Columns

Did you know that First Lady Melania Trump is a “porn star?” She is not nor has she been such but there is a story, non-satire, at a website based out of Phoenix, first published in 2017, headlined “Yes, Melania Trump is a Porn Star, Here is the Proof.” [I’ve chosen not to include the link in order to not hype their efforts.] Their so-called proof is a somewhat racy but tame photo from her long and successful modeling career and their point bolstered by a contortion of some dictionary definitions of pornography and the word star. It is balderdash but exemplary of how the Internet is used. Knowing that most people will only read the headline and not critically review the argument made and sources used, the writers know the smear will be effective with many who come across their post, which will be given wide exposure by Google and other search engines which we know skew results to be anti-traditional values and pro-Leftist. Much of the traditional news media now operates in this same unsavory manner. They use questionable unnamed sources; justify stories by picking out quotes and memes from social media, or; go whole-hog and make up fake quotes as several prominent reporters have been exposed as having done. I was reminded of the effectiveness of this false journalism when someone took exception to Robert Zimmerman’s essay “Obama’s legacy of hate” on Facebook by quoting Wikipedia to discredit Zimmerman’s description of the Proud Boys. It was completely lost on the objector that Wikipedia is a third party and unreliable source and that Zimmerman was making the point that the group, the Proud Boys, has been libeled and slandered by media practitioners unwilling, uninterested, too agendized, or too lazy, to go to the primary source, the group itself, and actually read who they are and what they espouse and report such. Ignorant consumers of media enable false reporting born of the mendacity of those pushing such out. Share this:

Alex Mills By Alex Mills The automobile industry has searched for several decades for the solutions to the many problems it faces in developing vehicles powered by batteries solely. General Motors (GM) has a long history in trying to develop its EV1 electric car but discontinued that effort in 2003, but continued to offer hybrid vehicles, which operate on battery power with gasoline powered engines as backup. However, The Wall Street Journal reported this week that GM and Volkswagen say they see no future for hybrids and they will concentrate fully on electric vehicles. GM will develop some 20 styles of electric vehicles (plug-in) during the next four year under the Chevrolet and Cadillac brands. WSJ quoted GM President Mark Reuss: “If I had a dollar more to invest, would I spend it on a hybrid? Or would I spend it on the answer that we all know is going to happen, and get there faster and better than anybody else?” Tesla, which has struggled to successfully make battery-powered vehicles since 2003, sold some 182,000 automobiles in 2018, but has struggled to solve many issues such as price and batteries. “The transition to electric vehicles (EVs) brings a sea change in how battery makers, automotive manufacturers, governments, and sector professionals view the future of transportation,” according to Wood Mackenzie, an international consulting firm. “Often, the speed and scale of technological advancement outpaces the industry, and raises more questions than answers, in particular for governments and policymakers around the world.” Wood Mackenzie released a study last week analyzing the future of batteries and  the raw materials (lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite) used in making lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) as the projected demand for EVs increases. Wood Mackenzie estimated that by 2025 around 7 percent of passenger vehicle sales will be either electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, but that number reaches 38 percent by 2040, and will continue to rise. “Looking toward an electrified future, it’s easy to see how critical it will be to secure LIB metals and ensure a robust supply of raw materials,” the study stated. “Consider that we’ve already seen a nickel deficit develop and grow over the past few years, and we anticipate similar deficits in cobalt by 2026, and in lithium by 2032.” Sixty-four (64) percent of the mined cobalt came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has been in turmoil, and the process of converting spodumene into lithium chemicals is based almost exclusively in China, according to the report. One solution to bridge the supply divide and avoid a prohibitive deficit in raw materials is the recycling of these critical LIB metals. However, recycling has a host of complicated issues, too. “The shift to EVs won’t come without speed bumps, but it’s encouraging to know we’ll never run out of gas,” Wood Mackenzie noted. “New developments in the EV sector seem to run on a 24-hour news cycle—the temptation can be to get caught up in the advance of the moment—but it’s imperative to recognize both the long-term challenges—and potential—for the battery supply chain, and to develop recycling networks today that can fill the deficit in raw materials we’ll face tomorrow,” the study said. Alex Mills is the former President of the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers. Share this:

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an opinion piece

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