Erika Schelby

Jul 16, 2024 | counterpunch.org | Erika Schelby

If we apply Mark Twain’s observation that “history does not repeat itself but it often rhymes,” then at this moment in time we may well be inhabiting the American Biedermeier. The data are coming in. The public is tuning out. Vanity Fair called it The Great Tune-Out of 2024. The PEW Research Center was definitely interested in finding out how Americans feel about US politics. It surveyed adults in depth. Its study Americans’ Dismal Views of the Nation’s Politics was published in September of 2023.

Jun 13, 2024 | laprogressive.com | Erika Schelby

2023 stands out as a year in which climate records were set. It also showed us that we have put the cart before the horse regarding renewable energy. Firstly, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported in January 2024 that in the year prior, the planet experienced its highest temperatures ever recorded since global temperature records began in 1850, surpassing all previous records by a significant margin.

May 10, 2024 | counterpunch.org | Erika Schelby

Teaser: If you are Einstein, you can get away with telling kids to read fairy tales as groundwork for becoming scientists. In our STEM-fixated age where science is all-encompassing and the humanities are relegated to the status of Cinderellas, advice from a leading scientist that kids should read fairy tales is refreshing. Attributed to Albert Einstein, this was amplified  from the humanities periphery  by the author of fabulous fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien.

May 7, 2024 | laprogressive.com | Erika Schelby

Creative imagination is the essential element in intellectual equipment of the true scientist, and that fairy tales are the childhood stimulus to this quality. Creative imagination is the essential element in intellectual equipment of the true scientist, and that fairy tales are the childhood stimulus to this quality.

Dec 22, 2023 | counterpunch.org | Erika Schelby

The planet is facing multiple severe challenges that require our immediate attention. Putting an end to the dirty and suffocating fossil fuel emissions may be the most significant global priority, but limiting the misuse of water and restoring degraded land are also essential projects. These two actions could help put the brakes on extreme weather events and slow down mounting losses in biodiversity, biocapacity, and the economy.