Shikha Dalmia at Reason.com had a few things to say about liberals and their penchant for ignoring inconvenient evidence in an article entitled, “The Myth of the Scientific Liberal.” Since part of the subject matter involves climate disruption, I’m sure Brian Angliss would ordinarily have much of weight and merit to contribute, but alas, time […]
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When (and why) should an energy subsidy end?
A German-made 900kWh PowerWind56 wind turbine dominates the summit of Mount Institute in Hawley, Mass. It provides, says a ski industry website, 100 percent of the electricity needs of Berkshire East. That’s the ski area, formerly known as Thunder Mountain, at which I learned to ski. From the valley floor, the brilliant white blades seem […]
America gets divorced: what about custody of the energy and the nukes?
Part three in a series. First look at this map: Now this one, which indicates the location of US military installations:
Surprise! Corporations secretly investing in U.S. politics, increasing need for DISCLOSE Act
In his book “Private Empire,” author Steve Coll relates a telling remark that reflects how Lee Raymond, then ExxonMobil CEO, viewed his company’s relationship with America. He was asked whether ExxonMobil would build more refineries inside the United States to help insulate the nation against gasoline shortages. Raymond: “Why would I do that?” An oil […]
Polar Blues
The last couple of occasions we looked at the state of the poles, the United States had yet to sign the Law of the Sea Treaty under which negotiations concerning polar resources are being conducted. The treaty, which has been signed by 162 nations, is the only established legal mechanism for determining who gets what, […]
America's energy and religious right problems are easy to fix. It's the idiots-in-line-at-Starbucks issue that demands our attention.
There are three problems facing America today that could result in its decline and eventual collapse. The first, obviously, is an over-reliance on fossil fuels, which leads to a host of problems, from over-consumption to climate change to the funding of terrorist states like Saudi Arabia. The second is the current trend toward religion, spirituality […]
Did Romney just promise to end all federal subsidies — including oil and farm aid?
Once again, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has taken to task the president of the United States. This time, it’s over the federal subsidies provided to A123 Systems, a manufacturer of batteries for electric cars. A123, report Bill Vlasic and Matt Wald of The New York Times, is supposed to be “a centerpiece of his […]
Donald Trump threatens Scotland; Scotland yawns
You know The Donald™. He likes to be, well, public. So when he wanted to build a fancy new golf course and super-duper resort in Scotland a couple of years ago, he went public. And after his proposal was turned down by the local planning authorities, he went nuclear and got his good buddy Alex […]
Remembering my own atomic angst with The Day After The Day After
I feel like I lived Steven Church’s The Day After the Day After: My Atomic Angst, even if I didn’t grow up in Kansas. Church manages to capture the nuclear angst that overshadowed my own Cold War-childhood. I was too old for “duck and cover,” but Reagan had the arms race in full swing, so the […]
Why all the doomsday and gloomsday?
This is the third and final post in my series on America post-apocalypse. This week a Wyoming representative introduced a bill to prepare Wyoming for the coming apocalypse. Seems like everyone thinks the apocalypse is right around the corner. There are survivalist magazines, books and TV shows. Indeed, bookstores have entire sections devoted to books […]
Who’s really behind $5 gasoline?
I began my career as an engineer in a large Illinois manufacturing plant. Chuck, the only African-American engineer in the company, was comically paranoid—he rarely spoke above a whisper, refused to say anything over the phone, and before every meeting would check outside his door to see if anyone was lurking in the hallway. When Chuck […]
What will America look like after the apocalypse? Not what you think.
Recently, a left-wing colleague described his vision of where America is headed over the next forty years–breakdown of government, mass starvation, roving bands of marauders, etc. It’s interesting that this is exactly the same vision shared by those on the far right who star in the new TV show Doomsday Preppers, about people who are […]
Eaarth: The end of the world as we know it
“Who the hell is this guy writing to?” I wondered as I made my way deeper and deeper into Bill McKibben’s Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet. In my recent readings about “place” in creative nonfiction, I’d had the pleasure to read a lot of fine, fine work by nature writers. I’ve […]
Climate Science for Everyone: Why 3% annually is actually a lot of carbon dioxide
In this installment of Climate Science for Everyone – people are adding a lot of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere every year. But how much is “a lot,” really?
S&R Honors
Click here to learn more about past honorees...- “Where Girls Grow Strong” – and Boy Scouts follow
- Atheists in heaven? Vatican spin machine leaps into action
- I-5 bridge collapse: reflecting on our crumbling infrastructure
- UPDATED: Pope Francis says atheists can go to heaven: Sweet Jesus! The College of Cardinals done elected a hippie
- Magic Hat vs. West Sixth brewhaha: will MH win the battle that costs them the war?
- Mystery Unraveled: How a white, moderate, married, churchgoing, middle-class, middle-aged woman could vote for Obama
- An open letter to Burt Rutan, regarding his WSJ commentary on human-caused climate disruption
- Meet the men of Match.com: Really, guys, are you serious?
- Climate scientists still besieged
- Pelosi on Bush: “He’s not worth impeaching”
