How do-able is that 20% to 30% reliance on wind-generated energy that's being predicted?

Tony Wikrent reports on the obstacles after attending the The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) Workshop as an ePluribus Media correspondent:

There are significant obstacles to realizing this potential caused by the neglect and withering of the U.S. manufacturing base. Contrary to the unrealistic beliefs of many who yearn for clean energy, heavy industry is absolutely essential to the development of wind powered electricity generation. In fact, the wind turbine generators now being developed and brought on line are mammoth industrial projects, that dwarf a Boeing 747 passenger jet in size. We are at the dawn of a new age of clean, renewable energy, but if we are to realize the full potential of this new era, there is no getting around the need to rebuild U.S. heavy industry and manufacturing.

Wikrent analyzes the American business landscape and suggests what we need to do. Read his full report on the Journal... what do you think? Are we being unrealistic about our ability to harness the manufacturing base needed to effectively and efficiently roll out wind energy?

If you like what ePMedia's been doing with research, reviews and interviews, please consider donating to help with our efforts.

In his ePluribus Media Journal Article, Academic Freedom and Student Rights in Politicized Institutions Aaron Barlow proposes a reasoned Students Rights policy. But before he does, he explains the necessity of remaining vigilant:

Today, we are witnessing a concerted attempt to politicize American public universities through the institution of direct legislative oversight. Bills have been recently introduced in Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Virginia, and West Virginia and other states that would allow politicians to meddle in the classroom.

On October 9, 2003, civilian contractor Kirk von Ackermann left a meeting at FOB Pacesetter near Balad, Iraq. His vehicle was found later that day abandoned in the Jabal Hamrin mountains, roughly 140 miles away with no sign of struggle and $40,000 in cash on the backseat.

ePluribus Media researcher and editor Susie Dow strings together the events of the last day of Kirk von Ackermann's known existence on earth.

And things just don't add up.

Read her article, Could U.S. Military Mechanics Hold the Keys to Finding Missing Contractor? on the ePluribus Media Journal, see her conclusions and come back here to discuss.

In his ePluribus Media Journal article How the West Was Changed: Degradation of the Townspeople After World War II in the American Western analyzing the Western film genre, Professor Aaron Barlow notes the demonization of the average American townie.

As a quick preview of his thought-provoking dissection:

On the other side of the coin, by contrast, the answer is that small-town Americans had fallen out of favor by 1960, out of favor with the “New York and Hollywood elite” (whose negative attitude continues today, with some calling the rest of the country the “flyover”). Filmmakers could no longer see a way of making the white townsfolk seem worthy of protection without being accused of a naïve and, eventually, racist viewpoint. For many, the McCarthy era of blacklists and low-level persecution, among other things (including the growing civil rights struggle), had soured the “everyday” American, though most continued to maintained their protective posture in terms of America and the world.

In his article for the ePluribus Media Journal, Adam Lambert takes a close look at relations between the US and Iran -- what might have been vs what the situation is today.

Iran made several attempts at diplomatic outreach towards the US in 2001, 2002 and 2003, but the Bush administration made the decision to rebuff and ignore these gestures and Iran quickly became an enemy of the Bush administration. One consequence of these decisions was the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as President as the more moderate leadership in Iran was pushed aside.

However, there is another side to this story, and another large consequence to the United States and its economy, as well as its energy policy (both current and future). And as a result of this gamble by the Bush administration, Iran has taken the opportunity to strengthen its position in the global economy, all while the US economy has floundered, its standing and influence in the world has decreased, and it is being shut out of a growing global alliance with respect to much of the world’s oil.

In the ePluribus Media Journal, read about the newest venture from the legacy media corporations: Google News, Yahoo, AOL and the last stand of the traditional Media -- quandrantONE

Already think of Google News or Yahoo! or even AOL News as the equivalent of your national newspaper?

The legacy newspapers can't be too happy about that trend.

Friday 2-15-08, in Media Firms Create ONline-Ad Network, the Wall Street Journal reported on the latest effort by traditional media to fight back: Gannet, Hearst, the New York Times Co. and the Tribune Co. are setting up a stand-alone online ad-sales network called quandrantONE.

As Rick Emonds in his Poynter Online column remarked yesterday,

the business constitutes a vote of confidence that there is money to be made placing national advertising in metro and smaller papers, once the current difficulties of varying specifications and billing systems are eliminated. That has been the pitch of the group of more than 600 papers that are hoping to launch a similar common platform in partnership with Yahoo later this year -- a move some say could boost member newspaper sites' online advertising 15 to 20%. Uncertainty over Yahoo's future probably makes the venture all the more timely and attractive to the four heavy-hitting partners.

In her analysis, Cho suggests that legacy news ad network quandrantONE is about more than just ad revenue. It's also about the legacy media companies most recent foray into to re-asserting ownership of its own content.

Do you agree?

We need your support! In order to keep on doing what we do and expand our services in 2008, we are turning to you -- our community -- for support.

Aaron Barlow reviews What Video Games have to Teach us about Learning and Literacy by James Paul Gee, New York, Palgrave MacMillan, December 2007, on the ePluribus Media Journal.

Barlow states,

This is one of those "duh" books. That is, there's nothing startling in it, just things that many of us teachers will say, on reading, "I should have thought of that." Thing is, we didn't; Gee did.

Video games have rarely been given any credit in a "learning" context, but as Barlow points out, perhaps we have sold them short.

Read the review on the Journal and come back here to discuss.

Aaron Barlow brings his perspective to this review of Waking the Dead: A Review of The Grateful Dead and Philosophy: Getting High Minded About Love and Haight edited by Steven Gimbel (Chicago: Open Court, 2007)

Barlow states:

But trivial this book is not. As Gimbel goes on to say, some of those Deadheads who argued all topics into the wee hours while listening to traded tapes of Dead shows went on to study philosophy seriously. This volume is the result.

Read the review on the Journal and come back here to discuss!

During the 2006 election cycle, ePluribus Media conducted a series of interviews with House and Senate candidates all over the country.

It is time to do this again.