X-Message-Number: 24218 Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2004 10:46:43 -0400 From: Thomas Donaldson <> Subject: CryoNet #24209 - #24216 HI everyone! Thanks to Bruce Klein for telling us what WTA is in the first place. I've never been a member myself and haven't looked closely at their proposals, so I can't say anything about their ethics or lack of ethics. But the messages announcing resignation from this group certainly caught my eye. As for oil from tar sands, there is a company which is making and selling oil from Alberta tar sands right now. I own some shares in it. It's name is Suncor, and it has 500 gas stations selling gas (petrol, if you don't speak American) under the name Sunoco. One way to learn about them is to write to them or telephone them: 1-403-269-8670, website www.suncor.com, mailing address: Suncor, 112-4th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta, T2P 2V5, Canada. They can now produce oil from tar sands at about $8 per barrel. As for burning carbon or carbon-containing chemicals as a source of power, I'd say that the main problem isn't one of scarcity but what the resulting CO2 does to our atmosphere. And I personally (I don't want to raise any outrage here!!!) think that nuclear power with fuel cells powered by hydrogen (there are already several proposals to store hydrogen chemically or otherwise) will ultimately turn out a better way to go. If we think 100 years ahead, of course, we won't be able to safely keep our industries on the Earth, and will have to do a lot of our heavy industry in space. But that's a while after now, and nuclear power with hydrogen fuel cells would be much closer. Best wishes and long long life to all, Thomas Donaldson Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=24218