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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

It would be interesting to see the results of a large poll in which Americans were asked their viewpoints of Trump’s actions since his return to the White House in January 2025,  Imagine we had to choose precisely one of the following:

a) I approve, largely or completely, of what Trump has done thus far. 

b) I disapprove of his decision to impose tariffs on neighboring allies.

c) I disapprove of his aligning with Putin/Russia, rather than Ukraine/NATO allies.

d) I disapprove of his treatment of immigrants.

e) I disapprove of his dismantling key parts of the U.S. federal government.

f) I disapprove of his stance on climate and the environment.

g) I disapprove of something else not listed above.

What Bernie Sanders seems to be saying above is that c) is a big deal.  FWIW, I agree.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of average achievement in key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and having a decent standard of living.

The HDI was created to emphasize that people and their capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of a country, not economic growth alone.

As we look at the map of North America below, we see something that may be surprising: the poorest, least educated, and unhealthiest parts of the United States tend to vote for political candidates that keep them poor, ignorant, and physically sick.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

It’s no secret that Republican congresspeople are running up against a wall of seething hatred from their constituents in the town hall meetings that they were conducting until ordered to stop.

At left, Kamala Harris’ running mate Tim Walz makes an amusing offer.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

On average, Americans’ portfolios lost about five percent in the last month.

The specter of deeper losses and hyper-inflation looms over us all.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

I just met an interesting fellow who introduced himself as “Marc Pierre,” with a readily discernable French accent.  When I asked if he was in fact French, his face lit up, as if to say, “How could you have possibly known that?” Apparently, he hadn’t expected too much from us provincials.

He’s an international accountant hailing originally from the south of France, but one who’s also lived in the UAE and Mauritius, only to wind up in our small town here in Central California, where, to be honest, perhaps one in fifty of us could find Mauritius on a globe.

When the conversation turned to politics, he told me what I’ve heard almost exclusively from well educated and well traveled professionals: they are astonished at what has become of the United States, and terrified with what it means for the world as a whole.

His main issue is that Trump clearly has no clue as to what he is doing, but about half of Americans don’t think that represents a problem.  They’re fine on the consequences of their president’s making uninformed decisions on things like NATO, tariffs, and the like that are wreaking economic mayhem on themselves and on nations around the globe.

“He has no idea what he’s talking about.  Doesn’t that scare you?”

Ah, yes.  Indeed it does. Thanks for pointing that out.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics
Here’s what commentator David Brooks said after the White House’s mistreatment of the Ukrainian president on Friday:
I was nauseated, just nauseated. All my life, I have had a certain idea of about America, that we’re a flawed country, but we’re fundamentally a force for good in the world, that we defeated the Soviet Union, we defeated fascism, we did the Marshall Plan, we did PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) to help people living in Africa. And we make mistakes, Iraq, Vietnam, but they’re usually mistakes out of stupidity, naivete and arrogance.
They’re not because we’re ill-intentioned. What I have seen over the last six weeks is the United States behaving vilely, vilely to our friends in Canada and Mexico, vilely to our friends in Europe. And today was the bottom of the barrel, vilely to a man who is defending Western values, at great personal risk to him and his countrymen.
Donald Trump believes in one thing. He believes that might makes right. And, in that, he agrees with Vladimir Putin that they are birds of a feather. And he and Vladimir Putin together are trying to create a world that’s safe for gangsters, where ruthless people can thrive. And we saw the product of that effort today in the Oval Office.
And I have — I first started thinking, is it — am I feeling grief? Am I feeling shock, like I’m in a hallucination? But I just think shame, moral shame. It’s a moral injury to see the country you love behave in this way.
—
Since my boyhood 60 years ago, I’ve heard people argue back and forth whether or not the United States truly is a force for good in the world, or if it looks out for its own interests, and good things sometimes accidentally derive from that.   In any case, let’s agree that there is (or was) something intrinsically good about our nation and the way it had traditionally functioned in the world.
At this point, of course, it’s impossible to argue against David Brooks’ position, that any American beneficence has gone the way of chrome hubcaps and bell-bottoms, replaced by the president’s sociopathic need to become just one more dictator on this sad planet.
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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

To the author of the meme here, I would respond:

Regardless of the U.S. presidential administration and the general character of the president himself, very few people laugh at the United States, given that it’s the world leader, both economically and militarily.

Certainly no one is laughing now, considering that Trump has teamed up with the planet’s wealthiest man to dismantle the federal government, while aligning himself with one of the world’s most notorious dictator/butchers.

The most common response from the world’s people is a blend of horror and astonishment that our nation could have imploded morally so quickly and completely.  Few people saw this coming.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

At left are the words of former U.S. labor secretary Robert Reich.

Yes, the oligarchs (and the kings and pharaohs before them) have the money and power, but we have the people.  It’s been that way since the dawn of human civilization, many thousands of years ago.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

At left we see what really is happening here, but it’s not going down quite the way Khrushchev imagined 70 years ago.

Without a wanna-be dictator in the mix, The United States’ relation with Russia would have continued to bump along, business as usual–the occasional tense moments, but nothing calamitous.

Our state of Texas has a higher GDP than the totality of Russia; the country is economically weak, and its people are poor and disengaged.  Without the appearance of Trump on the scene, with his deep admiration of Putin and his desperate craving for absolute power, none of this would be taking place.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

It’s hard to disagree with the words at left, given that it’s the kid’s decision.

College isn’t for everyone in the United States, and that applies, to our shame, to families that can’t afford tuition and the other considerable expenses.  Most of the rest of the developed world offers its citizens free tuition, and provides stipends to encourage everyone to achieve their full potential.

College graduates are more likely to:

Take pleasure in art, reading, playing a musical instrument, traveling, and dozens of other pursuits that derive from higher education, and

Live longer, healthier, and more affluent lives.

By contrast, they are far less likely to vote for sociopathic criminals to lead what once was our democracy.  If every American had a college education, Donald Trump would just be another walking joke who bankrupted six casinos.  He certainly wouldn’t be crawling around this planet, ruining virtually every aspect of life on Earth.

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