The Criminals Aren't the Immigrants

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday May 17, 2025 · 9:57 PM PDT

2025/05/17 · 21:57

From https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/05/16/trump-confesses-migrants-arent-the-criminals-he-claimed-they-are/:

"Of the over 5.8 million migrants stopped by Border Patrol between fiscal years 2022 & 2024, drugs were seized from only 249 people, Customs & Border Protection migrant encounter data showed...

“Marijuana accounted for more than half of those 249 drug seizures; just 1 in 53,965 migrants were caught with drugs other than marijuana. To put that into perspective, the odds of dying from a bee sting are 1 in 41,076”

https://www.pogo.org/investigations/migrant-drug-seizures-by-border-patrol-incredibly-rare-data-shows

This is the context of Emptywheel post:

"The FBI has ordered field offices to shift a significant number — almost half, in some offices — of agents from hunting crime to hunting migrants....

FBI is not finding migrants by looking for terrorists.

FBI is not finding migrants by looking for rapists.

FBI is not finding migrants by looking for murderers."

Poll

88 votes Show Results

More focus on real criminals instead of immigrant scapegoats?

88 votes Vote Now!

More focus on real criminals instead of immigrant scapegoats?

yes

80 votes

3 votes

not yes

0 votes

not no

1 vote

neither yes nor no

0 votes

both yes and no

0 votes

don't understant the question?

1 vote

none of the above

3 votes

Trmp and Energy Reality

gmoke

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday May 15, 2025 · 5:47 PM PDT

2025/05/15 · 17:47

Trmpists are destroying as much objective reality - accurate fundamental measures on essential conditions - as possible. It makes it easier for them to bullshit and lie.

They are doing it all across the board starting from the failure to update the the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report in January 2025
(https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/01/24/g-s1-44613/cdc-nih-hhs-health-data-mmwr)
and moving across all the other government departments and agencies they can reach.

At the US Energy Information Agency, which keeps track of energy accounting and projections, 100 out of 450 staffers have left since Trmp took office
(https://www.reuters.com/world/us/dozens-employees-leaving-us-eia-putting-crucial-energy-data-risk-sources-say-2025-04-16/). Around the same time, March 2025, renewables [hydro, wind, solar, nuclear, geothermal...] generated more than half of USAmerica's electricity or as Reuters says Fossil Fuels Generate Less Than Half US Electricity First Month Ever, at least according to one energy think tank (https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/fossil-fuels-generate-less-than-half-us-electricity-first-month-ever-says-energy-2025-04-04/).

Trmp cannot change this reality of renewable energy growth on the ground. Yet. There’s too much installed capacity, more on the way, and the economics of renewables and battery technology are making them the lowest cost alternatives from household to grid scale almost everywhere. Trmp’s “forward into the past” fossil foolishness makes less and less economic sense every day.

The rest of the world knows this too. That will not change either. Most if not all nations are going to continue to increase their deployment of renewables, in the EU especially, because of the Russian carbon war in Ukraine. Energy efficiency, the rapid adoption of heat pumps [https://www.carel.com/blog/-/blogs/incentives-for-heat-pumps-in-europe-are-they-sufficient-], and increasing electrification of end use will also reduce the necessity for combustion fuels and tend to favor renewables.

While Trmp is stuck in a “Drill, baby, drill” fantasy of a misremembered 1950s, the Chinese are working on a 2 GW agrivoltaic [solar & agriculture] project which is also "ecovoltaic," because it rebuilds soil health while restoring natural habitats with native plant species below and around the solar installation (https://cleantechnica.com/2025/04/19/massive-2-gw-agrivoltaic-project-aims-to-restore-desert-in-china/).

We’ll see how this project works out over time but it combines some of the concepts which I believe are core to dealing with the climate, the loss of biodiversity and natural systems: a swift transition to renewable energy which avoids combustion and the pollution and inefficiency it produces and geotherapy, using natural systems to repair the damage our species has done.

But it’s getting late and the longer we wait to act, the worse the damage will be.

Poll

28 votes Show Results

More energy reality for Trmp?

28 votes Vote Now!

More energy reality for Trmp?

yes

19 votes

2 votes

not yes

0 votes

not no

0 votes

neither yes nor no

0 votes

both yes and no

2 votes

don't understand the question?

5 votes

none of the above

0 votes

City Agriculture - May 12, 2025

gmoke

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday May 12, 2025 · 4:31 PM PDT

2025/05/12 · 16:31

Urine as fertilizer
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250227-the-vermont-farmers-using-urine-to-grow-their-crops

An industrial designed bee hive based on the form factor of a hollow tree
https://www.core77.com/posts/135723/HIIVE-From-An-Industrial-Design-Thesis-to-Market

Black Farmers Index - connecting consumers to local food grown by Black farmers
https://blackfarmersindex.com/

ART given notice to quit 31-year-old Food Forest - not all news is good news
https://substack.com/home/post/p-159120584

The world’s biggest soil conservation project
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/14/how-china-led-way-water-soil-conservation

Enhancing agrivoltaic synergies through optimized tracking strategies - "This paper presents a methodology for dynamically optimizing solar panel positioning to meet the varying light requirements of crops. Simulations are conducted for a case study of an agrivoltaic system in an apple orchard in southwestern Germany."
https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/journals/journal-of-photonics-for-energy/volume-15/issue-03/032703/Enhancing-agrivoltaic-synergies-through-optimized-tracking-strategies/10.1117/1.JPE.15.032703.full
hat tip to https://cleantechnica.com/2025/03/15/new-agrivoltaic-tool-optimizes-solar-generation-and-crop-production/

Community farm reviving prairie land in Chicago
https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/03/17/how-a-little-village-farm-is-reviving-prairie-land-in-chicago/
hat tip to @chasesolidago.bsky.social
Paris votes for 500 more green streets
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/paris-residents-vote-favour-making-500-more-streets-pedestrian-2025-03-23/

Creole gardens as a response to climate change in Guadeloupe
https://globalvoices.org/2025/04/15/in-guadeloupe-creole-gardens-give-climate-lessons-in-a-spirit-of-solidarity/
Editorial Comment: I’m reading Toxic Tropics: A Horror Story of Environmental Injustice by Jessica Oublié, Nicola Gobbi, Kathrine Avraam, Vinciane Lebrun about the persistent contamination of Guadeloupe and Martinique by chlordecane which was used to control pests in banana plantations. We have big problems on multiple fronts.

2 GW agrivoltaic project in China
https://cleantechnica.com/2025/04/19/massive-2-gw-agrivoltaic-project-aims-to-restore-desert-in-china/
Editorial Comment: I learned a new word: ecovoltaic - rebuilding soil health while restoring natural habitats and native plant species
Agrivoltaics and ecovotaics are examples of geotherapy, helping ecological systems restore the damage homo sap sap (that sap!) has done.

Growing strawberries under different levels of shading from thin-film solar panels
https://www.agritecture.com/blog/strawberries-under-solar-panels-agrivoltaics-canada

How Trmp’s first 100 days changed the USDA food system
https://grist.org/food-and-agriculture/trump-usda-food-system-agriculture-first-100-days/

Poll

8 votes Show Results

More City Agriculture?

8 votes Vote Now!

More City Agriculture?

yes

7 votes

0 votes

not yes

0 votes

not no

0 votes

neither yes nor no

0 votes

both yes and no

0 votes

don't understand the question?

1 vote

none of the above

0 votes

How to Document Arrests

gmoke

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday May 11, 2025 · 11:45 PM PDT

2025/05/11 · 23:45

Video on your rights when documenting arrests

Good information to have when armed masked people without ID or uniforms

are pulling people off the street

https://www.wehaverights.us/english-videos/when-documenting-ice-arrests

Poll

85 votes Show Results

Trmp Policy Casualty: Affordable Food

gmoke

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday May 10, 2025 · 7:17 PM PDT

2025/05/10 · 19:17

Daily Table (https://www.dailytable.org/) is a nonprofit organization that operates grocery stores “making nutritious, quality food affordable for everyone.” It was established to bridge the gap between free food resources and traditional retail grocery stores providing high-quality food at low prices designed for even a SNAP or food stamp budget. They paid a living wage and prioritized hiring from the neighborhood they service.

Now they are going out of business.

Founded by Doug Rauch, former president of Trader Joe’s, they were founded in 2013, opened their first store in 2015 in Dorchester, MA, and have expanded to four stores in Boston, Cambridge, and Salem, MA. They served over 10,000 customers per week, a quarter of whom used SNAP benefits, and over 3 million customers, returning over $16 million in savings to the community, over the lifetime of the enterprise [2024 figures].

The Board wrote:

The past several years have been particularly hard; navigating the challenges of COVID-19, plus the pressures of facing historically high levels of food price increases, to the current uncertain and difficult funding environment, sustaining Daily Table has become increasingly difficult. Without immediate funding to bridge us through 2025, we cannot continue. After careful consideration, we have come to the heartbreaking conclusion that we can no longer continue operations.

One staff member blamed “tariffs” as well.

I have shopped at one of their stores since it opened in my neighborhood. It is always a friendly place where many neighbors meet, with a courteous and generous staff, and good food, particularly fruits, vegetables, and staples, at good prices.

So this is personal.

More on the closure of one local branch:
https://www.cambridgeday.com/2025/05/09/daily-table-is-closing-abruptly-in-central-square/

“It's such an old-fashioned term but a beautiful term: groceries… It sort of says a bag with different things in it."
Dnld Trmp

Poll

83 votes Show Results

More Trmp policy casualties?

83 votes Vote Now!

More Trmp policy casualties?

yes

74 votes

2 votes

not yes

0 votes

not no

1 vote

neither yes nor no

0 votes

both yes and no

4 votes

don't understand the question?

2 votes

none of the above

0 votes

Energy (and Other) Events Monthly - May 2025

gmoke

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday May 03, 2025 · 2:07 PM PDT

2025/05/03 · 14:07

hese kinds of events below are happening all over the world every day and most of them, now, are webcast and archived, sometimes even with accurate transcripts. Would be good to have a place that helped people access them. This is a more global version of the local listings I did for about a decade (what I did and why I did it at http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-i-do-and-why-i-do-it.html) until September 2020 and earlier for a few years in the 1990s (https://theworld.com/~gmoke/AList.index.html).
A more comprehensive global listing service could be developed if there were enough people interested in doing it, if it hasn’t already been done.
If anyone knows of such a global listing of open energy, climate, and other events is available, please put me in contact.
Thanks for reading,
Solar IS Civil Defense,
George Mokray
gmoke@world.std.com
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com - notes on lectures and books
http://solarray.blogspot.com - renewable energy and efficiency
http://zeronetenrg.blogspot.com - zero net energy links list
http://cityag.blogspot.com - city agriculture links list
http://geometrylinks.blogspot.com - geometry links list
http://hubevents.blogspot.com - Energy (and Other) Events
http://www.dailykos.com/user/gmoke/history - articles, ideas, and screeds

More information on these events at http://hubevents.blogspot.com which is also a free listserv
———
Index
———
Climate Trace - a non-profit that uses satellite and other data to monitor climate globally and present monthly updates
https://climatetrace.org/
Now that Trmp is dismantling USAmerican climate science, it is good to have an independent resource for such information.
—————
Climate Chat on YouTube with Dan Miller - https://www.youtube.com/@climatechat/featured
Every Sunday at 1pm EDT, 10am Pacific Time
"Climate Chat is a channel where we discuss all things climate with scientists, technologists, authors, advocates, communicators and others helping us understand and fight climate change.”
—————
Amazonia Community Building: Co-Designing Research for Impact
Monday, May 5
10:30am to 12pm
MIT, Building 6, 104, 182 Memorial Drive, Rear, Cambridge, MA 02139
And online
RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1X5-hIG8yBLkpB2698EUBLD5bTuKbz35EjoffGpvw2Os/viewform?edit_requested=true
—————
Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality
Monday, May 5
11:30 a.m. ET
Northeastern University, 177 Huntington Avenue, Boston
And online
RSVP at https://northeastern.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MOjWS8fFRQicq4oJen2CAw#/registration
—————
My Home, Our Planet: Venezuelan Migrant Children in Brazil and the Role of Education of Climate Change
Monday, May 5
12 – 1 p.m.
Online
RSVP at https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2025-gabrielle-oliveira-fellow-presentation-virtual
—————
Human Compatible AI for Science and Government
Monday, May 5
2:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Online
RSVP at https://necsi-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/PZjRgWGlTuqLsyUzP0hwAw#/registration
—————
Managing Skyrocketing US Electricity Demand: A State and Local Perspective
Tuesday, May 6
2:00 - 3:00pm EDT
Online
RSVP at https://www.wri.org/events/2025/5/managing-skyrocketing-us-electricity-demand-state-and-local-perspective
——————
Beyond Climate Silence: Transforming Eco-Anxiety Workshop
Tuesday, May 6
2 - 3pm EDT
Online
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/beyond-climate-silence-transforming-eco-anxiety-workshop-tickets-1332606886069
—————
Carbon: The Book of Life
Tuesday, May 6
5:00 pm
Online
RSVP at https://wgbh.zoom.us/webinar/register/9517448230119/WN_XZccPp2eTYycl2AwO2WT7w#/registration
—————
Communicating Climate Tipping Points: Unpacking Uncertainty, Avoiding Alarmism, Inspiring Action
Tuesday, May 6
6:00–7:30 PM (Panel Discussion)
7:30–8:00 PM (Optional)
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) at Armstrong Hall, 545 W. 112th Street, New York, NY 10027 Room/Area: 2nd Floor, Codan Conference Area, Room 230
And online
RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfmR6GuPV3AItkfUFjtVyxBpxGWnhwWkVFGcos9OCLsQEJ7Pw/viewform
—————
Electric Vehicle Charging At Home
Tuesday, May 6
7:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Online
RSVP at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CngZwHXkSOuBUCv2jffB8Q#/registration
——————
Empty Vessel: The Story of the Global Economy in One Barge
Tuesday, May 6
7:00pm
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138
—————
AI for Climate Science seminar series: Why We Still Need Traditional Climate and Earth System Models – and How They Might Be Improved
Wednesday, May 7
10am - 11:30am Eat [14:00-15:30 CEST]
Wodak room at IIASA (Laxenburg, Austria)
And online
RSVP at https://iiasa.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_j8wlfq4_TlWGafyIzy6RWQ
—————
When and Why the United States Promotes Democracy or Dictatorship
Wednesday, May 7
12pm to 1:30pm
Online
RSVP at https://ssp.mit.edu/events/2025/a-decent-democratic-regime-a-trujillo-regime-or-a-castro-regime-when-and-why-the-united
—————
Rewilding your backyard: Science to boost biodiversity and climate resilience
Wednesday, May 7
5:00pm–7:00pm ET
149 Woods Hole Road, Falmouth, MA
And online
RSVP at https://join-us.woodwellclimate.org/woodwellclimateconversations/may
—————
Not Here, Not Now: Speculative Thought, Impossibility, and the Design Imagination
Wednesday, May 7
6:00pm - 8:00pm
MIT Museum, 314 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142
RSVP at https://mitmuseum.mit.edu/programs/not-here-not-now-speculative-thought-impossibility-and-the-design-imagination
Cost: $5
—————
Ghosts of Iron Mountain: The Hoax of the Century, Its Enduring Impact, and What It Reveals About America Today
Wednesday, May 7
7:00pm
Online
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/phil-tinline-virtual-event-tickets-1303131805309
Cost: $0.00 (Free RSVP Required) - $39.00 (book + U.S media mail shipping included)
—————
Mental Health and Climate Change: When a Global Crisis and Planetary Emergency Collide
Thursday, May 8
12:15 pm - 1:30 pm
Online
RSVP at https://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/events/details/mental-health-and-climate-change-when-a-global-crisis-and-planetary-emergency-collide/
—————
We Can Save Our Earth: Environment Opportunities 2025
Thursday, May 8
7:30 - 9pm EDT
Online
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/we-can-save-our-earth-environment-opportunities-2025-tickets-1330021583359
—————
For Our Common Home: Resounding Ecojustice, An Oratorio
Saturday, May 10
8 – 10 p.m.
Harvard, Sanders Theatre
RSVP at https://boxoffice.harvard.edu/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=harvard-radcliffe-chorus&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id=
Cost: $25 general admission, $15 senior citizens, $5 EBT cardholders, students free.
—————
Indo-China Workshop on Environmental and Climate Law
Monday, May 12
4:30am - May 13 · 7am EDT
Online
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/indo-china-workshop-on-environmental-and-climate-law-tickets-1283269516669
—————
Adapt or Collapse? The Radical Overhaul Our Living World Needs
Monday, May 12
9 - 10:30am EDT
Online
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/adapt-or-collapse-the-radical-overhaul-our-living-world-needs-tickets-1291225061919
—————
The Transmission & Interconnection Crises Blocking NY Climate Goals
Monday, May 12
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Online
RSVP at https://events.columbia.edu/cal/event/eventView.do?b=de&calPath=/public/cals/MainCal&guid=CAL-00bbdb7c-95f06a46-0195-f2d24369-00005dbaevents%40columbia.edu&recurrenceId=
—————
Funding the future: What’s next for local climate solutions?
Monday, May 12
1 - 2pm EDT
Online
RRSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/funding-the-future-whats-next-for-local-climate-solutions-tickets-1321631648839
—————
Against the Headwinds: How Tax Policy Can Advance Clean Energy
Monday, May 12
2pm EDT [11:00 AM to 11:45 AM PT]
Online
RSVP at https://nrdc.tfaforms.net/69?caid=701UR00000VKdEgYAL&coid=0033600001M0Z6dAAF
—————
Our Dollar, Your Problem: An Insider's View of Seven Turbulent Decades of Global Finance, and the Road Ahead
Monday, May 12
6:00pm (doors open at 5:30pm)
Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02138
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kenneth-rogoff-at-the-cambridge-public-library-tickets-1295848300149
Cost: $0.00 (Free RSVP Required) - $37.19 (book-included)
—————
ClimaTech 2025
Tuesday, May 13 - Wednesday, May14
The MGM Music Hall, 2 Lansdowne St, Boston, MA 02215
RSVP at https://www.masscec.com/event/climatech
Cost: $0 - $199
—————
Kelman Seminar: Ukraine: Scenarios for the Future
Tuesday, May 13
12 – 1 p.m.
Online
RSVP at https://harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-5WrnhUySiK-k8kzdiOcuA
—————
Capitalism and Its Critics: A History: From the Industrial Revolution to AI
Tuesday, May 13
6:00pm (doors open at 5:30pm)
Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02138
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/john-cassidy-at-the-cambridge-public-library-tickets-1295975851659
Cost: $0.00 (Free RSVP Required) - $38.25 (book-included)
—————
Sex Is a Spectrum: The Biological Limits of the Binary
Tuesday, May 13
7:00pm
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138
—————
Nature Risk and Reporting: Utilizing TNFD in a Changing Disclosure Landscape
Wednesday, May 14
10:00 AM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Online
RSVP at https://ceres-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_trJcustpRu2KslzbXjISkw#/registration
—————
Spending in Solidarity: Unions, Corporations, and Money in Politics
Wednesday, May 14
12 PM ET
Online
RSVP at https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2025-laura-weinrib-fellow-presentation-virtual
—————
Using Managed Relocation to Advance Climate Adaptation: Benefits, Risks, and Barriers
Wednesday, May 14
4:00 pm
Online
RSVP at https://necasc.umass.edu/webinars/using-managed-relocation-advance-climate-adaptation-benefits-risks-and-barriers
—————
Plastics: Exposing their Climate Impacts
Wednesday, May 14
4:00 - 5:15pm EDT
Online
RSVP at https://www.wri.org/events/2025/5/plastics-exposing-their-climate-impacts
—————
Thinking with Plants and Fungi Conference An Interdisciplinary Exploration into the Mind of Nature
Thursday, May 15 - Saturday, May 17
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
And online
RSVP at https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/research-programming/thinking-plants-fungi/conference-may-2025
—————
Behavioural interventions to change the world with Professor David Halpern CBE
Thursday, May 15
1 pm - 2 pm EDT[18:00 – 19:00 BST]
Online and in person [central London]
RSVP at https://www.nesta.org.uk/event/behavioural-interventions-to-change-the-world-with-professor-david-halpern-cbe/
—————
US Consumers Stand by Sustainability: Webinar on the latest consumer viewpoints on sustainability
Thursday, May 15
11:00 AM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Online
RSVP at https://nyu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kBSfUvnbQFKHFP-LCwdb6Q?_gl=1*1o0uc9q*_gcl_au*MTg4NDkyODYzOC4xNzQxMTk3NDQ5*_ga*MTQyNzg1MzMzMC4xNzM0MzYyNjk2*_ga_L8TBF28DDX*MTc0NDkwNTEyMC4zMy4xLjE3NDQ5MDU3MjQuMC4wLjA.#/registration
—————
Conversation & Exhibition Preview | Castaway: The Afterlife of Plastic
Thursday, May 15
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Harvard, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=9CL6b2hFBUGtQy461HJpVwaEfAvKIKRHjDqup5ZqIVNUQjNUU0tDMVo0VzhNOEtKRk9LTVJLMlI1Qi4u
—————
Webinar on Massachusetts' Tactical Transition Bill
Date 1: May 19th 12pm - 1pm
Date 2: May 20th 7pm - 8pm
Online
RSVP at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/xivv7ENhTRSjalDyo7mfKQ?_x_zm_rtaid=Jwz5NFnjRkeSo-o70_zk3A.1745809599034.86d9cdcd120ae59e52f9c724d5fbdb47&_x_zm_rhtaid=977#/registration
or
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/07oDLL3pSauynhx_etPsKQ?_x_zm_rtaid=Jwz5NFnjRkeSo-o70_zk3A.1745809599034.86d9cdcd120ae59e52f9c724d5fbdb47&_x_zm_rhtaid=977#/registrat
—————
Gloria Browne-Marshall, author of A Protest History of the United States, in conversation with Tochukwu Okafor
Tuesday, May 20
7pm
PSB: Boston Edition, 50 Liberty Drive, Boston, MA 02210
And online at https://www.crowdcast.io/c/a-protest-history-of-the-united-states
RSVP at https://www.portersquarebooks.com/rsvp-attend-our-event-gloria-browne-marshall
—————
By the Second Spring: Seven Lives and One Year of the War in Ukraine
Tuesday, May 20
7:00pm
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138
—————
Save the Ice! Climate Action Party
Tuesday, May 20
7 - 8pm EDT
Online
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/save-the-ice-climate-action-party-tickets-1273260579669
—————
Tipping points webinar series: AMOC shifts: scientific insights and policy implications
Wednesday, May 21
7am - 8:30am EDT [13:00-14:30 CEST]
Online
RSVP at https://amoc-shifts-scientific-insights-policy-implications.confetti.events/signup
—————
Clamor: How Noise Took Over the World and How We Can Take It Back
Wednesday, May 21
7:00pm
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138
—————
Webinar: Nature-based solutions for climate-resilient cities: digital tools for decision-makers
Thursday, May 22
8am - 9:30am EDT [14:00 - 15:30 CET]
Online
RSVP at https://www.sei.org/events/nature-based-solutions-for-climate-resilient-cities/
—————
Outclassed: How the Left Lost the Working Class, and How to Get Them Back
Thursday, May 22
7:00pm
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138
—————
Climate Change and Biodiversity
Friday, May 23
7 - 7:45am EDT
Online
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climate-change-and-biodiversity-tickets-1312763694549
—————
Frontiers in NeuroAI Symposium
Thursday, June 5 – Friday, June 6, 2025
Harvard, Science and Engineering Complex, 150 Western Avenue, Allston
RSVP at https://secure.touchnet.net/C20832_ustores/web/store_main.jsp?STOREID=171&SINGLESTORE=true
Cost: $85.00 general admission, $10.00 undergraduate admission
—————
Dance for World Community Conference
Thursday, June 5 - Sunday, June 8
Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA
RSVP at https://www.danceforworldcommunity.org/conference
Cost: $165
—————
Protecting Our Communities: A Whole-Society Approach to Resilience
Friday, June 6
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
In person and online
RSVP at https://climateadaptationforum.org/event/protecting-our-communities-a-whole-society-approach-to-resilience/
Cost: $15 - $45

Poll

6 votes Show Results

More Energy (and Other) Events?

6 votes Vote Now!

More Energy (and Other) Events?

yes

5 votes

1 vote

not yes

0 votes

not no

0 votes

neither yes nor no

0 votes

both yes and no

0 votes

don't understand the question?

0 votes

none of the above

0 votes

Trmpian Economics

gmoke

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday April 25, 2025 · 10:13 AM PDT

2025/04/25 · 10:13

Paul Krugman talks with Nathan Tankus about the $80 billion Trmpists took from NYC's bank account:
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/nathan-tankus-part-ii

"...if you start recognizing that the United States government is undermining the concept that a payment is a payment is a payment and that there's payment finality and that you have the idea that at any moment your bank account can be frozen, debited, anything else, and that you can't really trust having money in the bank, even if it's to deposit insured because the Trump administration is taking the prerogative that they can just take anything from you. If financial markets took this seriously, this would already be like a burgeoning financial crisis.”

As Alfred Jarry makes King Ubu tell us:

“Kill all the people, take all the money and go away.”

Trmpian economics seems to be a contract is not a contract and a payment is not a payment. A contract is what Trmp et alia says it is, even after an agreement is reached and the papers are signed. If Trmp et alia don’t like it, ex post facto, or changed their minds, they can unilaterally break it. If they’ve paid out funds on the basis of that or any other contract or agreement, they can reach into that bank account and take the money back. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Everything belongs to them, if they want it. No harm, no foul, no backsies.

This is not capitalism but Mafia tyranny. In particular, the bust-out:

YouTube Video

Poll

25 votes Show Results

More accurate about Trmpian economics than not?

25 votes Vote Now!

More accurate about Trmpian economics than not?

yes

18 votes

0 votes

not yes

0 votes

not no

3 votes

neither yes nor no

0 votes

both yes and no

1 vote

don

2 votes

don't understand the question?

1 vote

none of the above

0 votes

The Earth as a Being with Its Own Life

gmoke

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday April 22, 2025 · 7:50 PM PDT

2025/04/22 · 19:50

The earth was plainly a garden, a park, a being having its own life. There were minor lumps and blisters here and there about the surface, outcroppings of artificial rock and garbage that men are pleased to call cities, nations, empires. But even these weren’t really alien to or different from the rest of what there was, what appeared to the eye. The men and tin cans were a phase of a larger expression, a bigger composition that was working itself out regardless of the notions or wishes or theories of the men who thought of themselves as being in complete control of the entire show. Here it all was in the sun, or, as Ken was fond of thinking, temporarily bright, actually it all existed in endless darkness and silence, a being that was acting out its own curious desires.

Source: You Didn't Even Try by Philip Whalen

SF, CA: Coyote Books, 1967

Philip Whalen was a San Francisco Beat generation poet who later became a Buddhist monk. He has an original USAmerican voice. You Didn't Even Try and Imaginary Speeches for a Brazen Head, his two novels, are too little known but well worth reading as are Whalen's poems. He had his hand on the throttle and his foot upon the treadle of the clutch.

Poll

15 votes Show Results

More of its own life to the Earth?

15 votes Vote Now!

More of its own life to the Earth?

yes

10 votes

0 votes

not yes

0 votes

not no

1 vote

neither yes nor no

0 votes

both yes and no

1 vote

don't understand the question?

3 votes

none of the above

0 votes

No More Equality Under the Law, the End of Isonomy

gmoke

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday April 19, 2025 · 10:46 AM PDT

2025/04/19 · 10:46

Reading Hannah Arendt's On Revolution I learned a new word: isonomy - the principle that all citizens or subjects of a state are equal before the law, or that they have equal civil or political rights.

She wrote:
"The polis was supposed to be an isonomy, not a democracy… The equality of the Greek polis, its isonomy, was an attribute of the polis and not of men, who received their equality by virtue of citizenship, not by virtue of birth...." and that
"Freedom in a positive sense is possible only among equals, and equality itself is by no means a universally valid principle but, again, applicable only with limitations and even within spatial limits...."

Arendt believed that one of the most serious problems of all modern politics is "not how to reconcile freedom and equality but how to reconcile equality and authority." It looks like we are living through the end-game of that particular problem now.

"The singular good fortune of the American Revolution is undeniable. It occurred in a country which knew nothing of the predicament of mass poverty and among a people who had a widespread experience with self-government; to be sure, not the least of these blessings was that the Revolution grew out of a conflict with a 'limited monarchy.' In the government of king and Parliament from which the colonies broke away, there was no potestas legibus soluta, no absolute power absolved from laws."

However, since the Supreme Court granted immunity to the [Republican] Presidency, that power is "absolved from laws." In addition, since the Judicial Council refused its responsibilities to investigate Clarence Thomas' congenital inability to fill out financial disclosure forms correctly, they have made the Supreme Court itself at least de facto "absolved from laws" as well.

So no longer live in an isonomy, aspiring rather than actual as it always may have been. I'm not entirely sure we live in a democracy or even a republic any longer as well.

My full notes from On Revolution are available at https://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2025/04/notes-on-hannah-arendts-on-revolution.html

There is a lot more there including Arendt’s examination of ad hoc councils such as sprang up during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, or Jefferson’s “ward system” and the original Soviets, as an alternative to party politics, an extremely useful concept it seems to me especially as times become more perilous due to the confluence of all the different present crises and the need for mutual aid multiplies.

Thinking about her work, I wish that she had expanded beyond the USAmerican and French Revolutions to include the Haitian Revolution as well which was roughly contemporaneous and had a completely different outcome from either of those two events but then she would have had to wrestle with racism and slavery which might have stretched her much too thin.

Poll

42 votes Show Results

More equality under the law?

42 votes Vote Now!

More equality under the law?

yes

31 votes

3 votes

not yes

0 votes

not no

0 votes

neither yes nor no

0 votes

both yes and no

1 vote

don't understand the question?

5 votes

none of the above

2 votes

ChatGPT on Most Useful, Quickest, Most Profitable Methods of Geotherapy

gmoke

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday March 31, 2025 · 9:03 PM PDT

2025/03/31 · 21:03

Prompt: Examine the techniques found here:

https://soil4climate.org/science-compendium

and

https://bio4climate.org/compendium/

Identify the most useful, the quickest, and the most profitable methods

ChatGPT said:
I have accessed the two compendiums. Now, to identify the most useful, quickest, and most profitable methods for climate action based on the information, I'll need to dive deeper into their specific techniques. Would you like me to focus on particular methods or key topics from either compendium?

You said: no

ChatGPT said:
Got it! I'll give you an overview of the most useful, quickest, and most profitable methods based on the information provided in both compendiums.
From the Soil4Climate Science Compendium:

• Regenerative Agriculture and Soil Carbon Sequestration:

• Useful: Highly effective for enhancing soil health and increasing carbon storage.

• Quickest: Benefits like improved soil fertility and water retention can be observed relatively quickly after adopting regenerative practices.

• Most Profitable: Increases yields and reduces the need for expensive chemical inputs, making it profitable in the long run.

• Agroforestry:

• Useful: Combines tree planting with agriculture to improve biodiversity and carbon sequestration.

• Quickest: While trees take time to mature, the increase in biodiversity and soil health can be seen more quickly.

• Most Profitable: The sale of timber, fruits, and other byproducts can create additional revenue streams for farmers.

• Managed Grazing:

• Useful: Helps improve soil health and water retention by rotating grazing animals across different parts of the land.

• Quickest: The benefits to soil structure and pasture quality can be seen fairly quickly.

• Most Profitable: By improving pasture health and reducing feed costs, managed grazing can increase livestock productivity.

From the Bio4Climate Compendium:

• Rewilding and Habitat Restoration:

• Useful: Enhances biodiversity, reduces extinction risk, and improves ecosystem services like carbon storage.

• Quickest: Some ecological benefits may take years to be fully realized, but immediate gains in biodiversity are possible.

• Most Profitable: Often more about ecosystem service benefits than direct profit, but can provide long-term economic value through tourism, carbon credits, and more.

• Carbon Farming (Agroecology):

• Useful: Integrates carbon sequestration into farming practices, helping mitigate climate change while boosting agricultural productivity.

• Quickest: Carbon sequestration can begin relatively quickly in soils using regenerative methods.

• Most Profitable: Can lead to higher yields and additional revenue through carbon credits.

• Biochar:

• Useful: An ancient method of carbon sequestration that enhances soil fertility and reduces emissions.

• Quickest: Carbon storage happens quickly upon application, and improvements in soil fertility can lead to faster crop growth.

• Most Profitable: Can generate profits from both carbon credits and improved crop yields. Selling biochar itself is also a potential revenue stream.

Summary:

• Most Useful: Both regenerative agriculture and carbon farming stand out for their long-term effectiveness in mitigating climate change and improving soil health.

• Quickest: Practices like managed grazing, biochar application, and agroforestry offer relatively faster returns in terms of soil improvement and carbon sequestration.

• Most Profitable: Regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, and carbon farming can be financially lucrative through improved yields, reduced costs, and the potential for additional income from carbon credits and byproducts.

Each method has its benefits depending on the goals and specific context, such as scale, location, and the type of land use.

AI on Enhancing Ecological Systems for Atmospheric Carbon Removal

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/23/2312145/-AI-on-Enhancing-Ecological-Systems-for-Atmospheric-Carbon-Removal

Poll

9 votes Show Results

More most useful, quickest, most profitable methods of geotherapy?

9 votes Vote Now!

More most useful, quickest, most profitable methods of geotherapy?

yes

8 votes

1 vote

not yes

0 votes

not no

0 votes

neither yes nor no

0 votes

both yes and no

0 votes

don't understand the problem?

0 votes

none of the above

0 votes

Energy (and Other) Events Monthly - April 2025

gmoke

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday March 30, 2025 · 11:23 AM PDT

2025/03/30 · 11:23

These kinds of events below are happening all over the world every day and most of them, now, are webcast and archived, sometimes even with accurate transcripts. Would be good to have a place that helped people access them. This is a more global version of the local listings I did for about a decade (what I did and why I did it at http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-i-do-and-why-i-do-it.html) until September 2020 and earlier for a few years in the 1990s (https://theworld.com/~gmoke/AList.index.html).

Poll

4 votes Show Results

More Energy (and Other) Events?

4 votes Vote Now!

More Energy (and Other) Events?

yes

4 votes

0 votes

not yes

0 votes

not no

0 votes

neither yes nor no

0 votes

both yes and no

0 votes

don't understand the question?

0 votes

none of the above

0 votes

AI on Enhancing Ecological Systems for Atmospheric Carbon Removal

gmoke

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday March 23, 2025 · 8:54 PM PDT

2025/03/23 · 20:54

Prompt: Describe how enhancing existing ecological systems can quickly and affordably remove carbon (and methane and particulates) from the atmosphere

Here’s how the AI https://claude.ai/new responded:

Enhancing Ecological Systems for Atmospheric Carbon Removal

Natural ecosystems already remove significant amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants from the atmosphere. Enhancing these existing systems offers cost-effective and relatively quick approaches to carbon removal. Here are key strategies:

Forest Enhancement

Reforestation and afforestation: Restoring degraded forests and planting new ones in suitable areas can sequester large amounts of carbon at $5-50 per ton of CO₂.
Improved forest management: Extending harvest cycles, reducing impact logging, and preventing forest fires can increase carbon storage by 30-50% in managed forests.
Agroforestry: Incorporating trees into agricultural landscapes combines food production with carbon sequestration.

Soil Carbon Enhancement

Regenerative agriculture: No-till farming, cover crops, and crop rotation can increase soil organic carbon while improving soil health at negative or minimal cost.
Biochar application: Adding biochar to soils can sequester carbon for centuries while improving soil fertility and water retention.
Grassland restoration: Converting degraded cropland to permanent grasslands can sequester 0.5-1 ton of CO₂ per acre annually.

Blue Carbon Solutions

Mangrove restoration: Mangroves sequester carbon at rates 2-4 times higher than mature tropical forests and protect coastlines.
Seagrass meadow protection: These underwater ecosystems store carbon efficiently and improve water quality.
Wetland preservation and restoration: Wetlands are powerful carbon sinks that also filter pollutants and reduce flood risks.

Methane and Particulate Reduction

Rewetting peatlands: Drained peatlands emit massive amounts of methane; rewetting them stops these emissions.
Enhanced urban vegetation: Trees and green spaces in cities filter particulate matter while sequestering carbon.
Riparian buffer zones: Vegetated areas along waterways capture agricultural runoff and sequester carbon.

These approaches offer multiple co-benefits beyond carbon sequestration, including biodiversity protection, improved water quality, reduced erosion, and enhanced climate resilience. Many can be implemented immediately with existing technology and knowledge, making them practical solutions for rapid deployment.

Not bad for a first pass. I like to say “Geotherapy not geoengineering, please” and still believe that working with existing ecological systems is one of the best ways to deal with climate, biodiversity, pollution, as well as grow jobs and build the economy. Here are some resources for more geotherapeutic examples:
https://soil4climate.org/science-compendium

https://bio4climate.org/compendium/

Poll

26 votes Show Results

More enhancing ecological systems for atmospheric carbon removal?

26 votes Vote Now!

More enhancing ecological systems for atmospheric carbon removal?

yes

25 votes

0 votes

not yes

0 votes

not no

0 votes

neither yes nor no

0 votes

both yes and no

0 votes

don't understand the question?

1 vote

none of the above

0 votes

Newer
Older

RSS