:wavey: Hi Paul! I hope you are doing ok. I always remember that it was thanks to your rec that I first heard this magical song from Gillian Welch:-



I hope you are still Chillin' With Gillian, like I regularly do!

If you are describing what I think you are, you're right to point out a backward step in energy conservation, elph. You can see from these photos a change that has taken place in Mexico:-

1. Wide entrance and gloomy interior tells you that this traditional "mom and pop" store uses little elec light and is ventilated by natural air movement, plus probably a ceiling fan

https://s3-media0.fl.yelpcdn.com/bph...NYK2ohGw/l.jpg

2.This is one of a country-wide chain of shops. Even on the sunny day this photo was taken, you can see the ceiling is ablaze with recessed lighting, and the glazed entrance doors promise the cool of airconditioning within. Everything is bright and modern, with banks of glass-fronted refrigerators, and they are open about 18 hours a day. It's v difficult for mom&pop to compete with this kind of appeal, which I will confess I also succomb to on a hot day:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...CA_andatti.jpg

Twenty thousand of these energy-guzzlers in Mexico :(

I'll take a Mom & Pop place over one of those every day of the week, and twice on Sunday. The smells, the warmth, the owners being really nice most of the time, can't beat that. It reminds me of an ice cream joint in a neighbouring city. It's locally run. Walking in, you're punched in the face with the smell of cinnamon, as they make their own waffle cones. There is NO way I'd want to go to Dairy Queen after experiencing that!

Conservation is frowned upon in my city. Take water for example. We have a lovely river here that supplies our drinking water. Every second summer or so, the city tells the citizens to conserve water. Water levels are low! The next summer, they jack up our water bills because we didn't use enough water. The cycle continues. We're told our rates went up to upgrade the sewers, yet each time it rains, sewage gets dumped into the river. Somehow, I don't think the city is upgrading the sewers like they said they'd do.

Government buildings, standing nearly empty for over two years, have all kinds of lights on all the time.

:yikes: If that's the reasoning they give out to the public, they need to look at what's going on in other parts of the world.

Yep, the waste of energy in public buildings is on a massive scale. Where I work, a/c's and lights are often left on in empty rooms. Some effort is made to reduce waste, but it could be better.
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On the topic of how hopeless it seems that the human race is capable of taking concerted action to improve things, here's Herschel Walker spouting nonsense about air pollution:



And the facts that completely undermine his stand-up comedy act:

https://www.factcheck.org/2022/07/ge...limate-change/

I'd be willing to give Herschel a pass. He probably suffered a couple dozen concussions while playing in the NFL. What comes out of his mouth may just be the CTE talking.

His handlers could use some fact checking though.

Don't give him too much of a pass. He may very well become a Senator.

Yes, rs. I also give zero pass to the audience who are laughing through Herschel's monologue, apparently unconcerned that HW is promoting an attitude that could damage us all.

From what I've seen of this guy, I can well believe your comment about his concussion-induced problems, music_collector. I just hope that the GOP are shooting themselves in the foot by nominating such obviously inadequate candidates. For this hope to come true, I have to put my trust in the good sense of the American electorate :eek:

I always worry about the Democratic strategy to prop up Trump backed candidates because they'd be easier to beat. It's sort of like the old saying, don't wish for something too hard, you might just get it.