Free Republic

While presidential candidates furiously work to charm Iowa's Republican electorate, a visit with Texas businessman Mike George has become a vital stop on the road to the 2012 nomination. More than 20 years ago, George created Lean Six Sigma, a business methodology that the U.S. military and major businesses have employed to cut waste. ...."It is the largest grassroots organization in Iowa -- and it's not me, it's the message," George said. In the past two months, several Republican candidates have met with George and enthusiastically adopted his group's pledge. There are indications that Gov. Rick Perry may also support...

the times Daniels OKs bonuses up to $1,000 for each state employee By Dan Carden dan.carden@nwi.com, (317) 637-9078 | Posted: Friday, July 15, 2011 10:45 am INDIANAPOLIS | State employees will be paid a bonus of up to $1,000 each for their efforts in helping Indiana amass a $1.2 billion budget surplus. Gov. Mitch Daniels authorized the one-time payment on Friday to recognize employees he said have spent years doing more with less. "There's not a state in the nation where state employees are more committed to efficiency and care with tax dollars than Indiana," Daniels said. The "efficiency dividend...

Sandia National Laboratories researchers are moving into the demonstration phase of a novel gas turbine system for power generation, with the promise that thermal-to-electric conversion efficiency will be increased to as much as 50 percent — an improvement of 50 percent for nuclear power stations equipped with steam turbines, or a 40 percent improvement for simple gas turbines. The system is also very compact, meaning that capital costs would be relatively low. Research focuses on supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO2) Brayton-cycle turbines, which typically would be used for bulk thermal and nuclear generation of electricity, including next-generation power reactors. The goal...

HR 1722 was signed into law by President Obama Thursday afternoon. Also known as the Telework Enhancement Act, the bill aims to increase the work-at-home opportunities for federal employees. The bill instructs federal agencies to come up with better defined policies to promote telework. Some of its key features are that it requires each agency head to: * Establish a policy under which eligible agency employees may be authorized to telework * Determine employee eligibility to participate in telework * Notify all employees of their eligibility to telework

A new process that simultaneously combines the light and heat of solar radiation to generate electricity could offer more than double the efficiency of existing solar cell technology, say the Stanford engineers who discovered it and proved that it works. The process, called "photon enhanced thermionic emission," or PETE, could reduce the costs of solar energy production enough for it to compete with oil as an energy source. Stanford engineers have figured out how to simultaneously use the light and heat of the sun to generate electricity in a way that could make solar power production more than twice as...

New York City's public offices have 8,000 vacant desks, roughly 11% of the workstations in the city government's 19 million square feet of office space. The city has nine separate agencies to handle vehicle maintenance, operating 125 separate maintenance garages, some across the street from each other. Each city agency has its own HR department, with an overall ratio of HR workers to employees 2.5 times higher than is typical in the private sector. Police officers still report their hours worked on an error-prone, paper-based system that involves pairs of officers driving boxes full of paperwork between precincts and One...

Criticism by Ari Bussel No one likes to be criticized. When the critique is constructive and aimed at improving, a person must separate one’s emotions from the practicality and wisdom of the criticism and view it with a sense of detachment. Critique can be used as a tool for improvement, yet most government employees will do everything possible to quash it when aimed in their direction. In a recent meeting with a government representative, I pointed out there are complaints that telephone calls and e-mails sent to his office remain unanswered. “Impossible,” was the adamant reply, “It is against regulations.”...

Transonic Combustion, a startup based in Camarillo, CA, has developed a fuel-injection system it says can improve the efficiency of gasoline engines by more than 50 percent. A test vehicle equipped with the technology gets 64 miles per gallon in highway driving, which is far better than more costly gas-electric hybrids, such as the Prius, which gets 48 miles per gallon on the highway.

After several exchanges in which we explained to the IRS why we didn't owe over $2,000 of our tax bill, the IRS now says we still owe 10 cents. They mailed the notice to us.

The Obama administration will announce today funding for nine projects designed to significantly increase fuel efficiency in heavy trucks and passenger vehicles, with more than half the money coming from the $787 billion stimulus package. Energy Secretary Stephen Chu will detail the projects during a ceremony in Columbus, Ind., home of Cummins Inc., which is to receive nearly $40 million to develop a more efficient and cleaner diesel engine, a more aerodynamic long-haul truck cab and trailer, and a fuel cell that would deliver auxiliary power to reduce engine idling while the vehicle was not on the road. The White...

Here's a seemingly simple solar power fact*: the sun bathes Earth with enough energy in one hour (4.3 x 1020 joules) to more than fill all of humanity's present energy use in a year (4.1 x 1020 joules). So how to convert it? In the world of solar energy harvesting, there's a constant battle between cost and efficiency. On the one hand, complex and expensive triple-junction photovoltaic cells can turn more than 40 percent of the (specially concentrated) sunlight that falls on them into electricity. On the other, cheap, plastic solar cells under development convert less than 5 percent. In...

As Scoring Soars, One Professor Sees Parallels in Nature; the 'River Basin' Theory When the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans open the NFL season Thursday night, they will headline a brand of football that is nearly unrecognizable from the days when Jack Lambert and Mean Joe Greene were pulverizing ball carriers at the line of scrimmage. Today's NFL offenses spread out across the field, stretching defenses and creating wider holes of flow and penetration. In this game, balletic receivers like Pittsburgh's Santonio Holmes are the NFL's defining talents. The NFL has become so fast and efficient that last season, teams...

ARLINGTON, Va. —The Truck Writers of North America (TWNA) announced Detroit Diesel Corporation’s DD15 engine turbo compounding as the winner of its Technical Achievement Award for 2008 during TMC’s 2009 Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 9-12.

President Obama announced on May 19, 2009, a “historic agreement to help America break its addiction to oil.� The centerpiece of that announcement was a new 35.5-mpg CAFE standard for 2016. Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) has been advocating the entry of fuel-efficient cars into the market for years. The time is now ripe, and we are in the midst of a major national push for the adoption of these cars. One of the barriers to widespread adoption is the common-yet-misleading line of logic that most consumers follow—that fuel efficiency equates to smaller, less safe cars. This misperception is fed by...

Does Instant Information Promote Market Efficiency? April-26-2009 I have been reading the updated sixth edition of Security Analysis from cover to cover and on more than one occasion, I have stopped to consider the major advantages modern day investors have compared to Graham and Dodd. Investors today have access to a wealth of information that Benjamin Graham lacked during his career. However, more widespread information also would theoretically lead to more market efficiency and reduce opportunities to find mispriced securities. Is it true that the market is more efficient due to the widespread dissemination of information made possible by the...

In a market economy, business deaths are like death itself - an unfortunate but inevitable fact of life. However, recent government bailouts have tried to stop the inevitable by intervening in the market, at least temporarily saving failed firms from the economic grim reaper. Before putting the next failed business on life support, it's worth remembering why it makes sense to let struggling producers expire. • When failing businesses are allowed to fail, resources are released from employments where they don't add value and made available for employments where they do. Resources used for one purpose can't be used for...

Well, GM and Chrysler are going to need some more bailout money before Obama is done with them. Isn't it neat how this works? Obama allows the Commie Nanny-staters in California to set the strictest emissions and highest fuel-efficiency standards, with which automakers will have to comply if they want to sell cars. That means a costly retooling of the manufacturing plants, a whole lot more money built into the price of the cars, and a commensurate drop in the demand for the higher priced cars. This, in turn, will lead to more bailout requests, which will eventually be refused...

BAGHDAD — The citizens of Baghdad are on a new type of mission these days. Instead of worrying about the violence that once plagued their city, citizens are now focused on making their home town a cleaner place to live. With a central focus on water, sewage and trash removal, workers assigned to neighborhoods are hard at work trying to ensure that their fellow Baghdad citizens are afforded clean streets and clean water. For a senior leader in the 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, making sure the neighborhood workers have what they need...

The study sought to shed light on the neurological underpinnings of moral decision-making, said Ming Hsu, a fellow at the U. of I.'s Beckman Institute and co-principal investigator. (Credit: Photo by L. Brian Stauffer) ScienceDaily (May 10, 2008) — Which is better, giving more food to a few hungry people or letting some food go to waste so that everyone gets a share" A study appearing in Science finds that most people choose the latter, and that the brain responds in unique ways to inefficiency and inequity. The study, by researchers at the University of Illinois and the California Institute...

Innovations will be essential to increasing the energy efficiency of buildings and transportation to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, DuPont Greater China President Doug Muzyka told participants at the Bali Global Business Day at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. "In the growing world economy, energy demand remains high and will continue to increase, particularly in countries with rapidly developing economies. At the same time, as a global community, we know that critical environmental challenges such as climate change must be addressed," Muzyka said. "DuPont is focused on delivering low-carbon solutions to the marketplace in order to help...

Blissfield, Michigan - Michigan’s first platinum-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) award has been given to “Burnside’s Inn,” a home designed by Riverbend Timber Framing, Blissfield, and built by Robert Burnside’s Fireside Home Construction, Dexter. The LEED Green Building Rating System™, the nationally accepted benchmark for high-performance green buildings, bases its certifications on sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. The platinum award is its highest level of recognition. “Burnside’s Inn” met the certification’s highest standards using Riverbend’s custom timber frame, along with Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) and an Advantage™ Insulated Concrete...

Answering your emails only once a day and keeping phone calls to a bare minimum can slash your working week to only four hours, according to a book that has caught the imagination of overworked America. The claim is made by Timothy Ferriss, a 30-year-old American who sells dietary supplements. In his book, The 4-hour Workweek, he prescribes a ruthless "low-information diet" founded on such tenets as conducting business by the old-fashioned medium of the telephone and ending multi-tasking. He outlines his strategy under the acronym DEAL. The first stage is definition of the new rules of work. Then comes...

"Check it out. It's actually a jet engine," says Johnathan Goodwin, with a low whistle. [Snip] Goodwin leads me over to a red 2005 H3 Hummer that's up on jacks, its mechanicals removed. He aims to use the turbine to turn the Hummer into a tricked-out electric hybrid. Like most hybrids, it'll have two engines, including an electric motor. But in this case, the second will be the turbine, Goodwin's secret ingredient. Whenever the truck's juice runs low, the turbine will roar into action for a few seconds, powering a generator with such gusto that it'll recharge a set of...

October 22, 2007 The Ability to Execute Regardless of what you think about “Romney the candidate�… “Romney the campaign� is unmatched in its ability to execute. Take this last week for example. Think of it in terms of a business case study, outlining the “challenge�, proposing a “solution�, targeting specific “benefits� and measuring “results�.CHALLENGE: Disolve concerns about Mitt’s Mormonism among Conservative Evangelicals.SOLUTION: Highlight the Governor as the only leading candidate meeting 100% of the SoCon values and win endorsements from leading Evangelicals leading up to the seminal pre-primary “Values Voters� conference. BENEFITS: Develop day after day endorsements followed by a...

Energy security relies not on independence, but a variety of domestic and international cooperative initiatives, a report from the National Petroleum Council says. The 400-page document, "Facing the Hard Truths About Energy," reviews the status of global oil and natural gas until 2030 and presents a list of possible solutions for avoiding an energy crisis as well as recommendations for increased energy security in the United States. These steps take the focus away from physical independence and shine the spotlight on healthy global energy activity: moderate demand, expand and diversify energy supplies, and strengthen global energy trade and investment. "Energy...

BANGKOK, Thailand -- There's no shortage of ideas for high-tech measures to combat global warming: develop clean biofuels made of corn or palm oil, build more nuclear power stations or bury harmful carbon emissions in underground vaults. But those are the last solutions many environmentalists want to hear about. For the green lobby pushing this week for forceful action at a U.N. conference on limiting the rise in global temperatures, such answers either cost too much, delay an inevitable weaning from fossil fuels or get in the way of the real solutions, such as renewable energy and greater efficiency. "There...

Over the last year, clocks have been removed from more than 37,000 post offices. The move is said to be “part of a retail restructuring aimed at craving out a unique niche in the marketplace.” “Having a clock tick away puts too much pressure on our postal employees,” said Stephen Seewaster, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service. “We want to slow down the pace and create a more relaxed atmosphere. There’s too much time-pressure in today’s society. The Post Office should be a place where one can take step back into the past when life moved at a slower pace...

The Australia Government will use industry and product standards to force a phase out of incandescent light bulbs in prefence of new low watt compact fluorescent lights that can cut the typical lighting load of a house by 75% - even with all the house lights on at the same time. The step was announced by the Australian federal Environment minister Malcolm Turnbull MP who claims Australia's greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 4 million tonnes through to 2012. The reduction in emissions will increase as the phase out progresses and the annual average reduction between 2008-2012 is estimated...

While US airlines cut and slash service -- care and feeding -- of their travelers, the Asian airlines have been buying new planes, installing elaborate entertainment systems, and allowing passengers in-flight e-mail and web surfing options. Add to that plush seats and meals created by celebrity chefs, and the result is that America doesn't know service. Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines services beat all American carriers, hands down. On the long-haul flights, choices of movies, frequent meals (America doesn't need this) -- Western or Asian style -- and friendly service are the standard. Not only are the US airlines behind,...

Jack Welch gives advice on how the new graduate can succeed in American companies. It seems to be good advice to succeed in any company -- anywhere. His number one piece of advice: OVERDELIVER - This is very un-American -- and very un-student-like. In school, students learn to meet certain objectives -- answer certain questions within certain time parameters. In the workforce -- it's not that way anymore. To get an A+ in business, Welch says, a person -- 22 years old or 62 years old -- needs to: 1. Expand the organization's expectations of what you can do --...

I read that it used to cost about $70 on average for a computer geek to walk from cubicle to cubicle to install the needed software on individual PCs at different work stations. Now, IBM has 200 people in Toronto running a software installation factory for clients worldwide. Packages are delivered over the Internet to machines at 20 cents per PC. Whoa! Big difference! Giants in the PC market don't have the luxury of making gradual changes in the way they do things anymore. Indian companies have rewritten the rules of competition - because Indians can do it cheaper and...

NORFOLK, Va., April 14, 2006 – Supporting the global war on terror, homeland defense, humanitarian crises and disaster relief missions while maintaining deterrence around the world requires something of a juggling act - especially when you're striving to reduce stress on the force, according to a U.S. Joint Forces Command official. That's a challenge Jay Burdon, chief of JFCOM's Joint Deployment Operations Division, and his staff here deal with every day as they strive to ensure combatant commanders have the troops they need to carry out their missions. As the military's central "manpower broker" for conventional forces, JFCOM looks across...

One is by rail; two is by sea The United States must prepare for the inevitable day when fuel oil supplies run short. If the White House won't lead, the states should. The Roanoke Times Gov.-elect Tim Kaine's transportation listening tour has brought out the rail enthusiasts along the congested Interstate 81 corridor. The need for massive improvements, including dedicated truck lanes and expensive tolls, could be avoided if only truck traffic were diverted off the highways and onto the railroads, chants the rising chorus of rail enthusiasts. They have a point. But making the case on congestion alone won't...

Within 48 hours of the tragedy, with news reports still estimating that "20,000 people are feared dead," the U.S. Pacific Command was already establishing a joint task force to coordinate and conduct humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. Access approval was requested, and quickly obtained, from the Thai government to allow its massive Utapao Air Base to serve as the regional hub for the relief effort. Meanwhile, U.S. defense attaches were arranging overflight and landing rights and making initial contacts to allow U.S. forces, if and when authorized to assist, to more effectively interact with their regional counterparts. As Deputy...

TOKYO, June 3 - Surging oil prices and growing concerns about meeting targets to cut greenhouse gases produced by burning fossil fuels have revived efforts around the world to improve energy efficiency. But perhaps nowhere is the interest greater than here in Japan. Even though Japan is already among the most frugal countries in the world, the government recently introduced a national campaign, urging the Japanese to replace their older appliances and buy hybrid vehicles, all part of a patriotic effort to save energy and fight global warming. And big companies are jumping on the bandwagon, counting on the moves...

A government of the people, by the people, for the people ... of power The judicial branch of our government has come in for increasing criticism in recent years and it seemed to peak in the Terri Schiavo incident. Unfortunately, the concern of the people over the actions of the judicial have somewhat masked the concern of the people over the actions of the legislative branch, the Congress. Abe Lincoln's famous saying that Americans like to quote does not totally stand up as to how Congress actually performs. When it comes to Congress, or even to state legislatures, you have...

The United States has halved energy use per unit of output since 1950. Total energy consumption, however, has risen threefold. The reason: "[E]fficiency fails to curb demand because it lets more people do more, and do it faster -- and more/more/faster invariably swamps all the efficiency gains."............. But there is no crisis: oil reserves actually have been rising worldwide as exploration and drilling technology have improved.

Anti-wind farm report dismissed A report from the world's biggest wind power producer denouncing wind farms as too expensive and inefficient has been widely dismissed in the UK. Money would be better spent targeting energy efficiency to combat greenhouse gases, the German Energy Agency said. It comes as UK wind power grows at the fastest rate in the world, with the government aiming generate 10% of energy from renewable sources by 2010. A government spokeswoman said the UK was in a different position to Germany. 'Wind penalty' The report by the German government-backed agency says it will cost Germany 1.1bn...

Thinking Outside The “Big Box” Brief Analysis No. 501 Friday, Frebruary 18, 2005 by Pamela Villarreal Neighborhoods, city councils and the media are debating whether to welcome or discourage big-box retailers. While Wal-Mart comes to mind, big-box retailers are defined as any free-standing store greater than 50,000 square feet, and most big-box stores now range in size from 90,000 to 200,000 square feet. Critics claim that large retailers crowd out mom-and-pop competitors and replace them with windowless warehouses filled with minimum wage workers. Big-box retailers promise economic benefits such as sales tax revenues, jobs, competitive wages and low prices. But...

At Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, the lights are controlled by sensors that measure sunlight. They dim immediately when it's sunny and brighten when a passing cloud blocks the Sun. At a new middle school in Washington, D.C., the air conditioner shuts off when a window is open. A wall of windows at a University of Pennsylvania engineering building has built-in blinds adjusted by a computer program that tracks the Sun's path. Buildings are getting smarterm and the next generation of building materials is expected to do even more. Windows could trap the Sun's energy to heat hot water. Sensors that measure...

Years ago, when a civilian worker at one of the nation's largest Air Force bases was working for a general, she watched as a team was formed to come up with a better system to handle mail. Mail to the base included letters from multi-starred generals and directives that had deadlines. The "process improvement team," also known as a PIT, had a roster of middle managers, mostly civilians, who spent the better part of a month coming up with a plan. But instead of streamlining the process, they complicated it. "I was horrified," the woman says. "There used to be...

OK folks, I don't often do "vanities", but...I was just standing outside when my mail was deliveredand what I saw struck me as being absolutely absurd.I live on a little cul-de-sac where there's a total of 7 homesand there's a sidewalk that separates all the front yards from the street,so all the mailboxes are mounted on posts on the "yard" side of the sidewalk.So when the mailtruck comes into our cul-de-sac and pulls up to the first mailbox, the driver turns OFF the ignition, gets out of the truck, takes 2 steps to place the mail in the box, takes...

Near-flawless silicon carbide crystals bring extreme electronics a step closer. A method to make virtually perfect crystals of silicon carbide could revolutionize the electronics industry. The technique may pave the way for tougher and more efficient circuits. Silicon carbide (SiC) is much better than silicon at carrying current in an electronic circuit, so it could potentially reduce the amount of energy wasted in every electronic device in the home or office. It can also operate at much higher temperatures, meaning that silicon carbide-based sensors could even monitor jet engines from the inside. Scientists have long recognized the potential of silicon...

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nearly four years after Congress passed a law to help ill nuclear weapons plant workers, the government has devoted $74 million to a compensation program that so far has sent only one check, worth $15,000, to one worker.</p>

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. As world demand for energy rises, even Saudi Arabia may not be able to meet it New estimates of world oil reserves are making the conservation goals of the 1970s more relevant than ever. It's time the White House and Congress paid heed. According to a recent New York Times report, internal memos of Saudi Armaco, that country's government owned oil company, capacity is likely to continue at today's rate of 10 million barrels a day through 2011. But U.S. energy experts say Saudi Arabia would have to pump 13.6 million...

BOSTON - Have you seen those economists scratching their heads trying to understand the jobless recovery? Every time they run the numbers, they end up with a question mark: How is it possible that only 1,000 new jobs were created in the past month? Well, maybe it's time we let them in on our little secret. The economy has created hundreds of thousands of new jobs. Only they aren't in the manufacturing sector. They aren't even in the service economy. They're in the self-service economy. Companies are coming back to life without inviting employees back to work for one simple...

The check was in the mail - for 19 years It was as if it were mailed yesterday. The corners were still sharp, and the sticky seal was strong. Aside from the yellowish, circular stains of the postmarks that faded into the sky blue-colored envelope, everything seemed normal. So when customer-service reps for the city's utility department sorted through the bin full of payments one December morning, it looked like just another utility payment. Only it wasn't sent yesterday. This payment took almost two decades to be delivered. "The logo on the bottom was a dead giveaway," said Daryl Thompson,...

<p>By improving efficiency in Frankfort, collecting on more debts and using the buying power of Kentucky and its surrounding states to negotiate lower costs for prescription drugs and other means, gubernatorial candidate Ben Chandler believes the state could increase its bottom line by more than $600 million - possibly in the next budget year.</p>

AUSTIN - The "Blue Screen of Death" -- that's what some state employees called the blank computer screen that served as the first notice that they were no longer state employees. "They were sitting there working at their computers, and then -- boom -- the network people locked them out," said Marcus Chase, a producer of educational videos who was one of about 150 Texas Education Agency employees to get a pink slip in recent weeks. "It was disrespectful how it went down." An estimated 5,000 to 10,000 state workers have lost their jobs or will lose them soon as...

Lazy postman George Lamb pocketed more than 17,000 letters, parcels and birthday cards because he could not be bothered to deliver them. Lamb of Avison Court, Fenham, Newcastle, stole cash, vouchers and presents while on his round in Fenham and was only caught after police trapped him through a fake package. He took nearly 17,500 parcels, letters, cards and packages, removing cash from 1,688 greetings cards, keeping hold of 7,331 door-to-door promotional packages and charity appeals, and storing 8,440 parcels in his flat in Newcastle. Post Office staff became suspicious after complaints from angry residents in the Fenham area who...