I have great respect for the Wall Street Journal, particularly for its coverage of news related to energy, oil and alternative fuels. Generally, it does a fine job. But last week’s front page story, U.S. Oil Notches Record Growth, was… Continue Reading →
American exceptionalism gained a new political currency in the recent presidential campaign. Candidates and their supporters often fought over how exceptional America was, compared to other nations. The arguments never really crystallized into a real debate. I cannot remember either… Continue Reading →
Over the past few years, I have been a frequent flyer to Israel. It’s a fun place to visit and work. Apart from the wonder of Tel Aviv on weekends, and Jerusalem anytime, I was amazed at how talking intensely… Continue Reading →
How many of you remember Billie Holiday, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, early Bing Crosby and Rudy Vallee? No, this is not a test for Medicare. Your answers will not be screened by the IRS nor will your thoughts be recorded… Continue Reading →
I was amused and contemplative about two happenings affecting how we and the world make decisions concerning the use of energy and transportation fuel. Neither of them seems to have reached the national media. Both of them suggest how difficult… Continue Reading →
I am proud of my alma mater and read the magazine linked to it, the MIT Technology Review. Its coverage of alternative fuel issues is generally solid. Its more scientific and engineering-related articles, while at times requiring me to read… Continue Reading →
Good for you, Chris Paine! Paine, if you remember, was the filmmaker who produced “Who Killed the Electric Car?” His recent opinion piece in The Washington Post took on the supposed mythologies about the demise or slow progress of electric… Continue Reading →
I bet most of you have heard the dictum often passed on by management consultants, sometimes with humor and sometimes with tears, that you’re only an expert when you fly. Translated, the greater the distance you fly to either speak… Continue Reading →
On Sunday, The New York Times ran a provocative story by distinguished journalist Elisabeth Rosenthal. Its gist was that if we look hard at recent reports by the National Research Council, the IEA, Stanford, and the experiences of different areas… Continue Reading →
One of my favorite quotes — I have used it before in this column — is from Lewis Carroll: “It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards.” If you are a policy optimist like me (and an aging… Continue Reading →
