According to this:
Republican Senator Ron Johnson tested positive for coronavirus then went to an Oktoberfest Party with thousands of people, infecting an unknown number of people. He refused to wear a mask and just spoke to reporters this morning that he still doesn’t believe in wearing masks. This is the party of pure stupidity and an immediate danger to public safety–this is the Republican Party. (more…)
Here’s a stimulating article in Psychology Today on the subject.
I would say that a disproportionate number of us believe what we want to believe, despite compelling evidence to the contrary. That’s certainly one definition of stupidity.
Reader Bill Baer agrees: Yes it is. To not know and not know that you don’t know is ignorance, but to not know and to think that you do know is stupidity.
It’s possible that the United States is in the process of losing its most precious asset: it’s democratic republic, as almost half of us are so dull-witted that we cannot see through the most obvious conman that the mind could possibly imagine. And if that happens, the proximate cause will be precisely this: stupidity.
To use ice hockey parlance, the neo-fascist group “Proud Boys” will be skating at a two-man disadvantage, as the civilized world begins to enjoy a power-play that will extend, not two minutes, but four years.
Maxwell Hare and John Kinsman (pictured) will go off the ice, not for cross-checking or hooking, but for assault. (more…)
A reader notes: Excellent News. Pathological liar Trump has already killed 210k Americans. Prison time.
Yes, this is good news. Keep in mind what’s happening in swing states, some of which are still on the fence, but this is going the right way, to be sure. (more…)
IMO, one of the most important differences between Watergate and what’s happening here is the vast complexity of today’s situation. (more…)
I took the photo here in a trendy new Italian restaurant on California’s Central Coast. The owner of the place had done all the design (and construction) himself, and thus could answer my questions about what this was and how it worked.
A video would have illustrated this better, but in essence, it’s box, built into the wall, in which a gas flame, because of the placement of a fan at the top, creates a vigorous downward spiral. The device also puts off a decent amount of heat, not exactly a bonus at this time of year, as the temperature there had hit 104 F, and was still hovering in the high 80s at 7 PM. (more…)
How would you complete the following? “What the world needs now is:
a) Love, sweet love.” (from the pop song of the late 60s)
or (more…)
Here’s a short video on a new wind turbine concept. A breakthrough?
Ahhh…..no. This is bulls***, for three main reasons.
a) Wind power is a function of the area of the turbine. Tiny turbines necessarily generate tiny amounts of power. (more…)
If there is a single idea that explains the debacle we’re experiencing in the United States it’s the one represented here.
The point raised by Russian novelist, philosopher, and political dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn lies at the core of the racial strife and radical divisiveness that the U.S. is experiencing. All this hatred and ignorance was lying in wait, sitting more or less dormant, until a demagogue arrived on the scene, awakened it, and heated it to a boil.
As we all know, the Netherlands leads the way towards decarbonizing transportation. Cars and motorbikes running on gasoline or diesel will be banned from driving in Amsterdam starting in 2030, and commencing next year, gas and diesel cars more than 15 years old will be banned from going within the A10 ring road around the city.
In addition, the country is world famous for its promotion of bicycling. 36% of people surveyed name the bicycle as their most frequent mode of transport on a typical day. Cycling has a modal share of 27% of all trips (urban and rural) nationwide. (more…)
