This is the same sludge pond I posted about HERE. (More pictures and back-story at that link)

It still has a strong stench of sewage from where the drilling company dumped their sewage. It also has a strong chemical and hydrocarbon smell.

Promoted - standingup

As the Bush administration enters its final six months, truthtellers in government positions should take care: government officials will be tempted to sweep their agencies clean of evidence and whistleblowers before a new administration takes over.

Already, the Bush administration has issued a new executive memo allowing government agencies to conjure up their own penalties for disclosing information covered by a new, broad and poorly defined controls on information (thanks, smintheus). It's a bad portent of things to come.

Saving truthtellers and restoring government integrity depends on proposed legislation that would give whistleblowers badly-needed protections; legislation that is now stalled.

Next week, whistleblowers from around the country will meet for a conference in Washington, D.C., to describe the perils of exposing corruption, waste and abuses of power, hopefully to convince Congress to pass legislation that would save others from suffering similar fates. But, their success will depend heavily on public support - a good turnout of citizens attending the conference events or calling their representatives to urge stronger whistleblower protections.

-- originally posted 2008-02-17 05:09:16 - bumped

On January 12, 2008, I posted a piece titled Smarter Parts: Improving Efficient Energy Use and Demand? that touched upon an experimental program sponsored out of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The essence of the program was to create a home energy system that could respond to changing prices and peak demand loads by dialing back energy consumption. The system would be accessible via the internet so homeowners could make changes in absentia. An update to the story included another article indicating that in 2009, California regulators may have direct access to homeowner thermostats via radio-controlled devices in new or substantially modified houses and buildings to manage electricity shortages -- a plan cooked up by the California Energy Commission (CEC).

I opened a discussion thread for the piece in a few places, including several Delphi forums. In one thread,¹ some energy and water efficiency ideas came up. One in particular spawned the short poll that you're about to see. Please read on, and take the poll; results will be published at the end of next week and included in another piece that I will cross-post in all areas where this appears.

promoted - cho

November 2007: Artists Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese created the exhibit "Line Up" depicting doctored photographs of George W. Bush and members of his administration. The exhibit, being shown at the New York City Public Library, is critical of the war in Iraq. "It is simply inappropriate to have political attack art, in the form of egregious doctored photographs of the President and other high-ranking officials who have dedicated their lives to public service, in a taxpayer-funded building frequented by schoolchildren and the general public," said Matthew Walter, director of communications for the state GOP. In response, Roberta Waddell, curator of the library's print collection, said the exhibit was in keeping with a historical tradition, calling the exhibit a relevant example of political commentary.

Via Dartmouth University's page Photo Tampering Throughout History.

It's a great accompanying animated picture to have up in one window while reading either (or both) of the following pieces:

Chris Floyd ties Bush and BCCI to Sibel Edmonds bombshell by Inky99 on DailyKos

or

Bush Ordered by Judge to Reveal if Copies of Emails Exist by marktheshark, also on DailyKos.