Both MeteorBlades and I hope to have some material up on Sunday Kos looking critically at Keystone XL. Hope you join us, especially in comments, that's where some of the best action is on this site! But here's some macro-economic context to
tide you over:
The Chinese economy consists of taking raw materials and energy, making that into stuff, and then selling that stuff -- a/k/a "manufacturing." Chinese leaders understand that in order for that model to work, China needs steady supplies of raw materials and energy. But how do you get a steady supply of energy, in a world where those supplies are dominated by a cartel, and are concentrated in a part of the world prone to war? In America, we've been trying to puzzle that out for four decades, without success.
Well, the Chinese have figured it out. They're going to get their energy from Canada, a stable country, and pass it through the United States, another stable country. They will pay the Canadians the world price for oil. They will pay us nothing, or next to nothing. So Uncle Sam is Uncle Sucker.
- Tesla Motors is reportedly eyeing a new battery production facility, dubbed the Gigafactory, to mass produce power units at a lower cost for its line of sleek, electric cars.
- Kepler has found 715 new planets. And out of that number, all these nasty super-Earths are yours.
- I'm telling you guys, it may not be science and its definitely not Game of Thrones, but Vikings is awesome in my opinion!
- Texas Space Foundation is having a meeting in Houston for interested people. I don't have a website but if you are interested, let me know in the comments and I'll make sure the organizers respond to you!