Ronald Stein discusses California’s “refinery crisis,” arguing that heavy regulation is driving remaining refineries to consider leaving, after recent closures and a reported 17% decline from peak refining. He says California is an “energy island” with no pipelines over the Sierra Nevada, so most fuel must be made in-state; otherwise it would come from foreign refineries, potentially in Asia, raising costs, emissions, and national security concerns for military and international airports, ports, and trucking. Stein contends wind and solar only generate electricity and cannot replace refined-oil products used for transportation fuels and countless derivatives. He criticizes politicians and the press for not addressing practical replacement plans and advocates “energy literacy.”

00:00 Refinery Crisis Begins

00:42 California Energy Island

01:22 Fuel Demand Reality Check

02:03 Refineries Leaving Warning

02:58 Climate Policy Pushback

04:12 Voters Politicians Press

05:04 Wind Solar Limits

06:00 No Backup Plan

06:14 Regulators And Newsom

08:49 Oil Derivatives Explained

09:47 Crude Types And Fracking

11:46 How Regulations Drive Out

13:15 Outsourcing Emissions Abroad

14:39 Import Dependence Grows

16:29 Shipping And Port Bottlenecks

18:34 Clean Air But High Demand

20:20 National Security Takeover Talk

22:37 Campaign Silence And Media

23:29 Planes Need Real Power

24:51 Battery Plane Reality Check

25:36 Electricity Imports Warning

25:56 Importing Power and Fuel

26:17 AI Power Crunch

29:08 Refinery Rules and Costs

30:54 Foreign Dependence Risks

32:25 Scaling Alternatives

34:35 Energy Literacy and Policy

36:25 Nuclear Future

39:26 Wind Reality Check

41:32 California Oil Underfoot

44:33 Oil Seeps and Tar Pits

46:36 Zero Emissions Reality

49:45 Global Poverty and Demand

50:45 Where to Follow Ronald

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Slides, summaries, references, and transcripts of my podcasts: https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summaries

My Linktree: https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1

John Parmentola discusses a puzzle of how sea levels fell ~400 feet during ice ages and argues global annual solar input is nearly constant, implying compensating regional heating when the Arctic cools. Using Antarctic ice-core temperature proxies and orbital mechanics, he introduces a new “countervailing obliquity precession effect” (COPE): a biannual insolation asymmetry that increases tropical-zone energy deposition while Arctic summer insolation and melt potential decline, affecting the hydrological cycle, moisture transport, albedo, and glacial descent. He estimates the evaporation energy need (~10^26 J) and says COPE energy over millennia exceeds this. He cites satellite/top-of-atmosphere energy-balance analysis (~1 W/m² net gain) and notes tests: second-half-year precipitation bias, possible Arctic moisture-transport bias, and CO2 outgassing seasonality. Links to his preprint and related work are mentioned.

00:00 Sea Level Ice Age Mystery

09:33 Warming Before Glaciation

12:01 Evaporation Energy Math

13:28 Solar Input Basics

17:10 Why Insolation Stays Constant

20:54 Milankovitch Parameters Explained

26:45 Obliquity Heat Redistribution

29:08 Seasonal Zone Matrix

33:33 Arctic Insolation Then vs Now

40:05 Milankovitch Hypothesis Summary

40:56 Snow Ice Evidence

42:15 Orbit Month Swap

43:54 Hidden Insolation Split

46:12 Seasonal Energy Gap

48:48 Tropical Energy Build

50:15 COPE Defined

53:01 Satellite Signal Test

56:24 Past Interglacial Match

59:22 Summary And Wrap

01:01:08 Q And A Tests

01:05:51 Website And Preprint

01:06:30 Economic Growth Detour

01:11:21 Final Links Farewell

https://johnparmentola.com/

2019: The Great Mystery of Economic Growth”: https://youtu.be/sx-55BhuFks

John Parmentola: Estimating the Holocene Warm Period Termination | Tom Nelson Pod #96: https://youtu.be/6c3yW6s0shQ

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Slides, summaries, references, and transcripts of my podcasts: https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summaries

My Linktree: https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1

Mel Counts recounts growing up in a small Oregon town, being mentored by an early coach, his rapid growth to 6'11", and recruitment to Oregon State, where he made a Final Four and later realized he could turn pro. He describes making the 1964 U.S. Olympic team under Hank Iba and winning gold over the Russians, his most cherished team honor. Drafted by the Boston Celtics, he won two championships and shares stories about Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, travel and pay in the era, and later stops including the Bullets, Lakers, and Suns, facing legends like Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Kareem, and Walton. He discusses pensions, family, faith, giving back, and staying active at 84.

00:00 Meet Mel Counts

00:21 Small Town Beginnings

01:29 Oregon State Breakthrough

01:51 Slats Gill Lessons

03:12 Final Four Teammates

04:01 Olympic Tryouts Camp

04:40 Tokyo Gold Medal

06:45 Celtics Rookie Life

08:21 Traded To Bullets

09:25 Scary Team Flight

11:21 NBA Travel Pay Then

14:53 Red Auerbach Stories

16:35 Wilt Chamberlain Era

17:42 Rings Watches Stages

18:32 Physical Game Changes

19:24 Wilt Strength Tales

21:24 Guarding Legends Film

22:26 Lakers Suns Wilt Sweat

23:41 Wilt Helped My Role

24:46 Practice With Russell

25:39 Road Trip Win Streak

26:23 Playing With Jerry West

27:30 Game 7 Balloons Drama

29:27 Bill Russell The Ultimate Winner

30:36 Boston Life Lessons

33:02 Hall Of Famers Era

33:57 Pete Maravich Memories

34:46 Three Point Revolution

37:21 Durability And Old School Training

39:53 Nutrition And Wilt Hot Dogs

41:46 Pensions And Player Benefits

43:40 Money Mistakes Then And Now

45:17 Rings Faith And Family

45:57 Giving Back And Life Advice

48:51 Staying Active And Final Wrap

Basketball Reference: https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/countme01.html

Mel Counts highlights: https://youtu.be/7XcO7xAc_r4

Mel Counts NBA2K: https://youtu.be/JllZNFwnn9A

Mel Counts replaces Wilt Chamberlain late in 1969’s NBA championship game seven: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnu5vMfPtbw&t=8256s

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Slides, summaries, references, and transcripts of my podcasts: https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summaries

My Linktree: https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1