Is the Pakistani military engaging in some Diversionary Theory type antics?
Makes more sense for Pakistan then for India. Pakistan as much larger internal problems that would need a distraction then India does. Sure the ruling government coalition is having trouble, but it just survived a vote of no confidence. I'd say a raging insurgency in a quarter of the country, political deadlock and instability on the Pakistani side are worse.
Still, I'd pick the Indian military in a straight up fight.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Brazil gets back on the wagon (or is it off the wagon?)
If affordable bio-fuel, hydro-electric, rain forest conservation land thinks nuclear power is a good idea to meet electricity deamand, I take that as a good sign.
Although,the decision may not be from altruistic motives. Brazil may just be trying to prove that is a world-class power. As the economy grows this desire will increase. And a growing nuclear energy capacity not only represents a certain amount of economic stability and station, but it also is an impressive technological accomplishment.
Still, I think that more and more countries turning to nuclear as a base for their expanding electricity (and economic needs) is a good sign, regardless of their motives.
Although,the decision may not be from altruistic motives. Brazil may just be trying to prove that is a world-class power. As the economy grows this desire will increase. And a growing nuclear energy capacity not only represents a certain amount of economic stability and station, but it also is an impressive technological accomplishment.
Still, I think that more and more countries turning to nuclear as a base for their expanding electricity (and economic needs) is a good sign, regardless of their motives.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Food or Water?
What a wonderful choice!
Oh, it's in the Middle East, even better. Like the region needs any more dfficulty.
At least the major perol states have the resources to import much of whatever they need. It's Syria, Jordan and Yemen you have to worry about. Yemen is basically the wild west, and both Jordan and Syria have huge refugee populations (Syria and Iraqis and Jordan and Palestinian) who can be more succeptible to economic upheaval. And we know what economic upheaval and desperation corrolate to in the Middle East. Terrorism!
Still, similar situations have arose in Spain as well. This could be the next great crisis. After all the other ones...
Oh, it's in the Middle East, even better. Like the region needs any more dfficulty.
At least the major perol states have the resources to import much of whatever they need. It's Syria, Jordan and Yemen you have to worry about. Yemen is basically the wild west, and both Jordan and Syria have huge refugee populations (Syria and Iraqis and Jordan and Palestinian) who can be more succeptible to economic upheaval. And we know what economic upheaval and desperation corrolate to in the Middle East. Terrorism!
Still, similar situations have arose in Spain as well. This could be the next great crisis. After all the other ones...
Hugo is at it again!
The more Venezuela tries to distort the market, the harder it will become. Establishing a wider 'cheap' il network is going to be emormous strain on Venezuela.
The more strain, the smaller the shocks have to be to bring the system down.
The more strain, the smaller the shocks have to be to bring the system down.
You're got to be kidding me!
This is really newsworthy?
'Black hole' is racist?
Although, it is interesting to look at the history of 'black' and 'white' in physics. I really do not think either word can be considered to have inherently racial overtones.
'Black hole' is racist?
Although, it is interesting to look at the history of 'black' and 'white' in physics. I really do not think either word can be considered to have inherently racial overtones.
Friday, July 18, 2008
More on China going dark
It's one thing to not have enough coal to power your country. It's quite another to not have enough, and have energy producers going out of business because they cannot pay for the coal!
Talk about a double whammy.
Talk about a double whammy.
Alright Al, you've got a point.
But it's the details. You drop the ball on the details.
I think it's literally impossible to meet the demands posed by large cities solely with renewable energy. Not only because it's too finicky (the sun literally does not shine all the time and the wind literally does not blow all the time) but from sheer capacity issues. How much space would have to be taken up with solar panels and wind farms to powerGotham NYC?
Some more detail issues here. $$$, time and technology, why no nukes and cheaper ways to make savings.
A MUCH more comprehensive analysis of Gore's argued system here. One good thing about the US is that both our potential wind resources and solar resources are very high across the board.
I'd still like to see a system comprised of a nuclear powered base producing all the time, and a renewable upper tier of production. As the renewable tier picks up in capacity the nuclear base generation can be lowered, and as the renewable tier falls off the nuclear base can pick up energy production. And if we end up generating more power then needed at any point, simple route it to hydrogen separation facilities where we can store hydrogen as a 'battery' for use later or for use in a hydrogen fleet of cars. Or fusion reactors. Or balloons.
I think it's literally impossible to meet the demands posed by large cities solely with renewable energy. Not only because it's too finicky (the sun literally does not shine all the time and the wind literally does not blow all the time) but from sheer capacity issues. How much space would have to be taken up with solar panels and wind farms to power
Some more detail issues here. $$$, time and technology, why no nukes and cheaper ways to make savings.
A MUCH more comprehensive analysis of Gore's argued system here. One good thing about the US is that both our potential wind resources and solar resources are very high across the board.
I'd still like to see a system comprised of a nuclear powered base producing all the time, and a renewable upper tier of production. As the renewable tier picks up in capacity the nuclear base generation can be lowered, and as the renewable tier falls off the nuclear base can pick up energy production. And if we end up generating more power then needed at any point, simple route it to hydrogen separation facilities where we can store hydrogen as a 'battery' for use later or for use in a hydrogen fleet of cars. Or fusion reactors. Or balloons.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Isareli-Hizbollah Prisoner Swap
2 bodies for 200 bodies and 5 live prisoners?
Makes me feel kind of dirty to think about. I do not like it.
Makes me feel kind of dirty to think about. I do not like it.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Weekend Link Bonanza
Interesting piece on youth, families and schooling in Algeria. Focuses on the disconnect between different members of families.
Al Qaeda in Algeria.
Torture and terrorism. Of course there is a connection.
Why there are female suicide bombers in Iraq.
Collection of great resources on rehabilitation of wahhabi-salafis.
Lets just hope that the Sunni political competition in Iraq stays purely political, and does not start trending towards violence. Some goes for those Shia.
Marines doing their COIN thang in Helmand province Afghanistan.
Who would have thought that the US justice system reached so far and so deep? I wonder if there is a similar phenomenon with other countries too. I would say France for sure, maybe Britain (likely). Information sharing!
Muslim and Christian separation in Egypt. The bonds that are supposedly thousands of years old are being severed rather quickly. Not much you can do in the face of an enemy that will kill the Christian and then kill the Muslim for defending the Christian. Something similar happened in Iraq, mixed communities being torn to shreds by outsiders.
Al Qaeda in Algeria.
Torture and terrorism. Of course there is a connection.
Why there are female suicide bombers in Iraq.
Collection of great resources on rehabilitation of wahhabi-salafis.
Lets just hope that the Sunni political competition in Iraq stays purely political, and does not start trending towards violence. Some goes for those Shia.
Marines doing their COIN thang in Helmand province Afghanistan.
Who would have thought that the US justice system reached so far and so deep? I wonder if there is a similar phenomenon with other countries too. I would say France for sure, maybe Britain (likely). Information sharing!
Muslim and Christian separation in Egypt. The bonds that are supposedly thousands of years old are being severed rather quickly. Not much you can do in the face of an enemy that will kill the Christian and then kill the Muslim for defending the Christian. Something similar happened in Iraq, mixed communities being torn to shreds by outsiders.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Chinese brown outs
I do not know if they are actually suffering from brownouts, but the more energy intensive industries are cutting back on production because they dont have enough power.
It's one thing for South Africa to suffer from crippling energy shortages, but China? The manufacturing and commodity processing breadbasket of the world?
As I've posted before, China can not even keep it's coal plants stocked with enough coal, so building more will not solve any problems. Nuke plants take years to come online. What is left?
I do not like where this is heading.
It's one thing for South Africa to suffer from crippling energy shortages, but China? The manufacturing and commodity processing breadbasket of the world?
As I've posted before, China can not even keep it's coal plants stocked with enough coal, so building more will not solve any problems. Nuke plants take years to come online. What is left?
I do not like where this is heading.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
The enemy within
Stories like these are very important to pay attention to.
Radicalization from social dislocation has been around for decades, from the various 'red' terrorist movements to present day wahhabi-salafi terrorism.t
Radicalization from social dislocation has been around for decades, from the various 'red' terrorist movements to present day wahhabi-salafi terrorism.t
OPEC is crazy-go-nuts!
Typical weak sauce rhetoric.
Yadda Yadda Yadda Speculators Yadda Yadda Yadda We've got enough oil Yadda Yadda Yadda.
Are they lying to us to make us feel better? As I posted on before, China's economy is apparently going to equal the US economy around 2030. Do we have enough oil for two hyperpowers?
We will, but only if oil becomes a small slice of the transportation energy makeEn up.
Yadda Yadda Yadda Speculators Yadda Yadda Yadda We've got enough oil Yadda Yadda Yadda.
Are they lying to us to make us feel better? As I posted on before, China's economy is apparently going to equal the US economy around 2030. Do we have enough oil for two hyperpowers?
We will, but only if oil becomes a small slice of the transportation energy makeEn up.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Timetables, and Overwatch?
It looks like the Iraqi's can legitimately claim the need for a withdrawal timetable.
US forces will be in largely support and overwatch roles in a year. That has largely been the plan since 2007. Staying on target.
And honestly, internal Iraqi pressure to withdraw is all that really perks up my ears lately. And the more and more the Administration and Republicans flat out contradict what the Iraqi government wants, the more and more I'll start to see our forces as occupiers. I can only imagine what the average Iraqi will think.
UPDATE:
I knew something was going to come out and turn all this talk to bu!!$#i%.
US forces will be in largely support and overwatch roles in a year. That has largely been the plan since 2007. Staying on target.
And honestly, internal Iraqi pressure to withdraw is all that really perks up my ears lately. And the more and more the Administration and Republicans flat out contradict what the Iraqi government wants, the more and more I'll start to see our forces as occupiers. I can only imagine what the average Iraqi will think.
UPDATE:
I knew something was going to come out and turn all this talk to bu!!$#i%.
Robots and feelings
As robots become more 'humanoid' people start have more, and attribute more feelings to them.
So when robots eventually start making appearances everywhere, we will be conceptually able to embrace them?
Does that mean there would be no more bad feelings then we'd have towards a person that looked significantly different from us?
So when robots eventually start making appearances everywhere, we will be conceptually able to embrace them?
Does that mean there would be no more bad feelings then we'd have towards a person that looked significantly different from us?
China's Economic Growth
Poised to over take the US in 2035, and double it by 2050.
As the article points out, China's main driver of growth is internal market development, so this is quite possible.
However, I wonder if the study the these figures are based on takes into account environmental and authoritarian limits on growth. Here is an article from Foreign Policy talking about the latter, see this post for more on China's environment.
More costly in the short term for China though, well be power consumption issues. China is primarily run by coal, so dropping below the three day alarm level is nothing to smirk at. No wonder they are planning a massive expansion of nuclear energy. They are physically unable to import enough coal, and even with numerous non-state owned illegal mining operations cannot meet the demand internally. Which is a good thing, not being able to power all the plants means they'll switch to new, and by default, cleaner technologies.
UPDATE:
More on the report.
As the article points out, China's main driver of growth is internal market development, so this is quite possible.
However, I wonder if the study the these figures are based on takes into account environmental and authoritarian limits on growth. Here is an article from Foreign Policy talking about the latter, see this post for more on China's environment.
More costly in the short term for China though, well be power consumption issues. China is primarily run by coal, so dropping below the three day alarm level is nothing to smirk at. No wonder they are planning a massive expansion of nuclear energy. They are physically unable to import enough coal, and even with numerous non-state owned illegal mining operations cannot meet the demand internally. Which is a good thing, not being able to power all the plants means they'll switch to new, and by default, cleaner technologies.
UPDATE:
More on the report.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Iraq, SOFA, and Timetables
Looks like the Iraqi's are making the biggest decision of the American election for the electorate.
Good for them.
Things are going better, and the Iraqi's have proven to themselves and to use that they are functioning on their own. Not perfectly, but obviously enough for their needs to try and establish the date when the US will leave.
Take it and run!
UPDATE:
From the WSJ Op-Ed page (yes I know), a bright shining summary of the all the best things about Iraq. Knock the optimism down a notch (or two), and it will be decent information.
Good for them.
Things are going better, and the Iraqi's have proven to themselves and to use that they are functioning on their own. Not perfectly, but obviously enough for their needs to try and establish the date when the US will leave.
Take it and run!
UPDATE:
From the WSJ Op-Ed page (yes I know), a bright shining summary of the all the best things about Iraq. Knock the optimism down a notch (or two), and it will be decent information.
I wonder...
Does Russia realize that it is not dealing with Georgia?
Going to war over a missile shield that there is no doubt that Russia could overwhelm? Ludicrous!
Bully! I hope this comment was more directed at the Czech Republic and Poland, and not the US.
UPDATE:
Russia is up set, but will not get hysterical.
Going to war over a missile shield that there is no doubt that Russia could overwhelm? Ludicrous!
Bully! I hope this comment was more directed at the Czech Republic and Poland, and not the US.
UPDATE:
Russia is up set, but will not get hysterical.
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