Author: Richard Nestoff (Page 140 of 151)

Electric cars aren’t a done deal.

WSJ: Automakers get into mining.

WSJ: Automakers get into mining.

When General Motors began outlining plans in 2020 to fully switch to electric vehicles, it didn’t account for one critical factor: Many of the battery minerals needed to fulfill its plans were still in the ground.

“I remember seeing a report from our raw-materials team at the time saying, ‘There is plenty of lithium out there. There is plenty of nickel’,” said Sham Kunjur, an industrial engineer now in charge of securing the raw materials for GM’s batteries. “We will buy them from the open market.”

GM executives soon came to discover how off the mark those projections were, and now Mr. Kunjur’s 40-person team is scouring the globe for these minerals. 

“Why Magical Thinking isn’t Whimsical” or “No Shit, Sherlock” would also have been serviceable titles for this article. 

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Race shouldn’t be an advantage.

Furious parents marched their children across picket lines of striking teachers in Oakland, California, on Friday on the seventh day of a strike in which teachers are demanding reparations for slavery, among other demands.

Say what you want about France, but they don’t play “follow the leader”.  They protect their interests and make their own decisions.  On race relations, they seem to have a sensible policy.   I had some idea of how they handled diversity issues, so found this Brookings Institute article to be interesting.

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Give me a dollar.

WSJ: Tipping for Self Checkout

WSJ: Tipping for Self Checkout

People seem to be baffled and rankled by the simplest things.

Prompts to leave 20% at self-checkout machines at airports, stadiums, cookie shops and cafes across the country are rankling consumers already inundated by the proliferation of tip screens. Business owners say the automated cues can significantly increase gratuities and boost staff pay. But the unmanned prompts are leading more customers to question what, exactly, the tips are for.   

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Sparky may be racist.

I have a new refrigerator and my dog may be a racist.  Sparky likes everyone, but the delivery guys don’t know that and shouldn’t take my word for it.  As a courtesy, I had him in his crate.  As soon as Maurice looked at him, Sparky started barking like a bunch of turkeys were taking a shit in his yard.

I can’t explain it.  Sparky has met a couple of dozen friends and family since I’ve had him.  In my house and elsewhere, while he was in his crate or roaming around, men and women, dressed up and casual, he has always been cool.  Maurice has a dog, so maybe Sparky picked up the scent.  Otherwise, Sparky may be a racist.  He’s more than half black, so that makes it more troubling.

WSJ: Biden vs Trump

WSJ: Biden vs Trump

Look at people’s faces when you say, “Looks like it’ll be Biden and Trump.” Those faces tell you everything—the soft wince, the shake of the head, the sigh. Those are the emblems of the 2024 campaign right now.

It’s too early to tell.  Biden seems to be the walking wounded and nobody likes Kamala.  RFK Jr. is running and he seems like a normal kind of guy.  DeSantis is running, and there will be others. 

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