Monthly archives: January 2006

Police Horse Power

This entry was posted in Biodiesel on by

Manchester’s Police horses are to contribute to cutting the costs of their upkeep. Dung from the equine coppers is to be compressed into bricks that can then be burnt to provide heating and hot water for the stables, helping reduce its £1.5m annual energy bill.

Shauna Carberry said: “This idea really stood out and as soon as we can find the money we are definitely going to put it into practice. The horse manure will provide heating and hot water for the stable block and it is likely to provide more energy on top of that.

“We’re not sure yet exactly how much money will be saved, but it’s likely to be a lot once the furnace costs are out of the way.”

There are other initiatives as well- all the force’s 1,275 diesel vehicles were converted to using biodiesel this week.

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A couple of model railway blogs

This entry was posted in Model Railway on by

Clapford Junction “Details the construction of a Modern-Image OO-gauge model railway layout in the loft of my house.”

The Great Trans-Atlantic Railway “An exploration of railways, prototype & modelled, on both sides of the Atlantic, with emphasis upon the US and Great Britain.”

Also, via GTAR, Hamburg Miniature Wonderland layout.

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The return of the population timebomb

This entry was posted in Uncategorized on by

Professor Chris Rapley, the head of the UK’s Antarctic research agency, says that the growing global population is one of the biggest problems facing the environment. He has named the issue the “Cinderella” issue of the eco debate.

“If we believe that the size of the human [ecological] ‘footprint’ is a serious problem, and there is much evidence for this,” he writes, “then a rational view would be that along with a raft of measures to reduce the footprint per person, the issue of population management must be addressed.”

A number of studies suggest that humankind is consuming the Earth’s resources at an unsustainably fast rate.

Even so, the issue of population is hardly ever discussed at environmental summits or raised by green lobby groups.

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Pennies from Hell

This entry was posted in George Bush Viagra on by

IncompetenceWatch will arrive soon, Damian promises, but the first post on it may be about the hosting company he chose. Meanwhile, a Canadian man is paying back his credit card debt a penny at a time as a protest about outsourcing of his information to the US.

“I don’t want the CIA or George Bush to know how many cases of Viagra I bought last week, or what church or charities I donate to,” he told Reuters.

Rogers said his card has since been cancelled by Vancouver-based Citizens Bank, but he will continue paying his remaining balance of C$1,000 (490 pounds) one little bit at a time.

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Frightened to Death by Squirrels

This entry was posted in fairies Frightened to Death by Fairies on by

I don’t get informed of the comments on pictures in my gallery, so every so often I go and have a look and find threads like this-

Comment: i like squirrels

Comment: squirrels scare me

Comment: scary!

Comment: helllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllp?

Comment: WUT THE HELL DOES A SQUIRELL HAVE 2 DO W/ FAIRIES? JACKASS!

Comment: squirells are have a big diff with fairies

Comment: FARIES ARE NOT SQUIRELS U DIK

Comment: squirels are pretty gay and have nothing to do with fairies

Comment: How old are you?

Comment: uhm maybe the squirrel morphs into a fairy?

Comment: The squirrel is cute and stuff, but what has it got to do with fairies?

Comment: What the fuck has a squirrel got to do with fairies. and how on earth does that thing look cute. I say this because SQUIRREL’S SCARE THE SHIT OUT OF ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comment: this is supposed to be about fairies not squirrels

Comment: pppppppplllllllllllllluuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!! yuk

Comment: HOLY SHIIIIT

Comment: This is so retarted

Comment: Why do people have to curse? Does it make them feel mature or something? Your picture is nice.

Comment: I LUV IT!!!!!!!!!!! SO CUTE

Comment: SO SOOOOOOOOOOOOO CUTE!!!!!

Comment: FAIRIES AND SQUIRRELS< PULLEASE!!!!!!!!!! Comment: I LUV SQUIRRELS SO CUTE!!!! Comment: Is the Squirrel holding some Fairies lower body part in its paw’s? Comment: i seen a dead squirrell last nite on the main road … hmmmm X emo X

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Sea Solar Power- tapping the oceans' temperature gradients

This entry was posted in solar Thermal on by

Sea Solar Power Inc. (SSP) is developing a solar power technology that uses a reverse refrigeration cycle to harness the solar energy stored in the sea by tapping the thermal gradient that exists naturally between the surface and deep waters. This temperature difference between surface water and that at 3000 feet in tropical oceans is sufficient to operate vapor turbines, which drive generators to produce electricity, with fresh water as a byproduct. SSP, run by three generations of the Anderson family, has been working on the technology since 1962.

via Slashdot

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Manchester Tourism Awards- nominate Victoria Baths

This entry was posted in Manchester Victoria Baths on by

From the inbox-

Dear Friend,

You may have seen adverts (in the Manchester Evening news or elsewhere) for the Manchester Tourism Awards 2006 – with the slogan*/ “What would you be proud to recommend to a visitor?” /*There is a category in the awards called *”Manchester Recommends”* – _where YOU the visitors send in suggestions_.
Would you like to nominate Victoria Baths for this award?

*How to do it?
*You need to send a postcard with the name of your nomination, with your name, address and daytime tel no to Manchester Recommends Competition, Marketing Dept, M.E.N., 164 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3RN to arrive before Jan 20th.

You could win 2 tickets for the event (Feb 2 at GMEX), and overnight accom. at the Malmaison Hotel plus pre-award cocktails!! Does that help persuade you?!!

Victoria Baths

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South Bend Southern Railroad

This entry was posted in Model Railway on by

This is the story of the South Bend Southern Railroad, a fictional railroad between South Bend Ind & Fulton Ky. The line is owned by the CN Railroad which uses it to bypass the congested rails of Chicago. From South Bend, SBS trains head south to Indy and then to Louisville Ky. From there trains head to western Ky where they connect to CN at Fulton. As you can see from the attached pics, work has begun on the interstate highway portions of the system.

via this blog- the 1/87th scale Vehicle Club and also Automobilia for tiny detailing sets.

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Sea Solar Power- tapping the oceans' temperature gradients

This entry was posted in Solar Power on by

Sea Solar Power Inc. (SSP) is developing a solar power technology that uses a reverse refrigeration cycle to harness the solar energy stored in the sea by tapping the thermal gradient that exists naturally between the surface and deep waters. This temperature difference between surface water and that at 3000 feet in tropical oceans is sufficient to operate vapor turbines, which drive generators to produce electricity, with fresh water as a byproduct. SSP, run by three generations of the Anderson family, has been working on the technology since 1962.

via Slashdot

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The end of cheap waste

This entry was posted in Waste on by

Peter Jones, a director of Biffa- Britain’s largest waste handling company, says that tighter EU recycling laws and higher landfill taxes will cost up to £8bn within years.

“The days of chucking waste into holes in the ground are over and the future is hi-tech, efficient, but fiendishly expensive. Instead of chucking 75% of everything we have finished with down a hole for about £12 a tonne, within a few years very little will be landfilled and that will cost two or three times what it costs now. We expect it to cost Britain £5-8bn to deliver an 80% diversion from landfill. Everyone is in for a rude shock.”

Efficient and fiendishly expensive? I can’t help thinking he’s missing a bit of joined up thinking and hasn’t considered the money making potential of closing the manufacturing cycle with recycling.

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