The Cosmic Tap » energy

Andrew Bacevich on the American Empire

Anthony — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:12:39 +0000

Every American should sit through (and actually digest) this interview in its entirety [Part 1] | [Part 2]. Whether you watch or listen, please take the time to do so with open ears and an open mind. It is probably the most powerful and sobering assessment of the American condition I have heard in years.

Bacevich’s 2007 op ed in the Washington Post provides some sad but interesting background. His new book is here.

Groups Praying for Lower Gas Prices

Anthony — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:48:43 +0000

Associated Press has this gem.

Skyrocketing Gasoline Prices And Political Ignorance

Anthony — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:12:17 +0000

Christina Martinez, who lives in Whittier and works at retailer Fred Segal in West Hollywood, spends about $80 a week on gasoline. She told the Los Angeles Times, “It’s frustrating that even during election season I’m only thinking of politics in terms of who will get me lower gas prices.”

It’s frustrating for more reasons than you know, Christina. First, it’s frustrating that you, like many Americans, don’t have the depth to understand that the President has very little to do with such things, but market forces do instead. Second, that as you head into an election, you – again, like many Americans – toss more important questions aside (ones over which a President might actually have some influence.)

Running on Empty

Anthony — Tue, 27 May 2008 18:12:43 +0000

Oil supply fears [finally] go mainstream.

Soon Enough

Anthony — Sat, 24 May 2008 05:27:31 +0000

Motorists say it’ll take another buck a gallon. Don’t worry, we won’t have to wait long.

Gloom Watch

Anthony — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:45:31 +0000

JHK says,

“I’m concerned that the American people will hate the new president if he tells them the truth: that an old way of life is over and a new one has to begin now. We’re about to find out how much ‘change’ the public can really stand.”

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard has a new piece on the failure of the Federal Reserve’s rescue plan and the coming “financial winter.” Paul Farrell at Marketwatch on why Bernanke is in “over his head” and that stagflation is here. (Of course, Bernanke and Bush tell us not to worry our purty little heads.) The Fool’s Chuck Saletta says Bernanke’s actions are aggravating the situation. At a conference recently, former Fed chairman Paul Volcker said, “the Fed is not really in control of the situation.”

And, some frightening numbers on how quickly house prices are dropping – the Case-Schiller index for the last month of last quarter, extrapolated annually, paints a bleak picture.

As I suggested a few months ago, municipalities are already starting to worry.

Hormuz Gets Trickier

Anthony — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 06:46:08 +0000

Last May, I suggested that this part of the world was going to prove to be really interesting. Sure enough, it’s heating up. I just wish it would heat up under a different President, or when we weren’t facing an energy and economic disaster.

Eco-Boat Powered By Human Fat

Anthony — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 21:22:03 +0000

Now here‘s a fuel source we’re not likely to run out of.

Super-Efficient Wind Power?

Anthony — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:48:54 +0000

Engadget covers a turbine that claims to be 1000x more efficient than a normal windmill. Neat.

Peak Oil: Not Just For Lunatics Anymore

Anthony — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:05:01 +0000

Peak oil theories have been “debased,” but umm, they’re right, says WSJ.

“…plenty of energy experts expect sky-high prices to hasten the development of alternative fuels and improve energy efficiency. But evidence is mounting that crude oil production may plateau before those innovations arrive on a large scale. That could set the stage for a period marked by energy shortages, high prices and bare-knuckled competition for fuel.”