Showing posts with label Environment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Environment. Show all posts

Friday, February 17

Video: Alex Salmond's LSE Talk on Scottish Independence

Below is the video, and the podcast can be heard here. Salmond makes a pretty persuasive case and I wouldn't be surprised if, given enough time to make it, we see an independent Scotland someday.

Speaker(s): Alex Salmond MSP
Chair: Professor Paul Kelly

Recorded on 15 February 2012 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building.

Alex Salmond is the first minister of Scotland. He was born in Linlithgow in 1954. He attended Linlithgow Academy before studying at St Andrews University, where he graduated with a joint honours MA in Economics and History. He became the first ever SNP First Minister of Scotland in May 2007 and won the Aberdeenshire East constituency at the May 2011 election, when the SNP won a majority of seats of in the Scottish Parliament. MSPs re-elected him unopposed for a second term as First Minister on May 18 2011.

Sunday, May 1

Refreshingly Candid U.S. Senator Graham On Clean Tech, 'Polar Bear Politics', and Why Cap & Trade is DOA

U.S. Senator Lindsay Graham
I'm not sure whether there is something unusual about London or the LSE which triggers frank discourse from U.S. policymakers, or if honest talk is simply de rigueur for policymakers when they venture abroad.

Regardless, I highly encourage you to listen to this talk and Q&A from U.S. Senator Lindsay Graham. He speaks plainly about the the politics of climate change, what a big kick in the pants $5/gallon gasoline is for pols, and how the U.S. can prevent being left behind by China in the race to develop next generation clean technologies.

For more about Graham here is a NY Times Magazine piece from last year, and below is his bio:

Lindsey O. Graham was elected to serve as United States Senator on November 5, 2002. He serves on five committees in the U.S. Senate: Appropriations, Armed Services, Aging, Budget and Judiciary. A native South Carolinian, Graham grew up in Central, graduated from D.W. Daniel High School, and earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Graham logged six-and-a-half years of service on active duty as an Air Force lawyer. From 1984-1988, he was assigned overseas and served at Rhein Mein Air Force Base in Germany. Upon leaving the active duty Air Force in 1989, Graham joined the South Carolina Air National Guard where he served until his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994. During the first Gulf War, Graham was called to active duty and served state-side at McEntire Air National Guard Base as Staff Judge Advocate. He received a commendation medal for his service at McEntire. Since 1995, Graham has continued to serve his country in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and is one of only three U.S. Senators currently serving in the Guard or Reserves. He is a colonel and is assigned as a Senior Instructor at the Air Force JAG School.