by Jacob Gordon illustrations by KEITH Scharwath
We're sure you want to, but try one of these instead. What's best for the planet? What's best for you? The ultimate guide to alternative-fuel cars in 2009 and beyond.
These are weird times in the car world. Electric cars are decidedly undead, the great..
We're sure you want to, but try one of these instead. What's best for the planet? What's best for you? The ultimate guide to alternative-fuel cars in 2009 and beyond.
These are weird times in the car world. Electric cars are decidedly undead, the great hydrogen hope seems to have come to an end (for now), and Indians are running their cars on air. Meanwhile, low-carbon technologies are growing like mushrooms after a rain, and hybrids-which have had years-long waiting lists-are ready to go mass-market. Of course, even as it grows, the industry is in ruins. And so is the planet, thanks in part to that industry.Oh, and us. Thanks to us, too. Cars don't drive themselves, and with transportation the fastest-growing producer of carbon emissions in the United States-already accounting for 30 percent of greenhouse gases-this is obviously not a problem we can buy our way out of. A new breed of cleaner vehicles is inspiring and very necessary, as are new models of car sharing, urban bike fleets, better driving habits, and mass transit. But these may be dwarfed by the sheer number of new drivers who get behind the wheel each year. China is already on the verge of passing the United States as the world's largest car market.The challenges are many, but we have a unique opportunity to chart a new path in the way we get around. The electric car is promising, but much more meaningful is an electric car that is just one component of a low-carbon economy and way of living. Then the automobile can become a tool to help us in the very necessary reinvention of the way our whole society works.So as we start that reinvention, here's a look at the ideas, technologies, and innovators paving the blacktop to the future.
The LowdownWith about 90 percent fewer parts than your typical Volvo, an electric vehicle is more like a laptop with wheels-a design challenge of battery life and processor speed, not fuel injection and piston timing. This new set of puzzles has opened the market to a band of feisty invaders, young entrepreneurs with venture capital and a disdain for neckties and business as usual.Who's leading the packOut in front is Tesla Motors, a Bay Area start-up that in its six years has irreversibly warped the definition of a car company. Its only model so far, the Tesla Roadster, is a sleek, small, and absurdly fast electric sports car with enough sex appeal and geek appeal to get both Brad Pitt and Google's co-founder Larry Page on its client roster. It has the acceleration of a Lamborghini (0 to 60 mph in under four seconds), yet Elon Musk, the Tesla Motors CEO, promises it's cleaner than a Prius.
Models to look forThe technological challenge of building an electric car that people will actually buy and like is not the motor. That's pretty simple. It's the battery that's tricky-getting one that can power the car for an acceptable distance before needing a recharge.The Tesla Roadster stores its alleged 244 miles of range in a battery made of some 6,800 lithium-ion cells, sandwiched together into a half-ton package. When plugged into a special charger, the Roadster will have a full tank of electrons in 3.5 hours.Building the ultimate eco status symbol is a nice way to get into business. But the Tesla leadership claims the Roadster is only the start-a wedge it will use to break open the market to a diverse family of vehicles. Next in line: the Model S (formerly known only by the code name WhiteStar).Model S will be a four-door sports sedan with a purported 240 miles of range and a $60,000 starting price-hefty indeed, but about half the cost of a fully loaded Roadster. A working prototype will be unveiled this spring. If all goes well, the Model S will roll off the assembly line of a new LEED-certified factory in San Jose, California, in late 2010.Then there is the tiny Norwegian commuter car the Think City. The company, Think, designed the car, the City, for the urban driving-and-parking melee, so the all-electric City is only a foot and a half longer than the famous Smart Fortwo, and looks something like a giant Tylenol pill with wheels.Others in the EV realm have rethought the four-wheel design altogether. The Aptera, Persu, and ZAP use tricycle designs that technically qualify them as electric motorcycles. Influenced by the light-aircraft hobby of the company's founder, the Aptera 2e takes design cues from the world of aviation: composite body, exceptional aerodynamics, even landing gear. With two wheels in front and one behind, the 2e makes minimal contact with the road, but handles with agility. Even Road & Track recently gushed about it, in a surprisingly strong endorsement from the mainstream. Aptera expects to start delivering the 2e in October to the nearly 4,000 Californians who have already made deposits.A few picks Tesla Roadster, available now; Tesla Model S, available late 2010; Think City, available now (Norway); Aptera 2e, available October 2009.
The LowdownFaced with no choice but to get up to speed, the auto kingpins of Detroit, Japan, and Germany have grown keen on low-carbon technologies, as evidenced by the menagerie at this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit. And at least a few of them seem to be hoping that a conversion to electricity will be their deliverance from financial crack-up. If this is the way the tide is turning, little guys like Tesla and Think may find they're gunning right up against the big bosses.Who's leading the packWhen Mini announced in November that it would offer leases on 500 all-electric Mini Coopers in New York and Los Angeles, the response was overwhelming. So many applicat
ions rolled in for the $850-per-month lease that the company missed its delivery date trying to sort through them all.Models to look forThe Mini E comes with a special wall box for charging. After a 2.5-hour slug from the box, the Mini E's lithium-ion batteries (which take up the rear passenger area) will carry the car 150 miles. Stepping on the "gas" will take this stealth Mini from 0 to 62 in 8.5 seconds, a few seconds speedier than a Prius.BMW, the parent of Mini, has stated that EVs are now part of its long-term product strategy, and the lease program is a valuable year's worth of real-world testing. To help ensure that people don't go EV1 on them and refuse to hand over their vehicles, they'll all sign a statement promising to return the car when the lease is up.Mitsubishi-not a company with much eco-cachet in the States-may earn a name for itself with its plans to sell the first mass-produced EV in Japan. The bubbly four-passenger i MIEV is designed for tight Tokyo-like settings, but can reach almost 90 mph on the highway and travel 100 miles on a charge.As the world leader in hybrids, Toyota has been surprisingly aloof on the subject of electrics. Despite having sold an electric RAV4 alongside GM's EV1 during the 1990s, Toyota hung up its electric-car program when California eased its zero-emissions vehicle laws (although unlike GM, Toyota refrained from crushing its cars when the leases expired). Toyota has since shown a working electric model of its iQ, a microcar with some 50 miles of driving range, and does plan to start making electric cars, but not until 2012.Nissan, one of Toyota's top rivals, may actually trump them all. Nissan plans to roll out a fully electric family car globally by 2012. According to company reps, the still-unnamed electric Nissan will go over 100 miles per charge, carry four or five passengers, and cost no more than a gasoline equivalent. Nissan's wild card is its alliance with a powerful start-up known as Better Place. Nissan, and its European partner Renault, plan to build the vehicles for Better Place's unprecedented-and as yet nonexistent-network of charging stations, EV lease programs, and quick-swap stations, where a spent battery can be robotically replaced with a fresh one in under three minutes.A few picksMini E, available April 2009 (limited lease); Mitsubishi i MIEV, available summer 2009 (Japan); Toyota urban commuter vehicle, available 2012; Nissan electric vehicle, available 2012; Dodge Circuit, available 2010–2013; Vectrix electric scooter, available now; Enertia electric motorcycle, available 2009.
The LowdownBlighted with a sooty, slow, and loud reputation, the diesel engine is having its image remade.A solid half of all passenger cars in Europe are diesel, but in the United States, they have mainly been the domain of truckers, oddball autophiles, and the grease-car crowd. The phase-in of ultra-low sulfur diesel since 2006 has let automakers get on the same page with new emissions-reduction technology, and the number of diesel cars and SUVs available in the United States is growing. However, these so-called "clean diesels" must conform to the EPA's tighter emissions standards.
Who's leading the packThe rest of the world; the cars Stateside are mostly coming from European companies with long histories of taming the diesel beast. These cars are being advertised as peppy, powerful, and easy on the ears, as well as on the atmosphere. Honda, in particular, is picking up steam. Google the words "diesel" and "Garrison Keillor" if you feel like hearing the company's jingle about how quiet, clean, and different its new diesel engines are.Models to look forThere is proof that carmakers can build more efficient diesel cars. The fact is, they sell them all over the world. But the conventional wisdom is that Americans don't want them, despite surveys that repeatedly show strong consumer interest in fuel economy. Some cars are as yet unable to pass American air-quality standards, but others are simply seen as unsellable to American drivers.Modern diesel engines are around 30 percent more fuel efficient than their gasoline counterparts. But the industry sees Americans as hungry for large, powerful models, and so there is a list of small diesel vehicles-with fuel-economy numbers that put a Prius to shame-that we'll probably never see.Daimler is currently selling three Mercedes diesel SUVs in America, all with turbocharged V6 engine technology called BlueTEC. But even the smallest of these, the R320, earns a fuel economy rating from the EPA that is far from awesome (18 mpg in the city, 24 mpg on the highway). The Mercedes E320-a diesel four-door-is a slightly better example of diesel efficiency, earning an EPA combined fuel economy of 26 mpg.BMW is also onboard. Alongside a diesel version of the X5 SUV is the 335d sedan. Averaging 36 miles to the gallon on the highway is impressive for a car that can get to 60 mph from a dead stop in six seconds, but is not a radical departure from America's notoriously low fuel economy.VW sells three diesels in the United States, but not the Polo BlueMotion, which the company claims gets up to 60 mpg. Mercedes-Benz and BMW both manufacture diesel cars that exceed 45 mpg and have strong sales in Europe, but are not offered Stateside. Even Ford's diesel Fiesta ECOnetic, a 63-mpg subcompact, is sold only in Europe. A diesel incarnation of Mercedes' tiny Smart Fortwo, with fuel economy reaching into the 70s, gets as close to us as Canada-but no closer.A few picksMercedes-Benz E320, R320, GL320, and ML320 BlueTEC, available now; BMW X5 xDrive35d and 335d, available now; VW Jetta and Jetta SportWagen, available now; VW Polo BlueMotion, available now (Europe); Ford ECOnetic, available now (Europe).
The LowdownUnlike the hybrids we've gotten used to-in which an electric motor assists a gasoline engine-plug-in hybrids are fully electric cars that carry a small conventional engine as a backup generator. After being charged from a wall outlet, most plug-ins can silently travel 30 to 50 miles on electrons. When the charge dwindles, the backup engine kicks in, not to spin the car's wheels directly, but to revive the battery.Who's leading the packAt General Motors' 100th birthday party last September, the wrapping was peeled back from the final design of the Chevy Volt, a next-generation hybrid that can do the bulk of its driving solely on electric power. The same GM that was vilified for killing the electric car in the 1990s now wants to lead the way in building plug-ins.Models to look forThe EPA is still tangling with the specifics of how to calculate the fuel economy of a car that fills up from both the gas pump and the power grid, but GM feels certain the Volt will carry a Federal window badge of over 100 mpg. Unlike the Tesla Roadster, which has only enough room for
two adults and their carry-on bags to escape for the weekend, the Volt is a five-passenger hatchback sedan (though its hefty price tag will probably deter the soccer moms).General Motors beat the competition to the punch as the first big company to aggressively push the plug-in agenda and unveil its real-life production vehicle. But that doesn't mean it will stand alone come the release date of November 2010. Ford, Chrysler, and Toyota-as well as new companies in China, Europe, and the United States-all have next-generation hybrids in development. Some are pricier than others. On the high end, look for the Fisker Karma, a hybrid sports car that starts at $80,000. On the lower end, there's the Aptera 2h, also out in 2010, with a base price of $20,000.Assuming GM survives long enough to release the Volt in November 2010, it will cost around $40,000, not including a possible $7,500 tax credit. GM hopes to move 10,000 Volts the first year and will start by selling to early-adopter markets, likely San Francisco and Washington, D.C.A few picksFisker Karma, available 2010; Chevy Volt, available November 2010; Aptera 2h, available 2010; Jeep Wrangler Unlimited EV, available 2010–2013; Jeep Patriot EV, available 2010–2013; Chrysler Town & Country EV, available 2010–2013; Toyota plug-in hybrid, available late 2009; Ford plug-in, available 2012.
The LowdownA hybrid's boosted fuel economy comes from an electric motor coupled with its gasoline engine. The electric motor-great at accelerating-shares the burden of getting the car moving, while the internal com
bustion engine shoulders most of the work once cruising. In many hybrids, friction from the brakes is captured, converted back to energy, and returned to the battery, a process called regenerative braking.Who's leading the packThe favorite of well-to-do environmentally conscious consumers (and the target of those who love to jab them) is the Toyota Prius, the undisputed icon of the hybrid revolution. When the model's much-evolved third generation goes on sale this year, it is likely to hang on to the championship belt for fuel economy in America.Models to look forBack in 2000, the two-seater Honda Insight was America's only hybrid option. Roller-coaster gas prices, rising climate awareness, and cold, hard consumer demand have inflated the market. The 2009 model year has some 20 hybrids, with many more on the way.The new Prius will jump from a current 46 mpg to 50 mpg in combined city and highway driving, thanks partially, oddly enough, to a slightly upsized gasoline engine. A handful of new features keep the Prius fresh and ahead of a growing mob of competitors-namely, its ability to drive farther in electric-only mode and a solar moonroof that circulates fresh air in the cabin when the car is parked in the sun.Honda, meanwhile, is releasing a mid-sized hatchback (also called the Insight) that bears a closer resemblance to the newest Prius than its earlier incarnation: From its low-nosed front to its high translucent rear end, the two look to be cast from the same mold. What differs is price and fuel economy, both of which are lower for the Insight. The anticipated cost is under $20,000, with an estimated EPA rating of 41 mpg.The next few years will see hybrids coming from all angles. Detroit will make hybrid versions of the Ford Fusion, the Saturn 2-Mode hybrid, and Chevy Silverado, the first hybrid pickup truck. From Korea, Hyundai and Kia will each offer their first hybrid. And from Germany, BMW will bring a hybrid X6 SUV, Mercedes will offer the cushy S400 sedan, and the Volkswagen Touareg will come with a hybrid power plant burly enough to pull down a decent-sized building.A few picks2010 Toyota Prius, available spring 2009; Honda Insight, available spring 2009; Lexus HS250h, available late summer 2009; Ford Fusion, available spring 2009; Kia Rio, available 2009; Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, available 2010; Saturn Vue 2-Mode, available spring 2009; BMW X5 and X6, available late 2009; Mercedes S400, available summer 2009; Volkswagen Touareg, available 2010.
Throughout history, women have stood up and fought to break down barriers imposed on them from stereotypes and societal expectations. The trailblazers in these photos made history and redefined what a woman could be. In doing so, they paved the way for future generations to stand up and continue to fight for equality.
This article originally appeared on December 14, 2016.
Shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
While conspiracy theories are not limited to any topic, there is one type of event that seems particularly likely to spark them: mass shootings, typically defined as attacks in which a shooter kills at least four other people.
When one person kills many others in a single incident, particularly when it seems random, people naturally seek out answers for why the tragedy happened. After all, if a mass shooting is random, anyone can be a target.
In the United States, where some significant portion of the public believes that the government is out to take their guns, the idea that a mass shooting was orchestrated by the government in an attempt to make guns look bad may be appealing both psychologically and ideologically.
Our studies of mass shootings and conspiracy theories help to shed some light on why these events seem particularly prone to the development of such theories and what the media can do to limit the ideas' spread.
Back to the 1990s
Mass shootings and conspiracy theories have a long history. As far back as the mid-1990s, amid a spate of school shootings, Cutting Edge Ministries, a Christian fundamentalist website, found a supposed connection between the attacks and then-President Bill Clinton.
The group's website claimed that when lines were drawn between groups of school-shooting locations across the U.S., they crossed in Hope, Arkansas, Clinton's hometown. The Cutting Edge Ministries concluded from this map that the "shootings were planned events, with the purpose of convincing enough Americans that guns are an evil that needs to be dealt with severely, thus allowing the Federal Government to achieve its Illuminist goal of seizing all weapons."
Beliefs persist today that mass shootings are staged events, complete with "crisis actors," people who are paid to pretend to be victims of a crime or disaster, all as part of a conspiracy by the government to take away people's guns. The idea has been linked to such tragedies as the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, and the Sandy Hook Elementary attack that resulted in the deaths of 20 children in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012.
These beliefs can become widespread when peddled by prominent people. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has been in the news recently because of her belief that the Parkland shooting was a "false flag," an event that was disguised to look like another group was responsible. It's not clear, though, in this instance who Rep. Greene felt was really to blame.
After the country's deadliest mass shooting to date, with 59 dead and hundreds injured in Las Vegas in 2017, the pattern continued: A conspiracy theory arose that there were multiple shooters, and the notion that the shooting was really done for some other purpose than mass murder.
Shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
Making sense of the senseless
These conspiracy theories are all attempts to make sense of incomprehensibly terrifying events. If a lone shooter, with no clear motive, can singlehandedly take the lives of 60 individuals, while injuring hundreds more, then is anyone really safe?
Conspiracy theories are a way of understanding information. Historian Richard Hofstadter has indicated they can provide motives for events that defy explanation. Mass shootings, then, create an opportunity for people to believe there are larger forces at play, or an ultimate cause that explains the event.
For instance, an idea that a shooter was driven mad by antipsychoticdrugs, distributed by the pharmaceutical industry, can provide comfort as opposed to the thought that anyone can be a victim or perpetrator.
Polls have shown that people worry a lot about mass shootings, and more than 30% of Americans said in 2019 that they refused to go particular places such as public events or the mall for fear of being shot.
If the shootings are staged, or the results of an enormous, unknowable or mysterious effort, then they at least becomes somewhat comprehensible. That thought process satisfies the search for a reason that can help people feel more comfort and security in a complex and uncertain world – especially when the reason found either removes the threat or makes it somehow less random.
Some people blame mass shootings on other factors like mental illness that make gun violence an individual issue, not a societal one, or say these events are somehow explained by outside forces. These ideas may seem implausible to most, but they do what conspiracy theories are intended to do: provide people with a sense of knowing and control.
They also misdirect blame and distract from efforts to better understand tragedies such as mass shootings. High-quality scholarship could investigate how to better protect public places. But robust debates about how to reduce events such as mass shootings will be less effective if some significant portion of the public believes they are manufactured.
These steps can work, as shown by the substantial drop in misinformation on Twitter following former President Donald Trump's removal from the platform.
Mass shootings may be good fodder for conspiracy theories, but that does not mean people should actually consume such ideas without necessary context or disclaimers.
Michael Rocque is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Bates College.
Stephanie Kelley-Romano is an Associate Professor of Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies at Bates College
This article first appeared on The Conversation on 02.20.21.. You can read it here.
Between the bras, makeup, periods, catcalling, sexism, impossible-to-attain beauty standards, and heels, most men wouldn't survive being a woman for a day without having a complete mental breakdown. So here's a slideshow of some of the funniest Tumblr posts about the everyday struggles that women face that men would never understand.
This article originally appeared on Common Dreams on 3.3.21. You can read it here.
Emphasizing that the world still has a "fighting chance" to limit global warming with immediate and ambitious climate action, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday urged governments and the private sector to cancel all planned coal projects, cease financing for coal-fired power plants, and opt instead to support a just transition by investing in renewable energy.
"Once upon a time, coal brought cheap electricity to entire regions and vital jobs to communities," Guterres said in a video message at the virtual meeting of the Powering Past Coal Alliance. "Those days are gone."
"Phasing out coal from the electricity sector is the single most important step to get in line with the 1.5 degree goal," Guterres continued, referring to the policy objective of preventing planetary temperatures from rising more than 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. "Global coal use in electricity generation must fall by 80% below 2010 levels by 2030," he added.
Meeting the 1.5 °C climate target over the course of this decade is possible, according to Guterres, but will require eliminating "the dirtiest, most polluting and, yes, more and more costly fossil fuel from our power sectors."
In his address, the U.N. chief outlined three steps that must be taken by public authorities as well as companies to "end the deadly addiction to coal."
Cancel all global coal projects in the pipeline;
End the international financing of coal plants and shift investment to renewable energy projects; and
Jump-start a global effort to finally organize a just transition.
Guterres called on the 37 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)—a group of relatively rich countries with a greater historical responsibility for extracting fossil fuels and emitting the greenhouse gasses that are causing deadly pollution and destroying the climate—to "commit to phasing out coal" by 2030, while urging non-OECD countries to do so by 2040.
Pleading for an end to the global bankrolling of coal projects and a move toward supporting developing countries in transitioning to clean energy, Guterres asked "all multilateral and public banks—as well as investors in commercial banks or pension funds—to shift their investments now in the new economy of renewable energy."
While stressing that "the transition from coal to renewable[s] will result in the net creation of millions of jobs by 2030," Guterres acknowledged that "the impact on regional and local levels will be varied."
"We have a collective and urgent responsibility to address the serious challenges that come with the speed and scale of the transition," he continued. "The needs of coal communities must be recognized, and concrete solutions must be provided at a very local level."
The U.N. chief urged "all countries to embrace the International Labor Organization's guidelines for a just transition and adopt them as minimum standard to ensure progress on decent work for all."
The coronavirus pandemic, Guterres noted, has "accelerated" the decline in "coal's economic viability," while recovery plans provide an opportunity to bring about a green transformation of the world's infrastructure.
In many parts of the world, a just transition dovetails with guaranteeing universal access to energy, said Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and special representative of the secretary-general for Sustainable Energy for All.
Ogunbiyi told conference attendees that almost 800 million people worldwide still lack access to basic electricity, while 2.8 billion are without clean cooking fuels.
"Right now, we're at a crossroads where people do want to recover better, but they are looking for the best opportunities to do that," she said. "And we're emphasizing investments in sustainable energy to spur economic development, create new jobs, and give opportunities to fulfill the full potential."
In some states, women are put through humiliating and dangerous pre-abortion medical consultations and waiting periods before being allowed to undergo the procedure. In four states, women are even forced to bury or cremate the fetal remains after the procedure.
These government-mandated roadblocks and punitive shaming serve no purpose but to make it more difficult, emotionally damaging, and expensive for women to have an abortion.
Eighteen states currently have laws that force women to delay their abortions unnecessarily: Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin. In a number of other states, mandatory-delay laws have been enacted but are enjoined or otherwise unenforced.
To help women get around these burdensome regulations, The Satanic Temple is promoting a religious ritual it believes provides an exemption from restrictions. According to the Temple, the ritual is supported by the federal Religious Freedoms Restoration Act.
The Temple is a religious organization that claims it doesn't believe "in the existence of Satan or the supernatural" but that "religion can, and should, be divorced from superstition."
The Temple says its exemption is made possible by a precedent set by the Supreme Court's 2014 Hobby Lobby decision. According to the Temple, it prevents the government from putting a "burden on free exercise of religion without a compelling reason."
Ironically, Hobby Lobby's case claimed that providing insurance coverage for birth control conflicted with the employer's Christian faith. The Satanic Temple argues that unnecessary roadblocks to abortion conflict with theirs.
via The Satanic Temple
Religious freedoms.
The Temple is promoting the ritual on I-95 billboards in Florida where women must endure an ultrasound and go through pre-procedure, anti-choice counseling before having an abortion.
The Temple's billboards inform women that they can circumvent the restrictions by simply citing a Satanic ritual.
"Susan, you're telling me I do not have to endure a waiting period when I have an abortion?" one of the women on the billboard says.
"That's true if you're a SATANIST!" the other replies.
Next to the ladies is a symbol of a goat head in a pentagram and a message about the ritual.
via The Satanic Temple
Image of The Satanic Temple billboard.
The Temple also provides a letter that women seeking abortions can provide to medical staff. It explains the ritual and why it exempts them from obligations that are an undue burden to their religious practice.
The Temple believes that some medical practitioners may reject its requests. However, it believes that doing so is a violation of religious freedom and it will take legal action if necessary.
"It would be unconstitutional to require a waiting period before receiving holy communion," the temple says in a video. "It would be illegal to demand Muslims receive counseling prior to Ramadan. It would be ridiculous to demand that Christians affirm in writing the unscientific assertion that baptism can cause brain cancers."
"So we expect the same rights as any other religious organization," the video says.
To perform the ritual, a woman looks into a mirror to affirm their personhood and responsibility to herself. Once the woman is focused and comfortable, they are to recite two of the Temple's Seven Tenets.
Tenet III: One's body is inviolable, subject to one's own will alone. One's body is inviolable, subject to one's own will alone.
Tenet V. Beliefs should conform to one's best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one's beliefs.
Then they are to recite a personal affirmation: "By my body, my blood. Then by my will, it is done."
The ritual affirms The Temple's belief in personal responsibility and liberty that, coincidentally, mirror that of the U.S. Constitution.
"Satan is a symbol of the Eternal Rebel in opposition to arbitrary authority, forever defending personal sovereignty even in the face of insurmountable odds," the Temple's website reads.
There are two types of people in this world – those who panic and fill up their cars with gas when the needle hits 25% or so, and people like me who wait until the gas light comes on, then check the odometer so you can drive the entire 30 miles to absolute empty before coasting into a gas station on fumes.
I mean…it's not empty until it's empty, right?
But just how far can you drive your car once that gas light comes on? Should you trust your manual?
Photo from Pixabay.
I believe that reads empty.
Now, thanks to Your Mechanic sharing this information in a recent post, you can know for sure. Of course, they also want to warn you that driving on a low fuel level or running out of gas can actually damage your car.
Now, thanks to Your Mechanic sharing this information in a recent post, you can know for sure. Of course, they also want to warn you that driving on a low fuel level or running out of gas can actually damage your car.
Proceed at your own risk.
These are, of course, approximations that depend on several factors, including how you drive, your car's condition, etc. So don't automatically blame your mechanic if you find yourself stranded on the side of the road.
If you ask people what they think the “perfect" body looks like, you're sure to get a range of answers, depending on where the person is from. Last year, Superdrug Online Doctor created a project, “Perceptions of Perfection" that showed what people in 18 countries think the “perfect" woman looks like. The project was a viral hit.
This time, they asked graphic designers—11 women and eight men—in 19 countries to photoshop the same image to highlight the male beauty standards for their country.
Some of the images are certainly amusing, but the collective result is an interesting look at what people find attractive around the world.
Body autonomy means a person has the right to whatever they want with their own body.
We live in a world where people are constantly telling women what they can or can't do with their bodies. Women get it form all sides — Washington, their churches, family members, and even doctors.
A woman on Twitter who goes by the name Salome Strangelove recently went viral for discussing the importance of female body autonomy.
Her mother was made to feel guilty about simply exploring the medical options about her own body. But later on, a new doctor made her feel more comfortable about her situation.
