BUSINESS
October 4, 2009 | Tiffany Hsu
The gig : Chief executive of Sapphire Energy Inc., a San Diego biofuels company that develops algae-based fuel that has been used experimentally to power airplanes and, recently, a car that was driven across the country. The serial entrepreneur has had a hand in starting several companies in industries including medical engineering and biotechnology. Sapphire hopes to produce 1 million gallons of algae diesel and jet fuel each year in the next two years, and up to a massive 1 billion gallons of fuel a year by 2025.
HEALTH
April 21, 2003 | Shari Roan
Spirulina, a type of blue-green algae, has attracted a wide following in the United States as a kind of super-food packed with protein, vitamins and minerals. Grown in brackish ponds and lakes around the world, spirulina sometimes has been given to malnourished populations as part of organized feeding programs. Many health experts, however, see no use for spirulina among well-fed people, calling it "expensive pond scum."
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
May 30, 2001
Re "Energy Antics: Oh, Behave!" May 25: Your editorial is very timely and much needed. In our current environment of talk radio, 24-hour news cycles and the damaging need to raise obscene amounts of money for the nation's business of politics, it seems that decency and manners are lost in the debate. We should all remember an old saying, "Stew the pot and scum will rise to the top." That law of nature still applies. Roy A. Fassel Los Angeles
NEWS
April 9, 2000 | From Associated Press
Calling Taiwan's vice president-elect the "scum" of the country and an incurable separatist, China on Saturday stepped up pressure on the island by renewing its warnings against moving toward independence. China's harsh rhetoric contrasted with the wait-and-see stance it has adopted since a March 18 vote forced out the Nationalists who had ruled Taiwan since fleeing the mainland amid civil war in 1949.
NEWS
December 15, 1999 | MARGO KAUFMAN, SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
I have this fantasy. The next time mystery writers gather for their annual Bouchercon awards dinner, I'm going to slip some Prozac into their punch. Perhaps it will help them lighten up and stop the trend of bleak books. Granted, there's a thin line between noir and downright dismal, but when I pick up a mystery, which is an escapist genre, I don't want to read about tortured souls who suffer relentlessly with slim hope of redemption.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
December 6, 1999 | SHAWN HUBLER
The discount shoppers were 15 deep at the Marshall's checkout counter the other day, carts heaped with coats and Christmas dresses, only $29.95. The line moved slowly, and people chatted, as people will when they're feeling fine. Someone mentioned how prosperous we all are these days. The salesclerk gritted her teeth and smiled. Later, after the rush, she told a couple of stories. "There are people right now who have five and six layaways here at $500 each, and you know they're not well off."