Energy Alarmism: The Myths That Make Americans Worry about Oil

Many Americans have lost confidence in their country's "energy security" over the past several years. Because the United States is a net oil importer, and a substantial one at that, concerns about energy security naturally raise foreign policy questions. Some foreign policy analysts fear that dwindling global oil reserves are increasingly concentrated in politically unstable regions, and they call for increased U.S. efforts to stabilize -- or, alternatively, democratize -- the politically tumultuous oil-producing regions. Others allege that China is pursuing a strategy to "lock up" the world's remaining oil supplies through long-term purchase agreements and aggressive diplomacy, so they counsel that the United States outmaneuver Beijing in the "geopolitics of oil." Finally, many analysts suggest that even the "normal" political disruptions that occasionally occur in oil-producing regions (e.g., occasional wars and revolutions) hurt Americans by disrupting supply and creating price spikes. U.S. military forces, those analysts claim, are needed to enhance peace and stability in crucial oil-producing regions, particularly the Persian Gulf. Each of those fears about oil supplies is exaggerated, and none should be a focus of U.S. foreign or military policy. "Peak oil" predictions about the impending decline in global rates of oil production are based on scant evidence and dubious models of how the oil market responds to scarcity. In fact, even though oil supplies will increasingly come from unstable regions, investment to reduce the costs of finding and extracting oil is a better response to that political instability than trying to fix the political problems of faraway countries. Furthermore, Chinese efforts to lock up supplies with long-term contracts will at worst be economically neutral for the United States and may even be advantageous. The main danger stemming from China's energy policy is that current U.S. fears may become a self-fulfilling prophecy of Sino-U.S. conflict. Finally, political instability in the Persian Gulf poses surprisingly few energy security dangers, and U.S. military presence there actually exacerbates problems rather than helps to solve them. Our overarching message is simply that market forces, modified by the cartel behavior of OPEC, determine most of the key factors that affect oil supply and prices. The United States does not need to be militarily active or confrontational to allow the oil market to function, to allow oil to get to consumers, or to ensure access in coming decades

A survey of intestinal protozoa at the Stockton State Hospital : Stockton, California

During the past months much has been published in periodicals, especially those of a pictorial nature, which discredits institutions established for the care of\u27 the mentally ill throughout the nation. Many articles have been presented which show an intelligent approach, but the majority of these treatments are by those who are basing too much on a very narrow experience. For example, one news magazine recently printed a picture of a mental patient in institutional garb sitting on a bench in one of the poses most characteristic of a catatonic. The caption of the picture seemed to ignore this significant fact and instead to imply that the dejected pose was due to improper treatment. In this paper the author is neither defending the present mental institution, nor is he attempting to throw a verbal brickbat at the constructive work which is being done at institutions of this type. He is, rather, submitting an analysis of the prevalence and distribution of certain parasitic Protozoa in a large state hospital in the hope that the findings are of significance not merely in terms of institutional welfare but also in the more general terms of: (1) relationship between mental health and parasitic infections, and (2) regional differences in the incidence of such infections in California

Seasonal LAI in slash pine estimated with LANDSAT TM

The leaf area index (LAI, total area of leaves per unit area of ground) of most forest canopies varies throughout the year, yet for logistical reasons it is difficult to estimate anything more detailed than a seasonal maximum LAI. To determine if remotely sensed data can be used to estimate LAI seasonally, field measurements of LAI were compared to normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values derived using LANDSAT Thematic Mapper (TM) data, for 16 fertilized and control slash pine plots on 3 dates. Linear relationships existed between NDVI and LAI with R(sup 2) values of 0.35, 0.75, and 0.86 for February 1988, September 1988, and March, 1989, respectively. This is the first reported study in which NDVI is related to forest LAI recorded during the month of sensor overpass. Predictive relationships based on data from eight of the plots were used to estimate the LAI of the other eight plots with a root-mean-square error of 0.74 LAI, which is 15.6 percent of the mean LAI. This demonstrates the potential use of LANDSAT TM data for studying seasonal dynamics in forest canopies

Acquisition Reform

This report reviews the six most recent major acquisition reform reports, starting in 1949 with the Hoover Commissions and including McNamara's Total Package Procurement, Fitzhugh Commission, the Commission on Government Procurement,the Grace Commission, and ending with the Packard Commission report in 1986. The reports' recommendations are devided into six areas: centralized procurement, professionalization of the acquisition corps, management improvements, changes in contracting procedures, new development strategies, and legislative/executive relations.Lean Aerospace Initiativ

Exploring the relationship between reflectance red edge and chlorophyll content in slash pine

Chlorophyll is a key indicator of the physiological status of a forest canopy. However, its distribution may vary greatly in time and space, so that the estimation of chlorophyll content of canopies or branches by extrapolation from leaf values obtained by destructive sampling is labor intensive and potentially inaccurate. Chlorophyll content is related positively to the point of maximum slope in vegetation reflectance spectra which occurs at wavelengths between 690–740 nm and is known as the “red edge.” The red edge of needles on individual slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) branches and in whole forest canopies was measured with a spectroradiometer. Branches were measured on the ground against a spectrally flat reflectance target and canopies were measured from observation towers against a spectrally variable understory and forest floor. There was a linear relationship between red edge and chlorophyll content of branches (R2 = 0.91). Measurements of the red edge and this relationship were used to estimate the chlorophyll content of other branches with an error that was lower than that associated with the calorimetric (laboratory) method. There was no relationship between the red edge and the chlorophyll content of whole canopies. This can be explained by the overriding influence of the understory and forest floor, an influence that was illustrated by spectral mixture modeling. The results suggest that the red edge could be used to estimate the chlorophyll content in branches, but it is unlikely to be of value for the estimation of chlorophyll content in canopies unless the canopy cover is high

Military Transformation and the Defense Industry after Next

Though still adjusting to the end of the Cold War, the defense industry is now confronted with the prospect of military transformation. Since the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, many firms have seen business improve in response to the subsequent large increase in the defense budget. But in the longer run, the defense sector\u27s military customers intend to reinvent themselves for a future that may require the acquisition of unfamiliar weapons and support systems.https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/usnwc-newport-papers/1016/thumbnail.jp

"WHERE THE MIX IS PERFECT": VOICES FROM THE POST-MOTOWN SOUNDSCAPE

In recent years, the city of Detroit's economic struggles, including its cultural expressions, have become focal points for discussing the health of the American dream. However, this discussion has rarely strayed from the use of hackneyed factory metaphors, worn-out success-and-failure stories, and an ever-narrowing cast of characters. The result is that the common sense understanding of Detroit's musical and cultural legacy tends to end in 1972 with the departure of Motown Records from the city to Los Angeles, if not even earlier in the aftermath of the riot / uprising of 1967. In "'Where The Mix Is Perfect': Voices From The Post-Motown Soundscape," I provide an oral history of Detroit's post-Motown aural history and in the process make available a new urban imaginary for judging the city's wellbeing. To do this I utilize archival research and interviews in order to recover the life stories of a group of Detroiters in their struggle to change and be changed by Detroit's soundscape during the post-Motown era. A diachronic study, my dissertation starts by revisiting Detroit's role in the modern soundscape from musicians, dancers, promoters, and critics who experienced the city's numerous ballrooms and clubs, listened to its charismatic radio DJs, and produced its studio-driven sound. However, as my dissertation proceeds, I pay special attention to the emergence of a new soundscape in the 1970s with a new set of heroes—club DJs—and an audience that both reflected and resisted the racial, sexual, and class hierarchies of the period. Detroiters experienced the impact of this subterranean population in the ensuing years as the genres of disco, hip hop, house, and techno emerged and the city's residents mixed together as they had rarely done before or since

Exploring Strategies Leaders Use to Engage Employees

The purpose of this qualitative, single case study was to explore strategies that leaders used to engage employees. The conceptual framework for this study was Saks\u27s multidimensional approach to employee engagement. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 5 leaders from an office design company in the midwestern region of the United States who had a minimum of 2 years of experience of engaging employees. Company archival documents related to employee engagement were also collected. Data analysis consisted of compiling the data, coding for emergent and a priori codes, disassembling the data into common codes, reassembling the data into themes, interpreting the meaning, and reporting the themes. Seven themes emerged from data analysis: (a) communication, (b) employee involvement, (c) employee development, (d) top-down approach with manager buy in, (e) flexibility with time, (f) tailored strategies for different demographics, and (g) engagement with the workspace/environment. The implications of this study for positive change are that organizational leaders can incorporate these strategies to engage employees to achieve a competitive edge over competition. Engaged employees could benefit local communities and could have the flexibility to participate in community activities and foster positive social change

Limits on aboveground net primary production, leaf area, and biomass in vegetational zones of the Pacific Northwest

Samples of mature vegetation from 8 of 12 major vegetational zones in Oregon and Washington, representing about 80% of the area of the two states, were studied along a latitudinal transect from the Pacific Coast to the east slopes of the Cascade Mountains. Six stands were in forest zones, one in woodland and one in the shrub-steppe. Aboveground net primary production (NPP, estimated as the sum of stem, branch, and foliage production) ranged from 0.3 to 14.7 t ha-1 yr-1, aboveground biomass from 3 to 1500 t ha-1, and area of all sides of leaves from 1 to 40 ha ha-1, with minimums in the shrub-steppe zone and maximums in the coastal forest zone. Average day air temperatures were less than -2°C only 2% of the winter at the coast, contrasted to 87% in the shrub-steppe. Although annual precipitation ranged from 20 cm in the shrub-steppe to 260 cm at the coast, it was a relatively poor predictor of stand structure and production. Maximum leaf areas were closely related to a simple growing season water balance in seven vegetational zones. In the subalpine conifer zone, leaf area appeared limited by temperature. Of the water balance components, evaporative demand alone accounted for 95% of the variance in leaf area. Biomass and NPP increased linearly with leaf area up to a leaf area of 20 ha ha-1. Biomass continued to increase with increasing leaf areas. NPP was also linearly related to minimum January temperatures. Except In the coastal forest zones, NPP for any given leaf area was less than maximum values reported for other mature systems elsewhere in the world