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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

One might think that the Republicans’ abuse of women would be a death knell to their candidacy in 2024, given that (slightly) more than half of registered voters are female.  Yes, there are a few fanatical Christians who think that abortion, in all cases, is murder, but that’s not going to get the job done in November.

The problem, of course, is that so many Americans are so driven by their hate and ignorance that the impact of the ban on abortion simply passes them by.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

I clicked on this ad from “Modern Fuels,” in the hopes of learning about some breakthrough in our planet’s use of energy, but I was disappointed to see that it concerned pencils.

When was the last time you sent a fax, rented a movie on VHS, had a car phone installed, or, for that matter, used a pencil?

For $90, you can buy a mechanical pencil that is lathed to tolerances of thousandths of an inch.  It’s guaranteed to last 100 years.

Am I being played by comedians here?  These people won’t last two weeks, let alone 100 years.

Soon, I expect to see a promotion for paperclips that are individually made from 5-inch strips of wire that people in factories use needle-nosed pliers to form into place.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

No one can possibly disagree with the statement here.  But there’s more to this issue.

When these unions make it difficult or impossible to fire our very worst teachers, all decent people draw a line.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

In truth, we know essentially nothing about life beyond Earth, but Goethe’s point is a good one nonetheless.

The United States may re-elect Donald Trump, unmitigated climate change is on track to destroy our only home, and we’re destroying our capacity to educate our children.  The list of insanities goes on from there.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Apparently, these kitchen composter appliances are selling fairly well.

My only issue is this: The process of using substantial amounts of electricity (~200 Watts times 6 hours per day) from the grid to dry out food scraps is most definitely not good for the planet.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

A few years ago, I was privileged to hear a talk in a smallish auditorium by the great Ken Burns.  Our world is filled with incredible minds, but IMO, Burns is at or very near the top when it comes to an understanding of history and philosophy, combined with his unparalleled capacity to explain it to the rest of us.

If you have 20 minutes to spare (and who doesn’t when we really want something?), please check out his speech to the 2024 graduating class at Brandeis University.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

As I wrote earlier, Trump is despised by New York City, and would have been wiser to hold a rally elsewhere.

Attorney and Trump critic Ron Filipkowski said of Trump’s rally in the Bronx: “Right-wing media can hype this all they want. In a city of over 8 million people, Trump drew 4,000 tops. That’s with a lot of people from out of state.”

Characteristically, Robert De Niro puts it far better than I can.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

From the Sandy Hook Promise:

When the Senate failed to pass background check legislation after my sweet little Daniel was murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary, I was absolutely devastated. I had spent months going from Senate office to Senate office, sharing photos of my gap-toothed little boy – showing them the human toll of inaction. It gutted me to watch as some of those same senators voted to stop the bill, but I refused to give up hope.

Now, a decade later, we have another chance: The Background Check Expansion Act has been introduced in the Senate – a bill that would close dangerous loopholes in our background check system that put children’s lives at risk. That’s why we need another 947 petition signatures before midnight to reach our goal of 650,000 people sending a powerful message to the Senate demanding they act now – and it looks like your name is missing.
Please, sign now to urge the Senate to pass the Background Check Expansion Act to protect more children from gun violence.
– Mark Barden (Daniel’s father)
One doesn’t have to look too far to find areas of gross corruption in the U.S. congress, but the lock that the National Rifle Association has on our senators and representatives may sit at the top of the list.  A full 97% of American voters want mandatory background checks for prospective gun owners, though this whole subject continues to bump along with little real progress.
Here’s the petition on The Background Check Expansion Act that I just signed.  I hope you’ll join me.
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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

Out of curiosity, I just signed up to receive Chevron’s monthly newsletter, which features a regular article on what the oil behemoth is doing to clean up the energy sector.

Of course, if this is to mean anything substantive, it needs to spell out how exactly Chevron is moving the world away from fossil fuels, and, as we all know, that’s not happening.  Or, better put, if it is happening at all, it’s due to the pressure it’s receiving from the general public.

Now we simply have to hope that the author of the cartoon here, Dan Piraro, is wrong.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

In today’s America, there is no question that the Republicans help the corporate world profit at the expense of the people, while Democrats are trying to help the common person get along.

Who will win?

Good question.

As I like to say, “They (the GOP) have the money; we have the people.”

Having said all this, as shown in the charts below, Biden actually is making some headway on our behalf, and his accomplishments are appreciated by many.

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