>From the Kiplinger Letter, Oct 30, 2009
Excerpts from the ENERGY section: A cold war...literally and figuratively.is brewing over huge energy reserves. The U.S., Russia and Canada are jostling in the frigid Arctic to stake claims to develop what may be the world's largest untapped supply of oil and natural gas. Up for grabs: About 90 billion barrels of oil and 2 trillion cubic feet of gas. about 25% and 30% respectively, of the worlds undeveloped reserves of the two fuels. The three nations plus Denmark, Iceland and Norway are hoping to lay claim to big stretches off the continental shelves before the UN Law of the Sea pact kicks in late next year. Once it does, it will be tough for any country to legally challenge claims. A rapid melting of ice in the Arctic has made the reserves more accessible. Already, U.S. and Russian ice cutter survey ships are crossing each other's paths to do sonar mapping. And Russian submarine exercises in the Canadian Arctic prompted Ottawa to stage maneuvers in the area. The war of nerves will heat up in the spring, when Russian paratroopers hold training exercise in the region. Excerpts from the AUTOS section: Think an all-electric car is out of your budget range? Maybe not. A $25,000 model from U.S. upstart Aptera Motors will be out by year-end. You'll know it when you see it...a bullet shaped three-wheeler about the size of a Toyota Prius. The range: 140 miles. Buyers have already put down deposits of the first 4,000 to come off the assembly lines. Those orders will be filled by Aug. It'll take a year or so longer for GM, Nissan and Toyota to produce plug-ins, and they'll cost more and have shorter ranges. General Motors' Chevy Volt, for example, will sell for $40,000 after rebates and will go only 40 miles per charge. ----------------------------- Aptera's Web site: http://www.aptera.com/ Damn! Looks like the cockpit of an airplane, sans the wings and tail fins! ;-) Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
