In which I am a poet

Oh, How I love my AC Unit
It keeps me nice and cool
It makes my boyfriend drool
It is almost like having a pool...

AC AC AC AC
The IC AC!

Goofy mood, perhaps prompted by the article I just read about drunken astronauts. I am not sure how NASA leaked this one, but apparently there have been several instances of drunken astronauts on space trips.

Okay, okay. For serious, the most interesting energy article released today was covered by the New York Times at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/27/us/27navajo.html


The article is poorly written and merely skims the surface of a great deal of complicated issues. The general idea is that the Navajo Nation is deciding whether to build a new coal power plant on their land. The new plant would bring in millions in revenue to the nation, but would contribute to local and global pollution levels. However, the article seems sloppy in number of respects. First of all, it compares the Navajo Nation to a developing nation - a misleading and historically inaccurate analogy. Plus a bit patronizing. Secondly, it seems to conflate previous environmental health concerns (uranium poisoning, mercury poisoning) with the health threat of a coal plant.

"New Mexico, which has no authority over the tribal lands, has also expressed misgivings and has refused to grant the plant tax breaks."

Hmm, if states have no authority over tribal relations, considering that treaties between the Navajo nation and the US are a federal matter - it seems strange that they are refusing to grant tax breaks.