Author Archives: OGHD

Solyndra: Perpetual Motion Machine Wrapped in a Ponzi Scheme

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Now I know why the goofy name for this company.  Their one-trick pony is a cylindrical solar panel.   Solyndrical, plus a suitable Kumbayah web 2.0 ending, I get it.

The problem with these panels is the same problem with water injection to boost the expansion of an internal combustion engine.  Sounds dumb right?  Water kills fire.  Oh, but wait, if the heat of the fire is used to power the unbelievably explosive power of steam expansion, then you actually get MORE power from each ignition, right?  Amazing!  Oh, but… water kills fire.

Even if you can get the system to work consistently, the steam expansion would remove so much energy from the cylinder that a tremendous amount of fuel would be required just to keep the engine … Continue reading →

Thought Experiment: Grant-Milking Business Plan

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One of the ways that the Federal government could be defrauded is by applications for grants or loan guarantees in support of companies or projects which are designed to fail, but which extract large quantities of money from the government in the process.

What would such a business plan look like?  Features of such a business plan would probably include a mechanism for allowing those who would receive the greatest benefit to avoid personal (or corporate) liability in the event of a failure.  Other features might be a lack of meaningful oversight or accountability.  This sort of thing would be easier to pull off in an environment where there are indicators of regulatory agency capture.

It would be helpful to have a few examples to discuss.  At first … Continue reading →

Saudis Warn of Split With US

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[pullquote]the real message here is that we are already no longer on good working terms[/pullquote]It is remarkable that al-Faisal wrote this in the New York Times.  Why on earth should is be so public?  If the United States had a working relationship with Saudi Arabia, this would never have seen the light of day.  President Obama has estranged more allies in four (good Lord, THREE)  years than the previous thirty years of American government.  Mark my words: the real message here is that we are already no longer on good working terms, and it has little to do with Israel, and everything to do with the way the President treats allies who are insufficiently worshipful of His Serene Excellency Colonel Obama.

WASHINGTON — The United States must back a … Continue reading →

USA, Inc.

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If you would like to talk about America’s fiscal postion, this should be required knowledge.  Not just reading–any fool can read.  Knowledge.

USA Inc.is a non-partisan report that looks at the U.S. federal government (and its financials) as if it were a business. Mary Meeker, partner at KPCB and former financial analyst at Morgan Stanley, created and compiled the report with the goal of informing the discussion about our financial situation and outlook. USA Inc. examines the country’s income statement and balance sheet, aiming to interpret the underlying data and facts, and illustrate patterns and trends in easy-to-understand ways. The report also analyzes the drivers of federal revenue and the history of expense growth, and discusses basic scenarios for how revenue and expense growth might change to help … Continue reading →

Teachers union president says Mayor Emanuel ‘exploded’ at her – Chicago Sun-Times

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I kept trying to organize my thoughts on this, but I’ll summarize:  If Rahm Emanuel is gunning for the Teacher’s Union, I support Rahm.  A stopped clock is right twice a day, and arguing against it just makes you wrong.

The behind-the-curtain intensity of the battle was evident Friday, as Lewis described her meeting with Emanuel in the mayor’s office a few weeks ago. Sitting next to her in a chair in front of his desk, the mayor talked about adding 90 minutes to the school day, saying “I can’t have kids on the street at 2:15,” Lewis recalled.

“I called out what he was doing had nothing to do with education,’’ Lewis said. She said she told him, “So this is not about education. This is about … Continue reading →

Chicken Soup for the 9/11 Soul

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The inestimable Charles Krauthammer nails another one.  No we did not go crazy after 9/11 and create our own self-perpetuating climate of fear.

There was a terrorist threat before Al Qaeda, and there will still be one after it, but make no mistake — AQ is dying, and we killed it.

Al-Qaeda, uninvited, came out to fight us in Iraq, and it was not just defeated but humiliated. The local population — Arab, Muslim, Sunni, under the supposed heel of the invader — joined the infidel and rose up against the jihadi in its midst. It was a singular defeat from which al-Qaeda never recovered.

We have achieved successes that are more impressive the more you know about the problem.  And that in itself is a huge problem–to … Continue reading →

Force Protection

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Something that has always bothered me is “force protection” measures which have active duty military hiding among US civilians. “You don’t want to stand out in a hijacking–keep your military ID in a hidden pocket. No uniforms allowed. You may be targeted just for being in the military.” That sort of thing.
How dare the military hide among civilians?

I understand the desire to not have another Robert Stethem situation, but when the rubber hits the road, isn’t that why we’re here? At the last resort, to take the hit so that our civilians don’t have to?

We have lost a lot in the desire to understand and control situations which are better met with simple brutal action. The guiding principle I trust the most is “They … Continue reading →