The correct word in the first sentence here is “renown,’ not “renowned.”  But be this as it may.

As I mentioned in a recent post, I met a woman from Zurich the other day, and the conversation quickly went to how amazingly beautiful the entire nation of Switzerland is, but, unfortunately, how expensive it is to live there–even to visit.

It’s a matter of supply and demand, of course; the country is small but spectacular.

The same principle applies to California.  A $1 million house here would be worth perhaps $150K in a less desirable part of the United States.  But most folks love the climate, the economic opportunities, our progressivism, and whatever else I may be missing.

We don’t have The Alps, but we have far fewer uneducated racists on a per capita basis than can be found elsewhere.  Apparently, a large number of us think that’s something worth considering.

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Twentieth Century philosopher of science Karl Popper (pictured) wrote: The game of science is, in principle, without end. He who decides one day that scientific statements do not call for any further test, and that they can be regarded as finally verified, retires from the game.
It would be wonderful if this concept were understood by the common American,  Not only is science not infallible, it could be said that it’s always wrong at some level.  With each passing year, what was once regarded as cutting-edge thinking is replaced by new discoveries, bringing us better understandings of ourselves and the universe in which we live.  It’s the only tool we have at our disposal that makes possible this remarkable progress.
Sadly, we live in a country in which a significant number of people believe that most scientists are corrupt, and will manipulate their data as required to enable them to say whatever their paid to say.  Now, if this inane cynicism were confined to a few QAnon nut-jobs, it would be largely inconsequential.  The problem is that it’s a key theme among the millions of consumers of Fox News and the other extreme right-wing “news” sources.
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Most of what Trump says and does is despicable.  Some of it is illegal, and evokes criminal charges.

In any case, his support base couldn’t care less.  When Trump said that he could step out onto 5th Avenue, shoot someone in the face and not lose any votes, he was by-and-large correct.

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These people are mortified, and for good reason.

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Sorry, but I have bad news.  There is no scenario under which Trump (other than that he somehow drops dead) leaves the 24/7 news cycle in November, or anytime soon thereafter.  It’s all but certain that he’s going to lose the presidential election, but that he will simply propel the Big Lie into its sequel, and only God knows what happens after that.

Barring some miracle, this country will be dealing with the aftermath of Trump, his criminal prosecution, and most of all, his having awakened the very worst aspects of the American people, for many years, more likely decades, to come.

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The meme here came from a reader.

My only objection to the concept is that, since the number of school hours per year is fixed, for everything you add you need to remove something.  From prior conversations on the subject, what is slated for removal is normally Algebra 2, which means logs/exponents, inequalities, matrices, vectors, functions, quadratic equations, and complex numbers.  Proponents need to understand that they are effectively barring students not only from higher math, but also chemistry and physics.

Within a few years, there will be no technically proficient young people emerging from American education.

Our woes with STEM in terms of competition in the international marketplace are bad enough without making them worse.

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Trump is no stranger to making bizarre and counterproductive decisions, so his choice of JD Vance as his running mate shouldn’t really raise any eyebrows. And obviously, the vice-presidential candidate mustn’t have a left-wing- or even moderate bone in his/her body.  But should Trump really have doubled down on the extreme right-wing insanity?

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A reader sent me this wonderful article describing how farmers are adapting to climate change with the use of specialized software.  While it isn’t solving the problem, it’s a great innovation to help cope.

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In certain of the 50 states, most notably Florida, all references to climate change (and evolution) have been removed from school text books.  Below is a video on a nonprofit whose mission is to reinstate material that is “politically controversial but scientifically noncontroversial.”

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I just met a woman from Zurich, and the conversation turned to the Trump rally that’s taking place here in this rural part of Central California.  As it turns out, Biden is vacationing here and has opted to make a short speech.  The Trump supporters are protesting, as a means to tell the president that “he’s not welcome here.”

The Swiss lady said, “This would never have happened in Europe, purely because people there are well educated.  Sadly, the United States has deprioritized education, which has made it possible for the rise to political power of a truly terrible person.”

 

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