Thursday, October 2, 2014, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)
We will start the new quarter with a discussion of political issues that will likely dominate the election in November. We will use this TED Talk by Jonathan Haidt to get started. He is concern with the political divide between the Left and the Right. One side sees an issue as existential, like an approaching asteroid. While the other side sees the same issue as minor or a hoax. Watch the video to see his examples of Political Asteroids. Come with you own examples of Political Asteroids that we can discuss in the upcoming meetings in October.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Getting to Zero Carbon Emission
Thursday, September 25, 2014, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)
In spite of all the promise of the gas and oil fracking boom, it still emits significant amount of carbon into the atmosphere. Here is a TED Talk by Bill Gates about the need to get to zero carbon emission. Spoiler Alert: He is advocating nuclear energy.
This is the last meeting for the quarter. Please come with suggested topics for the next quarter, or even better, leave a suggestion on the blog.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Fracking, Part 2
Thursday, September 18, 2014, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)
We will continue our discussion on fracking, this time focusing on the articles that Bill distributed in the last meeting. Please take time to read the articles and use this week to find supporting or opposing material on the web.
Natural gas is now so plentiful, that it needs new markets. It is replacing coal to generate electricity and it will soon be exported as LNG. Bill has several articles about how natural gas will provide the feedstock to a revived chemical industry.
However, natural gas does not convert economically to the liquid fuels needed for transporation. Our last TED speaker, T. Boone Pickens, wanted to covert our commercial truck fleet to run on natural gas to free us from imported OPEC oil. However, this became a moot issue with the boom in fracked oil, as shown in this TED talk.
---------------------------- Update 9/18/14 ----------------------------------
During the meeting we discussed the minority opinion that the current shale gas boom is not sustainable. Here are two books that take this stance:
1) Snake Oil: How Fracking’s False Promise of Plenty Imperils Our Future, by Richard Heinberg. We showed a portion of his talk from YouTube. His talk used data from the first shale gas play, the Barnett.
2) Cold, Hungry and in the Dark: Exploding the Natural Gas Supply Myth, by Bill Powers. His book covers many of the other shale plays in the U.S.
We will continue our discussion on fracking, this time focusing on the articles that Bill distributed in the last meeting. Please take time to read the articles and use this week to find supporting or opposing material on the web.
Natural gas is now so plentiful, that it needs new markets. It is replacing coal to generate electricity and it will soon be exported as LNG. Bill has several articles about how natural gas will provide the feedstock to a revived chemical industry.
However, natural gas does not convert economically to the liquid fuels needed for transporation. Our last TED speaker, T. Boone Pickens, wanted to covert our commercial truck fleet to run on natural gas to free us from imported OPEC oil. However, this became a moot issue with the boom in fracked oil, as shown in this TED talk.
---------------------------- Update 9/18/14 ----------------------------------
During the meeting we discussed the minority opinion that the current shale gas boom is not sustainable. Here are two books that take this stance:
1) Snake Oil: How Fracking’s False Promise of Plenty Imperils Our Future, by Richard Heinberg. We showed a portion of his talk from YouTube. His talk used data from the first shale gas play, the Barnett.
2) Cold, Hungry and in the Dark: Exploding the Natural Gas Supply Myth, by Bill Powers. His book covers many of the other shale plays in the U.S.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Fracking, Part 1
Thursday, September 11, 2014, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)
Bill and I will start a two part meeting on gas and oil fracking, both the pros and cons. Bill will bring some articles and I will bring some videos, but please don't let that stop you from bringing your own material to share with the group. To get things started here is a TED Talk by a famous right wing oilman, T. Boone Pickens, who believes in the need to address climate change but puts America first.
-------- Update 9/11/14 ---------
Here are links to the two videos that were shown in part during the meeting:
Bill and I will start a two part meeting on gas and oil fracking, both the pros and cons. Bill will bring some articles and I will bring some videos, but please don't let that stop you from bringing your own material to share with the group. To get things started here is a TED Talk by a famous right wing oilman, T. Boone Pickens, who believes in the need to address climate change but puts America first.
-------- Update 9/11/14 ---------
Here are links to the two videos that were shown in part during the meeting:
- Peter Hoffman, eco-chef who wants the EPA to regulate fracking
- Rob Jackson, Duke professor who investigated water and air contamination from fracking
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