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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability — No Comments ↓

The creator of the meme here has every right to his pessimism, and I’ll grant that there is a great deal of evidence that he’s correct, especially given what’s happening regarding the planet’s environment and the political scene here now in the United States.

But the final chapter hasn’t been written.  There are eight billion people on this planet, and the vast majority of them are good.  As you read this, keep in mind that there are more than 200,000 groups operating on Earth whose purpose is environmental and social justice.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Buckminster Fuller was a one-of-a-kind American intellectual: architect, engineer, and philosopher.  As shown at left, he had what today might be considered something of a socialist, or perhaps Quaker or Buddhist perspective on life on planet Earth, urging us all to treat one another with equal importance, given that this is what’s necessary for us to create a sustainable world.

Consider for a moment how completely absent we all are from that perspective today, with our American leadership featuring Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

As shown here, the United States ranks #22 in the world in terms of quality of life.  Not too bad, actually.

But what direction is this headed?  Will life for the common America be better or worse, given:

• The inflation that is predicted to ravage our economy?

• The alignment with Putin/Russia and the disconnection from NATO and our European allies?

• The further destruction of public education?

• The rejection of science that affects public health and the environment?

• Social security is under attack?

I guess we’ll see.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

At left are the words of French physician and politician Claude Malhuret, member of the Senate since 2014.

Like most Europeans, the French have a certain grace and intelligence; they are completely repelled by traitorous slobs like Donald Trump.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

It would be interesting to see the results of a large poll in which Americans were asked their viewpoints of Trump’s actions since his return to the White House in January 2025,  Imagine we had to choose precisely one of the following:

a) I approve, largely or completely, of what Trump has done thus far. 

b) I disapprove of his decision to impose tariffs on neighboring allies.

c) I disapprove of his aligning with Putin/Russia, rather than Ukraine/NATO allies.

d) I disapprove of his treatment of immigrants.

e) I disapprove of his dismantling key parts of the U.S. federal government.

f) I disapprove of his stance on climate and the environment.

g) I disapprove of something else not listed above.

What Bernie Sanders seems to be saying above is that c) is a big deal.  FWIW, I agree.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of average achievement in key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and having a decent standard of living.

The HDI was created to emphasize that people and their capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of a country, not economic growth alone.

As we look at the map of North America below, we see something that may be surprising: the poorest, least educated, and unhealthiest parts of the United States tend to vote for political candidates that keep them poor, ignorant, and physically sick.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

It’s no secret that Republican congresspeople are running up against a wall of seething hatred from their constituents in the town hall meetings that they were conducting until ordered to stop.

At left, Kamala Harris’ running mate Tim Walz makes an amusing offer.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

On average, Americans’ portfolios lost about five percent in the last month.

The specter of deeper losses and hyper-inflation looms over us all.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

I just met an interesting fellow who introduced himself as “Marc Pierre,” with a readily discernable French accent.  When I asked if he was in fact French, his face lit up, as if to say, “How could you have possibly known that?” Apparently, he hadn’t expected too much from us provincials.

He’s an international accountant hailing originally from the south of France, but one who’s also lived in the UAE and Mauritius, only to wind up in our small town here in Central California, where, to be honest, perhaps one in fifty of us could find Mauritius on a globe.

When the conversation turned to politics, he told me what I’ve heard almost exclusively from well educated and well traveled professionals: they are astonished at what has become of the United States, and terrified with what it means for the world as a whole.

His main issue is that Trump clearly has no clue as to what he is doing, but about half of Americans don’t think that represents a problem.  They’re fine on the consequences of their president’s making uninformed decisions on things like NATO, tariffs, and the like that are wreaking economic mayhem on themselves and on nations around the globe.

“He has no idea what he’s talking about.  Doesn’t that scare you?”

Ah, yes.  Indeed it does. Thanks for pointing that out.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics
Here’s what commentator David Brooks said after the White House’s mistreatment of the Ukrainian president on Friday:
I was nauseated, just nauseated. All my life, I have had a certain idea of about America, that we’re a flawed country, but we’re fundamentally a force for good in the world, that we defeated the Soviet Union, we defeated fascism, we did the Marshall Plan, we did PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) to help people living in Africa. And we make mistakes, Iraq, Vietnam, but they’re usually mistakes out of stupidity, naivete and arrogance.
They’re not because we’re ill-intentioned. What I have seen over the last six weeks is the United States behaving vilely, vilely to our friends in Canada and Mexico, vilely to our friends in Europe. And today was the bottom of the barrel, vilely to a man who is defending Western values, at great personal risk to him and his countrymen.
Donald Trump believes in one thing. He believes that might makes right. And, in that, he agrees with Vladimir Putin that they are birds of a feather. And he and Vladimir Putin together are trying to create a world that’s safe for gangsters, where ruthless people can thrive. And we saw the product of that effort today in the Oval Office.
And I have — I first started thinking, is it — am I feeling grief? Am I feeling shock, like I’m in a hallucination? But I just think shame, moral shame. It’s a moral injury to see the country you love behave in this way.
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Since my boyhood 60 years ago, I’ve heard people argue back and forth whether or not the United States truly is a force for good in the world, or if it looks out for its own interests, and good things sometimes accidentally derive from that.   In any case, let’s agree that there is (or was) something intrinsically good about our nation and the way it had traditionally functioned in the world.
At this point, of course, it’s impossible to argue against David Brooks’ position, that any American beneficence has gone the way of chrome hubcaps and bell-bottoms, replaced by the president’s sociopathic need to become just one more dictator on this sad planet.
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