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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

As a grammar snob, I find it impossible to read a headline like the one above and not flinch.  The phrase unique enough qualifies the word unique, which is a big fat no-no, for the obvious reason that something, in this case, a name, is either unique or it’s not. It’s the equivalent of saying, “She’s somewhat pregnant.”

From a business perspective, a) I doubt that trademark protection is going to matter much, b) the MAGA world doesn’t need yet another echo-chamber for its hate speech and disinformation, and a) and b) notwithstanding, c) this whole subculture is going to unravel when Trump is hit with multiple criminal indictments.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

As one might have expected, Trump is having a tough time emotionally dealing with the variety of criminal investigations into his conduct since he became president in 2017.

Fine by me.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

I would submit that it depends what we disagree on.  If you don’t care about the well-being of others–if you don’t believe all people should be treated with fairness, decency, and respect, we’re not going to be buddies.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

From reader Mark White: You have probably seen this. California is set to make history by banning sales of gas-powered cars. Can it deliver?  

Yes, I wrote a piece on this the other day, in my post called California: No New Gas/Diesel-Powered Automobiles After 2035.

I would think that by 2035, when it kicks in, the EV adoption rate will make this an extremely easy transition at that point. Note that many countries in Western Europe have far more aggressive targets in this regard.

Of course, there’s many a slip ‘twixt cup and lip. I.e., 13 years is a long time, and anything can happen in the interim.  In particular, there is no reason to think that Big Oil, after having played such a dirty game over the past 100 years, is going to fold its tent.

That said, I have to think that the “electrification of everything” and the market conditions that arise from this very timely trend will militate hard against Big Oil, and the war against petroleum will finally be over.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Here’s a petition I just signed, in the form of an online letter to Costco CEO W. Craig Jelinek re: getting rid of single-use plastic.  You may wish to do the same.

In the face of a plastic pollution crisis that’s growing more dire by the day and putting hundreds of species of wildlife in harm’s way, retailers like Costco have a responsibility to reduce the use of wasteful single-use plastic wherever and however they can.

Plastic packaging is the largest single contributor to the plastic waste crisis –14.5 million tons of plastic containers were generated in 2018 alone. It’s clear we need a large-scale shift away from single-use plastic packaging, and Costco can play a crucial role. By taking unnecessary plastic packaging off its shelves, your company can both immediately reduce the amount of plastic in our environment and set an important example for others in the industry to follow.

I urge you to eliminate single-use plastic packaging from your stores.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

As we move closer to 2024, the state of the Republican party doesn’t seem to be improving.

To the chagrin of the vast majority of Americans, Donald Trump, while doing his best to stay out of prison, still seems to be commanding the GOP.

If this goes the wrong way for him, which seems inevitable, Florida governor Ron DeSantis is waiting in the wings.  DeSantis is a truly loathsome human being, but he does have advantages over Trump: he doesn’t seem to be a pathological liar, a career criminal, or a sociopath.

That said, his values and political ideology seem to have come directly from hell.  Here we’re talking about things like LGBTQ and women’s rights, race relations, education, the rejection of science, and adherence to a wide variety of conspiracy theories.

Sounds like serious stuff, doesn’t it?

Not to the guy who wrote the meme above.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Here’s a quote from science broadcaster and environmental activist David Suzuki.

To be sure, part of our problem resides in our disconnection from the natural environment, as our lives become ever more crammed with the pressures of work and the stress of living in a zeitgeist of political insanity.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

I have to admit that I have no special insight into Ron DeSantis’s thinking re: the regressive laws he supports, and this (see left) is a good case-in-point.

He supports the “Stop Woke Act,” designed to combat “woke indoctrination” in Florida businesses and schools by prohibiting instruction that could make some parties feel they bear “personal responsibility” for historic wrongdoings because of their race, sex or national origin.

Well, no surprise, that got struck down for its obvious violation of the First Amendment’s protection of free speech.

My question: Didn’t he see this coming?  Did he ever expect the law to stand up?  Did he go through all the histrionics for any other reason than making the national news?

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

We’re told that Trump is having a bit of difficulty finding qualified criminal attorneys to protect him from the onslaught of indictments that appear to be heading his way.

One good reason is presented in the cartoon at left: history has shown that there is precious little upside in dealing with Trump in any capacity.

If you take the bait, you’re going to come away from this with the realization that this was the single worst decision you made in your entire life.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Nice headline.  Kudos.

It’s time to turn these investigations into indictments.

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