I am reading Thomas Friedman’s Hot, Flat and Crowded. It is an excellent book and addresses the essence of the problems the world faces, primarily global warming, although I get this nagging feeling that it is like so many such books, overly optimistic about the possibilities for the future. I suppose it has to be, [...]
Archive for the ‘energy’ Category
Hot, Flat, Crowded, and Stupid
Posted in economy, energy, renewable energy, tagged crowded, energy policy, flat, globalization, hot, Thomas Friedman on May 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Is the World on the Brink?
Posted in energy, financing, foreign policy, public policy, renewable energy, tagged depression, economic meltdown, energy, famine, financial crisis, global warming, recession, renewable energy on April 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Is it just me or does anyone else think that the world is doomed?
I’ve been around through several recessions, lived through a period where the world worried about imminent nuclear holocaust; but what the world faces today seems far more dangerous and possibly unsolvable. Of course we still face the threat from nuclear weapons with [...]
How does the Picken’s Plan stack up?
Posted in energy, energy policy, public policy, renewable energy, tagged energy policy, obama, pickens plan, renewable energy on February 23, 2009 | 3 Comments »
The Pickens’ Plan is counting on government to do it all by doing things to encourage more big businesses to invest in renewable energy and then pretty much guarantee that they profit and profit handsomely. The Pickens’ Plan is claiming to be encouraging free enterprise, but if the government must be the means by which [...]
Are Macs Really More Expensive than PCs?
Posted in economy, energy, renewable energy, tagged energy, global warming, mac, macintosh, Microsoft Windows, pc, renewable energy, Windows Vista on February 3, 2009 | 1 Comment »
I was of the impression that an Apple Mac computer was more expensive than a PC running Microsloth Windows, but when all things are considered I’m not so sure. It is true that you can get into a Windows PC cheaper than a Mac, about half for a comparable hardware configuration. The story can’t end there. Windows [...]
A Plan for Green Schools
Posted in education, energy, energy policy, public policy, renewable energy on February 1, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Many schools are starting to investigate ways to generate their own electricity and otherwise green up their image. Schools have received grants to install solar panels on their roofs and a few even erect small wind turbines away from their buildings. Part of the thinking is that if our children are expected to learn about [...]
When will congress take our economic survival seriously?
Posted in energy, energy policy, politics, public policy, renewable energy, tagged government spending, obama, retirement, stimulous plan on January 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Today the senate decided that they had to mess with the stimulous package by playing politics instead of trying to do the right thing. They want to give everyone on social security $300. I’m sure everyone on social security is thrilled with the idea, yet we already know that todays recipients are receiving far more [...]
Congressional Stimulus Includes $20 Billion for Clean Energy
Posted in energy, investing, public policy, renewable energy on January 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Congress is about to pass a stimulus package that includes $20 billion for clean energy. This is better than no action at all, but a far smarter choice would be to support the Profitable Renewable Energy concept. The plan is called the PRE-Plan and it wouldn’t cost the federal government anything and it would raise [...]
Will we be able to retire?
Posted in economy, energy, energy policy, government, investing, tagged economy, investing, pension plans, retirement, retirement savings on January 3, 2009 | 3 Comments »
I’m pretty well off relative to most people and now I’m starting to doubt my ability to retire, so I can’t even imagine how the people of lesser means will ever make it. We are being hit from all sides, and scratch the surface just a little, and you’ll find some greedy bastard at the [...]
When did everything stop making sense?
Posted in energy, financing, investing, politics, renewable energy, tagged 1929, corporate greed, economy, energy independance, global warming, PRE-Plan on December 14, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Do the financial markets make sense to you? Do you think it’s just possible we are being manipulated by Wall Street? Does it bother you that car companies can offer $8,000 discounts. Does that imply that they’d been making $8,000 in excess profit? Does it bother you that whenever companies go bankrupt that the guys [...]
California and Climate Change
Posted in energy, energy policy, government, renewable energy, tagged Arnold Schwarzenegger, California climate change, global warming, renewable energy on December 11, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Congratulations California for doing the right thing at a time when the right thing in the form of new fees and regulations may not be popular.
