A remarkable thing happened in the US in April. For the first time ever, renewable electricity generation beat out coal-fired electricity generation on a national level, according to the Energy Information Agency (EIA). While renewable energy—including hydro, wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass—constituted 23 percent of the nation’s power supply, coal-fired electricity only contributed 20 percent of our power supply.
There are seasonal reasons for this happening in April. Wind power generation tends to be higher in spring and fall, hydroelectric generation usually peaks as winter snow melts, and lengthening days mean more solar power can be fed to the grid.
Month: June 2019
People make a difference…
When a movement gets big enough, the odds of success go way up.
Earlier this year, the presidents of Sudan and Algeria both announced they would step aside after decades in office, thanks to peaceful campaigns of resistance…
Compelling research by Erica Chenoweth, a political scientist at Harvard University, confirms that civil disobedience is not only the moral choice; it is also the most powerful way of shaping world politics – by a long way.
Looking at hundreds of campaigns over the last century, Chenoweth found that nonviolent campaigns are twice as likely to achieve their goals as violent campaigns. And although the exact dynamics will depend on many factors, she has shown it takes around 3.5% of the population actively participating in the protests to ensure serious political change.
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world
I also found and really like this book: Blueprint for Revolution: How to Use Rice Pudding, Lego Men, and Other Nonviolent Techniques to Galvanize Communities, Overthrow Dictators, or Simply Change the World
https://www.amazon.com/Blueprint-Revolution-Nonviolent-Techniques-Communities/dp/0812995309/
Google vs privacy
Over a recent week of Web surfing, I peered under the hood of Google Chrome and found it brought along a few thousand friends. Shopping, news and even government sites quietly tagged my browser to let ad and data companies ride shotgun while I clicked around the Web.
This was made possible by the Web’s biggest snoop of all: Google. Seen from the inside, its Chrome browser looks a lot like surveillance software.Our latest privacy experiment found Chrome ushered more than 11,000 tracker cookies into our browser — in a single week. Here’s why Firefox is better.
Love my gel pen
Some time ago, a friend left a pen in my place. I loved the clear, consistent, solid strokes. Finally I got around to checking the price of this OCD-compliant writing tool: approximately the same as ordinary cheap ballpoints.
They are Uni-ball Signo gel pens. I stopped at Staples and got 14 for about $11. Love them, and I now have one in every corner of the house. Tons of info at https://www.jetpens.com/blog/uni-ball-signo-a-comprehensive-guide/pt/639.
Thoughts and prayers… and links
Twelve more American citizens mass-murdered, this time in Virginia. If you are sick and tired of this, try supporting one of these organizations:
Just to get your blood pressure higher:
Virginia GOP blocked bill to ban sales of large-capacity magazines
Each year, Democrats propose multiple gun-control measures. Each year, Republican legislators vote them down.
Laugh / learn links log 