We can wax philosophically, on and on and on, about the instability “big oil” has engendered throughout the world: Hugo Chavez’s regime in Venezuela, corruption in Nigeria, sabre-rattling in Russia, and oh yeah . . . the Middle East. However, there’s one region that could become a huge geopolitical tinderbox in a few years: [...]
I love LA’s metro. Unfortunately, the nearest station is a 20-25 minute walk away, and it’s the most unpleasant walk under highway overpasses and garbage-strewn streets. I’ll take the bus downtown, as it’s an easy 10-15 hop, but forget about taking it to Santa Monica—city buses are not a pleasant, comfortable means to cross a [...]
Finland is the quiet sibling amongst the Scandinavian family of nations. Bordering Russia, it doesn’t have the “brand” recognition that Sweden (Ikea and ABBA), Norway (fjords), and Denmark (Maersk). In the renewable energy debate, you don’t hear about Finland’s policies to the extent you hear about Germany’s solar, France’s nuclear, or Sweden’s biofuels. (more…)
Everyone agrees that workers on public works projects should be paid a fare wage. And with all due respect to ditch diggers . . . solar and wind farms–or any renewable energy projects for that matter– don’t just need brawn. They need brains. Installing solar panels and other analogous jobs requires special training, which is [...]
I’m not sure how I can tie yesterday’s events to how we’ll heal our earth, but I’ll give it a shot. Yesterday’s passing of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson were a double whammy for me. (more…)
Who would have thought South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford would become the latest joke on the talking head shows? Isn’t it bizarre that he took off for a few days, his wife didn’t know where he was (didn’t anyone learn from John Edwards?), and that he went away on Father’s Day? Oh yeah, not to mention hiking on [...]
One theme I want to make clear in this site is that nerds are cool. There’s nothing wrong with learning about technology, the world, politics, and giving a darn. Remember Bill Gates? He made mod-nerd-ity cool. There’s another nerd who deserves mention. She recycles, she buys scrap, and she has, by some accounts become the [...]
No matter what you think about fossil fuels, you have to admire Norway’s management of their gas and oil fuels. Unlike the squandering of oil fortunes in countries like Venezuela and Nigeria, Norway has used many of their oil revenues to prop up their welfare state. Since the 1960s, oil has allowed Norway to provide [...]
Sorry, I always loved that Saturday Night Live line at the end of their TV commercial spoofs. I’ve become a gardening addict. Composting is critical for your gardening success, not to mention reducing waste, but too many of us don’t do it cause 1) we’re lazy 2) the “gross!” factor. Well, what about some designer [...]
I won’t go through the statistics detailing how much energy and water that livestock producers need to produce a pound of beef; you can look that up easily online. What I will tell you that if you think there’s no interest in taste between grain-fed and grass-fed beef, go to a high end butcher, or [...]
Some of the best American cities are in the Midwest. Chicago happens to be my favorite city in the US, and Minneapolis, Kansas City, and St. Louis can hold their own. And even Cleveland—I’ve only been there once, downtown during a 4 hour layover, but the architecture was beautiful, the people friendly, the history everywhere. [...]
Unless you’re completely apathetic, it’s painful to see what’s going on in Iran. What was once one of the world’s most powerful and important powers is now a tragedy. Years of plundering by the shahs’ regimes, and the rigidity and incompetence of the Islamic Republic has left this nation of over 70 million in economic [...]