Friday, December 24, 2021
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
How Germany's New Government Plans to Be the Greenest One Yet
My new government's welcome to me. ;-)
Thursday, November 18, 2021
Want to Strengthen U.S. Democracy? Try This Voting System
I've been a fan of this form of voting for a long time:
https://time.com/6112318/american-democracy-final-five-voting/
Thursday, November 11, 2021
What is Trumpism? Is it just a myth?
Trump really is so much worse than most people realize, especially his voters:
Monday, September 6, 2021
My Very Favorite Hymn | Beautiful Worship Song "He Flies" | Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
A delightful hymn parody of Christianity:
Satanists Demand FDA Give Them Access to Abortion Drugs for Religious Ritual
Epic trolling! The Satanic Temple is the perfect gadfly against the religious conservatives:
Monday, August 30, 2021
Largest Study of Lingering COVID-19 Effects Suggests a Looming Problem
"Among those hospitalized for COVID-19, 68% reported at least one continued, COVID-19-related symptom six months after their first symptoms appeared. While this percentage decreased by the 12-month mark, it remained relatively high, at 49%. And overall, patients who had been hospitalized for COVID-19 self-reported being in poorer health and having lower quality of life—including mobility issues— compared to controls."
SARS-CoV-2 Infections and Hospitalizations Among Persons Aged ≥16 Years, by Vaccination Status
"On July 25, infection and hospitalization rates among unvaccinated persons were 4.9 and 29.2 times, respectively, those in fully vaccinated persons."
Monday, August 16, 2021
Computer Models Of Civilization Offer Routes To Ending Global Warming
Well, at least there's finally SOME good news:
Friday, August 13, 2021
'A code red for humanity': Landmark climate report says global warming limit to be hit within 20 years
I'm hoping my move to Germany will help me avoid becoming a climate refugee...except that my moving to Germany is me being a climate refugee...
Climate crisis: Scientists spot warning signs of Gulf Stream collapse
This is especially disturbing because we don't know whether northern Europe will get colder or hotter. But that's where I'm headed:
Biden Seeks To Boost Fuel Economy To Thwart Trump Rollback
This isn't enough, but it's a good start:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-mileage-standards_n_610bdf51e4b041dfbaa64243
Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Meeting Paris Agreement Global Climate Targets Will Lead to 8 Million More Energy Jobs Worldwide by 2050
But at least there's some incentive (beyond survival) to encourage those who are all about boosting the economy:
Critical measures of global heating reaching tipping point, study finds
Ugh. This is really looking ugly. We may all be fucked:
Geraldo Rivera Tells Sean Hannity On His Own Show: You’ve Been Gaslighting
Good, conservative viewers need to see that their trusted icons are lying to them:
Can we stop Earth from heating up?
I really hope it doesn't come to this:
https://www.livescience.com/can-we-stop-earth-from-heating-up
Climate 'tipping points' could push us past the point-of-no-return after less than 2 degrees of warming
More to worry about:
https://www.livescience.com/climate-domino-effects-close.html
I'm glad we're moving out of CA....
Tuesday, July 13, 2021
Sunday, July 11, 2021
Global Plastic Pollution May Be Nearing an Irreversible Tipping Point
I don't see much of a way out of this without a nanotech revolution:
https://scitechdaily.com/global-plastic-pollution-may-be-nearing-an-irreversible-tipping-point/
Thursday, July 8, 2021
The “Census of American Religion” Shows Why Evangelical Christianity is Doomed
I'm not pleased that there's been a downward blip in nonbelievers, but the overall trend remains very poor for Christianity:
Wednesday, July 7, 2021
Monday, July 5, 2021
AC Feels Great, But It’s Terrible for the Planet. Here’s How to Fix That
Yikes. And the fix isn't that great:
https://time.com/6077220/air-conditioning-bad-for-planet-how-to-fix/
Monday, June 28, 2021
Northwest "heat dome" signals global warming's march
Long-Term Drought Grips the Western U.S. – Soils and Plants Are Parched
With 100 degree F temps now persisting for multiple multi-day periods during summer here, it's time to go:
https://scitechdaily.com/long-term-drought-grips-the-western-u-s-soils-and-plants-are-parched/
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Friday, June 18, 2021
Tucker Carlson And The Far Right Want To Recast Jan. 6 As A False Flag By The Deep State
Gaslighting and conspiracy theories damages democracies:
The Republican Party's mission: whitewash the Trump presidency
The Republican Party has become the party of evil:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/18/politics/republicans-trump-january-6-whitewashing/index.html
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
Can the US Survive California’s Drought?
A major reason to move, unfortunately:
https://blog.ucsusa.org/pablo-ortiz/can-the-us-survive-californias-drought/
Monday, June 14, 2021
Here Are The Big Questions A Capitol Riot Commission Could Answer
Why we need a commission to study the Jan 6 insurrection:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/capitol-riot-commission-questions_n_60a8018fe4b0d56a83e97e1e
Thursday, June 10, 2021
Wednesday, June 9, 2021
Louie Gohmert (R-TX) asks whether the Forest Service or the BLM can alter the orbit of the moon or the Earth
Watch the video. The level of stupidity Louis Gomert spews is breathtaking:
Monday, June 7, 2021
The Sedition Hunters
Nice to see the public getting involved in hunting down these traitors:
https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2021-capitol-riot-sedition-hunters/
Friday, June 4, 2021
World’s Lakes Losing Oxygen Rapidly As Planet Warms – Biodiversity and Drinking Water Quality Threatened
Climate change is having more and more clearly identifiable impacts on our world:
Donald Trump really does believe that he, along with two former GOP senators, will be ‘reinstated’ to office this summer
Trump continues to demonstrate he is delusional:
https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/06/maggie-haberman-is-right/
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
Sunday, May 30, 2021
The Insurrection Isn’t Over
Depressing but important to keep in mind:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/insurrection-republican-party-trump_n_60b1217ae4b04ddf13edbe9d
Friday, May 28, 2021
Thursday, May 27, 2021
New Super PAC To Go After ‘Treason Caucus’ Republicans Who Tried To Overturn Election
Good, we need to see more organized opposition to these traitors who keep trying to sweep the insurrection under the rug:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/treason-caucus-superpac_n_60aeab8ae4b0a256831b6301
Monday, May 24, 2021
'A Narrow Pathway': How a New Climate Report Rocked the Energy World
Every government in the world should be aggressively pursuing climate change mitigation policies:
Friday, May 21, 2021
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
Trump's Republicans assault democracy while Biden gets down to work
Republicans want action about the Mr. Potato Head issue, but do nothing helpful about the pandemic and insurrection. Pathetic:
The "QAnon Shaman" Jacob Chansley's attorney had this to say
Wow, you know you suck when your lawyer has to pull out the "my client is a moron" defense:
Monday, May 17, 2021
US Power Sector Is Already Halfway to Zero Carbon Emissions
Very positive news.
"Total demand for electricity was almost exactly the same in 2020 as it was in 2005, and was 24% lower than projected fifteen years earlier. “This drop in demand was due in part to sectoral and economic changes, but also to greater energy efficiency driven by policies and technology advancement. ...The researchers found that wind and solar power dramatically outperformed expectations, delivering 13 times more generation in 2020 than projected."
https://scitechdaily.com/us-power-sector-is-already-halfway-to-zero-carbon-emissions/
The Darkness: Illiberalism is on the march, all over the world
Long and depressing, but a worthwhile look:
America's slowing population growth puts limits on its future
We need a new paradigm that isn't dependent on constant growth:
Friday, May 14, 2021
One-Third of Global Food Production Threatened by Climate Change
Ugh, if emissions aren't kept low enough, the Iberian Peninsula is hosed:
https://scitechdaily.com/one-third-of-global-food-production-threatened-by-climate-change/
Friday, May 7, 2021
COVID-19 has caused 6.9 million deaths globally, more than double what official reports show
It could be as many as 905,289 deaths in the US and 617,127 in Mexico. Even more reasons to wear masks, social distance and get the vaccine:
Monday, April 26, 2021
Shocking Study Finds That 97% of Earth’s Land Area May No Longer Be Ecologically Intact
And this only builds on the misery of the last post:
Friday, April 23, 2021
U.S. Drop In Vaccine Demand Has Some Places Turning Down Doses
Anti-science ignorance is the source of so much suffering:
Thursday, April 22, 2021
Former US intelligence director backs Turnbull and Rudd’s call for Murdoch media inquiry
This is exactly what needs to start happening. Fox News is responsible for so much of the division in the US, and they should be held accountable for deliberately disseminating falsehoods:
Tuesday, April 20, 2021
Anti-Vax Activists Are Quietly Bending State Politics To Their Will
Anti-vaxxers are the same level of conspiracy theory ignorance as Qanon:
Monday, April 19, 2021
QAnon Candidates Are Winning Local Elections. Can They Be Stopped?
These losers really need to just disappear:
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
Thursday, April 1, 2021
Climate Change Has Cut Global Agricultural Productivity by 21% Since 1961
An important reminder that we're already living with the impact of climate change:
https://scitechdaily.com/climate-change-has-cut-global-agricultural-productivity-by-21-since-1961/
Biden boosts offshore wind energy, wants to power 10M homes
Yes! We will have to invest a lot more, but it's a good start:
Wednesday, March 24, 2021
A very, very, very dry future for the U.S. West
From Axios:
| A very, very, very dry future for the U.S. West |
 |
Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images |
The American West is in the midst of a punishing drought, and long-term conditions are only expected to get worse. Why it matters: Much of the West has a deep history of decades-long "megadroughts" — and that was before the added drying effects of climate change. But with population in the region projected to continue growing, both water demand and carbon emissions risk an arid future for the West. By the numbers: According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, nearly 40% of the West is currently in a state of extreme or exceptional drought, the two most severe categories, and barely 10% of the region is altogether drought-free.
Where it stands: The driest parts of the American West are already in the grips of a "megadrought," defined as a prolonged drought lasting two or more decades.
The big picture: The American West has a long history of recurring megadroughts that dates back to well before humans started putting carbon into the atmosphere.
What to watch: Drought is a product of how little rain might fall and how hot temperatures become, but also of how much water humans are taking from the environment.
This means that we're adding more and more people to the very region in the U.S. that has both a history of extreme, multidecadal drought and is set to get drier in the years to come thanks to climate change.
Yes, but: Total water withdrawals in the U.S. actually declined 25% between the peak in 1980 and 2015 — one sign of our ability to decouple growth from water use.
The bottom line: Multiple past civilizations have met their demise in part due to megadroughts, but with smarter water management and climate action, that doesn't have to be our fate. |
| 2. American dry |
 |
U.S. Drought Monitor for March 16 for the continental U.S. Credit: The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC. |
The most recent U.S. Drought Monitor shows two-thirds of the continental U.S. — and nearly all of the West — in at least some state of drought. Details: The current drought began last year, which was the driest on record for Utah and Nevada, and among the driest for states like Colorado.
|
Government by democratic lottery
From Axios, an interesting way to fix our political gridlock:
| Government by democratic lottery |
 |
Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios |
A group is putting forward a unique way to break U.S. political gridlock — replace legislators with ordinary citizens chosen by democratic lottery. Why it matters: Government by democratic lottery may seem extreme — but so is the current period of partisan gridlock, which has made it increasingly difficult for the government to tackle long-term problems. How it works: Instead of regularly electing legislators, democratic lotteries would have representatives in legislative bodies chosen at random from the citizen body, albeit with adjustments to be made for the final selection to represent the demographic and ideological makeup of the population.
Context: The Athenians used democratic lotteries because they believed elections inevitably led to corruption and division, according to Adam Cronkright, a coordinator at the democratic lottery group of by for*.
Examples: This past fall, of by for* convened a citizens' panel in Michigan of 30 people chosen by democratic lottery.
The catch: Beyond the constitutional changes that would be required to put any democratic lottery in place, the sheer complexity of the U.S. government goes far beyond what citizen-legislators in ancient Athens had to face.
Yes, but: Removing elected representatives would cut off the oxygen of a growing number of politicians who seem more interested in social media posting than governing. The bottom line: Americans are accustomed to viewing the health of their democracy through the prism of elections, but coming after a year when the U.S. had the highest voter turnout in decades but remains dysfunctional, we may need to rethink that. |
Monday, March 22, 2021
American Democracy Can't Survive Unless the Far Right Is Marginalized. Here's How to Do It
This is why I hope they come down HARD on the insurgents. Donald and most of the Republicans in Congress included:
https://time.com/5947962/reform-american-democracy-marginalize-far-right/
World Happiness Report
Very detailed, but the summary of happiest countries chart is near the top:
https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2021/happiness-trust-and-deaths-under-covid-19/
Friday, March 19, 2021
Rand Paul Gets Schooled On Coronavirus Variants After Calling Fauci’s Masks ‘Theater’
Even being a doctor doesn't prevent Republican lawmakers from being idiots:
New Analysis Shows Potential for “Solar Canals” in California – Advancing Both Renewable Energy and Water Conservation
This makes a lot of sense, even if it's too expensive to cover the entire length with solar panels and needs to be cut back some:
Friday, March 5, 2021
Thursday, March 4, 2021
Monday, March 1, 2021
The Useful Idiot: Why We’re Not Done With Trump Yet
A long but very good reminder of the damage Trump has done, and what can be done about it:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-useful-idiot-not-gone-yet_n_6031b49ac5b66da5dba1e428
Sunday, February 28, 2021
Conservatives aren't more fearful than liberals, study finds
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Monday, February 22, 2021
Friday, February 19, 2021
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
Monday, February 15, 2021
‘I Miss My Mom’: Children Of QAnon Believers Are Desperately Trying To Deradicalize Their Own Parents
I wonder if my own dad would have been sucked into this nightmare:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/children-of-qanon-believers_n_601078e9c5b6c5586aa49077
Friday, February 12, 2021
The Real Origins of the Religious Right
Just because this is interesting:
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133
Monday, February 8, 2021
Evangelicals Freak Out
Watching failed prophets freaking out never gets old for me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gIAtDxyTaM&feature=emb_logo
Sunday, February 7, 2021
Off the rails: Episode library
All the fly-on-the-wall episodes about Donald and his post-election freakout:
https://www.axios.com/off-the-rails-episodes-cf6da824-83ac-45a6-a33c-ed8b00094e39.html
Thursday, February 4, 2021
The Secret History of the Shadow Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election
This is very long, but it's a fascinating look into how Mike Podhorzer and others galvanized various organizations and industry to protect the election and make it run smoothly, despite Donald's attempts to the contrary:
AP investigation of Catholic Church and US aid
The Catholic Church had $10 billion dollars that could have kept it running for close to two decades, but it took $3 billion from the Paycheck Protection Program fund for small businesses. WTF??
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Monday, February 1, 2021
Republican State Legislatures Are Radicalizing Against Democracy
This is why anti-democracy behavior must be punished:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gop-state-legislatures-pennsylvania-trump_n_60146d71c5b6aa4bad33f207
Friday, January 29, 2021
Facts don't convince people in political arguments. Here's what does.
This is likely the unfortunate reality:
"New research suggests the answer can be found in stories, not statistics. People respect those they disagree with more when their position comes from a place of personal experience, not facts and figures."
https://www.livescience.com/facts-dont-win-political-arguments.html
Checked by reality, some QAnon supporters seek a way out
And yet many just double down. I get the same thing with fundies and creationists on my YouTube channel:
https://apnews.com/article/qanon-conspiracy-theory-recovery-4ea47c2966a41b30ae678e5f471f6070
Thursday, January 28, 2021
25 "Prophets" who said Trump would win... and their reactions when he didn't
These false "prophets" should have their words thrown in their faces over and over again:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8BNNTueyN8&feature=emb_logo
45 Senate Republicans Vote To Dismiss Trump’s Impeachment Trial
And these idiots are essentially saying don't hold Donald accountable for his treason:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/impeachment-trial-mitch-mcconnell_n_60107ab3c5b67848ee7c0d9b
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Liked Posts Calling For Killing Democratic Politicians: Reports
Nutbags like this should be required to be removed from Congress:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/marjorie-taylor-greene-facebook-posts_n_6010f257c5b6b8719d885347
Monday, January 25, 2021
Biden ushers in historical turn on clean energy and climate change
This is highly disappointing:
"Oil, natural gas and coal accounted for 81% of the world's energy consumption in 1990. Thirty years later — in 2020 — that figure dropped to 80%, mainly because of the pandemic, according to the International Energy Agency."
Republicans Are Mad Joe Biden Isn’t Uniting The Nation Around The GOP Agenda
As the Republicans enjoyed saying, elections have consequences:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/republicans-unity-biden-agenda_n_600b11e6c5b6f401aea41f08
Friday, January 22, 2021
Christian nationalists attacked our government
In case it's not clear that those were Christian terrorists who stormed the Capitol:
If convicted of a felony, the Capitol insurrectionists will be disqualified from owning a firearm under federal law
This is just delicious! These same people who cosplay being military men who love their guns may end up not being allowed to own guns:
https://mobile.twitter.com/asharangappa_/status/1352356610736234496
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
‘It’s Over’: Devastated QAnon Believers Grapple With President Joe Biden’s Inauguration
I had a serious case of Schadenfreude reading this:
CIVIQS poll shows most Republicans are now Trump supporters first, party supporters ... not at all
The good news is that the GOP may be dying. The bad news is that they're mostly MAGAts now. We need a HEALTHY second party, not a freakshow:
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Inside the Capitol Riot: What the Parler Videos Reveal
Some really good insight into the chaotic mess of motivations exhibited by the rioters:
https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-the-capitol-riot-what-the-parler-videos-reveal
Monday, January 18, 2021
The 15 most notable lies of Donald Trump's presidency
It's worth remembering all Donald's failures:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/16/politics/fact-check-dale-top-15-donald-trump-lies/index.html
Climate Crisis Calls for Direct Air Capture: Wartime-Level Funding for a Fleet of CO2 Scrubbers
A premeditated lie lit the fire
This is a good series on the details of Donald's meltdowns after the election:
https://www.axios.com/trump-election-premeditated-lie-ebaf4a1f-46bf-4c37-ba0d-3ed5536ef537.html
Friday, January 15, 2021
Thursday, January 14, 2021
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
Humans Face a “Ghastly Future” Unless Extraordinary Action Is Taken Soon on Sustainability
Climate change really is the #1 challenge we face, and it's stunning that so many people deny or ignore it:
'Our souls are dead': how I survived a Chinese 're-education' camp for Uighurs
This is a pretty horrific story. Another reason I'm not a fan of China:
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
The Conservative Cult of Victimhood
An excellent perspective on Republican whiny little bitches:
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/conservatism-reaches-dead-end/617629/
Monday, January 11, 2021
Fox Your Feelings: Then and Now
More examples of Fox News hypocrisy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvtvLZ8U3TM&feature=youtu.be
There's No Single Domestic Terrorism Statute. But Those Involved in the Riot at the Capitol May Still Be Prosecuted Under These Laws
Good, lots of options for prosecuting the terrorists:
Friday, January 8, 2021
2020 Ties With 2016 for Warmest Year Ever Recorded
And 2016 was an El Niño year, making it unusually warm. The 2010s were the hottest decade. It's only going to keep getting worse....
Thursday, January 7, 2021
Trump’s Inciting Of Mob Violence Against Democracy Is Right Out Of The Fascist Playbook
I once made a video detailing how Trump fits virtually all the criteria for a fascist. He hasn't proved me wrong:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-mob-violence-fascist-playbook_n_5ff64f8cc5b6ef6b158317d5
The colossal problem with universal basic income
The other side of the coin, so to speak:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m25YLByFVRw&feature=youtu.be
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Researchers say food prices don’t reflect environmental costs
This is a good way to reduce meat consumption and the damage it does to the environment:
https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/food-price-greenhouse-gas
Trumpists intended to take members of Congress hostage, hold show trials, conduct executions
Today's insurrection was bad enough...but it gets worse:
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
A meat-free world by 2035? 'Totally doable,' says Impossible Foods CEO
That'll help a lot of environmental and health issues:
Monday, January 4, 2021
The die is cast for the Republican Party
This thread predicts the end of the Republican Party as it splits into its autocratic and democratic factions. The Democrats need to team up with the democratic Republicans and delete the autocrats:
https://twitter.com/SteveSchmidtSES/status/1345533164102541315
Read the full transcript and listen to Trump's audio call with Georgia secretary of state
Although long, this transcript of Donald's attempt to commit election fraud by coercing the GA Secretary of State to alter votes is something everyone should read. Very revealing: