Drilling surprise opens door to volcano-powered electricity

Can enormous heat deep in the earth be harnessed to provide energy for us on the surface? A promising report from a geothermal borehole project that accidentally struck magma – the same fiery, molten rock that spews from volcanoes – suggests it could.

The Icelandic Deep Drilling Project, IDDP, has been drilling shafts up to 5km deep in an attempt to harness the heat in the volcanic bedrock far below the surface of Iceland.

But in 2009 their borehole at Krafla, northeast Iceland, reached only 2,100m deep before unexpectedly striking a pocket of magma intruding into the Earth’s upper crust from below, at searing temperatures of 900-1000°C.

This borehole, IDDP-1, was the first in a series of wells drilled by the IDDP in Iceland looking for usable geothermal resources. The special report in this month’s Geothermics journal details the engineering feats and scientific results that came from the decision not to the plug the hole with concrete, as in a previous case in Hawaii in 2007, but instead attempt to harness the incredible geothermal heat.

https://theconversation.com/drilling-surprise-opens-door-to-volcano-powered-electricity-22515

Dogs and cats teaching trust

Gilligan's Island 'Professor' dies of kidney failure at 89

Source: Daily Mail

Best known for playing the Professor on Gilligan's Island, actor Russell Johnson has died.

Russell passed away from kidney failure at his home in Washington state on Thursday morning at the age of 89.
He appeared in all 98 episodes of the TV series, which aired from 1964 to 1967.
Following his death, his wife spoke to ABC News.

'He died at home, peaceful, in his sleep at 5:21 am today,' she said. '(He was) a very brave guy who knew what he wanted, and he wanted to be at home.'

Russell gained fame as one of the seven castaways marooned on an uncharted island on the 1960s television series.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2540891/Actor-Russell-Johnson-played-Professor-60s-TV-series-Gilligans-Island-dies-kidney-failure-89.html

WikiLeaks released the secret draft text for the entire TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership)

Today, 15 January 2014, WikiLeaks released the secret draft text for the entire TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) Environment Chapter and the corresponding Chairs' Report. The TPP transnational legal regime would cover 12 countries initially and encompass 40 per cent of global GDP and one-third of world trade. The Environment Chapter has long been sought by journalists and environmental groups. The released text dates from the Chief Negotiators' summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 19-24 November 2013.

The Environment Chapter covers what the Parties propose to be their positions on: environmental issues, including climate change, biodiversity and fishing stocks; and trade and investment in 'environmental' goods and services. It also outlines how to resolve enviromental disputes arising out of the treaty's subsequent implementation. The draft Consolidated Text was prepared by the Chairs of the Environment Working Group, at the request of TPP Ministers at the Brunei round of the negotiations.


http://wikileaks.org/tpp-enviro/

My new favorite soap opera

IKEA Heights. Filmed entirely in an IKEA store without their permission. 7 or more episodes.

Man gets "raped" by police and medical staff after a routine traffic stop

The incident began January 2, 2013 after David Eckert finished shopping at the Wal-Mart in Deming. According to a federal lawsuit, Eckert didn't make a complete stop at a stop sign coming out of the parking lot and was immediately stopped by law enforcement.

Eckert's attorney, Shannon Kennedy, said in an interview with KOB that after law enforcement asked him to step out of the vehicle, he appeared to be clenching his buttocks. Law enforcement thought that was probable cause to suspect that Eckert was hiding narcotics in his anal cavity. While officers detained Eckert, they secured a search warrant from a judge that allowed for an anal cavity search.

The lawsuit claims that Deming Police tried taking Eckert to an emergency room in Deming, but a doctor there refused to perform the anal cavity search citing it was "unethical."

But physicians at the Gila Regional Medical Center in Silver City agreed to perform the procedure and a few hours later, Eckert was admitted.


http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S3209305.shtml?cat=500#.UnkAjpFAeiK

How the Super-Rich Are Abandoning America

The wealthiest Americans who hate "takers" enjoy $2 trillion in special tax carve outs, more than double the entire annual budget of Social Security.



As they accumulate more and more wealth, the very rich have less need for society. At the same time, they've convinced themselves that they made it on their own, and that contributing to societal needs is unfair to them. There is ample evidence that this small group of takers is giving up on the country that made it possible for them to build huge fortunes.
They've Taken $25 Trillion of New Wealth While Paying Less Taxes

The 2013 Global Wealth Databook shows that U.S. wealth has increased from $47 trillion in 2008 to $72 trillion in mid-2013. But according to U.S. Government Revenue figures, federal income taxes have gone DOWN from 2008 to 2012. Even worse, corporations cut their tax rate in half.

American society has gained nothing from its massive wealth expansion. There's no wealth tax, no financial transaction tax, no way to ensure that infrastructure and public education are supported.

Just how much have the super-rich taken over the past five years? Each of the elite 5 percent -- the richest 12 million Americans -- gained, on average, nearly a million dollars in financial wealth between 2008 and 2013.

- See more at: http://thecontributor.com/economy/how-super-rich-are-abandoning-america#sthash.hFTfR2xW.dpuf

Sarah Palin Claims Jesus Celebrated Easter (WTF)?

Sarah Palin claimed today that Jesus Christ celebrated Easter during his time on Earth.

In an interview with Fox and Friends this morning, the former Alaska governor promoted her new book about the left's "war on Christmas" and argued that all Christian holidays should return to the traditional versions practiced by Jesus.

"It makes me so gosh darn angry," Palin explained. "The liberal left in this country has targeted Christian holidays and is trying to secularize them right out of existence.

"When Jesus celebrated Easter with his disciples there were no Easter bunnies or egg hunts. There were no Easter sales at department stores or parades in the street. Easter was a special time of prayer and Christian activism.


http://dailycurrant.com/2013/10/23/sarah-palin-claims-jesus-celebrated-easter/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sarah-palin-claims-jesus-celebrated-easter

Dying life of the tribe: Spectacular pictures by British photographer

capture the people who are in danger of disappearing forever















More pictures here
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2472272/A-vanishing-way-life-captured-forever-British-photographer-travels-world-record-dozens-dying-tribes-danger-disappearing-forever.html

Malala Yousafzai amazing answer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart leaving him speechless.