<br /><ul><li><strong>Over 400 of 550 wall tile plants running mainly on coal gasifiers have been closed post the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ban on ceramic units in Morbi, Gujarat.<br /></strong></li><li><strong>Given that, the tile manufacturing units are now considering to switch to natural gas as an alternate.<br /></strong></li><li><strong>Nearly 70% of total output in the <keyword id="1547959" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ceramic-Industry">ceramic industry</keyword> in India comes from Gujarat alone. </strong></li></ul>Soon after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned ceramic units running on coal gasifiers in Morbi, Gujarat, the tiles industry has witnessed a major hit. <br /><br />Largely impacted by the ban, the tile manufacturing units have <a href="https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/allied-industries/ngts-order-banning-coal-gasifiers-in-morbi-to-adversely-impact-tile-industry-icra/68373711">shut down</a>, switching to natural gas as an alternate. The switch, however, may increase fuel expenses for the manufacturers considering the PNG prices.<br /><br />Hope floats that this would close the price gap between unorganised players in Morbi and branded tile makers like Kajaria Ceramics, Somany Ceramics, Cera Sanitaryware, and Asian Granito and help these companies gain market share.<br /><br />According to media reports, of the 800 ceramic units in total, over 400 wall tile plants running majorly on coal gasifiers have been closed so far owing to shortage of raw material that has been impacting the operation costs for these units. <br /><br />The Morbi ceramic industry had expected a huge growth. In fact, the industry is reportedly planning to establish 50 new wall tiles manufacturing plants. After the ban on March 6, the production has reportedly <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/after-ngt-crackdown-450-ceramic-units-prepare-to-switch-to-gas/articleshow/68365929.cms">dropped</a> by 60%-70%.<br /><br />"Among these units, those most affected will be the wall tile and soluble salt tile manufacturers as they were meeting nearly their entire thermal energy requirements through coal gasifiers," Suprio Banerjee, vice president and head, Mid-Corporate ratings of ICRA reportedly said.<br /><br />India being the third largest ceramic producer in the world has been eyeing the global market. Given the fact that nearly <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/ceramic-industry-to-double-turnover-by-2021-thanks-to-real-estate-affordable-housing/articleshow/68217546.cms">70% of total output</a> in the ceramic industry comes from Gujarat alone, the new regulations may also affect the large ceramic players.<br /><br />The ceramic industry is equally bifurcated into two — organised players comprising large ceramic producers and unorganised players. While for the unorganised players, tighter tax compliance and stretched working capital requirements has put forth an urgent need to raise prices by nearly 15%–20% due to raw material shortage, the organised players are still projecting a positive graph, benefitted either by market share or margin, Edelweiss Securities said in a report.<br /><br /><strong>See also:</strong><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/ceramic-industry-to-double-turnover-by-2021-thanks-to-real-estate-affordable-housing/articleshow/68217546.cms">The world's third largest ceramic industry is banking on India's love for gaudy tiles</a><br />

Over 400 tile makers in one area in Gujarat have shut down after a ban on coal gasifiers

<ul><li>The National Green Tribunal has banned the sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in Delhi NCR from midnight today (November 9) till November 30. </li><li>The bench clarified that the direction would apply to all cities and towns in the country where the average of ambient air quality during November fell under the 'poor' and above categories. </li><li>This came after<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/karnataka-bans-firecrackers-before-diwali-checkout-other-states-that-have-banned/articleshow/79079222.cms"> several other states including Karnataka,</a> Odisha, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Sikkim banned crackers already. </li></ul>As Delhi's air quality continues to remain in 'severe' category, the top green court National Green Tribunal has banned the sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in Delhi NCR from midnight today (November 9) till November 30. The NCR region includes Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurgaon and Ghaziabad.<br /><br />A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel clarified that the direction would apply to all cities and towns in the country where the average of ambient air quality during November (as per available data of last year) fell under the 'poor' and above categories. <br /><br />"The cities/towns where air quality is 'moderate' or below, only green crackers be sold, and the timings for use and bursting of crackers be restricted to two hours during festivals like Diwali, Chhath, New Year/Christmas Eve etc., as may be specified by the state concerned. <br /><br />"At other places, ban/restrictions are optional for the authorities, but if there are more stringent measures under orders of the authorities, the same will prevail," the bench said. <br /><br />The NGT also directed all states and Union Territories to initiate special drives to contain air pollution from all sources in view of the potential of aggravation of COVID-19. <br /><br />This came after<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/karnataka-bans-firecrackers-before-diwali-checkout-other-states-that-have-banned/articleshow/79079222.cms"> several other states including Karnataka,</a> Odisha, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Sikkim banned crackers already. <br /><br /><strong>Delhi's air quality severe, relief unlikely soon</strong><br /><br />The national capital's air quality remained 'severe' for the fifth consecutive day on Monday, with calm wind speed exacerbating the effect of stubble burning.<br /><br />The city's air quality index (AQI) stood at 469 at 9am. Its 24-hour average AQI was 416 on Sunday, 427 on Saturday, 406 on Friday and 450 on Thursday, the highest since November 15 last year, when it was 458.The neighbouring cities of Faridabad (462), Ghaziabad (483), Noida (476), Greater Noida (482), and Gurugram (475) also recorded 'severe' air quality.<br /><br />An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".<br /><br />(with inputs from wire services)<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/kamala-harris-indian-ancestral-village-celebrates-her-victory-as-she-becomes-vice-president-of-the-united-states/articleshow/79117206.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Kamala Harris' Indian ancestral village celebrates her victory as she becomes Vice President of the United States</a></strong><b><br /> <br /> <strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/hyperloop-pod-carries-two-humans-through-a-tube-at-over-160-kmph-for-the-first-time-ever/articleshow/79121765.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Hyperloop pod carries two humans through a tube at over 160 kmph for the first time ever</a></strong><br /> <br /> </b><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/top-cyber-espionage-groups-that-have-india-in-their-crosshairs/slidelist/79120867.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink"><strong>Top cyber espionage groups that have India in their crosshairs</strong></a><br />

NGT bans firecrackers across India in cities with ‘poor’ air quality or worse

<br /><ul><li><strong>The <keyword id="146133" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Green-Tribunal">National Green Tribunal</keyword> slapped a fine of ₹250 million on the state government of Delhi, which is run by the <keyword id="6354944" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="aam-aadmi-party">Aam Aadmi Party</keyword>, citing its failure to curb pollution.<br /></strong></li><li><strong>The bench deliberating on the issue said that the Delhi government would have to hand over the funds to the Central Pollution Control Board, an anti-pollution agency housed under the environment ministry.<br /></strong></li><li><strong>The <keyword id="68804" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="CPCB">CPCB</keyword> will then use the funds to implement its own pollution control measures. The AAP will also have to furnish a performance guarantee for the fine in a month, which will be encashed if the amount isn’t submitted in three months.<br /></strong></li></ul><br />Delhi’s <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/pollution-in-indias-national-capital-is-so-bad-that-the-government-is-considering-banning-private-cars-altogether/articleshow/66443561.cms">air pollution crisis </a>has been well-documented. With the city’s level of air quality walking the tightrope between “poor” and “abysmal” and a government that seems incapable of implementing any effective measures to improve it, the National Green Tribunal (NGT), a special tribunal focusing on environmental issues, has finally decided to take some action.<br /><br />Yesterday, the NGT slapped a fine of ₹250 million on the state government of Delhi, which is run by the Aam Aadmi Party, citing its failure to curb pollution, according to the Press Trust of India. The move followed the submission of a compliance affidavit by the Delhi government which the tribunal deemed insufficient. <br /><br />In response, the Delhi government has reportedly said that its dealing with a problem that’s largely the result of activities that do not take place within its jurisdiction. While this is true of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-govt-on-back-foot-as-stubble-burning-worsens-air-pollution-in-the-national-capital/articleshow/66235837.cms">crop burning </a>in neighbouring states, the government has failed to take action against polluters within city lines.<br /><br />The case was triggered by the submission of a plea by residents of the city that related to the operation of illegal smelters and units burning plastic and leather on Delhi’s outskirts. <br /><br />The Delhi government was meant to take action against these units a while ago, and has hence, been instructed to submit an action plan to the NGT with the names of the officers and civic organisations responsible for carrying out anti-pollution work in the city and the reasons for their ineffectiveness. <br /><br />The bench deliberating on the issue, which was led by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, said that the Delhi government would have to hand over ₹250 million to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an anti-pollution agency housed under the environment ministry.<br /><br />It has suggested that the Delhi government, which is in the middle of a <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/kejriwal-vs-centre-over-mcd-mha-says-can-t-release-more-funds-delhi-has-rs-790-crore-1359339-2018-10-09">funding crunch</a>, pay for the fine by deducting the salaries of government officials tasked with implementing anti-pollution measures and by fining polluters. <br /><br />The CPCB will then use the funds to implement its own pollution control measures. The AAP will also have to furnish a performance guarantee for the fine in a month, which will be encashed if the amount isn’t submitted in three months. <br /><br />In its defence, the AAP has been trying to implement steps to improve the city’s air quality although it will likely be a while before any discernible improvement takes place. Earlier this week, it slapped <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/delhi-govt-imposes-fine-of-rs-50-000-each-on-contractors-for-dust-pollution-118120100639_1.html">fines on construction companies</a> for violation of <keyword id="55910" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Air-Pollution">air pollution</keyword> norms. It is also in the process of drafting a plan to make electric vehicles account for <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/delhi-air-pollution-delhi-electric-vehicle-policy-delhi-air-quality-25-delhi-government-kailash-gehlot-delhi-transport-minister-1397723-2018-11-28">a quarter of all the vehicles on Delhi’s roads</a> within the next five years. <br /><br /><br />SEE ALSO:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-accounts-for-25-of-all-air-pollution-deaths-in-the-world/articleshow/63815727.cms">India accounts for 25% of all air pollution deaths in the world</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/pollution-in-indias-national-capital-is-so-bad-that-the-government-is-considering-banning-private-cars-altogether/articleshow/66443561.cms">Pollution in India’s national capital is so bad that the government is considering banning private cars altogether</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-govt-on-back-foot-as-stubble-burning-worsens-air-pollution-in-the-national-capital/articleshow/66235837.cms">Indian govt on back foot as stubble burning worsens air pollution in the national capital</a><br />

India’s top environmental tribunal has ordered the Delhi government to pay ₹250 million to the national pollution control agency so it can tackle the city’s air problem

<ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>A boutique <keyword id="18966" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Hotel">hotel</keyword> in <keyword id="113309" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="tequila">Tequila</keyword>, <keyword id="3746" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Mexico">Mexico</keyword> offers visitors the chance to stay in giant barrel-shaped rooms.</strong></li><li><strong>Matices, Hotel de Barricas is located within a tequila distillery that produces 15,000 liters of tequila per day.</strong></li><li><strong>The property offers tasting sessions, guided tours, and the chance to learn all about the popular Mexican drink.</strong></li></ul><p>You may have given up on the dream of living in a house made of chocolate ― although certain <a href="https://www.insider.com/swiss-town-covered-in-chocolate-snow-lindt-factory-malfunction-olten-2020-8">Swiss people recently got one step closer</a> ― but sleeping in a tequila barrel might be just as good.</p><p><a href="http://www.tequilacofradia.com.mx/reservaciones.php">Matices, Hotel de Barricas</a> (literally meaning hotel of barrels) is a boutique hotel located within a tequila distillery just outside the Mexican town of Tequila, which is where the drink was invented. If you're not feeling bothered by the excessive use of the word "tequila" so far, then this hotel is probably just for you.</p><p>Matices offers visitors the chance to stay in a giant, barrel-shaped room that looks and feels just like an actual tequila barrel, all while being surrounded by a field of blue agave, the plant used in the production of tequila. </p><div type="image" title="HOTEL MATICES" height="800" width="1200" msid="77983329" hostid="261"></div><p>According to the hotel's mission statement, the concept "joins the alchemy of tequila with human senses, inviting you to go through the same path as an experimented tequila."</p><p>Relax in one of Matices' 30 barrel-shaped rooms or in one of the four standard Silver King rooms (with a name like that, how standard can they be?), and you might even feel a buzz.</p><div type="image" title="HOTEL MATICES 2" height="800" width="1200" msid="77983330" hostid="261"></div><p>Don't be fooled by the desert-like landscape, though, as the rooms are fully equipped with all the standard hotel amenities, from TV and air conditioning to bathrobes and mini bar, and even a private jacuzzi in the Extra Aged barrel room.</p><p>Prices for the standard Silver King rooms and the Aged King barrel rooms begin at 3,950 Mexican pesos ($180) a night, while you can pay a little extra ($200) for the luxurious Extra Aged barrel room, and live the barrel experience at its finest.</p><p>The inside of the barrel rooms looks something like this:</p><div type="image" title="AGED KING" height="800" width="1200" msid="77983331" hostid="261"></div><p>And like this:</p><div type="image" title="AGED DOUBLE" height="786" width="1200" msid="77983333" hostid="261"></div><p>La Cofradía, the property housing the hotel, boasts its own tequila distillery that produces an impressive 15,000 liters of tequila per day. <a href="http://www.tequilacofradia.com.mx/experiencias.html">Tasting sessions and guided tours</a> of the distillery are on offer, allowing you to observe the entire distillation process up close. </p><p>Once the process is complete, the tequila rests in the property's cellar, in wooden, round barrels made from mango trees, until it's aged (or extra-aged) and ready to drink.</p><p>You can purchase your own bottle of tequila at the on-site shop or even design the bottle yourselves at Cofradía's ceramics studio.</p><div type="image" title="CAVA" height="800" width="1200" msid="77983334" hostid="261"></div><p>To learn more about the history of the drink, you can visit the on-site museum or, better yet, the historic La Taberna del Cofrade, the elegant cave bar-restaurant located 4.5 meters below ground. At that same spot, tequila producers secretly distilled and sold the drink during the latter part of the Spanish rule when its production was banned. </p><p>Today, the restaurant serves traditional Mexican dishes along with a variety of tequila-based cocktails.</p><div type="image" title="La Taberna del Cofrade" height="406" width="1200" msid="77983336" hostid="261"></div><p>It's worth noting that, due to the spread of COVID-19, Mexico and the US have entered a joint initiative <a href="https://mx.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/covid-19-information/">restricting non-essential travel</a> along the US-Mexico land border until at least September 21, 2020. This means that travelers entering Mexico by land from the United States may be denied admission if the purpose of their visit is considered non-essential.</p><p>Although flying to Mexico is still an option, and while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention no longer advises against non-essential <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword>, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-during-covid19.html">it does warn</a> that "travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19."</p><p>Whenever it's safe to do so, <a href="http://www.tequilacofradia.com.mx/reservaciones.php?fbclid=IwAR2tndAZQm35gnnNms8UeLV9QzeTDTDxmLKjTt66HLIND3zyDPbds-0KX_s">pick a barrel</a> and get ready for some agave-scented, tequila-fueled downtime.</p><div type="image" title="Matices evening.JPG" height="801" width="1200" msid="77983337" hostid="261"></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/photos-buubble-hotel-iceland-see-through-bubble-northern-lights-2020-9">You can sleep in a magical see-through bubble in Iceland surrounded by forests, stars, and the Northern Lights</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/photos-click-house-built-to-look-like-camera-india-2020-9">A professional photographer had a house built for his family in India that looks like a giant camera</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/amazing-places-to-visit-if-you-like-tequila-2019-4">8 places to visit if you like tequila</a></p>

You can sleep in a barrel in a blue agave field in Mexico and drink tequila right from the source

(Eds: Combining related stories) <p> New Delhi, Apr 24 () The total number of coronavirus cases in Delhi crossed the 2,500 mark on Friday, even as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that plasma therapy conducted on four COVID-19 patients has yielded "very encouraging" initial results, giving a ray of hope to those critically ill.  </p><p> According to the health bulletin, 136 fresh cases were reported in the national capital, taking the total number of cases to 2,514. With three fresh fatalities, the tally of those who succumbed to the disease rose to 53.</p><p> The fresh cases also included an assistant sub-inspector of the Delhi Police, posted at the crime branch. So far, more than 21 police personnel have tested positive for coronavirus. </p><p> Two sanitation workers of the south Delhi MCD have also tested positive, officials said.</p><p> In the north Delhi MCD, one assistant sanitary inspector has tested positive, while 39 of his co-workers have been advised home quarantine. </p><p> At the gastroenterology department of the AIIMS, 40 healthcare staff, including doctors and nurses have been advised self-quarantine after a 30-year-old male nurse tested positive for COVID-19.</p><p> Forty-nine patients recovered from the disease, taking the total number of those who successfully defeated it to 857, the bulletin said. Of these, 802 have reported recovery since April 18.</p><p> Doctors at LNJP Hospital, a dedicated COVID-19 facility in Delhi, attributed this to patient care and also the will power of people to brave through this crisis.</p><p> Many have managed to pull through, despite being above 60 years, and having co-morbidities, a senior doctor said.</p><p> In a positive development, plasma therapy treatment on four patients has been encouraging, Kejriwal said. In an online briefing, he said more clinical trials of plasma therapy will take place over the next two-three days, and his government will seek the Centre's nod next week for using the technique on all critically-ill COVID-19 patients in the city.</p><p> "Ten days ago, we had got permission from the central government to conduct clinical trial of plasma therapy only on four serious COVID-19 patients admitted at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital.</p><p> "The initial results are every encouraging and good. It gives a ray of hope to save people's lives from coronavirus," he said.</p><p> He was joined by S K Sarin, the director of the Institute of Liver and Biliary Science, at the press conference.</p><p> The four patients who were given plasma therapy have shown improvement in their health condition, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation. Two of the four patients, whose condition was serious, have now been shifted to general ward from the ICU and two others are also responding well, he said.</p><p> The chief minister, however, said that these are only initial results and nobody should think that the government has found a cure for coronavirus.</p><p> In the plasma therapy, antibodies from the blood of a patient, who has recovered from COVID-19, are used to treat serious patients.</p><p>Kejriwal appealed to all people who have recovered from the disease to come forward and donate plasma for serious COVID-19 patients to save their lives.</p><p> The number of containment zones in Delhi stood to 92, with three new zones being added in various areas, authorities said.</p><p> On the other hand, the Mansara Apartment in east Delhi's Vasundhara Enclave that was declared a coronavirus containment zone has been de-sealed after no new cases were reported over past few weeks.</p><p> Amid the curbs, the Delhi Police said azaan may be carried out in accordance with the National Green Tribunal guidelines and urged people to follow the lockdown norms during the holy fasting month of Ramzan, beginning Saturday.</p><p> The police's appeal comes soon after a video surfaced on social media where two policemen were purportedly telling people that azaan was not allowed during the lockdown as per the lieutenant governor's order.</p><p> The Delhi Minorities Commission also raised the issue with the Delhi government, while AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan shared the video.  </p><p> Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia clarified that there is no restriction on azaan (call for prayer). "In lockdown, there is a complete ban on gathering of people for prayers in mosques or at any other religious place," Sisodia tweeted.</p><p> Delhi Police asked people to pray at home during Ramzan. "The pious month of Ramzan starts from 25.04.2020. While observing roza and prayers, we expect everyone to follow lockdown as per the guidelines," it tweeted.</p><p> "Azaan may be carried out in accordance with NGT guidelines. It is requested that namaz may be performed while staying indoors and have Sehri at home. All must stand united to fight COVID-19 and follow the guidelines," it added. </p><p> With the number of government schools falling short of providing food to the needy in wake of ongoing lockdown, Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev directed district magistrates to set up food shelters at private schools, community centres and other places in case of need.</p><p> According to an official, in his order, the chief secretary said that while it will be preferable that food shelters are set up at government buildings, in case of exigency and non-availability of public space, private premises can be used for the same. </p> Recently, Kejriwal had said that his government has been serving lunch and dinner to 10 lakh people everyday in wake of the lockdown.  BUN KND NIT UZM PLB PR  AAR

Coronavirus cases cross 2,500 in Delhi; Kejriwal says plasma therapy yielding encouraging results

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/58c985cb6ff8016b008b5132-1713/undefined" border="0" alt="operation teapot met burst" data-mce-source="National Nuclear Security Administration/Nevada Site Office; Wikipedia (public domain)" data-mce-caption="A nuclear blast from Operation Teapot in 1955 at the Nevada Test Site." data-link="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Teapot_Met_001.jpg"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Teapot_Met_001.jpg">National Nuclear Security Administration/Nevada Site Office; Wikipedia (public domain)</a></span></p><p class="caption">A nuclear blast from Operation Teapot in 1955 at the Nevada Test Site.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>A popular Reddit thread suggests a US scientist once lit his cigarette with a nuclear <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/explosions">explosion</a>.</li><li>The story appears to be true: Theoretical physicist Ted Taylor ignited his smoke with thermal energy released by a test blast on June 1, 1952, according to a book published in 1999.</li><li>Taylor used a cup-shaped mirror to focus the light from the detonation onto the tip of his <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/cigarettes">cigarette</a>.</li><li>A 1955 video by the US Department of <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="defense">Defense</keyword> suggests word (and emulation) of Taylor's gag may have spread among other <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/nuclear-weapons">nuclear weapons</a> testers.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>There all kinds of strange ways to light up a cigarette, from blowtorches to magnifying glasses. But few people on Earth have ever used as bizarre or overkill a method as devised by a Cold War physicist: the explosion of a nuclear bomb.</p><p>On Sunday, a <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/cs5e2k/til_that_physicist_ted_taylor_was_the_first/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">thread</a> in Reddit's popular "r/TodayILearned" community mentioned the <a href="http://awesci.com/nuclear-bomb-cigarette-lighter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">story</a> of how theoretical physicist Ted Taylor used the blinding flash of an atomic explosion to light a cigarette in 1952.</p><p>Records of "atomic cigarette lighter" events aren't exactly robust, but it appears Taylor was the first to come up with the idea. That's according to author Richard L. Miller, whose 1999 book "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Under-Cloud-Decades-Nuclear-Testing/dp/1881043053" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Under the Cloud: The Decades of Nuclear Testing</a>" chronicled the event <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=adI-6jRDipgC&amp;lpg=PP1&amp;pg=PA154#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in detail</a>.</p><p>Taylor apparently lit his cigarette during a Operation Tumbler-Snapper, which was a series of test blasts orchestrated by the US military at the Nevada Test Site. The operation happened in the throes of the Korean War - a conflict in which President Harry Truman considered dropping the bomb (<a href="https://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/how-korean-war-almost-went-nuclear-180955324/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">again</a>).</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-nuclear-blast-videos-2017-3">Hundreds of never-before-seen nuclear blast videos show terrifying explosions in the ocean and Nevada desert</a></em></p><p>Government officials codenamed the test explosion or shot in question "George" because it was the seventh in a series (and "G" is the seventh letter of the alphabet). Its purpose wasn't to light up a smoke, of course: Military researchers placed a roughly 3,000-pound nuclear bomb design known as the Mark 5 atop a 30o-foot-tall tower to try out a new blast-triggering technology, according to <a href="https://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/Tumblers.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Nuclear Weapons Archive</a>.</p><p>The day before the test shot, Taylor apparently found a spare parabolic (cup-shaped) mirror, according to Miller's book, and set it up in the facility's control building ahead of time. Taylor knew exactly where to place the mirror so that it'd gather light from the test explosion - which would release <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nukemap-nuclear-blast-estimates-radioactive-fallout-shelters-2018-10">gobs of thermal energy</a> - and focus it on a particular spot.</p><p>Next, Taylor hung a Pall Mall cigarette on a wire so that its tip would float directly in front of the focused light beam. The arrangement wasn't too different in principle from holding out a magnifying glass to concentrate sunlight on a piece of paper and light it on fire.</p><p>On June 1, 1952, Taylor and other weapons experts huddled into the bunker-like control building near Area 3 of the <a href="https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/facility/nts-areas-1.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yucca Flats</a> weapons test basin in Nevada. Then they set off the bomb.</p><p>"In a second or so the concentrated, focused light from the weapon ignited the tip of the cigarette. He had made the world's first atomic cigarette lighter," Miller wrote of Taylor's setup.</p><h2>'It is a form of patting the bomb'</h2><p>Taylor's nuclear-age antics likely did not stop with him.</p><p>Martin Pfeiffer, an anthropologist who researches humanity's relationship with nuclear weapons (and who frequently <a href="https://www.patreon.com/nuclearanthro" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forces the release of documents</a> related to the bomb) <a href="https://twitter.com/NuclearAnthro/status/1163216566151815168" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a> that a 1955 Department of Defense film appears to show the concept in action.</p><p>About 19 minutes into the half-hour <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eD1mro_xq8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">movie</a>, titled "Operation Teapot Military Effects Studies," a narrator describes how parabolic mirrors were used to concentrate the light-based energy from nuclear explosions on samples of ceramics.</p><p>In the clip, a person's hand holds the tip of a cigarette in a beam of focused light, causing it to smoke and ignite:</p><p>Although this looks like another cigarette being lit by a nuclear weapon, that's unlikely.</p><p>There's no blinding flash - a telltale effect of a nuclear explosion - and the length of time the light beam stays on-screen is far too long as well. The person being filmed probably just held out his cigarette for the videographer so as to demonstrate the concept of a parabolic mirror focusing would-be bomb energy.</p><p>Still, it's not hard to imagine the story of Taylor's feat spreading among his colleagues over many years and hundreds of above-ground US nuclear test shots. A few others probably tried it themselves.</p><p>In any case, Pfeiffer isn't enamored by such stunts.</p><p>"Lighting a cigarette with a nuclear weapon ... is at least in part an effort of domestication of nuclear weapons through a performance articulating it to a most quotidian act of cigarette lighting," he <a href="https://twitter.com/NuclearAnthro/status/1163216566151815168" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>. "It is a form of patting the bomb."</p><p>That is to say: The act risks trivializing nuclear weapons, which can and have inflicted mass death and destruction. The US nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, for example, led to <a href="http://www.aasc.ucla.edu/cab/200708230009.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approximately 150,000 casualties</a> - and decades of suffering for many who survived the attacks.</p><p>Today, above-ground nuclear testing is mostly banned worldwide, since it can spread <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/survive-nuclear-explosion-go-inside-shelter-no-windows-2018-1">radioactive fallout</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nukes-electromagnetic-pulse-electronics-2017-5">mess with electronics</a>, be mistaken for an act of war, and more. But US-Russia relations have deteriorated to the point that each nation is racing to develop and test new nuclear armaments.</p><p>The Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, or <a href="https://www.ctbto.org/specials/who-we-are/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CTBT</a>, endeavors to ban nuclear explosions "by everyone, everywhere: on the Earth's surface, in the atmosphere, underwater, and underground." Russia has <a href="https://www.ctbto.org/the-treaty/status-of-signature-and-ratification/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed and ratified the treaty</a>, but eight other nations have yet to complete both steps and bring it into effect.</p><p>The United States signed on to the CTBT in 1996, but Congress has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nuclear-test-ban-treaty-countries-2015-10">yet to ratify the nation's participation</a> in the agreement. There are also nearly <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nuclear-weapons-stockpiles-world-map-2017-8">15,000 nuclear weapons</a> in existence today, which means the atomic cigarette lighter trick could, almost certainly for worse, be tried again.</p><div><div style="position:relative; padding-bottom:calc(64.60% + 44px)"><iframe src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/ImprobableTheseJay" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="100%" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/godzilla-wwii-japan-nuclear-bombs-monster-kaiju-fishing-boat-2019-6">The true story you probably don't know behind 'Godzilla' came from the devastation after Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/hvyPgRMg-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Yes, a physicist once lit his cigarette with a nuclear bomb explosion. Here's how it worked.

<p><a href="http://businessinsider.com/digital-industry-insider"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57801fb48b987d737b9924a0-803-150/ge-digital-industry-insider-article-803x150v7.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57879f654321f102278b7f82-2400/18hourflight.jpg" alt="18HourFlight" data-mce-source="Digital Industry Insider"><p class="source"><span>Digital Industry Insider</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p><strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Make sure to check out our playlist at the end of the article, inspired by Qatar Airways' 18-hour flight.</span></strong></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The oil embargo of 1973 was a miserable period when American towns banned Christmas lights to save electricity, billboards urged citizens to "turn off the damn lights" and filling stations dispensed gasoline by appointment only. The crisis got everyone thinking seriously about innovation and energy efficiency. One result: the massive and efficient jet engines that power the world's longest commercial flights today.</span></p><p>Starting on Feb. 1, <a href="http://www.gereports.com/emirates-signs-16-billion-deal-to-service-ge-jet-engines/" target="_blank">Emirates</a> launched the <a href="http://www.emirates.com/english/about/media-centre/2569902/emirates-announces-service-to-panama-city" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:window.open('http://www.emirates.com/english/about/media-centre/2569902/emirates-announces-service-to-panama-city'); return false;">world's longest passenger flight</a> between Dubai and Panama City. A westbound Boeing 777-200LR powered by a pair of <a href="http://www.gereports.com/the-art-of-engineering-the-worlds-largest-jet-engine-shows-off-composite-curves/" target="_blank">GE90 engines</a> covers the 8,950 miles that separates them on a single tank of gas in 17 hours and 35 minutes. But that record may soon topple. In January, Qatar Airways &#xa0;<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/qatar-airways-to-launch-worlds-longest-flight-a6838606.html" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:window.open('http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/qatar-airways-to-launch-worlds-longest-flight-a6838606.html'); return false;">announced plans</a> to launch a 9,034-mile flight lasting 18 hours and 30 minutes between Doha and Auckland in New Zealand. That route would use an <a href="http://www.gereports.com/post/124757740955/flying-to-live-when-brad-mottiers-parents-came/" target="_blank">Airbus A350</a> plane, which has GE composite components in its wings. Finally, United <a href="https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/united-starts-direct-san-francisco-singapore-787-9-s-426030/" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:window.open('https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/united-starts-direct-san-francisco-singapore-787-9-s-426030/'); return false;">launched</a> the <a href="http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/united-airlines-to-launch-longest-commercial-flight-on-san-francisco-singap/" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:window.open('http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/united-airlines-to-launch-longest-commercial-flight-on-san-francisco-singap/'); return false;">longest flight</a> originating at a U.S. airport between San Francisco and Singapore in June. It's the world's longest scheduled route flown by a <a href="http://www.gereports.com/power-numbers-ge-rolls-genx-engine-no-1000-five-years/" target="_blank">GEnx</a>-powered Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. The eastbound leg lasts 15h 30min and the westbound trip back clocks in at 16h 20min.</p><p><span>We have assembled a playlist at the bottom of the story to help you pass the time.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57879fff4321f142368b7ef7-1022/qatarairways1.jpg" alt="QatarAirways1" data-mce-source="Adam Senatori for GE Reports" data-mce-caption="Qatar Airways just announced plans to launch a 9,034-mile flight lasting 18 hours and 30 minutes. Above: A Qatar Airways's 25th Boeing 787 powered GEnx engines."><p class="source"><span>Adam Senatori for GE Reports</span></p><p class="caption">Qatar Airways just announced plans to launch a 9,034-mile flight lasting 18 hours and 30 minutes. Above: A Qatar Airways's 25th Boeing 787 powered GEnx engines.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">T</span>hese new efficiency benchmarks have their origin in the oil shock. NASA, in particular, began a quest to develop an energy-efficient engine for commercial aircraft known as the E3 (E-cubed) program. GE joined early on and developed a new generation of high-bypass turbofan engines starting with the GE90. It has since added the GEnx for the Dreamliner and 747-8, and the&#xa0;<a href="http://www.gereports.com/made-under-the-tuscan-sun-the-worlds-largest-jet-engine-was-born-in-michelangelos-backyard/" target="_blank">GE9X</a>,&#xa0;which is currently in development.</p><p>To reduce weight, GE equipped the engines with light, carbon-fiber composite fan blades. To this day no other engine maker has engines with composite fan blades in service today. (The design for the GE90 was so fetching that one blade is now on display at New York's Museum of Modern Art.). "This was a huge, expensive and risky project," says Shridhar Nath, who leads the composites lab at GE Global Research. "We planned to replace titanium with what is essentially plastic. We were starting from scratch and we did not know how carbon fiber blades would respond to rain, hail, snow and sand, and the large forces inside the engine."</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5787a03b4321f1d01a8b8132-1024/qatarairways2.jpg" alt="QatarAirways2" data-mce-source="GE Aviation" data-mce-caption="The GEnx engine has 18 fan blades made from lightweight carbon fiber composites."><p class="source"><span>GE Aviation</span></p><p class="caption">The GEnx engine has 18 fan blades made from lightweight carbon fiber composites.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>But it paid off. "The engines essentially opened the globe up to incredibly efficient, twin-powered, wide-body planes," says David Joyce, president and CEO of GE Aviation.</p><p>The latest engine in the GE family, the GE9X, will power Boeing's next-generation 777X long-haul jets. Lightweight carbon composites allowed engineers to design an 11-foot fan that can suck a maelstrom of 8,000 pounds of air per second inside the engine. The air will flow into the combustor, where it meets parts made from <a href="http://www.gereports.com/ge-mass-produce-advanced-space-age-material-u-s-first-time/" target="_blank">ceramic matrix composites (CMCs)</a>, another breakthrough material developed by GE scientists.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5787a0784321f11a008b81d0-1024/emirets.jpg" alt="Emirets" data-mce-source="Adam Senatori for GE Reports" data-mce-caption="An Emirates flight between Dubai and Panama City is the current world-record holder, lasting 17 hours and 35 minutes."><p class="source"><span>Adam Senatori for GE Reports</span></p><p class="caption">An Emirates flight between Dubai and Panama City is the current world-record holder, lasting 17 hours and 35 minutes.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>Carbon fiber composites work with cold air at the front of the engine. But CMCs, which were originally developed for massive gas turbines for power plants, operate in the engine's hot section, at temperatures where even metals grow soft. The extra heat gained by the ceramics gives the engine more energy to work with and makes it more efficient.</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5787a0fc88e4a74e018b8032-1024/jetenginege.jpg" alt="JetEngineGE" data-mce-source="Adam Senatori for GE Reports" data-mce-caption="A jet engine turbine blade made from CMCs."><p class="source"><span>Adam Senatori for GE Reports</span></p><p class="caption">A jet engine turbine blade made from CMCs.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></p><p>CMCs also have twice the strength and just a third of the weight of their metal counterparts. This allows designers to make parts from them thinner and much lighter, further reducing the weight of the engine. Says GE researcher Krishnan Luthra, who spent two decades developing the material: "I thought it would be the Holy Grail if we could make it work."</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5787a14088e4a725238b7cf2-1024/boeingge.jpg" alt="BoeingGE" data-mce-source="Adam Senatori for GE Reports" data-mce-caption="Boeing's 737 MAX jet powered by LEAP-1B engines at the Farnborough International Airshow."><p class="source"><span>Adam Senatori for GE Reports</span></p><p class="caption">Boeing's 737 MAX jet powered by LEAP-1B engines at the Farnborough International Airshow.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5787a16988e4a7fd018b7fb3-2400/gereportsengine.jpg" alt="GeReportsEngine" data-mce-source="GE Aviation" data-mce-caption="The next-generation ADVENT adaptive cycle jet engine will have a low pressure turbine with blades made from CMCs. GE aviation already tested them in a working turbine."><p class="source"><span>GE Aviation</span></p><p class="caption">The next-generation ADVENT adaptive cycle jet engine will have a low pressure turbine with blades made from CMCs. GE aviation already tested them in a working turbine.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><div id="attachment_20714"><a href="http://dsg.files.app.content.prod.s3.amazonaws.com/gereports/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/11193325/20160711-073905.jpg" onclick="javascript:window.open('http://dsg.files.app.content.prod.s3.amazonaws.com/gereports/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/11193325/20160711-073905.jpg'); return false;"></a></div><div><p>If you find yourself on a long flight, here's a playlist to help pass the time (a version of the playlist is also available on <a href="https://play.spotify.com/user/gereports/playlist/07990qn0Os0bN4GFCgVtyQ" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:window.open('https://play.spotify.com/user/gereports/playlist/07990qn0Os0bN4GFCgVtyQ'); return false;">Spotify</a>).</p></div><div><em>This content was originally published on <a href="http://www.gereports.com/how-bygone-oil-crisis-gave-birth-to-the-worlds-longest-commercial-flights/" target="_blank">GE Reports</a>&#xa0;and is part of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/digital-industry-insider" target="_blank">Digital Industry Insider</a>.</em></div><p class="tagline">Find out <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sponsor-posts">more about Sponsor Content</a>.</p>

Are you ready for the 18-hour flight?

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56d744606e97c625048bb04b-729-547/former-chesapeake-ceo-mcclendon-charged-with-bid-rigging-of-land-leases-2016-3.jpg" alt="Aubrey McClendon walks through the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana March 26, 2012. REUTERS/Sean Gardner " data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="CEO, Chairman, and Co-founder of Chesapeake Energy Corporation McClendon walks through the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">CEO, Chairman, and Co-founder of Chesapeake Energy Corporation McClendon walks through the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana</p></div><p></p></div></div>Energy pioneer Aubrey McClendon <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/former-chesapeake-ceo-aubrey-mcclendon-has-died-in-a-car-accident-2016-3">died in a car crash</a> just a day after he was indicted on conspiracy to rig bids for oil and natural gas leases.</p><p>The former Chesapeake Energy CEO rose to prominence by pioneering production techniques that unlocked America's supply of shale gas, which helped wean the country from its reliance on foreign oil.</p><p>His indictment came on the heels of a four-year federal antitrust investigation which found that his company had planned to rig the price of land leases in Oklahoma, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-chesapeake-enrgy-mcclendon-idUSKCN0W42ME">Reuters reports</a>.</p><p>While McClendon's own life was cut short, he left a legacy that will shape American energy policy - for better or for worse - for years to come.</p><p>His company, Chesapeake Energy, pioneered the use of oil and natural gas locked up in shale rock, a technique commonly known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The technique allowed America to unlock decades' worth of energy, but has also been linked to serious environmental and health concerns.</p><h2>Fracking: The good, the bad, and the ugly</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56a29b9b58c32319008b48b0-2000-1333/505882540.jpg" alt="fracking crude oil" data-mce-source="Spencer Platt/Getty" data-mce-caption="ANDREWS, TX - JANUARY 20: An oil pumpjack works at dawn in the Permian Basin oil field on January 20, 2016 in the oil town of Andrews, Texas. Despite recent drops in the price of oil, many residents of Andrews, and similar towns across the Permian, are trying to take the long view and stay optimistic. The Dow Jones industrial average plunged 540 points on Wednesday after crude oil plummeted another 7% and crashed below $27 a barrel" /><p class="source"><span>Spencer Platt/Getty</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Fracking involves the injection of fracking fluid - consisting of pressurized water, sand or other ceramic materials, and thickening agents - into a hole drilled in the ground. This produces cracks in the shale rock that allow oil and natural gas to flow more easily.</p><p>The <a href="http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Publications/PIC/pic32.html">first fracking experiment</a> took place in 1947 in the Hugoton gas field in Grant County, Kansas. One thousand gallons of napalm and sand from the Arkansas River were injected into a limestone rock formation that was clogged by mud from drilling operations. The attempt wasn't very successful, but the technology has advanced significantly since then.</p><p>Today, the <a href="http://www.kgs.ku.edu/PRS/Fracturing/Frac_Paper_SPE_152596.pdf">Society of Petroleum Engineers estimates</a> that 2.5 million fractures have been pumped worldwide over the last 60 years; more than a million of them have been in the US. The technique has unlocked large sources of energy that would otherwise be inaccessible. For example, the Marcellus Shale in western New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, is thought to contain enough natural gas to supply the United States <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3076392/">for more than 40 years</a>.</p><p>But fracking is incredibly controversial. Opponents say it can release harmful chemicals that <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1817691/">contaminate air and water supplies</a>, possibly <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4143789/">trigger earthquakes</a>, and <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3076392/">cause human health problems</a>.</p><p><span>While scientists are just beginning to study the effects of fracking on the environment, some evidence suggests it can be done safely. </span><span>As <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-fracking-be-done-without-impacting-water/">Scientific American reported</a> in 2013, a <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/340/6134/1235009.abstract">study</a> funded by the National <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="science">Science</keyword> Foundation and published in the journal Science found that fracking has "no irrefutable impact" on ground water quality.</span></p><p><span>The problem is, it's not always done safely. If the cement casing that surrounds a fracking well is made incorrectly, natural gas can leak along its sides or through cracks, releasing harmful gases like methane to the environment. Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the atmosphere and exacerbate climate change.</span></p><p><span>Another problem is the wastewater from these wells, which can contain toxic or even radioactive chemicals. The same NSF study found that fracking wastewater is already starting to contaminate rivers and other major waterways.</span></p><p>A number of countries and states <a href="http://keeptapwatersafe.org/global-bans-on-fracking/">have banned fracking</a>, but it continues to be a major source of American energy.</p><h2>McClendon's rise and fall</h2><p>Under McClendon, Chesapeake Energy grew from a small operation into the second-biggest natural gas producer in the United States, exceeded only by Exxon Mobil, according to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/03/business/energy-environment/aubrey-mcclendon-56-shale-gas-baron-dies-in-crash-a-day-after-indictment.html?emc=edit_th_20160303&amp;nl=todaysheadlines&amp;nlid=57415309">The New York Times</a>. With Wall Street backing, the company leased land all over the country for fracking, including Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio and Pennsylvania.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/4efb9371ecad04a665000007-400-300/chesapeake-1.jpg" alt="chesapeake silhouette" data-mce-source="Chesapeake Energy Corp" data-link="http://www.chk.com/Media/Photos/Pages/default.aspx" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.chk.com/Media/Photos/Pages/default.aspx">Chesapeake Energy Corp</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div>As the Times reports, they produced so much energy that natural gas prices collapsed, and Chesapeake's shares tanked. McClendon also used his investments in the company to shore up as much as $1.1 billion in loans to pay off the cost of drilling the fracking wells, and he was later forced out of the company.</p><p>On Tuesday, the Justice Department indicted McClendon in a conspiracy in which two unnamed companies agreed not to bid against each other for oil and gas leases in northwest Oklahoma between late 2007 and early 2012, a charge he denied.</p><p>McClendon died in a car crash less than 24 hours later. Investigators have not yet determined the cause of death.</p><p>"He was a major player in leading the stunning energy renaissance in America," Texas energy investor T. Boone Pickens said <a href="http://www.boonepickens.com/2016/03/statement-from-t-boone-pickens-on-the-passing-of-aubrey-mcclendon/">in a statement</a>. "No individual is without flaws, but his impact on American energy will be long-lasting."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-you-should-never-throw-away-silica-bags-again-2016-2">Why you should never throw away these bags again</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="tjeXg4MTE6jW8d0sn7kzwy3BAtrd1A7Y" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'tjeXg4MTE6jW8d0sn7kzwy3BAtrd1A7Y',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Aubrey McClendon's fracking legacy - the good, the bad, the ugly

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53da210deab8eaa841c0cc6b-768-469/14c41e5a64e2bae9c86d89630f719ff0.jpg" border="0" alt="china polo" /><p class="source"><span>AFP</span></p><p class="caption">People play polo on a field in the city of Dalian in China's Liaoning province on July 5, 2014.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Gripping his mallet, Peng Zhichun gallops towards goal on a Chinese polo field, one of a growing number of the country's wealthy elite discovering the joys of the saddle and the whip.</p>
<p>"New clubs are opening, people are more into equestrian sports, into polo, there are more international players coming, so it's growing really fast," the young man, dressed in an expensive leather helmet, boots and white trousers, said after dismounting.</p>
<p>Peng, who was taking part in a luxury lifestyle event in the northern port of Dalian earlier this month, spent several years in the United States and is typical of China's emerging upper class, with a keen interest in travel and Western leisure activities.</p>
<p>Among the privileged minority, chosen sports are indicative of status -- usually tennis and golf to start off with, graduating to skiing or riding.</p>
<p>It is fertile ground for luxury brands such as the Swiss watch manufacturers for which the country has become a major market.</p>
<p>In June, Shanghai hosted a stage of the Longines Global Champions Tour for the first time, a five-star showjumping event, the highest in the International Equestrian Federation's rankings.</p>
<p>At Beijing's Tango Polo Club members are "select" and wealthy, says deputy chairman Chen Xie, and their numbers are growing steadily.</p>
<p>"Polo is special. Members have to be rich enough to afford the membership. Courage is also needed as you can see, the sport is quite fast, intense and dangerous on the field," he told AFP.</p>
<p>"The major customers are those above white-collar workers, say, entrepreneurs, or at least 'golden-collars'."</p>
<p>It is undoubtedly a rich man's game. Club members have spent as much as three million yuan ($500,000) on a polo pony, and in one case 80 million yuan on a racehorse, Chen said -- sums which are lifestyle expenses rather than investments.</p>
<p>"Horses are like humans, they go down in value when they pass their peak."</p>
<h3><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53da210d6bb3f766602ed0c5-768-497/e3af6c2a8efa2ba3311ff19f8f88b8d6.jpg" border="0" alt="china polo" /><p class="source"><span>AFP</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Betting ban</h3>
<p>China has a long equine history, with the first cavalry troops recorded in the Spring and Autumn Period of 770BC-476BC and ceramic horses unearthed alongside the later Terracotta Warriors.</p>
<p>Chen also claims polo had its origins in Tang dynasty China before a British army officer imported it from India, although he acknowledges that "We all agree modern polo started from England."</p>
<p>Nonetheless indigenous Chinese horse breeds are too small for many modern equestrian disciplines, he admits.</p>
<p>The country's main equine stock is descended from Mongolian strains, but for centuries the animals of the steppe were bred primarily for stamina, rather than explosive speed.</p>
<p>Most polo ponies are imported -- with three-quarters of the animals at the Tango club coming from Argentina.</p>
<p>China imported fewer than 300 horses in 2005 but the number has risen tenfold in less than a decade.</p>
<p>Now the country has about 500 riding clubs and half a million amateur enthusiasts, according to Wutzala, an ethnic Mongolian who uses only one name and runs the www.horse.org.cn website.</p>
<p>But equestrian sports are far beyond most people's budgets, he says, with riding courses generally costing "250 to 400 yuan per hour plus coaching fee" and needing 30 hours to complete.</p>
<p>For more populist disciplines -- in particular racing -- the picture is different.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53da210d6da811b340e15122-768-358/797409a96460dfcdd5e1c16efb3b7ac0.jpg" border="0" alt="china polo" /><p class="source"><span>AFP</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p>Gambling is illegal in China except where it is run by the government or the proceeds donated to charity, and the state-sanctioned lotteries do not offer betting on foreign horse races, unlike football games.</p>
<p>The ruling Communist Party associates racing with what it sees as the decadence and national humiliation of foreign occupation in the first half of the 20th century.</p>
<p>In Shanghai, the colonial-era racecourse, once one of the largest in the world, was replaced by People's Square -- the site of the local government headquarters -- and a park.</p>
<p>The global industry salivates at the prospect of a vast new market opening up, and in recent years French gambling representatives have visited China several times to promote Tote-style betting on races, with the bookmakers financing the sport.</p>
<p>But while rumours of a relaxation in the rules have seen entrepreneurs invest in infrastructure, they have been left with abandoned courses hosting neither races nor spectators.</p>
<p>Hong Kong group Desert Star Holdings had ambitious plans for a $1.7 billion "Horse City" in Tianjin including a racetrack, an international equestrian college and a 4,000-place stable, but the project has been postponed and some doubt it will ever see the light of day.</p>
<p>"Chinese people enjoy betting," said Chen, adding that pure sports fans were not a sufficient market to develop racing.</p>
<p>"With no betting there will be few participants."</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53da210d69beddd0644318f5-768-495/8e26aed867c6babc1f8607a365e02820.jpg" border="0" alt="china polo" /><p class="source"><span>AFP</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<div class="nc_footer">
<p>Copyright (2014) AFP. All rights reserved.</p>
</div>
<p><img class="nc_pixel" src="https://pixel.newscred.com/px.gif?key=YXJ0aWNsZT1hZWQzNWVmNTAzMGFkMDc4ODY2N2FmNzg5ZDI0M2RlOSZub25jZT0yMmQwNTk4ZC0yZjMzLTRkOWItOTFjZC0wODg4N2IyYTE3NDImcHVibGlzaGVyPTczMGViODZhYjU5ZjBkNDE5MjZhYzY1YjAxZjgzZTJm" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></p>

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