vpratt

Every Sunset Leads to Another Sunrise

Dang it CM, I only clicked on this article because it sounded like you were offering poetry or a song! Just kidding!

I have a portfolio containing a few solar companies. I finally decided that TAN had the volume and it's performance was parallel or better when compared to the market for two months. You got a better price than I did by about a dollar. Well done! (I hope)

4 Reasons Why 'Going Green' Will Put Many Investors in the Red

It's deeply disturbing to see the continued notion that we can ignore, for the sake of short term expedience, doing the RIGHT thing. The costs of of NOT recycling are long term and hidden. Here in Tucson, there is ongoing agony over land fill sites. This is a cost that has to be viewed over a period of centuries. The cost and effort of recycling, in my opinion, is the same as that of piping my sewage to a treatment plant. I don't want the "stuff" produced by my bodily functions, and I happily pay the county and city to receive it.

"Green" is not a religion. Perhaps some of us must treat it as such to get our lazy butts in gear. It is a way of dealing with problems of the modern era. In this, it is no different than the costly deployment of millions of traffic lights and street signs. It simply must be done.

Where Are We on the Roadmap?

I'm afraid I'm not qualified to make a prediction based on economics, about economic trends from this point. I'm soaking it all in as fast as I can, learning from every source, grateful for intelligent discourse.

I am glad to see others have come to recognize the changing appraisal of the Roman Empire. In the past, blame for the collapse was placed on everything from lead poisoning to the growing number of "foreigners". After an early expansion they ended the practice of extending citizenship to the people of newly conquered lands. So, many of those "foreigners" were people who were born to several generations within the Empire, lived and died as subjects without ever being included in the dream. To whom would they owe their allegiance? They never tackled the problem of their huge slave population. The tax burden was not fairly spread.


In the end, as the invaders approached Rome, not enough people gave a damn anymore. No longer could they find their "Horatius" to stand upon the bridge.

We are not at that point. We have problems, but we have somehow managed to be MORE inclusive, MORE open. But we really need to tackle the problem of great wealth driving government policy, feeding itself in secrecy, in dark places.

I WANT my government to be solvent. I don't want to be a spectator in the Coliseum, hoping a loaf of bread will be thrown my way so I won't go hungry as someone less fortunate dies for my my entertainment.

Can Americans Really Cut Back on Consumption?

Questions of celestial proportions. I wonder if we can possibly get "there" from "here". I don't REALLY want to rewire my neighbor's brain. But what would a beginning of change even look like?

I'm not an Egyptologist, but if I recall correctly, they had a "Book of the Dead" in which living people made declarations about their lives and what kind of human beings they tried to be, hoping for a good afterlife. I will make a start:

I did not drink from plastic bottles
I did not drive a big car.
I did not eat that which was wasteful to produce.
I did not throw away that which could be recycled.
I did not buy appliances or electronics without reading the power requirements.

Every religion has a reward system. We SHOULD be familiar with the concept. I have about ten years left on this planet. NO SINGLE PART of it was ever really mine! It was all just borrowed from the future. The joke that "life is a game and he who dies with the most toys wins" is just that, a joke!

Markets Historically Overbought: Dangerous to Enter New Longs Right Now

notsosmart, you really ain'tsodumb! My sentiment exactly. Thanks.


On Jan 04 11:25 AM notsosmart wrote:

> thats the problem.this is no longer investing.its just another form
> of gambling for those that dont do an honest days work.graphs,charts
> or count cards.whats the difference?the average dumb-dumb should
> stay away from this whole scene.

Time for America to Fire First Shot in the EV Revolution

WZ, thanks for making the effort and sharing the results. However, the boat leaves me wondering about a few things. I have always been a sailor. Many of us have a sometimes unfair attitude towards powerboats, referring to them as "stink pots" and such. An electric boat whirring by, especially if the batteries were solar charged, would ruin some of the "holier than thou" attitude we enjoy. Oh well. Keep up the good work. I will be retiring on a small cruising sailboat and I plan to have an electric auxiliary with solar panels. I look forward to more battery choices by then (6 years away).

Does Anyone Care About Alternative Energy Anymore?

I've heard that the passengers on the first steam train, the "Tom Thumb" were terrified when it hit 5 MPH. And really, what a lot of effort to pull so little weight. They should have just dropped that whole silly notion of an Industrial Revolution. Remember, the CEO of IBM at one point said that he thought computers were amazing but there would never be a market for more than a few thousand. Too big. Too expensive.

Yet here I am, a humble store clerk, with the ability to send and receive information ( or pictures of my naked keester ) to sites around the world almost instantly. With such a small investment I can read the opinions of many informed citizens. I'm afraid your article is based on a static world. It does not exist.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love ATP Oil and Gas

Bruce, thanks for posting this tale of woe. You are correct. Misery does love company. I bought at exactly the same point you did. I must have read the same article! I thought it had already gone down enough and would soon turn. The fundamentals still looked good. It would have been a good idea to "double dumb down" when it was at it's very lowest. But by then I hated even looking at it. Good Luck to us.

Market for Electric Vehicle Batteries Is Heating Up

It looks like this will be a long, difficult shakeout for investors to navigate.
I am impressed that it is possible to charge a large powerful bank of batteries in 10 minutes, but I am doubtful that most home circuits can handle that rate without expensive upgrades. I don't know, but I suspect that it would be greater than the equivalent of me turning on every appliance I have. The neighborhood I live in has already suffered outages that were due to increased usage. The upgrade to handle it has been very expensive. Rents have gone up as a result because it is a micro-utility. I would appreciate some mention of the cost to handle such large loads if a large percentage of autos were electric Are there estimates from the power companies?

Post-Election Sector ETF Scenarios

Zooey, I agree with much of your comment, especially about the actual role and power of the President. The campaigns always give the impression that the President actually has the power to do as he promises. I prefer to hear from them such phrase as:
I will urge Congress
If passed I will gladly sign
I promise to veto

Earnings on Tap for Thursday, Fingers Crossed

Hi Mark, I always read your posts and appreciate the views and news. I don't know if you noticed that you wrote SunTECH Power instead of SunPOWER. Thanks

Renewable Energy Is at the Center of the Presidential Debate

I trust the innovation of Americans in need to solve some of these problems. Transmission to population centers will certainly cause higher power costs in some areas. This should lead to new solutions and new sources. The dollar still motivates, no?

As to the problem of fuel for aircraft, the news of the 60 Mph pedal car inspires. Any one ready to try a pedal plane? Think of the power output of 300 passengers being told to pedal harder or the plane will go down! I would insist on the return of free meals in exchange. And a beer on landing.

The Next Bubble

I have the same complaint and situation as long-on-oil. It's very frustrating to do the research, make a plan, revise strategy and balancing before making the best decision for our hard earned money, only to find that the stock is following a whole new dynamic. I hope the rules can be changed soon. Right now I feel like I'm playing in the wrong sandbox. Companies that do an outstanding job should see their shares grow. Investors who buy their shares should expect a market that treats the whole process as something more than a crap shoot. Some people compare it to gambling but it is NOT. If someone believes a company I have invested in is going to lose money, fine. Let them simply sell their shares if they have any. And WHY does it take so long to fix things these days. I'll bet 90 % of Americans who paid any attention knew a housing bubble was endangering the whole economy. There was no effective oversight or direction given. How badly we, and the entire world, are paying for a lack of leaders with the intestinal fortitude to tell it like it is.

Dikeman Skeptical of 'Game Changing' New Energy Technologies

Over complicating the cleaning issue. I clean mine with the same oxygen-hydrogen compound that is used to cool nuclear reactors: Water. It's also safe for flushing the john.

Renewable Energy: This Is Only Going to Hurt a Little Bit

I suspect a reader or two will accuse you of being too cautious or even bearish. I find your article sobering. Shouldn't invest while intoxicated, I suppose. To look into the future is such a challenge, and even the present is full of blind alleys and traps.

You have provided needed reminders. I suppose national energy independence is somewhat analogous to home energy efforts. I could produce all I need on my own roof, but I eventually have to buy food, clothing, hardware, entertainment, and produce a product or service at my job. I could shop with home grown and energy in mind, but sooner or later I'm going to buy that bottle of Australian Shiraz or South African Pinot Noir. Or, less exotic, a toilet part made in Israel.

It may come to pass that we never lead the world in these new technologies or in the production of the end products. What is certain, and mandatory for our economy, is that we get involved immediately and deeply. Right now we're only in it up to our ankles. You're not really swimming till your keester gets wet.