Tuesday, June 03, 2025

Fresh Ukraine, Russia demands show no interest for actual peace ||

The memos presented by Ukraine and Russia at their direct talks in Istanbul on Monday make it absolutely clear that, absent a strong U.S. intervention based on a detailed U.S. peace plan, there will be no peace settlement in Ukraine.

It is not just that several of the positions on both sides are completely mutually incompatible; they suggest that at present neither side is in fact interested in an early peace.   READ MORE:



Monday, June 02, 2025

Why a Ukraine deal was never realistic:

 Four months of chaotic shuttle diplomacy aimed at reaching a cease-fire in Ukraine, multiple phone calls between US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, repeated US attempts to pressure, browbeat, and bully Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into concessions, have all yielded exactly nothing. 

Which is not in the least bit surprising. Because there is no deal to be had with Russia on Ukraine. There never has been ... Read More:



Friday, May 30, 2025

Why Trump is suddenly trying to shake off his Putin stupor ||

 Putin's playing Trump like a Stradivarius and this past week Trump seemed to realize for the first time that Vladimir isn't the loyal best pal he thought he was. Trump has been wrong about this from the very start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as any sentient being could have told him. He was right that Putin was thrilled that he was back in the White House but only because he knew that Trump would divide the allies, favor him over Ukraine and essentially help him achieve his goal. After all, Trump had said he was a "genius" and very "savvy" for invading in the first place. Trump's also extremely naive and ignorant, even after having already been president once. This was a big win for Putin.

Trump has spent most of his time in these first months pretending that he never said that he'd end the war in 24 hours and instead tried to muscle Zelenskyy into surrendering to Putin. Trump apparently believed that Vladimir Putin was his true friend, and I think he also truly believed that he could just pick up the phone once he was elected and his buddy (Vladimir Putin) would congratulate him and tell him that he couldn't wait to do a deal to end the war ||       READ MORE:





Thursday, May 29, 2025

The Trump administration is disrupting career paths for new graduates hoping to work in climate and sustainability, international aid, public service and the sciences

 As the class of 2025 enters the workforce, the Trump administration has dismantled career pathways for graduates interested in climate and sustainability work, international aid, public service and research across the natural, behavioral and social sciences. Federal jobs are disappearing, and the administration is eliminating grants and agency divisions that sustain university research programs and nonprofits that are crucial to launching careers ||


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Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Russia says Trump 'does not fully understand' ||

"In an interview on Feb. 22, 2022, former U.S. President Donald Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin's stated Ukraine strategy “savvy” and “genius.” The intensity of strikes by both sides has only increased since Trump's return to office in January, although the president had promised to end Russia's war on its neighbor in 24 hours. In the past, Trump has criticized Biden's response to Russia's war, falsely alleging that Biden was only in the White House because the 2020 election had been "rigged.
 
~ The inevitable happens, when you praise a person like Vladimir Putin who badgers and intimidates smaller countries.

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Fiona Hill: Trump is terrified of Putin, I’ve seen it first hand ||

What Trump doesn’t understand is that “Putin doesn’t want a ceasefire”. “Putin wants a neutered Ukraine, not one that is able to withstand military pressure. Everybody sees this, apart from Trump,” she said. Read More:




Friday, May 23, 2025

Billionaire Ray Dalio raises alarm over China, says Trump renegotiating trade deals 'has to happen'

Speaking with Brian Kilmeade on "Fox & Friends" Wednesday, Dalio warned China won’t give up its competition anytime soon. "They're also making technology and improving at a fast rate. So you cannot take China and think that they are not going to be a force for the foreseeable future. They're not folding, okay?" Dalio said. "We both have our challenges and there's going to be a big conflict. That's the nature of the beast."  || 





 

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Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Why the US cannot afford to lose dollar dominance ||

This Atlantic Council Strategy Paper explores the relationship between the status of the United States as a geopolitical superpower and the role of the US dollar as the world’s dominant currency. It examines how these two facets of US power have reinforced each other and how a decline in either of them could trigger a downward cycle in US influence around the world. The report discusses options for how the United States could counteract such trends, relying on its traditional strengths and strategic alliances ||




Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Rising costs rip into business reputation ||

Business reputation is eroding due to consumer concerns about rising costs, according to this year's Axios Harris Poll 100, which assigns reputation scores based on seven categories like trust, products and services, vision and culture. Companies that have kept costs low while standing firm on their corporate values rank highest on this year's list. Trader Joe's, the low-cost grocer known for being values-focused, ranks No. 1 on the list and saw a 3.5-point increase in its reputation score since last year.

Tuesday, February 04, 2025

Under both Trump and Biden, US oil and gas production surged to record highs, despite very different energy goals ||

 


The United States is producing more oil and natural gas today than ever before, and far more than any other country. So, what roles did the Trump-Pence and Biden-Harris administrations play in this surge?



Thursday, January 23, 2025

Michael Bloomberg offers to step in after Trump withdrawal from Paris Climate Agreement

 New York, New York - Billionaire Michael Bloomberg announced Thursday that his foundation will step in to fund the UN climate change body after President Donald Trump declared the US would withdraw from the Paris Agreement for the second time.           Read more

Friday, November 29, 2024

Eco Wave Power Receives Final Permit from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for First Onshore Wave Energy Project at Port of Los Angeles ||

Los Angeles, CA – November 18, 2024 –Eco Wave Power Global AB (Nasdaq: WAVE) (“Eco Wave Power” or the “Company”), a leading provider of onshore wave energy technology, is pleased to announce it has received the final Nationwide Permit (NWP) from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for its groundbreaking wave energy project at AltaSea’s premises at the Port of Los Angeles.

This milestone marks a significant step forward in the development of Eco Wave Power’s pioneering wave energy project, which is set to become the first onshore wave energy installation in the United States. 


Read More


Monday, November 25, 2024

Shifting When and Where Electricity is Used Can Avoid Gigatons of Carbon Emissions

 How electricity is produced and when it is used has a huge impact on how clean it is. As such, marginal emissions, which result from a power plant turning on or increasing its production to meet increased demand, represent substantial potential carbon reductions. A newly expanded dataset from the tech solution nonprofit WattTime suggests as much as 9 gigatons could be avoided per year. 

The nonprofit works with major corporations like Microsoft, Toyota and Salesforce to shift when electricity is used and where it is purchased while optimizing grid decarbonization.


Read More:

Friday, November 22, 2024

Climate change is increasing hurricane wind speeds, study finds

 Climate change strengthened the maximum wind speeds of Atlantic hurricanes by an average of 18 mph during the past five years, a new study published Wednesday shows.

Why it matters: The study is among the first to show a link between hotter ocean temperatures and stronger hurricane wind speeds. It ties climate change to a hurricane's destructive potential.


Read More:

Friday, November 15, 2024

Electric vehicles in Africa: what’s needed to grow the sector |

In sub-Saharan Africa, high levels of particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution from vehicle tailpipe emissions cause poor health, developmental stunting, and even death. Vehicle emissions also contribute to global warming.





Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Countries spend huge sums on fossil fuel subsidies – why they’re so hard to eliminate -

 Fossil fuels are the leading driver of climate change, yet they are still heavily subsidized by governments around the world.

Although many countries have explicitly promised to reduce fossil fuel subsidies to combat climate change, this has proven difficult to accomplish. As a result, fossil fuels remain relatively inexpensive, and their use and greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow.


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Monday, November 11, 2024

After 40 Years, New Carbon Sequestration Study Confirms the Value of Trees

 

A new model for assessing the carbon sequestration capability of trees and other plants found that the world's greenery sucks up 31 percent more carbon than previously thought. But more tree-planting may not be the answer to maximize these benefits.

Tuesday, November 05, 2024

Building Climate and Financial Resilience in Cities: A Dual Imperative

 Climate change is challenging cities' financial resilience, and the impact is often overlooked. Sustainable Capital Advisors created a three-step framework to help them manage climate-related financial risks and seize opportunities for sustainable growth during a historic moment in climate funding.


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Thursday, October 31, 2024

World’s 1st artificial island to provide 3.5GW wind energy to 3 million homes

The draft plans for the world’s first artificial energy island have been presented by Belgium's electricity system operator Elia. The island would be the first building block of a European hub for offshore wind energy and will be located in the Belgian part of the North Sea.


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Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Engineers Consider Carbon Emissions During The Design Process

To make carbon accounting easier, Bentley Systems' new tool allows engineers to see a digital representation of the embodied carbon in their future projects. That also helps them compare building materials and design choices to mitigate those emissions.


Read More: 

Thursday, October 24, 2024

Assessing the Real Climate Costs of Manufacturing

 Producing materials such as steel, plastics and cement in the United States alone inflicts $79 billion a year in climate-related damage around the world, according to a new study by engineers and economists at the University of California, Davis. Accounting for these costs in market prices could encourage progress toward climate-friendly alternatives. 

Read More: University of California - Davis

Sunday, October 23, 2022

A Boom in Renewable Energy Has Blunted the Global Rise in Emissions |

 Emissions associated with energy use are on track to increase 1 percent this year because of a boom in wind and solar power ||


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Friday, September 23, 2022

Sustainable Electric Car That Cleans The Air While Driving


TU Eindhoven student team TU/ecomotive has developed a sustainable electric passenger car that captures more carbon dioxide (CO₂) than it emits while driving. It is a prototype, called Zem, that purifies the air through a special filter. By storing the captured CO₂ and then disposing it.                                                                                        READ MORE


Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Sunday, September 18, 2022

Resilient Building Strategies ||

Resilient strategies are used globally, many contemporary, others derived from vernacular architecture’s strong relationship to climate and natural processes. Many of these techniques—some key ones follow—have been aggregated into a set of accessible guidelines at various scales that can be implemented immediately. They support an approach to the natural and built environment that dramatically reduces or eliminates greenhouse gas emissions, addresses climate adaptation and resilience, and offers the potential for an accessible and inexhaustible supply of renewable energy.
Read More:

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

The Skyscraper Museum Surveys the Fast-Paced Transformation of Lower Manhattan ||

“Residential Rising” is a story of significant adaptive reuse, as the symbolic hub of American capitalism has seen dozens of its aging office buildings transformed into apartment houses || Read More

Sunday, August 07, 2022

The Living Building ||

The Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OCSL) is an environmental education center and home of the Eco Machine™, a water reclamation system that uses only natural processes to treat wastewater. The OCSL is built to meet the highest standards currently available in sustainable architecture and is the first green building in the world to achieve both LEED® Platinum and Living Building Challenge™ certification.
Read More

Sunday, July 31, 2022

Historic Park Inn Hotel Keeps Frank Lloyd Wright's Vision Alive |

Indigo Road Hospitality Group writes a new chapter in the windy epic of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Historic Park Inn Hotel
Read More

Friday, July 29, 2022

The Thirteen Most Controversial Buildings in History ||

New buildings are constructed every day. Some to overwhelming fanfare, others to disdain, and most to little more acknowledgment than a passing glance on the street. Of course, there’s also another option: controversy.
Read More

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

The Advanced Lighting Behind Urban Agriculture

Creative use of space and cutting-edge lighting technology come together to meet the intensifying need for food production ...
Read More:

Monday, July 18, 2022

Better Air Quality in New Buildings

The Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre for Advanced Building Systems Against Airborne Infection Transmission aims to reduce airborne infection transmission by improving indoor air quality while maintaining comfort and efficiency.
Read More:

Thursday, March 10, 2022

Can The New American Home inspire builders to go green?

The New American “net-zero energy” home, infers the potential to generate at least as much energy from renewable sources as it uses ||
READ MORE:

Monday, December 14, 2020

Open database analysis of scaling and spatio-temporal properties of power grid frequencies ||

The energy system, and in particular the electricity system, is undergoing rapid changes due to the introduction of renewable energy sources, to mitigate climate change. To cope with these changes new policies and technologies are proposed and a range of business models are implemented in various energy systems across the world. New concepts, such as smart grids, flexumers, or prosumers, are developed and tested in pilot regions. Still, studies rarely systematically compare different approaches, data, or regions, in part because freely available research data are lacking.

Read More:



Sunday, September 27, 2020

 For years, climate scientists have been wary of attributing extreme weather directly to man-made atmospheric warming, but that's changing in the face of historic heat waves and cascading natural disasters || 



Friday, July 10, 2020

Jane Goodall on Conservation, Climate Change and COVID-19: 'If We Carry on With Business as Usual, We're Going to Destroy Ourselves' ||

We need to realize we're part of the environment, that we need the natural world. We depend on it. We can't go on destroying. We've got to somehow understand that we're not separated from it, we are all intertwined. Harm nature, harm ourselves. If we continue with business as usual, we're going to come to the point of no return. At a certain point the ecosystems of the world will just give up and collapse and that's the end of us eventually too.

Wednesday, July 08, 2020

NYCxDESIGN Gathers Odes to New York From Designers Near & Far

Twenty Five designers from the five boroughs and beyond offer a heartfelt message to the world’s epicenter of design during an uncertain time.

Thursday, April 16, 2020

U.S. National Library of Medicine || Oral TCM & COVID-19 Update

The National Library of Medicine started in 1836 as a small collection of medical books and journals in the office of the United States Army Surgeon General.
COVID-19 Update On Cytokine Storm: Identification and Treatment ||

Many doctors are focused on treating the inflammatory reactions it triggers ||

Medicinal "Anti-Inflammatory" Plants vs. Synthetic "Anti-Inflammatory" Drugs | NCBI, U.S. National Library of Medicine | 2018 Review || 


[US National Library of Medicine] Currently, the synthetic antiviral drugs or vaccines have limited use in developing countries due to the emergence of resistant strains, the high cost, and the harmful side effects. However, Anti-Inflammatory agents derived from herbs (medicinal plants) have many advantages such as low cost and toxicity, extensive source, and ease of access. Moreover, medicinal plants usually have multitarget effects, which not only act as antiviral agents (with fewer or no side effects) but also stimulate immunity. Therefore, medicinal plant extracts and phytochemicals are attracting more and more attention as the potential sources for the development of new antiviral drugs during the recent decade. 

Huang Lian Shang Qing (common name Coptidis Combination   [US - N L M]                    Antimicrobial Potential of Coptidis Rhizome   [US - N L M]

Ban Lan Gen (common name: Isatis Root): [US - N L M]

Huang Lian Su (common name: Berberine): [US - N L M]

Qing Fei Yi Huo Pian (common name Gardenia)  [US - N L M]

Qingzao Runfei Huazhuo Xingxue: Inflammatory cells / Alveolar cavity [US - N L M]

Yin Chiao (yin chiao chieh tu pien) Yinchiao Tablet  is highly-regarded for its ability to nourish and strengthen the body's immunity during the onset of infection.  Lianhuaqingwen capsules: (common name forsythia honeysuckle) [US - N L M]

Bell's Palsy  (facial weakness or post-stroke facial paralysis)                                                              Tian Ma Wan = Angelica Sinensis / Rehmanniae Radix      [US - N L M]


Oral TCM/CHM analyzed findings from 3,145 patients in 30 eligible studies on immune responses during coronavirus disease

Oral TCM/CHM formulas are a valuable source of drugs for the management of COVID-19 in its early stages. They act on multitargets, inhibit biochemical pathways, epigenetic regulation of gene expression & modulation of immune response