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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

I like to answer this question as follows:

If it’s the study of anything that’s alive, or that’s ever been alive, that’s biology.

If it’s the study of how matter interacts at the level of the electrons that surround the nucleus of every atom/molecule, that’s chemistry.

If it’s literally any other scientific endeavor, that’s physics.  Thus, we have how matter interacts at the nuclear level, and …. mechanics (motion, force, pressure, gravity, energy/work. power, etc.), light, sound, heat, electricity and magnetism, the Earth, the cosmos, and all others things in the universe that are very large or very small.

Apparently, Ernst Rutherford, best known for his novel model of the atom in the early 20th Century, thought very highly of physics vis-a-vis the other sciences.

The meme below is completely incorrect, of course, but it’s (vaguely) funny.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

The meme here makes sense until we realize something very important: there is no profit associated with teaching our kids about basic biology, but there is a ton of profit getting them to recognize and admire Jason Aldean, Patrick Mahomes, Gatorade, and the IPhone.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Here’s a piece on the present-day controversy forwarded by the Republican vice presidential hopeful JD Vance to the effect that all women should have children.

I commented: Not to like kids? I wouldn’t say that’s natural.

… to which a reader replied: Kids can be super irritating.

LOL! Sorry to laugh, but I couldn’t help myself. Yes, I’ve had that experience, as a father, sports coach, and tutor. Yet kids need our assistance and compassion if they are to grow into mentally healthy adults and function well in our society. I urge everyone to make an effort to like and help children.

Let me add, for those too young to remember, that there was an extremely popular comedian in the early-mid 20th Century by the name of W. C. Fields, whose “schtick” as a performer was being as offensive and misanthropic as possible.  I.e., he meant this to be funny.
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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

The author of the meme here poses an excellent question.

I believe it will ultimately be shown that Putin had a great deal to do with this.  Russia benefits from a United States that is depleted morally, diplomatically, and economically.  An insane and autocratic leader who actively tried to overthrow the U.S. government is the biggest gift to Russia imaginable.

At the same time, the less controversial theories have weight as well, e.g., the devastated American educational system.  The whole concept of a Trump supporter, i.e., a voter who is incapable of seeing that the former is a pathological liar and conman, couldn’t have existed in any meaningful quantities until very recently.   Now we have people casting ballots who couldn’t find Ukraine on a map, or tell you what a virus is, or believe that the government controls the weather.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Americans’ human rights are under fierce attack from the far-right-wing.  At left is a warning concerning the right of women to make their own choices regarding their reproductive systems, but it just as well could have dealt with LGBTQs, Muslims, people of color, or immigrants.

We’re only a few weeks away from seeing how voters weigh in on these subjects.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Right now, we are seeing a slow but steady increase in the recognition that our climate is warming due primarily to the consumption of fossil fuels.

However, as 81-year-old climate scientist James Hansen said recently, it’s possible that, in his own lifetime, we’ll experience a climate-related event so terrible that virtually no climate deniers will remain.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

An important part of the Republican party’s strategy going into the 2024 elections is to convince Americans that their country lies in ruins due to the incompetence of the Democrats in power. Unfortunately, this means amplifying every piece of bad news, and, in particular, telling bald-faced lies about important things like hurricane response.

Now, we have Republican leaders who are begging their team to drop this practice, because it’s damaging our government’s capacity to help its citizens in this time of emergency.

At left we see the governor of South Carolina; below is a senator of North Carolina.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Saptadip Pramanik submits this question and asserts that the answer is Aristotle.

Yes, he wrote “De Motu Animalia,” or, in English: “On the Motion of Animals.” But most of what he put forward there turned out to be simply incorrect. I love Aristotle as much as the next guy, but it’s hard to say that he was the “father of zoology.”

He was certainly the father of logic.  For that, he will be regarded, until the end of organized human civilization, as the man. Imagine codifying a field of study in ancient Greece, and having seen no corrections and very few improvements 2300 years later.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

How much misery can be created by inventing stories about Haitians’ eating Ohioans’ pet dogs and cats?  I don’t know, but it’s limited.

Trying to convince folks that climate change is a hoax, on the other hand, is deliberately creating a situation in which the resultant sufferings is virtually boundless.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

It’s very difficult to feel sympathy for those who get stung by Donald Trump and his well recognized habit of stiffing vendors.

Imagine that you’re the mayor of Minneapolis, MN and the Trump team wants you to open up a facility at which the former president can rally his base.

My response would be, “Of course.  You owe us $530K plus interest, and, for obvious reasons, we’ll want a 100% deposit for the next event.

“You might want to consider, however, that Trump is reviled here.  The reason he lost Minnesota by a whopping 7.1% in 2020 is that this isn’t Alabama or Oklahoma; it’s a state of well educated fair-minded people.  Why don’t you just send us the $530K and forget about going forward?  I’ll waive the interest, and you can take your business somewhere a bit more receptive to Trump’s message of hatred and ignorance.”

 

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