To all my students, clients, readers, and other friends.
Those of you who have seen the air car (you can watch a number of films about it on youtube), or have seen the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car," (available through Amazon...but check to see if it's downloadable) I'd like your vote.
Please sign in and let me know which type of vehicle you think our new economy should cencentrate on developing.
I'll total the results periodically, let you know the status, and pass on your thoughts to the powers that be.
Let's hope we get lots of folks posting their opinions. Please tell your freinds.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
A dozen people to sit with at dinner
If you could sit and have dinner with any twelve people throughout history and discuss life, their thoughts, understand why they did what they did, their views of then and now, and any other questions or comments that come into your mind, who would those dozen people be?
Yes...they can also be alive now, or be long gone from this earth.
I've often thought about who I would choose. I even expanded my guest list to twelve from its original ten, but refuse to make it any larger.
I'd include people for their insight, foresight, wisdom, intellect, to tell me what really happened during their lives (or the part that historians explore), and what they think (or thought) of past events and how they view the world today.
It's tough to pick only twelve and I know that it can change from time-to-time but -
here's my list for now:
My Dad
Albert Einstein
Benjamin Franklin
Jackie Robinson
Cleopatra
Moses
Jesus
Mohammed
Buddha
Ghandi
Helen Keller
George Carlin
I'd love to hear who your picks would be, questions about why and/or how I decided on the people on my list, or any other thoughts.
Yes...they can also be alive now, or be long gone from this earth.
I've often thought about who I would choose. I even expanded my guest list to twelve from its original ten, but refuse to make it any larger.
I'd include people for their insight, foresight, wisdom, intellect, to tell me what really happened during their lives (or the part that historians explore), and what they think (or thought) of past events and how they view the world today.
It's tough to pick only twelve and I know that it can change from time-to-time but -
here's my list for now:
My Dad
Albert Einstein
Benjamin Franklin
Jackie Robinson
Cleopatra
Moses
Jesus
Mohammed
Buddha
Ghandi
Helen Keller
George Carlin
I'd love to hear who your picks would be, questions about why and/or how I decided on the people on my list, or any other thoughts.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The new Fatso
For some time now I've been showing the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car" to my students, particularly those in my ethics courses. Just recently I've begun to recognize that a euphemism that has been so rudely used to describe people could be applied very aptly to label corporations.
After watching the film I initiated a discussion with the students in class. We talked about how the technology patent for long lasting Electric Car batteries (that would enable them to go without a charge for at least 100 miles) had its controlling interest purchased by an oil company and how the gentleman who invented it was told to be silent about it.
That along with the automoble companies' distruction of their existing Electric Vehicle (EV) fleets, while a waiting list of consumers were requesting their use through lease and possibly purchase, left me with the obviously sickening feeling that the oil and automotive companies were growing enourmously Fat so we could continue to stuff their pockets with cash.
There's really no ethical basis for a car company to destroy a technology that would substantially eliminate carbon pollutants and help create a much cleaner and efficient vehicle. However, there is an economic one. As the movie well documents...electric cars mean no combustion engines, which mean less revenue for service and repair. And, we can't forget the long time symbiotic relationship between the automobile companies and the oil companies.
Driving along the turnpike yesterday I heard the news station mention that refineries were cutting back on production in order to raise prices at the pump so that they could increase profits. What! During this economic free fall, they're squeezing us more! Distasteful!! was my repsonse...ok maybe a bit more animated and colorful, but you get the idea.
The picture is putrid, but oh so clear. The car companies didn't run with a technology they knew would work, so they could fatten their corporate pockets. Fat so we could suffer.
The oil companies buy up the technology so we would be prevented from using something that could benefit us and the environment, while fattening they're already fat wallets. Again...getting more Fat so we could continue to suffer.
And...to add salt to our wounds - because the car companies didn't produce electric cars and instead opted for Hummers, Bummers, and Behemoths while the price of gas at the pump reached new heights (and is slowly creeping back up today...see above), we're left to bailout the very same people who got Fat so we could wonder what happened to automotive sanity.
Yep...we're free to use that long (and rightly so) unused word: Fatso. Because now...we found a whole new category of people (and companies) that deserve to be called that euphemistic descriptor.
And where are those Fatso Wall Streeters who took our 18 Billion? Please come forward - we all wanna see what you look like!
After watching the film I initiated a discussion with the students in class. We talked about how the technology patent for long lasting Electric Car batteries (that would enable them to go without a charge for at least 100 miles) had its controlling interest purchased by an oil company and how the gentleman who invented it was told to be silent about it.
That along with the automoble companies' distruction of their existing Electric Vehicle (EV) fleets, while a waiting list of consumers were requesting their use through lease and possibly purchase, left me with the obviously sickening feeling that the oil and automotive companies were growing enourmously Fat so we could continue to stuff their pockets with cash.
There's really no ethical basis for a car company to destroy a technology that would substantially eliminate carbon pollutants and help create a much cleaner and efficient vehicle. However, there is an economic one. As the movie well documents...electric cars mean no combustion engines, which mean less revenue for service and repair. And, we can't forget the long time symbiotic relationship between the automobile companies and the oil companies.
Driving along the turnpike yesterday I heard the news station mention that refineries were cutting back on production in order to raise prices at the pump so that they could increase profits. What! During this economic free fall, they're squeezing us more! Distasteful!! was my repsonse...ok maybe a bit more animated and colorful, but you get the idea.
The picture is putrid, but oh so clear. The car companies didn't run with a technology they knew would work, so they could fatten their corporate pockets. Fat so we could suffer.
The oil companies buy up the technology so we would be prevented from using something that could benefit us and the environment, while fattening they're already fat wallets. Again...getting more Fat so we could continue to suffer.
And...to add salt to our wounds - because the car companies didn't produce electric cars and instead opted for Hummers, Bummers, and Behemoths while the price of gas at the pump reached new heights (and is slowly creeping back up today...see above), we're left to bailout the very same people who got Fat so we could wonder what happened to automotive sanity.
Yep...we're free to use that long (and rightly so) unused word: Fatso. Because now...we found a whole new category of people (and companies) that deserve to be called that euphemistic descriptor.
And where are those Fatso Wall Streeters who took our 18 Billion? Please come forward - we all wanna see what you look like!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
For one day...you can forget about the mess we're in
The Super Bowl (and yes, its commercials) is a diversion.
Sports may be the opiate of the people these days, but geez - it's sure needed.
I know that many of you couldn't give a crap about the Steelers, Cardinals or the trophy the winner gets. Hmm...I'm on the cusp about the whole thing. Yeah, if the Eagles were in it I may be more ramped up, but we do need somethin' to take our minds off the ecomonic garbage dump we're in.
Even people who don't know that the Arizona Cardinals play in the suburbs of Phoenix, will be partying like it's 2009.
An aside...I really believe that sports leagues shouldn't allow teams to be named after states or their nicknames. I'm still trying to figure out where the Tennessee Titans play. And do the Golden State Warriors (our old Philadelphia Warriors - see it's easy to know where they USED to reside) play in San Francisco or Oakland or someplace else in the Bay Area?
So, act goofy, make pretend that the outcome really means something (like the players will be paying your electric bill or your kid's or your tuition - a reference to my dad's quote), have fun, scream as if they can hear you. But don't get angry and do something stupid if "your" team loses. 'Cause...it's really meaningless. Hate to break it to you all - but it is!
Oh yeah - and the New England Patriots play where?
Sports may be the opiate of the people these days, but geez - it's sure needed.
I know that many of you couldn't give a crap about the Steelers, Cardinals or the trophy the winner gets. Hmm...I'm on the cusp about the whole thing. Yeah, if the Eagles were in it I may be more ramped up, but we do need somethin' to take our minds off the ecomonic garbage dump we're in.
Even people who don't know that the Arizona Cardinals play in the suburbs of Phoenix, will be partying like it's 2009.
An aside...I really believe that sports leagues shouldn't allow teams to be named after states or their nicknames. I'm still trying to figure out where the Tennessee Titans play. And do the Golden State Warriors (our old Philadelphia Warriors - see it's easy to know where they USED to reside) play in San Francisco or Oakland or someplace else in the Bay Area?
So, act goofy, make pretend that the outcome really means something (like the players will be paying your electric bill or your kid's or your tuition - a reference to my dad's quote), have fun, scream as if they can hear you. But don't get angry and do something stupid if "your" team loses. 'Cause...it's really meaningless. Hate to break it to you all - but it is!
Oh yeah - and the New England Patriots play where?
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