I received this from a friend in Ireland and thought this was very interesting:

“I’ve been in petroleum pipeline business for about 31 years, currently working for the Kinder-Morgan Pipeline here in San Jose, CA. We deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period from the pipe line; one day it’s diesel, the next day it’s jet fuel and gasoline. We have 34 storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons. Here are some tricks to help you get your money’s worth: (more…)

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Last night (22nd March) in Lisbon I saw this year’s (2006) Nobel Prize for Peace Muhammad Yunus make a presentation of the work that he has been involved with over the last 35 years with Micro Credits.

You may or may not know about Micro Credits (and if you don’t know about Micro Credits, then I suppose you have been in hibernation for the last 10 years at least). It was the “invention” of Muhammad Yunus and the story behind the man is just about the purest most incredibly singularly unselfish thing that anyone can possibly imagine. Much has been written about this and there is no point me trying to compete. However, if there is a God in this world, you can be sure that he is standing next to this simple man.

The auditorium of the Gulbenkian in Lisbon holds 1.200 people….all seats were taken….and there were still people standing at the back. And some seconds before Muhammad walked onto the stage, there was a sudden silence in the hall that was almost as though we were waiting for a God….indeed we were waiting for someone special. And the moment he stepped onto the stage, this more than 1.200 people burst into a sustained applause that must have sent shivers down his spine…..it certainly did mine.
The mixed audience (from Ambassadors to the mere mortal) knew how to welcome the man from Bangladesh and he will remember the warmth of this reception of Lisbon for many years to come.

And what is quite striking is that this man, a Phd in Economics, can describe the complexity of his experience in such simple works. He formed pictures in three words and basically rewrote the banking world principles, so that the poorest of the poor people could be given a chance to live a life…simply be given an opportunity.

And turning extreme poverty into a business opportunity, where the only beneficiaries were the poor, must be seen as a one of the wonder of our lives.

People like Gandi, Mandela and now Yunus…all of whom we have been fortunate to have touched our lives…must become our heroes…they must serve as our inspiration and our reason for living…they must help us to understand that in this unique planet, we are all one and we are all part of the misery and poverty and therefore all part of the solution to, as Muhammad so simply says, Rid The World of Poverty.

At the end of his story, again the more than 1.200 people ALL stood and applauded the Man…and I honestly believe that we would all still be there, had he not decided to leave the stage after several minutes…it was a truly amazing feeling…truly amazing!

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With the news from the Prime Minister of Portugal Engº José Sócrates that basically put a nail in the coffin of nuclear in his mandate, I am absolutely delighted…over the moon.

And the fact that he also in the same interview stated that renewable energies will be his main focus, begins to show light at the end of a dark tunnel for Portugal.

Although he seems to be favouring major investments in wind energies, I feel certain that the long awaited approval to install solar panels on all new buildings will be a question of time, and then we can really start getting serious investments behind these renewable energies.

I have to give credit where credit is due and I therefore, with much pleasure, congratulate the Prime Minister Engº José Sócrates vision…..

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Seems as though the nuclear issue is really warming up here in Portugal. The weekend press even detailed where it’s going to be installed, how much it’s going to cost, and no doubt who will be running it…..and yes, they already have the finance organised. wow…..

And no doubt they already know what will happen with the nuclear waste, that almost forgotten 20.000 year problem. We should just look to divide it and send it to all the investors, so that they assume their own mess. It will be a nice gift to give to their grand children, for sure. I can just imagine the reading of the Will…” and this is a little gift that your ancestors left you, cause he wanted to make a few extra Euros….however, I must tell you that you just have to be a bit careful with it for a few more generations. Your grandfather specifically asked that we kept the translation of the the message in date, as we know that within the next 20.000 years, the official language will be changing a few times…”

I just wish we would spend the same amount of energy (and money) in developing renewable energy. There are so many innovative solutions available for us to explore that will not cost any harm to the environment. And I bet that our grand children will be proud that. We can imagine them saying something to the effect….”our grandparents were true visionaries….”

Sounds a bit different, the will reading, não é….

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I heard on the radio this week a prominent somebody in Portugal suggesting that a small nuclear power station in Portugal (it’s nice when we can reduce the size of the problem of a nuclear power station to small…..) would resolve all our problems and that there is private money available to build it if ever they get the green light.

This is something that I have been think about a lot recently, and I did wonder where in Portugal would we put a nuclear power station……I mean, where in Portugal would we construct a nuclear power station……I mean, in whose back yard…..

Now that they are safe (sic), there will be loads of communities around Portugal clammering to win the project, as it will create so many jobs. Or will there…and if no one actually wants it in their back yard, which government is ever going to decide where to put it.

In anycase, have a look at www.20 Years 20 Lives. It’s a project that someone I know, Mads Eskesen from Denmark, is involved with and which documents the effects of the Chernobyl disaster 20 years ago (in 2006).

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