Morial Confidant Pleads To Tax Count

According to the T-P, lawyer Roy Rodney, a member of former Mayor Marc Morial's inner circle whose business dealings have been under federal scrutiny for years, has agreed to plead guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of failure to file income tax returns.

During Morial's tenure at City Hall, Rodney was the closest thing to an in-house lawyer for the former mayor's team of closest advisers.

Rodney helped incorporate businesses for many members of the group and served as counsel for Morial's political organization, LIFE. He also received several high-dollar legal contracts from Morial, performing work for the Housing Authority of New Orleans and acting as counsel for the Rivergate Development Corp., the city agency that acts as landlord to Harrah's New Orleans Casino.
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There is such a thing as attorney/client privilege. Who knows what Rodney may know...!!!

Looking For An Energy Efficient TV?

Presently, there is no data to campare the energy consumption of different models of TV sets; but that is going to change soon:

In a little-noted section of the energy bill just passed by Congress and signed by President Bush, the FTC has 18 months to come up with labeling or some other energy disclosure plan for televisions, personal computers, cable or satellite set-top boxes, stand-alone digital video recorder boxes, and personal computer monitors.

Another important development is on its way: In early February, the government will announce the final standards on which TVs will qualify for the Energy Star label. Previously, the Energy Star on TVs certified only that a set used little power when it was in standby mode and didn't take into account how much power it used when turned on!

But if all proceeds as planned, later this year consumers can begin looking for Energy Star if they want to choose a set in the top 25 percent of energy efficiency performers on the market. That will be timely, because an increase in TV buying is expected about then, with all-digital TV coming in February 2009.

A better viewing experience, so they say. But you may well be using more energy along the way, if you aren't careful.

New Book Highlights Global Warming Policy

What? Yet another book on global warming? Yes, and it is needed. While there are a number of excellent books explaining the problem of global warming, these are surprisingly devoid of actionable policy recommendations. The result is that the reading public is generally aware that global warming is serious and tough choices need to be made in the next decade. However, what the choices are and why we can wait a decade to implement them remains vague.

"Global Warming: The Answer (The Energy Dividend)" (published by AuthorHouse - http://www.authorhouse.com), the new book by Wilfred Candler, steps directly into the policy void with a simple philosophy: Get the prices right, and all else will follow.

Wal-Mart To Open 2nd. Efficiency Store

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. announced yesterday the opening of its second generation of High-Efficiency stores that will use 25 percent less energy than the baseline Wal-Mart Supercenter. The first store will open in Romeoville, Ill., on January 23.

The store combines what the company has learned from its successful first generation High-Efficiency stores with new state-of-the-art technologies. In addition to saving energy, the new stores will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by lowering refrigerant by 90 percent.

Johnson Controls To Supply Lithium-Ion Batteries

For those of you who have forgotten who Johnson Controls is, let me refresh your memory. Johnson Conttrols is the company that had an energy efficiency contract with the City of New Orleans under former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial's administration. Stan "Pampy" Barre, a confidant of the mayor, looted the Johnson Controls contract for his own personal greed.

Now Johnson Controls is in the headlines again:

The company will be supplying the People's Republic of China with lithium-ion batteries for its demonstration fleet of new energy vehicles. This fleet will help China usher in a new age of fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles.

This should turn out to be a huge success since they won't be dealing with a corrupt individual like Stan "Pampy" Barre.

Find Out What Your City Is Doing To Curb Global Warming

Today is day 14 into the new year and I have been discussing what some states and countries have been doing to curb global warming. I have also discussed how the City of New Orleans missed the mark when Stan "Pampy" Barre was allowed to steal from an energy savings contract under former Mayor Marc Morial's administration. The city really blew it with that one. I also urged all of my readers to find out what there city was doing to curb global warming.

It is time that you should ask that question because New Orleans is suffering right now and it may take years for the City to recover from Stan "Pampy" Barre's actions.

IBM Helps Retailers "Go Green"

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today unveiled technologies and services that are uniquely able to improve energy and operational efficiency across a retailer's entire IT operation. The IBM "Green Retail Store" portfolio includes high-performance point-of-sale systems, industry-leading IBM blade servers, and system management software that allow retailers to deploy end-to-end solutions from the front of the store to the back office that benefit the environment.

"Retailers are looking for ways to differentiate and build customer loyalty in a fiercely competitive environment, and consumers are increasingly showing preference for retailers who are environmentally responsible," said Steve Ladwig, General Manager, IBM Retail Store Solutions. "IBM technologies and services not only help retailers appeal to consumer requirements, but also help protect the environment and save money by making their operations more efficient."