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In response to my comment on the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?, a reader brought to my attention something I never knew (although I admit being mechanically and automotively challenged). In addition to venting about the death of the electric car, he suggests also venting about big auto and the government not supporting diesel engines in autos. He points to this story, which notes, among other things:
Officials of DaimlerChrysler and Volkswagen said Tuesday that their Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, VW and Audi brands are designing nearly a dozen cars and sport utility vehicles with diesel engines using an emissions-cleaning technology called Bluetec.
Diesels account for almost half of all new passenger vehicle sales in Europe, where concern about greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy has been much greater than in the U.S. But they account for just 2 percent of the U.S. new-car market and can’t be sold in California at all because of emissions systems don’t meet the state’s standards, which are stricter than federal limits.
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Diesels can achieve 25 percent to 40 percent greater fuel economy than comparable gasoline engines but typically cost $1,000 to $2,000 more. In addition, they have a reputation for noise, odor and sooty emissions, in part because diesel fuel here has contained hundreds of times more sulfur than European diesel. But new federal rules resulted in the debut in October of low-sulfur diesel across the U.S., and diesel engine design has been greatly improved because of development work in Europe.
I, evidently, am one of many who suffer from “diesel knowledge deficiency.” In the U.S. it appears there are limited options if you want a car (as opposed to truck or SUV) with a diesel engine. My friendly reader points out he hasn’t experienced any of the alleged problems with his Jetta and that no one would know it was a diesel if they weren’t don’t know that the “TDI” logo on it means it has a diesel engine. And two years ago the Jetta surpassed a Prius both in mpg and how far you could travel on one tank in a test conducted by USA Today.
This certainly isn’t an ad for the Jetta or diesel engines since I’ve never had experience with either. But it’s been nearly 30 years since Jimmy Carter was lambasted for saying the energy problems we faced were the “moral equivalent of war.” It was true then and, sadly, even more true and pressing now as we have done little, if anything, to come to grips with the situation and seem to ignore existing technology that could improve the situation.
I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait till oil and coal run out before we tackle that.
Thomas Alva Edison
It seems like it’s always this time of year where I find myself compelled to do somewhat condensed book reviews rather than full ones. It may have something to do with the fact that I’m not obligated to anyone to do a full review of the particular book or it could just be I don’t have the time. Anyway, here’s this year’s December installment of brief book reviews:
Nothing’s Sacred, Lewis Black — This is a combination tongue-in-cheek autobiography and humorous pieces by Lewis Black, some of which appears in some of his shows out on DVD. I am one of undoubtedly many who had not heard of Black prior to The Daily Show. Some familiarity with Black’s live humor is necessary to completely enjoy this book. As Jon Stewart notes on a back cover blurb, “Lewis Black is the only person I know who can actually yell in print form.” If you’ve watched Black, that is truly what happens on the pages. If you haven’t, his vocal intonations and utter amazement may not come across. The ability to hear Black’s voice in your head as you read this adds greatly to the book. While not every page or chapter is a gem, the books is above average for politically-oriented humor and ain’t at all bad for the how a comic became a comic.
The I Chong: Meditations from the Joint, Tommy Chong — It seems somewhat ironic that I stumbled across this book — which deals with comedian Tommy Chong’s federal imprisonment for distribution of drug paraphernalia — in the airport in Istanbul, Turkey. It’s a far cry, though, from Midnight Express. In part autobiographical, the book deals largely with Chong’s conviction and imprisonment. He focuses on the perceived unfairness of his sentence given his celebrity status but also makes clear that his stint in the joint certainly wasn’t hard time. Although traces of Chong’s humor show up in the book and he makes a valiant effort to show the impact of his spiritual ponderings since then, Chong has a tendency to ramble. That’s not surprising given his style of humor but it undercuts the book. The lack of direction leaves it coming off more as a work he quickly dictated to a typist than a truly insightful or thoughtful analysis of what his case means with respect to the “war on drugs” and post-9/11 America.
The Echo Maker: A Novel, Richard Powers — I know this won the National Book Award for fiction. I will also admit it has a very interesting premise and that Powers does a generally good job exploring that premise. Still, I can point to other fiction works this year I thought were far better. The premise? Mark Schluter, 27, suffers a closed head injury in a car accident just outside Kearney, Neb. When he regains consciousness, he recognizes friends and his surroundings. He is convinced, however, that although the woman attending him might look like his older sister Karin, she is really an imposter. It is a real condition, known as Capgras syndrome. As Powers explores the syndrome and its impact on Mark and Karin, you occasionally feel as if you’re reading an Oliver Sacks book. In fact, Karin brings a character like Sacks into the picture and he, too, must deal with changes wrought by Schulter’s experience. The concept and a twist near the end involving the book’s mini-mystery make it an interesting but at times overlong read. I am also enough of an “illiterati” that I never did fully get the connection with the Sandhill cranes that are both a theme and subplot to the book.
If there is a hell, it is modeled after junior high.
Lewis Black, Nothing’s Sacred
- As regular readers will know, I usually only mention the Argus Leader when it’s done something to irritate me. It’s time for a hat tip, though. Its editorial blog, Voices, does a great job responding to the idiots who won’t leave the death of Judge Lee Anderson alone.
- SD Moderate caught something that escaped my attention. The long-awaited task force study on school funding doesn’t provide any real answers, eliminating an excuse the Legislature has used not to address the issue. How much do you want to bet the new “reason” for not addressing it will be the lawsuit challenging school funding?
- It’s one of those “what if” things I occasionally think about that was brought to mind by a newsgroup posting last night. As I post this, the cost of the Iraq war nears $350 billion (with a B). In comparison, the cost of the entire Apollo program is estimated to have been $135 billion in current dollars. Blithely ignoring the national debt, what if we had spent that money in other areas?
- As long as I’m in the “what if” realm, I suggest buying or renting Who Killed the Electric Car? It is an excellent documentary about the release and ultimate destruction of wholly electric cars that most owners absolutely loved. While I don’t know how they would do in our winters, I think I would definitely consider owning one were they still made. The documentary raises valid questions about whether this energy-saving alternative was killed by the big car companies and big oil and examines other potential culprits, including the public.
[T]he one thing an agnostic knows for sure is: you never know.
Mary Doria Russell, Children of God
What with family activities, work and getting the new site ready to go, many of the normal things I’ve been neglectful of deal with recent changes in the SD blogosphere, most involving Todd Epp. The latter two have been duly noted in the blogroll at right:
- Todd has decided to give more legal focus to SD Watch, what with the elections over and, I presume, legal news kind of comes with the territory when you’re practicing law.
- Todd has also launched a new blog called High Plains Buddhist. Todd isn’t a Buddhist but says he is going to use the blog to “share some of my journey studying Buddhism and other philosophies.”
- Finally, Todd and PP have launched a joint blog called Left Dakota Right Dakota South Dakota. They plan to write about the same political topic from their perspectives as a Republican (PP) and a liberal Democrat (Todd). I enjoyed co-blogging with PP at the No on Amendment E blog so not only will this likely be an insightful blog, I know Todd will enjoy blogging with PP.
No society is good in which men fear to think — much less speak — freely
I.F. Stone, Best of I.F. Stone
So TIME Magazine has come up with its list of the best 100 albums, cutely called “The All-TIME 100 Albums.” While it’s no Rolling Stone, just for the heck of it, here’s the list with the ones I own on LP and/or CD in bold. Not surprisingly, most of my albums come from the 60s (11) and 70s (14) but only three from the 1980s on??? At least four of my desert island discs are on the list.
I’ll leave you to ponder the omissions and the occasional odd entries (e.g., Time Out of Mind instead of Blood on the Tracks), along with the fact the 2000s seem pretty heavy on compilations of music that predates the decade.
2000s
The Essential Hank Williams Collection: Turn Back the Years, Hank Williams
The College Dropout, Kanye West
Portrait of a Legend 1951 – 1964, Sam Cooke
Elvis: 30 No. 1 Hits, Elvis Presley
The Anthology, 1947 – 1972, Muddy Waters
Kid A, Radiohead
Stankonia, Outkast
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, PJ Harvey
The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem
1990s
Sunrise, Elvis Presley
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, Lucinda Williams
OK Computer, Radiohead
Time Out of Mind, Bob Dylan
Endtroducing…, DJ Shadow
(What’s the Story) Morning Glory, Oasis
Live Through This, Hole
My Life, Mary J. Blige
Ready to Die, The Notorious B.I.G.
Slanted and Enchanted, Pavement
The Chronic, Dr. Dre
Achtung Baby, U2
Nevermind, Nirvana
Out of Time, R.E.M.
Phil Spector, Back to Mono (1958 – 1969), Various Artists
Ropin’ The Wind, Garth Brooks
Star Time, James Brown
The Low End Theory, A Tribe Called Quest
1980s
Like a Prayer, Madonna
Paul’s Boutique, Beastie Boys
The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Public Enemy
Straight Outta Compton, N.W.A
Document, R.E.M.
Paid in Full, Eric B. and Rakim
Sign O’ The Times, Prince
The Joshua Tree, U2
Graceland, Paul Simon
Master of Puppets, Metallica
Raising Hell, Run-DMC
Legend, Bob Marley and the Wailers
Purple Rain, Prince
Stop Making Sense, Talking Heads
The Great Twenty-Eight, Chuck Berry
Thriller, Michael Jackson
Back in Black, AC/DC
1970s
London Calling, The Clash
One Nation Under a Groove, Parliament/Funkadelic
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols, The Sex Pistols
Rumours, Fleetwood Mac
Hotel California, The Eagles
Ramones, The Ramones
Songs in the Key of Life, Stevie Wonder
Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen
Horses, Patti Smith
Red Headed Stranger, Willie Nelson
Call Me, Al Green
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John
The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust, David Bowie
Exile on Main Street, The Rolling Stones
Talking Book, Stevie Wonder
The Harder They Come, Jimmy Cliff and Various Artists
Blue, Joni Mitchell
Coat of Many Colors, Dolly Parton
Hunky Dory, David Bowie
Led Zeppelin IV (a.k.a. Zoso), Led Zeppelin
Paranoid, Black Sabbath
Sticky Fingers, The Rolling Stones
Tapestry, Carole King
What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye
Who’s Next, The Who
After the Gold Rush, Neil Young
Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon and Garfunkel
John Lennon, Plastic Ono Band
Moondance, Van Morrison
1960s
Abbey Road, The Beatles
Bitches Brew, Miles Davis
Stand!, Sly & the Family Stone
The Band, The Band
Astral Weeks, Van Morrison
At Folsom Prison, Johnny Cash
Lady Soul, Aretha Franklin
The Beatles (“The White Album”), The Beatles
Are You Experienced, The Jimi Hendrix Experience
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, Aretha Franklin
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles
The Velvet Underground and Nico, The Velvet Underground
Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan
Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys
Revolver, The Beatles
Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan
Otis Blue, Otis Redding
Rubber Soul, The Beatles
A Love Supreme, John Coltrane
Live at the Apollo (1963), James Brown
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Ray Charles
King of the Delta Blues Singers, Robert Johnson
1950s
Kind of Blue, Miles Davis
Here’s Little Richard, Little Richard
Songs for Swingin’ Lovers, Frank Sinatra
In the Wee Small Hours, Frank Sinatra
Music is a world within itself
With a language we all understand
“Sir Duke,” Stevie Wonder, Songs in the Key of Life
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