School budgets hit hard as districts make deep cuts

Storm-Felled Trees Get A Second Life
The huge oak that the weekend storm knocked down outside Larry Dressler’s living room window may become a public bench, as the city launches a new program to find creative ways to recycle downed trees.

Read more on New Haven Independent

New leadership hallmark in waning months of 2010
This is part two of David Abbott’s roundup of local news for 2010.

Read more on Sonoma West Times & News

Michael Zimmerman, Ph.D.: From Creationism to Anti-Environmentalism: The Religious Right’s Attack on Science Expands
It can no longer be a surprise to anyone that a very vocal and well-funded minority of Christian extremists continue to attack evolutionary theory in the name of their narrow brand of religion.

Read more on The Huffington Post

Officials take a look back on 2010
SPARKS — As 2010 comes crawling to a close, local leaders spoke with the Sparks Tribune Tuesday about their personal and professional highpoints for the year and expectations for 2011.

Read more on Daily Sparks Tribune

School budgets hit hard as districts make deep cuts
This is part one of Laura McCutcheon’s two part roundup of school news for 2010.

Read more on Sonoma West Times & News

Sharjah cuts speed limits for intercity buses, taxis

Process removes carbon, yielding cleaner natural gas
Imagine a source of energy that is plentiful, produces small amounts of pollutants that contribute to global warming, and can be delivered to homes, businesses, and power plants without new distribution systems.

Read more on Boston Globe

Boeing, SpiceJet Finalize Order For 30 Next-Generation 737-800s
Boeing and Indian budget carrier, SpiceJet, today announced an order for 30 Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 with winglets. Valued at about US$2.3 billion at list prices, SpiceJet had declared its intent to purchase Boeing’s Next-Generation 737-800 in July this year.

Read more on Bernama

Business : Boeing, SpiceJet Finalize Order For 30 Next-Generation 737-800s
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 (Bernama) — Boeing and Indian budget carrier, SpiceJet, announced an order for 30 Next-Generation 737-800 with winglets in the presence of U.S. President Obama late last week.

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Shareable Ink Closes $4.5 Million Series A Preferred Financing
NASHVILLE, TN–(Marketwire – 11/09/10) – Shareable Ink, the leading provider of enterprise-grade digital pen and paper applications for healthcare, today announced that it has closed a $4.5 million Series A Preferred financing round with a syndicate of veteran healthcare investors, including Heritage Group, The Martin Companies, Nashville Capital Network, Founder Collective, and Chip Linehan …

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Sharjah cuts speed limits for intercity buses, taxis
As speeding is blamed for most traffic accidents in the country, Sharjah Transport has decided to reduce speed of its intercity buses and cabs.

Read more on Khaleej Times

Liam Fox fires warning shot over defence cuts

Defence cuts will have ‘grave consequences’: Liam Fox warns David Cameron
Dr Fox refused to back substantial cuts to defence spending while the country is at war in Afghanistan because it will seriously damage troops’ morale.

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Classic Elegance And Awesome Power – The Audi RS 5 Coupé Has Landed In Australia
MULGRAVE – Sept 28, 2010: A classically elegant coupe with a wickedly powerful engine: the new Audi RS 5 Coupé has landed in Australia. The high-revving 4.2-litre V8 pumps out a hefty 331 kW, yet is very fuel efficient.

Read more on The Auto Channel

German Cabinet Approves Broad New Energy Proposals
German Cabinet Approves Broad New Energy Proposals

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Cargo growth slows as consumer demand lags
Dubai airport has celebrated 50 years of commercial aviation. The Middle East was the only region where capacity exceeded demand in August according to IATA

Read more on Air Cargo World

Liam Fox fires warning shot over defence cuts
Defence secretary Liam Fox warned the Prime Minister of “grave consequences” if “draconian” spending cuts are made while the country is at war.

Read more on Independent

Belarus cuts Russia gas transit, says gas war looms

Belarus cuts Russia gas transit
By Vladimir Soldatkin and Andrei Makhovsky

Read more on Reuters via Yahoo! Philippines News

Belarus cuts Russia gas transit, says gas war looms
MINSK (Reuters) – Belarus moved to cut the transit of Russian gas to Europe on Tuesday in a debt spat with Moscow, while President Alexander Lukashenko said the two countries faced a “gas war”, an echo of Russia’s 2009 quarrel with Ukraine.

Read more on The Star

‘National Mission’ to Find Clean Fuels
President Obama was right to call on Americans to unify behind a “national mission” to find alternative energy sources. Now he needs to deliver a tough and ambitious energy bill.

Read more on New York Times

Farmers battle Roundup-resistant weeds
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When the weed killer Roundup was introduced in the 1970s, it proved it could kill nearly any plant while still being safer than many other herbicides, and it allowed farmers to give up harsher chemicals and reduce tilling that can contribute to erosion.

Read more on The York Dispatch

Belarus cuts Russia gas transit, says gas war looms
* Lukashenko says flows to resume when Moscow repays debt

Read more on Reuters via Yahoo! Asia News

Russia Cuts Interest Rates 14th Time to Spur Lending (Update2)

Hyperion: Economy has slowed refinery plans
ELK POINT, S.D. — Two years ago this Thursday, Union Countyvoters gave the green light to the Hyperion Energy Center,approving a rezoning measure by 58-42 percent.

Read more on Sioux City Journal

Obama Calls for New Fuel Economy Rules for Trucks
The new rules, which will be written by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, would apply to commercial medium and heavy-duty vehicles beginning with model year 2014.

Read more on Business Fleet

International Fuel Technology, Inc. Completes over Four Years of Successful Rail Engine Testing and Field …
ST. LOUIS—-International Fuel Technology, Inc. announced today that it completed over four years of extensive rail engine testing and field demonstration in the U.K. which confirmed that the use of DiesoLiFTTM 10, IFT’s proprietary fuel additive formulation, provided a significant improvement in fuel economy and power.

Read more on Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance

Brazil’s Bovespa Rises as Commodities Gain, Inflation Bets Ease
May 31 (Bloomberg) — Brazil’s Bovespa stock index gained, paring its worst monthly decline since October 2008, after higher commodity prices boosted producers and a central bank survey showed economists lowered inflation predictions.

Read more on Bloomberg

Russia Cuts Interest Rates 14th Time to Spur Lending (Update2)
May 31 (Bloomberg) — Russia’s central bank cut its main interest rates for the 14th time in as many months to bolster the country’s economic recovery, making it the last of the so- called BRIC countries to maintain an easing cycle.

Read more on Bloomberg

Will Tax Cuts for Green Cars Really Make a Difference?

The last budget speech saw an increase in car tax and a 2p rise in fuel costs effective from October 2008. Critics believe that these increases will put a strain on car drivers who are already paying the highest ever prices for fuel, another bone of contention is whether the tax cuts for greener cars will encourage drivers to consider cleaner transport.

The only good news for drivers that came out of the budget changes was that the Chancellor decided to delay to 2p increase on fuel prices until October 2008, however since the cost of fuel is already at an all time high currently at 106.1p per litre.

Ashton Berkhauer, an insurance expert at uSwitch.com said: “The budget announcement may prove a bitter pill to swallow for Britain’s 41.7 million motorists. Only those drivers opting for the least polluting vehicles, currently representing just 0.2% of all cars on the road will be incentivised.”

The head of insurance.co.uk, Steve Grainger said: “For those who are already stretching to meet petrol prices, October will arrive all too quickly.”

There has been a lot of speculation in recent months that the highest polluting vehicles will start to face penalties and environmentally friendly drivers will be rewarded. So the announcement that from 2010 drivers with the most environmentally friendly vehicles will not pay any tax in their first year was no surprise. The most polluting vehicles can expect to see an increase in the price of their tax, Band G vehicles are expected to see an increase of 233% from £300 to £1,000 in the first year.

Berkhauer said: “Drivers of green vehicles are best off financially. Our research shows that eco-friendly car owners currently save £165.40 a year on fuel compared to those driving standard cars. The increase in October will boost this saving to almost £170 a year.”

“The new proposal could see larger family cars, such as the Renault Espace, being subjected to the same tax as a new Lamborghini Gallardo. An extra £1,000 may be small change to a Lamborghini buyer considering the £126,350 price tag. However, this could be a real strain on an average family’s budget.”

It is estimated that Britain’s roads will house 55,900 green cars by the end of 2008, although this only makes up 0.2% of all UK registered vehicles.

Some critics are disappointed that the Chancellor hasn’t done more to encourage green transport. Tescocompare.com’s spokesman Matthew Dransfield said: “We fully support today’s announcement to encourage consumers to be more environmentally conscious when buying a car. However, we are disappointed that the Chancellor did not look wider to the cost barriers for purchasing green cars and consider cutting Insurance Premium Tax for these cars as an added incentive to go green.”

Car insurance for a green car can cost £50 more than a non-green car of a similar size and with similar features because it costs more to repair green cars. Dransfield explained: “With the average car insurance premium being £400 – the removal of the 5% insurance premium tax on ‘green’ cars would make the cost of insuring one equivalent to a similar standard car. Motorists can do a lot to cut their carbon emissions as well as their insurance costs by reducing annual mileage, having their car serviced regularly, regularly checking tire pressure and limiting the amount of time spent idling, all of which will increase fuel efficiency and decrease carbon emissions.”

There are a couple of car insurers who offer special policies for green vehicles and customer’s attitudes towards green vehicles are changing dramatically meaning that more insurers will need to offer reasonable policy prices for green vehicles.