Electric generation varies widely by state, as this chart attests.
https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/electricity-generation-by-state/
Overall, 60% of the U.S. electricity still comes from fossil fuels. The clear winners: Maine, Vermont, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska.
For more visual charts,
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/
What is a hermit crab essay?
I read a story in Chestnut Review that uses this technique.
https://chestnutreview.com/cr_v4_n1/how-to-use-your-fathers-lawn-mower-yasmin-nadiyah-phillip/
by Yasmin Nadiyah Phillip.
Here's more on the topic:
http://www.thewritingaddict.org/2019/02/how-to-write-hermit-crab-essay.html
The Writing Addict's advice, though, is for non-fiction.
Deadline: September 19, 2022
“Guest judge Grant Faulkner will choose three stories from a shortlist. We’re excited to offer the winner of this prize $2500 and publication, while the 2nd and 3rd place winners will receive publication and $600 and $400, respectively. … Fractured Lit is looking for flash fiction that lingers long past the first reading. We’re searching for flash that investigates the mysteries of being human, the sorrow, and the joy of connecting to the diverse population around us. We want the stories that explode vertically, the flash that leaves the conventional and the clichéd far behind. Fractured Lit is a flash fiction–centered place for all writers of any background and experience. … [Submit] 4 stories of 400 words or fewer each per entry.”
I tried to watch Licorice Pizza but it just didn't seem real to me. I didn't believe the main character was 15. Plus, it just seemed like Almost Famous did it better.
Moira Allen has a great article on "submitter's block."https://www.writing-world.com/basics/writer.shtml
Allen writes,
"You want to write, but you don't. Or perhaps you start, but can't bring yourself to finish, leaving a dozen promising articles or stories in various stages of incompletion. Or perhaps you finish, but can't quite bring yourself to stuff those pages into an envelope and pop them in the mail. Your family, friends, or critique group say your work is wonderful. So what is holding you back?"
Moira Allen is the editor of Writing-World.com (https://www.writing-world.com) and the author of more than 350 published articles. Her books on writing include Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer, The Writer's Guide to Queries, Pitches and Proposals, and Writing to Win: The Colossal Guide to Writing Contests.
A study published in Nature, April 2022, maintains that 1/5 of reptiles could go extinct. Wild caught reptiles sold in the pet trade could hasten extinction of certain species.
Though the man in "The Man in Grey" says he is "nobody," its clear there's more to him than meets the eye. He tells Martha, "I am not a camera. I'm just the man who stands in grey, making things happen."
He stops Martha from falling in front of a train because that wasn't in the script. Yet, in a dramatic twist, Martha goes off script anyway.
The metaphysical idea that everyone is just a character in someone else's story is explored to its fullest in "Goblin Lake."
Besides playing with metaphysical ideas, many of the stories explore artificial intelligence and self-determination.
"The Dala Horse," explores artificial intelligence in bots. The girl's backpack is sentient and the small dala horse is a node who enters the girl's consciousness and battles a white witch.
Many of these stories are involve space exploration and colonization, "For I Have Lain Me Down" and "The She-Wolf's Hidden Grin."
Almost each one of these stories could be expanded into full novels. Two characters in "Tawny Petticoats" appear in many more Michael Swanwick stories.
These stories fascinate because they present alternate histories, e.g. "Pushkin the American" and present chilling future possibilities.
https://www.tor.com/author/michael-swanwick/
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In Yesterday’s Kin members of the scientific community try to stop an airborne virus from harming earth’s population. A ship full of aliens from World have warned Earth ten months before Earth will make contact with a virus-filled cloud.
Notably, Kress wrote Yesterday’s Kin in 2014 well before the current Covid crisis. While the panic and the desperate quest for a vaccine are eerily familiar, this story focuses upon genetics and family connections.
This story revolves around Marianne Jenner and her three children, Ryan, Elizabeth, and Noah. Noah, the youngest, has always felt like an outcast–the black sheep of the Jenner family. These feelings of alienation grow worst after he learns that his family has been hiding a secret from him.
In Kress’ story, the country is divided by politics which make the crisis worst. Few trust the aliens and the joint scientific venture taking place in the Embassy. A terrorism situation creates additional heartbreak and tragedy.
Kress skillfully interweaves scientific facts about DNA and the genetic bottleneck, that occurred 70,000 years ago, with fiction.
The Midnight Library is the perfect book to read in January–a time for starting over and making New Year’s resolutions.
Nora Seed, the novel’s protagonist, needs to start over; She has lost touch with her dreams. She is also unmarried, estranged from her brother, and friendless. She has lost contact with her best friend, Izzy, who moved to Australia.
Adding insult to injury, Nora was recently fired from her retail job and her cat, Volts, has just died.
Nora decides to end her life but, fortunately, she is given a second chance in this humorous yet metaphysical novel.
Nora ends up at the “Midnight Library” a place people go when they hover between life and death. While its a construct of their minds, its also a place where individuals called “sliders” can make new choices.
Nora becomes everything–from a scientist, to world class swimmer, to rock star–yet still feels hopeless and lost. In an ingenious twist, Nora gets the perfect life yet still feels unsatisfied. Nora’s despair nearly leads to catastrophe, yet, she ultimately prevails in this inspiring novel.
Fanny promises the captain that if follows the arctic tern’s flight path he will earn his largest catch of fish yet. The novel is set at a time of ecological disaster when nearly all animals, including fish, are on the brink of extinction. This “golden catch” would give Ennis a chance to redeem himself in his family’s eyes or so he says.
The maritime trip to Antarctica also gives Franny a chance at redemption. Though she tells them she is a scientist tracking the arctic terns for scientific research, Franny harbors a huge secret which is only gradually divulged. Migrations offers a startling portrait of highly complex character who is unimaginable brave and fiercely determined.
This is a novel that does not shy away from the largest questions and the most daunting topics: animal instincts, madness, desire, survival.
McConaghy’s latest novel also involves wildlife, Once There Were Wolves.
"As distraught as I'd been in the last few days, I felt more alive in London--enveloped in an old mystery, an old story -- than I could remember feeling in years. I resolved to continue digging. To push through the dark and look inside of it all."
After learning that her husband has been faithful, Caroline goes on a trip to London by herself. Even though the trip was supposed to be an anniversary trip with her husband, Caroline goes alone and embarks on a personal quest.
The novel is empowering because it features a character who wants to reshape her circumstances.
Much of the novel is about pushing past the surface veneer and seeing the secrets that lie below. After going mud larking, Caroline finds an artifact, a blue apothecary jar with an engraving of a bear. This object reignites her love for history and scholarship that she had long repressed. Before marrying James, she had wanted to pursue a degree at Cambridge in the U.K.
Caroline learns the dreadful truth about the apothecary jar when she does research and even uncovers the centuries old apothecary and its relics. The apothecary register told the story of women who came to the shop seeking help and redress from men who had wronged them
Both a historical mystery and a thrilling treasure hunt, The Lost Apothecary intrigues readers on many levels. The apothecary, Nessa, is a historian recording the stories of women whose stories would otherwise be forgotten. In uncovering Nessa and Eliza's story, Caroline breaks free from her past and reconnect with her dreams.
Most of the story is realistic but there is a hint of the supernatural in it as well.
Here's a poem written by a poem by a poet who is new to me, Charlotte Turner Smith, but its written much earlier(poets.org).
Sonnet XLIV ("Sonnet Written in The Church Yard at Middleton in Sussex")
Press’d by the Moon, mute arbitress of tides,
While the loud equinox its pow’r combines,
The sea no more its swelling surge confines,
But o’er the shrinking land sublimely rides.
The wild blasts, rising from the Western cave,
Drives the huge billows from their heaving bed;
Tears from their grassy tombs the village dead,
And breaks the silent sabbath of the grave!
With shells and seaweed mingled, on the shore,
Lo! their bones whiten in the frequent wave;
But vain to them the winds and waters rave;
They hear the warring elements no more:
While I am doom’d—by life’s long storm opprest,
To gaze with envy, on their gloomy rest.
I love the phrase "mute arbitress of tides" and "silent sabbath."
The surprise in the end is that the speaker/narrator is envious of the dead.
Charlotte Turner Smith was a poet and novelist of the Romantic age.
Klein, C.G., Pisani, D., Field, D.J. et al. Evolution and dispersal of snakes across the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction. Nat Commun 12, 5335 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25136-y
How one animal survived the asteroid that killed dinosaurs (inverse.com)
Daisy is that girl for whom everything comes easily. She has natural beauty, vibrant vocals, and a gift for song writing. Even with all this going for her, she self-destructs in the usual way–drugs and alcohol.
Billy who strives to stay on the straight and narrow calls her dangerous and an “impossible woman.” Even if that is the case, he needs her to take the Six to the next level. His song writing is too romantic. Her songs have a grittier edge that balance out his.
While the story appears to be a typical one, Reid has a way of telling it, as a transcript of a documentary, that is remarkable.
Characters often argue with each other or remember events differently. People blame each other and use one another.
Worst of all, people write songs about the other resulting in hurt feelings. For instance, Daisy writes “Regret Me” about Billy.
While Billy and Daisy croon about the dangers of falling in love, they face similar temptations. Reid’s characters are complex and flawed but easy to relate to.
If you liked reading Daisy Jones and the Six, you may also like the true account Girl in a Band about Sonic Youth or works of fiction about rock bands and music from the 70s.
Blau, Jessica Anya. Mary Jane.
Doan, Amy Mason. Lady Sunshine.
Egan, Jennifer. A Visit From the Goon Squad.
Gabel, Aja. The Ensemble.
Mitchell, David. Utopia Avenue.
Moore, Scotto. Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You.
Sloan, Elissa R. The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes.
Straub, Emma. Modern Lovers.
Daisy Jones and the Six has been adapted as a mini-series for Amazon. If readers are wondering what the songs sound like, they will get to hear the original music in the mini-series (13 episodes).
I
The song is called "It's okay," which is perfect for this particular time--when many people do not feel ok .This is a song that asks everyone to accept their situation, whatever it may be.
She sings with a pleasant, echoing vibrato. For me, its not the performance or the vocals but the actual lyrics that stand out most. For example, she sings, "said I knew myself but I guess I lied."
In a novel that's sweetness served up with a side of realism, Walsh explores a small town's inhabitants desire to live the best version of themselves. When a simply plywood cubicle with the word DNAMIX shows up at Johnson's grocery story, it causes the good people of Deerfield to behave in outlandish ways.
The machine, which does a quick DNA scan, determines if an individual has lived up to his or her potential. Ordinary townspeople suddenly decide they are meant to be puppeteers, Olympic champions, magicians, or members of royalty.
The townspeople's gullibility infuriates Douglas Hubbard who feels the machine spits out random occupations. He is flabbergasted and irked to learn that his readout is spot-on. Even though Douglas wants a more exciting life, that of trombone player, the machine tells Douglas his life station is "teacher."
Douglas has been a teacher for years and it leaves him depleted and exhausted. Every day that he teaches feels like eight days instead of one. Naturally, he is irked to find he is the only person in town given such a prosaic life station.
Most of the characters are humorous and endearing. Pat, Deerfield High's principal, refuses to swear yet she uses nonsense words that sound suspiciously like swear words. Tipsy is the town's only cab driver. He drives constantly, taking no money for fares, because it helps him keep a promise he has made to himself.
Father Pete is a good man even if he takes a drink now and then. The mayor nearly abandons his mayoral duties after getting his DNAMIX readout of "cowboy."
Mixed in with the humor, however, is an unfolding mystery. What happened to the mayor's son, Toby? Did he die from a DUI accident or was it something even more sinister? Beneath the amusing stories about Deerfield eccentrics, there is a darker story of the mistreatment of a young woman and the unquenched desire for revenge.
Research scientists--Dr. Jean Bennet, Dr. Edwin Stone, Dr. Jennifer Doudna, and Dr. Eric Green--make appearances in the film. Viewers also hear from the patients whose lives are directly affected by their research.
Business podcaster and journalist, Guy Raz, offers insights on how many innovative companies got started in How I Built This. Raz summarizes key takeaways from his podcast where he interviews founders.
Even though no two stories are alike, there are some similarities. In his estimation, entrepreneurs are open to the call. Some businesses were a direct response to an unmet need. Carol’s Daughter, FUBU, Walker & Co. met the needs of an ethnic demographic. Other companies thrived when their business model tweaks the industry: Airbnb, the Knot, Stitch, Rent the Runway, Canva, Warby Parker.
Entrepreneurs face many obstacles which Raz eloquently describes in Part 2. Some companies are noted for how well they have recovered from setbacks e.g. Jeni’s Splendid ice creams. Others are notable for how well they have pivoted into new niches: Stacy’s Pita Chips, Angie’s Boomchickapop, Slack, Twitch.
Even after companies have succeeded, founders must decide whether to sell or to maintain creative control. Neither decision is right or wrong; it just depends on what the founder’s goals may be.
While there are many success stories, there are a few cautionary tales: Dippin Dots and American Apparel.
How I built This is great for those who want to dip their feet into the entrepreneurial waters. While it offers many tips from the world’s foremost startups, its an enjoyable and engaging read.
More people will work from home and less employees will travel. According to the McKinsey Global institute, twenty percent of business travel will end.
The economy will need the same number of jobs post pandemic as pre-pandemic, but the job duties will change.
