Lol Marshall. This from The Times (London) is another example of benefits of govm't intervention. Perhaps the yuppie set will be required to install multiple solar panels for their multiple water heaters. November 09, 2004 Spain makes solar panels mandatory in new buildings By David Sharrock SPAIN wants to take advantage of its sunshine by making solar panels compulsory in new and renovated buildings  to save fuel costs and to improve the environment. Jose Montilla, the Industry Minister, has announced that from next year, anyone who intends to build a home will be obliged to include solar panels in their plans, with the aim of turning Spain from a straggler to a European leader in the use of renewable energy. With the price of oil rising above $50 a barrel (£27), solar energy could produce savings of at least Â80 (£50) a year on fuel to heat domestic water supplies per household, and reduce greenhouse gases, the Government said. But critics of the GovernmentÂs plans say that the installation of solar panels would increase construction costs by between Â1,100 and Â1,400 per dwelling. Property prices have doubled since 1999 as part of a housing boom in Spain which shows no signs of cooling. The new construction regulation will affect more than half a million new houses a year, if the current pace of construction is maintained. The Socialist Government, led by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the Prime Minister, is seeking a tenfold increase in the area of solar panels in use in Spain by the year 2010, from the present total of 581,000 sq metres. Spain lags far behind Germany, EuropeÂs current solar energy leader, where 5.4 million sq metres of solar panels are currently in use. But in spite of its low domestic usage, Spain is one of the worldÂs biggest manufacturers of solar panels. According to official estimates, installation of solar panels in 3.5 million dwellings built in the past five years in Spain would have yielded a fuel cost saving of Â245 million. Señor Montilla promised subsidies to encourage further take\-up of solar panels and to ease the financial pain of the new measure, but he did not give further details. A single two\-metre solar panel on the roof of a home can cut its water\-heating bills by up to 70 per cent a year, according to government estimates. Three years ago Seville, the Andalusian capital, introduced the same measure which the Government now intends to adopt nationwide.

This is from a Feb. 2, 2012 news report -the last line really caught my eye because I ALWAYS run my dishwasher before bed or leaving for work!! What does everyone else do? SEATTLE -- Consumer Reports is sounding a warning about appliances in your kitchen that can suddenly catch fire. One fire in a home started in the kitchen, caused by a toaster. "It was just horrendous, just horrendous," said Beverly Uberti. "What wasn't destroyed by fire was destroyed by smoke and water damage." Another fire started in a family's dishwasher while they were out of the house. A third erupted in a microwave, even though it wasn't being used. Consumer Reporters poured through 69,000 reports of house fires blamed on appliances, and found that a significant number of those fires were not caused by human error. "We found at least 23 percent are clearly attributable to problems with the appliances - mechanical, electrical, or design flaws," said Dan Diclerico with Consumer Reports. "In some instances, the appliances turned on by themselves." Faulty appliances causing the most fires were ranges, dryers, air conditioners, refrigerators, and dishwashers. "In the last five years, more than 7 million dishwashers have been recalled due to defects that could cause a fire," Diclerico said. "And nearly eight million other appliances have been recalled for fire risks." Checking for recalls at recalls.gov is a good way to be alerted to problems. There are reasons that there more recalls due to fire hazards. "Appliances have gotten a lot more complex, so more can go wrong," Diclerico said. "And many recalled products are being manufactured abroad, the majority in China." Consumer Reports says until appliance design and quality are improved, homeowners are left with plenty to be concerned about. The magazine says homeowners should register new appliances with the manufacturer so they'll get recall notices. Another tip: Don't run your dryer or dishwasher overnight or when you're away.

One has to look at the cumulative actions of the entire financial sector over the last ten years or so...or even the last five. IMO, it is not coincidence that everything they are cited for in terms of what is considered to be wrong doing by those outside the loop is invariably an action that added considerable millions if not more to their coffers, while it bleeds the overall economy dry. These companies have a tremendous amount of capital at their disposal...as well as some of the most brilliant financial players, business managers, analysts, statisticians, etc at their disposal....not to mention a good number of politicians in their pockets. If they are nailed on something, the fine is a mere tiny drop in the bucket compared to the profit that is made. It is simply the cost of doing business. They apologize..the gullible fall for it...and they proceed with business as usual. Remember, these are the entities that profited to the tune of trillions on the destruction of the global economy, manipulated a taxpayer bailout, and are now wealthier beyond imagining, while most everyone else struggles to pay their every day expenses. Don't be fooled into thinking that they made yet another mistake that just so happened to make them yet another bundle. The only reason they are admitting it now is because they finally got caught. And very possibly the appointment of Holly Petraeus, wife of Gen. Petraeus to head up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau may have played a very important part as well in JPMorgan Chase all of a sudden magically seeing the light on screwing over active duty troops.

Here's how it might work for me, with an example. Flint has/had a serious problem with their public water supply corroding pipes and releasing lead, when they switched water sources, (perhaps you have heard). Being a scientist and one who is highly interested in water quality issues, I found the local reporting sketchy, and confusing. So I had to search out other sources, which I could find online--in depth reports and position papers from the EPA, local health agencies, U of M researchers, and other reporters who either blogged or later in depth pieces in national and local news outlets. Just heard a blip about a report the other day, about the fact that aging lead pipes corroding are a nation wide problem, a lot in older, urban areas. Here's an example of an article. In that article, there are lots and lots of other sources cited, which you can then go to for further information. NPR is the source of origin, but in the article are tips for many other places to follow up for further details.Where are lead water pipes in Michigan Another example, HC's e-mail scandal. I read an in-depth article on the FBI report on her e-mails in the New York Times. Still wanted more info. so one simple google led me to the FBI's Web site and I found their release of their report on their entire investigation, which I then read. Went to a few other articles on various lawyers opinions on the legality or illegality of her actions. Worked for the feds a couple of times, and had to go through FOIA training for my e-mail so I was familiar with the issues too, through real-life experience. Also did my masters thesis on using the Internet so had some basic background knowledge and a piqued interest in subjects relating to Internet use.