When ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips walked out of Venezuela last year instead of accepting radical changes to their previously agreed upon contracts, I think they could see the handwriting on the wall. As long as Chavez […]
Any Biomass into Oil
I have mentioned LS9 here on several occasions, because I think what they are trying to do is pretty cool. They are trying to engineer bacteria that can consume biomass and excrete hydrocarbons. I have […]
Condensed Summary of India
My Host Kapil in the Back Overall Impressions of India Here is a condensed summary of my overall impressions of my recent trip to India. The trip was business, but I got to see a […]
Off to India
Update: March 19 – Updated my travel blog. I will probably have to split that up into two essays when I have time, and I will add some pictures. Some Local Color Update: March 18 […]
Solar in Abu Dhabi (and Arnhem)
One of the consequences of higher oil prices is that a tremendous amount of cash is flowing into the Middle East and funding business ventures there. I see this a lot in my business dealings, […]
Someone Muzzle This Woman
Would someone please stuff a sock in this woman’s mouth? She is making an absolute fool out of herself every time she speaks: Ferraro: My comment wasn’t racist, it was fact First she says that […]
Debunking Robert Zubrin
A reader asked me a while back to take a look at the claims of Robert Zubrin, and comment. So I took a look at his claims, and while I found things that were wrong, […]
Today’s Stories of Interest
There were quite a few interesting stories today, so here are a few Drumbeat-inspired headlines and excerpts. Gasoline: Painful, and getting worse NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — So gasoline prices are at an all-time high. But […]
Farm Prices Headed North
What prompted my previous essay on the vicious circle that has been started was this story: Farmland prices continue to jump The latest results mirror a trend noted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in […]
A New Gasoline Price Record
Update: I am gasoline-centric like most in the U.S., but as a reader pointed out, diesel prices are way up there as well. Whereas gasoline just barely beat last May’s record, diesel is currently $1.00/gal […]