Last week the British Government released the Stern Report on Global Warming. As those of you who read about it know, the report suggested that, without immediate and aggressive spending, global warming will reduce worldwide productivity on the scale of the Great Depression. The report, commissioned by the British government is the most comprehensive study to date of the economic impact of global warming. The quick summary is that failure to act could cost up to 20% of lost income worldwide on an annual basis. Aggressive and immediate action to solve the problem would cost 1% …

Since the oil embargo of 1974, there has always been news coverage of OPEC meetings.  Usually it is about raising prices or cutting production.  These stories are usually accompanied by pictures of smiling or laughing men.  Until recently these articles usually caused a negative reaction in me, as they represented the fact that a small group of countries, blessed with large petroleum reserves, were manipulating prices and controlling the energy policy — and foreign policy — of countries around the world, particularly the United States.

There were some recent articles about the last OPEC meeting with headlines stating that OPEC producers …

The dramatic increase in gasoline prices over the summer combined with the perception that oil revenues fund terrorism has created a new perception on the need for the U.S. to import oil. It is now becoming clear to a growing number of Americans that dependency on foreign oil compromises our security.

In a recent poll conducted by the Democracy Corps, a Democratic group, likely voters, were asked what they thought were the two most important national security priorities for the government over the next few years.  Coming in first, with 42% was reducing dependence on foreign oil. A distant second was combating …

Sergey Brin and Larry Page are of course the founders of Google.  That fact, in and of itself would be enough to respect them and praise them.  Simply based on influence, Google has become practically oracular in today’s world.  Not since the oracle of Delphi stood astride the rift in the ground has something had such power of affecting perception of the present and the future.  At least sometimes it feels that way.

When Sergey and Larry — and I use their first names with great respect, as when said together everyone knows who is being discussed — speak, a whole …