A big-a^^ moon
Reminder to click on image to see original – some contrast and saturation were applied to original for better image
c-19 deaths in US
A good picture is worth so, so many words … Source: https://heisenbergreport.com/2020/05/12/nobody-has-prevailed-over-coronavirus-this-is-now-a-war-of-attrition/
Not surprising, but stupid and misleading – Ag exports
Dr H put out a great post this morning on the continued exporting of US meat products during a time where companies / officials are claiming broken supply chain and farm goods / animals being destroyed … Something just does not reconcile based on this post. The original content came from Reuters, and from their piece, quote, “While pork supplies tightened as the number of pigs slaughtered each day plunged by about 40% since mid-March, shipments of American pork to…
Unique late afternoon light & …
WOW – Google’s smart energy usage ideas
I can’t even comment on it except, “wish I thought of that”! quote: New carbon-intelligent computing platform Our latest advancement in sustainability, developed by a small team of engineers, is a new carbon-intelligent computing platform. We designed and deployed this first-of-its kind system for our hyperscale (meaning very large) data centers to shift the timing of many compute tasks to when low-carbon power sources, like wind and solar, are most plentiful. This is done without additional computer hardware and without…
Thinking of other countries and the need for food
Some data behind the recent statement from UN fearing famine, quote: “The head of the UN’s relief agency issued a warning in April that the coronavirus pandemic could produce “famines of biblical proportions.” In an article on the UN’s news website, this troubling forecast was explained and expanded on as follows: “As the virus plunges more and more people into poverty, and governments respond to the crisis with protectionist policies that restrict food exports, as many as 265 million people…
Ecosystem destruction & virus infections
Wow … this was eye opening https://grist.org/climate/these-scientists-saw-a-pandemic-coming-now-theyre-trying-to-stop-the-next-one/ Quote: “Over the past century, the human population has exploded. At the height of the 1918-1919 Spanish flu pandemic, the global population was around 1.8 billion, less than a quarter of what it is today. In the past century, millions of humans have spent years slaughtering wildlife; cutting down trees; placing cows, chickens, and pigs in close contact with wild animals — providing ample opportunity for viruses to make a deadly leap. Even…
What if …
Source: https://www.statista.com/chart/21513/healthcare-items-and-military-hardware/
W.A.T. Spring 2020 #4
W.A.T. = Walking around town – Note: This week there was sun, warm weather and wonderful misty rain – a typical OR April; the flowers loved it! (reminder to click on the image to see full size – much better resolution)
Pay attention! State bankruptcy
The Atlantic published an article this week that I think is a very important read on what could be possible objectives for Republicans to desire state bankruptcy – especially large voting blocks of “blue” voters. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/04/why-mitch-mcconnell-wants-states-go-bankrupt/610714/ Quote: “Since 2010, American fiscal federalism has been defined by three overwhelming facts. First, the country’s wealthiest and most productive states are overwhelmingly blue. Of the 15 states least reliant on federal transfers, 11 are led by Democratic governors. Of the 15 states most…
Why is US not ‘good situation’ for free press?
A rhetorical question, as the answer is pretty simple … sadly. If that question does not get you, then what about the rest of the world … freedom and freedom of the press seems to be slip-sliding away Source: https://www.statista.com/chart/13640/press-freedom-index/
Bike lanes, yes!
A recent study on economic impact of adding bike lanes came back with interesting results. Quote, “Researchers studied 14 corridors in 6 cities — Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Memphis, Minneapolis and Indianapolis — and found such improvements had either positive or non-significant impacts on sales and employment. Essentially, adding improvements like bike lanes largely boosted business and employment in the retail and food service sectors.” Adding bikes is one step to reducing cars … less carbon, less pollution, less noise,…
Jobs or no jobs … but people!
Heisenberg posted today on the job numbers which were a continuation of terrible. Two points struck me. First, Heisenberg did a fabulous job (consistently over the last few weeks) of making sure we remember that behind those numbers are real people. I was often reminded when i managed teams and was required to redeploy human resources that there is a curse of dehumanizing it all due to the simplicity of spreadsheets and numbers – there are humans represented by those…
Cool tech to keep streets safe for non-car people (like me)
I almost never drive … and if I do, there must be multiple destinations or something to do that is worth the carbon guilt … However, as I walk, run, bike everywhere, I am constantly ‘on alert’ due to people driving cars who seem to just want to make it hard for non-car people Grist published a spot on a company that is coming up with some help for us … Quote: “Tara Pham’s company, Numina, generates the granular data…
This SHOULD make you mad!
Source: https://seekingalpha.com/premium-news Publicly-traded companies raided the PPP pantry Even with the U.S. Senate set to vote later today on passing an additional relief bill for small businesses in the U.S., there is a bright spotlight being thrown on where the funds from the original Paycheck Protection Program designed for small business went. The first-come, first-serve U.S. government aid program saw at least $243M of the total $349M funneled to publicly traded companies, including 15 with market caps of over $100M….