Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

Giving up is unforgivable.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

This fight is for everything.

Dear elected officials: Trump is temporary, dishonor is forever.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

One way or another, he’s a liar.

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

The unpunished coup was a training exercise.

Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

She burned that motherfucker down, and I am so here for it. Thank you, Caroline Kennedy.

Second rate reporter says what?

If a good thing happens for a bad reason, it’s still a good thing.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

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Thursday Morning (the 13th) Open Thread: Blood Moon Rising

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The Blood Moon, a total lunar eclipse happens this week.
We will be treated to over one hour of the moon turning RED.
The totality of the lunar eclipse will begin around 1:26 AM & end around 2:31 AM CDT early Friday morning & overall the eclipse will occur between 10:57 PM Thursday & 5 AM CDT Friday

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— Susan DuBose (@houseofbast777.bsky.social) March 10, 2025 at 7:17 AM

The “Blood Moon” is, of course, a totally predictable and not-all-that-uncommon astrophysical occurrence, and it would be silly to assign a larger sociopolitical meaning to this or any other such event. But we’re pattern-making animals, so it’s kinda fun!

Next Friday, March 14, skywatchers are in for a dramatic treat: a total lunar eclipse combined with a blood moon.
Here’s how—and when—to watch it in your area.

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— WIRED (@wired.com) March 8, 2025 at 7:01 PM

Wired, backstopping its excellent recent political coverage — “How to See the Total Lunar Eclipse and Blood Moon This Month”:

… During a lunar eclipse, Earth blocks the light from the sun that normally illuminates the moon. On the night of March 13 and the early morning of the 14th, the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra, will cover the moon during its brightest phase. Partial lunar eclipses are relatively common—but those like this that coincide with a full moon are a relative rarity. On average, each region of Earth has the chance to view a total lunar eclipse only once every 2.5 years…

The moon appears red during a lunar eclipse because of how the sun’s light interacts with Earth’s atmosphere. Visible sunlight appears white, but is actually made up of combination of lights of different colors and frequencies, which can be defracted or scattered depending on how much of the atmosphere they have to travel through. It is for this reason that the sky appears blue when the sun is high in the sky but is often red at sunset, when the sun is low and its light is traveling longer distances through the atmosphere.

When sunlight hits Earth’s atmosphere during a lunar eclipse, light frequencies toward the blue end of the visible spectrum are scattered outward, away from Earth’s umbra, but those with longer wavelengths, toward the red part of the spectrum, are bent inward and cast onto the moon…

To observe the spectacle, astronomers recommend staying away from large cities with high levels of light pollution. They also recommend going to high places without visual barriers such as buildings or trees. “Try binoculars or a telescope for a better view. If you want to take a photo, use a camera on a tripod with exposures of at least several seconds,” NASA suggests.

The Washington Post says that “The eclipse begins at 11:57 p.m. Eastern, starts an hour-long totality at 2:26 a.m. and ends at 6 a.m.”

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Climate Solutions: Small Things Become Big Things

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Hank Green just posted a video of all the eco-friendly products they are introducing to their Good Store website (where most of the proceeds go to various causes).

Mar 11, 2025
https://good.store/collections/ecogeek

Just thought I’d share. If you know of any other good eco-products share a link.  I’ll be interested to know how well their detergent works – I’ve tried others and haven’t been pleased. But I trust Hank, so I’m willing to give these a shot.

The soap refill cubes are really appealing – I go through a lot of liquid soap refills. Most of my other cleaning products are reusable scrubbing cloths and vinegar.

In car news, KIA released a bunch of new car models, unfortunately, many will not be available in the US – but if you’re overseas, there are some good looking, affordable, high-mileage EVs coming soon.  Their van is a game-changer for sure. Especially the fact it can be purchased as a wheelchair accessible w/o modification, it’s one of the platforms available.

Feb 27, 2025

Jack takes a first look at Kia’s new PV5 van in cargo and passenger form. With 16 different variants, cutting edge EV tech and a staggering starting price, could this be the shot in the arm the electric commercial vehicle segment sorely needs?

That’s it from me; I just thought you could use a little good news from good people…

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Climate Solutions: There Is Much Progress

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Saturday is my day to catch up on my renewable energy and climate solution videos and articles. I thought Simon Clark’s latest video was comprehensive enough to share. Not to mention, the model he created is mesmerizing.

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And a reminder, if you need some feel-good viewing, Roots So Deep is now a $10 rental for 90 days. I cannot recommend it strongly enough. Good science, good people, good news.

 

It’s probably a fool’s request, but try and keep the doom and gloom out of this thread.  Honestly, I don’t care. I won’t be around to referee, but I really think there are folks out there who need a respite from the constant, unrelenting comments on how awful everything is right now.

Everything is NOT awful. There is still beauty in the world and good people in the world.  It takes discipline to find it and encourage the goodness.  Give your souls a break, take a breath, and find something good to focus on, if just for today.

 

Climate Scientist Michael E Mann & historian Timothy D Snyder:
Doomerism is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.
It is how authoritarians win. Let’s try to fight the doom

 

Not an open thread

Debbie Maner Artwork in Support of Ukraine a sunflour on a demin blue background
Debbie Maner Artwork in Support of Ukraine

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The Gulf (Open Thread)

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Here’s a news report from yesterday about the substantial snowfall in the Florida Panhandle. Great googly moogly!

It didn’t snow where I am, but the white stuff wasn’t all that far north of my location. I haven’t seen snow in decades and briefly considered driving up to gawk.

But then I remembered I don’t know how to drive in snow, and neither do lots of other people who would be on the road. So I thought “fuck that!” and stayed home with a hot mug of Irish coffee. Good call!

In a press release, our contemptible wretch of a governor used the occasion of the unusual weather to pucker up and kiss ass by referring to the body of water on the west side of the state in the manner demanded by Emperor Tang:

WHEREAS, an area of low pressure moving across the Gulf of America, interacting with Arctic air, will bring widespread impactful winter weather to North Florida beginning Tuesday, January 21, 2025…”

God, it’s all so stupid and embarrassing, and you can’t escape by ignoring the news. Even the fucking weather bulletins are subject to the Sharpie treatment.

The Florida Politics site set out to gauge public sentiment on changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America by asking some residents of Cedar Key what they think. Here are a couple of samples:

Cedar Key, a quaint fishing town in Levy County, is a cluster of islands that extend about three miles into the Gulf of Mexico from Florida’s mainland. One resident for more than a decade, 78-year-old Air Force retiree Thomas McKee, said he sees no reason for changing the name.

“Donald Trump is just blowing his horn again,” he said.

McKee, who isn’t registered with a political party, said he thinks many residents will continue to use the Gulf’s original name, which dates at least to the late 1600s. “It’s been too long the Gulf of Mexico to be all of a sudden known as the Gulf of America,” he said.

Amy Henderson, a Cedar Key resident and registered Republican who owns a gift shop and hotel overlooking the Gulf, was initially surprised by Trump’s proposal. Her first thought, however, was practical: “I would have to change a lot of T-shirt designs.”

But, she added, “Anything that shows pride for America, I am 100% for.”

The national pride angle sure doesn’t resonate for me. I’ve never been more embarrassed to be an American.

Anyhoo, my favorite comment from the surveyed Cedar Key residents came from the town’s mayor:

For Cedar Key’s Mayor, Sue Colson, the name change is a distraction from the country’s aftermath of natural disasters — including three major hurricanes recently that hit her town in a span of just 13 months. She offered a different moniker for the Gulf instead, an homage to a popular seafood harvested in the shallow waters nearby.

“I prefer it to be the Gulf of Clam,” she said. “I’m serious. If we’re going to do it, then everybody’s going to call it what they want.”

It makes sense from the mayor’s perspective. Apart from tourism, Cedar Key is known for its clams.

It wasn’t nicknamed “Clamalot,” when my ancestors arrived in Cedar Key about 180 years ago, but after they cut down most of the trees to sell to pencil factories and hurricanes washed away the rest and fishing fleets were destroyed by storms and then by gill net bans, the town settled on clam cultivation.

So “Gulf of Clam” — why not? Like the mayor said, we get to call it what we want.

Most people who live on it just call it “the Gulf.” That’s appropriate too, and not just in the geographical sense. “Gulf” can also mean an abyss or seemingly bottomless chasm, and I kind of feel like we’re in that right now.

Open thread!

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Climate Solutions: Much Good News

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Timing is everything. I just finished watching the four-hour documentary Roots So Deep as my friends worry about having to evacuate from fire-ravaged areas around Los Angeles. To say I needed the hopefulness is an understatement.

So, I know everyone is feeling a lot of hopelessness around many things, including climate change. It seemed like a good time to bring in resources highlighting what is good and positive.

Climate Solutions: Much Good News 1

Let’s start with Roots So Deep.  I’ve shared many of the YouTube shorts and recommended the first of Peter’s documentaries, Carbon Nation, so I’m not going to do a big sell here. I’m going to tell you that if you want to see a fact-filled documentary with solid science and watch people who you might think would never change how they view the world and absolutely embrace regenerative farming, this is worth your time. The fourth hour is the solid payoff. If you can watch it and not get teary, you’re better than I am.

It’s worth the rental fee, if only to give your soul a break from all the bad news. Rent it here.

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In other good news, several areas in the African Sahel region, where food often comes in the form of aid, people are taking back and healing the land. Creating an abundance where it used to be barren – and not that long ago.

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California Fire Check-in and Update – UncleEb and BigJimSlade

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We hadn’t heard from BigJimSlade since the first night when he learned his home was gone, so I wrote to him.  (His mom lost her home, too.) They owned their homes and insurance claims have been filed, but who knows what kind of clusterfuck that will be.  I’m still waiting to hear back from BigJimSlade to see what we can do to help.

UncleEb lost their rental home and all their belongings in the fire.  Since they were renting, their loss is all belongings.  They have a GoFundMe set up.  So let’s see what we can do to help UncleEb, but maybe don’t blow your whole wad until we know what kind of help BigJimSlade could use?

How about the rest of you BJ peeps in California?  Everybody okay?  Is the fire a bit less crazy?  I’m sure more people are still losing their homes.

My nephew had to evacuate and they were staying with friends.  Then yesterday they got an evacuation order at the friend’s place.   And there’s looting in their own neighborhood.  Everyone’s ability to cope is surely stretched to the limit.

The horror of these fires knows no bounds.   Love to all our California peeps.

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Blessedly TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Mixed Bag

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Blessedly TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Mixed Bag

(Mike Luckovich via GoComics.com)

Been getting a lot of people asking about LA geography concerned that the images they see means the entire county is on fire. That's understandable.
But LA is a big place. So, to give an idea of scale it's time to cart this out again. It's a map of LA with other cities superimposed on it.

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— Stephen Blackmoore (@stephenblackmoore.com) January 9, 2025 at 7:13 PM

Ok. This one is a good complement so you can see the neighborhoods and surrounding cities.

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— CeCe Falls (@cecef.bsky.social) January 9, 2025 at 10:00 PM

We’ve been watching the Watch Duty team do absolutely *unbelievable* technical work all week (they’re members of our Fast Forward open source program), handling a surge of millions of people trying to see where the fires are in real time. There are still people who do such good on the internet.

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— Anil Dash (@anildash.com) January 9, 2025 at 7:08 PM

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