Articles by Herbert Inhaber
Julian's Genius
A recent article on auctions in the science journal Nature sparked memories of my interactions with the late Julian Simon, the famed economist at the University of Maryland. David Porter of George Mason University in Virginia found ways to make...
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Energetic Eggs in One Basket
Long ago, our mothers and fathers told us not to put all our eggs in one basket. But this is what U.S. electrical utilities have done in the past few years. Now they, and their customers, are paying the price....
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The Ghost of Richard Nixon
Alan Greenspan, the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, is not known for clarity. His frequent presentations to congressional committees are so often wrapped in cotton wool that Wall Street usually moves sideways after his speeches -- which may...
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Bronx Cheers for Con Ed
Consolidated Edison, the supplier of electricity to New York City, recently announced plans to save electricity. The caps fly in the air, and "Huzzahs!" echo across the land. As with most public announcements by large corporations, things aren't as simple...
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Nice Nukes
Twenty-three years after Sweden voted in a referendum to phase out nuclear power as soon as possible, it's still needed. Vast amounts of money will be poured into nuclear reactors to upgrade them. In 1980, the year after Three Mile...
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More Equal Than Others
It is difficult to pick up a magazine or check out a website dealing with energy or electricity without finding an uncritical article extolling the merits of renewable energy. But, as George Orwell would have put it if he had...
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Toxic Shock Syndrome
Toxicology may sound like the most boring of subjects, but it governs most of the environmental laws and regulations on the books. Thus if it miscalculates, society may spend billions too much to clean up toxic substances. Indeed, it may...
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Modern Alchemy
Years ago, on a visit to Prague, now in the Czech Republic, I visited Hradcany Castle. It was like many other European castles, with one difference: it had some rooms devoted to the medieval science of alchemy - transforming one...
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The Energy of Stars
There he goes again. Robert Redford, the famed movie star, has criticized what he believes is excessive American energy use. Writing earlier this month in the Los Angeles Times, he says our present policies cause too much dependence on foreign...
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'We Know Where You Live' Part II
Students of history may recall Leon Trotsky, the founder of the Russian Red Army. Because of his importance, he had an inconvenient habit of appearing close to Vladimir Lenin in photographs. When Joseph Stalin became dictator of the Soviet Union,...
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