A reader notes: Craig, the world desperately needs advocates like yourself. My fear is that wasting your talents on impractical rhetoric is irresponsible…. (I fear) you are squandering your considerable talent and credibility by embarking on a fruitless and erroneous crusade. I hope you don’t take offense.

I most certainly don’t take offense.

Having said that, you won’t see me backing off my agenda of coaxing the world into becoming more just, verdant, and peaceful.  (more…)

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Leaving on Vacation? Here's How to Optimize Your Home's UtilitiesOne thing to do before you leave home on vacation is to prepare it for the time you’re away. One of the preparations that might not be obvious is to manage your utilities; you can save money on basic utilities while you’re gone by utilizing these tips. There is no reason not to take advantage of every dollar you can save if it doesn’t take much effort on your part.

Turn up (or down) the temperature (more…)

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Craig ShieldsIt’s hardly likely that anyone wonders what I looked like in college, but if, on the off-chance I’m wrong, here you go, from the Trinity College (Hartford, CT) yearbook, 1977.

My wife tells me that I looked the part of an idealist–even back then. That’s kind of ironic, given that I majored in physics, a subject that doesn’t care a damn about my or anyone else’s ideals.

If I thought about combing my hair, I guess I must have dismissed the idea. (more…)

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Deregulating Energy MarketsA friend just wrote:  The analogy with telephony just hit me yesterday, and I found this article today.

I respond: Hi, Tom.  I’m a little concerned about this article, to be honest. (more…)

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Note on Algal Biofuels

Here’s the latest installment of my colleague Jon LeSage’s Green Auto Digest, which includes a fairly full treatment on algae biofuels.  He believes they’re at a critical juncture as a viable clean transportation fuel, and writes:

A few years ago, algae biofuels and oils looked like ideal options for the future of clean transportation. (more…)

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Trends Towards LiberalismA comment on a recent post contained the phrase: “fantasies created by trendy liberals.”  Two points:

• “Fantasies” is just a pejorative term for hopes, aspirations, and ambitions.  It’s very important to our society and to the outcome of our civilization that some people dream of a better world and work hard to achieve it.

• Similarly, “trendy” seems deliberately unflattering; it connotes something chic and cool that is destined to turn into a passing fad.  Yet we all need to hope that the quite noticeable leaning towards environmentalism, social justice, tolerance, etc., does not disappear and revert back to the place from which humankind has come.  And there is good evidence that it won’t.  Check out this and this.

 

 

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We Can Change the WorldHere’s a graphic I just found that caught my attention.

I believe it’s true. We are not ignorant, defenseless slaves of the elite few who believe they control the world–and we’re starting to figure that out.

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Papal Infallibility

According to the Writer’s Almanac, it was on this day in 1870 that the First Vatican Council declared the doctrine of Papal Infallibility.

This, of course, raises some eyebrows of people outside the church.  (more…)

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Republicans, the Environment, and Coal. Oh my.It’s not uncommon for us Americans to say that our two dominant political parties are so close to being identical to one another that it doesn’t matter for whom we vote. The reasoning is thus: they are both essentially owned by special interests, they espouse the same hawkish, imperialistic foreign policies and forward the same neoliberal agenda. (more…)

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Intersolar Show Boasts a Decent Amount of ExuberanceI feel like a giddy child gushing the way I do about how cool the Intersolar show was.  But here’s an example I hope you’ll enjoy, a brass band wailing on the steps of the Moscone Center—at breakfast time.  What happens when they start serving (free) beer around 4 PM?   (more…)

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