Don't Shy Away from Doing Your Part: Buy a $100,000 Electric Vehicle

    Any of you in the market for a new car? How about a 2023 electric vehicle? I mean, we all have to do our part to cut down on carbon emissions, and I believe 43 percent of all carbon emissions come from our transportaton. So, step in, step up.

   Let me help you -- with the pricing, that is. You probably need to know just how much this is going to cost. Here's a list of some of the cars you are going to want to buy. With the costs right in your price range, you might want to consider buying two or three. You all have two- or three-car garages, so wasting that garage space would certainly be a shame.

Audi E-Tron GT  --  $106,395

BMW iNext  --  $83,200

Bollinger B1 and B2  -- $40,000 or $125,000, depending on your source of information.

Chevrolet Silverado electric pickup -- $40,000

Ford F-150 Lightning  --  $40,000

Hyundai Ioniq 5  --  $40,000

Chevrolet Bolt EV Crossover  --  $25,500

Lucid Air  --  $90,000

Mercedes-Benz EQB  -- $56,000

Nissan Ariya  --  $46,000

Tesla Cybertruck  --  $40,000

Tesla Roadster  --  $200,000

Volkswagen ID4  --  $39,000

Volvo XC40 Recharge P8  --  $52,000

   Well, there you have it. They've slashed all these prices to make them very affordable. However, if you inexplicably just do not quite have enough money for these low-priced deals, you can always throw in as a neighborhood to buy a decent car. Share it. One uses it on Mondays, another on Tuesdays, etc. Group buying is becoming increasingly popular. 

(Index -- Climate change info)

Cover Canals With Solar Panels to Save Billions of Gallons of Water

    Imagine how much water could be saved, and how much energy could be produced, if every state followed California's lead. There, they are exporing placing solar panels to cover the canals. They estimate billions of gallons of water could be saved as the panels shield off the sun, thus reducing evaporation. And, the panels will provide energy for millions of homes. 

   One wonders what we are waiting for? Too expensive? California is using government money for the project. One wonders if the utility companies, since they profit from the electricity produced, could not fund the project on their own. 

In Europe, Fill the Gap with Alternative Energy

   Now would be the time for Europe to make a big movement toward alternative energy. With Russia's oil off the table -- which, in some nations, supplied three-forths of the crude oil -- get alternative energy in place before another fossil fuel source fills the gap.

  You've studied the heck out of these alternatives. You've developed them. You are prepared, to a large degree, to step right in with them. 

We Need to Catch Up and Come Up With Hydrogen-Powered Trains

    The world's first hydrogen-powered electric train is now operational in Germany, thanks to a French Company, Alstom. The trains have zero harmful emissions. The downside, however, is that fossil fuels are being used to produce the hydrogen.

   Yes, the U.S. should be doing some catch-up work. Hydrogen-powered trains would be a way to reduce our carbon footprint. If we have the technology, internally, to produce hydrogen trains in, say, two years, we should do so. If not, we should go running to that French company, Alstom, asking them to produce trains for us. 

   But, we should go forward with two cautions:

   1.) Keep at a minimum the use of fossil fuels in producing the hydrogen. Expand the number of hydro-electric powerplants, so fossil fuels are not used as much.

  2.)  Watch against adding to the national debt. Germany only afforded the new trains thanks to federal funding. Can we do better? Perhaps the trick would for the federal government to lend the developer money, but require it be paid back within ten years.

(Index -- Climate change) 

Put a Sail on That Big Ship

    Which contributes more to carbon dioxide pollution -- all the coal-fired power plants in the U.S., or the industrial ships on the world's seas? Answer: the big ships. Clearly, one thing being overlooked in the fight against greenhouse emissions is the shipping industry.

  Imagine a big shipping magnet putting his ships under the power of sails. Don't laugh, some ships already are sailboats. How about hulls coated with air bubbles to reduce drag, sleeker bows, and more efficient engines and propellers.

  Oh, yes, and how about doing away with ships that leave such a large carbon footprint? Bring on the sailboats; bring on green ethenol; bring on liquid hydrogen.

List of Questionable Police Killings Is Long 

   Another -- another incident in which the Salt Lake City Police Department killed an individual. On Aug. 14, police held a man face down in the gravel until he quit responding. Then, they rolled the man,  Nykon Brandon, over and called for an ambulance. 

   This comes just weeks after the SLCPD released a video of another individual, Megan Mohn, who died following improper police restrain. That case has been ruled a homicide. 

   Darrien Hunt, Patrick Harmon, Danielle Willard, Dillon Taylor, Bernardo Palacios, Chad Breinholt, Bobby Ray Duckworth, Jacob Albrethsen, Marc Neal, Jason Vincent, Alvin Itula . . . the list of questionable killings by Utah police officers is a long one.

California Might be the Death of Gasoline Cars

   California officials have ruled that by 2026, thirty-five percent of all new vehicles must be hybrid electrics, full electrics, or powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Now, that is just four years away.

   But maybe the pace of the state converting to electrics is already that rapid. It is said that seven percent of the new vehicles in 2018 were electric -- and has since doubled.

   Come 2035, California is to have 100 percent of its news cars electric. 

   Can the grid support such a move to electification? Will it make much of a difference in green house emissions? 

   How many states will follow suit? Two things to note, there. 1.) Perhaps 16 states have been following California's lead on emissions, and they are expected to follow suit this time, as well. 2.) Manufacturers are not inclined to make one car for 17 states and a different one for the other states. So, new gasoline cars possibly will not be produced by the end 2035.

(Index -- Climate change info)

Say 'No' to Biden's Student Loan Relief Plan

   We, as a nation, should politely say "no" to President Biden's plan announced today to excuse those with student loans from paying $10,000 of their debt. Since the typical undergraduate graduate debt is $25,000, $10,000 amounts to 40 percent.

   Those making less than $125,000 a year are elgible. It would seem someone making $125,000 should be able to pay off a $25,000 Debt.

More Dollars are Owed Than Grains of Sand on Our Beaches

    Let's not win one war at the the expense of losing another. The national debt continues to skyrocket, in part because running it up fights against other problems. Like electric vehicles; look at all the tax breaks and grants supporting that industry. Like a handout of $350 per month per child that Sen. Mitt Romney is proposing. And, the list goes on and on. It is no secret.

   "There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country. One is by sword. The other is by debt." -- John Adams 

   The debt is approaching $31 trillion. To give that perspective, it's about 300 times the number of stars in the Milky Way.To give it perspective, it's a greater number than the grains of sand on the beaches of the world.

   There's no person who can count that high, but there are a lot of politicians who apparently think we should.

EV Charging Stations Have Problems that Need Surmounted

   The next horizon in the battle to convert America to electric vehicles is the charging stations. It doesn't matter how safe, modern, and ecologically desirable the EVs are, if it is a hassle to recharge them, owners will be bringing their new EVs back to the dealers to change them in for the old gasoline machines.

   And that is exactly what is happening. People are buying EVs, only to find recharging them is a hassle. If it takes six hours to recharge the batteries, that's too much hassle. If you cannot find charging stations when you go on trips, that is a hassle. If, when you get to the charging station, all the hookups are taken, that is a hassle. 

   So, America will need to unhassle the charging stations if fully electric vehicles are to become fully viable. More stations, more powerful chargers, and more clarity to the consumer on where the charging stations are located.

  Those are not insurmountable obstacles, but they are obstacles needing to be surmounted. 

Bang, Bang to the Big Bang Theory?

   The Big Bang Theory is -- possibly -- being debunked, disproved and about to be junked, thanks to the latest of scientific discoveries. Less than a year after the James Webb Space Telescope -- the largest optical telescope in space -- was launched, images are coming in showing galaxies in existence before the Big Bang supposedly took place. That's a bummer for the idea that the Big Bang was the beginning of the universe.

   The Big Bang Theory has it that the universe started some 14 billion years ago in a hot, dense state that has been expanding ever since. If it were correct, the galaxies farthest away should be huge and should have a "red shirt" to their light. The James Webb Telescope is showing the opposite. 

   The new discovery has astronomers amazed, with many of them questioning their lifelong studies. "I find myself lying awake at three in the morning and wondering if everything I've done is wrong," said Alison Patrick, an astronomer at the University of Kansas.

   The James Webb Space Telescope, the creation of Northrop Grumman Ball, was launched into space Christmas Day, 2021. That means the images that could be disproving the Big Theory started coming in almost immediately.

Let the Free Market System Work with Electric Cars

    If you want electric vehicles to catch on, zero in on the ones that are not so costly. Make sure the public knows about them.

   At an average price said to be at more than $60,000, a new electric car is out of the question for most Americans. But, there are EVs that sell for about half that. Soon you will be able to drive an electric Kia Telluride off the lot for $34,000. A Buick Envision is yours for $32,000. Get a Chevrolet Bolt for $26,000. The solar-powered Sion from Sono Motors is in the $30,000 range and the solar-powered Aptera Luna $26,000.

  One key to getting EVs to replace gasoline powered vehicles is to get the public thinking about them. Hype up their existence. The other key is to make them afforable. John Doe doesn't have deep enough pockets for a $105,000 Tesla Motel S or for a $62,000 Cadillac Lyriq. And, obviously, only a millionaire will drive down the road in a $350,000 Rolls Royce Spectre or a $250,000 Lightyear 0.

   Instead of offering tax incentives, just encourage the free market system to work.  Many Americans (still not the average Americans) will be able to afford the least expensive electric vehicles -- but they have to know relatively cheap models are out there.   

(Index -- Climate change info)

Saving $700 a Year Is Nice, but not Enough

    A study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute found that average cost to fuel an electric vehicle was $485 a year, campared to $1,117 for a gasoline-powered car.

   And that was in 2018.

  With a sharp eye on whether EVs are beginning to overtake GVs (hey, if electric vehicles can be referred to as "EVs," gasoline vehicles are "GVs"), the world is watching not only the price of the cars themselves, but the cost of fueling them.

   Saving $700 a year is notable, but perhaps not a game-changer. That amounts to only $3,500 across five years. With the average price of a EV at $66,000, the expense of the car far outweighs the money saved on fuel.  

(Index -- Climate change info)

With Geno Smith Struggling, How About Bringing Keapernick In?

    The Seattle Seahawks are 0-2 in the preseason, having lost to the Chicago Bears 27-11 tonight. Geno Smith did not impress at quarterback. 

   It might be that the Seahawks are the best fit available for Colin Kaepernick. They gave him a look years ago. So there's that. That reflects a willingness to at least give him a chance. And now? Out of the gate, Seattle appears to be as badly in need of a better QB as anyone. That's certainly reason to consider the Kaep.

 I wonder if there's any chatter (any little bit, at all) in Seattle about bringing Kaepernick in. Fans, management, coaches -- is anyone even bringing up his name? Or, is he so much a pariah that you can't so much as whisper his name without getting a dirty look?

Catch the Eagles in a Net So Wind Turbines Do not Kill Them

   The solution to Bald Eagles being killed by wind turbines seems simple.  Put up a fish net in front of the wind turbine. The net catches the eagles. Then, you need to pull the birds clear from the suction of the wind mill, so have the nets based on rollers that take the birds back far enough that they can fly free on their own. 

   Giving catch-and-release a new meaning. 

   The idea would need to be tested. Perhaps it would all come to naught as once they flew free from the netting, they would simply slip right over it and right back into the wind turbine.

   But, try the idea. See if it works. Wind turbines can be very helpful, but we do not want to kill Bald Eagles.

Could Trump Run for President While Living Abroad?

    Let Donald Trump run for president in 2024 . . . from out of country. Let him become the first person to ever campaign from abroad. Oh, it is highly unlikely it will come to that, but there is some reason to this rhyme. As the legal noose swings down around his neck, he could seek asylum abroad. He could flee the country to escape the prison.  

Megan Mohn's Death was Unnecessary

   Take the advice of Dr. Alon Steinberg, a man who has studied police restraint and cardiac death. Placing people face down and restraining them can kill them. "This is, unfortunatley, a common occurance," Steinberg said. "We need to educate people in the public that this is dangerous."

   The death of Megan Mohn is making small news in Salt Lake City. Megan died after being placed face down and in restraints. Mohn was apparently on drugs and her mind not coherent when officers dealt with her. From what is shown in from one of the body cams, she was not a threat to the officers. So there is a big question of why she needed to be restrained in the first place. And, when she quit moving, the police did not check her vitals. Some things are common sense, but the police failed to check her vitals, just the same. 

   Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown said the officers "acted appropriately, quickly and professionally do save "the woman's life. Chief Brown must not realize that Mohn should not have been been placed face down in restraints in the first place. He needs to be trained. The police need to be trained. Dr. Steinberg's advice needs to be heeded.

   

Day May Come When EVs Dominate, but This Is not the Way to Bring It

    "The ends cannot justify the means." -- Anonymous

    Ahh, then, does that while, yes, we want to shift from fossil fuel to alternative fuels, giving tax credits is not the way to go about it. We already have a terrible national debt. Let's not make it more miserable.

   But, there it is: The Inflation Reduction Act would let you write $7,500 off your taxes if you bought an electric vehicle. That's a pretty good chunk of money. And, considering the IRA also would give tax incentives to the carmakers, themselves, the price of EVs could drop.

   There might come a day when there are more electric vehicles on the road than gasoline-powered cars. But running up the national debt is not the way to go about it.  

(Index -- Climate change info)

The Rebellion of Right-Wingers Against America

    An eerie resemblance, an eerie pattern: When Trump lost the election, his followers rose up in rebellion against the U.S. government with an attack on the Capitol. And now, in wake of the Mir-a-Lago raid, FBI agents are being attacked and threatened with their lives. An armed man attempted to storm an FBI office in Cincinnati, prompting officers to shoot and kill him.

  Rebellion against the government, then, rebellion against the U.S.

   Are these the first whisperings of a civil war? Or do the insurgents lack the weaponry for an all-out assault on the United States? 

   The FBI issued a warning to its officers in light of the "unprecendented" number of threats.

   

 

Why Did We Give up on Molton Salt Reactors?

 News is that China will open operation of the first thorium molton salt reactor this month, bringing indignant cries from some in the U.S. as to why the U.S. cannot do this.

  Actually -- though perhaps ours wasn't a thorium MSR -- we once were the world leader in the world developing molten salt reactors. But we gave it up. Only twice had MSRs ever operated and both times it had been in the United States. But, look how long ago that was -- one was in the 1950s and the other in the 1960s. 

  Why did we give them up? Safety concerns? MSRs are safer than other nuclear reactors because they operate with a fuel that comes already in a molton state and if there is an emergency, the fuel mixture drains to a containment holder where it solidifies. 

Is Trump In the Throes of Legal Death?

   The whirlstorm around the raid made in Mir-a-Lago leaves one wondering if Trump is in the throes of legal death. 

   That's legal death, not political. The former president will likely hold on to public support among Republicans -- maybe so regardless how incriminating the evidence against him. 

   Or does it reach a point where they see they've been wrong, and even his supporters wash their hands and get off the bandwagon? 

  Rumblings are that greater disclosures are ahead. 

From 'Send Her to Jail! Send Her to Jail' to 'Free Him! Free Him!'

    Come the day -- the election of 2024 -- Trump might be sitting in jail, campaigning from jail, and -- who knows -- his supporters might be chanting for his freedom. Even as "Send her (Hillary) to jail! Send her to jail!" was the chime in 2016, even so "Free him! Free him!" could be the cry in 2024.

Herrera Beutler's Loss Extends the Signs of Trump's Grip on America

  The chilling signs of Trump's hold on Americans continues. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler conceded in the primary election in Washington Tuesday, bringing the number of losses by Republican pro-impeachment incumbants to three. Peter Meijer of Michigan and Tom Rice of South Carolina previously lost. And, Liz Cheney is considered a definite loser in next week's Wyoming primary.  

   For those of us who see Trump as someone destroying America, the signs that he could return to power are ominous.

Mega-sized Ethiopian Dam Is Threatening Epypt

       Ethiopia suffers from having 7.5 percent of the world's water shortage. To cure it's ills, it is tossing up what will be the largest dam in Africa, and the seventh largest in all the world. 

   It will also be Africa's largest hydro-electric generator. Owning one of the world's 20 largest hydroelectric generators in the world, Ethiopia will become the largest exporter of electricity in Africa. In an age when the world needs to shift from fossil fuels, such a large power plant is certainly a plus.

   Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in Africa, with a per capita gross national income of $890. With the coming of the dam, though, the nation might vault out of much of its poverty. The country already has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. The dam will only improve that.  

   But, the dam comes at the consternation of Egypt. The Nile River continues on to Egpyt. The Egyptians, however, should consider that 59 percent of the water that reaches their country originates from the Ethiopian highlands. Ethiopia is but claiming what is theirs. 

   Still, Egypt -- in part due climate change -- could run short of water by 2025, so it is in need of the water. Especially while the reservoir behind the dam is filling, Egypt will be affected. Even if Ethiopia only fills the dam between five- and seven-year intervals, it will cut into Egypt's water 12 to 25 percent. 

(Index -- Climate change info)

These Days, America Steps Up to Vanquish the Monsters

    "America . . . goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all." -- John Quincy Adams

   These days, that is no longer true. America does go abroad. It does take out the Saddam Husseins and Osama bin Ladens. It does come to the defense of other countries. No longer is America just a well-wisher to the freedom of others. Rather, it now seeks to destroy the monsters of the world.  In Ukraine, it provides weapons that are allowing it to turn back the monster known as Russia.

   And this is as it should be. When you see a person in the streets being attacked, if you can step in and help, you do so. It is the same. When America sees a nation being attacked, it should, indeed, step in and help.

   

Three Cars for the Future

    Three cars for the future: the Lightyear 0, the Sono Motors Sion, and the Aptera Luna. Take your pick and drive into the future. The solar-powered Luna, 0, and Sion are waiting for you.

   At a humongous price -- humongous if you are going to buy the 0. Come up with $250,000 and it's yours. The Sion is in the $30,000 range, and the Luna can be had for as little as $26,000. The Sion and Luna are but a fraction of the O, but their prices are still way beyond what the average person can pull out of their billfold.

   These cars will not solve the world's greenhouse emissions problems, but every step counts. Let the rich buy the O, and the middle-class search deep in their pockets for enough money to purchase the Sion and Luna.

In Terms of How Many Are Affected, It Is the Most-Damaging Drug

     Consider the facts:

    -- Marijuana users are more inclined to violence.

   -- Marijuana users are more likely to catch a lung disease.

   -- Marijuana increases the chances of a heart attack.

   -- Marijuana has been linked to temporary mental illness.

   -- Marijuana  impairs cognative functions. 

   But, the urban legend is that marijuana is not harmful. Many people, in fact, believe it beneficial. So, they turn to it more and more. Marijuana usage doubled from 2006 to 2017. Considering how many people are using marijuana, it is the most damaging drug of our times.

Create What We Shall Call 'Citizen Bonds'

   "If you can sell, you'll never be unemployed," Mark Cuban once said, expressing the sentiment that there will always be a need for sales people.

   Right now, America could use some good sales people.

   . . . To sell U.S. Savings Bonds (and, also U.S. Treasury Securities), or, more correctly, what we shall call "U.S. Citizen Bonds." Citizen Bonds would differ from Savings Bonds in that you could not cash them out at will. 

   Consider that foreign interests loan us money so we can pay our operating expenses. Consider that rich, American tycoons also lend us money. Wherever all it comes from, there are negatives: You don't want foreign money paying your bills, you don't want the rich to own your country, etc.

   Letting citizens assume the debt would go a long away towards reducing the national debt. If citizens knew they would not be reimbursed until our expenses were paid, they would be more indignant that the government not run up the bill. Their outcry would scare the polticians from making unwise allotments. If they wanted to be re-elected, they would have to listen to this will of the people.

  You might ask why citizens would want to buy the bonds to begin with. They would buy the bonds because they want to help our country. Most Americans do want the nation to succeed. Most of them would be glad to help. If they all pitched in just a little -- even just $100 a person -- it would make a significant differnce. And, since small amounts per citizen are enough to make a difference, put a cap on how much each citizen can buy -- say $10,000 -- that locks out the rich from buying up to many of the bonds.

   And, you might also ask why we would not give these bonds maturity dates. Answer: Our national debt will take decades to pay off, if you do not have a maturity date and they cannot be redeemed until our debt is gone, they will not extend long enough to get the job accomplished.

   As the money from the new bonds come in, let it pay off the bills to the other creditors. Get them off the books as reasonably soon as you can.

   The American heart -- the heart of its citizens -- is honorable. Let that heart beat. Let it make a difference. 

 

  

The Best Auditors a Nation Can Have Are Called Citizens

 The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) audits, evaluates, and investigates various agencies of the government. We don't hear much about them, do we? 

   Certainly, do not do away with them. But, the best auditors are the citizens. America could use more citizen groups to eye the activities of our nation. When bills are presented that are vague on where money will be spent, the citizen auditors would track the spending down. The auditors would also evaluate the agencies as to whether they are doing other things wrong.

   The best auditors a nation can have are it's own citizens.  

Couldn't the Polestar Electric Car Be Made in Haiti?

What if Polestar electric cars were made in Haiti instead of China? What if they were made in Venezuela? You want cheap labor? How could you find it any cheaper than in Haiti and Venezuela? No, I don't understand how Haiti and Venezuela get left out of the cheap labor game.

 What about Yemen? It is the poorest country in all of the Middle East and North Africa. It is the center of one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Surely, the the rich barons in neighboring United Arab Emirates could seize on the cheap labor in Yemen.

  Or Monzambique, couldn't we have a car manufacturer there? How does China have such a monopoly of cheap labor? Producing things in China really is not that cheap. Labor there is only 4 percent cheaper than in the U.S.

(Index -- Climate change info)

Let's Have Quotes 101 as a School Course

    To have famous and influential quotes as a school course should be highly desirable. 

    Yes, put this school course right behind reading, writing, and arthmetic in importance.

    Take all the quotes -- all the worthy and historical quotes you can find -- and place them in a textbook, an encyclopedia of famous quotes, if you will. All the quotes from Socrates, Ben Franklin, Mark Twain, and all the others -- collect them all into one thick volume for educational purposes.

   "Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." -- Confusius

   "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member." -- Groucho Marx

   Our textbook would teach at least four things; (1.) Wisdom. The wisdom of the ages seems a natural-enough thing to teach in school. (2.) Goodness and morality. There are a high number of quotes that teach being good, being honest, and treating others right. (3.) How to think. As the student reflects on the quotes, it influences their own ability to think. (4.) Humor. There are so many quotes that simply refuse to let you not laugh at them. Give the students an appreciation of humor.