nakedjaybird

Are We Headed for a Green World or Business-as-Usual?

paulsjj - where were you when the US went from a manufacturing country to a services country???

Are We Headed for a Green World or Business-as-Usual?

Me thinks some "group" may or may not have recognized that some resources are consumed and gone forever, some are more or less recycled forever, and then there are the tweeners.

However, take gold. Some may have learned that taking it from the ground was good. Selling it was even better. And then, maybe realized it was going to be gone forever (in someone else's pocket), so accumulated all they could with the price FIXED (ie, CAPPED) at $35 an ounce. Having accumulated his pile, he then released the cap. That's business (if you can get away with it). The gold basically didn't disappear: it was in reserve, or recycled.

Then came oil, coal, and gas - some thought it was good to take it from the ground, use it, and even sell it. That was good business until there was no more of it in reserve or any long lasting accumulated pile. Goshes!!!

How ETF Trading Volume Shines a Light on Trends

Author - what you didn't say is that the real investing is in the lowest turnover ETF's.

Welcome to a New World of Investing

I have invested in energy according to the following plan. Based on how the Democrats are aligning to my plan (glory be!), it may get some legs, contrary to the grip Detroit and Houston have had on LEADERSHIP in DC since the 1970's.

For what it's worth, it appears I have become a supporting Democrat based on my energy perspective (contrary to Kudlow's and the Republican's mantra of Drill, Drill, Drill).

So here's the plan given to the Obama team (and by the way, the basis for my plan, the Livermore National Labs and AIE's own data, is a familar source associated with the new energy czar, Steven Chu):

The attached figure (Livermore National Labs US Energy Consumption - 2002; EIA) is my basis for good energy planning for the US with the overall goals of:

I) eliminating wasted energy (56 of 97 Quads, or 58% of total US consumption is lost), and

II) leaving natural energy resources stored in the ground until we REALLY need them, while maximizing readily available and free forever solar and wind, and other alternatives (while eliminating trillions of foreign financial payments).

1. Reduce wasted energy in ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION (26 Quads or 68% of power generation energy is lost).

1.1. Promote Solar PV and Wind.

1.2. Promote pumped/stored hydro (and end-use storage technologies to handle the variability of 1.1. generation).

1.3. Permit steam-to-electricity generation in combined cycle plants only where low pressure steam is utilized (even if thermal solar; AND nuclear[?]. Nuclear is dense enough and safe enough to promote block heating in cities as in Europe, or process industrialized areas?)

1.4. Stop burning coal (and the networked supporting industries from mining, transportation, pollution, reclamation, maintenance, etc., without causing a depression - like, put the folks to work building solar and wind farms, and the new interstate power grid and electrified ferries of 1.7 below; same for the oil, gas and auto guys, etc.). Do 1.1. and 1.7.

1.5. Stop burning natural gas. Do 1.1. and 1.2.

1.6. Don't even think about processing any tar sands, oil shale, or coal gasification and liquefaction methods which are ultimately burned for POWER GENERATION or TRANSPORTATION after adding cost (not to mention all the networked industry complexities as mentioned above for coal). Consider these sources only "when there is no other way" situations: like we run out of crude oil and need plastics.

1.7. Construct the new upgraded electric power grid in, above, below, or alongside the existing interstate highway right-of-ways which lead to major cities (where energy is used while passing thru the hinterlands within 50-100 miles of future solar and wind power farms).

1.7.1. Integrate within these same interstate right-of-ways ELECTRIFIED FERRIES for cargo, vehicles and people, both two-way high speed interstate express and two-way local intrastate travel.

2. Reduce wasted energy in TRANSPORTATION (21 Quads or 80% of transportation energy is lost):

2.1. Do 1.7. and 1.7.1. for intra- and interstate travel.

2.2. Promote local transit systems within congested urban beltways, linked to the interstate highway system of 1.7.

2.3. Promote hybrid and electric vehicles for personal commuting, local fleet service and commercial delivery.

2.4 Promote biofuels for hybrids, ground, rail, air and water transportation.

Much of the above is currently valid for developing countries which are repeating the mistakes the US made which hopefully can be redirected - be it because of air pollution [China, India], government edict, new alternatives, etc.).

Much of the above already exists in Europe, Japan... So it can be done. It may take a permanent energy tax to fund the above; and as wasted energy is reduced, the tax goes away. A wonder we've not seen.

Momentum for Infrastructure Is Building in Both U.S. and China

Schools??????? Let the teacher's unions build the schools. It's their business. Fewer students - more teachers - more teachers aids - more support staff and overhead - higher salaries - more and more expensive benefits - etc. Let them build their own businesses.

Same for Detorit unions.

Same as professional sports.

Get a grip, folks. It's our pocketbook.

Give us a choice:
- private schools where the people control the school costs (and still have to pay tax to run the other public schools of no return);
- non-union auto mfgrs which build better and competitive rigs and which the people chose 80% of the time;
- read a book; go to church; recreate.....help corporations lower their marketing costs by not buying all the stadium seats and give-away tickets while writing them off instead of making them profits for the stockholders or lower cost products for the consumers.

Hey, how about the fair tax; the flat tax; all on gross? That'd teach 'em.

Will a Drop in Oil Trigger a Market Recovery?

nakedjaybirdJun 23 02:07 PMWhere have some of you folks been? In "school" maybe???

In the early 1970's we concluded it was going to take hybrid electric vehicles for anything beyond the basic 40-50 mile daily commuter using fully electric cars, when and if he was ready to switch from huge gas guzzlers (we knew this because we built and tested electric vehicles! And, there is a market for both types of vehicles). The shackles have been off for the private sector for 40 years.

We were also growing silicon ribbon and producing solar volataic panels in the 70's. The shackles have been off for the private sector for 40 years.

We have used windmills for long before many of you folks existed. Seems like we know how to make and use all of the components. The shackles have been off the private sector for a long time.

One of the major problems is the selfish consumer. His shackles have been off - he's had some free choices.

Another major problems is we have permitted our Government give our tax dollars to big oil thru tax breaks (research, investestment credits, depleption allowances, and on and on).

WE HAVE NOT DONE THE RIGHT THINGS;

NOT EVEN THE THINGS WE WERE/ARE CAPABLE OF DOING. BUT........... THAT ..........

Didn't stop France from going 80% nuclear.

Didn't stop Germany from going 40% solar.

Didn't stop Brazil from going 60% biofuel.

Didn't stop Switzerland (and many other European countries) from going electrified rails for people and goods, and even electric ferries (they put rubber tired hiway diesel busses on electrified rail cars for certain legs of their journeys).

Didn't stop Europe from building and using small economical cars, nor electric delivery vehicles, etc.

So where has the US been??

I guarantee you, without LEADERSHIP, we will not get there....................

We have had the techonologies; we've had the money; we've had the resoures; we've had our heads somewhere, like where the sun doesn't shine.

AND FOR THAT, THERE IS JUST TOO MUCH EVIDENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...