Monthly Archives: August 2011

Solyndra: Another One Bites the Dust

Posted on Wednesday, August 31, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

After receiving a $535 million loan from the federal government, and about $1 billion in venture capital financing, California-based manufacturer Solyndra suspended manufacturing operations today, and laid off 1,100 employees. It also announced its plans to file for bankruptcy protection. … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, California, Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, Policy, Politics, Solar, Taxes, Technology | Tagged CIGS, Evergreen Solar, Solar power, Solar PV, Solyndra | 5 Comments

Ron Paul’s “Galveston Model” for a New America

Posted on Wednesday, August 31, 2011 by Chris Ladd

After Ron Paul complained that the news media wasn’t taking him seriously, he seized an opportunity over the weekend to demonstrate exactly why that is. He went on a Hurricane Irene-inspired mini-rant, explaining that when it comes to disaster management, … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Policy, Politics, Taxes | Tagged election 2012, galveston, Houston, hurricane, Ron Paul, Tea Party | 3 Comments

Armchair Quarterbacking in New Jersey

Posted on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

All right. First off, it is important to note that the soldiers you see here are National Guardsman. This is an important distinction, because these soldiers do not receive as much training or experience as active duty personnel. Second, somebody clearly … Continue reading →

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Posted in Humor, Leadership, Media | Tagged Armchair quarterbacks, Hurricane Irene, National Guard, New Jersey, Service, SNAFU, Tanks | Leave a comment

Proving Obama Is a Failed President

Posted on Monday, August 29, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Last week, Jonathan Alter at Bloomberg posed a tantalizing question: “you think Obama’s been a bad president? Prove it.” More specifically, he issues the following challenge to Obama-doubters: “Your mission, Jim (and readers named something else), should you decide to … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, Healthcare, International Security, Leadership, Media, Nuclear proliferation, Peak Oil, Policy, Politics, Unions, War | Tagged David Frum, Democrats, Failure, Jonathan Alter, Libya, Nuclear proliferation, President Obama, Republicans, Weapons of mass destruction, WMD | 16 Comments

Could Michele Bachmann Really Bring Back $2 Gasoline?

Posted on Sunday, August 28, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Earlier this month, Republican presidential hopeful Representative Michele Bachmann boldly declared, “Under President Bachmann you will see gasoline come down below $2 per gallon again…That will happen.” She suggested she could achieve this goal by allowing more aggressive U.S. oil … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, Peak Oil, Policy, Politics, Taxes, Technology | Tagged ANWR, Gasoline, Michele Bachmann, Offshore drilling | 6 Comments

Conflict Correlated with Climate

Posted on Saturday, August 27, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Several months ago, I published the following chart to describe my theory on the underlying causes of instability. I confidently asserted that instability is “a positive feedback loop driven by weather, energy and food prices, currency fluctuations, repression, and demography.” … Continue reading →

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Posted in Climate Change, Defense, Food Security, International Security | Tagged Adaptation, Climate change, El Niño, La Niña, Solomon Hsiang, The Economist | 2 Comments

Why Is Jon Huntsman Running for President?

Posted on Saturday, August 27, 2011 by Chris Ladd

Jon Huntsman seems like a solid, reasonable guy with outstanding leadership credentials and a great head on his shoulders. He speaks like an adult. He has accomplished great things in both corporate life and public service, building an impressive resume … Continue reading →

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Posted in Leadership, Policy, Politics | Tagged GOP, Jon Huntsman, President, Republican | 7 Comments

Rising Inequality and Associative Mating

Posted on Friday, August 26, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

One theory I have dabbled with about rising inequality in the United States is related to the concept of natural selection. Smart people marry other smart people and have smart children. One might argue that this pattern has been constant … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Education, Finance and Economics, Mathematics, Policy, Politics | Tagged Asperger's Syndrome, Austism, Income inequality, Simon Baron-Cohen | 14 Comments

Leadership Is Not for the Lazy

Posted on Thursday, August 25, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

In 2003 or 2004, recently retired Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki held a breakfast for Harvard students who participated in MIT’s ROTC program and military veterans at the Kennedy School of Government. At the time, the situation in Iraq was at one of … Continue reading →

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Posted in Defense, Leadership, Policy, Politics, War | Tagged Field Marshal Erich von Manstein, General Eric Shinseki, General Petraeus, Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, Kursk, Leadership, von Manstein's Matrix | 3 Comments

Why Conservatives Are Cautious About Climate Change

Posted on Tuesday, August 23, 2011 by Chris Ladd

Rick Perry is making headlines with more Bachmannesque brayings. This time, he is accusing scientists of basically making up global warming as some sort of evil joke – the way they did with evolution. As the competition to win the nomination … Continue reading →