@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

PaulWermer

@PaulWermer@sfba.social

Retired chemist - advocating for local climate action, perhaps a bit too deep in the weeds.

and a cynic

And searchable

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GottaLaff, to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Blather, wince, repeat.

“Chief Justice John on Thursday declined an invitation to meet with Democratic senators to talk about Supreme Court ethics and the controversy over flags that flew outside homes owned by Justice Samuel .”

https://apnews.com/article/dc879158dd42050a9a52c850abfb90b9

PaulWermer,
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

@GottaLaff I suspect that absent a majority in the house & 2/3 majority in the Senate, not much is likely to happen.

Party
------------ is a problem
Country

GottaLaff, to Canada
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

After a long morning of loading the POD, stuffing the car, cleaning, scrubbing, double-checking, all on very little sleep… we’re off! here we come.

loves these long road trips.

First night: Sacramento-ish.

PaulWermer,
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

@GottaLaff wishing you a calm & safe & scenic drive.

davidho, to random
@davidho@mastodon.world avatar

Lamppost EV chargers are the answer to how you charge your vehicle in cities.

This is possible because when energy intensive street lamps were replaced by LEDs, there’s excess power for charging EVs.

All cities should do this. ⚡️

h/t Robert Llewllyn

PaulWermer,
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

@davidho Here's an enhancement: setting up bike corrals with ebike charging capabilities by streetlight poles.

In urban environments with multistory apartments, storing a bike above the ground floor is a challenge for many; a 50+ lb/23+ kg ebike even more of a challenge. Curbside storage and charging would enable cycling for many. And the total demand is much less than EV charging...

#ebike #BikeTooter #CurbsideStorage

PaulWermer, to random
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

"They condemn rampant sidewalk blocking, which can threaten the safety of walkers who are forced into the street. " is only part of it. Parking on the sidewalk - even if there is space for the pedestrian to get by - creates a problem for wheelchairs and mobility scooters - just another #ADA issue that ignored in most of the public discourse on public streets & sidewalks. It was only when my aging relatives needed to get around that I realized how little I understood the problems.

https://sfstandard.com/2024/05/22/sfmta-parking-tickets-crusaders-blocked-driveway/

#MobilityForAll

PaulWermer, to random
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

Is anyone surprised that the GOP dominated House Agriculture Committee proposed devastating cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/CalFresh, aka foodstamps) in the upcoming Farm Bill?

There's a campaign to reach out to your Congressperson and Senators asking them to reverse this abominable act - and the San Francisco-Marin Foodbank has an online letter to let you do that (I've tested it - it works no matter where you live)

Please - Contact you electeds and ask them to ensure SNAP is fully funded in the Farm Bill. Here's the link: https://donate.sfmfoodbank.org/page/67594/action/1

GottaLaff, to climate
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

“Fed regulators on Monday approved sweeping changes to how America’s electric grids are planned & funded, in a move that supporters hope could spur thousands of miles of new high-voltage power lines & make it easier to add more wind and solar energy.

The new rule by Fed Energy Regulatory Commission, which oversees interstate electricity transmission, is most significant attempt in years to upgrade and expand the country’s creaking electricity network”
#ClimateCrisis
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/13/climate/electric-grid-overhaul-ferc.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

PaulWermer,
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

@GottaLaff Encouraging news.

PaulWermer, to random
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

Today's distressing reminder that atrocities are happening in many places, yet news coverage in the US is focussed on just a few - like Gaza or Ukraine:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/09/darfur-atrocities-ethnic-cleansing-human-rights-watch-report-rsf-sudan?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

And I feel quite helpless in the face of what appears to be global indifference to these crises. Yes, these are complex problems, with no easy solutions. BUt is that really a reason to let these crises propagate?

PaulWermer, to random
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

I was impressed by #AOC when she first ran for office, and I am encouraged what I read in this piece:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/04/opinion/alexandria-ocasio-cortez.html?unlocked_article_code=1.pU0.1ekx.pRA9rZZjeeOy&smid=url-share

PaulWermer, to random
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

Someone just forwarded me an e-mail from Senator Chris Murphy - AND I found it very encouraging - Apologies for the long thread (verbatim):

Last Friday, I visited Salt Lake City to kick off a really exciting new initiative I’ve begun with an unlikely partner, Utah’s Republican Governor Spencer Cox. Our effort is called “Restoring the Common Good”, and we are convening discussion groups around the country to investigate whether there is an appetite on the right and left for people to join together and try to solve the crisis of meaning, purpose and connection that is causing so many Americans to report feeling epidemic levels of anxiety and unhappiness.

Yes, the majority of Americans are living content, fulfilling lives. We don’t mean to overstate the problem. But we do all feel there is something not right with what’s going on in America today – we are witnessing spiraling levels of addiction, self-harm, political extremism, and violence.

PaulWermer,
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

More Americans report being unhappy with their lives than any time in recent memory, even with record-low unemployment and a growing economy.

Governor Cox and I started talking about a year ago about our belief that this crisis of disaffection and discontent is affecting people on both the political left and right, as well as people with no political affiliation. We wondered whether too much of our national political conversation is centered on well-worn rigid fights, like health care, abortion, immigration and guns. We guessed that there could be a hidden alignment between right and left on policies to help the millions of Americans who are feeling out of control of their economic lives, isolated and alone, or disconnected from their community.

PaulWermer,
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

So we each asked a handful of thought leaders on both the right and left – people who have spent their careers thinking about what makes a good, fulfilling life and what role the government should play in that endeavor – to join us for a series of national conversations. We kicked off the initiative at Governor Cox’s home in Salt Lake City with a group of local community leaders.

The meeting wildly exceeded my expectations. We focused on three main areas of potential bipartisan work, and I want to explain each of them to you.

PaulWermer,
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

First, we talked about the trouble people are having today finding friendship, companionship and community. Too many people report leading isolated, disconnected lives – the problem, as we all know, is especially acute amongst children. The discussion centered around the appropriate role of government to help attack this trend toward more social isolation. The ideas ranged from more support for public spaces, like community pools and parks, to help for institutions, like churches and social clubs, that bring people together.

PaulWermer,
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

Second, we talked about how to reinvigorate the value people place on the common good. Studies show that happiness is more tied to helping others than to receiving help, but today we live in such a me-first culture that many people don’t think about the ways they can help their neighbors. The primary idea we discussed was expanding public service programs – like Americorps or the Peace Corps at the national level – and how they can help connect people with a sense of purpose and more broadly infuse a value of serving others back into our public life. One caution that several participants raised was the need for local communities to take the lead on designing service programs and the danger of relying on a national, one-size-fits-all model.

PaulWermer,
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

Third, we all agreed that many new technologies, most significantly social media, is degrading our connection to each other and our sense of community. “Online existence is comfortable,” said one participant, “but rarely fulfilling.” Too many kids are learning the behaviors of withdrawal, as their smartphones and addictive social media apps draw them away from in-person contact with peers. We agreed that we need to keep up the bipartisan momentum to regulate social media.

PaulWermer,
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

Friday’s conversation covered just the tip of the iceberg. As we broke up after two energizing hours of discussion, Governor Cox and I agreed that the next session should focus more on the elements of happiness that are connected to economic well-being. A room full of conservatives and progressives is certainly going to have plenty of disagreement on economic issues, but both Cox and I agree that the market fundamentalism of the last quarter century has not benefited all Americans. There is room for markets to care more about the common good, and (this is just me talking) government to help make sure markets operate for the well-being of all Americans, rather than just a select few.

PaulWermer,
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

Our next two sessions will be in Washington D.C. and Nashville, Tennessee, and everyone left our first session eager to keep the dialogue going. In the end, we hope to present our findings on the sources of American anxiety and unhappiness, and to produce some policy ideas for where elements of the right and left can join together to help Americans have easier access to what is commonly referred to as “the good life.”

The big, high-profile fights between right and left are important. I won’t ever back down from fighting for reproductive freedom or tighter gun laws or a compassionate immigration system. But those battles potentially mask a set of lower profile but still vital issues where Republicans and Democrats can find agreement and have an enormous impact in people’s ability to find meaning and purpose in their lives. And I think that’s worth exploring.

GottaLaff, to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

2017-2020 Uncovered Emails Reveal Border Patrol Agent's Horrific Jokes About Children

“Border Patrol agents freely used the derogatory slur “tonk” to describe unauthorized migrants on government computers, at times while joking about killing or beating them, according to emails & text messages” https://apple.news/AK-D5b6k2QeWmZuqzMOfNgw

PaulWermer,
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

@GottaLaff how long will it be until law enforcement has a very real credibility problem because it tolerates, indeed protects, this behavior.

PaulWermer,
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

@GottaLaff oops, I left out "realizes". Thanks, will revise

GottaLaff, to Tennessee
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

lawmakers OK bill criminalizing adults who help minors receive gender-affirming care -AP 🤦🏻‍♀️🤬

PaulWermer,
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

@Sh4d0w_H34rt @benroyce @GottaLaff

So tell me, Shadow - what have you been doing to develop candidates in your community? How have you engaged in the primary season? What's your long term strategy to get candidates you would support with the combination of experience, name recognition and community respect?

That is what's needed to ensure a politician understands the community needs, and the community values and respects the person they have supported throughout the long campaign process.

That's one of the reasons I respect #AOC - she went out and earned the communities support in the primary season.

Withholding support in a situation where the absolutely worst option might win - well, have you heard "cutting of your nose to spite your face"? Only it's worse, because you are consciously making a choice that will make things worse for so many vulnerable people.

futurebird, to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

Could we design a skyscraper & sewer system with the intent of creating ecological niches all through the building? Some of the work with green roofs touches on this... can your building handle rain like a forest, not produce fast run-off? Maybe even act as a water sink for less well designed nearby areas. You collect the runoff and get all the moss and plants your parking garage neighbor can't be bothered with.

Don't be mad about the bugs in the walls, design walls that attract the best bugs.

PaulWermer,
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

@ajsadauskas @futurebird

I'd posit the cautionary tale is not related to green building design but rather to very poor execution, probably for minor cost savings.

The problems described have to do with construction failings/ shortcuts.

PaulWermer,
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

@jessta @ajsadauskas @futurebird

there's been a lot of work re green building and building impacts - I've seen some of it in discussion of Goldilocks Density for housing.

Turns out high rises are much less efficient than many assume over the full life cycle, and density is less than well designed mid rise. Lots of complex contributing factors. But net is high rises, unless very carefully designed, are not great. Sweet spot seems to be around 6 stories.

And we have a first coat vs total cost problem. A well designed signed green building will cost a bit more to build, but payback on energy savings is pretty fast. Problem is developer pays first cost, and buyers/ renters pay operating annmaintenance costs. Split incentives, occupant is worse off

burritojustice, to random
@burritojustice@mastodon.social avatar

man united

video/mp4

PaulWermer,
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

@burritojustice @ai6yr ah, a workaround! Who needs elegance?

PaulWermer, to random
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

Listening to the intro to the SFMTA/SFE hearing on curbside charging, and once again heard the importance of SF's Transit First objectives.

And it hit me, Transit First implies transit, it does not imply all the alternatives to driving a car.

What the focus needs to be setting it up so that car use (private cars, TNCs (Uber, Lyft) , taxis) are the least favored option, ie Cars Last by choice, not dictate.

PaulWermer, to climate
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

For those who who claim they cannot vote for Biden because of his support for Israel (aka Genocide Joe) - please remember:

“We’re fighting a very politically correct war,” Mr. Trump said in 2015, referring to efforts to defeat the Islamic State. He added: “The other thing with the terrorists, you have to take out their families.”

I abhor Biden's response to the #GazaCrises - but on every front, #TFG is far more dangerous - not just MIddle East policy, but the economy, #climate, healthcare, education, industrial policy, equity, and on and on.

And given how close this race will be a vote for anyone but Biden is express support for the #MAGA #GOP #TFG

Sources:

Questions About Assassinations Test the Limits of Trump’s Immunity Claim https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/15/us/trump-supreme-court-immunity-assassinations.html
Link in quote is to : Donald Trump Says Terrorists’ Families Should Be Targets https://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/12/02/donald-trump-says-terrorists-families-should-be-targets/

KimPerales, to climate
@KimPerales@toad.social avatar

Many Republicans are corrupt, self-serving & anti- #climate (#TFG sets the standard), & some of the worst, are MOC:

A CA lawmaker wants to dismantle the Clean Water Act protections that he was fined for violating. Rep J Duarte (R-CA) was fined $1.1M by fed regulators for disturbing wetlands & streams on a 500-acre plot of land owned by his bus, Duarte Nursery & public legal battle between Duarte & ENVIR authorities over violations of the Clean Water Act.

#GOPCorruption

https://www.levernews.com/a-water-wrongdoers-revenge/

PaulWermer,
@PaulWermer@sfba.social avatar

@KimPerales just to note this is not new. Rage about EPA regs for pesticides inspired on TX exterminator to go to run for office and end up as speaker: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/the-exterminator/

(Personally I don't understand why someone with his attitude towards pesticides can be considered pro-life)

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