The European Parliament has called for a rollout of a EU filling-station network for hydrogen-powered cars by Leigh Phillips The European Parliament has called on the EU s executive to introduce measures to support the roll-out of a Europe-wide filling-station network for hydrogen-powered cars and develop common standards for the vehicles across all member states MEPs almost unanimously adopted a report on Wednesday 3 September drafted by members of the centre-right European Peoples Party grouping in the parliament on hydrogen-powered vehicles The legislative report was adopted with 644 votes in favour two against and 11 abstentions MEPs believe a key support measure would be the development of common EU standards for the experimental transport concept Without such common standards member states may grant approvals for such vehicles on a one-off basis without having to develop new laws Thus there is a risk that every member state could draw up its own approval conditions resulting in distortion of the single market argue the euro-deputies This would lead to high costs for manufacturers create safety risks and also considerably impede the spread of hydrogen technology in the EU British Socialist MEP Arlene McCarthy said At a time when petrol prices in Europe have doubled and with ever growing concern about the effects of climate change it is clear we need new hopes for future fuels With the adoption of EU-wide criteria the European Union can establish itself now ahead of global research and ensure investment security for market access of this future technology said the report s authors centre-right MEPs Malcolm Harbour of the UK and Anja Weisgerber of Germany Furthermore a common EU framework could point the way forward for standards worldwide By setting minimum standards the European Union could now also provide guidance for global licensing in this sector added the two MEPs in a statement The report was welcomed by the commission suggesting the body will indeed move ahead with the development of such supports Enterprise and industry commissioner Gunter Verheugen said Setting common standards will ensure high safety for citizens and will boost the competitiveness of European manufacturers The commissioner called on member states to support the idea Hydrogen cars aren t zero-emission vehicles However environmental campaigners are sceptical that hydrogen is the panacea that MEPs believe it to be Dudley Curtis of clean transport campaigners Transport Environment said For at least thirty years the car and oil industries have been promising the world hydrogen cars as a solution to all the world s problems pointing out that the cars each cost a million euros to produce at the moment The parliament should be concentrating on the job at hand making the current generation of petrol and diesel cars much more fuel efficient Jeroen Verheuven of green group Friends of the Earth described how hydrogen cars are not as clean as MEPs think This is presented as if hydrogen cars are zero-emission vehicles when the reality is very different Hydrogen is in fact the by-product of fossil-fuel production and if you use coal-fired power plants to separate the hydrogen then this is not very clean at all Commissioner Verheugen drives a BMW that is powered by hydrogen but it s a huge car very inefficient That s the key mdash energy efficiency These plans dovetail very nicely with all the loopholes in the legislation covering CO2 emissions for cars in which so-called zero-emission vehicles count as three cars in working out the average emissions of a car manufacturer s fleet of vehicles Doubling of energy generating capacity MEPs however said that ultimately hydrogen-powered vehicles should use only hydrogen produced as far as possible from renewable energies But the production of hydrogen is incredibly energy-intensive The UK s Tyndall Centre a climate change research institute has found that in order to replace current transport fuels with hydrogen via electrolysis from renewable electricity would require a doubling of the electricity generating capacity of the country If only renewable electricity were used for making hydrogen it would mean that additional fossil fuels would have to be used elsewhere to replace the lost renewables This means that to produce genuine carbon-free hydrogen for cars it would be necessary to eliminate the use of all fossil-fuelled electricity while at the same time doubling the amount of electricity produced

WASHINGTON 8212 FBI agents taped more than 100 phone conversations involving Sen Ted Stevens as part of their public-corruption investigation Stevens attorneys said Tuesday The FBI s recorded conversations have been the highlight of corruption trials in Alaska but the size of its collection against Stevens had been unclear The conversations between oil contractors and Alaska politicians helped the Justice Department send three state politicians to prison The calls could be played in court this month when the Senate s longest-serving Republican stands trial on charges of lying about hundreds of thousands of dollars in home renovations and other gifts he received from an oil contractor His attorneys began laying the groundwork for an argument that the calls should not be admitted into evidence because Stevens was not named as a wiretapping target

Windmills small and quiet enough for every rooftop could boost green energy but they re still pricey New deals could change that by Frank Dohmen They look a bit like attachments for a gigantic hand-held mixer But at five meters 16 feet tall and with a diameter of close to three meters they are certainly too big for a kitchen cabinet They would however definitely fit in backyards and city parks and on the roofs of houses and office buildings And if the German power company RWE RWEG DE has its way there will soon be thousands of the funny-looking rotors installed in the coming months and years mdash in Germany in Europe and even in the US It is not as one might be tempted to believe a vast futuristic art project Rather the odd-looking twisting contraptions are the newest generation of high-tech wind turbines In contrast to their cousins these windmills are virtually silent do not require long blades to catch the wind and spin no matter which direction the wind is blowing Even better their modest size and weight mean they can easily be installed on rooftops mdash and they can generate up to 10 000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year enough to supply two low-energy homes or a 20 person office with power The rotors are produced in limited numbers by a company called Quiet Revolution located in Great Britain Founded in 2005 the company has already managed to demonstrate that it may have vast potential Late last year the company produced its first rotors and almost immediately began winning design and technical prizes Furthermore the first model mdash known as QR5 mdash has been installed on a number of rooftops in England There is one located on top of Kings College School in Wimbledon and an ever-growing number of high-rise buildings are likewise crowned by the apparatus A large pub chain has begun installing them as well Indeed the future looks so bright for Quiet Revolution that the German energy giant RWE recently bought a small stake in the company mdash a move that was officially announced at a press conference on Monday in Essen where RWE is based The share is worth euro 7 5 million 11 million Since the beginning of the year Fritz Vahrenholt has been responsible for expanding RWE s presence in the renewable energy sector Formerly the head of the wind turbine company Repower Vahrenholt has also steered RWE into billions worth of investments in offshore wind parks and led RWE s construction of biomass facilities He has also kicked off a search for innovative new companies When I saw Quite Revolution Vahrenholt says it was immediately clear to me that with this wind turbine the dream of many people to have their own decentralized power supply could be fulfilled mdash even in places where the sun doesn t shine and where there is no power grid Still he warns against getting too excited These turbines aren t going to change the overall energy mix Vahrenholt says The output is still too low and at euro 30 000 per turbine the price is still too high Installation and maintenance costs make the mini-windmills even more expensive For the moment they are little more than a prestige or marketing installation for rich environmentalists But RWE s investment could change that There are already ideas to replace the carbon-fiber material out of which the turbines are made with cheaper materials There is also plenty of room for output to be boosted Furthermore should the gadgets prove workable they could be mass-produced in a country where labor is cheaper The cost per unit could fall dramatically mdash assuming there is a demand But few doubt that there would be Just a few days ago New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that he is interested in installing wind turbines on top of the city s buildings If rooftop wind can make it anywhere this is a great city he said We have a lot of tall buildings RWE is hoping he means it

I just love the flavor combination of vanilla and oranges in this Dreamsicle Cookie Jar Mix Prep Time 25 minutesIngredients 1 2 cup instant orange breakfast drink powder3 4 cup sugar1-1 2 cups vanilla chips1-3 4 cups flour mixed with 1 2 teaspoon baking soda and 1 2 teaspoon baking powderPreparation Layer ingredients in jar in order given Press each layer firmly in place before adding next ingredient Attach this recipe to the jar Empty cookie mix in a large mixing bowl stir to combine Add 3 4 cup softened butter 1 egg slightly beaten and 1 teaspoon vanilla mix until completely blended If dough is too dry stir in just enough milk or water to make of cookie dough texture Roll heaping tablespoonfuls into balls Place 2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet Bake at 375 186 for 12 to 14 minutes or until tops are very lightly browned Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheet Remove to wire racks to cool completely Yield 2-1 2 dozen

It s not well known that gyoza originated in China Gyoza are also known as Japanese potstickers - it s very difficult to eat just one Serves 8 to 10 as an appetizer Prep Time 15 minutesCook Time 20 minutesIngredients 1 2 pound ground pork 1 cup 3 4 cup shredded Napa cabbage1 green onion diced2 teaspoons minced ginger1 egg lightly beaten1 tablespoon soy sauce1 4 teaspoon hot chili oil or to taste1 4 teaspoon sesame oil2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying or as needed30 gyoza wrappers or as neededPreparation Bring a pot of salted water to a boil Blanch the shredded cabbage until it is tender but still crisp Plunge into ice cold water remove and drain thoroughly In a medium bowl combine the ground pork cooked cabbage green onion minced ginger egg soy sauce chili oil and sesame oil Lay a gyoza wrapper in front of you Wet all the edges with water Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper Fold the sides up to form a semicircle and then pinch the edges to seal Continue with the rest of the gyoza wrappers until the filling is gone To cook heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy frying pan over medium-high to high heat Add 12 - 15 of the gyoza and cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom Add 1 2 cup of water to the pan Cover the dumplings and cook until the water is absorbed 5 to 7 minutes Repeat with the remainder of the gyoza dumplings More Potstickers Recipes Potstickers - includes a dough recipe Vegetarian Potstickers Cantonese Potstickers Potstickers Dipping Sauce Recipe Ginger Dipping Sauce - this easy to make dip also goes very nicely with potstickers

Saturday August 30 2008 The Funny Site of the Day — Boasting 156 awful album covers this pop culture museum is open featuring exhibits in Metal Mayhem Only in America The God Squad Should I Shoot the Stylist Now Great British Awfulness It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time Keeping It Unreal Ventriloquism on Record and Uncategorizable Awfulness among others Curator zonicweb net accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any nausea vomiting and or retinal damage caused by viewing these album covers Some content may not be suitable for work or humming Visit Museum of Bad Album Covers Related Funny Pictures Real Life Humor More Featured Funny Sites Archive Pictured Oh no not The Beatles Photo by Mario Tama Getty Images Comments 0 See All Posts abw hlist restart display inline border 0 none border-left 1px solid margin 0 0 0 6em padding 0 0 0 6em border-color 666 http humor b 2008 08 30 the-museum-of-bad-album-covers htm PrevNext zSB 3 3 Comments No comments yet Leave a Comment Leave a Comment Name Email never displayed URL Your Comment Line and paragraph breaks are automatic Some HTML allowed lt a href quot quot title quot quot gt lt b gt lt i gt lt strike gt Say It gEI commentform style display none var l getElementsByClassName leavecomment gEI comments for i 0 i

Copyright Twentieth CenturyPrevNextGallery IndexImage 17 of 18Twentieth Century FoxThe Simpsons - Treehouse of Horror XVIn Four Beheadings and a Funeral the Mutton Chop Murderer has taken another victim and Eliza Simpson and her sidekick Dr Bartley join with Inspector Wiggum of Scotland Yard to find the killer PrevNext

Night of Joy held annually since 1983 at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort received the Gospel Music Association GMA Lifetime Achievement Award during GMA Music Week 2006 in April in Nashville TN The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an entity to recognize major contributions to the gospel music community for 20 or more years In twenty-plus years with more than 900 000 attendees and over 110 artists Night of Joy has mixed the classic Disney fun with the best in Christian music In 2006 on Friday Sept 8 and Saturday Sept 9 the 24th Night of Joy event will feature Casting Crowns Kirk Franklin MercyMe and tobyMac heading a 17-act lineup that includes BarlowGirl Building 429 David Crowder Band Hawk Nelson Jeremy Camp Matthew West Rebecca St James Smokie Norful The Afters Todd Agnew Vicky Beeching ZOEgirl and a winner from the 32nd Annual 147 GMA Music in the Rockies 148 event All acts will play either Friday or Saturday except for BarlowGirl which will perform both days The lineup features eight winners of 2006 Dove Awards For the second year in a row Casting Crowns won the Group of the Year with their album winning Pop Contemporary Album of the Year The David Crowder Band won Dove awards for Rock Contemporary Album and Rock Contemporary Song of the Year 147 Here is our King 148 and newcomers The Afters won the 2006 Dove Award for New Artist of the Year Kirk Franklin also won two awards for his new album Best Urban Album and Urban Recorded Song of the Year 147 Looking For You 148 MercyMe lead singer Bart Millard s album tied with Amy Grant for Inspirational Album of the Year and tobyMac 146 s 147 The Slam 148 from won Rock Recorded Song of the Year In addition to individual efforts four Night of Joy artists Camp Crowder St James and tobyMac were also honored with Dove Awards in the Special Event Album of the Year category with the soundtrack Night of Joy at Walt Disney World runs from 7 30 p m to 12 30 a m after regular Magic Kingdom closing and requires a special ticket Advance tickets 39 95 plus tax for one night 67 95 plus tax for both nights are available by calling 407 W-DISNEY Tickets purchased on the date of the event will be 44 95 plus tax if available Night of Joy is frequently sold out in advance Night of Joy 2006 Schedule FRIDAY SEPT 8 2006 BarlowGirl - Cinderella Castle Stage 7 30 p m Rebecca St James - Galaxy Palace Theater 7 30 p m amp 9 p m Todd Agnew - Stage Location TBA 7 30 p m amp 8 45 p m Vicky Beeching - Cosmic Ray 146 s Starlight Caf 233 8 30 p m Casting Crowns - Cinderella Castle Stage 9 10 p m Matthew West - Cosmic Ray 146 s Starlight Caf 233 9 45 p m amp 11 p m Building 429 - Stage Location TBA 10 20 p m amp 11 35 p m David Crowder Band - Galaxy Palace Theater 10 30 p m amp 11 45 p m MercyMe - Cinderella Castle Stage 11 20 p m SATURDAY SEPT 9 2006 BarlowGirl - Cinderella Castle Stage 7 30 p m Smokie Norful - Galaxy Palace Theater 7 30 p m amp 9 p m ZOEgirl - Stage Location TBA 7 30 p m amp 8 45 p m GMA Competition Winner - Cosmic Ray 146 s Starlight Caf 233 8 30 p m tobyMac - Cinderella Castle Stage 9 10 p m The Afters - Cosmic Ray 146 s Starlight Caf 233 9 45 p m amp 11 p m Hawk Nelson - Stage Location TBA 10 20 p m amp 11 35 p m Jeremy Camp - Galaxy Palace Theater 10 30 p m amp 11 45 p m Kirk Franklin - Cinderella Castle Stage 11 20 p m