Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, PhD, is a marine biologist, policy expert, writer, and founder of Ocean Collectiv, a consulting firm for conservation solutions.
I love her point here: we don’t have the right to give up.
An old friend asks, “Given the extreme carbon footprint associated with transoceanic cargo shipping, wouldn’t it be better if we built our products here, rather than import them?”
The answer is yes, and such a change would also enable us to get a grip on the terrible trade imbalances that endanger the U.S. (and world) economy. But the realities of the world economy cannot be changed with the wave of a hand. The reason we import everything from steel to apparel to solar panels from China (and other Asian nations) is that they can be made so much less expensively there, due to cheap labor, government subsidies, and economies of scale. (more…)
Question: For the first time in its history, Scientific American is endorsing a candidate for the U.S. presidency. In what year was the magazine first published? Who was president at the time?
There sure have been lots of stories on boycotts recently. President Donald Trump made the news in a big way a couple of weeks ago when he called for a boycott of Goodyear Tires because their workplace policies forbid the wearing of MAGA (or any other political) hats.
Boycotts have been hitting Hobby Lobby ever since they claimed religious freedom as a basis on which to deny women’s reproductive products and services as part of their workers’ healthcare coverage. Now, public outrage against the company is even more strident as they have begun to offer for sale a lighted pro-Trump display for customers’ front yards. (more…)
As you read the meme here, realize that the truth is far worse. Trump didn’t lie because he didn’t want you to panic, but because he wanted you to think that COVID-19 wasn’t a serious threat, that “Trump’s America” is a safe and healthy place, and that you should vote for him in November, acting on this mistaken belief. (more…)
Student puzzled
From the American Energy Society:
In 2005, of the 49 state science education standards then in use, 30 states required instruction about anthropogenic climate change, 15 discussed its causes (fossil fuel use, land use, etc.), and four did not mention it. (more…)
From the American Energy Society:
In 2018, oil majors invested 1% of their combined budgets on clean energy. (more…)
“A Thought for Today” is a regular feature of Wordsmith.org. Check this out, if you will:
Patriotism is pride in a country’s virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their own specific virtues. The pride of nationalism, however, trumpets its country’s virtues and denies its deficiencies, while it is contemptuous toward the virtues of other countries. It wants to be, and proclaims itself to be, “the greatest”, but greatness is not required of a country; only goodness is. -Sydney J. Harris, journalist and author (14 Sep 1917-1986) (more…)
Let’s be frank; this guy does have a point: educated people, those who read, write, think, and discuss–in particular, people who learn by questioning what they’re being told, do tend to be liberals. The causation, however, is unclear: does educating people make them liberal, or is there something about the truth of science, math, the lessons of history, or great literature that is “liberal” in and of itself? (more…)
From this article:
Discussing the recent police killing of a self-described anti-fascist suspected of fatally shooting a far-right activist in Portland, Oregon, President Donald Trump openly endorsed extrajudicial executions in a Fox News interview Saturday, declaring that “there has to be retribution.” (more…)
