from “Amusing Ourselves to Death” by Neil Postman 1985
William Bennett
@wirab.bsky.social
Retired physician. Reading “Defying Hitler” by Sebastian Haffner (Raimund Pretzel). Somerville, Mass.
Set a new record for wind power in New England yesterday: 1810 MW at 10 p.m., edging up 18 MW from the previous record. We need more. A lot more.
A reminder: If you absolutely cannot boycott Amazon, don’t. But can you make them NOT your default? If every Amazon customer cut their spending by just 10%, Bezos would burst his facelift sutures. This doesn’t have to be an all or nothing.
I now definitely think he will survive until January of 2029—which is the biggest POLITICAL problem the United States of America has ever faced.
In Samuel van Hoogstraten's incredible perspective box you look in from 2 different angles & see 7 rooms & 3 outdoor areas of this house. Such an ingenious feat of painting. Today is Hoogstraten's day.
The Great Climate Insurance Collapse is beginning before our eyes. How does it happen? Gradually, and then all at once. Buckle up. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
E&E News: Climate change is turning parts of Europe into an insurance nightmare
The European Central Bank and EU insurance regulators have called on Brussels to set up an EU-level reinsurance scheme and a public natural disaster fund.
subscriber.politicopro.com
Around 1860, infant mortality in southern states of what is now Germany (German unification was in 1871) was 20-30%. 200-300 deaths for every 1000 infants born. At the same time in England, the rate was "only" 10-15%. There are a few reasons for this, but a fundamental one was SUGAR TITS. 😬
Ben Taylor@vox-dei.bsky.social · 3d agoThat's quite a drop, but why was the German rate so much worse than, say, England and Wales in the first place?
Yes. What is up with the military? Conservatives (Mark Esper said as much this morning) still believe (or act like they believe) the “administration” is acting within Constitutional limits. Why do they give TRUMP a free pass over attempting to OVERTHROW a democratic election?!
The headlines are still covering the cyclosporiasis outbreak from lettuce, but let's talk about a different summer, long ago. The headlines in Bavaria would have called it "summer diarrhea" & it was killing babies. Enter our hero, Professor Theodor Escherich of the Julius Hospital, Würzburg.
The missing words in the climate conversation are not human-caused climate change, but fossil fuel emissions. By Hayley Fowler and myself: theconversation.com/was-this-hea...
‘Was this heatwave caused by climate change?’ – we’re asking the wrong question
Instead of asking whether climate change caused a heatwave, we should ask how much hotter it became because of fossil fuel emissions.
theconversation.com
We know how to decarbonise our energy systems. We know how to decarbonise road and rail transportation. We know how to produce low carbon cement and steel. Humanity doesn’t have to suffer ever worse heatwaves and droughts. We can avoid this.
The Southern Three-Banded Armadillo (Tolypeutes matacus) is one of the only armadillo species capable of rolling into a completely sealed sphere: #AGoodPlace Source: www.reddit.com/r/NatureIsFu...
The largest bioluminescent vertebrate is a relative of the lantern sharks, the kitefin shark (Dalatias licha) that can grow to 1.5 meters (~6 feet). Evolution has made these middle-ocean predators masters of hiding in open water by manipulating light to disappear.
The sharks that glow in the dark: Scientists release first experimental study of bioluminescent predators
Kitefin shark has subverted normal use of ‘counter-illumination’, researchers believe
independent.co.uk
Magical video by Mike Nulty (@nuttynulty on IG) of a whale shark (Rhincodon typus) off the coast of Baja, swimming through reflective plankton or debris that look like stars. Space whale-shark! 🦈✨ Let's talk about /actual/ glowing sharks, the lantern sharks of family Etmopteridae. (📷: Mike Nulty)
We may hit 3.5C sea surface temperature anomaly in September. The planet you were born in no longer exists
I also used to put model airplanes prominently on my shelf. Then I turned 9 years old and thought better of it.
Dom Ervolina@dominicervolina.com · 6d agoDeputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino posted this video of the Oval Office and it somehow looks even more embarrassing than I realized
Dem fundraisers… You can stop with the ragebait texts. I’m already angry. Tell me what you plan to do. Thx.
Pronouns: Should it not be made illegal for any AI/bot to identify itself as “I” or “me”? Likewise, why not ban any imputation of gender, in its voice or visual representation? While we are at it, any use of recognizably human names should go. Gender, human attributes or names: all fraud.
The climate crisis is only beginning. EVERY city will be like this in a few years. You have to DEMAND that your governments stop the oil companies. The world has to STOP burning fossil fuels NOW or the planet goes over the edge. It's not "woke" or "left". www.accuweather.com/en/us/phoeni...
Phoenix, AZ 10-Day Weather | AccuWeather
Know what's coming with AccuWeather's extended daily forecasts for Phoenix, AZ. Up to 90 days of daily highs, lows, and precipitation chances.
accuweather.com
We need to regulate the height of vehicles in the country. This truck outside my building is massive. I’m 5’10” and the hood is at my neck! You could fit a school bus worth of children in his blind spots.
