Shakespeare Reading Challenge 2011

I am part of the Shakespeare Reading Challenge  2011 being hosted by Elena
at  http://shakespearereadingchallenge.blogspot.com/2010/11/shakespeare-reading-challenge-2011.html here are the reviews of my reading  challenge.


For February I read “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” and the “Tragedy of Coriolanus,”  I like both plays.  I think that the people involved, both the government and opposition, in the recent uprisings in Africa and Middle East would be well served to read Coriolanus and learn from it

Measure For Measure

“Measure for Measure” gives credence to the Ben Johnson quote that Shakespeare “was not for an age, but for all time.”   It is a play about a government becoming involved in the personal lives of its citizens, which is also a critical discussion in America today. I cannot help but believe that like Angelo, the villain of the play,  America’s leaders are not willing to follow the laws that they make.

As an aside,  I was reading “Measure for Measure” on my Barnes and Noble Nook (a digital reader) when it broke.  While waiting for it to be repaired I have finished reading the play on a very old leather-bound copy of the completed works.  I found that when reading the book it was easier to go back and forth through the play. It is nice when you cannot remember a character to just flip to the start and review the Dramatis Personae.  I also find that the feeling of a book creates a better reading experience. But with my Nook I can carry all of Shakespeare plus hundreds of other writers in my hand.  Also the old book fell apart as I read it but unlike my Nook, I can repair the loose pages and binding  with ot sending it off for repair.

Pericles, Prince of Tyre

I have read all but a few of Shakespeare’s plays and this play is one.  I would say, as one of Shakespeare’s later works, that it is not his best as proven by how little this play is performed.  It is melodramatic. The hero of the play Pericles, gives the control of his life to the fates, unlike Shakespeare’s heroic figures such as Henry V  or the tragic hero Macbeth.  For good or bad, these
characters struggle against the problems they find themselves in, even if they created the problem to start with.

Two of the plays roles mimic characters from Shakespeare’s earlier works, Henry V’s chorus becomes Gower  and Lady Macbeth becomes Dionyza but with much less success.  The poetry at times is good but generally it seems to be composed of the  most convenient rhymes only to trudge the play forward, not to create the scintillating language that we read in other plays.  The play, it seems to me, was written just to make a little money.  surmise that the play was written by another playwright and that Shakespeare only added his name and a little polish.

However, I would very much like to see the play just  to see how the sailing ship sets are built and how the storm scenes are performed.

My next reading
will be Two Gentlemen of Verona

Hamlet Plays John Wayne

Act 1 Scene 1
Library of Wittenberg College

Enter Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Rose: Go seek the Lord Hamlet.

Guild: Yes, there he is in the collections.

Rose: But where else would the good student, Prince Hamlet, be but at the library.

Rose and Guild: My good Lord Hamlet.

Hamlet: And who is that—merry, it is Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. I think you are truant for I have not seen you two at study for some while.

Rose: My Lordship, we are but honest scholars just back from study in America.

Hamlet: Oh tell me my good friends about that land that they say is so great.

Guild: My Prince-- America is a big, big land with all numbers of people, it is a land of a noble breed.

Hamlet: Fellow students, tell me--did you chance to meet with any cowboys or Indians?

Rose: Yes, my liege, we did. We met and heard the tale of a brave pioneer-- a true Hyperion named John Wayne.

Hamlet: For God’s love, let me hear.

Guild: My liege, that is why we have come for you. We have told his round unvarnished tale to our dear friend Horatio and he has written a play.

Hamlet: A play! A play, you say. Well, where is dear Horatio? He is a most capable writer.

Horatio: Here, my lord. And thank you for the kind word but I am just a humble scribe. It takes a player to bring the play to life. A player such as Hamlet!

Hamlet: You flatter me. I would love to be in your play. What part shall I have? What is the play called?

Horatio: You would so honor me if you will take the lead of John Wayne in the play called the “Gunfight at El Senior.”

Hamlet: You do me the honor, my friend. What is the conceit?

Horatio: It is a story of land and lusts. The saga of the clash between a son who has lost his father and the uncle who has laid claim to his birthright. While fighting for his land he must also claim the love of the beautiful Ophelia and make peace with the marauding Indian Chief Four Bears. It is a tale of a man who must take action, for in the Wild West it is often the man who is fastest with a gun who makes the final decision.

Hamlet: Horatio, the script. Oh, this is good, very good. When will we start?

Horatio: I will round up the rest of the players. Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, the sets and costumes. Then rehearsals. Tomorrow we start.

Exit all

Shakespeare Springs Sustained Solar Development Project(Part 3)

Shakespeare Springs is a fairy tale--it is a mid-size city on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The City is powered by two coal fired power plants and two modern hydro-generating stations. Here is a plan for it future power needs.

Part 1 http://sundogpt.blogspot.com/2009/07/shakespeare-springs-sustained-solar.html

Part 2 http://sundogpt.blogspot.com/2009/08/shakespeare-springs-sustained-solar.html

Four dominant factors that will have the most effect on solar development:

State and federal tax support will make the purchase of these systems affordable for all of our citizen/owners. By assisting the customer/owner in obtaining tax incentives, financing and installing UIA PV systems Shakespeare Springs Utilities would have access to the generation from these systems. A 2.5 kW machine will generate 13-kW a day with the home using less than 10-kw a day.

Pollution Credits or Green Certificates for utilities with sustained solar development project. For every 10 kW of PV-generated electricity, (104 lbs. of NOX), (121 lbs., of SO2) and (24,830 lbs. of CO2) are avoided. This mitigated pollution could become pollution credits that will offset the pollution from our older plants, delaying and preventing the need for mandated systems, scrubbers and other unproven and expensive clean coal technologies. (DOE http.//www.eren.doe.gov/pv/)

Net Metering is a broadly interpreted 1978 federal Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) rule, which requires utilities to pay small electric producers for power they put on the grid. The interpretation comes in what is paid back to the small generators--wholesale or retail. Utilities can spur development of PV with net metering that is fair to the consumer or hinder growth with arbitrary net metering and by requiring exorbitant tie-in fees and insurance.

Renewable Portfolios Standards Bipartisan legislation was introduced in the legislature to increase the state’s generation of renewable energy by 1,800 megawatts by 2020. The bill has bipartisan support, including both the leadership of the majority and minority parties in the State House.


A 1972 National Science Foundation and NASA report, ”Solar Energy as a National Energy Resource,” says, “there is no technological barrier to solar photovoltaic becoming a major supplier on our national electrical grid.” Therefore it only takes the economic will to develop Shakespeare Springs’ solar resources. The NSF/NASA report also states that solar electricity will start building a market share by 1990 and by 2010 will hold 10% of the U.S. generating capacity.

If Shakespeare Springs were to embark on a project of Sustained Solar Development it would not be going into uncharted waters. PV systems have been proven on every continent and in every climate. A 78 kW photovoltaic array is powering up the International Space Station.

The world’s largest Distributed Solar Grid is in Sacramento, California. Sacramento Municipal Utilities District’s PV Pioneers Program is the best example of UIA PV Sustained Solar Development. The District’s solar program started in 1992 has put up 1,000 rooftop solar systems and has just met its 10 MW goal. A program similar to the District’s PV Pioneers can be developed for the needs of our citizens’ Rocky Mountain West lifestyle.

The proof that Shakespeare Springs should develop its solar resources is best demonstrated by looking at these sustained solar development strategies, goals and objectives.

Strategy A: Add sustainable value for our citizen-owners
A UIA PV solar grid is by its very nature a sustainable value. PV electric generation is built on sturdy equipment with few moving parts. Once built and online a PV systems requires little maintenance or operating cost. Low O&M creates a generating system that holds its value. A PV system purchased for $29,499 this year will have cost the owner, after 20 years of service, $13,401 in O&M. It will be valued at $26,539 and will have prevented 54 tons of pollution from entering the environment. In contrast, a $29,499 SUV will be worth $550 after 20 years and will have cost its owner $101,500 and put 250 tons of pollution into the air. (Smithson, Home Power #90, 2002)

Strategy B: Build and strengthen customer relationship
I can see no better way to build and strengthen our customer relationship than with residential and business UIA PV systems as part of Shakespeare Springs Utilities diversified energy grid. UIA PV users will not be customers, but partners of Shakespeare Springs Utilities. UIA PV systems on residential and commercial buildings will make our customers part of our generating system. These homes and businesses will be power plants. Teamwork between PV customer/owners and Shakespeare Springs Utilities will build and strengthen our customer relationship.

Strategy C: Contribute to community goals.
Sustained Solar Development will benefit our community. As homes and businesses begin to become part of the solar grid, solar neighborhoods will grow and these neighborhoods will evolve into a solar city. This will build a stronger city. A spirit of adventure will energize Shakespeare Springs as we pioneer new energy technologies.

Employment will increase as PV manufacturers open up new PV production facilities in Shakespeare Springs. The manufacturing of silicon PV cells is so similar to computer chip manufacturing that the two can be called sister technologies. PV manufacturers will locate here and the balance-of-system manufacturers will follow. They will know that they have a market in Shakespeare Springs with our sustained solar development project and they will know that Shakespeare Springs has the employee base that knows its way around silicon and has the technical skills needed to develop this energy source.

Environmental stewardship and solar development achieve a perfect balance because the technology works so well with nature. There is no energy source that is safer or cleaner than UIA PV.
Shakespeare Springs has solar resources that can be developed into a new Solar Grid that will help Shakespeare Springs Utilities meet its goals and objectives. Utility Interactive Photovoltaic Electric Generation can add value to Shakespeare Springs Utilities with a safe, clean and economical electrical power.

Research shows that above proposal is possible and that a Shakespeare Springs Solar Grid can be developed. The benefits to our community are great. It can show how a project like this will benefit Shakespeare Springs and its citizens and our customer/owners.

Shakespeare Springs Sustained Solar Development Project (Part 2)

Shakespeare Springs is a fairy tale--it is a mid-size city on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The City is powered by two coal fired power plants and two modern hydro-generating stations. Here is a plan for it future power needs.

Part 1 http://sundogpt.blogspot.com/2009/07/shakespeare-springs-sustained-solar.html

Part 3 http://sundogpt.blogspot.com/2010/01/four-dominant-factors-that-will-have.html


PV start-up costs are $5 -15 a watt installed. However, the lower O&M cost of a PV system presents economic value to the community. Also like any energy market things are fluid in PV economics. Market influences will keep PV prices fluctuating, however industry analysts forecast PV prices will decrease overall.

There are two models of solar development--Business as Usual and Aggressive Growth. Even at the business-as-usual level we can expect a healthy 10% growth in alternative energies. How electric providers react to the many changes that will lower PV costs will determine if the growth remains steady or we move into aggressive growth levels. (Frantzis and Katofsky. Solar Today 2002) Some market influences are:

· State and federal participation in PV markets.
Achieving even the modest environmental goals will require the "sustained and orderly" commercial development of viable renewable energy options. And in the near-term, significantly increasing the U.S. market for renewable energy will require federal, state, and local governments to substantially increase their purchasing of PV and other forms of renewable energy. www.crest.org

A number of U.S. states have recently established clean energy funds to support renewable electricity. The 15 states that have established these funds to date are expected to collect $3.5 billion between 1998 and 2012 for renewable energy investments. This represents a new trend towards aggressive state support for renewable energy, but few efforts have been made to report and share the early experiences of these funds. eetd.lbl.gov

· Increased PV production.The U.S. share of the world market has changed dramatically since 1980. In the early years of the technology, the U.S. industry dominated the world market—contributing 50% or more of world production through 1984. In 1985, that relative share declined, and it has varied between 26% and 45% since then. World production has been increasing, and the United States still contributes more than one-quarter of the world's product, as measured by megawatts of PV modules shipped. www.nrel.gov
Through recent improvements in such areas as materials processing and waste reduction, use of new PV materials, and automation, U.S. manufacturing costs have been reduced by an average 56% from 1992 to 1996. Continuing on this course could bring module-manufacturing costs down to almost $1.50 per watt. This would help U.S. companies meet the growing market demand for PV and retain the nation's current position as the leader in global PV markets. And it will bring us several steps closer to the three-fold promise of photovoltaics: energy security, economic growth, and a cleaner environment. www.eere.energy.gov


· Unstable traditional fuel economies.
The United States is the largest importer of oil. We are also the world’s foremost importers of natural gas. Energy is clearly a global issue. Every serious study of the subject concludes that this country faces rising dependence on foreign energy in the decade ahead. The same studies also conclude that there will be increasing likelihood of recurring worldwide energy supply problems, price spikes, supply shortages, and other unpleasant energy shocks. And those shocks can occur in peacetime as well as a result of the outbreak of war. lindenwood university lindenwood.edu· Major energy corporation investment in alternative energy.
Even British Petroleum (BP), which re-branded itself last year as being ‘beyond petroleum’, with a bright green and yellow sun-shaped logo designed to combine BP’s green image and its status as world leader in solar power. www.edie.net
The prospect that climate disruption could force the world away from oil has led some oil companies to diversify their energy portfolios. In a dramatic statement last year, John Browne, Chairman of British Petroleum (which this year announced plans to merge with the U.S. company Amoco), said that his company had accepted the scientific reality of climate change and would add to its existing investment in solar energy. Royal Dutch Shell later announced plans to invest $500 million in renewable energy. World Watch Institute

· Net metering laws that favor the consumer.
Net metering, when combined with a PV system, is a 3-way win, for consumer, generator, and Line Companys:

In practice, the electricity produced by the customer goes to go either to the customer, or to a near neighbor. It is thus a totally different situation from energy that is being moved from a power plant to where it is used. In fact, from the Line Company’s point of view, locally generated PV electricity is indistinguishable from demand reduction, not something that they ordinarily get paid for. The PV system produces its greatest output during the times when the electric grid is most heavily loaded. These are the times at which electricity is trading at a premium, because of the extra capacity that generators have to put online to meet peak demand. The presence of the PV system reduces required generating capacity during time times that additional electricity is most expensive to the generator. This "peak shaving" also benefits the Line Company. The consumer benefits from the availability of what amounts to a nearly perfect, and infinite, battery. This dramatically improves the economics of PV. Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association
· Increases in efficiency of PV, Balance-of-system components, consumer and business products. On the efficiency program side, we help industrial, commercial, and institutional customers by providing unbiased technical assistance services. We try to facilitate arrangements for getting energy projects implemented in their facilities, and we provide financial incentives to encourage them to look at more energy-efficient and environmental pollution-reducing technologies. New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Brian Henderson, program director for Energy Efficiency Services,

· Continued creation of Building Integrated PV systems--roofs and siding.
Within just a few years photovoltaics has taken an essential step towards aesthetic integration into the building environment. Today’s PV is flexible in shape, function and color. Application areas are roofs, facades and windows. The PV industry is now in a position to respond to most of the requirements of architects. This movement was largely driven by the smaller companies active in the PV business. The State of the Art in Building-Integrated Photovoltaics A. Hanel 1999 jxj.com


  Part 3  http://sundogpt.blogspot.com/2010/01/four-dominant-factors-that-will-have.html

Hamlet 2

I just finished watching a DVD of Hamlet 2. I liked this show very, very much. I thought was very funny and touching and the best faux Shakespeare since Vincent Price’s Theater of Blood. It is a skewed look at the inspiring teacher genre.

I liked it because I identified with the teacher. Not because I am a drama teacher with a lot of father issues, but because he was a man whose hopes, dreams and aspirations for himself were greater than the talent he has. Sometimes I feel like this, but like the hero--I keep trying.

The play within the movie in Hamlet 2 is great--or what is shown of it. It has a time traveling Jesus aiding Hamlet in a quest to change the events that made him the greatest tragic hero of English literature. The performance of the song and dance number “Sexy Jesus” could offend some but it asks an honest question. Can the humble carpenter of the Bible return today and preach to the multitudes or would he have to adopt a sports hero/super model/rock star persona to succeed in a celebrity/media/image/24-hour news cycle centered world?