1/ The California Coastal Records Project was founded in 2002 to create and maintain a complete photographic record of the Golden State’s spectacular coastline. Its primary aims were to track coastal resource degradation and expose violations on the part of developers. 2/ Led by a husband-and-wife duo – Kenneth Adelman, photographer, and Gabrielle Adelman, helicopter pilot – the effort captured more than 12,000 photographs, taken in 500-foot increments.

1/ In August, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz led a delegation of senior political and business leaders on a trip to Canada to beg Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to consider fast-tracking the approval of new LNG export facilities along Canada’s Atlantic Coast. 2/ Despite historic spreads between the price of natural gas in North America and the rest of the world, the drama-teacher-turned-cosplay-Prime-Minister professed to be unable to find a compelling business case for the proposal.

1/ The Sunday River ski resort near Newry, Maine is a sprawling 870-acre complex of 135 trails spread over eight mountain peaks. Known for its consistent, high-quality snow conditions, the resort is a popular destination for skiers of all skill levels. 2/ Like much of sparsely populated Maine, Sunday River is characterized by stunning landscapes of unblemished natural beauty. In the summer months, tourists can enjoy a round of golf, partake in a day hike, learn archery, or plan a float trip down the nearby Androscoggin River.

1/ On January 10, 1901, the world was changed forever. Up on Spindletop Hill, just south of Beaumont, Texas, an enormous geyser of oil exploded into the sky, much to the awe of the drillers who made it happen. 2/ The well gushed at a powerful rate of 100,000 barrels a day, far more than any oil-producing well in the country, initiating a historic economic boom that gave birth to the modern petrochemical era.

1/ On May 6, 1937, the German Zeppelin Hindenburg was on final approach for landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey. It was completing a cross-Atlantic journey from Germany and was running several hours behind schedule. 2/ Despite the delay, a large crowd of onlookers gathered to catch a glimpse of the iconic airship. As the Hindenburg dropped its landing lines to the ground crew waiting below, witnesses reported seeing a fire at the rear of the airship.

1/ It was only months ago that a leader of a G7 democracy granted himself temporary dictatorial powers, retroactively made protesting against his policies illegal, froze the bank accounts of dissidents with no due process, and jailed organizers of an opposition movement. 2/ When such events occur in places like Russia or China, people in the West are universal in their condemnation. When they happen here, many first consider whether the aspiring totalitarian is “on their team” before casting judgment. This is shortsighted thinking.

1/ The original iteration of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone is perhaps the most iconic television anthology in history. With 156 episodes aired over five seasons (1959-64), the CBS show broke new ground with its unsettling mix of suspense, drama, horror, and moral provocations. 2/ The show was meant to make viewers ponder deep philosophical questions by making them uncomfortable. Contrary to the belief that weaponized clickbait is the key to durable engagement, people enjoy being made to think, and Serling tapped into this desire with brilliant flair.

1/ A funny thing occurred in the gold market in March of 2020. If you happened to be in New York and in possession of four 100-ounce gold bars, you could have traded them for one 400-ounce gold bar plus a handsome premium – some say as much as $100 an ounce. 2/ That ~6% divergence in price was highly unusual and arose from the nature of contract settlement in New York versus London. COMEX contracts were settled with 100-ounce gold bars, whereas LBMA contracts used the 400-ounce variety.

1/ At its core, the human body is a symphony of chemical reactions. The complexities and interdependencies of the molecular machinery that makes our bodies function are almost too staggering to ponder. 2/ Chemical reactions are usually quite sensitive to temperature, and sensitivity to temperature varies substantially across reaction pathways. As such, temperature control not only dictates reaction rates, but it also influences product and byproduct distributions.

1/ On July 26, 1941, President Roosevelt seized all Japanese assets in the US and imposed a strict oil embargo on the country. Britain and the Dutch East Indies – the colonial predecessor to modern-day Indonesia and a major oil supplier to Japan – quickly followed suit. 2/ Virtually overnight, Japan lost three-quarters of its trade and nearly 90% of its oil imports. Faced with few options beyond a humiliating surrender to hostile foreign powers, Japan made the fateful decision to go to war with the US.

1/ In the second half of the 16th century, Britain plunged into an energy crisis. At the time, the primary source of energy driving the British economy was heat derived from the burning of wood, and Britain was literally running out of trees. 2/ As the supply of wood dried up, its price began to soar and inflation set in, compounding the problem and spreading it to all corners of the economy. With imports from continental Europe insufficient to close the growing supply gap, the resulting crisis was dire.

1/ The Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan is some of the most beautiful terrain in the United States. Long considered the premiere summer playground for vacationing Midwesterners, the UP is characterized by stunning forests, spectacular lakes, and largely unblemished nature. 2/ The population density of the UP is only 18 people per square mile, compared to over 27,000 in New York City. The two locations might as well be on different planets. New York is overflowing with rotting garbage on the sidewalks, while the UP is a slice of heaven on earth.

1/ Long-haul trucking is one of those industries that everybody relies on, but that few spend much time thinking about. The men and women who crisscross our highway system to deliver indispensable goods are among the unsung heroes of our economy. 2/ Without long-haul truckers our entire just-in-time economic system would quickly collapse, and almost all of them drive diesel trucks. Diesel is the engine of choice for providing superior torque at low RPM – critical for pulling heavy loads.

1/ Despite our ties to the digital world – one of follows, clicks, notifications, and engagement – we know the most rewarding experiences come from the real world, from doing things mechanically. 2/ Like the power of water distributed across a thirsty summer lawn through the mechanical arm of a sprinkler, the productivity of engineering-meets-brute force captures the spirit of those who appreciate getting stuff done.

1/ The words edible and eatable are often used interchangeably but embedded within their respective definitions is a distinction that makes an important difference. Edible means “safe to eat,” whereas eatable means “pleasant to eat.” 2/ A variant of the word eatable is delicious, commonly defined as “highly pleasant to eat.” Delicious certainly sounds more enticing than highly eatable, a phrase nobody would use to compliment an exquisite meal crafted by a professional chef.

1/ The mighty Mississippi River – and its direct access to some of the most prolific agricultural plains in the world – gives the US an incredible geopolitical advantage. Its importance to the US economy cannot be overstated. 2/ As noted by @PeterZeihan, “The Greater Mississippi system includes over thirteen thousand miles of naturally navigable, interconnected waterways—more than the combined total of all the world’s non-American internal river systems.” Incredible numbers.

1/ By systematically shutting down baseload-critical nuclear power facilities and replacing them with intermittent renewable energy, Germany has left itself – and by extension, the entire European Union – vulnerable to shortages of reliable sources of electricity. 2/ Germany further impaled itself by inhibiting domestic production of natural gas – the remaining option for producing reliable baseload power, having ruled out nuclear and coal – turning a mistake into a predictable catastrophe. The country put its trust in Putin instead.

1/ A thread of threads:

June 18, 2022: "Energy is Life"

https://twitter.com/DoombergT/status/1538202270680203264

2/ June 25, 2022: "Where Stuff Comes From"

https://twitter.com/DoombergT/status/1540663889804857344

1/ The US, Canada, and Mexico have enormous proven energy reserves and the technical know-how to become the dominant energy-producing region on the planet. It can be done cleanly, safely, and domestically – all while reducing the strength of our geopolitical enemies. 2/ Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent economic destruction in Europe due to an energy crisis of their own making should serve as a serious wake-up call to North America’s political establishment. It’s time to get serious about energy. Here’s how we should do it…

1/ As a fuel, natural gas has many compelling attributes. It burns cleanly and efficiently. It produces electricity and useful heat with less CO2 emissions and far fewer toxic byproducts than coal or oil. It is also abundant and ubiquitous. 2/ Natural gas does have a few unfortunate drawbacks. It is a fossil fuel and a gas at standard temperature and pressure. The latter makes shipping overseas a complex task that results in a particularly interesting global market.

1/ There’s a bureaucratic civil war ongoing within the US Government to regulate Bitcoin. In the broadly pro-Bitcoin camp sits the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which takes a favorable stance toward convertible digital currencies. 2/ In the trenches on the other side, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is assembled and making the battle increasingly difficult for the maxis. Gary Gensler has been steadfast in opposition to certain policy decisions that Bitcoin enthusiasts have been pushing for.