Imagine Texas as an Independent Country
If I honestly thought that making a donation would help rid our nation of the ignorance and hate that is flourishing in Texas, I’d write a big check.
Tagged with: ignorance and hate
College Vs. Apprenticeships
There is nothing incorrect about the graphic here, and there is no doubt that, for young people who may not be academically inclined, the career path on the right makes sense.
Having said that, the most obvious rebuttal here is that the long-term earnings of college graduates far outweigh those who skipped college and entered the work force at 17 years of age. Think of the doctors and lawyers. Think of all the people in the corporate world, who would have been laughed out of their first interviews if they showed up speaking substandard English.
Yes, there are exceptions to this: Dominos Pizza zillionaire Tom Monahan, a high school drop-out, and the tiny slice of athletes, e.g., basketball players, most of them are close to seven feet tall, or the one-in-a-million football quarterback.
But what seems most obviously wrong here is that the comparison fails to point to the ancillary benefits of higher education, e.g., on average, a better appreciation of reading, more travel, deeper discussions with others, and the pure joy associated with learning.
Tagged with: College Vs. Apprenticeships
Trump’s Arrest Will Get Him Nowhere
Only about 28% of American voters identify as Republican. And as Republicans move back to Trump, another group of voters that will likely determine the outcome of the 2024 election is turned off by his vitriol. I’m talking about independents, who are moderates that dislike angry partisanship and who oppose the Republican party’s stances on abortion, transgender rights, gun controls and the climate.
I would go on to say that an enormous number of people have come to realize that a) Trump lied to them about the stolen election, and, b) he really is a felon.
Yes, there is a swath of American voters that has an appetite for lies and crime, but it’s nowhere near large enough to win a general election.
Keep in mind that Trump’s histrionics, while they may seem outrageous, are really just getting started. His back is up against the wall; he’s either going to the White House or prison.
Tagged with: Trump's Arrest
Prediction: Disney Will Outlast Values of Ignorance and Hate
I believe the assertion made here is correct.
The world has an enduring appreciation for entertainment, but, I believe, a transient one for fascism.
Tagged with: ignorance and hate
Flywheels as Energy Storage
It’s been a while since we’ve discussed converting off-peak electricity to kinetic energy and storing it with the use of flywheels. Linked above is a start-up that claims to have breakthrough technology in this space.
And indeed, breakthroughs will be required, as flywheels have been around forever, and have never proved competitive–and that was before all the advancements in batteries.
I am suspicious of any company that solicits investment dollars offering so little information, but perhaps that’s just me.
Please Don’t Pass the Hate
What values do you think these kids will carry into their teens? Their adult years?
At this tender age, do they look even remotely happy? Capable of compassion for others?
The good news is that this phenomenon, at least in its extremes, is normally pretty-much confined to a small region in the American south; the bad news is that it, as suggested here, is an insoluble problem, as one generation passes the ignorance and hate down to the next.
European Socialism/Fascism
Let me take a stab at the question posed at left.
Ignorance, tribalism, and fear are cousins of one another, and this country has plenty of all three. If you believe that:
• Immigrants are coming for your jobs
• The radical left is coming for your guns
• Government is coming for your freedoms
• LGBTQs and Critical Race Theory are coming for your children
• Woke environmentalists are coming for your fossil fuels
• Democrats are committing massive amounts of election fraud and Trump is the rightful president (all of these are the core messages of Fox News), then
You’re likely to feel a strong kinship with heavily armed white nationalists (those with the skin color of your tribe).
Tagged with: Government is coming for your freedoms, Immigrants are coming for your jobs, LGBTQs and Critical Race Theory are coming for your children, The radical left is coming for your guns, Trump is the rightful president, white nationalists, Woke environmentalists are coming for your fossil fuels
Invest in Small Wind?
Here’s another appeal to potential investors in this wind energy concept.
The problem: The economics of small wind and small solar are completely different. Depending on where you live, putting solar on your roof makes sense. Putting this on your roof makes you look like a moron.
Protest
This from investigative journalist Amy Goodman:
Protesting is an act of love. It is born of a deeply held conviction that the world can be a better, kinder place. Saying “no” to injustice is the ultimate declaration of hope.
Today there are more than 200,000 groups whose goal is environmental and/or social justice, and protest is an important modality by which they go about accomplishing their missions.
Does the Republican Message Have its Desired Impact?
To whom does the idea of cutting Social Security appeal?
Elderly people tend to be conservative; we all understand that. But do seniors, even those who live on a steady diet of Fox News, want to have the benefits for which they’ve worked all their lives to be torn to shreds, forcing them to live on Ramon and cat food?
Tagged with: Republican Message
