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/