Hotel 22 - Santa Clara - Homelessness

Santa Clara - the county which encompasses Silicon Valley - has the highest percentage of homeless in America, according to the latest Department of Housing report.

Yet it also has the nation’s highest average household income and some of the most expensive homes in the country - all down to the high-tech economy on its doorstep.

The state’s minimum wage was recently increased from $8 to $10 an hour. “It’s a step in the right direction,” Mr Bramson says, “but unfortunately the self-sufficiency standard is around $15.

As a native of Santa Clara she has seen the area change beyond recognition.

It was once known for its orchids, earning it the nickname the Valley of Heart’s Delight. Until the 1960s, it was the largest fruit production region in the world and Del Monte was the biggest employer in town.

Eileen Richardson, Downtown Street’s founder, is a venture capitalist and former tech CEO herself, previously heading up the online music site Napster. She volunteered with the homeless on a sabbatical leave 10 years ago and was so shocked by what she saw she started up her own organisation to help.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/hotel-22-the-dark-side-of-silicon-valley-2014-11#ixzz3KoTesmih

NB: BW Issue e. July 21

Fight to Export US Oil

 - Refineries contribution to US GDP lessen if ban is released because refineries have less to refine. 

- June 2014: two companies can export ultralight type of crude called condensate (added to heavier crude to make them easier to refine)

- Over the past 3 yrs, WTI (West Texas Intermediate) oil has been $13/ barrel cheaper than Brent crude.

- US biggest refiner is Valero Energy; refiners are at 91% capacity

- Break-even price is $85 to balance between i) export vs. ii) make drilling profitable

- 5 years into the oil boom, US is still building pipelines to new areas of production

Return of the Boom-Boom Room

- Refers to the male-dominated, star-driven system, epitomized by the infamous "BBR" of Smith Barney brokerage in NY

- Tinder part of IAC/InterActive Corp

- Former VP of Marketing claims she was stripped of the co-founder title; her contribution was to go to sororities and get girls to get on platform, before heading to the frats. User based tripled. 

Pachinko

2nd richest

-  Carlos Slim, world's 2nd

- Masayoshi san: Convinced that anything related to microchips could yield a fortune, Son decided to produce at least one entrepreneurial idea a day. He patented a translating device that he eventually sold to Sharp Electronics for $1 million. Applications of the patent include the Wizard series of Sharp PDAs.; Cal alum (1980), met with Japanese McDonalds. Korean heritage

NB: Future of Energy (PopSci article, 2013)

Notes from http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-05/future-energy-oil-and-gas

Future of Energy (June 2013 PopSci Articles)
1) Oil & Gas - Hydraulic Fracturing - EIA forecasts that from 2011 to the next 30 yrs, shale oil production will rise 44%. 

• Closed Cycle: fine-tune series of membranes to remove the contaminants from the water flowbacks
• Hydrocarbon fix: use LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) instead of water. LPG is a hydrocarbon gel that would dissolve into target oil/ gas but doesn't return with contaminants
•  Methane recapture -- Bakken shale flared/ vented cubic feet of natural gas they couldn't use of store (to heat 2% household for a year)

2) Wind

• Bigger blades: bigger rotors can generate more electricity, esp. from low winds
• Man-made thunderstorm: Solar Wind Energy's downdraft tower