Shambhala News and Updates

Aptera’s $26,000 Electric Car and 300 MPG Hybrid Coming Soon

Filed under: Uncategorized, Electric Vehicles, Global Warming, Life & Death, Earth — August 8, 2008 @ 10:53 am

http://gas2.org/2008/03/12/apteras-26000-electric-car-and-300-mpg-hybrid-coming-soon/#more-239

Written by Clayton B. Cornell
Published on March 12th, 2008
27 Comments
in Electric Cars (EVs), Plug-in hybrid EVs, Video

For under $30,000, you will soon be able to buy an electric car with a 120 mile range, or a plug-in hybrid that gets 300 miles-per-gallon.

Sound like a fantasy, but this one could be coming to a dealer near you. Slated for release in late 2008, the company Aptera will be offering the initial limited release of their fully electric model Aptera Typ1, and the 300 mpg plug-in will follow in 2009.

At first glance, this thing looks as ungainly and futuristic as other highly efficient, low-drag vehicles (it reminds me of a wingless Cessna 206). But before you pass judgment, check out the test drive video from Popular Mechanics. Also see the short video segment below. This thing cruises, topping out at 85 mph:

Aptera’s car is really a study in advanced aerodynamics. As the PM video points out, the Typ1 has embedded body panels, glass, and even windshield wipers to reduce drag. You’ll also notice it has only three wheels, which makes it legally registered in California as a motorcycle (and eligible for use of carpool lanes). It also has some nifty features, like recycled interior components, and embedded side and rear video cameras that replace side- and rear-view mirrors. Solar cells on the roof supplement internal climate control and shunt warm cabin air out the back of the vehicle—further improving efficiency and decreasing drag.

It should only take a few hours to charge the Typ1’s 10-kilowatt lithium-ion battery packs, at a cost of $1 to $2 (based on typical California electricity prices).

Aptera is currently taking refundable $500 reservations on their website.

More Electric Cars:
contd

LED/s (Light emitting diodes) Hit Home Market

Filed under: Uncategorized, Global Warming — August 8, 2008 @ 10:34 am

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/09/leds_hit_the_ho.php

LED’s hit the Home Market
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.11.06
DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE (lighting)

BUZZ UP!

Fast Company called the compact flourescent “the light bulb that can change the world”- Perhaps they should have waited a few weeks. Now LED’s are getting really interesting, as the fixtures go mainstream and affordable, like this 90 dollar desk lamp from Sylvania. Other models start at $ 46. The LightingBrilliance line of fixtures is interesting for another reason- according to marketing director Laura Fuller, “We make light bulbs, not fixtures, but with LED’s we had to build the fixture around the light.” The fixture will burn for 20,000 hours or fifteen years with normal use. ::Osram Sylvania via ::Globe and Mail

Virginia electric utility launches pilot LED streetlight program

Filed under: Uncategorized, Global Warming, Earth — August 8, 2008 @ 10:31 am

http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/5/8/3

Virginia electric utility launches pilot LED streetlight program
04 Aug 2008
Manassas, Virginia, is aiming for new LED lights to cut down light pollution and discourage vandalism and other crimes.
Can changing to LED light bulbs help deter crime? The City of Manassas, VA, US, is going to find out.
The City of Manassas Electric Utility is working with the city’s police department to identify a “preferable neighborhood” to test out new LED streetlights this fall, said a recent article in the city’s August 2008 Utility Connection newsletter.
Streetlights on the grounds of the Public Works facility, which is adjacent to several neighborhoods, will also be part of the pilot.

Gregg Paulson, Manassas Electric Utility
The Electric Utility wants feedback from residents on how they like the new lights, which are expected to give off a more pleasant spectrum that cuts down on light pollution. The City currently uses high pressure sodium street lights that give off a pale yellow-orange light that contributes to “sky glow,” according to the newsletter.
The police want to see what effect the higher quality white lights have on vandalism, graffiti, and other crimes.
“A lot of power companies have looked at the technology and determined it’s early to implement an LED program because the capital cost is so high and it’s over seven years before you get payback,” said Gregg Paulson, P.E., assistant director, Electric Utility, in an interview with the newsletter. “If you’re speaking strictly in terms of the money and the return, then it’s probably not the best solution at this time.”
“But if you look in terms of the environmental impact, that’s really what’s pushing it, to reduce our emissions

contd

LED/s (Light emitting diodes) revolutionize Projectors

Filed under: Uncategorized, Global Warming, Earth — August 8, 2008 @ 10:23 am

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/147251/new_dlp_home_theater_projectors_use_leds.html

New DLP Home Theater Projectors Use LEDs
Melissa J. Perenson, PC World

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 12:20 PM PDT
LAS VEGAS — Texas Instruments today announced a new technology that could dramatically change the perception and appeal of front projectors. Its new Brilliant Color DLP chipset works with a PhlatLight Light Emitting Diode (LED) light source to produce images.

Traditionally, DLP projectors relied on a color wheel and mirror design, which would produce color images in conjunction with a lamp light source. Competing projector technologies 3LCD, which uses red, green, and blue LCD panels, and LCOS both require a lamp as well.

Texas Instruments’ design is the first full-size LED projector to be shown. But the idea of using LEDs as a light source for displays is not a new one. A handful of pocket-size projectors have used LEDs as a light source, including Toshiba’s TDP-FF1AU, the Mitsubishi PocketProjector, and models from Samsung and Boxlight. Both ViewSonic and 3M have shown prototypes, as well. And LCD television and monitors have begun using LED-backlighting in the past year and a half.

Chinese Investor of Hong Kong based Pureheart China Growth Investment Fund gives 2.1 Billion in Charity lunch with Warren Buffett

Filed under: Uncategorized — June 28, 2008 @ 10:34 pm

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080629/ap_on_bi_ge/buffett_lunch

Chinese investor pays $2.1M to eat with Buffett and the money feeds the homeless
By JOSH FUNK, AP Business Writer
Sat Jun 28, 9:59 PM ET
OMAHA, Neb. - A Chinese investment fund manager won the chance to have lunch with billionaire Warren Buffett by bidding $2.1 million in the most expensive charity auction ever held on eBay.

ADVERTISEMENT

Zhao Danyang of the Hong Kong-based Pureheart China Growth Investment Fund won the auction, which ended Friday evening with a bid of $2,110,100.

A spokeswoman for the Glide Foundation, which receives all the proceeds from the auction, identified the winner Saturday.

It appears that Zhao and Buffett share a similar investment philosophy. But Zhao could not be reached Saturday, and no one answered the phone at Buffett’s Omaha office.

The auction will provide a significant boost to Glide, which provides social services to the poor and homeless in San Francisco. The foundation operates on a $12 million annual budget, spokeswoman Denise Lamott said.

“It almost feels like a miracle,” Glide’s founder Reverend Cecil Williams said in a statement. “We are amazed and ready to continue our work of breaking the cycles of poverty.”

Last year’s lunch brought in $650,100.

A group of Glide staff members and supporters gathered in a small hotel ballroom Friday to watch the auction results. Lamott said there were shouts of celebration when the bids topped $1 million.

“It was absolutely unbelievable,” Lamott said.

Zhao and up to seven friends will dine with Buffett at the Smith & Wollensky steakhouse in New York City whenever the two men can schedule it. Last year’s winners collected their prize only Wednesday.

The investment philosophy Zhao’s fund describes on its Web site is similar to Buffett’s approach of finding companies with an enduring competitive advantage that are selling for significantly less then they are worth.

Buffett, chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., is primarily known for his investing success. Berkshire owns more than 60 subsidiaries including insurance, clothing, furniture, jewelry and candy companies, restaurants, natural gas and corporate jet firms and has major investments in such companies as Coca-Cola Co., Anheuser-Busch Cos. and Wells Fargo & Co.

But Buffett is also known for his philanthropy.

In 2006, he announced his plan to give away the bulk of his nearly $49 billion fortune over time. Most of his shares of Berkshire stock will go to five charitable foundations, with the largest going to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Lamott said eBay officials confirmed that this year’s lunch with Buffett was the most expensive charity item the site has ever sold.

Previously, the most expensive charity item ever sold on eBay was a Harley-Davidson motorcycle autographed by celebrities that Jay Leno offered in 2005 for tsunami relief. It brought $800,100.

Buffett has been auctioning off lunches online for six years but began auctioning the lunches for Glide off-line in 2000. He offers only one lunch a year.

Williams called Buffett’s dedication to the charity lunches amazing.

“Thank you, Warren Buffett, for your deep compassion and sensitivity that empowers us to transform the lives of so many people in need,” Williams said.

___

Associated Press writer Anna Jo Bratton contributed to this report.

___

On the Net:

Buffett Auction: http://www.ebay.com/glide

eBay: http://www.ebay.com

Berkshire Hathaway Inc.: http://www.berkshirehathaway.com

Glide Foundation: http://www.glide.org

Pureheart China Growth Investment Fund: http://www.pureheartchina.com/english

Nepal Enters a New Era

Filed under: Uncategorized, Buddha Maitreya, Earth — May 29, 2008 @ 8:46 pm

Political Update

28 May 2008, marked yet another historic event with the first meeting of Constituent Assembly(CA) declaring Nepal as Federal Democratic Republic State. An overwhelming majority of 560 (out of 564) Assembly members voted to abolish country’s 240 years old monarchy.

The CA proposal states that the King and his family members will no longer be able to enjoy any rights and privileges other than those of common Nepali citizen. The Chairman of the meeting has ordered the royals to vacat the palace within fifteen days and instructed the government to protect the heritage and property of the place for the national interest.

Other CA proposals include separate bill to amend the Interim Constitution to make new arrangements for a president as head of State though her/his power and duties as a president is yet to be decided.

Nepali people celebrated the occasion with great fanfare and festivity. Hundreds of thousands of citizens poured out on the streets of Kathmandu and the rest of the country to rejoice. The nation observed a public holiday yesterday.

With this Nepal enters into a New Era. Every citizen of Nepal hopes for permanent peace to prevail to take the country to higher prosperity.

Shikher Prasai
Managing Director

Natraj Tours & Travels(P.) Ltd.
P.O. Box 495
Kamaladi, Kathmandu
Tel: 00977 1 4222906, 4222532, 4222014
Fax: 00977 1 4227372
E-mail: natraj@ccsl.com.np
Website:www.natrajtours.com

So All May Eat - Food for All in Denver

Filed under: Uncategorized, Life & Death, Charity, Earth — May 22, 2008 @ 11:07 am

http://www.soallmayeat.org/

Healthy Food For All!

It is the intent of SAME Cafe to build a healthy community by providing a basic need of food in a respectful and dignified manner to anyone who walks through the door.
SAME Cafe is unique in the lack of a set menu as well as set prices. Daily selections are made using fresh, organic ingredients, and funded by the donations of patrons. Instead of a cash register, a donation box is available for one to pay what they felt their meal was worth, or to leave a little more and help out someone less fortunate. If a diner does not have sufficient money to leave, they are encouraged to exchange an hour of service. Our philosophy is that everyone, regardless of economic status, deserves the chance to eat healthy food while being treated with dignity.

HOURS
Tue-Fri 11AM-2PM
Sat 11AM-8PM
Closed Sunday & Monday

Salt Lake City Feeding People with Love!

Filed under: Uncategorized, Life & Death, Charity, Earth — May 22, 2008 @ 11:05 am

http://www.oneworldeverybodyeats.com/home.html

Vision Statement:

* We are dedicated to eliminating world hunger.

* We are dedicated to serving organic unprocessed food.

* We are dedicated to feeding and including all members of our community.

* We are dedicated to eliminating waste in the food industry.

* We believe that we can trust our customers to be inspired, honest and fair in their exchange of money and/or work for the fresh, gourmet, organic food we prepare both mindfully and in a heartfelt way each day.

* We will keep believing …

Overview

One World Everybody Eats is located at 41 South, 300 East beside the Utah College of Massage Therapy near downtown Salt Lake City (CLICK HERE for MAP). The kitchen is open 7 days a week from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. There is a main dining area near the kitchen and five, semi-private dining areas both upstairs and downstairs. Guests may also eat at patio areas in front, alongside and behind the restaurant. Total seating capacity is about 50. The kitchen has no set menu. This lets the cooks use their creativity to prepare a variety of seasonal soups, salads, entrees, and desserts. The food stuffs are all-organic and the cuisine ranges from vegeterian to meat. There is a large vegan selection. The cafe provides water, coffee and teas, regular and soy milk but no soft drinks or alcohol. You may bring non-alcoholic drinks if you like.

One World Everybody Eats asks guests to pay what they feel the meal warranted. This requires guests use their fairest judgement. Although the kitchen is a non-profit establishment, it still must meet regular business expenses. Guests are asked to consider this when visiting.

One World Everybody Eats serves guests from a serving line. Because the food is prepared in the open, it encourages conversation about the food, the concept and the feel of the kitchen, which is unlike anything you may have experienced. The motto of owner Denise Cerreta is “a hand up, not a hand out,” meaning, anyone can eat. If a guest finds they don’t have enough money to pay for their meal, they can volunteer to wash dishes, clean or work in the garden. The kitchen also serves complimentary “Dal and Rice”, an traditional meal from the Indian subcontinent, absolutely free to all guests. Along with our bread, dal and rice provides a healthy, high-protein meal that truly lets everybody eat. About the garden, the cafe also maintains an organic garden and hosts periodic classes on the cultivation of herbs, spices and vegetables. One World Everybody Eats also provides catering for events. For more information, call 801-519-2002.

Staff

Brad
I work at One World for many reasons. One is that we serve all organic food - food that is alive with vital nutrients and energy for our bodies. Food grown consciously in a way that is more life supporting and sustainable for our Earth.

Another reason is the people I work with are all fun-loving, motivated, conscious and good-hearted folk. The most important reason though is the vision of this cafe. It’s a place where we create a real effort to eliminate waste in the food industry and also give an opportunity for all people in our community to eat, not just those who can afford it.

Also, the idea of the customers pricing their own food is a unique one. It brings a consciousness to one’s own involvement in their food choices and also provides a chance for trust and fellowship for all involved.

Brad

Bo Dean - General Manager
My given name is Bo, and I am a 26 year old southern born, middle East Coast bred, aspiring circus freak and welcome to my autobiographical paragraph. I moved to Salt Lake City seeking a change and I found it not only in my life but also in my work.

I work at One World Everybody Eats because I am able to engross myself in authentic, artistic expression with my *family* as well as being involved in the direct exchange of sensory energy. I believe in seeing this experiment in true community support work, and this business spread to the ends of our world. It only takes a few people to make big changes. Thanks for joining me on this word journey - hope to see you eating soon. Love and fire.

Bo Dean

Obviously, creating absolute art is what I value most about working here. What we feel we create is twofold; food which is inspiring, colorful and nourishes the creation of more art, and the sharing of this connection between growing food in the dirt and enjoying wonderful tastes with friends and new faces.

I believe variety is essential for the body. Curiosity is healthy for the mind. I also enjoy passing on knowledge. When met with a spark of interest, many things are illuminated. Since food is a basic need, there’s unlimited potential for fulfillment. “Sweet lovin’” as a spice was commonly used by my classmates in culinary and one day I hope to teach others how to cook with passion and without boundaries.

Dan

Dan Cantu - Executive Chef

Noah - I like everything about working at One World. I like the freedom and creativity to make healthy, delicious food. I like the positive atmosphere and the positive things it is doing for the employees and community all the time. And there’s something I really like about working for a non-profit.

Inacio - I love the concept … everybody eats. It attracts the best kind of people. The best kind of people work here. It’s a phenomenal place.

Daniel - I like to cook, and I like the fact that we get to use a lot of fresh stuff. I like the connection between the garden and the kitchen and how that’s a cycle. I really like the philosophy of people giving what they have and getting back the same or more energy wise.

Tony - I like the work and the cause. It just excites me to help people, and that it’s a revolutionary idea.
Volunteers
The One World Everybody Eats volunteer program offers volunteers a food voucher for each hour donated. If guests find they don’t have enough money to pay for their meal, they can volunteer to work in the kitchen, our garden or elsewhere in the community. The cafe offers these volunteer options that can fit anyone’s abilities, regardless of age, health or physical limitations. That program has been expanded to an apprenticeship program. In addition to meal vouchers, individuals who work in the kitchen for a set number of hours will receive certification for experience in certain aspects of kitchen procedure like dishwashing, prep cook, etc. They can then take this training with them, if they choose, to other opportunities in the restaurant industry. This is another example of Denise Cerreta’s philosophy of a hand up rather than a hand out.
Wish List
One World Community Kitchen, and One World Everybody Eats Foundation* has a wish list. The wish list is those things the cafe would like to see the cafe get to help it do more of its work, In the past, the list has included everything from tools and appliances to skymiles and soup bowls. Items are donated to our wish list at the pleasure of our customers and partners.

One World Community Kitchen:

Teapots and Teabags
Vacuum Cleaner
Convection Oven
Unsprayed Backyard Fruit (We’ll pick it.)
Large Garbage Bags
Piepans
Recycled toilet paper, and napkins.
Flourescent light bulbs
Organic food
A small neon “OPEN” sign
Dinner plates and soup bowls
One World Everybody Eats Foundation Wish List:

Start-up money for our first NYC community kitchen, and contacts for lodging and location scouting
New or used restaurant equipment
Electric vehicle
Buddy passes or airline tickets
Fabric, thread, ric-rac, and bias tape for making aprons and other crafts
Any homemade crafts for our “Country Craft” store
* One World Everybody Eats is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization. Value of donations made may be deducted for tax purposes.

Demand for seeds is growing because people are growing their own food

Filed under: Uncategorized, Life & Death, Earth — April 30, 2008 @ 11:48 am

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=724245781

New Victory Gardens

CDC: Three-quarters of new moms breast-feed their infants

Filed under: Uncategorized, Life & Death, Earth — April 30, 2008 @ 11:46 am

http://www.happynews.com/news/4302008/cdc-three-quarters-new-moms-breast-feed-infants-1st-ld-writethru.htm

By Associated Press
MIKE STOBBE
Updated: 4/30/2008

ATLANTA

The U.S. breast-feeding rate has hit its highest mark in at least 20 years with more than three-quarters of new moms nursing their infants, according to a government report released Wednesday.

About 77 percent of new mothers breast-feed, at least briefly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

‘’It looks like it is an all-time high'’ based on CDC surveys since the mid-1980s, said Jeff Lancashire, a CDC spokesman.

Experts attributed the rise to education campaigns that emphasize that breast milk is better than formula at protecting babies against disease and childhood obesity. A changing culture that accommodates nursing mothers may also be a factor.

The percentage of black infants who were ever breast-fed rose most dramatically, to 65 percent. Only 36 percent were ever breast-fed in 1993-1994, the new study found.

For whites, the figure rose to 79 percent, from 62 percent. For Mexican-Americans, it increased to 80 percent, from 67 percent.

Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher celebrated the report’s findings, noting that black women have historically had lower breast-feeding rates.

‘’It was very impressive that when it comes to beginning to breast-feed, African-American women have had the greatest progress,'’ said Satcher, who is now an administrator at Atlanta’s Morehouse School of Medicine.

The new report is based on a comprehensive federal survey involving in-person interviews as well as physical examinations. The findings are based on information for 434 infants from the years 2005 and 2006.

A telephone survey of thousands of families, released last year, found that 74 percent of infants in 2004 had been breast-fed.

At least three types of CDC surveys have shown breast-feeding rates moving upward since the early 1990s, officials said.

The latest CDC report found rates of breast-feeding were also lowest among women who are unmarried, poor, rural, younger than 20, and have a high school education or less.

———

On the Net:

CDC report: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs