The Good News Only - thread...

[Ian H]

Lightbulb moment. Beckett had died.
Arikha couldn’t go on. He went on. What broke the spell was a black and white photo of Beckett. Drawing from photographs was against Arikha’s principles but he realised he could draw the photograph as an object. In 1991 it became part of a still life, Beckett’s familiar face on a shelf next to a candlestick and peeling wallpaper, the surface of a memory, seen in the moment and seized.
https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n19/gaby-wood/at-the-fine-art-society

 

[briantrumpet]

What an amazing woman (and what a good title).

 

[briantrumpet]

A no-brainer, really.

 

[Pblakeney]

A no-brainer, really.

View attachment 10802

Shade in the summer, shelter in the winter and efficiecient. I have no idea why we are so behind the curve on this.
Oh yes, money and investment. Primary concern is this quarter's profits.

 

[briantrumpet]

Shade in the summer, shelter in the winter and efficiecient. I have no idea why we are so behind the curve on this.
Oh yes, money and investment. Primary concern is this quarter's profits.

It's already a thing on French new builds, but I like the idea of forcing it on existing car parks, as a way of making them have to think about the real cost of car parks on the environment and transport habits. In any case, they will get income from the power generated, so it shouldn't end up being a financial loss over the longer term.

Ha, oh yes, that requires long-term financial thinking. What am I saying?

 

[All uphill]

Well I'm delighted.

After nearly three years of volunteering to help refugees improve their English and understanding of our culture, I've just met two volunteering in a local charity shop.

Contributing to our economy, mixing and making this town a better place. Fantastic!

 

[briantrumpet]

Well I'm delighted.

After nearly three years of volunteering to help refugees improve their English and understanding of our culture, I've just met two volunteering in a local charity shop.

Contributing to our economy, mixing and making this town a better place. Fantastic!

And what's more 'British culture' than a charity shop?

 

[All uphill]

Well I'm delighted.

After nearly three years of volunteering to help refugees improve their English and understanding of our culture, I've just met two volunteering in a local charity shop.

Contributing to our economy, mixing and making this town a better place. Fantastic!

Meanwhile some/many of my prosperous and healthy retired neighbours sit on their arses, watch GBNews, get depressed and complain.

 

[briantrumpet]

 

[Pross]

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View attachment 10907

Hopefully they'll soon get to a point where 'but China' can no longer be a reply for everyone trying to justify continuing using non-renewable energy sources.

 

[briantrumpet]

Hopefully they'll soon get to a point where 'but China' can no longer be a reply for everyone trying to justify continuing using non-renewable energy sources.

It's an interesting moral dilemma where a nation that was easy to criticise on most fronts (communism, repression of minorities, global warming from industry, etc.) is now, because of its size and the ability of the authoritarian government to mobilise a massive working population to take a particular economic direction, able to (potentially) be a massive force for good for the environment.

(Apologies for all the parentheses in a very long sentence.)

 

[PurplePenguin]

I think I have said before that renewable energy is the cheapest form of new power in many countries, so it is not going to go anywhere.

 

[Pross]

It's an interesting moral dilemma where a nation that was easy to criticise on most fronts (communism, repression of minorities, global warming from industry, etc.) is now, because of its size and the ability of the authoritarian government to mobilise a massive working population to take a particular economic direction, able to (potentially) be a massive force for good for the environment.

(Apologies for all the parentheses in a very long sentence.)

Likewise, Saudi Arabia is using oil wealth to build a 170km long new city that will be powered entirely by renewable energy whilst continuing to amass wealth by selling oil to those countries with less foresight (obviously having vast expanses of empty land and highly predictable levels of sunshine helps in addition to all that oil money).

 

[briantrumpet]

I think I have said before that renewable energy is the cheapest form of new power in many countries, so it is not going to go anywhere.

That's *very* good news. I guess that that in itself is a game changer, and (also mentioned elsewhere) that if there is a step change in battery technology (price, space required, environmental impacts from mining etc), that will only add to the no-brainer choices ahead.

 

[briantrumpet]

Likewise, Saudi Arabia is using oil wealth to build a 170km long new city that will be powered entirely by renewable energy whilst continuing to amass wealth by selling oil to those countries with less foresight (obviously having vast expanses of empty land and highly predictable levels of sunshine helps in addition to all that oil money).

They've realised it's a non-starter, for all sorts of reasons. Pie in the sky would be more achievable in practical terms. I think they've pulled the plug.