

-
Join 322 other subscribers
January 2026 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 -
Recent Posts
Archives
- May 2025 (1)
- May 2024 (1)
- May 2023 (1)
- May 2022 (1)
- April 2022 (1)
- March 2022 (1)
- December 2021 (1)
- May 2021 (1)
- December 2020 (1)
- October 2020 (1)
- May 2020 (1)
- December 2019 (1)
- May 2019 (1)
- December 2018 (1)
- May 2018 (2)
- December 2017 (1)
- September 2017 (1)
- May 2017 (1)
- April 2017 (14)
- March 2017 (1)
- February 2017 (1)
- December 2016 (4)
- October 2016 (1)
- August 2016 (1)
- May 2016 (2)
- April 2016 (30)
- March 2016 (30)
- February 2016 (21)
- January 2016 (1)
- December 2015 (1)
- November 2015 (1)
- October 2015 (2)
- September 2015 (1)
- May 2015 (1)
- April 2015 (1)
- March 2015 (1)
- January 2015 (1)
- September 2014 (1)
- July 2014 (1)
- May 2014 (2)
- March 2014 (3)
- December 2013 (3)
- November 2013 (1)
- October 2013 (2)
- September 2013 (1)
- August 2013 (2)
- June 2013 (3)
- May 2013 (1)
- February 2013 (2)
- January 2013 (3)
- December 2012 (4)
- November 2012 (5)
- October 2012 (1)
- September 2012 (2)
- August 2012 (4)
- July 2012 (2)
- June 2012 (2)
- May 2012 (6)
- April 2012 (8)
- March 2012 (12)
- February 2012 (22)
- January 2012 (21)
- December 2011 (25)
- November 2011 (24)
- October 2011 (25)
- September 2011 (26)
- August 2011 (36)
- July 2011 (40)
- June 2011 (50)
- May 2011 (50)
- April 2011 (45)
- March 2011 (30)
- February 2011 (24)
- January 2011 (21)
Categories
- Australia (1)
- Blogging (178)
- Book Reviews (24)
- Business (268)
- California (75)
- Central Asia (27)
- China (35)
- Clean Energy (67)
- Clean Tech (52)
- Climate Change (44)
- Comic-Con (2)
- Crime (28)
- Cyber war (1)
- Cybersecurity (1)
- Defense (240)
- Education (55)
- Energy Security (167)
- Fantasy (31)
- Finance and Economics (260)
- Food Security (30)
- General (6)
- Gun Control (1)
- Healthcare (43)
- Horror (17)
- Humor (43)
- International Security (148)
- Investing (49)
- Japan (1)
- Leadership (144)
- Mathematics (44)
- Media (217)
- Middle East (114)
- Music (1)
- Nuclear Power (41)
- Nuclear proliferation (38)
- Peak Oil (34)
- Policy (434)
- Politics (503)
- Port Arthur (2)
- Predictions (90)
- Russia (10)
- Russo Japanese War (1)
- Science (17)
- Science Fiction (52)
- Siege of Port Arthur (1)
- Smart grid (4)
- Social Security (25)
- Socialism (43)
- Solar (11)
- Special Guests (12)
- Tanks (9)
- Taxes (111)
- Technology (58)
- Terrorism (65)
- Texas (3)
- Thurston and Talbot (11)
- Uncategorized (19)
- Unions (42)
- War (185)
- Weird World War III (5)
- Wind (9)
- World War I (82)
- World War II (3)
- World War III (1)
- Writing (83)
Meta
Category Archives: Clean Energy
American Involvement in Libya Is a Bad Idea
Yesterday, the United Nations approved airstrikes on Qaddafi’s forces in Libya. The resolution apparently passed with ten votes, including the United States with abstentions from Russia, China, Germany, Brazil, and India. Now American forces may be fighting a third war … Continue reading
Sell to Sucker: Potassium Iodide for Sale!
©2011 Reflections of a Rational Republican Welcome to Tulipomania circa 2011. In 1624, a tulip bulb became so valuable that some wealthy merchants were willing to pay a sum roughly equal to their annual income for it. And so now … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, Investing, Media, Nuclear Power, Policy, Politics
Tagged Fallout, Nuclear power, Potassium iodide, Radiation, Tulipomania, Tulips
4 Comments
The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
I decided to break from tradition and to publish something a little less serious. I put together this little video using a program called xtranormal. It is satire on what many left bloggers write and think about conservatives. Huffington Post … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Climate Change, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, Food Security, Humor, Investing, Media, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Thurston and Talbot, Unions
Tagged Acid Rain, America, Child labor, Conservatives, EPA, Footbinding, Fox News, Hitler, Humor, Kennebunkport, Koch brothers, NRA, Sarah Palin, Satire, Thurston and Talbot, Vast right wing conspiracy
22 Comments
Saudis Shrug Off Day of Rage: Three Strategies to Suppress a Revolt Before It Starts
While the world was understandably distracted by Japan’s terrible earthquake and the tsunami in its wake, I have been monitoring one local Saudi woman’s blog to get a sense of how the March 11th Day of Rage progressed in Saudi … Continue reading
Posted in Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Investing, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Predictions
Tagged Day of Rage, Oil, Saudi Arabia
4 Comments
Debunking Peak Phosphorus
U.S. Rock Phosphate Production vs. Price, Source: Adapted from USGS data The media’s fascination with the prospect of peak oil has spread to another commodity — phosphorus. In Julian Cribb’s 2010 book, The Coming Famine: The Global Food Crisis and … Continue reading
Felling Pharaohs (Part VI): The Beatings Continue Because Morale Has Not Improved
A little over a month ago in the midst of Egyptian unrest, I warned that U.S. policy-makers should “be very afraid” of these developments because of their impact on crude oil prices. Now that Libya is in flames, its oil … Continue reading
Posted in Clean Energy, Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Predictions
Tagged Egypt, Libya, Oil, Saudi Arabia, Shia
2 Comments
Petroleum Prices and Peak Oil: Edging Towards a New Normal
“The beatings will continue until morale improves.” — Unknown Today I filled up my fuel-efficient Toyota with 11.24 gallons of fuel at $3.80 a gallon. And it’s only February. I shudder to imagine what prices will be by the time … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Clean Energy, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Investing, Policy, Politics, Predictions
Tagged ANWR, Oil, Peak oil, Toyota
10 Comments
Tortoises Trounce Solar Thermal!
Normally, I reserve this blog for more serious topics where there is an intersection among clean energy, national security, and politics. Oh wait, this post covers all three! Only, it’s not so serious. The New York Times published a story … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Defense, Energy Security, Humor, Politics, Solar
Tagged California, Caligula, Clean energy, Desert tortoise, Energy security, M1A1, National Training Center, Solar thermal, Tanks
5 Comments
Architecture of Anarchy
“Civilization and anarchy are only seven meals apart” — Spanish proverb Instability is a positive feedback loop driven by weather, energy and food prices, currency fluctuations, repression, and demography. Adverse weather conditions, in tandem with high energy prices and a … Continue reading
The Great Famine of 2011: Food, Fossil Fuels, and Fragmentation
“Our people take pride in the fact that they are blessed with great leaders from generation to generation” — High-level North Korean official on Kim Jong Un succession Poor Weather Reduces Crop Yields; Reduced Crop Yields Lead to Increased Prices… … Continue reading
Posted in Business, China, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Investing, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Predictions
Tagged China, CIA, Clean energy, Economics, Egypt, North Korea, Oil, Politics, Saudi Arabia, South Korea
4 Comments
