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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Now that you mention it, there is something that most Americans find offensive about the American flag, and that is that it’s been highjacked by Trump supporters.

Ten years ago, if someone chose to fly the flag, it symbolized nothing but pure patriotism.  Now it means the support of white nationalism, the rejection of science, and most of all, standing behind a pathological liar and criminal sociopath who is doing everything he can to overthrow the U.S. government so as to stay in power.

It’s not time to leave the country.  It’s time to recognize this attempt at autocracy for what it is and make sure it loses in a landslide in November.

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Here’s a family that is doing its level damnedest to remove itself from the gene pool, and that, IMO estimation, is a good thing.

Eat horrible food.  Expose yourself to pandemics.  Refuse medical treatment.  Elect leaders who will only make your lives worse.

Say bye-bye.

 

As previously mentioned, 2GreenEnergy “headquarters” is located in the smallish Santa Ynez Valley in Central California, population 18K, about 30 minutes’ drive inland from Santa Barbara.

As it turns out, President Joe Biden happens to be vacationing here, and not surprisingly, his presence is the subject matter of various points of political controversy.

Interestingly, Biden will be making a speech at a local shopping center.  But why step into the fray, when Trump lost California in 2020 by, shall we say, a “significant” margin (63.48% to 34.32%, close to 2:1)? And that was before Trump was indicted four times.  What percentage of Americans want to re-elect a criminal?

In any case, the local news reports that the extremely visible MAGA crowd wants to assemble, and let Joe know that he’s “not welcome here.”   I’ll try to be out of town when the pickup drivers with the cowboy hats remind us all what it’s like to act like third-grade school bullies.

The pic above represents the beauty of the Valley.  If you don’t mind living among some serious ignorance and hatred, it’s a great place to call home.

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In addition to what Jacob Perry writes here, let’s throw in that, in addition to Trump’s being convicted of 34 counts of felony fraud, three other grand juries found that he probably committed election interference, inciting an insurrection, stealing classified government documents, and a variety of other crimes.

It remains unclear how U.S. voters can have an appetite to re-elect him, given these circumstances. It seems unAmerican, at best.

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As the existentialists would say, We live in an icy cold universe that is completely indifferent to our wellbeing. 

The environmentalists add a new twist: The Earth isn’t going to disappear anytime in the next five billion years, but an organized human civilization could evaporate before the end of this century if it’s unable to come together and avert environmental catastrophe.  

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