What Heinlein wrote here made sense when it was part of his masterpiece in the mid-20th Century, and some say it still does today.
But we have to realize that climate change wasn’t in the process of frying the planet, American democracy wasn’t teetering on the edge of failure, a global pandemic, led by public ignorance, wasn’t threatening to linger for years, or even decades. Not sure it’s a good idea to sever the flow of information.
Here’s a good list of biblical verses that speak to “End Times,” i.e., the prediction of the end of the Earth.
Note the foretelling of wars, famines, earthquakes, terrors, and pestilences.
And this, from the Book of Timothy: In the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.
If Timothy were alive today and wishing to make a list of people who are likely to bring about the end of the Earth, I’m sure he would have included people like the owner of the car shown above: the ignorant, the arrogant, and the people unwilling to use the brains that God gave them.
The people of 2000 years ago believed that only God could destroy the planet. Now, it’s generally recognized that human beings, with their ways of hatred and stupidity, are quite capable of creating major devastation to the only planet we call home.
Entertainer Dick Van Dyke, now approaching his 96th birthday, is still as sharp as a tack.
And he’s no shrinking violet, either. Here he expresses what most Americans feel, i.e., the utter astonishment and bitter disappointment that tens of millions of people can’t see through Trump’s bald-faced lies.
Legendary environmentalist Paul Hawken has assembled a group he calls Regeneration.
In his book of the same, he explains the concept as follows: Regeneration is a radical new approach to the climate crisis, one that weaves justice, climate, biodiversity, and human dignity into a seamless tapestry of action, policy, and transformation that can end the climate crisis in one generation. It is the first book to describe and define the burgeoning regeneration movement spreading rapidly throughout the world. (more…)
This guy makes an astute observation about today’s world, and has a truly admirable response to these troubling times.
FWIW, this is why I never wanted to live in New York City. Too much aggression, too little compassion. I was afraid I’d turn into one of them.
Someone sent me this with the note: “Designed to make people feel like they are doing their part…”
I see the point. Greenwashing does exist. But I would urge you not to be too cynical.
Most of what’s happening in the development of cleantech solutions is completely legitimate–and it’s vitally important. Examples include the displacement of energy from coal to that generated by wind. Wind is now 11% of the U.S. grid-mix, and it’s growing every year.
If there is a solution here, it’s rooted in encouragement, not apathy.
Did you know (as claimed here) that toilet paper represents 15% of our world’s deforestation? No? Good, because it’s not true. Think about it. All the other paper products? All the wood-based building products? Let’s be serious.
Also, think of the carbon footprint of harvesting the bamboo, processing it, packaging it, and shipping it in smallish boxes to individual customers, vs. shipping tons to Costco or Walmart for customer pick-up.
Scamsville.
It’s natural for people who have greatly improved their financial condition to believe that everything they touch turns to gold. As shown here, Morgan Freeman is one of them.
He claims that wealth and genetics have nothing to do with one another, i.e., that everyone born in the U.S., has an equal opportunity to succeed. He says, “The way to stop racism is to stop talking about it.”
This is so patently false, it’s hard to know how to react to it. People born into poor black families in terrible school districts do not have equal access to education, wealthy friends in college, or contacts made in country clubs. They don’t even have equal access to nutritious food, healthcare, and safe living conditions.
If I were doing the interview, I would have cut it short, because it’s so ridiculous; I would feel I was wasting viewers’ time and embarrassing myself by having such a ludicrous conversation.
As previously reported, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, is facing a recall election which may result in Larry Elder coming to power. His platform is presented at left.
Yes, things are not going well in the United States at this point. In particular, nothing seems to make sense.
But is it possible that one of the most progressive and productive states in the union will be run by this man? Biden clobbered Trump 63.48% to 34.32%. Are we ready for this?
Based on the hair styles and bathing suits, I’m guessing this shot (larger version below) was taken in the mid-1960s. What do you notice about it?
What I find most striking is that there is not a single obese person in it.
Whatever the exact date, it was before Coke and McDonalds, and the rest of the processed food industry began to start poisoning us. (more…)
