THE STATE OF PLANET EARTH AND HUMANITY ON 18JUNE10

1.  Day 60 of Gulf Oil Spill:  Yesterday, BP recovered a million barrels of oil.  See my blog of 16June2010, but this means they are capturing either 1/3 or 2/3 of the leak.  On average, then, approximately half, or 1 million gallons/day, is still escaping into the seas...exactly the number I estimated on my 1May09 blog.  The foot in mouth idiot yesterday was Texas Congressman Joe Barton.  Click on his name to view him apologizing to BP.  I actually met him as a first termer in my early days of lobbying, as he was interested in fuel cells for Texas A&M.  My shock is that he looks so old.  Wonder what that says about me.  Anyway, BP execs are not exactly doing much better, as President Tony Hayward came across as evasive to the congressional panel, and their chairman, Carl-Henric Svanberg, can be seen referring to the affected Louisianans as small people.  Is this the beginning of The Venus Syndrome?  Apparently, 40% of the fluid emanating from the damaged subsea well is methane.  By itself this gaseous leak might create dead zones for marine life, but the concern is about triggering something a lot more serious.

2.  In the sports world:  I happened to listen on the radio driving home when the Los Angeles Lakers, in the 7th game of the NBA finals, were losing by 13 points to the Boston Celtics.  After some quick shopping I came home and I turned on the TV to see the Lakers a minute from actually winning, and prevailed, 83-79.  This morning, I woke up to go to the bathroom at around 4:45AM, remembered that the USA was playing Slovenia in the World Cup, turned the TV on, saw America was behind 2-0, and went back to sleep.  Hardly anyone recovers from this kind of early disaster.  Remember, Slovenia was a minor part of Yugoslavia, and only has a population of, maybe, 2 million.  An hour later, I woke up and thought I'd check on the slaughter, and saw the score 2-1 with 10+ minutes left.  Two minutes later, the coach's son, Michael Bradley, scored a goal, and a few after that, we score another, which was disallowed by the referee for an invisible holding infraction.  Everyone was holding on to someone!  Anyway, the score ended 2-2, which means that all the U.S. has to do to make the knockout round is win their next game against Algeria.  We are favored.  The overriding memory of this World Cup, and an even greater irritant than the thunderstick, of course, are the vuvuzela horns.  Everything sounds like you are in a bees's convention.  Oh, you can actually go to Amazon.com and buy one for all of $6.99, plus shipping.

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The Dow Jones Industrials snuck up 16 to 10,451, meaning that it is up 0.22% for the year.  World markets were mixed, although the Japan Nikkei edged below 10,000.  Gold jumped $10/toz to $1256, or $1262, depending on your dealer.  THIS IS AN ALL-TIME HIGH!  Investors are worried about a double-dip recession, and there is an inverse relationship between the dollar and gold.  Crude oil is at $77/barrel.

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Nothing much is happening to that Atlantic storm, but Tropical Storm Blas picked up some speed to 45 MPH, but should weaken over the next few days.  There are now only two disturbances in the Pacific.

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HUMAN CLONING: A POST-LIFE INSURANCE?

The Huffington Post just published an updated version of a blog I featured a couple of days ago on "The Future of Graveyards." I had materially adjusted it anyway, and they further changed the title. Here is the latest version of the piece, with graphics.

My HuffPosting on Gratitude, Not Grief almost a year ago led me to consider a variety of funeral options. I learned that cremation will soon overtake burial. As a futuristic thinker, a Swiftian (that's Jonathan on the left) thought occurred to me that a logical next step might be preservation of a small portion of the remains just in case cloning someday becomes commonplace. A post-insurance policy?

While there are already cryogenic processes, there is no assurance that this technique can have any happy ending, especially with the added costs involved. Then again, success was attained with frozen embryo births. Forty-three years ago James Bedford was placed in deep cold storage and baseball player Ted Williams was cryogenically preserved in 2002. On a mass scale for the public at large, though, it should ultimately not take much to keep a cubic centimeter of bone marrow, drop of blood or piece of your skin. Certainly, some technique can be devised at low maintenance cost to preserve your DNA/RNA specimen. Remember Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park? Recall that the blood of a dinosaur, sucked by a mosquito, which happened to get enveloped in amber, kept for a 50 million years at room temperature, became the viable fluid biologically cloned into a prehistoric beast. Well, that was an exaggeration of reality, but Japanese and Russian scientists are now in the process of cloning a woolly mammoth using this technique. Thus, it is not a stretch of wild imagination for a small sample of your dead body to be carefully stored, for, who knows, it could just be a matter of a few decades before science might perfect this process for humans.

There will be fly-by-night outfits to take your money, but the potential of a credible business succeeding around the world will happen, and probably soon. What organization already into searching for roots has the reliability, managerial ability, international roots and entrepreneurial capability to capture the marketplace? This "company" should have long term credibility, having endured controversy, but nevertheless remain thriving. The Mormon Church came to mind. Already, Ancestry.com is taking cheek-swiped cotton swab and $200 to add DNA to your family tree. Yes, Sorenson Genomics, the firm doing the work, is headquartered in Utah. 

I can visualize repositories resembling a high-tech mini crystal palace. The setting will be a comfortable purgatory where the visitor can punch in a code to electronically view a video of the person at rest. As the average funeral in the U.S. today costs $6,500, the price tag of sustaining each person for this new enterprise should be a fraction of that sum. A simple charge of $1000 should be a financial and recruiting windfall for the Church. Analyzing the long-term total benefits, a seeming lost leader charge of free might even be considered. Each year, about one percent of the world population dies. Thus, the potential exists to add 60 million new specimens each year. Every society honors the dead in some respectful manner. If the charge is to be free to secure your loved one, with the additional prospect of perhaps a resurrection someday, that practice could well become universal.

Several billion bodies are already in the ground, and another billion or so stored in urns. While most samples are perhaps not now ideal for cloning purposes, the potential remains, opening up another marketing pathway.

Now, all this might at first blush sound much too sacrilegious and sardonic, and even offensive to some. If so, delete the religious references. What about then some business organization with the reputation and means to carry out this ghoulish imperative for a profit? This simple solution would make available land for more productive uses, reduce the cost of death and make it more convenient to visit those who have passed on, as many will merely carry out this privilege at home through the internet. And don't forget the ultimate: the possibility of a real afterlife.

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The Dow Jones Industrials edged up 25 to 10,434, while world markets were mixed. Gold increased $14/toz to $1246 and crude oil is nearing $77/barrel.

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There remain one storm in the Atlantic and three in the Pacific, with Blas now an official tropical storm:

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HOW MUCH OIL IS REALLY SPILLING INTO THE GULF?

I noticed "Patrick's Original Guide to Cleaning Up the Oil Spill," so I list it to the left.  However, this Patrick is not me.  This one was written by Patrick (and illustrated by Kayoko) Halliwell.  This virtual publication (for your Kindle), of course, is specifically about the current spill and just came out this week.

What you can and can't eat is changed by nutritionists regularly.  Sometimes it is one way, then the other, and back, and...  

However, when it comes to the Gulf BP oil spill, the rate keeps going up:

                               ........Media Reported.........Cumulative spill

                                           (gallons/day)           (million gallons)

                                                

Day  1   April 20   BP             42,000...................   0.042

Day  9   April 28   BP           210,000...................   1.9

Day12   May 1      PT        1,000,000................... 12.0

Day 58  June 16   Latest 1,470,000 (low).......    87

                                             2,700,000 (high)...... 157

Furthermore, the oil plume now appears to be edging to leave the Gulf through South Florida.  If this occurs, the currents will take it up the Eastern Seaboard and towards Europe.  While the high of 157 million gallons is not yet close to the 380-520 million gallons foisted on Kuwait by Saddam Hussein, BP has long been reporting that the relief wells will not be operational until August, perhaps another 58 days away, if not much longer.   Plus, who knows for sure if even this tactic will totally stop the flow. Thus, if this output continues as above, the Gulf spill will begin to approach the worst ever.  As a matter of comparison, the Alaskan Exxon Valdez disaster amounted to 11 million gallons, so this current Gulf spill is now about 8 times worse, and, maybe almost double that.

Yet, President Barack Obama yesterday in his Oval Office address to the nation did say that 90% of the leaking oil will be captured by BP in a short while.  BP reports that yesterday, they succeeded in recovering 438,000 gallons of the stuff, or about a quarter of the low consensus.  If the company succeeds, then the actual release to the marine environment will, ironically enough, be in the range of their earlier ultra-conservative leak estimates.

Let's round this off to 100 million gallons of oil now in the Gulf.  At the cost of petroleum today, that is a sum now approaching $200 million.  As BP today agreed to establishing a $20 billion escrow account to pay for damages, that is 100 times more than the oil they lost.  The firm also announced that no dividends would be paid for the rest of the year.  Yet, this day saw BP stock rise 1.4%, to just about 50% the value of  its one year high.  The obvious sentiment in the White House is, let's prevent BP from going bankrupt so they can pay their debt.  I can see a market for a counter product--Buy BP:  Let's keep them alive.

Anyway, to answer the question, then, let's us take the average of the high and low consensus.  If you subtract the amount reported by BP as being recovered, the leak today is 1,647,000 gallons of oil.  At $77/barrel, this loss is $3 million/day, nothing compared to the damages they face.  

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The Dow Jones Industrials today stayed positive, up 5 to 10,409, and the Japan Nikkei, reflecting the world market, also snuck above 10,000 at 10,067.  Gold dropped $5/toz to $1230 and crude oil is at $77/barrel.

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No hurricanes in sight for the Gulf of Mexico, but that weak disturbance heading for the Caribbean remains, and has a finite, but low, potential of making it into the Gulf.  There are now three disturbances in the Pacific, all small, but I don't remember any recent occurrence of three at the same time in roughly the same place.  They all are heading west and north.

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THE GOLDEN EVOLUTION (Part 43): The Future of Graveyards

The following continues the serialization of Chapter 5 on Religion from SIMPLE SOLUTIONS for Humanity:

The Future of Graveyards

 

So how can churches respond to the financial challenge? As cremation will soon overtake burial as the safekeeping technique of convenience, the logical next step will be storage of a small portion of your body which can someday be cloned to reproduce you. While cryogenic safekeeping would probably be best, it should not take much to keep a cubic centimeter of bone marrow, drop of blood or piece of your skin. Further, some technique will be devised at low energy and maintenance expense to preserve your DNA/RNA specimen, making the repository even more efficient.

Remember Michael Crichton, who was the villainous author of State of Fear in Book 1? Well, he also wrote Jurassic Park.  Recall that the blood of a dinosaur, sucked by a mosquito, which happened to be enveloped in amber, kept for a million years at room temperature, became the viable fluid biologically useful to clone the beast. Well, that was an exaggeration of reality, but Japanese and Russian scientists are now in the process of cloning a woolly mammoth using this technique.  The photo to the right is from Guardian.com. At least the storage need not be for an infinitely long period, as it will just be a matter of a few decades before science should be able to perfect this process.

There will be fly by night outfits to take your money, but the potential of a credible business succeeding around the world will happen, and soon. What organization already into searching for roots has the reliability, managerial ability, international roots and entrepreneurial capability to capture the marketplace? This “company” would need to have been around for a long time, having endured controversy, but nevertheless remain thriving. The answer, to me, is clear…the Mormon Church. What better way, also, of gaining new members? Already, Ancestry.com is taking cheek-swiped cotton swab and $200 to add DNA to your family tree. Yes, Sorenson Genomics, the firm doing the work, is headquartered in Utah.

All their temples will add a repository, which no doubt will resemble a mini crystal palace. The setting will be a comfortable purgatory where the visitor can punch in a code to electronically view a video of the person at rest. Flowers? No. People feel compelled to leave a remembrance at the headstone, so the Church will suggest a small donation instead. The opportunity will be utilized to provide just the right message for you to experience what the Church might offer you. 

As the average funeral in the U.S. today costs $6500, and the price tag of sustaining this new enterprise, with amortization and all other costs calculated over the lifetime of the effort should be less than 1% of that expense (my guess).  A simple one time charge of $1000 should be a financial and recruiting windfall for the Church. Analyzing the long-term total benefits, the future value of tithing, for example, a seeming lost leader charge of FREE, might even be considered. Each year, about 1% of the world population dies.  Thus the potential exists for the Church to add 70 million new specimens each year. Every society honors the dead in some respectful manner. If the charge is to be free to secure your loved one, with the additional prospect of perhaps a resurrection someday, oh my, the practice should become universal. 

Several billion bodies are already in the ground, and another billion or so as dust in urns. Most of these, while now essentially useless as cloning prospects, nevertheless can be transferred to these Mormon temples to keep the family together.

Now, all this sounds much too sacrilegious and sardonic. But if not the Mormon Church, then perhaps the Mayo Clinic or Rockefeller Foundation or some other organization with the sincere interest and means to carry out this ghoulish imperative for a profit, even. Perhaps every church can participate in some small way. This simple solution would make available land for other uses, reduce the cost of death and make it more convenient and comfortable to visit those who have passed on. Of course, most will merely do this at home through the internet.  Amen.

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A banner day today, as the Dow Jones Industrials zoomed up 214 to 10,405, a three week high, perhaps stimulated by a successful debt offering of two PHIIGS, Spain and Ireland.  Remember, Hungary was added to the acronym.  Europe continues to drive values.  All world markets were up today.  Gold increased $13/tox to $1235 and crude oil jerked up to $75/barrel.

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There continues to be that active site in Atlantic, and now, two in the Pacific, with the newest one also south of Central American, one headed northwest and other west.

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THE PRICE OF OIL WILL SKYROCKET IN FIVE YEARS...IF NOT SOONER

The 12June2010 issue of The Economist had a chart showing some very revealing energy consumption patterns:

1.  In 2009 the USA and China used about the same amount of primary energy.

2.  U.S., Japan and Europe used less energy in 2010 compared to 1999.  That is, we were able to gently grow our economy over the past decade, while decreasing energy use.

3.  However, since 1999, China MORE THAN DOUBLED energy consumption.  India also in this period almost doubled use.

4.  Yet, the average American today uses 450% more energy than the typical Chinese and 1800% more than an individual in India.

5.  China and India represent 37% the world population.  Do you expect them to cut energy use anytime soon?

6.  Germany, per person, uses energy at less than half the rate of an American.  Yet, since 2003 they  have ranked #1 in export.  Even better than China.  Why?  Good question.

When you add the imminent development of Africa and other upcoming nations, considering the limits to oil, and the potential of global warming, preventing the expanded use of coal and other fossil fuels, you can with high confidence predict a severe energy cost spike within five years.  Even sooner if a major conflict erupts between Israel and Iran.

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After looking good most the day, the Dow Jones Industrials eventually edged down 20 to 10,191, while world markets almost all went up.  Gold increased $5/toz to $1222 and crude oil rests just below $75/barrel.

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The disturbance west of South America moving towards the Caribbean continues to show some potential of strengthening, while a new weather spot popped up on the Pacific side of Central America.

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*THE FUTURE OF TRANSPORTATION FUEL

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser had two articles today, one on "Oil Oil Everywhere" and a second on "Microalgae."  I have spent most of my professional life on finding a substitute for oil, beginning in the Seventies on growing microalgae in raceways, and recently wrote a Huffington Post article introducing the background of this potential.

In 1979 I drafted the first hydrogen bill (An Act to Establish the Spark M. Matsunaga Hydrogen Research, Development, and Demonstration Program Act of 1990) introduced in the U.S. Senate.  Some of this early work was published from a conference sponsored by the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute.  Through all these years I have come to a personal conclusion that methanol from biomass was the most sensible bridge to an ultimate hydrogen economy.  But this would only be for ground transport.

I thus posted "The Future of Sustainable Aviation."  Hawaii, in particular, is in a critical period when there is no replacement for jet fuel, and skyrocketing oil prices will send our economy into a local depression, for a long period of time.  The idiocy of this all is that, aside for tentative steps being initiated by that "microalgae" article above, we are not doing anything of relevance to truly overcome this unfolding cataclysm.  We need a quantum leap of imagination to do something, as suggested in my article on "The Sustainable Expo for 2020."

Hawaii is so infinitesimal a site that the best we can do is to catalyze action.  Good for us that we are proceeding on taking a lead role for biofuels, as extravagant claims for algae fuel show production ten times higher than corn and 100 times that of soybeans.  There are huge cost unknowns, and much yet needs to be researched, but we are finally getting started.  The problem is that the dual hammer of Peak Oil and Global Warming is right around the corner, and we have yet to do anything about next generation aircraft.  At least Rinaldo Brutoco of the World Business Academy has his Hawaiian Hydrogen Clipper being developed.

While the story of sustainable fuels is unfolding, my book on SIMPLE SOLUTIONS for Planet Earth provides the background.

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There is a minor disturbance north of South American heading for the Caribbean.

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GOOD NEWS FROM HAWAII

It's Saturday.  Today, let's forget that there is an oil spill in the Gulf, war in the Middle East, nastiness of politics and the combined hammer of Peak Oil and Global Warming.  Here are some good news:

1.  Last night I had dinner with my current role model, Ed Jurkens, as mentioned in the Epilogue of SIMPLE SOLUTIONS.  He frequently picks me up for golf (because his car has a decal to get into Hickam Air Force Base).  Until recently, we walked all 18 holes, ending with a beer.  He drops me off and returns home for a martini, while completing the cross word puzzles of both daily newspapers.  Well, he turns 93 this year, and is now down to one crossword puzzle (not his fault) and now usually rides a golf cart. Our table at Wolfgang's in Waikiki had a view of the Pan-Pacific Festival.  We started with a dry gin martini and shared 42 ounces of New York / Rib Eye, with a jumbo baked potato and Caesar salad.  We ate the whole thing and he consumed a lot more than I did.  He also paid for the meal, but I did invite him for a Yamazaki single malt scotch at Suntory also located on the third floor of the Royal Hawaiian Arcade.

2.  The Pan-Pacific Festival is occurring this weekend.  There were several entertainment stages along the blocked off Kalakaua Avenue last night, all featuring entertainment of the Pacific and Orient.  Today, a hula festival at the the Duke Kahanamoku statue on Kuhio Beach from 4:30 to 10PM, and tomorrow, a parade through Waikiki from 5 to 7PM.  Everything is free, although you need to purchase anything you might want to eat or drink.  A year ago this was the last event Pearl and I enjoyed together.

3.  The Kamehameha Day parade is also today, from 9AM to 1PM, starting at Fort DeRussy, marching along Ala Moana Boulevard, and ending at Iolani Palace.  Remember, they are going from Diamond Head to Ewa (East to West).  All this is followed by a hoolaulea (Hawaiian celebration) at the Palace.  For those who live in Antarctica or somewhere with connection to the world-wide web, you can live stream the proceedings.  Click on this Star-Advertiser article.

4.  Abby Sunderland, that 16 year from Los Angeles trying to be the youngest to sail around the world without stopping (go to my Remarkable Women posting on Jessica Watson, another 16 year old), was rescued by a French fishing vessel in the Indian Ocean after losing her mast in a fierce storm.

5.  Joran van der Sloot apparently confessed to both murders.  Then again, maybe not.  Anyway, he is in jail in Peru and will almost surely now be convicted for murdering Stephany Flores, and perhaps, too, Natalee Holloway in Aruba.  Case not closed, but looking favorable for justice.

6.  If you're American, it was a good soccer day, as the USA tied England at the World Cup.

7.  Best of all today, I walked all 18 holes of the Pali Golf Course...carrying my bag.

8.  There are no hurricanes nor cyclones around the world.  No earthquakes or tsunamis today.  Planet Earth and Humanity doing okay on Saturday, 12June2010.

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THE STATE OF PLANET EARTH AND HUMANITY ON 11JUNE10

1.  That oil spill in the Gulf is now speculated to have been from 1 million gallons/day to 1.25 million gallons/day, even more than what I guessed it to be on my 1May10 posting.  As such, I'll keep my estimate, and, as this is Day 53, the spill has been 53 million gallons, nearly five times more than the Exxon Valdez disaster.  However, the Discoverer Enterprise is supposedly recovering more than 0.5 million gallons a day, which has to be a royal embarrassment for BP, as, from the beginning, they were insisting that the total leak was only 0.2 million gallons/day.  Keep in mind that BP made $6.1 billion in January/February/March, so you can't feel too sorry for them.  On the other hand, The Economist reports BP has lost $62 billion in value since the crisis started.

2.  The World Cup has begun in South Africa, with South Africa, appropriately enough, scoring the first goal, ultimately, ending 1-1 against Mexico.  Uruguay and France played to a 0-0 tie.  Talk about boring!  In 1950 the American team, fresh off seven straight international match defeats where they lost by a combined score of 45-2, showed up in Brazil in what became known as THE MIRACLE ON GRASS.  A 500-1 underdog to win the cup, USA beat England (favored with Brazil to win it all) 1-0, the goal scored by a Haitian immigrant--Joe Gaetjens, being carried--who probably was not even eligible to play.  America subsequently never even qualified to play in the World Cup until 1990.   However, tomorrow, it is USA against England again, and starting will be Jozy Altidore, a true American of Haitian immigrants.  The Federation de Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) supposedly made $1.8 billion when Germany hosted in 2006.   FIFA rates Brazil #1, England #8 and USA #14.  South Africa is #83 and six teams are tied for #202, including American Samoa.  What is soccer?  I'm not sure, but it's just outside my radar screen next to hockey.

3.  Today is Kamehameha Day in Hawaii.  You can read the details about this state-county holiday in my 11July09 posting.  This is the 200th year anniversary of Hawaii unification by Kamehameha I.  The annual parade goes back to historical times and today will start at Ft. DeRussy in Waikiki and end at Iolani Palace.  Unthinkable today, this event was almost cancelled in 2003 for lack of financial support.  Even President Barack Obama went out of his way to proclaim today as King Kamehameha Day.

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The Dow Jones Industrials edged up 39 to 10,211, while world markets were almost all up, except for Germany.  Gold rose $7/toz to $1227 and crude oil slipped below $74/barrel.

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THE FALL 2010 WORLD SUSTAINABILITY TOUR: SHANGHAI

The third stop on my upcoming Fall Sustainability Tour will be Shanghai.  While some would think in terms of being drugged and kidnapped, the real meaning is "City of the Sea."   If I had to pick three of the most exciting spots in the world, this one would be on that list.  There is a frenetic pace of life, a quickly disappearing past and the presence of the future.  

At one time, its Mercer Cost of Living Index was relatively low, but is at 0.95 today to Tokyo's (most expensive city) 144.  However, #24 in 2008, Shanghai had risen (dropped?) to #12 in 2009. Part of this jump can be attributed to the Shanghai Expo, which opened in May and will end in October.   New York City was #8 at 1.00 and Chicago #50 at 0.81.

Governor Linda Lingle opened Hawaii Week at the expo on Monday.  The Hawaii Tourism Authority spent $450,000 to sell the state, not literally, but to attract tourists.  The Governor invited China and the World to her Asia-Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo, which will take place at the Hawaii Convention Center (HCC) from August 30 to September 2.  A few days later (September 13-17), Enterprise Honolulu will sponsor the World Congress on Zero Emissions Initiative:  Launching the Blue Economy, also at the HCC.  Sounds almost like the same thing.  Wonder why two similar gatherings are being held in the same place of attraction to an identical Pacific audience?

Across the bay from Shanghai is Zhoushan, an archipelago of 1400 islands and a population of about a million.  Zhejiang Ocean University is located on the island of Zhoushan, which finally got connected to the mainland on Christmas Day of 2009 with a 29 mile long bridge costing about $2 billion.  There is a lot in common between Zhoushan and Honolulu/Hawaii, and a city sister relationship is being discussed.

Finally, there was a time when Dongtan, Eco-City, was to have been a showcase link to the Shanghai Expo.  Politics and the economy derailed progress, but there remains a flicker of life.  What a dream:  500,000 in one metropolitan area powered by renewable energy with no waste.

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The Dow Jones Industrials zoomed up 282 to 10,181, with world markets all up.  Gold sunk $15/toz to $1217 and crude oil rose to $75/barrel.

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MAUI: FUTURE OF SUGAR AND BIOFUELS

I returned to Honolulu from Maui to see that a major brushfire had closed the only road between Lahaina and the Kahului Airport.  I had just driven in that area to visit the windpower site, which is close by.  I wonder how many missed flights?  The photo is from the Hawaii House blog site.

Part of the problem is that "Hawaii is the Nation's Driest State," having nothing to do with alcohol.  Lahaina has this year received only 6% of the normal rainfall.  HC&S, the only sugar company left in Hawaii, has been told to share their irrigation water with "the People."  There already is a worldwide freshwater crisis, and Maui is at the forefront of the politics.  Hawaii, of course, is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and drinking water is really an energy problem.  However, irrigation water is way to cheap to think about desalinating the ocean.  

My final meal on Maui was at Marcos on the way to the airport.  There is a Marcos  Southside Grill in Kihei.  The Kahului version is more Italian than anything else, but, as you can see, also features a $5.95 breakfast.  I wondered why the background music was contemporary instead of something more European or nostalgic, and the waiter indicated they wanted a diverse clientship, by implication hinting that Maui's taste in music lacked culture.  

Anyway, the mahimahi piccata was outstanding.

After lunch, I had an hour, so visited the HC&S sugar factory, the only remaining such operations in Hawaii.  The sugar industry really created Hawaii and our sociological mix of races.  My first job after college was at the Hutchinson Sugar Company in the southernmost community in the USA, Naalehu. All the sugar factories I worked in are now gone.

A quick tutorial:

1.  If you want to produce electricity from biomass, it makes no sense to first convert into a liquid biofuel to power a combustion turbine.  Just burn the stuff in a boiler.  Now, if you have an existing system, with the choice being between oil and a sustainable liquid fuel, that is a more difficult decision based on the value placed on energy security, jobs and life cycle costs, for the home-made fuel will be a lot more expensive.

2.  Transportation fuel will require a liquid, but don't make ethanol.  The future should be methanol and the direct methanol fuel cell.  Crops like palm oil grow to slowly and take up too much water.  Algae shows promise, but more so, ultimately, in the open ocean.

3.  DARPA announced working with Maui to produce biofuels for land vehicles and aircraft.  Hawaii absolutely needs to move in this direction, for I wonder about the future of plug-in electric vehicles, and, more importantly, the future of Hawaii will be linked to the availability of a substitute for jet fuel and/or a next generation aircraft utilizing hydrogen.

The factory above might someday process a variety of biofuels, in addition to electricity.  But sugar, as a commodity, will soon expire.

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After a good start, everything went downhill, and the Dow Jones Industrials fell 41 to 9899.  World markets were mostly up, although the Japan Nikkei fell further to 9439.  Gold dropped $3/toz to $1234 and crude oil is at $74/barrel.

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