Re: the photo here of a Lexus SUV that puts out 409 horsepower, a friend writes, “Japanese auto design leaves a lot to be desired. I have some theories on that we should discuss over a beer or glass of wine.”
The only aspect of the design here that has any importance to me is that it’s obscene. We live on a planet that is baking due to overconsumption of fossil fuels, and you pigs want to sell us this?
This from Bill Gates:
I’ve just published my latest suggestions for books you could read over the summer. Although they’re about a range of serious topics like gender equality and climate change, none of them feels like a heavy read. They’re all engaging, thought-provoking, and fast-paced.
Below is something I found compelling from the “Lincoln Project” just now, a group whose purpose is to preserve democracy and remove Trumpism from the U.S. political scene. I’ve interspersed some of my comments along the way. (more…)
In response to my post Quantifying Sea-Level Rise, in which I asserted that our pathetic response to global warming is less about stupidity than it is about selfishness and greed, senior energy analyst Glenn Doty writes:
I agree in part… and in part I think it’s just a lack of comprehension on the part of those who are in office who do conceive that this is a problem, but they don’t understand how great of a problem it is, and they certainly don’t understand the nature and the potential limits, of a few of the solutions that they have latched onto. (more…)
In response to my recent post Latest Carbon Dioxide Reading Falls in Line with Past Data, senior energy analyst Glenn Doty writes:
From the NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research:
Carbon dioxide measured at NOAA’s Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory peaked for 2022 at 421 parts per million in May, pushing the atmosphere further into territory not seen for millions of years. Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, which maintains an independent record, calculated a similar monthly average of 420.78 ppm.
CO2 levels are now comparable to the Pliocene Climatic Optimum, between 4.1 and 4.5 million years ago, when they were close to, or above 400 ppm. During that time, sea levels were between 5 and 25 meters higher than today, high enough to drown many of the world’s largest modern cities. Temperatures then averaged 7 degrees Fahrenheit higher than in pre-industrial times, and studies indicate that large forests occupied today’s Arctic tundra.
Will global warming render the Earth uninhabitable? No. But a hotter Earth will be one in which most of the world’s great cities, that humankind has assembled over the last few thousands of years, will be under water. Droughts, floods, and wildfires will conspire to make life on this planet very unpleasant.
Other than a miracle that comes our way via one or more technological breakthroughs, we can only hope that the nations of the world come together to reduce emissions and improve land management.
Though this is not impossible, it’s certainly unprecedented, and, given the news of the day, .e.g., mass shootings, war, the pandemic, and the attempt to overthrow American democracy, we seem to have more acute problems to solve.
This statement from a former teacher brought tears to my eyes.
To be sure, there are many issues that divide Americans, but one struggles to understand how protecting our schoolkids by keeping assault weapons away from psychopaths has to be one of them.
Given all the carnage of little bodies, we sometimes overlook the horror that all this inflicts on our teachers, and how it ultimately represents just one more nail into the coffin of American education.
I’m sure most progressives are going to “raise their hands” here, but not me. Manufacturers cannot possibly know where their products are going to wind up, and since guns of this type are not illegal, this appears grossly unfair.
We don’t hold distillers/brewers of alcohol accountable for drunken driving deaths. There is no material difference here.
From NPR:
At the (June 9th) hearing, the (January 6th Committee) panel will “present previously unseen material documenting January 6th, receive witness testimony, preview additional hearings, and provide the American people a summary of its findings about the coordinated, multi-step effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and prevent the transfer of power,” it said.
Holy cats. Lie still, my heart.
This isn’t exactly news, is it?
But I thought I’d post it anyway, as it’s something that governs so many of the pain-points we feel in our lives.
