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Oct 11

31

EVs help celebrate Solar Oregon’s 32nd annual event

Posted by Mac on October 31, 2011
Posted in A Sustainable Life • Electric Vehicles (EV) • Solar  | Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments yet, please leave one

Please join us Saturday, November 5th, noon-4pm to celebrate Solar Oregon’s annual get together at the World Trade Center in downtown Portland.  The public is invited.

If you’ve been reading this blog you know I’ve been associated with Solar Oregon for several years, first as a volunteer, then as a Solar Ambassador, and now as a Board member. Well, I’m proud to announce that this coming weekend, Solar Oregon will be hosting our 32nd! annual celebration and membership meeting.

This event is an opportunity for Solar Oregon staff and board members give thanks to those who have contributed time, energy, money, and love, to the solar cause. We include a pinch of networking, a dash of information & education, toss in a few electric vehicles and chargers, then add just the right amount of organizational business, to make this a worthy event for anyone who attends.

This is a FREE event … please check the agenda to get the details … http://solaroregon.org/events/solar-oregon-annual-meeting-1/view    

or  >>click here to RSVP

 

***** 

What a week it will be for electric vehicle enthusiasts in Portland Oregon!

The new movie “Revenge of the Electric Car” is opening at the Hollywood Theater this Friday, November 4th and the director, Chris Paine, will be talking with the audience after the 7:00pm showing. The Oregon Electric Vehicle Association (OEVA) will be there and I’ll be there too to share in the revenge!

The very next day, Solar Oregon members will be showing off their own EVs at the World Trade Center courtyard. It should come as no surprise that our members are some of the very first owners of a Nissan LEAF or Chevy Volt. Many members are early adopters and electric vehicles and solar power go together like peas and carrots. 

Indeed, the theme of last year’s annual event was “Driving on Sunshine” and the OEVA participated and sponsored presentations such as: electric utility preparation for PEVs, testimonials from solar-powered EV drivers, and an update on the Oregon EV Project by JD Howell of ECOtality NA. It was a good turnout and everyone seemed to enjoy the show ‘n tell and the formal presentations, so we thought we’d do it again … only bigger!

Therefore, we asked our members to bring their new EVs to the party – in order to give neighbors a good look (or ride) – and to talk with others about their experience.

“An electric vehicle movement is afoot in Oregon.  Oregon is paving the way for EVs to gain momentum, garnering national and international recognition from automakers as a launch market for newly developed electric cars coming to market in 2011 and beyond, as well as attracting millions of dollars in federal monies to build out EV charging infrastructure.  The seeds for clean transportation have been planted with Oregon’s green ethos as shown in the highest concentration of hybrid cars in a very informed and motivated marketplace; in combination other factors such as integration of land-use and transportation (including bicycles and mass transit), visionary policymakers and favorable policies, and creative local companies – clean transportation is poised to take root and grow.”

~ Quoted from Drive Oregon website:  http://driveoregon.org/

Over the past year, there’s been a flurry of electric vehicle activity in Oregon and so much is going on that it is hard to keep track … like did you know???

  • Hollywood Fred Meyer store is the first in the nation to have installed one of ECOtality’s fast-charging EV charging stations;
  • AAA Oregon/Idaho will be one of the very first to add EV quick-chargers to their emergency roadside fleet;
  • Drive Oregon is about to hire their very first executive director;
  • Electric motorcycle co. Brammo Inc. raised $28 million in funding led by motorsports player Polaris Industries Inc;
  • Solar power and electric vehicles are both disruptive technologies.  [That’s right, but they are harmonious to one another.]

June’s edition of Solar Today featured this cover …“Driving EV – Best practices for establishing electric vehicle-charging infrastructure” and included a great article by Daniel Davids, President of Plug-in America, about lessons learned; and just last month, fellow Solar Oregon board member, Bruce Barney, a PGE employee, wrote about his experience combining his PV system with his EV (Nissan LEAF) in Getting to Zero Net Energy for transportation. http://solaroregon.org/news/getting-to-zero-net-energy-for-transportation/?searchterm=barney.

Professional member, RS Energy, knows that solar & EV go together like peas and carrots

Please contact Solar Oregon at 503.231.5662 if you’d like to volunteer, or join up to get plugged in www.solaroregon.com

Bruce Barney’s story was widely read and we often publish these personal stories on our web-site, newsletter, and on my blog.  For example see …

http://solaroregon.org/news/solar-oregon-ambassadors-celebrate-pv-ev-at-home

http://solarflareblog.com/?p=968 

http://solarflareblog.com/?p=1315

http://solarflareblog.com/?p=633

Hope to you see this weekend!

Oct 11

31

Happy Halloween!

Posted by Mac on October 31, 2011
Posted in naturehouse • Rants, Raves & Musings • Uncategorized  | No Comments yet, please leave one

Hoping you have a fun and safe Halloween from solarflareblog.com! 

Solarflareblog.com "gang"

Sister Sun

Sunny Tomoko

Dylan's costume

"Butterfly Princess"

Taka

Lovely Noriko

Snoop(y) - Doggy- Dog

Lily says … “ Please don’t teepee my house! ”

Oct 11

20

Come on America, let’s catch Belgium!

Posted by Mac on October 20, 2011
Posted in A Sustainable Life  | Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments yet, please leave one

Report from Solar Power International 2011 – Dallas, Texas

“Solar power will soon be the cheapest form of energy in U.S…” – Danny Kennedy, President, Sungevity

Of all of the solar industry spokespeople, experts, and pundits, I like Danny Kennedy most. He’s a straight talking Australian and I love it when he gets going on a good rant. Passion aside, the fact is I usually find myself in agreement with the guy on most topics. Kennedy says, “We don’t need to build a new technology, the solar tech we have today is excellent … what we need to do is sell it better.  What is required to scale this industry … is financial engineering.” He pointed out that there are three major costs involved: (1) cost of goods, (2) cost of sales, and (3) cost of capital. The solar industry has shown great improvement in the first two categories, he said, but not much on the third.

Today, he and his panel cohorts are telling the audience the solar industry needs to change its message.  Kennedy says, “We are way too modest as an industry.”  They tell us the solar industry is spotlighted to be responsible in the following areas …

  • Climate Change
  • Energy Security
  • Energy Source
  • Job Creation

That’s all?!  Well, this is a challenge.

Mike Casey, President of Tiger Comm, a media-communications company working for SEIA, pointed out the solar industry is matched up against entrenched technologies and fossil fuel industries who own Congress. The coal industry has over a hundred years of political and industrial influence that is tied heavily to transportation, especially the freight train industry because much of it is transported by rail.  Lobbyists for these industries have long been instituted in Washington D.C. and their clout is indisputable.  Even so, it is evident that the solar industry is making progress on all fronts, but we need to promote these advances, especially in light of the recent failures of Solyndra and Evergreen.

Although solar power is considered the most popular form of energy sector by most Americans, it is the least supported energy in the nation. People know that sunlight has been around for billions of years and will be available for billions more to come. There isn’t a peak problem with the Sun like there is for fossil-based fuel sources. So, we got that going for us.

SolarWorld declares war on China

Of course, the big buzz of the day belonged to the announcement that SolarWorld filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Commerce and International Trade Commission claiming unfair practices on the part of Chinese solar manufacturers. The complaint identifies 200 subsidies that the Chinese government provides its solar industry — including raw materials, tax exemptions, below-market loans and huge discounts on land, power and water.  Although the filing appeared timed to correspond with the SPI, the news was unwelcomed by many here at the conference. It put a damper on the entire show and was topic of conversation on the exhibit floor. Maybe it was my imagination, but it seemed quieter at the Chinese company booths after that announcement was made.

Sure, I have an opinion, why do you ask?

I was invited by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) to give my opinion about solar energy and the role SEIA plays in the industry. An outside agency was hired to conduct focus groups to gain insights on developing the brand. The purpose of this research is to determine if the brand captures the value that the organization offers to its members and the industry. I chose the afternoon session which lasted about 90 minutes. My group of twelve included a good cross-section of the solar industry and it was a fun exchange.

Session Notes

These are the sessions I attended:

  • Expanding Residential Solar Markets
  • The Utility and Industry Case for Community Solar
  • Financing Residential Systems
  • Market prospects for solar in North America: New data and emerging trends
  • Merger & Acquisition: Strategic Partnering and Consolidation in the Solar Space
  • Solar Jobs: Real & Growing
  • Corporate Social Responsibility – hosted by SEIA’s EHS Committee

At a session on residential solar a graph was displayed which showed the U.S. residential solar market (installed) way behind Japan, Germany and … Belgium. Belgium?! One speaker said, “surely we can match a country of only 10 Million. How can we hold our head up if we don’t? Our rally cry should be – let’s catch Belgium!” Indeed.

As we head into Q4 2011, solar module (over)supply is about double the current demand. We’ve seen this coming, but it still is surprising how much inventory is available at such lower prices. We wanted scale, well now we’re getting it, so next is to build demand and I, for one, am ready to do just that.

Europe will be one-half of past demand, while Japan and U.S. markets are increasing year-over-year. Estimates are that U.S. solar market will account for 25% of the entire global market and we should get close to 10 Gigawatts by the end of 2015. Getting to scale is costly for everyone, especially manufacturers.  A major market driver is the dropping prices of solar modules, but this situation has a negative impact in that lower prices = lower margins, and solar manufacturers are struggling to survive. I think we’ll see a few more fall to the wayside over the next year. Won’t Fox News be absolutely giddy?!

Even thin film products, such as what First Solar produces, are dropping in price and experts predict that thin film will make inroads against silicon products by taking 25-30% of the market in the near future. I’ve heard this before.

Utilities ownership of solar power has doubled.  In 2010 ownership grew from 9% to 18% of the market by capacity.

JP Ross, VP of Sungevity, said “this unstable U.S. solar market is like living in the Bay Area earthquake zone, where many small to large quakes come and go. You never know when the next BIG ONE is coming, but you know it will eventually.”

SolarCity – John Stanton, VP, Gov’t Affairs

  • 17,000 completed projects to-date with a solid pipeline.
  • Currently has 1,300 employees with openings for hundreds more
  • $1.4 Billion in project financing & capital acquisition
  • Is connected to the emerging Electric Vehicle (EV) industry via company chairman, Elon Musk, who also owns Tesla Motors.
  • Planning an IPO on NASDAQ for November 2011

Sungevity – Danny Kennedy, President and JP Ross, VP, Strategic Relationships

  • Offers third-party financing for people who don’t have the up-front capital and want to “pay as they go” for their electricity
  • Now in eleven states where (residential) rate structures are competitive – 5 new states in 2011
  • Currently employs 300 people in Oakland California (up from 160 last Spring)
  • Provides $1.5 Million of installed solar per day

SunRun – Ethan Sprague, Director, Gov’t Affairs

  • Now has 25% market share in residential solar market (as of Q3 2011)
  • Expanded into 9 states and data shows that their solar leases make up 58% of the U.S. residential market and that percentage is growing.

Mignon Marks, CalSEIA, introduces the panel

Community Solar

Only 1% of New York City residents can own and site a solar array on their household. That’s it. In fact, research shows that only 25% of the entire residential inventory in America can own rooftop solar, so this leaves 75% of our residents who cannot.  This is a social inequity issue in many people’s eyes.  Community solar, via virtual metering, aggregated metering, solar share programs, and the like, will allow for broader participation and create opportunities for people to invest in clean energy who otherwise cannot.

It can appeal to the 40 Million rental households in the U.S. who cannot contribute or participate in residential solar energy as they are outside the current market.  If solar advocates and energy businesses can solicit these folks by developing “community” programs even a modest percentage will add megawatts more to the grid.

Tom Price, Director of Policy at Clean Path, is helping to create a favorable atmosphere for community solar in California. He mentioned California’s proposed solar gardens bill (SB 843 Community-Based Renewable Energy Self-Generation Program). This so-called “Solar Gardens” bill is similar to Colorado’s Community Solar Gardens Act of 2010. I like this idea and think all state houses should be considering this kind of legislation rather than the on-again/off-again incentives and rebates we’ve been carving out state by state. Oh, how I yearn for a comprehensive federal energy policy.

Gilley's Honky Tonk was, as they say in Texas, a hoot!

SPI Dallas – After Hours

The rather downbeat mood of the day wasn’t at all evident in the after-hours events – that’s for sure.  Yeehaw … they sure throw a good party in Texas!  I made it to a number of company-sponsored events, but the SPI-sponsored “Block Party at Gilley’s” was by far the largest single party I’ve ever been to in my entire life. Looked like more people were at this honky-tonk (the size of a football field) than at the conference itself.

In the spirit of the venue, SolarWorld hired a Mariachi Band to play at their reception at a downtown Dallas Tex-Mex place.  There was buzz in the air about the unfair practices petition, but most people avoided the topic, and plenty were watching the local Texas Rangers play in the MLB World Series. The margaritas helped dull the pain.  Come to think of it, I didn’t see a single Chinese person at the SolarWorld party. Huh!  Well, I guess they were over at Gilley’s riding that mechanical bull.

Same Time Next Year

SPI 2012 will be in Orlando Florida.  Ughhhh … another place I don’t particularly care for.  This coming year will be one of chaos and consolidation in the solar industry, so I may attend just to keep a seat on the solar coaster.  There are some huge questions for the solar industry that need to be answered, such as:

  • Will U.S., Japan, and China markets evolve enough to gobble up the module oversupply?
  • Will the U.S. become the largest global photovoltaic market as projected?
  • Will the federal tax credit survive Congress and continue until the intended deadline of 2016?
  • Will solar photovoltaic be able to compete with fossil fuel pricing by 2015? (rate parity)

This business is not for the faint of heart, my friends.

The party is over for this year

Quote of the day: “Levelized cost of energy (LCOE) will lead solar to be the lowest cost option for 66% of the U.S. housing market by 2015.” – JP Ross    http://energytechnologyexpert.com/cost-of-power-generation/how-to-calculate-the-levelized-cost-of-power-or-energy/

Oct 11

18

SPI 2011 – Rick Perry is a no-show

Posted by Mac on October 18, 2011
Posted in A Sustainable Life • Solar • Solmac Solar  | Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Opening Day * Dallas Convention Center 

SPI 2011 – Dallas, Texas Oct 17-20

I don’t much care for Texas, never have, other than that cultural oasis they call Austin, there isn’t much to like really. Therefore, I wasn’t crazy about attending the Solar Power International (SPI) Conference this year because it is being hosted in Dallas. I went anyway as it is an uncertain time to be in the solar business, I wanted to know what is really going on, and I needed to be with my peeps.  

 http://www.solarpowerinternational.com/2011/public/enter.aspx   

A representative from Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) one of the conference sponsor/organizers told me that Rhone Resch, President and CEO, invited Governor Rick Perry to attend the conference to welcome twenty thousand plus visitors to Texas.  [Years past, when the SPI was held in California, then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger always found the time to welcome attendees to the conference and to his golden state.]  John Stanton (SolarCity) told one session audience that his CEO, Landon Rive, visited Gov. Perry personally to urge his participation; but to no avail, and in the end Perry is a no-show.    

Downtown Dallas

Gov. Perry must be smarter than he appears, because he didn’t bite the hand that feeds him, namely the massive oil and gas industry. For some strange reason, Perry just can’t seem to find a way to support both – Texas’ fossil-fueled economic engine and solar power – and I just don’t understand that?!    

Solar supporter!

Is the little engine that could (the solar business – representing 1% of U.S. energy mix) really be threatening the big, bad, billions of the fossil fuel industry here on its own turf?    

If so, then the solar business has arrived!     

State of Solar Roundtable including Arno Harris, Recurrent Energy, and Barry Cinnamon, Westinghouse Solar

I like the experience of registering at an international industry conference like SPI. I look at the official conference program guide and glance at the main sessions and panels, verify times, and then attack the exhibitor list with a vengeance.  I find out who’s here and who’s not. That is very telling. The market is in chaos and competition is stiffening, and what may have once been a collaborative industry in its infancy, is now dog-eat-dog, especially for the low margin businesses.       

As I made my list of booths to visit, I realized how many are Chinese companies. This shouldn’t surprise, as this is indicative of the real-world global solar industry. China is fully committed to it, especially as an export business, and we’re clearly not. And, because of the recent failures of Solyndra and Evergreen Solar, U.S. government investment in solar is being lauded as the thing NOT to do. Most of this noise comes from the media, national political circus, and the oil & gas companies, but this concern is also shared by millions of Americans.  More on this later.

First Impressions    

Everything is BIG in Texas – including the carbon footprint

The Dallas Convention Center is a sprawling concrete edifice and not much on aesthetics. Inside the building, it takes about 20 minutes to walk from end-to-end, and I’d say the exhibit floor held the largest number of booths ever for SPI North America.  I haven’t seen the official attendance, but my guess is more exhibitors, and fewer conference attendees, this year than last.    

More of a Latin flavor at this show with Solar Mexico signs, South American company logos, and Spanish being spoken all over the exhibit floor.  This makes sense – Texas location. I ran into a guy from Iquitos, Peru who I had met in China earlier this year, his name is Hector Soto Arrue’ and he is Gerente General of PROENERGY AMAZON.  It was interesting talking with him about his dream of bringing distributed solar to the Amazon. 
  
It is hard not to notice the growing presence of some of the largest U.S. corporations now in the solar industry.  Some examples from the exhibit floor:  
  •  Dow Corning – Solar Solutions
  • General Electric – GE Energy
  • DuPont – Photovoltaic Solutions 

Celebrity Sightings    

Hollywood Stars Larry & Matt

 Larry Hagman, known for his role as J.R. Ewing the oil baron on the “Dallas” television show of yesteryear, is now a spokesman for SolarWorld and was seen hanging out at their booth with Matthew Lind, who is an account manager for commercial sales.    

Environmentalist and actor Ed Begley, Jr. of “Living with Ed” fame is a featured guest at the Sanyo booth.     

Trends & Big Announcements    

  • The Solar Foundation 2011 Jobs Report was published and released at the conference. 
  • Leasing programs are booming and will comprise half the residential market in the coming year.
  • The only product in short supply is credit. Expect financial institutions to soak up a larger piece of the solar profit pie.
  • Utility-scale solar developers are exploring outside of the Southwest, and are moving away from the multi-hundred megawatt (MW) systems in favor of systems in the 10-MW to 30-MW range.
  • SunEdison, a large scale solar developer owned by MEMC, is aggressively moving into the residential solar market.  Same for First Solar.
  • The Solyndra stink is difficult to scrub off – like a skunk spray … however, political and legal maneuvering isn’t affecting the global market: installations will double, module production will quadruple, driving prices ever lower. It is assumed that most players will make money, except for solar module makers.
  • As the module price war intensifies and margins shrink, many module manufacturers are diversifying into additional products and services: BOS, leasing, project development, etc… Horizontal integration now looks safer than vertical integration. [Hey, Ocean Yuan, Grape Solar, might have been right all along!]
  • Molten Salt systems are coming to drive down the cost of Concentrated Solar Power.

  • Price Break!  Sun Electronics Int. announced the lowest price/watt for solar energy … ever.  Their solar module pricing at $1.00/watt is the first time in solar history we’ve seen a price this low.  It came a lot sooner than most were prepared for and is a harbinger for the future, for both good and bad, of the global solar business.  Buyer beware, I’m thinking these might be cast-offs, so check it out at www.sunelec.com.

 Solar Jobs: Real and Growing    

The Solar Foundation 2011 Jobs Report    

In the political realm and in the media, there are questions being raised regarding growth of “green jobs” in America.  While I know little about other RE markets and their impact on jobs, I do know that there is solid data about the U.S. solar market supporting the proclamation that solar companies employ over 100,000+ workers in America. This was verified by the publication of the National Solar Jobs Census  which was presented at this conference by The Solar Foundation, SEIA, and NREL/DOE. As of August 2011, the National Solar Jobs Census 2011 identified more than 17,198 solar employment sites with 100,237 jobs, a growth rate of 6.8 percent.    

If this data is accurate there is good growth in the solar market sector and it is bucking the employment trend in America.  Overall employment in the sector was up 18-36% at the end of 2010. Solar (PV) Installers grew 51-66% and electricians 42-55% as compared to 2009. The numbers flux because not every job is “solar-specific” … that is to say some are combo-jobs for large businesses (like developers, general contractors, electrical firms), so the employee may not be working solely on a solar project.  Of course, 100K is very small when compared to 177 million jobs in USA, but it is important to note that it is the fastest growing energy segment.     

Hype Factor  Thousands of people are now being trained, or are considering training, for green jobs, but many still cannot find a paying job. This causes frustration in the work force, especially for the unemployed or underemployed and there is a backlash as many people ask …“where are all of these green jobs?”     

People who casually follow the headlines are bombarded by reports of “explosive green job creation” in a down economy, but they don’t see much evidence to support this, so they consider it so much hype.  In fact, it is both … a reality (jobs are being created in solar) and hype (not as much as was/is being reported, projected, expected or promoted.    

Azuray Technologies – an Oregon company

Oregon is doing better than most and our solar energy industry employs more than 3,300 workers, making it the nation’s eighth biggest state for solar jobs (tied with Texas), according to this new study by The Solar Foundation. 

PV Tracker – an Oregon company

Perhaps more noteworthy is how much Oregon’s solar workforce has grown in one year. Our solar industry was identified as having just 872 jobs in the 2010 census, (which we all knew was too low!) and it has grown 284% to 3,346 across 545 different employers, ranking it eighth overall and among the six fastest growing markets for solar employment.    

Naturally, sunny California topped the list by a sizable margin. Here’s the breakdown of the top 10 states for solar jobs:    

  • California – 25,575 solar jobs
  • Colorado – 6,186
  • Arizona – 4,786
  • Pennsylvania – 4,703
  • New York – 4,279
  • Florida – 4,224
  • Texas – 3,346
  • Oregon – 3,346
  • New Jersey – 2,871
  • Massachusetts – 2,395

Contrast this information with the fact that the fossil fuel industry is shedding jobs every year, not creating them. The oil industry is down -2% in employment while their prices and profits are ever-increasing. I’m told they’ve lost 11,000 jobs and the coal industry now only has about 60,000 jobs total in the U.S..  (*Warning, I hadn’t fact-checked this data at the time of this posting.)

Oct 11

17

When 3 Nines beat a Full House

Posted by Mac on October 17, 2011
Posted in A Sustainable Life • Rants, Raves & Musings  | Tagged With: , | No Comments yet, please leave one

“People don’t vote on the issues, they vote on attributes …” – Mark McKinnon, Campaign Strategist

I’ve got to admit, I’ve been watching the Republican Presidential Candidate Debates on TV (from Dartmouth College and Las Vegas) and I must say, I’ve found them pretty damn entertaining in a perverse way.  I may be one of very few people who tuned in.  Jay Leno was joking about these debates on the Tonight Show and asked his studio audience, “so, who watched the republican candidates debate last night?” … and not a single person clapped, coughed, or groaned, just dead silence. Leno giggled and responded with “I know, it was on the Bloomberg Channel … who watches that?!”   

It isn’t just that, Jay, it is way too early for most citizens to care about the 2012 race, and besides, we’re all busy trying to survive the results of the last three presidential campaigns, thank you very much.  

Jerry Springer show lives again!

Some people are watching now because the gloves are coming off and it is beginning to look like a MMA Cage Fight.  Governors Rick Perry (TX) and Mitt Romney (MA) are attacking one another personally and repeatedly. The last debate was the most contentious yet, with sharp attacks, finger pointing, frequent bickering, and one-upmanship. It was punch – counter punch all night. Gov Perry’s “Romney-care is like Obama-care” bitch-slap was a good one, but Romney hit back and pointed out there are over a million children in Texas without health care. (Ouch!)

I’m not sure what to think about Rick Perry yet. Granted, he’s not the smoothest debater and he comes off as brash, but that’s something many voters like, especially Texans. They cut the guy some slack, and say look, he wasn’t on the debate team, he was “most popular” in high school and a cheerleader in college.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (MN) attacked Gov. Perry’s past when he supported the devil himself –Senator Al Gore (gasp!).  Hmmm, I guess she’s mad at Perry for pulling away all of her voters. Bachmann’s campaign is fading fast and her blank stare throughout these debates is rather unnerving.  She really hates government regulations, huh!

One oddity is the campaign of Herman Cain which is on the raise at the moment. Cain has been gaining notoriety for his book tour and especially for his 9-9-9 simplified tax code plan. I’ve never heard of the guy before (he was CEO of Godfather’s Pizza) and I’d have to ask him … so, who’ll be your running mate, Papa John? (I stole that one from Jay Leno.) He exudes confidence and his story is compelling, he may be the only one who has gained from these debates.  Well, I hope his book tour is a big success, because not sure he’ll be around this time next year.

Rep. Ron Paul (TX), always the contrarian, said it is crazy to “blame all of America’s problems on the past two years” – going against the GOP’s ‘Obama is the reason for everything bad in America’ mantra – but then he blasted Allan Greenspan, Ben Bernanke, TARP, Dodd-Frank legislation, and his fellow GOP candidates.

Newt Gingrich snoozed through the debates and blamed Jimmy Carter for the housing crash. Huh?!  [He must think it is still 1980 …. shhhhhh ….don’t anyone tell him any different.]

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (PA) comes off as edgy and pissed off, doesn’t he? He doesn’t trust Herman Cain and wants “morality to be included” in his economic plan. I guess he sees Cain’s 9-9-9 plan as a 6-6-6 plan. 

Jon Huntsman said Cain’s “9-9-9” sounds like a pizza deal (a veiled Godfather Pizza reference). I actually like Huntsman, the former Gov of Utah, mainly because he sounds most like an adult in this pack of fools. He skipped the Las Vegas smackdown to campaign in New Hampshire and reportedly said he was “completely embarrassed” and called the debate ”more game-show-like than anything else.”

To his credit, Ron Paul said he was “disgusted” by the atmosphere of the last debate and said he felt like walking off stage at one point. Former House Speaker, Newt Gingrich, said the interaction between Romney and Perry made him “very uncomfortable” and they “hurt the entire Republican Party.” [Gee, ya think?!]

In the end, the real winner of these GOP presidential debates might be … President Obama.

I ask you my fellow citizens, is this leadership? 

If it is what leadership looks like today, is that what we want?  Don’t we the people deserve much better? How can one look seriously towards these candidates and find the leadership we need to move us forward. I dunno, not from what we’ve seen so far.

I’m not satisfied with President Obama and our dysfunctional and negligent Congress and I know I’m not alone. The next election might get down to the ‘devil you know versus the devil you don’t know’ kind of choice for many Americans. The idea of that is so disappointing.  (Sigh)

Ding … Ding … Ding … Round 3 commmmmming up … grab a beer … it’s fight night in America!

Oct 11

5

RIP Steve Jobs

Posted by Mac on October 5, 2011
Posted in A Sustainable Life • Rants, Raves & Musings  | Tagged With: , | No Comments yet, please leave one

Steve Jobs died today. 

This was not unexpected considering his health issues, but this one really hurts! 

Innovation … a core product of American ingenuity and export, took a blow when Steve Jobs left us here to fend for ourselves. He was someone I admired and a symbol of my generation’s imprint on the planet [for both good and bad consequences.]

Just think what the world would look like today without Steve Jobs? 

It would be different, that we do know, because there is no denying his impact on the planet. His dream-making companies like Apple, NeXT, and Pixar impacted the way everyone uses technology and consumer products. Today, Apple is one of the biggest companies in the world.

Jobs wasn’t a perfect person, who is?  He did better in life than anyone would ever have imagined given his start, and certainly better than most humans who’ve passed through before him. People called him an ego-maniac and a perfectionist, and that may well be true, but I’ll always remember the young Steve Jobs so full of himself after the Mac was launched. Man, he was a force to be reckoned with. 

I’ll never forget that picture of him sitting cross-legged on the floor with his shaggy hair and fiendish grin – just hugging that Mac.

I’ve never read his autobiography, or any book written about him (yet), but I heard the folk lore about him especially while working in high tech all of those years. After high school graduation in 1972, Jobs enrolled at Portland’s Reed College, but dropped out after only one semester. He had his struggles, but always came out on top. In a speech Jobs gave at Stanford University in 2005, he said being fired from Apple was the best thing that could have happened to him. He said, “The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”  I know what he meant.  

In the end, his death certificate listed his occupation simply as “entrepreneur in the high tech business”.  Indeed.

He left us with this … “There is no reason not to follow your heart” – Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

Amen, brother.  RIP.

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In case you’re from another planet and don’t know who Steven Paul Jobs was, or you want to know more about the man … http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs