Harry Grinnell, who was co-author James Coplien’s grandfather, was a life-long postal worker, but many of his life’s accomplishments can be found in his avocations. His father was an alcoholic and his mother a long-suffering religious woman. Grandpa Harry dropped out of school after eighth year to take a job in a coal yard...

When I meet old friends and they ask, "How are you?" I often reply, "I'm fine; it's the world I am worried about." "Aren't we all" is the common response. Most people have a rather vague sense of concern about the future, but some worry about specific threats such as climate change or population...

Our world faces an unprecedented energy crisis. Fuel shortages, skyrocketing energy prices, climate change, nuclear contamination, catastrophic oil spills and energy wars define the global scenario. The nonrenewable energy path of oil, natural gas, coal and nuclear is headed for a dead-end at an accelerated speed. In our race for survival we...

The demand for coal use (for electricity generation) and coal products, particularly liquid fuels and chemical feedstocks, is increasing throughout the world. Traditional markets such as North America and Europe are experiencing a steady increase in demand whereas emerging Asian markets, such as India and China, are witnessing a rapid surge...

When the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize went to former Vice President Al Gore and an international scientific body that warned of serious consequences if Earth's temperatures continue to rise, the award underscored the international concern about the Earth's changing climate. Most scientists agree that global warming is a serious threat, and...

The utilisation of renewable energies is not at all new; in the history of mankind renewable energies have for a long time been the primary possibility of generating energy. This only changed with industrial revolution when lignite and hard coal became increasingly more important. Later on, also crude oil gained importance. Offering the...