I was busted by the light police. They had a point.

Via: Thomas  •  Broliver Stagnasty's Hat Stand  •  17 Comments  •  5 Likes  •  3 years ago

“Just eight weeks after I bought a place in the Virginia countryside, I was busted by the light police. First came an email from somebody who lives...”

I love the night sky and am aware that the darkness is decreasing. Even in the Adirondack Park where I live you can see encroachment of lights. Some of it comes from towns, some comes from newly constructed houses. Each little bit encroaches on the ability to see the night sky. 

Opinion | The Problem With Everything-Bagel Liberalism - The New York Times

Via: Thomas  •  Broliver Stagnasty's Hat Stand  •  168 Comments  •  9 Likes  •  3 years ago

“Trouble comes when Democrats try to do everything everywhere all at once.”

The challenge of the everything-bagel approach to governing is that sometimes, it's exactly the right thing to do. On-shoring the supply chain for renewable energy makes real sense. Making sure jobs in semiconductor factories are good jobs is worthwhile. But there is a cost to accumulation. How...

How drag queen story hours became a target of right-wing attacks - Los Angeles Times

Via: Thomas  •  Broliver Stagnasty's Hat Stand  •  17 Comments  •  6 Likes  •  3 years ago

“Drag queens are more mainstream than ever, as are LGBTQ rights. Yet, story hours, where drag queens read to kids, have become a point of...”

Some people can't just let other people be... unless those others remain in the closet.

She lost her trans son to suicide. Can a Kentucky lawmaker make her colleagues care?

Via: Thomas  •  Broliver Stagnasty's Hat Stand  •  18 Comments  •  4 Likes  •  3 years ago

“Eight weeks after the death of Karen Berg’s son, Henry, she’s fighting a flood of anti-transgender bills in the Kentucky Senate”

To some people, the government is structured to protect the morals of the majority of voters in the last election instead of the rights of all human beings. It is kind of long, so if you care to listen please go to the article itself. 

Opinion: Trump should fill Christians with rage. How come he doesn’t?

Via: Thomas  •  Broliver Stagnasty's Hat Stand  •  183 Comments  •  4 Likes  •  4 years ago

““I want the meanest, toughest SOB I can find to protect this nation,” Southern Baptist pastor Robert Jeffress explained in his 2016 defense of Trump.”

An interesting essay, along the lines of the quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi : “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Recycling Lead-Acid Batteries Is Easy. Why Is Recycling Lithium-ion Batteries Hard? - CleanTechnica

Via: Thomas  •  Broliver Stagnasty's Hat Stand  •  7 Comments  •  5 Likes  •  4 years ago

“The lithium-ion batteries in today's electric vehicles outperform older lead-acid batteries Lead-acid batteries”

The rise in lithium products with their associated heavy metals begs the question, "What do we do when the battery loses its capacity? "

Cities: How a 'lens of care' can transform US neighborhoods - CSMonitor.com

Via: Thomas  •  Broliver Stagnasty's Hat Stand  •  11 Comments  •  2 Likes  •  4 years ago

“How do you interrupt the social and historical patterns leading to segregated neighborhoods and "opportunity hoarding"? One answer is an "ethic of...”

Who is your neighbor?

A Question For All

By: Thomas  •  Broliver Stagnasty's Hat Stand  •  350 Comments  •  13 Likes  •  4 years ago

“Quotes? Who Needs Quotes? This is not the question”

Recently, I was having a conversation in which I was trying to explain to one of my friends why another of my friends was feeling personally attacked. Basically, the conversation boiled down to the following; Member 1 expressed support for political policies that would, if codified into law,...

Did the First Americans Arrive via Land Bridge? This Geneticist Says No.

Via: Thomas  •  Anthropology & Archeology  •  64 Comments  •  11 Likes  •  4 years ago

“Given the fast and furious pace of discovery in this field, Raff is clear that not everyone will agree with her interpretations of the data. “All...”

On my list to read.....

Early Civilizations Had It All Figured Out A contrarian account of our prehistory argues that cities once flourished without rulers and rules—and still could.

Via: Thomas  •  History & Sociology  •  15 Comments  •  3 Likes  •  5 years ago

“As a stab at grandeur stripped of grandiosity, the book rejects the logic of technological or ecological determinism, structuring its narrative...”

This will be on my reading list.