Lincoln Tribune

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• New Discovery Promises Efficient Way to Recycle Carbon Dioxide Pollution
• Court Ruling on Corporate Campaign Spending Draws Concern
• Japan proposes law to limit life of nuclear reactors to 40 years
• Tymoshenko’s husband seeks asylum in the Czech Republic
• Indonesian military plane crashes in Central Java, killing pilot

New Discovery Promises Efficient Way to Recycle Carbon Dioxide Pollution Posted: 06 Jan 2012 08:35 PM PST Scientists in the United States say they have discovered a new, inexpensive way to remove excess carbon dioxide, or CO2, from the atmosphere, as well as from large industrial exhaust sources, such as factory smokestacks. Researchers at the University of Southern California's Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute say their new CO2 extraction method achieved some of the highest rates ever reported for removing the potentially climate-changing greenhouse gas from the air under humid conditions.   Most scientists believe that industrial carbon dioxide emissions are major contributors to global warming. The accelerating increase in the Earth's average surface temperatures also is believed to be triggering significant changes in climate, including more intense storms, more severe floods and droughts, and major shifts in rainfall patterns. Study co-author and Loker Institute director Professor Surya Prakash said the CO2 extraction technique involves a plastic-like substance dispersed in a sandy material called fumed silica.   Prakash says the goal of the research was to create an efficient way to capture excess CO2 from the air and recycle it for use in the production of all the fuels and carbon-based products now made from refined petroleum. He adds that the extracted carbon dioxide also can be permanently isolated from the environment. Prakash says he expects to see his team's CO2 recycling technology in commercial use within three to five years. The USC researchers say the fumed silica materials they developed for the CO2 extractor are much cheaper, more energy efficient and more chemically stable than existing extraction devices.  They also report that the new materials can be used multiple times without losing their efficiency. Prakash said he and his colleagues tested the new materials in humid air because capturing CO2 in humid conditions is especially difficult, and provided realistic conditions for the experiment since most air contains moisture.   A report on the new USC study is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Court Ruling on Corporate Campaign Spending Draws Concern Posted: 06 Jan 2012 07:59 PM PST <!--AV--> Two years ago this month [January 21], the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that government may not limit spending by corporations on political campaigns. The majority in the narrow 5-4 decision, known as "Citizens United," said such limits would violate corporations' right to free speech - essentially treating corporate speech the same as that of individual human beings. There is growing concern that well-funded corporations may drown out the individual. Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has the distinction of both supporting the "Citizens United" decision and being a victim of it. Female Voice: "Ever notice how some people make a lot of mistakes?" Newt Gingrich: "It was probably a mistake." This so-called "attack ad" was part of a multi-million-dollar negative campaign against Gingrich before the recent Iowa caucuses. It was funded by anonymous corporate donors who favor Mitt Romney for president. The corporate attack ads are widely credited with helping pull Gingrich down from front-runner to fourth in the recent Iowa Caucuses. The New York City Council is the latest American city to adopt a resolution calling for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution - to declare that corporations are not entitled to the same rights as people, and that money is not a constitutionally-protected form of speech. Other cities to do so include Los Angeles, California; Albany, New York; Boulder, Colorado and South Miami, Florida. Jonah Minkoff-Zern represents Public Citizen, a non-profit organization that favors public campaign financing instead of allowing outside contributions. "Our vote doesn't matter the same way that someone who has so many resources to devote to a campaign, whether it's a wealthy individual or a mega-corporation," said Minkoff-Zern. Republican Councilman Eric Ulrich, a Romney supporter, voted against the New York resolution. "Because it's just as important, even if you don't agree with it, as the influence labor organizations and other groups may have. You have to create an equal playing field and zeroing out one group simply because we don't agree with them just to help another - that's not fair, that's not American," said Ulrich. Ulrich mentioned newspapers and religious groups as collective organizations that also can influence elections. The Supreme Court decision was based on a case filed against a group called Citizens United, which used corporate funds to produce a film attacking 2008 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Japan proposes law to limit life of nuclear reactors to 40 years Posted: 06 Jan 2012 07:40 PM PST TOKYO (BNO NEWS) -- The Japanese government on Friday announced it plans to introduce a new law which will limit the service life of nuclear reactors to 40 years, an official told NHK Television. The draft law proposes that the government will not allow reactors to operate for more than 40 years, but may grant extensions on request. Such extensions would be subject to government checks on the obsolescence of the facility, and the plant operator's capacity to provide appropriate maintenance. Nuclear crisis minister Goshi Hosono told NHK Television that the proposed 40-year limit is included in new draft regulations on nuclear reactors and nuclear fuel material. He said the government will also revise safety standards in regards to earthquakes, tsunamis and other disasters and require power companies to take more measures to prevent accidents. The draft law is the first time that the Japanese government is attempting to regulate the lifespan of nuclear plants. The bill is expected to be submitted to parliament by the end of this month. Japan has been facing an ongoing nuclear crisis since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which is operated by the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco), was severely damaged on March 11, 2011, when a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a subsequent tsunami devastated the country. The disaster disabled the cooling systems of the plant and radioactive elements leaked into the sea and were later found in water, air and food products in some parts of the country. At least 15,839 people were killed as a result of the earthquake and tsunami while 3,642 others remain missing. There are still tens of thousands of people who are staying in shelters in 21 prefectures across Japan. (Copyright 2012 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)

Tymoshenko’s husband seeks asylum in the Czech Republic Posted: 06 Jan 2012 07:30 PM PST PRAGUE (BNO NEWS) -- The husband of jailed Ukrainian opposition leader and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko has asked for political asylum in the Czech Republic, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported on Friday. Oleksandr Tymoshenko, who is currently residing in the Czech Republic, submitted the application in late December. According to reports, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said Tymoshenko's request for asylum will likely be granted. Yulia Tymoshenko is serving a seven-year term for abuse of power in connection with a 2009 gas deal with Russia. She was accused of illegally forcing state energy company Naftogaz to sign a gas supply contract with Russian gas company Gazprom in 2009, which the state says required approval of the Cabinet of Ministers. Tymoshenko's husband, Oleksandr, and her daughter, Yevheniya, were the defenders of the former prime minister in the case. In December 2011, Tymoshenko's daughter, Yevheniya Carr, changed her last name to Tymoshenko in support of her mother. Tymoshenko's daughter is currently not planning to ask for political asylum in another country. "Zhenia [Yevheniya Carr] - not yet. But if the pressure on her grows, and if the government goes mad and starts persecuting not only the husband, but also the daughter of Yulia Volodymyrivna [Tymoshenko], we will respond properly," Tymoshenko's defense lawyer Serhiy Vlasenko was quoted as saying. Last week, the Ukrainian opposition leader was transferred to a prison to serve her jail term. She was moved from a detention center in the capital of Kiev, where she had been held since early August, to a prison in the eastern city of Kharkiv. Tymoshenko has claimed her trial was politically motivated and an attempt by President Viktor Yanukovych, who narrowly beat her in the presidential election in February 2010, to bar her from future elections. The international community has largely condemned her trial. (Copyright 2012 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)

Indonesian military plane crashes in Central Java, killing pilot Posted: 06 Jan 2012 07:25 PM PST JOGJAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- An Indonesian pilot was killed on Friday when a military plane crashed on the island of Java, officials told a local newspaper. There were no other people on board the aircraft. The accident happened when a training aircraft belonging to the Indonesian Navy crashed into a rice paddy in Jetis, which is located in the Magelang District of Central Java. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft dip at low altitudes twice before crashing. The pilot of the aircraft was the only person on board the plane, which was a 1970-built Charlie 5D3417i. Navy spokesman Aman Yunus told the Jakarta Globe that the pilot did not survive and identified him as Captain Ali Mustofa. Yunus said the cause of the accident was not immediately known. The aircraft, which was broken into several pieces during the crash, had been flying from the city of Solo to Jogjakarta on a trial run. Parts of the cockpit landed just outside a house. Colonel M Khairil Lubis, the Flight Education Wing Commander at the Adisucipto Naval Base, said all training aircraft will be grounded for an inspection as a result of the accident. (Copyright 2012 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)

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