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by David Roberts

Putting a price on carbon pollution is an important part of tackling climate change. It’s a way of leveling the playing field, removing an unfair advantage that fossil fuels have always had over clean alternatives.

However!

Pricing carbon is not the only part of tackling climate change. It’s not even necessarily the most important part, particularly in next decade. It’s certainly the least popular part, since, at least in isolation, it raises prices for every voter and slows GDP growth (if only a little). There are other, complementary policies that have the potential to increase economic productivity, offsetting the drag of a carbon price (in part by keeping carbon prices down). A portfolio approach to climate change, which couples a carbon price with complementary policies, could yield a net benefit to the economy, and to most voters, from day one.

You’d think this would be happy news, but as I lamented here, getting economists to model or support a portfolio approach is like pulling teeth. (It is, it’s worth noting, genuinely difficult to model multiple policies and their interactions.) Partly as a consequence, the climate policy discussion is all cost, cost, cost, pain, pain, pain. The idea that climate policy could also be smart economic policy is dismissed as pie in the sky by the Very Serious. The good news remains unsung.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Let’s take a quick run through some of the win-win policies that could boost the economy while reducing emissions.

1. Utility reform

Any clean energy future—hell, any energy future —will have electricity at its core. Electrification has steadily risen for a century and most analysts believe that electricity will continue to displace liquid fuels in coming years. Yet in the U.S., electrical power is distributed, sold, and (for the most part) generated by public utilities. Currently about half of U.S. utilities are in some stage of deregulation while half remain regulated monopolies; all are subject to a tangled skein of overlapping jurisdictions and authorities.

It’s an unholy mess, as far from ideal market conditions—low barriers to entry and exit, transparent information, low transaction costs, etc.—as a market could be. Witness the fact that the overall energy efficiency of the average power plant hasn’t improved since 1960 (a fact often lamented by our own Sean Casten). It should make any economist, indeed anyone convinced of the power of markets, recoil.

How exactly to untangle the utility mess and restore some measure of competition to electricity markets is a complex subject, to say the least, and beyond the scope of this post. (For more, check out the Compete Coalition or NDN’s “Electricity 2.0.”) The point is that doing so would boost efficiency, reduce waste (i.e., emissions), and increase economic productivity—a win for both the environment and the economy.

2. Removal of subsidies

Fossil fuels, and fossil-fuel intensive industries, receive a host of explicit and implicit subsidies. These can take the form of political patronage, favorable infrastructure investments, or direct grants, but the most common form is tax breaks and loopholes. (For more on that important but often overlooked subject, see “America’s Hidden Power Bill” from CAP.) Almost all economists agree that these subsidies distort competitive markets and reduce their overall efficiency. Remove them and efficiency increases; emissions drop. Again: win-win.

Why aren’t economists united behind removing these subsidies? Why isn’t it at the top of every list of preferred climate policies? I don’t get it. Not only are economists not clamoring for this, but even a modest attempt by Obama to remove a small subset of tax breaks gets attacked, leading to surreal headlines like this: “Administration official: repeal of oil and gas tax breaks won’t hurt economy.” Uh … no sh*t!

3. Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency

Whether the cause is perverse regulation, immature markets, misaligned incentives, or the simple human weaknesses of shortsightedness, inattention, and laziness, billions of dollars of cost-effective investments in energy efficiency are left on the table. I’ve written about this many, many times, so instead of going over it all again I’ll just quote McKinsey:

If executed at scale, a holistic approach [to energy efficiency] would yield gross energy savings worth more than $1.2 trillion, well above the $520 billion needed through 2020 for upfront investment in efficiency measures (not including program costs). Such a program is estimated to reduce end-use energy consumption in 2020 by 9.1 quadrillion BTUs, roughly 23 percent of projected demand, potentially abating up to 1.1 gigatons of greenhouse gases annually.

Suffice to say, improving energy efficiency improves economic efficiency while reducing emissions. Win-win.

4. Improvement of the electricity grid

Some of the biggest surges of productivity in American history have come on the heels of large-scale public investments in infrastructure. Think of the railroads, the highway system, or the internet. Yet America’s electricity grid is a museum piece, a relic from the mid-20th century. An expanded, upgraded, intelligent grid will serve as a platform for new innovations and productivity enhancements just as the internet did; it will also serve to accelerate the integration of renewables and increase efficiency, thus lowering emissions. Win-win.

5. Sprawl busting

Urbanists are familiar with the economic efficiencies that come with density; greens are familiar with the resource efficiencies that come with density; residents of dense communities are familiar with the social and health benefits that come with density. Not everyone is as familiar with the vast network of land-use codes and regulations in the U.S. that discourage density. As much as some folks want to see sprawl as a pure expression of the consumer preference for lawns and cul-de-sacs, the fact is that policy choices drive land use. For more on this see … oh, hell, just Google “land-use sprawl.” The literature is copious.

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance has a nice list of policies that can help reverse the trend. You might also check with any of these organizations. Simply relaxing some of the restrictions on density would result in people living closer together, sharing ideas, walking more, improving their health, being more productive, and emitting less carbon. Win-win.

And so on

This is just a partial list, and I’d love to hear your ideas for what should be added. But the point is clear: there are all sorts of public policies that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve economic performance. Collectively, they can offset the slight GDP hit produced by a carbon price.

So here’s your take-home message for Earth Day: A diverse climate policy portfolio can have a positive impact on the economy. That fact is obscured by the monomaniacal focus on carbon pricing that has come to characterize climate policy discussions. It would behoove economists, wonks, pundits, and ordinary citizens alike to broaden their view and rediscover this good news. Were it more broadly understood, it might help loosen the constipated politics around this subject. Heck, it might even serve as the basis of a rare bipartisan consensus. A fella can dream.

Related Links:

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Earth Day 2010

Is Earth “Effed”?

10,297 !!!

Thank you, here’s some free stuff!

We recently broke the 10,000 followers mark on my @PhoneDog_Noah twitter account and wanted to show our love to you all for supporting what we do. And we know as much as you like sweet nothings whispered in your ears, what you really want is free gear.

So we’re giving away some phones and other goodies all this week via my twitter account. To win, follow me and keep your eyes open for the various calls to action I’ll be tweeting. Sometimes a simple reply will win you a prize, and other times you’ll have to do a little scavenger hunt-type work to get in on the action.

Meantime, a huge thank you goes out to the following companies for donating the goods that make these giveaways possible:

           

   

 

So follow me for a chance to win, and pass it on!

And again, thanks for supporting PhoneDog!

[JURIST] Russia’s Constitutional Court on Monday upheld the practice of trying terrorism cases in the absence of juries. Several Russian citizens had challenged the constitutionality of certain provisions of the country’s Criminal Procedure Code, which provided that criminal cases involving crimes under articles 205 (terrorist act), 278 (violent seizure of power or forcible retention of power) and 279 (armed rebellion) are not considered with the participation of a jury, but rather by three judges. The petitioners argued that this practice violates the right to trial by jury, which is envisaged in Russia’s Constitution. They also cited Article 55 of the Constitution, under which the country is barred from passing laws that abrogate or derogate from human rights. The Constitutional Court disagreed, finding that the constitution only guarantees jury trials in cases where the defendants could be sentenced to death. In other situations, the court said the right to trial by jury is defined by federal legislation. The court emphasized the impartiality and professionalism of the judges in Russia tasked with trying terrorism cases, noting that this would ensure fair trials for terrorism suspects.
Russia has been tightening its anti-terrorism and other national security legislation recent years, leading to concerns that some of the reforms infringe on human rights. The provision banning jury trials for terrorism suspects was approved by Russian Dmitry President Medvedev at the beginning of 2009. Also last year, a spokesperson for Medvedev announced that his administration would modify a legislative proposal that would change the definition of treason, state secrets, and espionage. Last month, Medvedev proposed amending the country’s terrorism legislation in the wake of twin suicide bombing attacks on Moscow subway stations. Literature including Mein Kampf and 34 religious books related to the Jehovah’s Witnesses have been banned recently under the country’s extremism laws.

Laura Rozen takes a crack at it.

In other words, be willing to try to get back to diplomatic negotiations with Iran, slow down their program, protect regional allies, and pursue targeted sanctions against the Revolutionary Guard.

More Horrible Car Wrecks

Keep your eyes and your mind on the road and your hands on the wheel! While you’re driving, it’s more important than anything inside the car, anything inside your mind.

Fantasy is renowned for its series. Since Tolkien brought us the archetypical trilogy, we’ve become used to novels that span hundreds upon hundreds of pages, with volumes of text. While often painted as being filled with simple world-views and clear cut good and evil, really amazing fantasy goes beyond that. While still producing a noble degree of escapism, great fantasy can hold a mirror up to the actions and heart of humanity. Seldom restricted to just a single book, these multi-volume epics have millions of fans around the world. Here is a list of the finest the genre has to offer.

18. Belgariad by David Eddings

I’m slightly hesitant to call Eddings “best” at anything, but lets face it, he typifies the multi-volume fantasy genre. Great sweeping plots, evil gods, heroic farmboys. Many of us cut our teeth reading his cookie cutter epics, and we learned that you can skim read very fast, as he spends way too much time describing each castle. Sure, the plots of all his series are bordering on identical, and yes, they are worlds of moral absolutes, but there’s something to be said for Eddings’ dedication to the field. While not groundbreaking, his works are always enjoyable, and deserve a special place for the entertainment the offered countless 12 year olds.

17. Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind

I confess, I haven’t read all of the Sword of Truth novels. I put up with with Goodkind’s torture fetish, constant sexual violence, and weird misogyny for a few volumes, but I fell by the wayside with the blatant Ayn Randian insanity of Faith of the Fallen. That said, Goodkind deserves cred for his work on creating an immense world, filled with diverse and usually nefarious inhabitants. While I’m not a huge fan of his work, I know there are plenty there who swear by them, and can quote all the Wizard’s Rules, in order. I defer to you, diehard fans, for you claim this series is greatness.

16. Conan by Robert E. Howard

Barbarian lord of pulp novels, Howard’s long-lived and multimedia hero has etched a permanent place in the consciousness of readers everywhere. The hulking, dark-haired warrior king, who strode across steppe and desert, slaughtering his way through thousand of countless minions. Not limited to novels, Conan branched off into the awesome movies, the saturday morning cartoon, and some very good Marvel comics After Howard’s death a number of amazing authors wrote Conan stories, people like Robert Jordan and Harry Turtledove took their hand at the Cimmerian. A cultural milestone who influenced years of fantasy authors fo follow.

15. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Yeah, the last book was kinda crap, and yes, Rowling needed an editor with some stones to cut out big chunks of the final few. But lets not forget, there’s a reason why the Harry Potter books became so incredibly popular — they were actually really, really good. The first few were concise, intriguing, and offered glimpses into a world just next to our own. Rownling got a big head pretty soon, and started writing mammoth tomes that severely needed a red pen taken to them. They also encouraged a generation of new readers, who fell in love with the dense mythos of fantasy, and graduated on to other geekery. How’s this to make you feel old? The first book was published 13 years ago. That’s right, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is just about old enough to start high school.

14. Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser by Fritz Leiber

Seminal figures in the world of fantasy, Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser created a sort of bridge between the pulp action heroes like Conan, and the slightly more cerebral later entries into the field. Equal parts tragic and heroic, the pair buckled their swashes, and drank, wenched and fought their way across their cruel homeland. Their festering main haunt of Lankhmar became the basis of Discworld’s Ankh-Morpork, and the first story of the two won both a Hugo and a Nebula. The mammoth collection of novellas that make up the Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser corpus are all infused with a dark humor that would make any Monty Python fan happy.

13. Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

While the Chronicles haven’t aged quite as well as we would like, they’re still seminal works of fiction. Children’s novels beloved by generations of readers, the Chronicles of Narnia don’t fare so well if read with a critical eye. You have to gloss over sexism, racism and some pretty dogmatic Christian messages to get to the story underneath. But, if you can manage to look past those, you’ll find the same stories you fell in love with as a child. The stories of talking animals, noble princes, and children from our world exalted in another. Borrowing from a dozen different mythologies and beliefs, the Chronicles now seem dated, but still retain a glimmer of their original magic.

12. The Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce

Another young adult entry on the list (don’t worry, only one more after this), Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness made major headway in breaking through the “boy’s only club” feel to much fantasy. Instead of the usual farmboy-orphan-thrust-into-greatness schtick that is found in so much of the genre, the Alanna books focused on the daughter of a minor noble, who pretends to be a boy in order to train to be a knight. No trick to her birth, and no wise old sage accompanying, she makes it through sheer grit and determination. The Lioness books provided a welcome break from the rather guy-filled novels that surrounded it, and brought a number of young ladies into the world of fantasy.

11. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen Donaldson

The Thomas Covenant novels (now into their third series) are some of the darkest, bleakest most depressing fantasy novels ever written. The main character is a leper, who at the beginning is convinced that he’s dreaming the unreal landscape that he’s been sucked into. Convinced that his actions will have no consequences, he proceeds to be the biggest bastard imaginable, including raping the first woman to help him, and those around him put up with it because they think he’s their saviour. And that’s the most upbeat of the books. In the second series, the whole world is sick and deadly, attempting to kill you at every turn. Thomas Covenant isn’t an anti-hero, he’s an a-hero, but somehow ends up doing the right thing. Almost. Dark, bitter, and bound to leave you depressed, the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant are densely layered with recurring themes of impotence, disbelief, and inevitability. Excellent novels, but long, twisted, and will leave you hating everyone.

10. Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

Originally a trilogy, the tales of Earthsea now stretch over some six books. Not quite as dark in tone as the aforementioned Thomas Covenant novels, Earthsea isn’t exactly happiness and light either. Magic in the Earthsea novels is a part of life, but doesn’t really seem to make things much better. People still eke out an late bronze/early iron age existence, struggling to get by from day to day. The novels all felt somber in tone, with the adventure of the magician Ged being important and somber affairs. Interestingly, Le Guin intentionally created a world more ethnically diverse than your standard fantasy fare, with the main characters looking something like Native Americans. Unsurprisingly, just about every visual depiction of the characters has been whitewashed.

9. Elric by Michael Moorcock

Moorcock’s highly influential “Tales of the Eternal Champion” is best remembered for the Elric saga. The pail, wan prince of a dying race, Elric does the right thing in spite of the torturous people he comes from, and is often at odds with his people’s history. The character of a weak albino noble, sustained only by drugs and magic stands in stark contrast to the virile and ripped heroes of Conan’s ilk. Striving to maintain the universal balance between Chaos and Order, reincarnated into a thousand forms, Moorcock’s Elric came to define the fantasy anti-hero in the 60s. Such a prominent character that he’s become a frequent subject of satire and mockery, taken at the time of writing, the stories of Elric were gothic and genre defining.

8. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

The self-described anti-Lewis, Pullman’s novels stand in stark contrast to the Chronicles of Narnia. Instead of talking animals, and children who are given magical powers due to their birth , you have children who save the world through sheer grit and determination. Pullman’s work was heavily criticized for its Atheist leanings, which I never though a problem. Pullman made a story that was very anti-church, anti-authority and pro-intelligence. I don’t see any issues with that. Any book that encourages kids to work hard and think for themselves is worth it. It also has an ending far, far too sad for a young adult’s novel.

7. Discworld by Terry Pratchett

The only comedy series to make this list, Pratchett’s Discworld in an institution. Up to almost 40 novels, plus countless spinoff comics, tv shows, computer games and just about everything else, Discworld has an extremely dedicated fan base. While always funny, Pratchett also has a rather nasty habit of exposing real world issues in his novels, too. Sometimes more subtly than others — Thud! wasn’t exactly understated. Unfortunately, Discworld probably isn’t going to last much longer, as Pratchett was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2007, and some readers have even been saying that his writing is already suffering from the disease. Regardless, Pratchett is a powerhouse, consistently pumping out works on a nearly annual basis, all of which are extremely popular.

6. The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb

The Farseer Trilogy, and to a lesser extent the other Realm of the Elderlings novels, are the extremely successful series of stories by Robin Hobb. Darker than much of the fantasy on this list, the trilogy is about a bastard — as in a child born out of wedlock — to royalty, raised in the castle to be an assassin for the king. Filled with dark intrigue, hatred, and more than a bit of violence, the Farseer Trilogy was described by Orson Scott Card as having “arguably set the standard for the modern serious fantasy novel.” While reading it, people are often astonished and the brutality of characters to one another, and FitzChivalry — the protagonist of the series — is beaten, tortured, taken over with magic, has ideas planted in his brain, and generally treated as the world’s whipping boy. Yet even as screwed up as the Hobb’s world is, there’s a streak of human decency that runs through most of the characters, that makes you believe that humanity maybe ain’t such a bunch of bastards after all.

5. Dark Tower by Stephen King

Of all the series’ on this list, Dark Tower is probably the furthest removed from traditional European, middle ages fare. The Dark Tower novels are also quite distant from King’s better known horror work. Set in a sort of wild west, feudal, magical world, the series is about a lone gunslinger hunting the Man in Black. King has described the seven volume series as his Magnum Opus, and it sits at a thematic crossroads with his other writing, referencing and interplaying with novels from his entire literary corpus. Dark Tower draws heavily from other major fantasy series, and references pop culture frequently throughout. A critical darling and fan favorite, the Dark Tower is the first of the top five.

4. Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

Jordan’s Wheel of Time series perhaps best illustrates the tendency of fantasy series to go on too long. Originally planned as a trilogy, Jordan had reached 11 books in the series before his unexpected death. Using his notes, Brandon Sanderson is pegged to finish the series, bringing it up to 14 volumes, and more than 10,000 pages in length. The slimmest novel in the main series still clocks in at over 700 pages, and if you put them all in a sack, you could bludgeon someone to death — assuming you could lift it over your head. As bloated as the series is, its also become a fantasy touchstone, representing some of the best and worst the genre has to offer. Yes, it’s overly wordy and drawn out, but it also features some of the best world building in modern fantasy, and a cast of characters unmatched in number in breadth. Thousands upon thousands of fans snatch every new book that comes out, and when the final volume finally lands, you can be sure that it will be a major event.

3. Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny

Another slightly non-traditional series, Zelazny’s Amber books state that there are only two true realities: Amber and the Courts of Chaos, and that all other worlds, including our own, are shadows and iterations of that. The first (and generally considered better) cycle of the novels deals almost exclusively with Amber, and the machinations of its ruling family. A dysfunctional group, they each have the ability to walk through the various shadow world, merely by choosing which detail of that reality they will keep, and which will be discarded. For such a high concept, almost the entire series is devoted to family intrigue, and battles for the crown — which makes sense when you realize that the crown controls all possible realities. Zelazny’s series has become one of the pillars of modern fantasy. It’s also the setting for my favorite ever Roguelike — Zangband.

2. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

The one, the original, the great grandpappy of modern fantasy. We all have a lot to thank Tolkien for. If it wasn’t for his writing, elves would be little fairy things that fixed shoes, D&D wouldn’t exist, and fantasy tales as we know would never have arisen. Without Tolkien, you have no party of different peoples, combining forces against an evil god, fighting insurmountable odds. You have no elvin archers, dwarven miners, orc or goblins. A gifted academic, Tolkien took elements of mythologies from around Europe — Norse, German, British, French, as well as his own Catholic worldview — and from them crafted the most resonant story of the 20th century. Every piece of modern fantasy owes their origins to Tolkien. Of course, we can also blame him for spending pages at a time describing the scenery in order to bad out a novel’s length.

1. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin

Could there be any doubt? More than seven million novels sold, four times on the New York Times bestseller list, and possibly the most well regarded fantasy novels on the planet. Martin made a far more realistic take on the traditional high fantasy story, with a strong historical bent, and a course attitude towards sex and violence. Planned to be some seven novels long, four have been released, and the gaps between each grow ever longer. Martin refuses to be rushed, and I think everyone just hopes the novels will be finished in their lifetime. The series has been picked up by HBO, with each season pegged to cover a single novel — and if anyone can do dark sex and violence in a fantastical world, it’s HBO. The novels have won Locus, Nebula and Hugo awards galore. You know what? Just go and read the first one. It’s not nearly as long as some of the other books on the list, and it’s old enough that you can pick it up for pennies from a used book store. Have a read, and see why this is the greatest fantasy series ever.

Tunnel Accidents Video

This is the Giovannoni Washlet. And while I don’t recognize exactly what each component of its feature set is supposed to do, I do know what awesome sounds like. And “tornado flush” sounds awesome. More »

The stock market has completely filled the Goldman Sachs (GS) gap, with the S&P rallying to 1206, which is where it was before the charges were announced.

But gold hasn’t come back.

Remember, right after the charges, gold tanked on fears that John Paulson, if things got really ugly, could have to liquidate his long gold fund (which, according to reports, hasn’t done that stellar), which owns a lot of the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD).

Anyway, gold hasn’t filled the Goldman gap like stocks have. Are lingering fears about Paulson the reason why?

Don’t miss: The complete guide to Goldman winners and losers >

Join the conversation about this story »

by Jen Harper

Have you ever thought to yourself, “Man, my family sure does
produce a lot of excrement; how can I cash in on this?” Well, according to DVICE, SeabEnergy’s
MuckBuster might be just the ticket.

“The MuckBuster is a self-contained anaerobic digester,
built inside a repurposed shipping container. It can produce renewable energy
from any organic materials—animal waste, grass clippings, or the stuff bound
for the septic tank. In a month-long process, bacteria break down the organic
materials and produce methane, a gas that can then be burned to produce
electricity…allowing you to squeeze two kilowatt hours of power—about half of
what a typical American home consumes—from 100 gallons of organic waste.”

And to think, we’ve all just been flushing away solid gold. Now
for a little Austin Powers potty
humor:

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Prez steals, owes fines

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Six days after ash from Iceland’s volcano paralyzed European airspace, aviation experts and academics are arguing over whether the entire mess could have been avoided.

Ash from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano started to spread across North European skies last week, grounding thousands of domestic and long-haul flights and causing an estimated $1 billion in losses. Today the European Union attempted to get the continent moving again and reopened certain routes, giving millions of stranded passengers a chance to head home and throwing a lifeline to airlines that were hemorrhaging an estimated $250 million a day.

However, this grounding of flights drew sharp rebuke from Giovanni Bisignani, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), who argued that the entire mess could have been avoided had the airlines focused on facts and figures on actual damage caused to jet engines by volcanic ash, saying: “Europe was using a theoretical mathematical approach and this is not what you need. We needed some test flights to go into the atmosphere and assess the level of ashes and take decisions” [Reuters]. Unsurprisingly, the European Union’s transit officials have replied that they’re not willing to compromise on passenger safety.

Airlines canceled flights to and from Europe because the silicate particles in volcanic ash are known to create a glass-like coating inside airline engines when they fly through ash clouds. In 1982, almost 800 passengers on a British Airways flight had a narrow escape when the plane lost power in all four engines after flying though an ash cloud over the Indian Ocean. Not willing to risk a repeat of that terrifying incident, the European Union shut down flight routes last Thursday. NATO also limited military exercises after volcanic glass built up in fighter engines.

However, British Airways and Air France-KLM say they have both operated test flights in the region since the eruption, and they report that they encountered no problems due to the ash. Bisgnani argues that this proves that the governments made a mistake imposing a “blanket ban” on air travel in northern Europe. He said decision-makers should consider setting up “corridors” to repatriate the estimated 7 million passengers stranded across the globe [Reuters].

But atmospheric scientists explain that volcanic ash clouds pose a very tricky threat to pilots, who can’t see the clouds of tiny particles. They say that instruments could be installed on airplanes to help pilots detect large concentrations of ash as they fly–the instrument’s warnings would prompt the pilot to drop down to a lower altitude to steer clear of the ash. However, not many of these expensive, specialty detectors currently exist.

Experts add that there’s no guarantee that switching altitudes would give the pilot the all-clear, as changing wind conditions could move the ash to lower altitudes, too. Says aviation engineer Stewart John: “You could think that you’re safe flying along at 20,000 feet rather than up at 40,000 where the ash is, only to find that the wind has suddenly dropped and the ash is now at 20,000 feet” [Reuters].

Bisignani, meanwhile, argues that there needs to be consensus on what constitutes a safe concentration of ash. Aviation consultant Chris Yates says the volcanic ash guidelines were drawn up by a UN body, the International Civil Aviation Organization. Regulations for grounding the flights to protect them from volcanic ash, Yates says, were based on “experience gained from over 80 incidents between 1980 and 2000 and computer modeling (or) best guestimate” [Reuters].

Related Content:
80beats:In a Warmer World, Iceland’s Volcanoes May Get Even Livelier
Visual Science: Up Close and Personal With Iceland’s Volcanic Eruption
80beats:Icelandic Volcanoes–Disrupting Weather & History Since 1783
80beats: Volcanic Eruption in Iceland Causes Floods, Shuts Down European Air Travel
Bad Astronomy: Iceland Volcano Eruption Making an Ash of Itself
DISCOVER: Disaster! The Most Destructive Volcanic Eruptions in History (photo gallery)

Image: Wikimedia

Filed under: Budget, Europe, Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Crossover, Hatchback, Nissan

The wrath of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano continues. Airlines are just now beginning to get brave enough to test the skies after airborne ash put a stop to all flights last week, and today there are new reports of volcanic activity putting everyone on notice. And while the volcano has left plenty of travelers stranded across Europe, the eruption is having a widespread impact on the manufacturing sector, too. Case in point: The Wall Street Journal reports that Nissan is suspending production at its plants in Fukuoka and Kanagawa. The reason? The Japanese plants use pneumatic sensors produced in Ireland that are delivered by aircraft, and that whole ‘just-in-time’ production methodology apparently doesn’t jibe all that well with Icelandic ash.

If you’ve been anxiously waiting delivery of your new Nissan Cube, Murano or Rogue, odds are you’re probably okay – for now. But all three models use the sensor in question, and as such, are facing production delays. The company doesn’t know when the plants will be able to resume production, but odds are it will depend on when Iceland’s volcano stops wreaking havoc on Europe’s airspace.

[Source: The Wall Street Journal]

Report: Volcano stops JDM Nissan plant, could hurt U.S. Cube, Murano, Rogue supplies originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2010 Mini Cooper 50 Camden Edition – Quick Spin – Car and Driver

The special-edition Mini that talks to you: It isn’t annoying, but it also isn’t cheap.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson raised the specter of an “indefinite” flight ban for the UK’s capital today as he warned the country to prepare for the worst.

Johnson said that the UK needs to start thinking realistically about the longer term implications of a ban on air travel, as the risks of flight continue to remain high.

He also questioned the legitimacy of the flight ban, noting voices in the aviation industry who believe planes can safely fly in the current ash scenario.

But Johnson wants the UK to prepare for a ban anyway, noting that this instability could last for 6 to 12 months.

Flights remain grounded across parts of Europe, with London in a particularly dire situation.

Check Out 20 Winners And Losers From The Ongoing Ash Crisis >

Join the conversation about this story »

By Matt Hawes

Be sure to check out Congressman Paul’s new op-ed on CNBC.com dealing with the failures of the federal government’s war on drugs and the resulting increased risk to Americans:

Many will have the knee-jerk reaction of wanting to see more of a crackdown on illegal drugs. But I have to ask: Haven’t we been cracking down on drugs for several decades only to see the black market flourish and the violence escalate? Could there be a more effective approach?….

The War on Drugs skews the priorities of law enforcement to the detriment of the public….

Read the rest.

Financial regulatory reform uses multiple complex provisions to force banks to raise capital and lower risk. Today, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) offered his support for a blunter instrument: a bank tax.

“I think the administration’s proposal is a common-sense way to make sure that money should be repaid, and I believe it should be included in financial reform legislation to be considered on the Senate floor,” Schumer said today at a Senate Finance Committee hearing.

In January, President Obama proposed taxing big banks’ profits at 0.15 percent, both to pay for the multi-billion dollar cost of bailouts and to deter risk-taking. Today, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), the head of the Senate Finance Committee, said he would hold hearings on the proposal. But Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) has thrown water on the idea of attaching the bank tax to the broader financial regulatory reform bill due to be taken up next week.

I’m not really sure whether to classify this as a rumor or as confirmed, but it sure looks as though someone at US Cellular wants the world (or at least its subscriber base) to know that they’ll be getting the coveted HTC Desire this summer.  Last week we came across a leaked mail-in-rebate form from the number six carrier that showed the Desire, among other unannounced devices, receiving a $70 discount.  This was the first hint of the HTC device being partnered with a US carrier – an event many have been waiting for (though few would have guessed US Cellular would be the first).

Not long after the leaked form surfaced, a US Cellular Facebook team member posted the following status, further advancing themselves as the first prospective carrier to get a hold of the Desire:

“The worst kept secret in online history!  HTC Desire with Android from U.S. Cellular, coming this summer after our rigorous testing is complete.  Now have fun guessing which other Android phone we’ll launch.”

So, now we know (assuming this is true) that a CDMA version of the HTC Desire is expected to launch this summer on US Cellular, and who’d like to wager that the “other Android phone” mentioned is the HTC Legend?  I’ve still got my money on the big four.  Maybe they’re better at keeping secrets, maybe they haven’t completed negotiations with HTC, or maybe they don’t feel the need to leak information early in the game to gain a competitive advantage?  Whatever the case may be, I’m betting that one of the top four US carriers launches the HTC Desire before US Cellular.

Anyone disagree?  Feel free to challenge me in the comments!

Via Androinica

Lenovo took a headfirst leap into the mobile market Monday by launching its LePhone. With this entrance into the market, Lenovo expects to expand heavily into the mobile Internet services arena and within five years generate 10 percent to 20 percent of its total revenue strictly from mobile sales. That’s quite a goal for a new player in the market, but they’ve definitely started on the right path by choosing the world’s largest cell phone market for the first in what looks to be the first in a series of many phones.

We’ve pictured it before, and Phil seems to have his doubts about the keyboard, but when was the last time you saw an optional keyboard? I like it. Anyone anxious to see this hit U.S. shores? Let us know in the comments! [PhoneArena]

You can never have enough power available for your Motorola Droid. Sometimes recharging just isn’t an option, and that’s where the Seidio Innocell 1350mAh battery comes in. Extra power, in the same size as the stock battery, so you keep going just as long as you need to. The Seidio Innocell 1350mAh replacement battery is available now in the AndroidCentral Store for just $29.95. (Sponsored post)