Question: In what time period of American history was the photo at the left taken, featuring the Ku Klux Klan at the courthouse in Hillsborough, North Carolina? What are the current trends in hate crime in America? (more…)
As we look back at the life of David Koch and come to understand the extent of the damage he inflicted on the planet and the people who live on it, we begin to see this in strange new ways.
From the NY Times: Charles G. Koch announced the death in a statement, which noted that David Koch had been treated for prostate cancer in the past (and eventually died from it). (more…)
Here’s what the largest European cities are doing to reduce the impact of automotive transportation, and it’s having some extremely positive impacts.
Great stuff.
What would you like to see in your city?
It’s good to see Jim Stack still hard at work helping folks understand the rapid migration to renewable energy and electric transportation. Linked above is a piece he wrote for Quora, the popular question and answer blog. (more…)
Who’s up for a little climate algebra?
Greenland lost 11 billion tons of ice the other day. What contribution did this single event make to sea-level rise? (more…)
What happens when scientific integrity runs into political interference? More specifically, can a scientist, fired by the Trump administration for doing her job, successfully sue for wrongful termination? (more…)
I had to laugh when I saw this headline this morning. The author apparently is either unaware of or not compelled by the two thousand year old aphorism: “De mortuis nil nisi bene dicendum,” or “Of the dead let nothing but good be said,” meaning that it’s socially obnoxious to say bad things about dead people. (more…)
What Teddy Roosevelt said here lies at the very core of the deep divide in current-day American politics. While about 60% are on board with TR, about 40% believe the precise opposite, i.e., the United States becomes better by ignoring the needs of the hungry and sick, making rich people richer, systematically eroding the rights of women and minorities, and destroying the environment for profit.
Maybe Roosevelt was wrong. Maybe Trump’s face will be carved on a national monument. I doubt it, seriously.
In response to my post Environmental Crossroads, an old college friend writes, “Pretty black and white, Craig. Or is it red and blue?”
It’s largely red and blue, unfortunately. How a matter of science became a political issue I’m not sure. Regardless of my politics, you’d have a hard time convincing me to ignore the nearly unanimous findings of the people, e.g., climate scientists, environmental biologists, toxicologists, etc., who have spent their entire careers studying a certain subject.
This is cool, and I wish it were this obvious to most people, but sadly, it isn’t. Daily life-as-usual for most Americans means a limited and vague awareness of environmental issues. These issues tend to occupy a low priority for us, due to the mistaken belief that all this stuff will take care of itself, simply because it always has in the past. Keep in mind that the future always looks like the past, until it looks like something else entirely. (more…)
