At left: “The need to replace fossil fuels.”
I’m sure I’ve mentioned that I’m trying to learn Spanish, an endeavor that has been much more difficult than I expected it to be, perhaps because I took it on fairly late in life. (more…)
As shown here, when it comes to climate change denial, the leading three counties are the U.S., the U.K., and Australia (in that order).
We might have guessed that it’s a coincidence that each of the three is English-speaking, until we realize that the climate change counter movement is comprised of 91 separate organizations, with annual funding, collectively, of “just over $900 million.” And they all speak English.
More analysis of this subject here. I can’t imagine trying to live with myself knowing that my life’s work is ensuring that billions of people suffer. Maybe I’m strange; some have suggested that over the course of my life, to be sure.
Though the quality of the education offered at the William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia is probably the main reason parents work hard to send their kids there, the overlay of Quakerism and everything it stands for is important as well. This means gentle but firm introduction to a contemplative life, one full of respect for all others, and, above all, a thirst for peace and a refusal of violence. (more…)
As suggested here, watching the decline of the American education system and the consequent damage it’s doing on our ability to think can be a painful process.
A reader sent me this (at left), and I thought I’d answer his question, i.e., “How can we afford another war?”
The answer lies in what is meant by the word “we.” If you believe that “we the people,” i.e., the general American citizenry, have any substantive role in guiding this nation, I’m afraid you are incorrect. (more…)
This cartoon makes an interesting point. One would think that encouraging Americans to vote would be a message that everyone can get behind. Doesn’t democracy thrive when its people participate in it? Isn’t that a good thing? (more…)
I just met a guy who sells and installs artificial grass, and we had a nice chat about how far this industry has come from the days of the first “Astroturf” in the late 1960s. At that point, it was so primitive, many athletes wished it had never happened. I recall Richie Allen, then star third baseman of the Philadelphia Phillies (baseball team) say, “If a horse can’t eat it, I don’t want to play on it.”
I ventured that it’s probably a hundred times better at this point, and he showed a picture like the one above. Impressive, I would say. (more…)
Renewable propane offers an identical composition to the conventional kind, making it suitable for any application compatible with that kind of fuel. This propane gets made with 100% renewable and raw materials, such as vegetable oil and waste residues. Despite these perks, could we ever reach a time when renewable propane — also known as biopropane — becomes more popular than less sustainable methods? (more…)
If this was true when Azimov died almost 30 years ago, think for a moment how much more pronounced it is now.
To be sure, it’s part of the “perfect storm” that has brought us to where we are now.
It’s certainly one of the many factors that figure into a decline in our population’s capacity for critical thinking, required to keep democracy alive.
Here’s a short video on the use of solar in parts of the world with no other access to electricity, explaining how it’s improving human health, productivity, and education.
There are lots of good uses for solar in the developed world, from rooftop to utility scale, but they all pale in comparison to helping the bottom of the pyramid improve their lives and achieve their goals of smaller, stronger families.
