozy new on-campus stadium.
William and Mary was picked to win the CAA and is top-five in nearly every preseason poll, which means anything less than a playoff berth will be a major disappointment. The deciding factors are likely quarterback play, the receiver corps and injuries. Pencil in 8-3 and the playoffs.


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David Roberts at Grist thinks not. Great article, with deep links to hardcore World Bank wonkery. Food for thoughts for Evans students (and profs):
As time horizons and uncertainty increase, cost-benefit analysis becomes less and less useful, more and more "a knob-twiddling exercise in optimizing outcomes," as economist Martin Weitzman put it. Differences in social/political/ethical assumptions, like discount rates, start determining model outcomes. "Results from the cost-benefit analysis," says the World Bank, are "extremely dependent on parameters on which there is no scientific agreement (e.g., the impact of climate change on hurricanes) or no consensus (e.g., the discount rate)." It's still possible to construct models and get answers, but the danger becomes higher and higher of getting the wrong answer, i.e., optimizing for the wrong thing.

subset: commoncrawl


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A new clinical trial is now underway at the Massachusetts General Hospital to investigate whether combining two endovascular catheter-based procedures will improve the long-term outcome in the treatment of atrial fibrillation, the most common heart rhythm disorder. Mass General is the first hospital in New England – and only the second in the nation – to pair renal artery sympathetic denervation with pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) for patients with atrial fibrillation and hypertension.
"Typically these procedures are done separately," said Moussa Mansour, MD, director of the Atrial Fibrillation Program in the Mass General Institute for Heart, Vascular and Stroke Care. "In this trial, renal denervation is not only performed to treat the patient's hypertension, which is the usual goal of the procedure, but as an adjunct to PVI to improve the outcome of atrial fibrillation ablation. We see real potential in this treatment for patients who continue to experience atrial fibrillation symptoms in spite of medical treatment as well as for those who cannot tolerate antiarrhythmic drugs. Atrial fibrillation affects more than three million people in the U.S .and is a major cause of stroke."
On June 17, Mass General physicians used the combined techniques to treat a 60-year-old patient with chronic heart disease. PVI – in which a flexible catheter is passed into the heart through a vein in the leg to disrupt the electrical connection between the pulmonary veins and the rest of the heart – can eliminate atrial fibrillation in most patients. Renal sympathetic denervation uses radiofrequency pulses to interrupt nerves in the vascular wall of the kidney at four sites in a spiral fashion. It is believed that renal artery denervation reduces the activity of the sympathetic nervous system which in turn leads to reduction in atrial fibrillation. The patient will now continue to be evaluated on a regular basis to study the procedure's effectiveness.
"This procedure capitalizes on the strengths of the electrophysiologists in the use of ablation catheters, and the vascular medicine physician in the imaging of the renal arteries and associate interventions in this locale," said Joseph Garasic, MD, director of Peripheral Vascular Intervention in the Cardiology Division, Institute for Heart, Vascular and Stroke Care. "It also marks the first time we have performed the renal denervation procedure at Mass General. Increasing evidence has shown that this procedure may have even more far-reaching benefits in the treatment of other diseases beyond uncontrolled hypertension, including heart failure, sleep apnea and cardiac arrhythmias."
This study, entitled HFIB, is a multicenter, FDA-approved, IDE clinical trial being conducted in the U.S. and Europe. The principal investigator is Vivek Reddy, MD, at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, the trial's coordinating center. The trial is slated to last approximately two years; Mansour and his colleagues at Mass General expect to treat two to three patients a month with the new procedure.
"This clinical trial is unique in that it allows for a solid collaboration and integration of skills between experts in the Mass General Atrial Fibrillation Program and Vascular Medicine Service, both key components of the Institute for Heart, Vascular and Stroke Care," Mansour said. "This is the most recent and most advanced treatment option to help treat our patients with atrial fibrillation to improve their heart health and their overall lives."
About the Massachusetts General Hospital
The Massachusetts General Hospital (www.massgeneral.org) is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. MGH conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the United States, with an annual research budget of nearly $700 million and major research centers in AIDS, cardiovascular research, cancer, computational and integrative biology, cutaneous biology, human genetics, medical imaging, neurodegenerative disorders, regenerative medicine, reproductive biology, systems biology, transplantation biology and photomedicine.
About Massachusetts General Hospital Institute for Heart, Vascular and Stroke Care
The goal of the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute for Heart, Vascular and Stroke Care is to advance the diagnosis and treatment of heart, vascular and cerebrovascular conditions by providing comprehensive patient care while shaping the medicine of tomorrow. Under unified leadership from Mass General's Corrigan Minehan Heart Center, the Vascular Center and the Stroke Service, the Institute is pioneering a new model that involves complete integration of clinical care and research across disciplines. This patient- and disease-focused model combines basic, translational, and clinical research with the expertise of a multi-specialty panel of expert scientists and clinicians. By bridging multiple disciplines, the leadership of the Mass General Institute for Heart, Vascular and Stroke Care is developing educational programs that reinforce the opportunities offered through integrated care, while also working to address critical issues of health policy and reform.
Media Contacts: Colleen Marshall, [email protected], 617-726-0275


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Carlos Parra from Emergya (one of the companies helping the government of Andalusia to deploy Linux, GNOME and other free software technologies in the public institutions) has done a pretty brave proposal. Started as a joke, he said he was tempted to do the Way of St. James from Burgos (a 500km trip by foot). Some of us bet 10EUR that he couldn't make it (in fact we were all pretty certain that he is capable), and that those 10EUR would go to a FOSS non-profit of his choice.
After a few days the joke grew up as a fund raising campaing for free software called Bid for FLOSS. Here is the text of the campaing from the facebook page:
More info on apuestaporelsoftwarelibre.com (Spanish)
You are invited to bid for FLOSS!
What is the bid?
– If I don't complete the challenge, i will donate 10€ to the FLOSS project that each person decides.
– If I successfully complete the challenge, each person has to donate 10€ to the FLOSS project that he or she decides.
What is a FLOSS project?
We understand the software projects that let you the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software.
What is the challenge?
I will walk on «Camino de Santigo» starting from Burgos in less than a month, there is around 500 kilometers (310 miles). No tricks, i will take just my bag and i will walk daily around 20km – 50km (around 12 miles – 31 miles).
How to bid?
Just click on 'I'm Attending' button on the event.
How do i know that there is no trick?
I will take some FLOSS plus a little of hardware that let me keep you informed with photos, tweets and so on. I promise you that there is no trick!
If you decide to bid, you will help to a FLOSS project. By the way, it would be really nice any event promotion!
Keep you updated with twitter, tag #apuestaporelsoftwarelibre or http://twitter.com/c4rlos
If you want to become part, all that you have to do is join the event in Facebook, and be ready to donate the 10EUR once Carlos makes it to Santiago de Compostela. A worthwhile cause I'd say.


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You know, it probably is true that Apple's OS X is, in general, a safer environment. Not necessarily for how it's coded, but because Apple works within a closed system where it has stiff control over the software and hardware. The Mac's ever increasing popularity, however, is making it a tempting target — one that by and large goes undefended.
For the most part, a malicious attack staged against a Windows-based system won't do anything to a Mac. This is largely because of the difference in digital architecture between the two systems. For example, a Windows machine uses executables, or an EXE, to install software, whereas OS X uses DMG, a proprietary disk image format native to the Mac. A program looking to use an EXE to harm your machine, which many do, isn't going to get very far on a Mac.
However, it's long been believed that the main reason Apple products come off as virus-proof isn't because of enhanced security — Mac users go without any kind of virus protection after all — but because the platform isn't as popular. That's not true anymore. Apple is the world's most valuable tech brand and its Mac platform is growing faster than ever.
Right now, security firms are pointing toward a malicious program called Mac Defender that tricks users in much the same way as a Windows-based virus would: it pops up while folks browse the Web, tells the user that he has a virus on his computer, and offers to remove it. Mac Defender itself is, of course, the virus.
"In the security realm we see this all the time on Windows systems," Joel Esler of security company Sourcefire Vulnerability Research Team told the Daily Mail. "But I'm guessing the Mac user community doesn't have much experience with this type of scam."
Security firm Sophos's Graham Cluley agrees: "Because Mac users don't use anti-virus protection then they are seen as a soft target. Macs have become a victim of their own success."
What more, there's no good way to protect Mac users if there was a breach on a large scale. No matter how secure you think you are, there's always going to be some new way for hackers and others to attack — just look at Sony.
Via Daily Mail UK


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Star Trek Online Price Cut as 'Season Two' Update Hits
Subtitled 'Ancient Enemies,' the update brings eight new Klingon Episodes starring "the Fek'ihri, the fabled enemy of Kahless, founder of the Klingon Empire" as well as a little peace and love on the Federation side with 'Federation Diplomatic Corps' missions.
There's also a higher level cap plus new 'Mark XI' items, new 'Tier 5' ships and "high-level versions of every Special Task Force mission and Fleet Action." More importantly, you can now play 'Dabo'--the casino game famously played in Quark's Bar.
You can download a 7.36GB demo for Star Trek Online from FileShack.
From The Chatty


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The voters of Colorado and Washington who said legalize marijuana last November have transformed the American discussion about pot.
Instead of Cheech-and-Chong-like debates punctuated by what-are-you-smoking snickers, now we are seeing dry-as-dirt, tax-policy-and-business-start-up seminars.
People's eyes are glazing over not because they're high; they're boggled.
Provincial Justice Minister Shirley Bond, however, is keeping her head in the sand about developments down the highway, insisting it is all up to Ottawa to deal with the marijuana issue.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has been under the spotlight since the two states decided in November to legalize the recreational use of pot.
He and the Obama administration made it clear federal law enforcement agencies would respect the states' right to allow personal possession, but regulated retail sales of weed slated to begin later this year are another story.
Given Washington, D.C.'s strident stand against legalization and existing federal drug laws, the ballot results have created a tense standoff between the two levels of governments over whose authority will hold sway — state voters' or the administration's.
Entrepreneurs hoping to cash in on the emerging market are anxiously awaiting the outcome as it has huge business implications — billions of dollars are believed to be at stake.
Holder's Department of Justice hasn't said what it is going to do but on Tuesday he promised an answer "soon."
He is worried not only about what happens in Washington and Colorado, but also about the effects on neighbouring states (not to mention B.C.) and on other states — especially since similar legalization initiatives are springing up like mushrooms.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper says the feds have told him they haven't ruled out pushing for a change in the law through Congress to avert a showdown.
But Washington Gov. Jay Inslee warns no one has an easy solution to the impasse that appears to require a federal about-face on the near century-long pot prohibition.
"As governor, I am obligated to carry out the will of Washington voters," he said in a letter to Holder released to the media.
"Clearly, the world is watching the states of Colorado and Washington as their initiatives are implemented. We intend to do it right."
In Washington, the ballot initiative set taxes on marijuana production, wholesale and retail sales at 25 per cent and defined spending levels on things like education — exactly $20,000, for example, on Web-based programs about the health and safety risks of marijuana.
Colorado has had a panel drafting recommendations for legislators to consider that will be later put to voters for approval.
It has considered excise taxes up to 15 per cent to fund school construction, a special pot levy beyond the state's present 2.9 per cent sales tax and a series of licensing fees for growers and retailers.
The challenge is setting taxes that are not so high that legal pot is so expensive that consumers maintain the black market.
And it already has recommended potency labels, restricted advertising, residency requirements for marijuana workers and limits on individual sales to less than an ounce. The group decided against a residency requirement for consumers, opening the door for pot tourism.
No one knows how much money marijuana will generate for the two states.
Colorado state budget analyst Dan Krug, who calculated multiple tax scenarios for the panel, said estimates range from a few million dollars a year up to $72 million annually, depending on tax rates and growth of the industry.
Meanwhile, SFU criminology professor Neil Boyd reports that B.C. wasted some $10.5 million in 2011 prosecuting pot possession charges.
The RCMP laid twice as many charges that year than they did half a decade earlier — and generated roughly 1,200 convictions.
Justice Minister Bond responded by questioning Boyd's methodology — how would he know what it cost to process pot charges, the government doesn't even know!
What's she smoking?
Forget about the waste of time and public resources; think about the damage to the individuals involved who are now saddled with a criminal record.
As Boyd says, almost one in five people in the province use pot, barely one in seven believes a criminal conviction is sensible or logical, only 14 per cent think small amounts of marijuana should lead to a criminal charge.
An Angus Reid poll in November indicated 75 per cent of the province wants to see pot taxed, regulated and sold to adults in a manner similar to alcohol and tobacco.
Why is Victoria fiddling while allowing millions to go up in smoke in spite of what is happening on the other side of the Peace Arch?
B.C. should follow the same path as its cross-border sister and bow to overwhelming public opinion.


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Designers David Galvañ and Manuel Bañó of LaSelva studio have created a modular ceramic tile design that provides a frame with six positions that, when placed together, create a pattern similar to a maze.
"The different paths of the module continue to adjacent modules, communicating with each other." says LaSelva studio. "Some of them are finite paths and others continue their way indefinitely."
Atlas can be can be used both as wall and floor tile for indoor and outdoor, as decoration or even sidewalks, and can be produced in a variety of materials and finishes such as concrete and ceramic in matt, gloss or embossed.
Atlas was a 2nd Prize winner at the 2013 Cevisama tile exhibition in Valencia, Spain.


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Hey sup. I have a name, but for now let's pretend that name is Rowan. MY REAL NAME WILL REMAIN A SECRET. (muahaha). I [used to] have an account here (GuineaPirate23) but for whatever reason I can't access it.
Anyway yeah. Obviously I'm a huge fan of South Park, though I'm not as obsessed as I used to be. I'm also a huge fan of homestuck, I write a lot of fanfics about it. My favorite characters are Vriska, Equius, Jake, and Terezi (I love all the kids and trolls, but those four are my favorites). Another one of my main interests is music. My favorite bands at the moment are porcupine tree and tool (hence my username), but I'm into a huge variety of music, my favorite genres are prog metal, punk, and grunge. I can't stand most country, pop, dub step, or rap music. I won't obnoxiously bash the opinions of others, I mean if you like stuff that I don't it's not my problem... it's not even a problem.
Also I'm genderqueer and I prefer 'they' and 'them' pronouns if you can manage. If you bug me about this I'm just going to ignore you.
So yeah hi everyone. What's up?


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Oman Air continues to announce its new destinations for 2007. The Inaugural flight to Karachi in Pakistan will take off on October 1. The national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman will be recommencing its operations to Pakistan with flights 4 times a week to Karachi.
Oman Air Chief Executive Officer, Ziad Bin Karim Al Haremi said: "Oman Air is content to add once again Karachi, Pakistan's economic capital to its Network. This step is part of our strategic commitment to offer value services to the region. We are confident that adding this destination can effectively cater to the large number of the Pakistani community living in and out side of Pakistan, also will certainly offer an alternative travel option for our valued customers in Oman. We will be operating B737-700 and two-class service, with international standards of catering and entertainment in both business and economy."
Mr. Al Haremi said that Oman Air Network would strengthen the bilateral economic relation by connecting the commercial and industrial city of Pakistan, Middle East, and Oman beside osther destinations within our rabidly expanding Network. He added that passengers of Pakistan would have access to the extensive route network of Oman Air connecting through the carrier's hub Muscat to its other overseas international destinations.
Oman Air's Corporate Communications and Media Department stated that Karachi is a mega city of some 14 million people. Located on the coast of the Arabian Sea, it is by far the largest city of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, original capital and cultural, economical, philantropic, educational, and political hub, as well as the largest port of the country.
They noted in conclusion that operations to Karachi would start officially on 1st October with frequency of four flights a week. Departure from Muscat Seeb International Airport will be at 11:20 arriving Karachi at 13:55 local time. Return flights will depart Karachi international airport at 14:45 and arrive Muscat at 15:15.


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So, gadgeteers, this is what we will be reduced to riding around on by the year 2080. Developed by the University of Arnhem-Nijmegen in Holland, the Zimmer SatNav is for either olds, amnesiacs or for people whose sense of direction is so poor that they get lost on their way to the bathroom.
It's Luddite-friendly, with just five large buttons on it, each with a symbol, such as a toilet or a cup of coffee. And, while the GPS works just fine outdoors, the Zimmer SatNav works indoors as well, automatically switching to wireless so users don't go to sleep in the closet by mistake. [Daily Mail]


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Start Slideshow
- cell-phone-radiationIt's official! Health experts are beginning to take the risk of cellphone radiation seriously, and the WHO's latest report confirms many peoples' suspicions about the risks of wireless technology. With this latest "news" in mind, preventative measures to limit your exposure to potentially harmful cellphone radiation have become all the more salient. So to be sure you don't regret the countless hours you've whiled away on your beloved cellphone, here are our top five ways to mitigate your exposure to cell phone radiation!1
- airplane modeImage: © xlibber
1. USE AIRPLANE MODE
 Most people don't know this, but many phones now have a function that allows their cellphones to be used on airplanes. Because airplane mode cuts off all wireless transmissions from your cellular device, it also stops all risk of cellphone radiation too! So if you're not using your phone for an extended period of time, then either turn it off, or put it on airplane mode. Because the phone uses less energy to operate when wireless transmissions are halted, it also saves battery, which makes your technology use just a tiny bit more efficient.2
- Family JewelsImage: © public.resource.org
2. PROTECT YOUR FAMILY JEWELS
 Where is the number one place to carry a cellphone? For the ladies, it might be a purse, but for all of us purse-less males and females, our default carrying vessel for phones is most commonly our front pocket. But when you start to consider that your cellphone is essentially a miniature antennae constantly receiving and broadcasting information, then the close proximity of the front pocket to certain... ahem... organs becomes a major concern. The answer? If you're carrying your phone in your pocket, then either turn it off, or put it on airplane mode. If there are potential health hazards for having a phone near your head, then you can only imagine the risks involved with carrying it right next to your baby maker.3
- Sleep SoundlyImage: © LAC/BAC
3. SLEEP SOUNDLY
 For many people, the cellphone follows us all throughout the day, even into the bedroom. Many people place their cellphone at their bedside table before catching their nightly z's and think nothing of it. But many experts believe that this not only disturbs sleep, but can worsen some of the potential health risks. If you sleep an average of 6-10 hours a night with your phone within a 6' radius from your head, then you're only worsening your exposure. Again, either turn your phone off, or put it on airplane mode and use it as your alarm clock like I do. Similarly, wifi routers should stay out of the bedroom as well, and some sleep experts even recommend removing electronics from the bedroom altogether. You don't have to go overboard, but begin thinking about creating a space that is ideal for sleeping, and relegate electronics to other parts of the home.4
- Texting FingersImage: © joi
4. REV UP YOUR TEXTING FINGERS!
 As obvious as it may seem, sending a text to someone requires a lot less signal power than calling your friends and family. So when it's appropriate, opt for sending texts instead of spending those extra minutes talking on the phone. Although you might seem like an automatron to older generations, texting is the way to go if you're aiming to avoid unnecessary radiation exposure.5
- Bluetube HeadsetImage: © mercola
5. USE AN EMF PROOF HEADSET
 There are a few of these on the market, and we expect a broader variety of products to appear in the wake of this news. The technology works just like a stethoscope and allows the user to hear their telephone conversations without the use of wires, which conduct potentially harmful cellphone transmissions directly into the user's ear. One of the most respected products on the market for "radiation free" headsets is called "blue tube" technology. Look around and see which one fits your specific cell phone. If you're not in a position to invest in a new headset, use speaker mode when talking on the cellphone and place your phone at least 5 feet away from you, but not so far that the person on the other line can't hear you. Again, the farther the better.6


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Politically, you can understand that, but that does not always mean that policies are wise when they follow a tragedy because they can be rooted in emotion. The timing of introducing a carbon tax when the country is on the verge of a fiscal crisis is a good example of this kind of politics. Make no mistake about it, a carbon tax will be unpopular.
I was asked when interviewed on QPTV what I thought about Barack Obama's energy policy. It was an election night interview that, to nobody's surprise, centered almost entirely on the president. My answer was to give credit to the president for supporting green energy initiatives, even though some of them were total busts.
New energy, or alternative energy, needs a shot in the arm before it can live on its own. Oil had help when it emerged because there was no real competition. Therefore, biodiesel, wind, and solar, need to compete with oil as an already established energy source, which means that tax credits for their production is not unfair to big oil.
I also mentioned how the president has been inconsistent on coal energy. He has spoken to crowds about how the United States is "the Saudi Arabia of coal." He praised our coal industry. But he also appointed one of the least rational energy secretaries in modern time in Steven Chu.
Dr. Chu is a smart man, but his war on coal is killing our economy and – believe it or not – it is killing our efforts to get to alternative energy.
As John Hofmeister, former president of Royal Dutch Shell has explained, the amount of sustainable green energy that exists right now cannot support our population, not yet. As we develop wind and solar, we still need to utilize fossil fuels.
Closing coalmines in the United States at the pace we are doing is dangerous. Critics argue that coal burns ugly and contributes to the greenhouse effect – and it does. But when these coal companies leave the U.S. and go to China, they still damage the environment, only now we are paying more for the energy.
A few years ago, the president supported a version of a "cap and trade" policy for which congressional Republicans were apoplectic. Cap and trade was originally a Republican idea that the party abandoned. It was a free market solution to regulating emissions.
A carbon tax may be different, and it may be the president's way of spiking the ball in the end zone after a big win in November. If the GOP didn't want to come to the table with cap and trade, then the president is going to take this fiscal cliff crisis and shove a bigger tax on them. It's politics, but it may not be the best policy.
Congressional Republicans need to work with the White House to establish an independent council that sets energy policy the same way that the Federal Reserve regulates monetary policy.
The reason why we like the Federal Reserve is that it is not political. Let's face it: there are some things that are just too important to put in the hands of the geniuses in Washington – whether they work in Congress or at the White House.
Well, why do we not take the same serious approach to our energy policy? As long as politics drives our energy policy, we are going to have one side bought by big oil and one side obsessed with taxing every element of our economy.
The future, if managed wisely, can see a 10 percent reduction in diesel usage by using biodiesel blends. Wind energy is already slicing off about $12,000 (annually) in electric bills in places like Chesapeake Community College in Maryland. Solar panels are taking on almost half of the electricity responsibility in buildings where they are in full use.
We will never be completely independent from the rest of the world, but we can be a good 30 to 40 percent more on our own, which would jolt our economy and provide a healthy step away from those who do not like us. The first order of business is for the president to accept the resignation of Steven Chu and put a more pragmatic energy secretary in place.
The second most important thing the president and Congress can do is to establish an independent council that has a board of governors – some appointed by the executive branch and some by Congress, which would take politics out of our energy policy. To put our energy in the hands of a polarized political climate is the only climate that is not subject to change.