Road & Track has published preliminary information on the new Honda hybrid, a 2010 model to be ready in the US by late 2009. The car will use Nickel/metal-hydride batteries rather than Lithium-ion batteries. The gas engine specifications aren't disclosed yet, but the base price is expected to be $19,000. The car is position

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The Golf Twin Drive concept car is a turbo-diesel plug-in electric hybrid. This combines the best electric and diesel technologies to give 30 miles of travel on the electric motor, regenerative breaking to recharge the batteries while breaking, and high mpg turbodiesel performance for longer trips. However, although set to su

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Federal land management officials recommend almost 4,400 new natural gas wells be drilled in western Wyoming, an area where energy mining is already blamed for increased air and water pollution. The amount of natural gas to be harvested is supposedly equal to about one year's supply for the US. The damage to wildlife, their ha

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The President ordered increased covert operations against Iran, including kidnapping and possibly murder, according to documents reported by the New Yorker and covered in an article by AP. Seymour Hersh's New Yorker article from the issue dated July 7 and 14 is based on a highly classified Presidential Finding signed by Pre

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Rising gas prices are eliminating a familiar site from American roadways: the recreational vehicle, or RV. These huge. live-in vehicles have been popular with certain demographic groups for a long time, but their poor gas mileage is turning RVs into dinosaurs.

Another effect of high gas prices is being felt at nonprofits or

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European rules are being considered and implemented to reduce the use of toxic chemicals in consumer goods from electronics to toys. These rules, strongly opposed by the Bush administration, will have a major effect on US manufacturers because US companies can't afford to have their products rejected by Europe. Thus, even th

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Congress is now deciding what to fund in 2009. The Green Jobs Act would invest $125 million in job training programs, and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant would authorize grants to local communities to help improve energy efficiency and increase the use of renewable energy. 1sky.org provides a link for writi

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In Minnesota, judges have recommended against approval of new power lines to a planned coal-fired power plant, citing environmental concerns and inadequate examination of alternative fuels. This is likely to prevent the planned power plant from being built, which will be a major victory for environmentalists. With countries l

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I have to say that 60 mpg is very impressive, and this is with a "conventional" turbo-diesel that meets the toughest emissions standards in the US (unlike some European turbo-diesel, apparently, though I have to wonder of emissions standards need to be revised for such high efficiency cars).

What do you think? Is this on

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Here is a chance to say something about human rights both individually and as a group. Bloggers can make a huge statement. Pick your battle and comment on it for the world to see. Sponsored by Amnesty International. Banners are available, along with links to Amnesty's site, at the original article. Join us! Put aside di

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The description of two new sites, a "lens" and a "group" on Squidoo, both focusing on crime fiction. You can vote on your favorite novels and add links to your own blogs and favorite book reviews (yours or anyone else's). The opportunity is presented to discuss different genre's of crime fiction, from hard-boiled to sof

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Part 3 of an interview with bestselling author Qiu Xiaolong, who writes the Inspector Chen novels. Qiu is also a poet and translator of poetry. He grew up in Shanghai during the Cultural Revolution, but has lived in St. Louis, Missouri for over 10 years. Qiu recounts details of the Cultural Revolution, his experiences with o

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Discussion of two stories about food prices and their rather different tones. A story from the NYT gives equal time to all sides of the issue of food vs. fuel, pointing out that developing countries are becoming increasingly enraged by the use of their land to feed Western biofuel needs at the expense of feeding the local popu

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10 stories that show the range of issues in modern recycling, from serious problems of dumping toxic waste, especially electronic waste, in developing countries to excellent policies by cell phone recycling companies, and everything in between. Surprises? How about toxic waste dumping in Italy? Attention is focussed on issue

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Corsair has a family of PSUs (power supply units) for PCs that are on the way to meeting the stringent new EnergyStar 5.0 requirements worked out between the EPA and the hardware industry. EnergyStar 5.0 will require 85% efficiency at idle and load. The 80 PLUS certification means that 80% or greater efficiency is achieved at

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