A blog about societal, cultural, and civilizational collapse, and how to stave it off or survive it. Named after the legendary character "Crazy Eddie" in Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's "The Mote in God's Eye." Expect news and views about culture, politics, economics, technology, and science fiction.
In 2021, the Pacific Northwest experienced one of the most extreme and anomalous weather events in history: a devastating heat dome that shattered temperature records across the region. Lytton, BC, reached 121°F, and Portland, OR, hit 116°F. Tragically, more than 1,400 people lost their lives during this event.
We know that the Urban Heat Island Effect can make cities particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, but a new study uncovered something even more surprising: cities might actually be able to attract, and even CREATE, storms. In this episode, we explore what scientists know about this phenomenon, and what it might mean for where we live in the future.
Not only have I blogged about urbanheatislands, I've shown the videos from those posts to my students. I might just show this one, too, if I have the time. I lecture about climate change last and sometimes I run out of time, having to rely on Treasures of the Earth: Power and Chasing Ice, which I show in lab, to do the heavy lifting for me.
Speaking of running out of time, I'm going to pass on this opportunity to share my Hurricane Harvey stories. Darn. It's also World Toilet Day but I think I've written all I want to write about it already. See you all tomorrow with another evergreen entry.
Fires are getting bigger and more homes are burning each year. Firefighters are having to change tactics when it comes to the most destructive fires, but why? Jennifer Blach, Ph.D., just released a new study in the journal, Science, and her findings point to a new type of fire that is the culprit for all this destruction.
In this episode, we dive into this groundbreaking new study to learn why fires are getting more dangerous to humans and what we can do about it. Plus we have never-before-seen animations from NASA that show us exactly how these new fires behave. So tune in to learn about the future of fires and how to protect yourself and your home as fires change.
I found out last week that the home where I grew up was in a mandatory evacuation zone. In the 25 years I lived there, that never happened. In addition, I don't recall my family ever telling me that had happened during the three decades I've lived in Michigan until this past week.*
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*I case anyone is wondering, the house is O.K. It was more than a mile from the edge of the fire at its greatest extent.
I saw the damage up close in January 2019, when my mom and I drove from her California house to the sea and back. Once we hit the burnt area, we didn't leave it until we got to Malibu; the fire burned all the way to the coast. I was astounded. It's one thing to watch the news reports; it's another to see it up close and in person.
PBS Terra mentioned the Camp Fire being driven by wind. Strong winds also blew the Woolsey Fire all the way to the sea.
I have another PBS Terra video to share, so stay tuned for it tomorrow.
I told my readers to "stay tuned for evergreen and holiday posts through the rest of November." I'm following through by sharing Amy Shira Teitel of The Vintage Space explaining When Republicans Were Democrats: The Party Flip, which is about as evergreen as it gets.
Those who have been reading this blog since 2012 may be surprised at Amy using The Vintage Space to examine history that isn't about space, science, and technology, so I'll let her explain in the introduction to the Medium post that accompanies and features this video.
The Republican party today is unrecognizable from when it was established in 1854. The party that abolished slavery and extolled the virtues of individual liberties for all Americans doesn’t quite feel like the same one that celebrated overturning Roe v. Wade. The same is true of the Democrats; the party of slave-owning secessionists and segregationists is hardly the party that today stands for minority, women’s, and trans rights, to name a few. Both parties have evolved, but the significant change came in the mid-20th century with the Party Flip. And it’s not a myth like I’ve seen some people claim.
As a mid-century historian, I work almost exclusively in this politically strange era where nothing aligns with what we know today, and the lines aren’t quite as black and white as readers expect. It confuses people, and frankly, I sometimes need to get it reframed in my head. Especially as a born and raised Canadian; this isn’t anything I ever learned in school. It’s a fascinating history, and like so many big topics, it needs a lot of context. To start unpacking the Flip, we’re going to look at how the two party system came to be, how their ideologies developed, and how those two major parties flipped in the 20th century. And we’re going to start right at the beginning.
Both the video and blog post compose a comprehensive summary of the evolution of party systems in the U.S. so far. It's a good place to start, especially since it looks like the U.S. looks like it's undergoing another realignment as a result of the re-election of convictedcriminalDonald Trump. That's a topic I plan on returning to, but only after the Sunday entertainment feature, which will not be highlights of tonight's Saturday Night Live; that would be topical other than the Thanksgiving sketches and I'm not writing topical posts until the end of the month.
Aluminum is infinitely recyclable, but Americans throw out millions of tons of it every year — mainly aluminum cans and other post-consumer scrap. At the same time, US can-recycling rates are falling drastically behind several countries. We went to New York City to meet a career can recycler and to Michigan to visit companies revolutionizing post-consumer aluminum recycling.
The recycling lab I run focuses on recycling aluminum, but I've never posted about it here before. My predecessor wrote it up, which is why I haven't posted the worksheet for it here; I only post theworksheetsIwrote. This is also why I've decided not to post the worksheet for Selva Verde: The Green Jungle; I didn't write that one, either.
Just the same, I can use this video, or at least the facts from it, in that lab. What's disturbing is that the U.S. recycling rate has declined since my predecessor wrote it 22 or so years ago. Then, it was 50%. It's now 45%. That means that one of the facts in the worksheet description, that the U.S. throws away enough aluminum to build its entire commercial airplane fleet ever three months, is almost certainly still true, too.
Learning that New York has had a five cent deposit on many aluminum cans since 1983 makes the episode that inspired Life imitates 'Seinfeld' in Michigan recycling scam even more ridiculous. I doubt the five cent per can and bottle difference between New York and Michigan would be enough to recoup the transportation costs, even 30 years ago. Still, seeing that Michigan has an 89% can and bottle return rate is encouraging. I didn't know either of those facts before watching this video, which means I learned two things new today. As I'm fond of writing, it's always a good day when I learn something new, which makes today a good day.
Measles, mumps, and polio are things we can prevent with vaccines, but scientists are looking to add a surprising entry to that list: Type 1 diabetes.
When I first developed diabetes, I attributed it to stress over the election of convictedcriminalDonald Trump, including attending protests. I went to the Women's March, then the March for Science, and People's Climate March. Those were fun and I felt like I was doing something useful, but they wore on me. That, along with my condition, are why I'm not planning on attending any protests this time. It turns out I was blaming the wrong trigger; I probably had an infection that I didn't notice by a virus I hadn't even heard of.
Speaking of which, CVB stands for Group B Coxsackieviruses, which I found out from Vaccines against Group B Coxsackieviruses and Their Importance at the National Library of Medicine. It was published last year, so the research into human vaccines SciShow described is still ongoing. I'm not up to examining the paper in detail, but the abstract mentions that CVB has been implicated in the development of not only type I diabetes, the disease I have, but also myocarditis, which I don't have but which runs in my family. It may be too late for a vaccine to prevent me from developing diabetes, but it could save me from myocarditis.
Immerse in a day of compassionate gestures and appreciative reflections in this episode of Destination Celebration, aired on November 13, 2024. We initiate the day with World Kindness Day, as hosts Marlo Anderson and Latoya Johnson highlight the transformative power of kindness, encouraging small acts of goodwill that can make a significant difference in our world. Then, in the spirit of National Gratitude Month, we explore the profound impact of expressing gratitude, fostering an attitude of thankfulness that can enhance our wellbeing and relationships. Whether you're an advocate for fostering kindness or a believer in the power of gratitude, this episode offers a heartwarming mix of humanity at its best. Join us on Destination Celebration for a day of kindness in action and gratitude in abundance.
Here's the description of National Gratitude Month from National Day Calendar.
National Gratitude Month in November encourages us to embrace the power of gratitude. What are you waiting for? Give gratitude a try!
#NationalGratitudeMonth
Gratitude is more than simply saying “thank you.” Gratitude’s amazing powers have the ability to shift us from focusing on the negative to appreciating what is positive in our lives. Practicing daily gratitude gives us a deeper connection to ourselves, the world around us, and to our Creator.
Everything in our lives has the ability to improve when we are grateful. Research has shown that gratitude can enhance our moods, decrease stress, and drastically improve our overall level of health and wellbeing. On average, grateful people tend to have fewer stress-related illnesses and experience less depression and lowered blood pressure, they are more physically fit, they are happier, have a higher income, more satisfying personal and professional relationships, and will be better liked. Grateful kids are even more likely to get A’s in school.
If everyone practiced daily gratitude, we could change ourselves and the planet for the better. Everyone would be much happier. Love would grow and hate would decrease. And the world would know true peace.
Seth takes a closer look at the progressive political world pointing fingers over Trump’s victory, with Bernie Sanders saying Democrats abandoned the working class and pundits saying Democrats were too woke.
Seth takes a closer look at Trump's campaign confirming he will begin mass deportations on day one of his presidency, his allies promising to get revenge on their enemies and the Justice Department winding down the criminal cases against him as Democrats descend into fighting and finger-pointing.
DCI normally uploads their videos on November 10th, the Marine Corps Birthday, but that was a Sunday. I expect they'll get around to it today. If so, I might replace this video with theirs. At least it should have a good description!
From Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., the United States Marine Corps Battle Color Detachment features “The Commandant’s Own” United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, The United States Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon, and the Official Color Guard of the Marine Corps. These featured units kicked off the NightBEAT edition of the 2023 Drum Corps International Tour, July 30, 2023, at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The unofficial video I used cut off before the "Star Spangled Banner" and march off the field, so this makes up for it.
The United States Marine Corps West Coast Composite Band performing The Marines' Hymn at the 135th Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade on Monday, January 1, 2024. This composite group brings three Marine Bands together from around Southern California; Marine Band San Diego, the 1st Marine Division Band and the 3D Marine Aircraft Wing Band. The band members are fully combat-trained and many have been on combat deployments. This fine band has marched in the Rose Parade for over 20 consecutive years.
Before the band, we have the USMC Mounted Colo[r] Guard. It is the only equestrian unit that carries the American flag.
