nabcep and valium

this is not creative trickery via photoshop, this was a real google search for "nabcep training facility" and the first hit is a nabcep site, but header that alludes to them pedaling valium...?

boulder, co fourmile canyon fire

the fourmile fire erupted on monday, september 6, 2010 outside of boulder, colorado.  after 4 days, the flames have spread to over 7,000 acres and engulfed 170 homes, displacing thousands of individuals.  below is a current burn areas.

boulder county has up to date information available here. let's hope that this is contained very soon. many thanks to all those fighting the fire, your efforts are valiant.

us senate energy committee passes $3.6bn electric vehicle bill

as part of a push from the administration to launch the widespread adoption of electric vehichles (ev), the bill will work to create infrastructure for charging stations at targeted cities across the us (wsj article). the goal of this infusion of capital is to support ev industry growth and market adoption to the tune of 50% of all domestic vehicles be electric by 2030. very interested to see how this rolls out and where the targeted cities will be.

how solar photovoltaic panels work

quick video provides brief overview on solar pv.

smart trainer app

i downloaded the freeware "smart trainer" app to my droid the other day. it utilizes enabled gps tracking to give you distance, speed, altitude, and stores the info on a google doc with corresponding g-map.
View Run 6 26 2010 in a larger mapi have to say that it is a pretty cool program and look forward to charting my runs throughout the future.

red rocks amphitheater

we have the good fortune of being a mere 25 miles from one of the world's finest natural amphitheaters, red rocks in beautiful morrison, colorado.

each year, we try to get out for at least one concert in the 9,000 person venue.  it is truly like being on mars--the geology is truly awesome and confounding to the mind.  being a scuba-diver, i have no question in my mind that this place was once under a large body of water.  we had a great time last night, seeing our old athens, ga band, widespread panic.  i need to count up my ticket stubs for how many times i've seen wsp, but know that i am well into the 30s.  love me some good southern, funky rock.

vegan italian food in japan?

vegan food is quite easy to come by in japan.  most basic language books have the cheat sheet on how to communicate your dietary desires.  once you open up that door, the possibilities are virtually endless.

a fine establishment in kitakami city, iwate prefecture is la taverna.  the wonderful folks there were very accommodating and thrilled to make a full on vegan meal.  now, this place is not traditional japanese food, but  a lilt on italian dining.  excellent wine selection, fantastic salad, a mushroom pasta dish to keep you up at night with your stomach growling, and a thin crust pizza with house-made tofu-"cheese."  all was absolutely delicious and wonderful.  and then they brought out the dessert...vegan strawberry shortcake--gluten-free, too!  the tofu-creme was a touch of magic.

many thanks to the fine folks at la taverna for a fantastic meal.

and to koji takusari and the takusari family for their wonderful hospitality! an amazing place to share with amazing people.

diplomatic adventures navigating renewable energy in japan

meeting with iwate-ken governor and senior advisors to discuss renewable energy initiatives in northern japan.

getting further detail from industry development director for iwate-ken.  a number of strong take-aways thus far:

• city of morioka –green initiatives
• iwate prefecture –dedication to advancing green technologies
• kowai closed-loop biomass facility–creating energy from organic matter discards
• city of ninohe –green initiatives and solar installations
• iwate hospital –energy efficiency, green roof, and solar initiative
• kashiwadai hydro-electric power station –in-line small hydro facility generating 13,100kw in the three stations, interesting to note: facility on national park land and strong efforts to keep visual impairment of facilities from public eye
• green power kuzumaki –wind farm in kuzumaki, energy self-sufficient town of 8,000 people by renewables
• kashiwadai kougen –biomass energy production for kougen facilities