More Uruguay

I posted about this last December, but I am posting this again since part of Trump's insane expansionism is based upon a continued reliance on fossil fuels. Energy independence makes more sense if we are talking about national security than relying on fossil fuels coming from other nations.

And Uruguay proves it can be done. 

 

Uruguay proves that energy independence is possible and good for the economy.

OK, time for a change from Palestine. And a bit of good news at that since this is indeed true.  On the other hand, the US politicians and media are so in the pocket of big money that you wouldn't know this.

Fact check this if you don't believe me.

And I can't believe the crap I am going through to get solar panels on my roof (and yes, the historical commission is a part of all that).

Actually, they did give approval since my house was built in 1980 and very modern, but there were still people who talked about "the historic character" is this area.

Meet Hugh Jeffreys, a right to repair advocate

I want to give a shout out to this person since he caught my eye with a video about fixing an old MacBook Pro. This, of course, would be something of interest to me since one thing leading to electronics ending up in landfills is planned obsolescence. 

And there are lots of reasons electronics shouldn't be ending up in  the waste cycle, but the tech giants couldn't cre less about your health and well being. So, heavy metals (and I'm not talking music) in the environment isn't something they are too bothered by.

So, good on you, Hugh!

MAGA? This Railroad Could Cripple America's Economy

"The upgrades now rolling across this route will do a whole lot more than safeguard millions of journeys and a huge slice of the US economy. They could enable America to finally run truly high speed trains. An ambition which has harboured since forever."

You may be someone who doesn't understand how much railraods contribute to a country's economy: even the US. The US has neglected this segment of the tranportation sector to its detriment. But it's also been neglecting an even worse segment of the transportation infrastructure: the one that services the automobile (which includes trucking).

Italian High Speed Rail: The Trains that Killed an Airline

I finally made it to Italy, despite having spent a lot of time in the French Alps, which happen to be literally next door. In fact, we were staying in Chamonix and went to Courmayeur, that happens to be in the Vallée d'Aoste someplace I've been wanting to visit for a long time.

Anyway, I was rather surprised that Italy is a leader in High Speed Trains. These two videos give you some ideas why I support HSR. 

So much for Making America Great Again if Italy is kicking the US's but in this regard. These trains leave Acela in the dirt.

 

Is flying or driving really that pleasurable?

A bit of Eurail promotion. Not that I really need it since I would rather sit and enjoy the countryside as I go from city centre to city centre without the hassles. 

I would rather see the money spent on rail travel than rebuilding a dying technology.

Why US Malls Are Dying (And Why European Malls Aren't)

I had a weird feeling that number 3 would be what it is (no spoilers--watch the thing). Nope, I wouldn't live in North America even if all the changes I would like to see happened for a bunch of reasons.

And now back to useful things.........The Dumbest Excuse for Bad Cities

Yeah, I know that the 1619 project and related rubbish would like us to believe that racism is the cause of all the urban problems, but that is a really bad excuse for doing nothing. My question is how can there be institutional racism if there are black people in positions of power? Like the president of the United States for 8 years was BLACK.

Please answer that before making any criticisms. And you might want to watch this as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTsqRHQ53rA. I would point out that class and wealth might be more important to look at than race, you might want to look up Ursula Burns as well.

And back to more important and useful issues. Thanks.

No, the car centric development model is new.

Jason Slaughter at Not Just Bikes says, "he's not an urban planner, but he plays one on TV." I would love have done something that I consider useful as a career, which urban planning or working for Greenpeace Europe would have been, but that's another story. Like Jason, I have travelled around and know that the North American car culture is not sustainable. While conservatives want to pretend that "The Green New Deal" and the change in culture to at least renewable energy is a somehow wrong: it's obvious that it is a necessity.

And the failure to pay attention to that will have worse ramifications than the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973, which should have been a wake up call, but wasn't.

Jason points out that North American at one time had super mass transit, but went to car culture post war. I've been wanting to post this except from Lawrence Weaver's Introduction to the book "Small Country Homes of Today" in 1922: 

Neighbourhood to Road. — Nothing at once costs so much and gives so little to show for it as road-making. If the chosen site of the house itself is not close to a good road, and a long drive is needed in consequence, a sum for road-making must be set aside which will probably distress the client not a little. In this connection the liability to motor dust must be considered, a factor governed largely by the prevailing wind.

Accessibility. — Neighbourhood to a railway station is not only a question of the personal convenience of those who live in the house, but affects the cost of building. Thoughtful folk will also consider how near the site will be to post and telegraph office, church and shops.

Public Services — Drainage, Water and Light. — Connection with municipal sewerage is a factor in cost. If there is no system near enough, when the house is built, it should be ascertained whether any extensions are likely in the future, as the design of house drainage somewhat discharges according to whether it discharges into a public sewer or into a private cesspool or septic tank. If it is contemplated that the house drainage shall discharge at a point beyond the site, by arrangement with an adjoining owner, care must be taken to ensure that such right is secured in perpetuity. A pure and plentiful water supply is infinitely important, both for drinking purposes and for garden use, and if no public mains are available, the possibility of getting a permanent supply from a private artesian well needs to be carefully explored. For lighting, in default of public gas or electricity, the respective merits of a private installation of electric light, acetylene or petrol gas need consideration.

This is from over 100 years ago. I wish that it had been written by Edwin Luteyns, but it wasn't. Still, it interesting that the advice was to be central, rather than spread. A copy of this book can be found at: https://archive.org/details/smallcountryhous01weav/page/n13/mode/2up

It's also interesting that the advice was to build near services, which is no longer the way things are done in North America.

Recycling and "renewables" aren't "new" either, but those are separate topics.

The problem is that some people need to hear the alarm clock ringing and stop dreaming of a past that didn't exist.

Stop Knocking the Green New Deal: Ukrainian situation shows need for energy independence

Very Amusing this:

Despite what the one right wing Pennsylvania Representative says: The Green New Deal is not an off switch for the economy. If anything, energy independence is a necessity.

And clean energy is the path to independence. That's GREEN energy for the Fox News Pundits and other right wingers who need to do a twelve step on their energy reliance.

In fact, the United States should have learned its lesson about this back in 1973, but the myth that fossil fuels are somehow inexhaustible manages to hold on. 

The article that relates to the picture to the left points this out: https://investorplace.com/hypergrowthinvesting/2022/03/clean-energy-is-the-way-to-independence-and-huge-gains/

As someone who should have looked toward a career relating to the environment, I can tell you that the fossil fuel industry is already working to transition to clean energy. Note the amount of ethanol in your petrol the next time you are at the pump.

I've put my money where my mouth is and invested in solar panels.

Hillary Clinton should have said that failure to make the transition to clean energy will put a lot of coal miners out of work. People need to start looking to jobs in the clean energy sector.

But the above article points out something that the fossil fuel junkies miss:

Why the huge outperformance in clean energy stocks? The Russian invasion of Ukraine underscores the world’s need for energy independence. And clean energy offers the only viable pathway to TRUE energy independence.

It’s inarguable that energy independence is the ultimate goal for every country. No government wants their energy supply to be reliant upon another country – especially if said country is Russia, which provides about 40% of Europe’s natural gas supply.

At the end of the day, every country wants to produce its own energy. It’s cheaper. It’s more reliable and creates more jobs. And, perhaps most importantly, it’s safer.

I can go in depth about how Russia's best weapon against the west is its reliance on fossil fuels since

wars are becoming more and more about energy resources.

Maybe if the likes of Greg Gutfeld would shut the fuck up with their ignorance and learn something we might have a decent discussion here. But knocking something without any real knowledge of the topic is dangerous.

It's also the American way.

It's long past time for change.

How can you have a world's series with only one or two countries participating?

There is a plaque commemorating the US High Speed Rail pioneers at Princeton Junction, one of them was my step-father. The US could have rail service like this if the government was willing to foot the bill. But these quotes pretty much sum up why France can leave the US in the dust sitting in a traffic jam.

Rail subsidies are largest in China ($130 billion) and Europe (€73 billion), while the United States has relatively small subsidies for passenger rail with freight not subsidized.

This film is in French, but you can get the point of WHY rail is important, yet the US is ignoring it.

 Cross-subsidies between lines go a long way towards explaining the development of the high-speed rail system in France. Thanks to those subsidies, it has been possible to develop a TGV service even in towns that are located far from LGV lines. TGVs also can run on conventional lines provided the lines are electrified.

 So, the US COULD easily develop high speed rail capable of speed in excess of 357 mph (or 574.8KmPH. TGV holds that record).

The sad thing is that the people chanting Make America Great Again are against a Green New Deal, which should have rebuilding rail infrastructure as an integral aspect.

Sadly, the clip is in French, because a lot of people in the US need to see it.