Ladd #1

I told my friend Ladd that he should have a blog where he comments on the articles he's reading. He regularly posts to Facebook with great articles and interesting commentary, but didn't seem too interested in going any further than that. So here's an article, his commentary, and my comments.
The article is called "Cheaper Solar in India Prompts Rethink for Coal Projects" from Bloomberg Markets on May 31, 2017

My summary of the article:
In India, the price of producing power by burning coal appears to be going up, and the price of electricity produced by solar panels has come down. As a result, some companies are investing less in traditional coal-fired power plants and looking to expand into solar power. There are some skeptics (the article only lists one by name, with a quote), though, who sound convinced that the price point for solar-produced electricity is artificially low and won't be sustainable over a long period.


Here's what Ladd has to say:Given human nature, it's likely that as long as fossil fuels are cheaper and more convenient than clean energy every last drop of them will be burned. However, if other technologies become the more convenient option the whole climate change angst will disappear overnight.


What is Ladd saying? I think Ladd's point is related to the article in that he thinks that climate change concerns are more likely to be solved by market dynamics and convenience to consumers and businesses than by climate accords, demonizing big business, making people give up things, or electing a more liberal (or environmentally-minded) President of the U.S. 


What do I think?Ladd's probably got this right. He didn't say much though, and I am reading a lot into his actual comment. Here are some things I noticed from the article:

   

1) The graph doesn't break out a difference between wind, solar, or other renewable types of energy. That seems like an issue because it really focuses on solar power expanding, but where are the numbers?

2) Hydroelectric power continues to get the shaft by not being classified as a renewable. I'm biased on this because my dad has worked with hydroelectric plants for about 30 years, but they're great when they're built appropriately. Cadillac Desert demonizes a lot of the dams and hydroelectric plants built in the American West and Midwest, but the real problem with most of those was that the Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation were corrupt and they shouldn't have built a lot of those projects. The book is outdated now, but the outrage people feel because of some really bad dams is still with us. 

Comment on a comment in "An Interview with Gianluigi Buffon"

"It is a very common mistake that we think we’re ignorant of something because we are unable to define it."

This is a quote from an interview with Gianluigi Buffon. (I don't follow soccer much, but I know he's one of the best goalkeepers ever.)

Sometimes our definitions of knowledge are too narrow. We memorize a list and say we know it. We learn how to ride a bike and say we know how to do it. We learn a new language to a certain degree of utility and say we know how to speak it. None of that is inappropriate or inaccurate. What gets my attention is differences between types of knowledge and how we define them. Academic classes where the grade is based on multiple-choice questions hold some of the most narrow parameters for measuring knowledge. On the other hand, there's this guy Gianluigi Buffon, and things like soccer. 

Much of what happens in this life we don't see. It's hard to recognize the Holy Spirit sometimes and, at least for me, to be able to sit down and say "that was definitely it." It does happen though. What we don't know is interesting, too. How many times have we acted on inspiration or a prompting and not recognized it? How often does God work through us with our cooperation, but without our conscious cooperation?

Some day, when the blinders are off and we can see everything, we'll know exactly how much the Holy Ghost was interacting with us. People who lived their whole lives without any idea of what the Holy Ghost is will be familiar with it, and they'll have some knowledge of it, even if they were conceptually ignorant of it or unable to define it in this life. Because they really weren't ignorant at all, in Buffon's sense. They were just unable to define it.

What does Trump's "EXECUTIVE ORDER: PROTECTING THE NATION FROM FOREIGN TERRORIST ENTRY INTO THE UNITED STATES" actually say?

So I went and read the Executive Order that people are calling a #muslimban. (It's not that long.) I can see why people are worried, and I think we should make real efforts to help any refugees that come to us.

I also understand that halting the flow of refugees from specific locations could be detrimental for people who need immediate help.

Here's what I learned from the text though: 

It doesn't mention Islam or Muslims.

The ban isn't permanent. There are time-bound reports required regularly from the Secretary of State and Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence is in the loop. 

The Secretaries of State and Homeland Security can make exceptions "including when the person is a religious minority in his country of nationality facing religious persecution, when admitting the person would enable the United States to conform its conduct to a preexisting international agreement, or when the person is already in transit and denying admission would cause undue hardship."

There are public reports required every six months that will include information on terrorist-based activities by foreign nationals and "information regarding the number and types of acts of gender-based violence against women, including honor killings, in the United States by foreign nationals."

It emphasizes the role of "State and local jurisdictions" in placement and settlement of refugees. So states and possibly cities(?) could determine how many refugees they are willing or able to resettle.

Every refugee admitted will need an interview (no waivers), and there is a request for funds to train more Consular Fellows and have them learn languages so that they can conduct the Visa interviews.

The number of refugees is capped at 50,000 for 2017. That's a low number, but it's not as comparatively low as I thought. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/01/30/key-facts-about-refugees-to-the-u-s/

A quick commentary: there's no doubt that administrative requirements can be twisted to carry out mean agendas. That's definitely a possibility here. Still, the text itself doesn't look insane. It looks like he's trying to make a reasonable effort toward preventing something many people perceive as a real threat.

Here's a link to the Executive Order:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/27/executive-order-protecting-nation-foreign-terrorist-entry-united-states

Blake Mills and Danielle Haim - Heart of Mine

Phoenix - Sometimes in the Fall

Vampire Weekend - Step

MAN OH MAN OH MAN.

"Back back way back I used to front like Angkor Wat"

"Stale conversation deserves but a bread knife."

(Whoever's doing the RapGenius breakdown of the lyrics to some of these Vampire Weekend soungs must be a big music fan/reader and maybe a comparative lit major or something. http://rapgenius.com/Vampire-weekend-step-lyrics He or she really seems to know his/her stuff. Note the EAST BAY SHOUT OUTS, even more than California English)

Jim James - Of the Mother Again

Dirty Projectors - Temecula Sunrise

The Feelings - Friends Rock and Roll

I like this song a lot.

The Flying Burrito Brothers, Yo La Tengo - Tried So Hard