THE US REPORT

Astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell, an Apollo 14 veteran, says governments have covered up alien contact for years. The revelation came during an interview with an Australian Radio Station. News Digital Media (Australia) reported the story, 'Moonwalker claims alien contact coverup.' "It's been well covered up by all our governments for the last 60 years or so, but slowly it's leaked out and some of us have been privileged to have been briefed on some of it," he said. This echoes claims of past civilizations on other planets by respected author Richard C. Hoagland, whose book 'Dark Mission' makes a good case for governments keeping information about life on other planets from citizens because of potential widespread fear. Dr. Mitchell, along with Alan Shepard, holds the record for the longest moon walk, 9 hours and 17 minutes. I highly recommend Hoagland's book. Read other stories about this subject in our category, 'Space.' Dr. Mitchell joins others like Hoagland in claiming Earth has indeed been contacted by others from space.  NDM says Mitchell says, " ... our technology is not nearly as sophisticated as theirs and had they been hostile, we would be been gone by now. " 

  

Photo of Dr. Edgar Mitchell walking on the moon in 1971. Courtesy of NASA.

Just last week Volkswagen announced that it will build a U.S. automotive production facility in Chattanooga, Tenn., where it will produce a car designed specifically for the North American consumer and invest $1 billion in the economy. That announcement was followed by the dedication of Nissan Americas headquarters (photo, right) in Franklin, Tenn. The new center serves as regional headquarters for the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Just when you thought the economy was tanking and rumors of major American carmakers’ financial woes are floating, two manufacturers are in the news—the good news—confirming an intent to funnel money into a Southern state. Prof. Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen AG was quoted in a news release at the Tenn. Dept. of Economic and Community Development: “Volkswagen will be extremely active there. This plant represents a milestone in Volkswagen’s growth strategy. We will be selling 800,000 Volkswagens in the U.S. by 2018, and this new site will play a key role. This, along with our growth strategy, is a prerequisite for the economic success of the company in the dollar region. We look forward to establishing an important mainstay for ourselves when we become the biggest European carmaker there.”

Nissan Americas CEO Carlos Ghosn offered a statement in his company’s news release: “Nissan Americas is an investment in our future,” Ghosn said. “We purposefully designed the building to inspire and enhance collaboration among our employees. The building also is a statement about our confidence in the continued growth of Nissan in the Americas and our unyielding commitment to environmental sustainability.” In May, Ghosn unveiled Nissan’s five-year business plan, GT 2012, including an outline of Nissan’s commitment to leadership in the design, development, manufacture and distribution of zero-emission vehicles.

While the vehicles themselves will be environmentally friendly, they will rely on a power infrastructure for batteries to recharge.

Disclosure: I drive a Nissan Altima and I am crazy about that car.

For sources, click on 'References' link below this post. Photo of Nissan's Franklin headquarters from Nissan Americas website.

 

A truck driver hauling hives and bees lost control of his vehicle and turned over near Winona on Interstate 90 today, but the Minneapolis Star Tribune says beekeepers were called in to take care of the swarms. It’s a good thing too, because without those honey bees, our flowers and crops would be challenged. But I was curious—why would a truck be hauling bees and hives?

Bees are important to our economy in more ways than one. Most states have beekeeper’s associations, and the Florida organization’s website has some interesting facts about honey bees. According to an article at the Florida Beekeepers Association website, by Laurence Cutts, honey bees aren’t native to the U.S. They were brought over from Europe by colonists. Cutts says American Indians called them “white man’s flies.” In the 1970s and 1980s, Florida was ranked first in the nation in honey production. But the nasty little tracheal mite caused a decrease in production, and now the state ranks fifth.

When I read the story about the Minneapolis incident, I learned something even more interesting—bees travel. Cutts writes: “Florida beekeeping has now become almost totally migratory. Most bees in the state are moved from two to six times annually, either interstate or intrastate. About half of Florida’s bees move to northern states in the summer for pollination or honey production. They pollinate everything from blueberries in Maine to almonds in California.”

Is there anything that smells as good as fresh honey, and is there anything better to stir into your cup of hot tea? I don’t think so. Florida’s Orange Blossom and Tupelo honey aren’t just popular stateside—these brands are known worldwide for quality.  The Florida Dept. of Agriculture website has some interesting information about the state’s honey in general, not just the two most esteemed brands: “Seventeen million pounds of honey are produced in Florida each year and enjoyed around the world. “ The state’s honey industry alone generates $13 million, and that’s without the work these creatures do in pollinating over 100 fruits and vegetable varieties. So next time you see a honey bee, don’t swat it.

Honey is just one of the gifts these busy creatures give us, and obviously, as indicated by the wrecked honey bee carrier, the bees don’t mind traveling to provide us with benefits.

[Text by Kay B. Day; photo from Florida Dept. of Agriculture: Apiary Inspection]

*Links to sources cited are in 'References' below this post.

The website CleanMPG is a curious entity—created during times when most of us want to max a gallon of gas as much as possible. My own commute is very emissions-friendly—I walk from our bedroom to my office. But I can’t dodge driving altogether—newspapers want in-person interviews usually, author events require me to show up in person, bank deposits and other errands require driving.

There’s an interesting forum on ‘hypermiling,’ a term I didn’t even know. CleanMPG offers this: “Hypermiler is a term coined by Wayne Gerdes to describe a driver who strives to exceed their vehicle's EPA fuel economy rating.” There are a number of tips on the site, and a special discussion thread on hypermiling, and a constant caution to refrain from doing anything illegal. Some advanced tips having to do with tire pressures and types of oil seem complicated to me—my knowledge of car engines is limited to starting and stopping.

The Environmental Protection Agency also has a few tips for fuel economy—observing the speed limit, avoiding idling, and ditching excessive weight in your trunk. I never thought much about that last tip until a young man helped me with my groceries. “Wow! You got a clean trunk!” he said. I asked him what he meant. “You oughta’ see the stuff people have in their trunks.”

The CleanMPG website has a lot of information about electric vehicles as well as information about fuel efficiency in older vehicles. The site banner claims members have saved more than 189,000 gallons of fuel.

Text and photo by Kay B. Day

A huge conflict over global warming has erupted, with experts saying there is no consensus and that man-made emissions are not doing the harm some experts claim. Daily Tech broke the story today. Read my post about this at Red State. Enjoy the video below produced by Americans for Prosperity. I discovered the video at The Washington Examiner.

I've written a number of stories here at The US Report about global warming/climate change, with some recent ones in the Environment category.

I do believe America should develop alternative forms of energy. I do not believe we can do that overnight; politicians have put this off for the last 16 years. It will take time to reduce our use of oil. But the insane political frenzy about this subject is costing people in our country ridiculous amounts of money. In other countries where there are internal conflicts and corrupt leadership, food donations people depend on from us are being diverted for fuel. We have to do something, but it cannot be done overnight.

In the video below, the young man who says he advocates $8 a gallon gasoline took a cab to see  Al Gore who arrived with a motorcade. Gore's driver idled the engine for 20 minutes so the car would be cool.

Neither that young man nor Gore can begin to imagine what it is like for a senior living on a small fixed income or a single mother trying to keep a roof over her children's heads. I know what that is like because I have delivered food to people like that. In person.