Energy

The headlines from last month's Iranian nuclear talks in Istanbul could not have been more misleading: "Iran is ready to resolve nuclear issues. " The accumulation of historical fact in this long crisis proves just the opposite: The Iranian regime is bent on acquiring a nuclear weapon, and will take full advantage of diplomacy toward this end if allowed to do so, including this week's talks in Baghdad. Indeed, the Iranian strategy of exploiting diplomacy to further advance the nuclear program is a matter of regime policy.

MANSFIELD — The annual Kiss Concert is nothing if not relentless, chucking act after act at its audience for almost a full working day without the benefit of a union-mandated restroom break. The 2012 edition was no exception, as 18 acts descended upon the Comcast Center on Saturday for an eight-hour whiplash exhibition of Top 40 stardom: some current, some soon to come, and some, alas, never to be. Missing this year was the ghost of pop music past. Previous Kiss Concerts have tipped their hats to the parents gamely chaperoning their kids by presenting an act from their own youth, such as...

After years of suffering from chronically inflamed and infected sinuses, I finally decided I'd had enough. I chose to do what 500,000 other Americans do every year - have sinus surgery. It wasn't an easy decision. I had to balance my need for a fix against my fear of surgery and research that raised questions about the procedure. I was miserable. My sinuses, those supposedly hollow spaces around the nose, had become clogged by scar tissue and the build-up of thickened mucus from decades of infections and inflammation.

The size of the average ratepayer's monthly electric bill in Massachusetts has shrunk to a six-year low, as utilities reduce rates because falling natural gas prices have made it cheaper to produce power, state energy officials said Thursday. State data show that, on average, the average residential utility customer is now paying about $112 a month for electricity, down roughly 25 percent since 2006 when the cost was about $150 a month. The savings come as natural gas prices hover around their lowest point in about a decade.

Is fiction good for us? We spend huge chunks of our lives immersed in novels, films, TV shows, and other forms of fiction. Some see this as a positive thing, arguing that made-up stories cultivate our mental and moral development. But others have argued that fiction is mentally and ethically corrosive. It's an ancient question: Does fiction build the morality of individuals and societies, or does it break it down? This controversy has been flaring up — sometimes literally, in the form of book burnings — ever since Plato tried to ban fiction from his ideal republic.

Days after state environmental officials found unacceptable noise levels from wind turbines in Falmouth, they are considering new regulations that would require the state to review potential noise issues before wind turbines are built in Massachusetts. The state might also conduct sound studies in other communities, such as Fairhaven and Kingston, where residents, as in Falmouth, have complained about newly installed turbines, officials said. A panel of independent scientists and doctors, convened by the state to look at the effects of wind turbines on the health of nearby...

The size of the average ratepayer's monthly electric bill in Massachusetts has shrunk to a six-year low, as utilities reduce rates because falling natural gas prices have made it cheaper to produce power, state energy officials said Thursday. State data show that, on average, the average residential utility customer is now paying about $112 a month for electricity, down roughly 25 percent since 2006 when the cost was about $150 a month. The savings come as natural gas prices hover around their lowest point in about a decade.

Eighteen wins in a row, and eight more victories to go. That says it all about how the San Antonio Spurs are steamrolling through these playoffs at a pace that is flirting with NBA history, even if they are saying as little about it as possible. "We don't have any secret. We don't even think about it," Spurs guard Tony Parker said. There's plenty for everyone else to mull. Like whether these Spurs — some 13 years after winning their first of four championships — actually might be the best version yet. Game 1 of their first Western Conference finals since...

When fitness trainer and yoga teacher Bonnie Clancy was searching for a nutritious bar to take to an exercise class, or on a bike ride or hike, she decided to bake her own. "I wanted something to really sustain my energy," says Clancy. She came up with a generously sized cookie made from brown rice flour and sweetened with pure maple and brown rice syrups. It became the go-to snack for her friends and family. Last year Clancy set up Bonnievilles Power Cookie and packages coconut-almond, cocoa-cocoa, and cinnamon-ginger flavors (2.7 ounce cookie for $2.49 to $2.79)

The Board of Selectmen awarded a $4.7 million contract Monday to Trane, a firm specializing in air conditioning and energy systems, to repair and upgrade energy systems in town buildings and make them more efficient. The work will include new boilers, windows, lighting, and insulation. Buildings expected to receive improvements are Furnace Brook Middle School, the elementary schools, Town Hall, the South River and Main Street fire stations, the police station, and the recreation center.

The winds blowing through Canada's broad St. Lawrence Valley and across Vermont's hilltops are stirring up an international tempest over which country's laws should govern how those breezes are harnessed for electricity. Some residents of the Quebec town of Stanstead are upset about plans in Vermont to erect just south of the border two industrial-size wind turbines — one of which would be about 1,000 feet from a few Canadian and Vermont homes. Quebec requires wind turbines to be at least 1,640 feet from homes, and the Canadian homeowners are demanding those rules be followed.

The fifth annual Living Green Renewable Energy Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in and around Old Town Hall, in Derby Square. Organized by the Salem Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with the city's Renewable Energy Task Force, the fair will feature about 40 vendor booths with information on green products, services, and healthy environmental practices. The Salem Beautification Committee will hold a plant sale fund-raiser where fairgoers can purchase an assortment of home-grown perennials, a variety of annuals, and a selection of...

At two sessions of the annual Town Meeting — April 30 and May 3 — voters adopted a large-scale, ground-mounted solar photovoltaic installations overlay district bylaw, and approved the use of a field on 694 Main St. for a large solar panel installation. The two actions will allow the town to meet the first of five criteria for inclusion in the state's Green Community Designation Program, according to the meeting warrant. Designation allows communities to apply for state grants. The other four criteria include: adopting an expedited application and permit process for...

Newton is poised to become the first municipality in the state to buy all of its electricity from renewable sources, Mayor Setti Warren announced Tuesday. Starting on July 1, city buildings, schools, and streetlights will all be illuminated by electricity generated by such sources as wind and solar power. The city expects to spend $100,000 less annually over the next three years by buying this type of power, said Maureen Lemieux, Newton's chief financial officer. Newton currently spends about $1.5 million buying electricity from a power generator.

EnerNOC Inc. , a Boston-based provider of energy-efficiency services and technology, announced Thursday that it will work with the city of San Francisco to help ensure that the city's new buildings incorporate energy-efficient designs and features. The assignment stems from a new seven-year contract between EnerNOC and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, EnerNOC said in a press release . The commission, the release noted, has an ongoing "commitment to the sustainable and economically sound...

Miguel Galuccio sat quietly with a nervous smile as Argentina's president suddenly thrust the youthful oil executive from obscurity into one of the nation's most high-pressure jobs: leading the newly state-controlled energy company. As political leaders applauded, an even younger man sitting beside him, Axel Kicillof, draped his arm around Galuccio's shoulders, sending an unmistakable message that the president herself reinforced: Together, these men will manage the nation's top priority right now, YPF SA, the new symbol of Argentina's government-guided economy.

MANSFIELD — The annual Kiss Concert is nothing if not relentless, chucking act after act at its audience for almost a full working day without the benefit of a union-mandated restroom break. The 2012 edition was no exception, as 18 acts descended upon the Comcast Center on Saturday for an eight-hour whiplash exhibition of Top 40 stardom: some current, some soon to come, and some, alas, never to be. Missing this year was the ghost of pop music past. Previous Kiss Concerts have tipped their hats to the parents gamely chaperoning their kids by presenting an act from their own youth, such as...

HAMBURG AXEL DETTE pressed the button on the construction elevator, and it crawled 13 stories up alongside a concrete mass that once served as a World War II Nazi flak bunker, protecting 30,000 people in the heart of the Wilhelmsburg island district. With concrete walls 3 meters thick, it easily survived brutal firestorm bombings that claimed tens of thousands of lives in this strategic port city. It also survived postwar attempts by the British to level it. They blasted away the interior but could not bring down the walls.

Every minute, enough energy from the sun hits the earth's surface to power the planet for an entire year. Hoping to channel some of that energy and convert it into electricity to power Massachusetts homes and businesses, former Army captains Daniel Leary and Will Thompson in 2006 established Nexamp, Inc. The North Andover company has grown to include offices in Boston, Hartford, and Providence with 35 employees. Considered a leading solar power producer, Nexamp delivers integrated solutions, from project development and financing through construction and asset management.