Bryan Lawrence

Read this article about the four K-8 public charter schools operated by Classical Charter Schools. Feel appreciation for Classical's students, their teachers, and the Classical ops team led by founder Lester Long. And then ask yourself: why exactly does NYC have a cap on more charters like Classical's being opened? city-journal.org/article/south-…

Math smart (a Bates Medal!) Is not the same as worldly wise

Michael Cembalest's latest annual paper on energy offers a wealth of insights and high-quality data. For anyone interested in the energy sector, reading this paper is highly recommended. Some highlights: 1. None of the Wall Street Journal reporters covering energy hold degrees in chemical engineering, electrical engineering, petroleum engineering, mechanical engineering, or physics, nor have any of them worked in sectors such as oil, power, pipelines, auto manufacturing, solar, battery, or aviation. It is unlikely that reporters at other newspapers are better trained to understand energy physics and economics. 2. In January 2026, Germany's chancellor described the country's decision to shut down its nuclear power plants as a "serious strategic mistake." Had those plants been operational in 2024, Germany would have required 50% less electricity from coal and natural gas, and electricity prices would have been 30% lower. Germany's industrial electricity prices are now 3x those in the US and China, which has been a key driver of Germany's industrial output declining 20% since 2019. 3. Before its failure in orbit, the Environmental Defense Fund's MethaneSAT satellite confirmed large methane leakages from oil & gas fields in Iraq, Iran, and Russia, amounting to >10% of production. It also revealed that methane leakages from several US basins were 3x more than reported by US companies. Highlighting these leaks is smart, given the high ROI on plugging them and selling the methane. 4. Cembalest's designation of levelized cost of energy (LCOE) as the "cocktail napkin of energy math" is making progress, with multiple non-profit and governmental organizations focusing instead on total system cost instead of LCOE. Total system cost includes the cost of batteries, dispatchable backup power and transmission needed to make wind and solar effective replacements for non-intermittent power. 5. On a positive note, geothermal energy continues to decrease in cost, there are encouraging advancements in nuclear energy, and US shale drillers play a key role in keeping energy prices low, particularly in light of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. linkedin.com/pulse/fighting…

Look how successful the ops to get Americans to hate themselves and each other have been! The only country that thinks worse of itself than not

We are a long way from speak softly and carry a big stick

Wow. 😲 Der Bundeskanzler schlägt -nach Einigung in der gesamten Bundesregierung- völlig neue Töne für Deutschland und Europa zum Iran an. Auszug: „Völkerrechtliche Einordnungen werden dabei relativ wenig bewirken, das gilt umso mehr, wenn sie weitgehend folgenlos bleiben. […] Deshalb ist jetzt nicht der Moment unsere Partner und Verbündeten zu belehren, bei allen Zweifeln teilen wir viele ihre Ziele, ohne selbst imstande zu sein, sie auch tatsächlich zu erreichen.“

History can rhyme. When the United States achieved independence from Great Britain, our merchant ships lost the protection of the Royal Navy. Starting in the 1790s, up to 20% of the annual US federal budget was devoted to paying tribute to pirates based in Tripoli. Eventually, President Jefferson decided to fight rather than pay. America built the famous six frigates (including the USS Constitution) and expanded the Marine Corps to help crew them. The Marine hymn line about the shores of Tripoli refers to their eventual victory over the Barbary pirates in 1805. Like the Barbary pirates, Khamenei miscalculated our willingness and ability to fight. He had reason to believe this given our past behavior. Let’s hope that we have not miscalculated the ability of the Iranian people to rise up and secure the government they deserve.

🚨🇮🇱🇮🇷 In what might be some of the most powerful footage to come out of today, Israelis and Iranians are dancing and celebrating side by side in the streets of London.

🔴BREAKING: We have the first footage of street parties breaking out in Tehran. You don't understand our happiness.

BREAKING: In Tehran, people are cheering and celebrating amid reports of Khamenei's death.

Combination of good intelligence and precision weapons may make war quicker and more humane. Hoping the Iranian people rise up and demand a better government

@BorisZhilin At least it won’t take them a long weekend

@brl11 Couldn't agree with you more, Bryan

In a dangerous world, ammunition is more important than press releases giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/ac…

German Chancellor Merz: We are simply no longer productive enough. Each individual may say, “I already do quite a lot.” And that may be true. But when you return from China, ladies and gentlemen, you see things more clearly. With work-life balance and a four-day week, long-term prosperity in our country cannot be maintained. We will simply have to do a bit more.

Now is a good time to buy subscriptions for yourself and each of your children to a leading edge model

@DicksonPau Highly likely that AI impact on society will be big increase in productivity. Also highly likely that many of today's valuations are inflated

@brl11 Does it potentially change your belief that AI will stall/commoditize?

An important essay by a first rate human darioamodei.com/essay/the-adol…

Much wisdom here wsj.com/opinion/americ…