@MarkBrigham@universeodon.com cover
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MarkBrigham

@MarkBrigham@universeodon.com

In another life, I researched contaminants in aquatic ecosystems.

Current interests include #ClimateAction #CleanEnergy #EnvironmentalProtection #EnvironmentalJustice #Nature #Birding #BirdPhotography #cycling #hiking #canoeing #sustainability #democracy & #SocialJustice

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. For a complete list of posts, browse on the original instance.

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

BREAKING NYT:

Samuel told a woman posing as a Catholic conservative last week that compromise in America between the left and right might be impossible and then agreed with the view that the nation should return to a place of godliness.

"One side or the other is going to win," Alito told Lauren Windsor at an exclusive gala at the Court. "…there are differences on fundamental things that really can’t be compromised." https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/10/us/politics/supreme-court-alito.html

MarkBrigham ,
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@GottaLaff Separation if Church and State cannot be compromised. If you don’t want to lose on that principle, “justice” Alito, you’re free to leave the country.

MarkBrigham ,
@MarkBrigham@universeodon.com avatar

@GottaLaff Separation of Church and State cannot be compromised. If you don’t want to lose on that principle, “justice” Alito, you’re free to leave the country.

MarkBrigham ,
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@GottaLaff Separation of Church and State cannot be compromised.

breadandcircuses , to random
@breadandcircuses@climatejustice.social avatar

I don’t own a car and I ride my bike a lot, often on very busy city streets. I always wear a helmet when I ride — not because it makes me less likely to get hit by a car, but because it makes me less likely to suffer from brain damage if and when I do get hit by a car.

However, as Dave Walker (@davewalker) points out, there are MANY other and much better ways to make cycling safer for everyone. 🚲

Cartoon drawing with the title: "What would make cycling safer?" One side of the drawing says, according to people on the Internet: helmets. The other side says, according to actual statistics: separating bikes and traffic; educating drivers; enforcing speed limits; dedicated traffic-free routes; close pass laws; disqualifying repeat offenders; investment in active travel; and finally, getting people off their sofas makes everyone safer and healthier.
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    MarkBrigham ,
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    @davewalker @breadandcircuses

    I agree with all of this. I’ll add: the two helmets that saved my skull and its contents did so because of operator error (me). No cars involved, just me being stupid for a split second.

    If you have something inside your skull that you value, wear a helmet.

    Jgbird , to random
    @Jgbird@mas.to avatar

    From earlier this year. I ended up seeing this bird get eaten in midair!

    MarkBrigham ,
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    @Jgbird You could have taken that secret to your grave, and none of us would have been any worse off.

    (My daughter told me almost those exact words when I informed her of a bad thing that happened to a Snowy Owl)

    futurebird , to random
    @futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

    What is the best explanation you’ve heard for 1 not being a prime number? For me it’s “because it breaks everything in my programs since the loops won’t terminate” but that’s obtuse. “Because the God of math decrees it so!” is compelling, but shallow.

    “it can only be divided by 1 distinct number” is contrived.

    1 “feels” prime— it has the fewest factors. (Primeness being about NOT having factors) ruling it out for having too few? eh.

    “it’s the zero of multiplication” is better… thoughts?

    MarkBrigham ,
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    @futurebird
    The number 1 is the Pluto of prime numbers.

    mattsheffield , to random
    @mattsheffield@mastodon.social avatar

    After ending national abortion rights, the Christian fascists have been targeting birth control and pornography.

    Ben Carson has signaled the next challenge: no-fault divorce.

    They'll also go for extramarital and same-sex intimacy as well.

    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/ben-carson-making-no-fault-divorce-harder-rcna152069

    MarkBrigham ,
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    @mattsheffield @samiamsam There’s a fundamental difference between a small-government stance & a stance that works doggedly to protect individual freedoms—particularly when certain factions are attacking individual freedoms.

    Although the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive, it’s extremely important to understand & know the distinction between liberty and limited government. Otherwise, folks are living in laissez fairyland.

    MarkBrigham ,
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    @samiamsam @AlexanderKingsbury @mattsheffield

    Call me idealistic, but I prefer to think in terms of what the government does rather than how big it is.

    And although far from perfect, the citizenry has a duty to hold it accountable. Not throw it out because of ideological buffoonish “government bad” thinking; not tolerate corporate takeover; but make it of the people and for the people.

    Jgbird , to random
    @Jgbird@mas.to avatar
    MarkBrigham ,
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    @Jgbird Nice shot!

    rahmstorf , to random German
    @rahmstorf@fediscience.org avatar

    Heat pumps are a highly efficient and mature technology for home heating (incl. in my house).

    "Yet, in major economies such as the UK and Germany, heat pumps are the subject of hostile and misleading reporting across many mainstream media outlets."

    Not least due to disinformation spread by fossil fuel interests.
    Before you get duped, read the fact check.

    https://www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-18-misleading-myths-about-heat-pumps/?utm_source=cbnewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2024-03-22&utm_campaign=Daily+Briefing+22+03+2024

    MarkBrigham ,
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    @rahmstorf I suspect the same are behind a lot of anti-EV backlash

    breadandcircuses , (edited ) to random
    @breadandcircuses@climatejustice.social avatar

    They yell at us: "Stop being a doomer! You have to give people hope!"

    To which I respond with what Greta Thunberg says: "I don't want your hope. I don't want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act!"

    Along those lines, I strongly recommend this superb new essay from author and climate campaigner Jonathon Porritt, in which he explains that mainstream climate scientists, by insisting we should always be positive and hopeful, run the risk of becoming the new climate deniers.

    Here is a brief summary...

    1. The speed with which the climate is now changing is faster than (almost) all scientists thought possible.

    2. There is now zero prospect of holding the average temperature increase this century to below 1.5°C; even 2°C is beginning to slip out of reach. The vast majority of climate scientists know this, but rarely if ever give voice to this critically important reality.

    3. At the same time, the vast majority of people still haven’t a clue about what’s going on – and what this means for them and everything they hold dear.

    4. The current backlash against existing (already wholly inadequate) climate measures is also accelerating – and will cause considerable political damage in 2024. Those driving this backlash represent the same old climate denial that has been so damaging over so many years.

    5. The science-based institutions on which we depend to address this crisis have comprehensively failed us. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is incapable of telling the whole truth about accelerating climate change; the Conference of the Parties (under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) has been co-opted by the fossil fuel lobby to the point of total corruption.

    6. By not calling out these incontrovertible realities, mainstream scientists are at risk of becoming the new climate deniers.

    Read the whole thing -- https://www.jonathonporritt.com/mainstream-climate-science-the-new-denialism/

    MarkBrigham ,
    @MarkBrigham@universeodon.com avatar

    @breadandcircuses
    Here’s where I am: I’m very tired of doomerism. And I feel even the latest and greatest graphic of Sea Ice Extent, Global Temp, Ocean Heat Content, Canadian Forest Fires—while important for some —is a bunch of doom.

    Agree with @GretaThunberg : “I want you to act!”

    We need more action, not more data and doomerism. Less “WE’RE IN A CRISIS!” and more “here are actions you can take today, both personally and at the macro policy level.”

    MarkBrigham ,
    @MarkBrigham@universeodon.com avatar

    @bluejekyll @breadandcircuses

    Agree. Bread has done a good job smacking us upside the head. And also agree that every post that contains doomist information should and inspire and segue to actions we can take. Empower, don't demoralize.

    New research (referenced herein: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/beyond-the-doom-and-gloom-heres-how-to-stimulate-climate-action/) suggests doomerism increases social media sharing, but decreases propensity to act. We need more action, not more sharing of doomerism.

    MarkBrigham ,
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    @bluejekyll @breadandcircuses This research has been referenced in a number of places, but the upshot is: Doomerism gets clicks, but not action. What inspires action? Well, we're not really sure.

    One thing I'm sure of: a steady drumbeat of doomerism is demoralizing and makes me want to tune out, or unfollow the doomists.

    I'm getting engaged with action-oriented organizations. Less doom-scrolling; more letter-writing & lobbying for system change, as well as personal changes.

    MarkBrigham ,
    @MarkBrigham@universeodon.com avatar

    @bluejekyll @breadandcircuses

    As Bread points out, and @gretathunberg said: "And then I need you to act."

    Very true and wise words. Climate messaging needs more than doomerism. The dire situation needs to inspire actions we can encourage at the macro level, and take at the individual level.

    Connect the dots. Because if you don't inspire action, you might get more likes and boosts, but less substantive action.

    MarkBrigham ,
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    @bluejekyll @breadandcircuses @gretathunberg

    Having taken Randy Olsen's training on story telling & the ABT framework. Here's a way to structure toots (simplified):

    Climate change is will cause problems AND a large contributor to climate change is X. You can reduce your X by doing Y. BUT individual actions, while important, are not sufficient; we also need system change at large scales. THEREFORE, we need you to tell your elected leaders to pass Z. It only takes a few minutes...

    MarkBrigham ,
    @MarkBrigham@universeodon.com avatar

    @breadandcircuses Thanks for your thoughtful, respectful reply. I'll try to do the same as we're on the same team for the most part.

    Where we differ is at the logical endpoints & solutions. Yes, a benevolent ecosocialist dictatorship might be far superior to our messy, broken democracy.

    But who among us has agency to make that happen? IMO, it gets us right back to doomerism. Good for SocMed engagement, but doesn't inspire action.

    Our system of laws and regs has affected good change. It's capable of doing so for climate change. Progress right now is too slow, but it's building momentum. The more people who engage, the faster we can right the ship.

    So folks should join a movement or two--perhaps Citizens' Climate Lobby, League of Conservation Voters, Third Act, RepublicEn, Environmental Defense Fund, Nature Conservancy, etc.--and start lobbying & demanding change, not within the system we dream of, BUT WITHIN THE SYSTEM WE HAVE.

    MarkBrigham ,
    @MarkBrigham@universeodon.com avatar

    @breadandcircuses Thanks for your thoughtful, respectful reply. I'll try to do the same as we're on the same team for the most part.

    Where we differ is at the logical endpoints & solutions. Yes, a benevolent ecosocialist dictatorship might be far superior to our messy, broken democracy.

    But who among us has agency to make that happen? IMO, it gets us right back to doomerism. Good for SocMed engagement, but doesn't inspire action.

    Our system of laws and regs has affected good change. It's capable of doing so for climate change. Progress right now is too slow, but it's building momentum. The more people who engage, the faster we can right the ship.

    So folks should join a movement or two--perhaps Citizens' Climate Lobby, League of Conservation Voters, Third Act, RepublicEn, Environmental Defense Fund, Nature Conservancy, etc.--and start lobbying & demanding change, not within the system we dream of, BUT WITHIN THE SYSTEM WE HAVE.

    MarkBrigham ,
    @MarkBrigham@universeodon.com avatar

    @breadandcircuses I'd also posit that for every climate-alarmed, progressive, eco-socialist oriented citizen in this country there's at least one (probably more) who supports a wannabe fascist dictator who has promised to "drill, baby, drill" as soon as he takes office, if elected or otherwise installed. So the reality is, a vote for a third party candidate who shares your progressive ideals, or sitting out the election, only helps the petro-christo-fascist state accelerate our destruction.

    GottaLaff , to random
    @GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

    1/... alleges she was "...cornered by him."

    “I don’t remember how I got on the bed, & then the next thing I know, he was humping away and telling me how great I was,” she says. “It was awful. But I didn’t say no.”

    “I’ve maintained that it wasn’t rape in any fashion. But I didn’t say no because I was 9 yrs old again.”..she was sexually abused by a neighbor as a child...

    She also expresses remorse for not trying to stop him."

    https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-03-07/stormy-documentary-donald-trump-peacock

    MarkBrigham ,
    @MarkBrigham@universeodon.com avatar

    @GottaLaff @DavidNielsen My understanding is that trump has never been convicted of rape. He was found liable in a civil law suit, but that differs from a criminal conviction. Or did I miss something?

    MarkBrigham ,
    @MarkBrigham@universeodon.com avatar

    @GottaLaff @DavidNielsen thanks. This article seems to support my statement. A jury found that he did rape her, but it was a civil suit not a felony criminal trial. So he’s not yet a convicted felon, right?

    tzimmer_history , to random
    @tzimmer_history@mastodon.social avatar

    I’ve been working on a long piece dissecting the “Biden too old” discussion, trying to assess what the actual arguments, criticisms, and demands are – and I’m honestly not sure I’ll ever publish this, because this whole discourse is so unbelievably exhausting and frustrating.

    MarkBrigham ,
    @MarkBrigham@universeodon.com avatar

    @tzimmer_history I’m wondering why more people aren’t saying that Trump is too traitorous to be president.

    Honestly, how traitorous does one have to be before one is deemed too traitorous?

    WolfgangFeist , to random German
    @WolfgangFeist@hessen.social avatar

    MAN CEO Vlaskamp: “Green hydrogen is not available for transportation and there is no point in switching from diesel to hydrogen if the energy source is not sustainable.”

    Just true.

    The industry knows it. All the talk about hydrogen as an alternative to E-traction - it's just a distraction to slow down the transformation in order to sell fossil fuels even longer.

    https://electrek.co/2024/01/19/man-ceo-impossible-for-hydrogen-to-compete-with-bevs/

    MarkBrigham ,
    @MarkBrigham@universeodon.com avatar

    @WolfgangFeist

    Green hydrogen was once an interesting idea. But since 99% of hydrogen on the market is simply fossil fuel in disguise, it seems that those promoting hydrogen as the future are the very people who are selling us fossil fuels.

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