Articles written by Don C. Brunell
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Super Bowl ads: Super expensive, super perplexing
Why would any company spend $5.5 million for a 30-second Super Bowl ad which leaves viewers perplexed as some glitzy and abstract commercials did? After production costs are tacked... — Updated 2/11/2021
Working from home is likely here to stay
With COVID-19 vaccines being widely dispensed, will an end to this pandemic halt “work from home?” Will workers return to downtown offices at pre-pandemic levels? Not likely!... — Updated 1/14/2021
Bracing for bigger changes from working remotely
Now that vaccines are available, we hope our lives will return to the way they were before the coronavirus pandemic blanketed the globe. That is not likely to occur. Last March our... — Updated 1/7/2021
Introducing wind blade concrete mixture
Would you believe in the future when a cement truck shows up to pour your foundation or patio, the mixture will likely contain ground-up wind turbine blades? As a part of new... — Updated 12/17/2020
E-waste reduction requires innovative approaches
One of the biggest challenges of the 21st Century is dealing with the progress of the 20th Century — especially old computers, monitors, cellular phones and televisions. These... — Updated 12/3/2020
Boeing gets good news with 737MAX return to service approval
Finally, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cleared Boeing’s revamped 737MAX to return to service and Seattle Times aviation writer, Dominic Gates, reports its first... — Updated 11/25/2020
Coronavirus is spurring growth in air cargo industry
It’s no secret that airlines and airplane manufacturers have been clobbered by the coronavirus pandemic. Particularly hard hit are international flights traditionally flown by jum... — Updated 11/19/2020
Diversity is the lifeline our military relies upon
Diversity in the ranks has been the lifeline of our all-volunteer military, but it wasn’t always that way. As we celebrate Veterans Day, we ought to be thankful for all of the... — Updated 11/12/2020
Movement to defund police is a bad idea
A couple of years ago, a major regional medical clinic leader announced his support for a local tax hike to beef up the city’s police force and provide cops with better training... — Updated 10/29/2020
President uses rare order to break China's hammerlock on critical metals
To the average American, China’s control of the world production, processing technology and stockpile of critical metals is not their concern. However, to our military and... — Updated 10/15/2020
Coronavirus is compounding the recycling calamity
What happens in China, doesn’t always stay in China. We learned that a couple of years ago when the Chinese stopped buying massive volumes of the world’s used paper, plastics... — Updated 9/24/2020
Business, drones helping to restore scorched forestlands
Replanting the millions of acres scorched by wildfires in our western woodlands will be herculean task priced in the hundreds of billions. Thankfully, many businesses, such as Bank... — Updated 9/17/2020
Better forest management could fix many problems
Not only is the world in the grasp of the COVID-19 pandemic, but America’s western wildlands are burning up, as well. California Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters his state has a... — Updated 9/10/2020
Colder weather could further chill restaurant recovery
Sunny summer weather helped restaurant owners and workers recover after they were broadsided by the coronavirus pandemic last March. However, as fall morphs into winter and diners... — Updated 8/27/2020
New nuclear needs solution inclusion
If Americans are to receive all of their electricity without coal and natural gas by 2035, they will need nuclear power. Even if Washingtonians, who already procure over 70 percent... — Updated 8/20/2020
Seattle could repeat 1972's 'Lights Out' in 2022
Far too few people remember the 1972 Seattle billboard: “Would the last person who leaves Seattle please turn out the lights?” The reference was to the massive job losses at... — Updated 7/16/2020
Washington Needs to Change to Stay on Top
In early June, the financial website WalletHub released its rankings of “Best and Worse State Economies” and Washington led the field of 51 as best by a healthy margin.... — Updated 6/25/2020
China's push for high tech dominance centers on metals
While the coronavirus pandemic and civil unrest are front page news, China’s unrelenting push to leap over our country in critical technology and hoarding of strategic metals... — Updated 6/18/2020
Closed landfills may eventually house solar farms
Solar power is getting a lot of attention these days as our country strives to reduce greenhouse gases. Sunny cities like Honolulu, Los Angeles and San Antonio have ramped-up solar... — Updated 6/4/2020
There's a very bright future for papermakers
In recent years, papermakers in Pacific Northwest have been losing ground. However, today there is a ray of hope. Surprisingly, that optimism results from the COVID-19 pandemic. In... — Updated 5/28/2020
When it comes to COVID crisis, don't forget to thank the truckers
As we get deeper into the COVID-19 pandemic, we are finding more Americans to thank. Until recently, truckers have been behind the scenes just doing their jobs, but as shoppers... — Updated 4/16/2020
Coronavirus is testing telecommuting effectiveness
Nobody knows how deep the impact of the coronavirus will be, but one thing that it is destined to test is how effectively people will work from home. Washington is at the point of... — Updated 3/12/2020
Legislators must find better ways to reduce CO2
Washington and Oregon lawmakers want to end their legislative sessions; however, accounting for the costs of carbon emissions is a major road block. In Salem, rural Republican... — Updated 3/5/2020
The Colorado River water problems are worsening
Last week, we visited the Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona. It is part of our National Parks “bucket list.” The trip was a real eye-opener. The Canyon is... — Updated 2/27/2020
Keeping health workers healthy is key to fighting deadly diseases
Keeping hospitals and health workers healthy is key to fighting diseases. With new and more deadly viruses, the job is more challenging. Although the coronavirus has captured the... — Updated 2/6/2020
