Higher oil prices because of attack on Saudi facility plus driving update for Pearl on Talk Like A Pirate Day

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!  Appropriately enough, my car Pearl, short for The Black Pearl, Jack Sparrow's ship, passed 48,000 miles on Monday, September 16.  That means it's time for a combined energy and driving update along with a celebration of the fake holiday.  I'll begin with three videos from CNBC about the effects of an attack on an Aramco oil facility that took out 5% of the world's oil supply above the jump followed by the driving update and a song for Talk Like A Pirate Day below the jump.

The first video from Monday is Oil prices soar after attack on Saudi Arabia oil facilities.

Drone strikes attacked an oil processing facility at Abqaiq and the nearby Khurais oil field on Saturday, knocking out 5.7 million barrels of daily crude production — or 50% of the kingdom's oil output. CNBC's Hadley Gamble reports from Riyadh.

I commented about this attack in response to A View from the Brink at Kunstler's blog.

I was reminded of what you said in "The End of Suburbia" about "all it takes is 50 pounds of plastic explosive and a camel to take out a pipeline."  This is very similar, although it was some cheap drones and a facility more sophisticated than a mere pipeline.  Still, the concept applies.

All this takes place as the United States is fixing to tip into recession anyway, something the yield curve, "the chart that predicts recessions" is already telling us.  A good old-fashioned oil price shock would do the trick.

On that note, the next video CNBC uploaded on the story was Expect oil prices to go even higher, says Again Capital's John Kilduff.

Amy Jaffe, Council on Foreign Relations, and John Kilduff, Again Capital, join "The Exchange" to discuss the price of oil soaring following attacks on Saudi oil facilities.

In addition to a yield curve inversion, which has already happened, a large prolonged oil price spike is one of the phenomena I told my readers to watch out for in The tax bill and the U.S. economy in 2018 and beyond almost two years ago: "The second is a rapid rise in oil prices, which has occurred either slightly in advance or concurrently with every recession since 1973."  Whether this price spike is big enough or will last long enough remains to be seen, but if so, that's another recession warning.

I concluded my comment at Kunstler's blog by noting the latest bad news for brick-and-mortar stores: "Meanwhile, the Retail Apocalypse rolls on, as GameStop announced it was losing money and closing stores."  It turned out that Tuesday's video on the story bore directly on the Retail Apocalypse, as CNBC uploaded Amazon is the biggest loser from higher oil prices: Smead Capital's Bill Smead.

Bill Smead of Smead Capital Management, joins 'The Exchange' to discuss the momentum vs. value stocks and who stands to lose the most from higher oil prices.

While I'm sure higher oil prices passed on as higher delivery costs will hurt Amazon's profitability, I don't think it will hurt the company enough to slow down the effect of online retail on their brick-and-mortar competitors, who also have to pay for increased transportation and delivery charges.

Follow over the jump for the driving update and a celebration of Talk Like A Pirate Day.

Talk like a drum corps pirate

Happy International Talk Like A Pirate Day!  This year, I'm putting a drum corps spin on the holiday with Drum Corps Internatational's clip of Madison Scouts in Ahoy! It's International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Ahoy, me hearties! September the 19th be International Talk Like a Pirate Day. We've pillaged the DCI video archive on this occasion and wish you all to take part in our booty—a clip of the Madison Scouts shanty from nineteen-hundred and ninety-seven, "The Pirates of Lake Mendota." Yo-ho-ho!

I covered this show 18 years ago.  Here's the relevant excerpt of Vince's Review of Port Huron Show for Drum Corps World along with my commentary in italics.

While they may be judged for a mere eleven and a half minutes, the Madison Scouts began their performance as soon as they marched onto the track and ended it only when the last member disappeared behind the back stands.  The corps held the crowd in the palm of its hand from the beginning of the company front entrance into the fleur-de-lis and neverlet it go.  Even during the warm-up, during which the corps marched into the opening set, the guard was acting out its parts, particularly one gentleman who strode slowly but purposefully from the left front corner of the field to the front of the "ship".  Then the show proper began, with the pirates--oops, guard (yes, they play their roles that convincingly)--storming the "ship", stealing the show during its opening minute from the musicians.  This was almost a shame, as the brass played with tremendous proficiency and showmanship, the percussion tackled a flashy and challenging rudimental book with great precision and flair, and all the musicians marched an engrossing drill, complete with braking waves, with immense poise and control.  However, the guard was a treat to observe, especially during four parts of the show.  First came the drunken sailor sequence, complete with an inebriated runt trying to pick a fight with a much larger man, which the fans found extremely amusing.  Then, there was a rifle-saber exchange.  Two moments came during the final selection.  First, the guard moved from stage left to front and center to perform some swashbuckling equipment work.  Then there was the mutiny sequence at the very end, complete with a swordfight on top of the rotating percussion stand and a duel to the death between Captain Zak Schwartz and a usurper. The audience gave the new captain and the company front that he led a standing ovation, which barely ended before the most enthusiastic standing ovation of the night as the Scouts concluded the judged portion of their performance.

(Steve Burstall pointed out the full performance from entering to exiting the stadium.  The looting of Zak, who is a student from Eastern Michigan University, was something, as was his being carried off by the last marching member.)

As you can tell, I really enjoyed this performance.  It helped that I knew one of the performers, so I could give the review a personal touch.

This is the third consecutive drum corps entry that has featured the Madison Scouts, the previous two being Fandoms collide as a drum corps plays anime music and A drum corps Stars and Stripes for the 4th of July.  Let's see if I can continue the streak for the next drum corps holiday.

Follow over the jump for a bonus video of another drum corps performing a pirate show.

'Our Flag Means Death' and Stede Bonnet for Talk Like A Pirate Day

Arr! It be Talk Like A Pirate Day! For this year's celebration, I'm sharing the comedy pirates from Our Flag Means Death | Official Trailer | HBO Max.

The unique new comedy is loosely based on the true adventures of 18th century would-be pirate, Stede Bonnet, played by Rhys Darby. After trading in his comfortable life for one of a buccaneer, Stede becomes captain of a pirate ship, but struggles to earn the respect of his potentially mutinous crew. Stede’s fortunes change after a fateful run-in with the infamous Captain Blackbeard, played by Taika Waititi.

Yes, Stede Bonnet was a real person, who Biographics examined in Stede Bonnet: The Gentleman Pirate.


Stede Bonnet sounds like Stephen Bonnet, a pirate villain in Outlander. This is not a coincidence: "While Stephen Bonnet of the Outlander series is fictional, Diana Gabaldon has said that it is possible he is illegitimately descended from the real historical figure, Stede Bonnet." I'll add the fictional Bonnet and Blackbeard to Anne Bonny as future subjects of Talk Like A Pirate Day.

I conclude with a meme.


It helps that today actually is Monday.

That's it for today's look at pirates, both real and fictionalized. I plan on having more awards show coverage tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Talk like Redd for Talk Like A Pirate Day

Happy Talk Like A Pirate Day! For today's celebration, I'm featuring the newest addition to the Pirates of the Caribbean crew, Redd, who is both an animatronic and a walk-around character, as an example of how to talk like a pirate, a female Irish pirate at least.

I begin with Disney Dan's New REDD Meet & Greet at Disneyland Docks! Pirates of The Caribbean Redd Auction Character, which has the best preview image of all the videos with good sound I found.

Meet the brand new character experience at Disneyland, Redd as she tells you stories of pirates and adventure outside the newly reopoened Pirates of The Caribbean at Disneyland!

I don't know how to break it to her, but potatoes will cause the Irish a lot of misery about 100 years in the character's future.

Next, Inside The Magic's Redd NEW Pirates of the Caribbean character FIRST APPEARANCE at Disneyland.

Video of the all-new Redd Pirate character meet-and-greet near the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in New Orleans Square at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

This video shows a lot more of her interacting with children, which highlights a different side to the character.

I conclude with Meeting Redd the Pirate at Disneyland, New Meet & Greet in New Orleans Square, The Redhead showing a different actress saying good-bye.

We met Redd the pirate from Pirates of the Caribbean at New Orleans Square in Disneyland! She is a new walk-around character that debuted a couple of weeks ago, along with a new auction scene for the attraction.

I don't think Redd was all that enamored of the fellow doing the filming.

Of course, all of this is a family-friendly fantasy. The reality looked more like this.


That's Anne Bonny from "Black Sails." I might feature her next year.

Now, stay tuned for the comedy series nominees at the Emmy Awards.

Drinks for Talk Like a Pirate Day from Tipsy Bartender

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

PBS Origins on pirates for Talk Like a Pirate Day

Arr! It be Talk Like A Pirate Day! For this year's celebration, I'm sharing two videos from PBS Origins beginning with Introducing Rogue History: The Pirate Lore You Were Never Told (Trailer).

This is the pirate history you were never told. Join host and maritime archaeologist and historian, Joel Cook, as he shakes the barnacles of this wildly popular storytelling cannon. Rogue History will take you through an irreverent and enlightening voyage that unravels historical myths, unearths lost narratives, and reveal fresh perspectives.

That was the trailer. Now for the first episode, What Pop Culture Gets Wrong About Pirates | Rogue History.

We all love pirate tales but what do we really know about the history of piracy? In this episode of Rogue History, we examine the common assumptions we make about pirates. Explore the origin of these myths and figure out which are true and which aren't.

PBS Origins has seven more videos about pirates in the Rogue History series. I'm saving them for future celebrations of this fake holiday. I'm an environmentalist; I don't just recycle, I conserve my resources.

Speaking of resources, another is National Day Calendar, which has several videos about today. Here is last year's, which fits the aesthetic of the Rogue History videos: Talk Like a Pirate Day | September 19, 2024 - National Day Calendar.


That's a wrap for today's post. Stay tuned for an entertainment entry tomorrow.

Talk like a Straw Hat Pirate — 'One Piece' for Talk Like A Pirate Day

Arr! It be Talk Like A Pirate Day! For this year's celebration, I'm looking at a manga turned anime turned live-action pirate show, One Piece. Watch ONE PIECE | Official Trailer | Netflix.

Free Yourselves. Take to the Seas. The Journey to find the ONE PIECE begins August 31. Only on Netflix.
...
With his straw hat and ragtag crew, young pirate Monkey D. Luffy goes on an epic voyage for treasure in this live-action adaptation of the popular manga.

That looks like a lot of fun. It also reminds me that when I was reading the "One Piece" manga 20 years ago, I didn't feel like I was reading a comic for pre-teen boys until I got to the end of each chapter, when the author would put in a bit of history about pirates. Those felt like he was talking to a younger audience. The story itself was fast-paced, engrossing, and enjoyable for all ages. It looks like the live-action adaptation is succeeding in adapting it to the TV screen.

That's all I feel like sharing today. Stay tuned as I return to my regular programming tomorrow, whatever that is.

'The Subliminal Storytelling of Pirates of the Caribbean' for Talk Like A Pirate Day

Arr! It be Talk Like A Pirate Day! For this year's celebration, I'm sharing Offhand Disney's The Subliminal Storytelling of Pirates of the Caribbean. Take it away, Dallin!

OooOOooOooOOOoo Pirates is very hands off in it's storytelling method OooOOOooOOOooo spooky. And to be honest, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. What are the best ways this ride TELLS you a story without TELLING you a story?

I haven't done anything related to theme parks for this holiday since 2021, when I posted Treasure Island Las Vegas for Talk Like A Pirate Day. It was about time.

Since he appeared in the video, I'm closing with a meme for the holiday featuring Jack Sparrow.


That's a wrap for today's post celebrating pirates in entertainment. Stay tuned for an entry that will be good to share in October, like Emmy Award winners. More entertainment!

The Captain vs. The Kraken for Talk Like a Pirate Day

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!  I have just the drink from Tipsy Bartender for today, The Captain vs The Kraken.

Captain Morgan vs. Kraken!! Bombs away!

Of course, I have a song from The Pirates of the Caribbean movies to go along with this concoction, The Kraken.

The Kraken (Score)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

With a drink and a song, I'm done.  Once again, Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Movie news for Talk Like a Pirate Day

I realized today that I had some appropriate news for Talk Like a Pirate Day in Overnight News Digest: Fast Fill-in Edition.  In fact, it's sort of good news, but only sort of.  See for yourself in Disney and 'Pirates' producer Bruckheimer to end film deal by Lisa Richwine of Reuters.

(Reuters) - The Walt Disney Co and Jerry Bruckheimer, the producer behind the blockbuster "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise and the summer flop "The Lone Ranger," will end their long-running film deal next year, the media company announced on Thursday.

The company and Bruckheimer decided not to renew their current deal which gives Disney first-look rights to the producer's films, according to a statement from Disney. They will continue working together on various projects, including a fifth installment in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise.

Last week, Disney announced it would delay the release of the fifth "Pirates" movie, which had been scheduled to open in theaters in July 2015. No new date was set.
...
The partnership dating back to the 1990s produced 27 movies, including several big hits for Disney. The four "Pirates" films starring Johnny Depp have generated more than $3.7 billion in worldwide ticket sales, according to the website Box Office Mojo. Bruckheimer also produced for Disney the "National Treasure" series and dramas including "Con Air" and "Pearl Harbor".

Bruckheimer's most recent Disney release, "The Lone Ranger," flopped at the box office after its July release. Disney has projected it will lose up to $190 million on the film.

Between the acquisition of Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise and the bombing of "The Lone Ranger," I'm not surprised by this news.  It looks like Disney has decided to make Episode VII the tentpole for the summer after next, not another sequel to a completed trilogy.  I can't say I blame them.  At least there will still be a sequel.  That's what makes this sort of good news instead of merely bad news.

Now, it's time to listen to Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow talk like a pirate as he asks "but why is all the rum gone?"

Jack and Elizabeth have been left on the same island that Jack was once mutinied on by his original crew. In order to get off Elizabeth creates a smoke signal so that the royal navy will eventually see it, while looking for her. Jack when wakes up and notices what shes doing and goes about his whole "why's the rum gone" deal, lol, eventually realizes that she was right and there'll "be no living with her after this."

Talk like a Japanese space pirate

For Talk Like a Pirate Day, I've done Jack Sparrow twice, Swedish hackers once, and even Ragnar Danneskjold the Objectivist pirate once.  Today, I will truly put the International in International Talk like a Pirate Day by featuring Captain Harlock, the most famous Japanese space pirate.  He's not even speaking English!

Captain Harlock Japanese Opening with English subs

The original Japanese opening for the '70 version of the show.

That's a pirate singing a pop song.  What about the character actually speaking his lines?

Captain Harlock movie with Theme of Pirates of the Caribbean


I couldn't leave Jack Sparrow completely behind, now could I?

Record comments and 500,000 page views for September 2015 and other meta

September 2015 was a month of milestones.  I posted the 2500th entry, the blog surpassed 500,000 page views over its history, and it set a new record for comments during a month with 74.  The blog also earned 12,893 page views.  Time to review my page view goals from Record page views for August 2015 and other monthly meta to see how that stacked up with expectations.

I conclude with my readership goals for September, which aren't very high.  September 2014 saw only 11,785 page views.  To beat that will require 393 page views per day for 11,790, which is the minimum goal.  The low goal of ending a day ahead entails 406 page views per day for a total of 12,180 total.  The medium goal of a five percent increase over last year would be 12,390 total or 413 page views per day.  The high goal would be at least 13,000 page views to keep the streak going, which would mean 434 page views per day.  As of tonight, the blog is exceeding all these goals, but it's only the first week.  There are 23 days left in September.  Stay tuned.

While it was the first month since February not to exceed 13,000, it still met all other readership goals by increasing page views over September 2014 by 1108, 9.4%.  As a consequence, the blog earned 429.77 page views per day and 368.37 page views per post.  Those weren't records, but they were good.  On the other hand, the blog had an average of 2.47 comments per day and 2.11 comments per entry.  Those are records!

To celebrate both the 500,000th page view and 2500th entry, which was Happy Labor Day from Detroit!, I'm posting the theme song for this blog, (Nothing but) Flowers.


Also to celebrate the record number of comments, I'm sharing the most commented on entries last month.

Thanks to a battle with several persistent spammers, Science fiction speaks to our current anxieties, posted August 3, 2014, is now the most commented on entry in the history of the blog with 52 comments, half of them deleted.  It started off with eight comments.  Thirty more were posted during September 2015, making this the most commented on entry this month.  Fourteen more came in October, so it will likely be the most commented on entry this month as well.

The most commented on entry actually posted during September was Blog recommendation: You Might Notice a Trend posted September 25, 2015.  It earned seven comments thanks to a conversation with the writer of the blog that was recommended.  That wasn't enough to place it in the top ten, as it earned only 69 page views last month, 85 according to the raw counter.

Follow over the jump for the most liked and most read entries of September 2015.

'Pirates of the Caribbean' alignment chart

Welcome to entertainment Sunday.  I might get around to a more thoughtful entry later, but in case I don't, I'm sharing this entry in the spirit of the four Game of Thrones alignment chart entries and D&D alignment charts for 'The Walking Dead' by sharing something I should have posted on a Talk Like A Pirate Day entry already, a "Pirates of the Caribbean" alignment chart.


It took all four movies, but the result was something I agree with.  Here's to hoping that the fifth movie lives up to the first three; the fourth is another matter.

No alignment chart post of mine would be complete without the appropriate music, so here's He's a Pirate (Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean Theme) Violin Cover - Taylor Davis.



Original song "He's a Pirate" by Klaus Badelt
In case my readers are worrying that I've already used up my material for Talk Like A Pirate Day, don't worry.  I already have something else planned.  If that doesn't work out, I have backup plans.  Besides, I'm an environmentalist; I can always recycle.

Treasure Island Las Vegas for Talk Like A Pirate Day

Arr! It be Talk Like A Pirate Day! For today's celebration, I'm sharing Expedition Theme Park's The Extinct Pirate Show on the Vegas Strip: Treasure Island & The Abandoned Battle For Buccaneer Bay which has a lot of pirates talking.

Join us on a new Expedition Extinct as we head back to Las Vegas to look at the extinct Battle Of Buccaneer Bay at Treasure Island. This once iconic show featured a sinking ship, stunts, and pyro and was a staple of family-friendly Las Vegas. It was later replaced by the Sirens of TI before the ships were left abandoned as just a reminder of what used to be.

That looked like it was a lot of fun. I recall driving past it with my mom 11 years ago and seeing the ships, but I don't remember a show going. For what it's worth, that was the last time I drove down the Strip. Once was enough.

As for last year's promise to feature Anne Bonny, either the reality or the fantasy from "Black Sails," maybe next year. Until then, here's Jack Sparrow.


Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!

Trees vs. climate change for Arbor Day, a Flashback Friday holiday special

Happy Arbor Day and Flashback Friday! I'm celebrating the original environmental holiday during Earth Month with two videos from PBS Digital about the effectiveness of planting trees to fight climate change followed by a retrospective of the most saved posts on Pinterest. Trust me, the two topics connect.

The first PBS Digital video is Be Smart asking If We Plant 1 TRILLION Trees Can We Stop Climate Change?

Can trees really save us from climate change? For eons, nature has relied on photosynthesis as a big way to keep carbon dioxide levels from getting out of control. But as we have put more carbon into the air, we’ve also cut down many of the forests we need to suck that carbon up. So big tree-planting initiatives like #TeamTrees to the rescue, right? Actually, we need to think bigger. Here’s three ways trees really can help us solve climate change, from a guy who wants to plant a TRILLION trees, to how we might save the forests we’ve got, to scientists hacking biology to make trees even better.

The answer to the question is no, it won't stop climate change by itself, but it will certainly help, along with conserving the trees we still have. As for genetically engineering a more efficient pathway to fix carbon, that's a new one on me, but it fits with the theme of yesterday's Be Smart asks 'Can AI Help Us Talk to Whales?' for Throwback Thursday, using technology to advance science.

That was the optimistic outlook. PBS Terra explaining Why Tree Planting Campaigns Don’t Work takes a more pessimistic perspective.

In 2019, a Turkey tree planting campaign set a world record. Three months later, 90% of those saplings were dead. Planting trees to replace old-growth forests is a common solution, but it typically does not solve the problem. With deforestation causing climate-related disasters, it’s time to take a hard look at reforestation and what we can do to save our forests.

The video's opening serves as an update on deforestation of the Amazon rainforest with news both good and bad. The video also pointed out flaws in the most common methods of reforestation and ways to do it correctly. I hope people pay attention to the suggestions.

Searching for previous posts about Amazon deforestation retrieved 'The Territory' leads nominees for Exceptional Merit In Documentary Filmmaking at the 2023 Emmy Awards, which reminded me that I'd never mentioned its Emmy Award.


I wrote "I'm confident about 'The Territory' winning this category" and it did. Congratulations! May it keep the cause of preserving the Amazon rainforest in people's minds.

Follow over the jump for Crazy Eddie's Motie News' year on Pinterest.

SciShow's '7 Of The Weirdest Fossil Forgeries Ever,' an April Fools holiday special for Wayback Wednesday

Happy Wayback Wednesday on April Fools Day! I promised a retrospective about holidays and I'll get to it, no fooling, but first I'm returning to the theme of PBS Eons and SciShow on Piltdown Man for April Fools Day, a Science Saturday holiday special with SciShow discussing 7 Of The Weirdest Fossil Forgeries Ever.

You've heard of fake purses, and fake food, and fake concert tickets. But fake fossils? Turns out forging evidence of life in the ancient past isn't as uncommon as you might think. From another work by the infamous forger of the Piltdown Man to the carved footprints that fueled a conspiracy theory, here are seven of the weirdest fossil forgeries of all time.

Hosted by: Savannah Geary (they/them)

I knew about Piltdown Man, which is why I blogged about it twice, now a third time, but I had forgotten about Charles Dawson's other fossil forgery, the toad in the hole, which seems lazy in comparison. I hadn't heard about some of the others, particularly the augmented cheetah. Too bad — Acinonyx kurteni was a good name that is now invalid.

That completes the celebration of today's holiday. Follow over the jump for some of the most read holiday posts during the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News.

An appropriate news story for Talk Like a Pirate Day

The Pirate Party first began in Sweden. However, soon the international pirate party movement took off. The German Pirate Party won 8.5% of the vote in Sunday's Berlin state elections, winning its first seats in the state legislature. The SDP and German Green party did well and will probably form a coalition, but the Pirate Party will add a new voice to German politics. The party's platform calls for the decriminalization of downloading, free internet in cities and the legalization of marijuana. It's not the first wacky party to make a splash in Europe. Jon Gnarr became Mayor of Reykjavic on promises of open corruption and a polar bear.

I know it's no longer Talk Like a Pirate Day here, but it still is everywhere between Denver and the International Date Line. That written, not all pirates say ARRR!

Talking like Ragnar the Pirate

When I searched for pirate while writing yesterday's entry about Talk Like a Pirate Day, I found the following paragraph in a drinking game about Atlas Shrugged.

7.Every time someone mentions the Pirate, drink. Seriously, there's a pirate. His name is Ragnar and he’s a Viking god with golden hair and a face so handsome it can never be scared. Is he a hero or villain? You get one guess.

Yes, there is an Objectivist pirate who is a hero to Rand, but read the following passage about his motivation and see if it fits that of a conventional hero.

Ragnar Danneskjold: "But I’ve chosen a special mission of my own. I’m after a man whom I want to destroy. He died many centuries ago, but until the last trace of him is wiped out of men’s minds, we will not have a decent world to live in."

Hank Rearden: "What man?"

Ragnar: "Robin Hood. ...He was the man who robbed the rich and gave to the poor. Well, I'm the man who robs the poor and gives to the rich – or, to be exact, the man who robs the thieving poor and gives back to the productive rich."
...
"What I actually am, Mr. Rearden, is a policeman. It is a policeman's duty to protect men from criminals – criminals being those who seize wealth by force. ... But when robbery becomes the purpose of the law...then it is an outlaw who has to become a policeman."

Another source supplies more of Ragnar's animosity to Robin of Locksley.

[Robin Hood] is not remembered as a champion of property, but as a champion of need, not as a defender of the robbed, but as a provider of the poor. He is held to be the first man who assumed a halo of virtue by practicing charity with wealth which he did not own, by giving away goods which he had not produced, by making others pay for the luxury of his pity. He is the man who became a symbol of the idea that need, not achievement, is the source of rights, that we don’t have to produce, only to want, that the earned does not belong to us, but the unearned does. He became a justification for every mediocrity who, unable to make his own living, had demanded the power to dispose of the property of his betters, by proclaiming his willingness to devote his life to his inferiors at the price of robbing his superiors. It is this foulest of creatures – the double-parasite who lives on the sores of the poor and the blood of the rich – whom men have come to regard as the moral idea." ". . . Do you wonder why the world is collapsing around us? That is what I am fighting, Mr. Rearden. Until men learn that of all human symbols, Robin Hood is the most immoral and the most contemptible, there will be no justice on earth and no way for mankind to survive."

As Smoop's page on him concludes, the other strike leaders don't completely approve of Ragnar's methods. As for me, I don't approve of Ragnar at all. That's one pirate I'd rather not hear people speaking like, even if he has an argh sound in his name.

More 'Civics Made Easy' for a late Constitution Day and International Day of Democracy

A happy late Constitution Day and International Day of Democracy! I'm celebrating both days with a sequel to PBS's 'Civics Made Easy' on political parties, Electoral College, and fundraising. I begin with Civics Made Easy on PBS asking Why Do So Many Americans Not Know How Their Government Works?

In this episode of Civics Made Easy, Ben Sheehan explores America’s civic knowledge gap and why so many adults and students struggle to understand how our government works. Through conversations with civics education experts and a look at post-WWII civic engagement, he highlights why government literacy matters—and shares practical steps anyone can take to become a more informed and engaged citizen.

The answer is that American schools are no longer teaching civics like they were between World War II and the 1970s, when I was in school. I remember taking U.S. History three times, once each in elementary, middle, and high school. I also took a class in American Government in high school. I was even required to take American Government when I was an education student at Eastern Michigan University in the late 1990s. The community college where I teach required American Government for most students until late last decade. As a science teacher, I may be glad there is so much emphasis on teaching STEM, but I think civics is now being neglected.

The next video in the playlist asks Who Has the Right to Vote in America?

In this episode of Civics Made Easy, Ben Sheehan uncovers the surprising – and often overlooked – true history of voting rights in America. From the founding era to Reconstruction to Civil Rights to today, this is the story that may not have been fully taught in school. Case in point: Americans don’t actually have a constitutional right to vote for president…

Whether you're a history nerd, a civic junkie, or just curious about how our democracy evolved, this deep dive will challenge what you thought you knew.

I knew that Americans don't directly vote for President. We vote for electors, who then vote for President. I outlined the process in Joe Biden is the apparent President-elect as Pennsylvania and Nevada called for him: "The real election is the Electoral College, which votes on December 14, 2020. That's followed by a joint session of the new Congress on January 6, 2021." I didn't know that my right to vote is likely to be found in the Michigan Constitution, not the U.S. Constitution. That means that I learned something new, making today a good day.

I close with How Elections REALLY Work.

In this episode of "Civics Made Easy," Ben Sheehan unravels the complexities of American elections, from the agricultural origins of Tuesday voting to the modern patchwork of state and county election systems. Ben breaks down who runs our elections, how they work, why Election Day is on a Tuesday in November and speaks with Commissioner Ben Hovland from the Election Assistance Commission to better understand the inner workings of our elections.

I covered why Election Day is a Tuesday in November eight years ago in 'Last Week Tonight' asks 'how is voting on Tuesday still a thing?' Rewatching that makes me glad my wife and I vote by mail. I also covered local administration of elections nine years ago in Vox explains how difficult rigging an election really is. None of this is new to me, but I have gained lots of new readers since then, so it's worth repeating. I hope you all learned something new.

While this is a wrap for today's entry, I'm not done with holidays. Stay tuned for Talk Like A Pirate Day. Arr!

Seeker and CNBC examine the hidden environmental costs of electric cars and how to reduce them by recycling

When I told my readers to "Stay tuned for a retrospective about the highlights of Crazy Eddie's Motie News on Pinterest" yesterday, I didn't know how I was going to to connect my top pins to current events. Last year, I didn't even try. Once I found out that Driving update for June 2017: Pearl plus Tesla worth more than GM or Ford was the most saved pin during the tenth year of this blog, I knew; it was either going to be pirates or electric cars, because the post associated with that pin is about my car Pearl the Prius, named after The Black Pearl from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films. I'm choosing electric cars; the pirate fans will have to wait until Talk Like A Pirate Day or my next driving update, whichever comes first.

I begin today's coverage of electric vehicles with an overview of The Hidden Environmental Costs of Electric Cars from Seeker, formerly DNews.

As green technologies become more common, scientists are trying to 'green' the lithium-ion batteries that power them. One question being: can we innovate ways to reuse and recycle these complicated batteries?

Welcome to another example of two of Commoner's Laws, "there is no free lunch" and "everything must go somewhere." While electric vehicles reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the car itself, they create other environmental problems. As Seeker points out, recycling would reduce those costs, but there are technological and economic obstacles to achieving these reductions. CNBC's How Tesla’s Battery Mastermind Is Tackling EV's Biggest Problem reports on how one company is working on clearing those obstacles, not only to reduce waste, but to increase supply to meet the expected demand.

Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere — in phones, laptops, tablets, cameras and increasingly cars. Demand for lithium-ion batteries has risen sharply in the past five years and is expected to grow from a $44.2 billion market in 2020 to a $94.4 billion market by 2025, mostly due to the boom in electric cars. And a shortage of lithium-ion batteries is looming in the U.S.

Former Tesla CTO and Elon Musk's right-hand man, JB Straubel, started Redwood Materials in 2017 to help address the need for more raw materials and to solve the problem of e-waste. The company recycles end-of-life batteries and then supplies battery makers and auto companies with materials in short supply as EV production surges around the world. Straubel gave CNBC an inside look at its first recycling facility in Carson City, Nevada. Watch the video to learn why battery recycling will be an essential part in making EV production more sustainable.

This video illustrates two more of Commoner's Laws, "everything is connected to everything else" through the movement of materials through the global supply chain and "nature knows best" through recycling, which mimics natural chemical cycling in the environment. That connects to "everything must go somewhere" not only through "there is no away" but also because "there is no waste in nature." All of those, plus its optimistic tone, makes it a video I can mention to my students. Welcome again to blogging as professional development.

That's it for today's update on automotive energy technology. Follow over the jump for the most saved pins during the tenth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News.