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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

I wouldn’t say that the burden of proof lies on religion.  No one knows how the universe got here.

The Big Bang was an event in which there was no chaos, no “entropy,” as we say in thermodynamics.  How did all this orderliness get there 13.87 billion years ago? No one knows. This is an issue in cosmology which is quite likely to outlast human civilization on this planet.

I’m an atheist for a few reasons, one of which is that saying that God created the universe doesn’t get us any closer to an understanding of the cosmos, if only because it raises the question: Who made God?

More to the point, there are hundreds of moral reasons to disbelieve in God.  Each year, 9 million children will die unbaptized on this planet before their fifth birthdays.  In the bible, we learn that God punishes them all with an eternity of torture in hell.  To what sort of weirdo does this make sense?

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

At left we have another good reminder that our cognitive biases can render us incapable of thinking critically.

Some of us believe anything we want to.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

This piece from Robert Reich reminds us of what a big ask it is of the American people to vote for Republicans in the midterms.

Sure, there are many hateful morons who love detention centers for people with brown skin, or believe that America is going communist, or that our elections are rigged (unless they are won by Republicans). Yet it seems unlikely that any of these positions of extreme ignorance will win the day.

Unfortunately, Trump knows this.  That’s why we shouldn’t be surprised if he tries to cancel the midterms or rip up the Constitution and nationalize them.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

It could be argued that RFK, Jr. is the very worst cabinet member in the current Trump administration.  But we need to keep in mind one simple thing: Each one of them was appointed on the basis of one and only one thing: their capacity to enrich Trump and keep him in power.

For instance, bombing Iran was essential to distract the nation from the string of catastrophes facing Trump, i.e., the tariffs, the Epstein files, the attempt to overthrow the U.S. government, and so forth.  But no sane and competent human being would do something so stupid.  How to proceed?  Pete Hegseth, of course.

RFK, Jr. is simply par for the course.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

This concept has an enormous level of popularity in the Republican party. Exactly why?

Well, property taxes fund our schools, and so without them, the common American would be even more ignorant than he is today, if that’s believable.

Now, which party benefits from poor education and a lack of the capacity for critical thinking?

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

All Americans should know that most other countries act fast and hard against top-ranking people who act corruptly.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for a coup plot and attempting to overthrow democracy.

In 2008, when rich Icelanders had committed financial crimes that led to their country’s economic collapse, do you know what happened to them?  Were they re-elected and left to loot their treasury?  No, they were sent to prison.

Honest and free nations don’t encourage criminality.  They send felons to prison.  It’s not that hard, nor is it in any way controversial.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

One of the most remarkable characteristics of Donald Trump is his shamelessness.  No matter how many lies he gets caught in, he’s always willing to tell one more–normally, one that’s even more outrageous than the previous one.

One would think that he and his supporters would eventually reach a limit, but the answer is clearly that such a limit does not exist.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Looks like communism! is the new mantra of the GOP.  It’s coming from the least intelligent of their leaders to the least intelligent of their followers.

Could work!

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

What Obama says at left is a reminder that life on Earth is tough enough without the planet’s most powerful nation being led by a criminal sociopath.

In our world, there are a few garden spots of sanity, affluence, and serenity.

On the other hand, there is the Middle East, which is largely guided by religious fanaticism and tribal warriors. Asking Donald Trump to navigate relations there is like asking your dog to play the violin and then being surprised when he can’t seem to hold the bow in his paws.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

As previously mentioned, it’s good to see the rising popularity of astrophysicist Dr. Brian Cox.

In this video, he explains that life on Earth is about 4 billion years old, but for the first 3 billion, there was nothing more complicated than single celled organisms. He suggests that this may be the reason that civilizations are rare in the universe, i.e., that they’re only around for the blink of an eye in terms of geologic time.

To me, it also makes one wonder why it took God 3 billion years to create the first multicelled form of life.

 

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