Popcorn Shorts
Cool stuff that’s too small for a big article
Just like it says, Popcorn Shorts is about the kind of things we think are really interesting, but don’t really need a large article to explain them. From the sublime to the ridiculous, check in here for crunchy bits of info you’ll love to munch. By the way, much (but not necessarily all) of our delicious Popcorn comes from articles we’ve posted on our Facebook page. If you’re on Facebook, please stop by and “Like” us and we’ll keep a fairly-constant-but-not-frequent-enough-to-be-annoying stream of these coming to your virtual door!
For Prom Season in Portland, you need a 1942 Stuart tank and a UniPiper
(LaCamas Magazine, Portland, OR) — “Camas Junior, Sherman Bynum, and his friend, Camas Senior, Sam Tetro, spent months planning for this big day: arriving to the 2023 Camas High School Prom in a World War II military tank! On Saturday, April 29, 2023, they did it. Bynum, who lost his father earlier this year, is a big history buff and his father loved tanks. So, he decided to make his mark by arriving to Prom in a tank with Tetro. So, having the name “Sherman” fits. “I wanted to make my mark,” Bynum said. “We spent months planning, making phone calls, and I found a tank right here in Portland…”
What if we covered every warehouse in the Mountain West with solar panels?
(KUNR Nevada) “A new report reveals how much clean energy could be generated from putting solar panels on every warehouse in the nation. In the U.S. there are more than 450,000 warehouses, which collectively have almost 16.4 billion square feet of rooftop space. Yet only a fraction of America’s warehouses are covered in solar panels. If all of them went solar, it could produce 185.6 terawatt-hours (TWh) of solar electricity each year, which could power nearly 19.4 million homes, according to an analysis by the Environment America Research and Policy Center…”
The Fossil Fuel Industry’s Use of SLAPPs and Judicial Harassment in the US
(from EarthRights.org)- “EarthRights International identified 152 cases in the past ten years where the fossil fuel industry has used strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) and other judicial harassment tactics in attempts to silence or punish its critics in the United States. The fossil fuel industry is not alone in its use of these tactics but stands out for the brazenness and scale of its attacks. SLAPPs and other types of judicial harassment are an ever-present threat to many people in the United States who speak up on political and social issues. This affects people across the political spectrum. What is happening in the United States is part of a broader global trend of closing civic space, where those who exercise their fundamental rights to speak up about matters of public interest face retaliation in the form of judicial harassment and physical violence…”
You’ll Never Thread a Needle the Same Way Again
Threading a needle can be a big enough hurdle by itself to keep people from taking up sewing. For those who’ve been doing it for years it’s only barely easier, and if you have eyesight problems, shakiness, coordination, or mobility problems it can be a deal killer. But we’re here to save the day! Here’s a video, just 2:30 long, that will change your life forever. Really, that’s all there is to it. Watch the vid and you’ll be a different person.
