A note to our senators about checks and balances

I would like to remind you that the constitution has a specific callout regarding "checks and balances" on the powers that the legislature, judiciary, and executive offices hold. 

A reminder about the civics lessons we had in grade school, From the "politics for dummies" website here's how this is supposed to work:

"In order to ensure that the people were sufficiently protected from a tyrannous government, the framers of the US Constitution introduced institutional precautions and individual protections. These are important aspects of US government operations that help explain the sometimes difficult relations between the various arms of government and their relationship with the people."

"Specifically, The legislature 

Checks the Executive:
Controls the scope and powers of executive departments and agencies.
Has the power to approve or reject the executive's federal budget request.
Can impeach and try executive officials, including the president if he is deemed to have done wrong.
Can override a presidential veto on a bill that has passed Congress with a two-thirds majority in each chamber.
Senate approves treaties with other countries and all key departmental appointments as well as US ambassadors made by the president."

You seem to be content to let Mr Trump do as he pleases and go unchecked. He continues to ignore the judiciary that rules against him. He keeps acting as an authoritarian (exactly what the framers feared). He acts in a manner that tramples on our rights and goes against what you should find acceptable. 

The bigger problem is that once he takes all of the power he will never give it up and eventually the very notion of checks and balances will be gone forever. 

Please bear in mind that old saying we learned in history class that "absolute power corrupts absolutely" applies here too. 

You need to hold him to account for his broad actions that violate tenets of the constitution. 

A note to our senators about Elon musk

Elon Musk has no specific government role. He works in a totally made up "department" that was never authorized by the legislature. He has no government clearance. He was never vetted by anyone in the legislature. 

And yet he is being granted unfettered access to nearly every government computer system and he is able to influence the president in specific actions, based on things he wants to do (and which primarily benefit his private businesses). 

And worse, he brings in his staff of people to review these computer systems. People who work FOR HIM and who likewise have no business being in these systems, having not been vetted in any way. 

We don't - and surely you don't either - know his aim, or what he intends to do with any information he gleans from these systems. There is all manner of privileged information and for all we know he's mining it to sell somewhere or use for some purpose. 

Let me ask you this: if Mr Biden had brought someone in to do the same thing, would you let it just play out the same way? Seems unlikely; surely you would have raised the alarms. 

But that's all speculation because no president in our history would have EVER considered such a a thing. This is unique to this president. 

Do your job, Senator, and be mindful that we have no idea what Elon musk is doing. He must be stopped and held accountable. And the president, for allowing such an activity, must be held to account too. 

Making better plant-based cheese

A group of researchers in Saskatchewan thinks they have cracked the code to making plant based cheeses that more closely resemble their milk counterparts for texture and creaminess.

Color me intrigued.  There are a few things I am unwilling to give up as I move to a more plant-based diet. And one of them is cheese.

https://scitechdaily.com/revolutionizing-cheese-scientists-perfect-plant-based-alternatives-with-creamy-texture/ 

revolutionizing the charging game

I've said for a while now that Tesla's "secret sauce" is their charging network.  But now GM is trying to get in on it too.  But rather than build their own, they are partnering with Chargepoint to create a network of stations that can be used by many types of cars.

https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/general-motors-chargepoint-ev-charging-stations/

Origins of phrases

Here are 13 common American phrases and the origin of them.

And don't forget to push the envelope on what you can learn and do!

https://www.upworthy.com/idioms-that-dont-make-sense-explained

Two great stories about plastic waste.

Story #1 is about a Mexican startup that wants to turn plastic waste into fuels.

[It] uses pyrolysis, a thermodynamic process that heats plastics in the absence of oxygen, breaking it down to produce gasoline, diesel, kerosene, paraffin and coke.

https://apnews.com/article/mexico-plastic-pollution-fuel-startup-eafe7b665638df5c361064e2c5a58f0d#

Meanwhile story number two is about a group of researchers at Texas A&M who want to break down the plastic into hydrogen.

By utilizing minimal amounts of solvents, they break down these persistent polymers into aromatic compounds, which can then be transformed into green hydrogen.

https://jasondeegan.com/no-one-believed-it-but-the-u-s-is-set-to-profit-from-a-discovery-that-transforms-plastic-waste-into-hydrogen/#google_vignette

Maybe, just maybe we'll see some progress in dealing with the mass of plastics we have generated in society

Peoples choice for wildlife photograph of the year (UK)

There were some great photos in the competition but this one was actually pretty amusing

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/peoples-choice