Didn't get a chance to post on Saturday (plan to take Sundays off although, I am writing this on Sunday evening). Wife and I and a few close friends traveled to Marksville Friday evening to see a Charlie Pride concert! He's getting on in age....now 73, but he still has the pipes. Was a full house. Friday before, we saw a Mickey Gilley concert at IP Casino in Biloxi. He's doing great, considering his near paralyzing accident a few years ago. He still sings great also!
I do hope LSU fans were happy Saturday evening to see the Tigers "pluck da ducks" on national television. While it wasn't a "pretty game", considering all the controversy the team has been under for the past few weeks, it was good to see them pull off a major win. This should move them to #3 in the polls on Monday. If was fun to watch the TV sportscasters in the field interviewing several LSU RV tailgaters. Meal of the day was, of course, what would you expect? Duck gumbo, grilled duck, fried duck, duck stew, duck jambalaya, duck sauce picayunte, and many other duck dishes I've never heard of.......
I hope many readers were able to read the "Bob Marshall" article regarding 15% ethanol in today's (Sunday) Times Picayune in the Sports section. He was way more dramatic that I explained to him when he called to interview me for the article earlier this past week. But, the facts are real. If you have not read the article on my website's "Ethanol Articles" page, titled "15% Ethanol - A Crisis Developing", please read it. I am trying to inform Louisiana consumers of the hazards of this new 15% ethanol gas before it starts showing in service stations later this year and into 2012. I sent an article similar to the one on my website (quite a bit shorter) to about 45 newspapers across the state, including all major city papers and about 35 or more Parish or smaller city papers. Several of them have published it already.
If you don't get the Times Picayune, you can read the article on NOLA.com under the "Sports" section on Bob Marshall's picture on the left hand side of the Sports page at this link:
For Lafayette readers, I'm sad to report that it has been reported to me that Bendel's Service Station at 1500 Pinhook Road in Lafayette is switching from ethanol FREE to ethanol gas. Thanks to Art for letting me know about Bendel's. I plan to call Mr Bendel on Monday to suggest an alternative to him before he finalizes the switch.
Two different readers reported to me today that the Algiers Cigarette Discount store at 5101 General de Gaulle in Algiers is an ethanol free station. I called the owner this afternoon and he confirmed. For some reason this store is not on the State's list of gas stations. That's why I didn't pick it up. Thanks to CT for first letting me know about this station. It's already been added to the website's list.
I thought you might be interested in reading this new article regarding renewal energy that appeared in Newsmax today:
Renewable Energy Subsidies a ‘Massive Money Sink’
Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power are heavily dependent on government subsidies yet contribute little to America’s domestic energy production, according to a new report.
The report from the Energy Information Administration, the Department of Energy’s research arm, reveals that the federal government gave out $37.2 billion in direct energy subsidies in 2010, an increase of more than $19 billion over 2007.
“This 50 percent increase from three years ago confirms that federal energy favors are part of our out-of-control spending problem,” Robert L. Bradley, Jr., the CEO and founder of the Institute for Energy Research, writes in Forbes.
Of the $19 billion increase, additional subsidies for renewable energy sources amounted to more than $9 billion, a 186 percent increase. Subsidies for renewables now total more than $14 billion.
Wind power was a major recipient of federal energy funds, taking in nearly $5 billion in subsidies last year — a more than tenfold rise from 2007. Solar energy rose to $1.13 billion, and biofuels (ethanol) rose to $6.6 billion.
“Funneling money into renewables is certainly politically popular,” Bradley observes.
“But at the end of the day, someone ought to ask: What exactly do green firms have to show for all that money? And the truth is: Not much.”
Wind power today represents just 1.2 percent of total domestic energy production, despite the billions of dollars in subsidies.
“The reality is that, up to this point, renewable energy has been a massive money sink,” according to Bradley, author of the book “Edison to Enron: Energy Markets and Political Strategies.”
“Green energy is all red when it comes to consumers and taxpayers.”
Robert Bryce, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, also pointed out the shortcomings of wind power in an article for National Review Online.
He noted that Texas has more than 10,000 megawatts of wind-generation capacity, yet during a particularly hot four-day period, the state’s wind turbines produced no more than 2 percent of the total power demand even though their capacity is to produce nearly 15 percent.
That’s because of a “dirty little secret,” according to Bryce: “When power demand is highest, wind energy’s output is generally low. The reverse is also true: Wind-energy production is usually highest during the middle of the night, when electricity use is lowest.”
Bradley concludes: “If wind or solar or biofuels truly represent a revolution in American energy, that’s great — but let them compete on the open market. If these sectors can pump out low-cost, efficient energy, customers can be trusted to buy it.”
Stay dry readers...........
"Pete"
