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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

I happen to know a self-proclaimed constitutional scholar who tried to explain to me that the words “well regulated” found in the Second Amendment had a fundamentally different meaning in 18th Century America than it has today.  I can’t remember precisely what he said, and frankly, I didn’t believe him, as he is simultaneously a gun nut, and loves to invent justifications for his position.

In any case, let me offer the photo here, and pose this question: Is there any conceivable sense, at any point in the evolution of the English language, that these slobs could be construed to be a “well regulated militia?”

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels
Gary Tulie writes from his home in Buckinghamshire, England (see below): Hi Craig, BP along with fellow European oil companies Shell and Total are now committed to net zero by 2050. Let’s hope that technological advances, learning curve, and political will combine to achieve this target a few years earlier!

(more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

John Wesley was an 18th Century English cleric, theologian and evangelist.  Wikipedia notes:  (He) was a leader of a revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies he founded became the dominant form of the independent Methodist movement that continues to this day.

As shown here, Wesley had some fabulous values.  Sure would be great to integrate them into American society, but it appears we’re quite a ways from that.

I’m always impressed when people who lived long ago expressed concerns about the environment, since there was such little visible pollution at the time.  This must have necessitated keen insight.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

This Facebook ad begins: The mainstream media doesn’t want your children to know the truth about President Trump and his achievements in office. That’s why we created The Kids (sic) Guide to President Trump, and that’s why we’re making it free. It’s part of a special free gift bundle that also includes the “Great Again” video lesson and a very special issue of the new EverBright Kids magazine. To get your free bundle, just hit the learn more button. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Those living outside the United States may read the dialogue at the left and say, “Give me a break; it couldn’t possibly be that stupid.”  Well, I’m sorry to have to report that this is precisely the childishly idiotic level of the national conversation.

Onto this, we need to add all the discussions about the environment, e.g.:

D’s:  We need to be good stewards of our environment, phase out fossil fuels, and reinstate clean air and water regulations.

R’s: Dems want to kill jobs. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Yes, the United States is polarized across every conceivable dimension, including its perception of the president himself.  At this point, 40% of America continues to believe that Trump is the best thing that’s every happened to the country, that he’s the only thing standing between where we are today and lawlessness, economic collapse and poverty, racial dilution, and socialism. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

Coal-fired plants will soon be a thing of the past in the developed world, as illustrated here.  The United Kingdom has all but eradicated coal from its grid-mix, due to its fierce commitment to low-carbon resources.

Of course, it is up to the wealthy countries to lead the world forward and develop the cost-effective renewable energy technologies that can be deployed in India, China and Indonesia.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

A reader sent me this meme.

I wrote back, “Errr, that means you’re on the left.”

Until very recently, there were no societies on Earth, certainly not in the developed world, that were attempting to eliminate science from policy-making and trying to replace it with religious beliefs and/or political ideologies.

But a government that promotes equality, or even equal opportunity, is something that has defined the political left since the days of the Magna Carta 1000 years ago when serious arguments began to take place about basic human rights, thus placing limits on the rights of the king.

I’m sure someone will comment that this way of thinking about social order goes back to the civilizations of Sumeria, Phoenicia, Babylonia, or wherever, and I’m sure they’ll be correct.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability
Here are seven warning signs of a potentially unsafe group or leader.  I leave it to the reader to determine what, if any, relationship it has with Trump and his supporters.

• Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.

• No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.

• No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget or expenses, such as an independently audited financial statement.

• Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.

• There are records, books, news articles, or broadcast reports that document the abuses of the group/leader.

• The group/leader is always right.

• The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing “truth” or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Wind Energy

A reader asks: How many windmills would we need per person to replace fossil fuels? How much room would this take up?

In the United States, we consume 5.4 terawatts (5.4 * 1012 Watts).  The average wind turbine is a couple of megawatts, for convenience, let’s say 2.7 megawatts (2.7 * 106 Watts). (more…)

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