envirodoc

On Gold and Silver Coin Shortages

WHAT DOES 1907 DOUBLE EAGLE IN FINE CONDITION FETCH THESE DAYS!

Ethanol's Persecution Complex: To Rehabilitate Its Image, It Must Understand the Issues

Good article. I have previously commented on tthe methanol issue on Seeking Alpha. Served as Corp.Dir. Energy & Envronment, for Georgia -Pacific for 12 years I had resposibilty for 200 plants, including one of the two methanol plants at that time in USA. The plant was built during World War II and used cellulose waste as its raw material.The only reason it was justified ecomomically was that it built with federal funding!
I recall receiving a request for info. on methanol, from the president of the Oregon Senate during the oil crisis in the 1970's. When I submitted the above data he quickly lost interest.
There has been a lot of concern recently on CO2 emisisons & global warming. Recent reseach however, reports that CO2 in the atmosphere protects the earth from harmful UV radiation from the sun! These scientists are more concerned that reducing nitrogen levels will be necessary to support life on earth in the future.

Proposed Legislation Could Boost Medicare's Ability to Extract Savings on Drugs

I am 81 and disabled, my wife of 51 years is 76. Our entire retirement savings were wiped out by the market crash. I have diabetes, high blood pressure and early alzhiemers. Due to the escallation of drug prices in the past few years, I will be in the infamous medicare
gap' or 'doughnut' and unable to pay for my essential life supporting medication after July of this year! Unless the President or Congress gets around to proving some relief, by raising the inadequate drug cost allowance, when the elderly reach the medicare 'gap,' the death rate will rise! We urgently also need to have Medicare authorised to negociate the lower drug prices that the Veterans Administration pay the drug companies.
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Extending Medicare: Medical and National Suicide

I can echo the the negative comments on the National Health care in England. In !956 I was mis-diagnosed and lost a perfectly healthy appendix. After emigrating to Canada I had a recurrance of my symptoms and was diagnosed with a "spastic colon" after two weeks in hospital! Finally, ended up in a Pittsburgh Hospital in 1965 where they removed a stone, below my right kidney, ending years of misery.
On reaching 65 I qualified for Medicare and joined Oschner Healhcare. Service was less than impressive. I had prostate surgery which resulted in nerve damage in the lower abdomen and they failed to diagnose diabetes! In 2002 Oschner discontinued serving my area, north of New Orleans.
Fortunately, I was able to join Peoples Health, a Tenet company.
They immediate diagnosed diabetes and placed me on treatment.
In the past six years and have guided me thru a srtoke, colon cancer, an aorta stent and now, onset of alzheimers.
At 81 and disabled, Ihave to thank Peoples Health and Medicare for keeping me alive and healthy. Now for some suggestions on improving Medicare coverage for the elderly.
The President and Congress need to allow medicare to negociate the drug prices they are paying, in line with those enjoyed by the Veterans Administration.
Another change would help the elderly who have lost most of their investments in the current economic crisis. Doubling the medicare coverage, before folks enter the dreaded medicare gap, would go a long way to compensate for the huge escallation in drug charges over the past three years. I reached the medicare gap in December 2008 and had to get get free samples from my doctor to avoid sttopping the drugs for diabetes, high blood pressure and alzheimers.This year I will reach the medicare gap in July!!! - Help.
Matthew and Pamela Gould (retired Chemist and Microbiologist)
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Ethanol Better Than Gasoline If Done Right

During the 1970's oil crisis the president of the Oregon Senate wrote me for an opinion on ethanol as substitute for gasoline. I advised him that my company operated one of the two plants in USA that made ethanol from cellulose waste. I explained that the only reason it was commercially viable was that plant was built during World War II with Federal funds! Ethanol combustion adds to the carbon dioxide emmission levels as does gasoline. As a chairman of the Fuel Utilization and Conservation Task Force, I testified before Congressman Dingell's hearing on the National Coal Policy Project in April 1978. Like so many worthwhile studies my committee's report lies buried in dust of the congressional library. One final observation - USA let Japan and Europe exploit the nuclear generation of electricy to relieve their dependency on fossil fuels! Matthew Gould, former Corporate Director, Energy and Environment - Georgia-Pacific Corporation