Potato power:

13 Wednesday Nov 2013

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p01lfnn2With a simple trick, the humble spud can be made into a battery, so could potato powered homes catch on?

Mashed, boiled, baked or fried? You probably have a preference for your potatoes. Haim Rabinowitch, however, likes his spuds “hacked”.

For the past few years, researcher Rabinowitch and colleagues have been pushing the idea of “potato power” to deliver energy to people cut off from electricity grids. Hook up a spud to a couple of cheap metal plates, wires and LED bulbs, they argue, and it could provide lighting to remote towns and villages around the world.

They’ve also discovered a simple but ingenious trick to make potatoes particularly good at producing energy. “A single potato can power enough LED lamps for a room for 40 days,” claims Rabinowitch, who is based at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The idea may seem absurd, yet it is rooted in sound science. Still, Rabinowitch and his team have discovered that actually launching potato power in the real world is much more complex than it first appears.

While Rabinowitch and team have found a way to make potatoes produce more power than usual, the basic principles are taught in high school science classes, to demonstrate how batteries work. Continue reading →

Food for Thought

11 Monday Nov 2013

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CAN HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF ?

November 2007 Canada’s Prime Minister Harper announced a third-party independent inquiry to review the dealings between Schreiber and Mulroney Ethic’s Committee Mandate

Conclusions?
Executive Summary: Air Canada – a Crown Corporation owned by taxpayers – purchased 34 Airbuses for $1.8 billion from Airbus Industries. Allegations that the Prime Minister and Cabinet members received bribes for choosing Airbus over other carriers. Submissions made to the House of Commons Ethics Committee initiated on November 30, 2007 Mulroney appears before the committee once and then withdraws citing investigation not necessary Oliphant Comission Mandate Resources Division of Findings Conclusions and Reception at Public Themes Questions Specifically prevented the commissioner from “expressing any conclusion or recommendation regarding the civil or criminal liability of any person or organization.” “Certain Allegations Respecting Business and Financial Dealings Between Karlheinz Schreiber and the R.H Brian Mulroney” Conducted over a period of two years Cost of $16 million dollars

1. Factual Inquiry
Mulroney entered into agreement while R.H Mulroney was an MP but not as PM
2. Policy Findings and Recommendations
Business and financial dealings were inappropriate considering R.H Mulroney was an MP and failure to disclose dealings and payments Due to mandate set out by PM Harper, Oliphant was “careful not to use language that would even hint at such a finding” that R.H Mulroney should be liable in Criminal or Civil Law Mixed public reception – corruption and inappropriate behaviour exposed but without punishment More tax payer money spent without substantive result Accountability Appearance of Justice Quotes from the Report “Why, then, was there a need for such secrecy? The answer is that Mr. Mulroney wanted to conceal the fact that he had received money from Mr. Schreiber”

The former PM “failed to live up to the standard of conduct that he himself adopted”

“The reason Mr. Schreiber made the payments in cash and Mr. Mulroney accepted them in cash was that both wanted to conceal the fact that the transactions had occurred between them” 17 Questions Posed 150,000 documents submitted.Scales

Pfooled by Pflieger, Yes we Were

09 Saturday Nov 2013

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Fast Talking High Flying David PfliegerFat Dave-Pflieger-s2

Fiji Airways new Managing Director and CEO Stefan Pichler recently stated to the media that Fiji Airways had lost millions of dollars due to failing to keep to scheduled flights in the early to mid part of 2013 AFTER TAKING DELIVERY OF AIRBUS AIRCRAFT.

He further stated that Air Pacific had spent millions of dollars on consultants during the past three years. ( Friends and associates of Dave Pflieger?)

Coincidentally that was the period that the Attorney General sang David Pfliegers praises and danced to whatever tune he whistled.

Was the Attorney General Pfooled by David PFlieger?, it is a safe bet he was, will he ever admit it?, NEVER.

Did Fiji NEED to BUY the Airbus aircraft?, of course not, there are plenty available for leasing.

Did we need replacement aircraft?, YES, but it would have made much more economic sense to use Boeing Aircraft since all our pilots are familiar with them.

The fact that seems to have been ignored is that Fiji Airways / Air Pacific belongs to the People of Fiji and Qantas, it is not a toy for the Attorney General to play with and he should be accountable to the people and the courts of Fiji for his incompetence..
Oh dear, we forgot, he has given himself total immunity..

REMEMBER THIS WHEN YOU VOTE IN 2014

http://www.fijivillage.com/?mod=story&id=071113b7850781dc746b06e785b896

Military Protocol

09 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by in Daily Humour

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old captainIn the greatest days of the British Empire, a new commanding officer was sent to a jungle outpost to relieve the retiring colonel.

After welcoming his replacement and showing the courtesies (gin and tonic, cucumber sandwiches) that protocol decrees, the retiring colonel said – “You must meet Captain Smithers, my right-hand man, God, he’s really the strength of this office.  His talent is simply boundless.”

Smithers was summoned and introduced to the new CO, who was surprised to meet a toothless, hairless, scabbed and pockmarked specimen of humanity, a particularly unattractive man less than three foot tall.

“Smithers, old man, tell your new CO about yourself.”

“Well, sir, I graduated with honours from Sandhurst, joined the regiment and won the Military Cross and Bar after three expeditions behind enemy lines.

I’ve represented Great Britain in equestrian events and won a Silver Medal in the middleweight division of the Olympics.  I have researched the history of …”

Here the colonel interrupted, “Yes, yes, never mind that Smithers, the CO can find all that in your file. Tell him about the day you told the witch doctor to get fucked.”

Time in Heaven

09 Saturday Nov 2013

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ClockA man from Fiji recently died and went to Heaven. As he stood in front of the Pearly Gates, he saw a huge wall of clocks behind him. He asked, “What are all those clocks?”

St. Peter answered, “Those are Lie-Clocks. Everyone who has ever been on earth has a Lie-Clock. Every time you lie, the hands on your clock move.”

… “Oh”, said the man. “Whose clock is that?”

“That’s Mother Teresa’s”, replied St. Peter. “The hands have never moved, indicating that she never told a lie.”

“Incredible”, said the man. “And whose clock is that one?”

St. Peter responded, “That’s Abraham Lincoln’s clock. The hands have moved twice, telling us that Abraham told only two lies in his entire life.”

“Where can I see Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum’s clock?” asked the man.

St Peter replied, “We’re using it as a ceiling fan.”

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Smart PM, Smart Budget

08 Friday Nov 2013

SAM_2548

Cabinet ministers;

Your Excellencies;

Members of the Diplomatic Corps;

Distinguished Guests;

My fellow Fijians:

It is my task today as your Prime Minister and Minister for Finance to present to you the 2014 budget.

Next year will go down in our history as the year that Fiji first embraced genuine parliamentary democracy and set a new constitutional course towards a brighter future for every Fijian. It will mark the culmination of my Government’s efforts to put in place changes that will yield long-term benefits for Fiji and all Fijians.

We have a new Constitution to guide us, one that will allow Fiji to prosper as a united nation.

For the first time, Fijians have a Constitution that protects a wide range of civil, political and socio-economic rights.

For the first time, Fijians have a Constitution that demands accountability and transparency from Government officials, which builds strong institutions, and enshrines principles that are at the heart of all the world’s great liberal democracies.

For the first time, our nation has a Constitution that establishes a common and equal citizenry, without denying anyone’s individuality or culture.

The Constitution recognises and protects the indigenous peoples of Fiji and their unique customary practices, culture, tradition, language and communal ownership of land.

At the same time, it also protects the rights of all other Fijians, including the rights of tenants and lease holders.

The provision of rights, ladies and gentlemen, is not a zero sum game as was professed previously and is unfortunately preached by some even today. We all can enjoy equal rights and also at times specific rights, but without having to take them away from others.

In these seven years of my Government, we have worked methodically to try to resolve some of our long-standing problems with lasting solutions.

Some of these problems we inherited from our colonial past and we ignored them for far too long. Some of these problems were created by post-independence political leaders who cared more for short-term political gain than for the long-term benefit of the nation, or who simply lacked vision, acumen or the necessary concern for the Fijian people.

I am proud to say that we have not shied away from making decisions necessary to guarantee a bright future for our children and grandchildren. Not all these decisions were politically popular at the time, but they were important to modernise Fiji for the long term and to create a society in which there is more opportunity for everyone.

I am satisfied as I look back at what we have accomplished. Each year we have tackled new problems, and you and I can see the results.

We have made government services more readily available to more people than ever before. We have reformed social welfare to give more help to the neediest while creating opportunities for them. We have established partnerships with the private sector and are reforming state owned enterprises.  We have revitalised the sugar industry, created a sustainable mahogany industry, and made our ports efficient. We have embarked on an ambitious program to correct the deplorable condition of our roads.  We have begun reforming the civil service to make it more professional, accountable, and results-oriented. Continue reading →

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