When you live in a land in which creationism competes with evolution in the school curriculum then you will get strange results ....
Take the town of Woodland, which is the county seat of Yolo County, California. Its a small town with around 62% White and the rest of various races, of which Latino's are the largest minority at around 27%. The older retired generation is around 10% of the towns population. So in many ways its an unremarkable little town which mirrors southern California's general mix.
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| Woodland California .... "No To Solar Theft" .... |
Take the town of Woodland, which is the county seat of Yolo County, California. Its a small town with around 62% White and the rest of various races, of which Latino's are the largest minority at around 27%. The older retired generation is around 10% of the towns population. So in many ways its an unremarkable little town which mirrors southern California's general mix.
However someone suggested that there they should re-zone some districts on the edge of town to allow the building of a solar farm. Nothing to strange in that, and if it had been wind farms one could understand objections, but solar farms are generally low lying and not an eyesore (certainly less of a nuisance than say small factories). But the proposal met a vigorous campaign of objections led by retired school science teacher Ms Jane Mann.
Principally the objection was that 'the solar farm would soak up all the sun, making photosynthesis impossible for the local farm lands' .... I kid you not. This retired 'science teacher' somehow convinced locals that this would happen if the solar panels were put on the land. The other argument raised concerned the possibility of an increase in cancer rates which would drive the towns youngsters away.
Principally the objection was that 'the solar farm would soak up all the sun, making photosynthesis impossible for the local farm lands' .... I kid you not. This retired 'science teacher' somehow convinced locals that this would happen if the solar panels were put on the land. The other argument raised concerned the possibility of an increase in cancer rates which would drive the towns youngsters away.
Not sure why solar panels would increase cancer rates either, but then again I am not a resident of a town where scientific illiteracy and stupidity is so loudly and proudly displayed by its science teacher.
Now in the UK, Ms Mann and her supporters would have been laughed out of town (apart from Glastonbury), but when 42% of a countries population believe in creationism (or 'intelligent design' as they now term it), then 'science' on this level is treated seriously ..... the town voted 3 to 1 in favour of blocking the change in land use, and thus not having a solar farm.
God help the USA and the West in general, if this is how we are going to be going forward. Anyone who has seen the movie 'idiocracy' will know why I am so pessimistic for the future of our civilisation.
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| Solar Panels Suck Up Light ... The World Ends (According To Some Cretins). |
Now in the UK, Ms Mann and her supporters would have been laughed out of town (apart from Glastonbury), but when 42% of a countries population believe in creationism (or 'intelligent design' as they now term it), then 'science' on this level is treated seriously ..... the town voted 3 to 1 in favour of blocking the change in land use, and thus not having a solar farm.
God help the USA and the West in general, if this is how we are going to be going forward. Anyone who has seen the movie 'idiocracy' will know why I am so pessimistic for the future of our civilisation.
Amazing! Dumber than a bag of hammers.
ReplyDeleteIt is rather gob smacking that a science teacher should argue that solar panels would 'soak up all the sun, making photosynthesis impossible for the local farm lands'. Still, it makes a great story which is why it made the international press.
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