Here’s an excellent article that examines why we are losing an increasingly large number of our toddlers to shootings by their young siblings.

You may have known, for instance, that a gunshot to a small body is more likely to destroy multiple organs or other critical structures, simply because little bodies are so much more compact than adults’.  Frankly, though the idea is obvious once it’s been mentioned, it was a new idea for me.

I would have said that the answer is actually more obvious: a) guns are rapidly proliferating through our society, b) we position them such that we can grab them at a moment’s notice, c) our population is more substance addicted than ever before, d) our home lives are more stressed and miserable, e) our government is incapable (due to the  power of the gun lobby) to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill.  Thus: our kids will continue to shoot more of their siblings to death.

Like most of my readers, I’ve made a great number of mistakes that I have a hard time forgetting. Fortunately, I never enabled either of my two kids to kill the other with a gun, and I’ve been spared the lifetime of emotional anguish that would have ensued.

But, for more parents every year, it’s become a reality, and, as Americans, there’s not a goddamn thing we can do about it.  Wish I had better news.

 

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From these people’s video: “Our technology transforms waste into energy, and that’s a huge opportunity, because that’s not being done across the board.”

They want investors to come on board.  But will they be impressed by what they see here?

There are dozens of different technologies that extract the chemical energy out of hundreds of forms of waste and convert that into biofuels, hydrogen, or electricity. As you’re reading these words, there are tens of thousands of scientists who have spent decades of their lives trying to make this happen in a way that is economically feasible.

There has not been a single success yet, from more than a half-century of work.

If you believe this guy has a unique approach and capability, by all means, jump right in. And good luck with that.

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The map here shows “the sea surface temperature anomaly on Sunday, June 18. Temperatures off the coast of the UK and Ireland are several degrees higher than usual.”

My colleague Joe  Spease notes: Trump, Republicans, and other climate change deniers are destroying the future of our children.

Yes, Joe, that’s true, but they’re making  a lot of money in the process.   For some people, that’s all that matters.

 

 

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If you think the main issue with Trump is that he’s too “divisive” and/or “controversial,” you, my friend, are part of the problem.

Re-installing a traitorous, career criminal in the White House will bring this country to its knees.

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The only thing I know about the book here is the word “Worlds” in its title needs an apostrophe.

This doesn’t make a good first impression.

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For the life of me, I cannot understand the appeal that Trumpism has on tens of millions of American voters.

People who accept the idea that there are no benefits to providing free meals to poor kids need to believe either that a) hunger is not an impediment to learning, or b) there is no value in educating poor children.

That level of stupidity and hate is hard to imagine.

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To Mike Madrid: I like the cut of your jib.  This is precisely what I expect.

I’m predicting something not unlike what happened in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692.  Not only did the persecution of witches stop abruptly, it ceased for no apparent reason, and a year later, some people in the town had forgotten that it ever existed.

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Here’s something from the Chris Christie campaign:
Chris Christie has made it very clear—there is only one “lane” to the White House, and it is THROUGH Donald Trump.  We all know Christie is the only person who will TELL IT LIKE IT IS, demand the truth, and expose Donald Trump’s many flaws on the debate stage.
What amuses me about this is the phrase “expose Donald Trump’s many flaws.”  If you’re really “telling it like it is,” you need to replace that with something like: “demand that Donald Trump be tried, convicted, and incarcerated for trying to overthrow the U.S. government.”
Sadly, there is not a single Republican who is anywhere close to the debate podium who will say that.
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If you can be convinced that anything about these people’s claims is true, by all means, jump in with both feet.

One such claim is that they generate some energy at wind speeds that are lower than those that activate conventional turbines.  That happens to be false, but even if it were true, would it matter, when the power generated from wind is proportional to the cube of its velocity?

Wind speeds of 20 MPH generate 8000 times more power than speeds of 1 MPH.  Could it possibly matter what happens in nearly calm air?

Again, if you have no understanding of high school physics, this could be the deal you’ve been waiting for. Eventually, its proponents are going to prison, and you’re going to lose your investment.  Which one will happen first remains to be seen.

 

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I fully detest the Republican party, but I disagree that it can’t be reformed; in fact, I don’t see any scenario in which it won’t be.

Who knows what will work for the GOP, but it’s certain what is bound for failure: racism, homophobia, the rejection of science, the proliferation of assault weapons, support for Russia in Ukraine, and bans of books and abortion are chief among them.  It’s true that there are deep red states that eat this garbage up with a spoon, but all these platforms are extremely unpopular with the vast majority of Americans.

So what happens when the Republicans get annihilated in 2024 because decent, educated Americans revile them and vote accordingly?  Reform is the only answer.  Find a way to add real value to voters’ lives.

 

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