In an op-ed piece in today’s NY Post, Arthur Herman relates an interesting development in the Middle East. Israelis have found two vast offshore reserves of natural gas. Will the discovery promote peace? Will Israel’s hostile neighbors make nice to get a much needed resource? The country has already struck a deal with Palestinians. It would export the product in liquid form. Herman also speculates on how this will affect Russia, which has a near monopoly on the distribution of energy to Europe, where environmental laws prohibit exploration. Fortunately, greenies will not prevent this precious resource from being extracted in the Middle East. Russia lost out to an Australian firm on a contract to develop these new reserves. How will Putin react? Although Herman didn’t mention this, I wonder if the Russian leader will encourage Iran to attack Israel, eliminate a competitor. Modern technology has revived traditional energy forms. They remain the most feasible and cost-effective measures. Of course, this does not mean that alternatives shouldn’t be researched and tested. Although I got a fiendish delight out of the recent colossal failures in green initiatives, I realize that improvements and innovation should always be pursued. It’s just that the smug self-righteousness of strict environmentalists is so annoying. Al Gore predicted that that polar ice would have all melted by now. Since he said it, it has expanded significantly. Well, he did have a book and film to promote. Anyway, I recently read an article that focused on two executives of a big oil company, Shell, I think, who firmly believe that global warming is occurring and that it is the product in part of the burning of fossil fuels -- but it doesn’t prevent them from searching for new reserves. They are realists who know mankind cannot at present prosper without them. They are even pleased at the melting of the ice caps, which has made search and extraction easier. I only know this: the planet has been warming since its inception. Without that warming life would not have come about -- there would have been no United States of America. Has man made pollution accelerated the warming to a dangerous level? Many scientists believe it has. Others disagree. I know also that China and India are not going to stop their development to please alarmists. They are improving the lives of millions, pulling them out of poverty. If indeed global warming is a danger, it makes more sense to make plans to minimize its effects than to make laws that will cripple established economies, laws the developing world will ignore, negating the effects of them. As always, these issues will come down to pluses and minuses. Right now the pluses of fossil fuels outweigh the minuses by a landslide. Then again, what do I know. Science was by far my worst subject.
I had the energy to haul a couple of crates of books to the dreaded viaduct, which is clear of snow and ice. Although I had no sales, there was a Morty sighting. 79, he's been battling cancer. Since I hadn't seen him in months, I feared the worst. He's a positive as he was when he was a salesman making big deals. In his prime, he would have had no patience for a small-timer like me.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Horror Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
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