"The Earth Path" by Starhawk

"Phantom Parks: The Struggle to Save Canada's National Parks" by Rick Searle

Interesting Links:
Utne Reader
David Suzuki Foundation
New Scientist
Discover Magazine
The Medical Post Online
Ad Busters!
New Internationalist
Mother Jones.com
Salon.com
NOVA On-line
The Book of Zines
Killing the Buddha
London Review of Books
American Council on Exercise
Runner's World
The Great Illusion


Recent reads:
"A Deepness in the Sky" by Vernor Vinge

"Celtic Folklore Cooking" by Joanne Asala

"Power Spellcraft for Life" by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

"Reinventing Medicine" by Larry Dossey

"Wicca: A Year and a Day" by Timothy Roderick

"The Science of the Craft" by William H Keith

"50 Years of Wicca" by Frederic Lamond

"The Magical Life" by Vivianne Crowley

"Which Witch is Which?" by Patricia Telesco

"Perdido Street Station" by China Mieville

"Cyberhenge: Modern Pagans on the Internet" by Douglas E. Cowan

"An Ye Harm None: Magical Morality and Modern Ethics" by Shelley Rabinovitch

"Crystal Ball" by Sibyll Fergusen, revised and expanded by Witch Bree

"Gaia Eros: Reconnecting to the Magic and Sprit of Nature" by Jesse Wolf Hardin

"A Century of Spells" by Draja Mickaharic

"Evolutionary Witchcraft" by T. Thorn Coyle

"Witching Culture: Folklore and Neo-Paganism in America" by Sabina Magliocco

"Kundalini for Beginners" by Ravindra Kumar

"Ka: Stories of the Mind and Gods of India" by Roberto Calasso

"Magical Tattwa Cards" by Dr. John Mumford

"WitchCraft Today (Expanded edition)" by Gerald B. Gardner

"Self-Initiation for the Solitary Witch" by Shanddaramon

"The Second Circle: Tools for the Advancing Pagan" by Vanecia Rauls

"Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard" by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart

"Black Magick Woman: The Sinister Side of the Song of Solomon" by Janet Tyson

"Everyday Moon Magic" by Dorothy Morrisson

"Advanced Witchcraft" by Edain McCoy"

"Handfasting and Wedding Rituals" by Raven Kaldera and Tannin Schwartzstein

"Joing Hearts and Hands: Interfaith, Intercultural Wedding Celebrations" by Rev Susanna Stefanachi Macomb

"Handfasted and Heartjoined" by Lady Maeve Rhea

"Handfasting: A practical Guide" bu Mary Neasham

" Goddess in the Grass: Sperpentine Mythology and the great Goddess" by Linda Fourbister

"Theories of the Chakras: Bridges to Higher Conciousness" by Hiroshi Motoyama

"The Knife Thrower" by Steven Millhauser

"Schizophrenia: A Very Short Introduction" by Christopher Finn and Eve Johnstone

"Schizophrenia: The Facts" by Ming T. Tsuang and Stephen V. Faraone

"A Community of Witches" by Helen Berger and Colleagues

"American Gods" by Neil Gaiman"

"Scherzo" by Jim Williams"

"Goddess in the Grass: Serpentine Mythology and the Great Goddess" by Linda Fourbister

"The Forest of Souls" by Rachel Pollack

"Wiccan Roots" by Philip Heselton

"A User's Guide to the Brain" by John J Ratey, MD

"A Goddess Arrives" by Gerald Gardner

"A Community of Witches" by Helen Berger

"Nature Spirits" Selected lectures by Rudolf Steiner

"Fatal Majesty" by Reay Tannahill

"Myths to Live By" by Joseph Campbell

"The Secret Life of Germs" by Philip M Tierno Jr, PhD

"Adam, Eve, and the Serpent" by Elaine Pagels

"Whiteout: Melt" by Greg Rucka illustrated by Steve Lieber

"Whiteout" by Greg Rucka illustrated by Steve Lieber

"Queen and Country-Operation: Crystal Ball" by Greg Rucka illustrated by Leandro Fernandez

"Tunnel in the Sky" by Robert Heinlein

"The Sex Chronicles" by Zane

"The Black Man's Guide to Good Health" by Reed, Schulman and Shucker

"The Withdrawing Room" by Charlotte MacLoed

"Queen and Country-Operation: Morningstar" by Greg Rucka illustrated by Brian Hurtt

"The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2000" edited by David Quammen

"The Bourne Identity" by Robert Ludlum

"Gerald Gardner: Witch" by J.L. Bracelin

"Queen and Country-Operation: Broken Ground" by Greg Rucka illustrated by Steve Rolston

"The Ferryman Will Be There" by Rosemary Aubert

"Philosophy of Wicca" by Amber Laine Fisher

"Wilderness Tips" by Margaret Atwood

"Origins of Modern Witchcraft" by Anne Moura

Thursday, December 04, 2003

Hybrid Vehicles and Other Planet Savers

The Toyota Prius mid-size sedan won the 2004 Car of the Year award, beating out 26 other new or significantly redesigned cars. The Prius was first introduced into the automobile market in 1997, and was the world’s first commercially mass-produced hybrid car. Hybrid cars combine a gas or diesel engine with an electric motor, which recharges itself during the drive. The car works by switching between the two systems, offering improved fuel efficiency, lower emissions and comparable performance to traditional cars. According to a report by the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Prius gets about 25 kilometres per litre of gasoline for city driving, making it the most fuel efficient mid-size car in North America, and passing on potential gasoline savings of about $500 for the average user. The Honda Insight, a two-seater hybrid, also checked in at about 25 kilometers per litre, while the diesel-powered Volkswagen Beetle took the number three spot with11 kilometers per litre. The average fuel usage of 2003 model cars is about 9 km / litre.

Generally speaking, a hybrid will use the electric motor at slow speeds like in the city or when idling, but switch to the engine when going at faster speeds or uphill. The electric motor also helps boost the engine’s performance, effectively giving a 1.5 L engine the power and performance of a 2-L engine.

In Canada, the only other company to offer a hybrid car is Honda, which started to offer a hybrid version of its popular Honda Civic in May this year. The traditional Civic is Canada’s top-selling car, and the Hybrid version is essentially a Honda Civic EX minus the moonroof. The Civic Hybrid offers fule economy of 4.9 litres of gas per 100 kilometres, compared with 7.9 litres per 100 km for the traditional Civic LX, with more moderate saving on highway driving, 4.6 litres per 100 km for the Hybrid and 4.9 litres for the LX.

American automakers will be jumping into the hybrid playing field next summer with hybrid versions of popular Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV) and pick-up trucks. Automobile industry watchers expect hybrids to impact b popular in these areas, and ultimately impact more greatly here than with conventional small and mid-size cars. With an projected fuel consumption of 17 km / litre, compared to about 8 km / litre for current models, the hybrid version of the Ford Escape SUV will be hitting the market in the Summer of 2004, around the same time as GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado hybrid pickup trucks. GM has also announced that a hybrid version of the Saturn VUE SUV should be available in 2005, with hybrid version of the mid-size cars Chevrolet Equinox in 2006 and Chevrolet Malibu in 2007. If the hybrid cars are successful, the system could be readily available on other mid-size models.

Gasoline / electric hybrid systems aren’t the only environmentally-friendly innovations out there or being tested. Another fuel-saving technology, GM’s “Displacement on Demand”, will also soon be available on many of the company’s SUVs and pick-ups. The system automatically works by using only half of the engine's cylinders during certain driving conditions, and reactivating the other cylinders when the driver needs the engine's full capabilities for brisk acceleration or load carrying. Like gasoline / electric hybrids, this system produces the most benefits in stop-and-go driving, where fuel efficiency is at its lowest.

In addition, GM is working on Gasoline / Fuel Cell Hybrid vehicles. A technology originally developed for the US Space program, gasoline / fuel cell hybrids work by cleanly breaking down the gasoline into carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The hydrogen then combines with oxygen to create electricity and power an electric motor. This technology has the most potential for larger vehicles such as SUVs and trucks, and is currently being evaluated in some Chevy S-10 pickup trucks.

An finallu, unveiling its version of the future, Ford revealed its experimental model U earlier this year. The car sports a hydrogen internal combustion engine with hybrid electric power, resulting in virtually no emissions other than water. In addition, the manufacturing process will use only green materials. The canvas roof of the model U is made from corn and is compostable, the foam in the seats is made of a soy bean-based product and the engine is lubricated by sunflower oil.

Hmmm, compostable and recyclable cars… what a future indeed.

Amanda 1:16 PM
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