At the beginning of the pandemic, energy prices crashed. We did an episode of this show trying to figure out how oil prices fell to negative $40 per barrel.

Times have changed. Oil is up over $100/barrel. But far more acute is what's happening with natural gas, particularly in Europe and Asia. In the US, natural gas prices have doubled in the last year. But in parts of Europe, the price has risen more than 5 times.

The disruptions are clear. We're seeing stories of power shortages in China, fertilizer plants being shut down in the UK, and fears about home heating costs in the Northeast US as winter approaches.

So what the heck is going on? How long might it last? And what does it tell us about the future?

To answer those questions Shayle turns to Leslie Palti-Guzman, the President of Gas Vista and a non-resident fellow at NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs.

Shayle and Leslie cover the many demand-side and supply-side issues. Then they talk about what comes next: What does this crisis reveal about the vulnerability of the energy system? And will countries double down on renewables, gas, or both to shore up their resiliency?

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Crowdfunding platforms are booming now that the concept of crowdfunding is becoming increasingly popular. A lot of businesses and entrepreneurs are trying to bite a chunk out of this profit pie, and we can’t really blame them. If you’re planning on creating a sustainable crowdfunding business, now’s probably the best time for you. “How to start a crowdfunding site?” is one of the most commonly asked questions by people who’re willing to start a crowdfunding business. In this article, we’ve decided to discuss this in detail. Read this till the end if you want to learn about building crowdfunding websites. […]

The post Starting a Crowdfunding Website from Scratch appeared first on Crowdfunding software.

In this article, you’ll learn about the process of finding an investor for your startup here on InnMind - a platform dedicated to making startup fundraising frictionless.
In a few words, the step-by-step process is the following:

1. Prep work: prepare your profile, open your funding round, and upload your

 Here is just a quick summary of some things I am looking at this week and also some things which just make you go ... hmmmmmm:

1. California Ports 24-Hour Operation is Going Unused - WSJ).  So far the 24 hour out gate at the ports of LA/LB are considered a total bust.  Unfortunately, those making these rules don't understand the "chain" in supply chain.  It is not just about time available.  It is about trucks, drivers, port space, all sorts of workers, chassis and a myriad of other things.  If nothing is done on those fronts, the chain breaks and no amount of extra "open" time will fix it.  More to come but so far I rate the 24 hour port plan a F-.  
   
   
2. Driving up and down the highways at night allows you to see a big part of the problem.  Trucks parked all over the highway as they run out of hours and there is no parking for them.  Is anyone addressing this issue?  Does anyone think that parking on the side of the road, with no facilities and with no safety will attract people to the trucking industry?  Remember, for in trucking for every "machine" you employ you have to employ at least one person.  It is not like manufacturing where a "machine" eliminates the need for a number of people.  In trucking the capital employed to human is 1:1.  Treatment of Drivers: F.
   
   
3. Anyone been to Costco lately?  I have been in one in Michigan and one in Georgia recently and guess what?  The toilet paper shortage appears to be coming back.  This time I think it is more about lack of trucking capacity than anything.  Come on Costco, you can get restocked!
   
   
4. Inventory to Sales Ratios both total and just retail show little to no improvement.  This means my "when will this get better" meter is moving to the beginning of 2023 when I had it pegged at mid year 2022.  Still not coming off of the 2022 but the likelihood of it going into 2023 is getting more real. Likelihood of a quick resolution to the supply chain issues in America ending soon - D
   
   Total Inventory to Sales:
   
   
   
   
   

   Retail Inventory to Sales:
   
   

   

   
   
   
   
5. Port of Savannah is still the best port out there by far however it has been "found" by some big retailers who are slow to move their boxes off the port.  This has meant some ocean carriers have cancelled calls to Savannah and added the Ports of Jacksonville and Charleston.  I think just about everyone is starting to look at "over the water" movements to the East Coast versus getting into the mess of LA/LB then trying to move it over ground. Port of Savannah is an A
   
   
6. JB Hunt  (Stock information: JBHT)is the best run trucking company in America by far.  They knocked their quarter out of the park and they have even better days ahead.  They have transformed from an old school, irregular route trucking company to a high tech, well disciplined supply chain company.  And, the market is rewarding them for it as they have a P/E that values it like a tech company and just about everyone upgraded their stock this week.  YTD J.B. Hunt is up 44.64% as compared to Schneider (SNDR) who is up 19.7%.  (See comparison chart here).  JB Hunt is an A+
   
   
7. Costs continue to rise in all facets of the supply chain:  Various data sources tell us that yes Virginia, there is inflation, and a lot of it. 

FCR reduces churn and turns customers into brand fans, but how do you increase your first call resolution rate? Here some best practices!

The post 8 Best Practices to Boost Your First Contact Resolution Rate appeared first on Inbenta.

How courseware could work with real product/market fit in mind.

The post Argos: Making Good Course Design Easy and Fun appeared first on e-Literate.

A copyright lawsuit raises the question of the embodied value of textbooks.

The post Chegg vs. Pearson: Are back-of-chapter answers intellectual property? appeared first on e-Literate.

The reason that courseware has disappointed as a product category is that we failed to understand the product/market fit of the paper textbook.

The post Argos: Upcycling Course Design appeared first on e-Literate.

I'm doing something stupid and forming a start-up. At my age. This post will tell you why.

The post Announcing Argos Education appeared first on e-Literate.