Search for info on the world wide web, plant a tree!

This is an amazing thing, and they've been doing it for a decade! A German entrepreneur created a search engine that, for approximately every 45 searches on its site, they plant a tree! They've built renewable power plants. They have a branch of the company (heh, heh) that monitors satellite imagery of the areas they've planted to make sure things are going well.

The company is Ecosia, and their web site has a running counter of how many trees that they've planted. The first eco-search engine that he tried to set up was in partnership with Google, but that quickly ended. This engine's results are back-ended with Bing. I'm not sure what I think of that, I just switched my iMac's Firefox browser to it, so I'll be seeing. I'm running three browsers on my iMac, so I'll be switching my Safari browser to it later, then I'll have to reconfig my laptops (yes, I have two: a MacBook Pro and an Asus running Windows 10), and then I'll have to consider my two iPads and my iPhone. THEN I'll have to think about my work computer....

Oh: if you create an account on their system, it'll show how many trees that your searches are responsible for planting! I do a lot of searches at the library, I expect I could be good for a tree a week maybe!

https://www.ecosia.org

https://www.spiegel.de/international/business/ecosia-start-up-aims-to-use-your-search-results-to-plant-trees-a-1278617.html

By the way, if you have an Apple device, and perhaps Android, you can subscribe to Der Spiegel's international edition for $1 a month on a six-month subscription! Lots of good stuff.


Speaking of trees, a recent study shows that living surrounded by leafy trees is much better for your wellness. I need to read the article as the forest that I live in is mainly pines. I could clear some and plant some leafy things that might be hearty enough to survive up here, but I don't know how long they'd take to be beneficial.

https://www.citylab.com/environment/2019/07/urban-tree-canopy-green-space-wellbeing-research/595060/

You may have heard about the mass shooting in El Paso, TX today

I had planned on being at the mall next door.

The initial reports was that there were multiple shooters and included the mall, Cielo Vista. Last weekend I planned on getting the battery for my iPhone replaced at the Apple Store at that mall, but I didn't get arrangements made, so I didn't go and spent the day in Las Cruces instead. My wife called me while I was at lunch and told me what happened. Regardless, lazy bones that I am, I would have arrived well after the shooter did the deed.

The fucking psychopath drove 650 miles across the state from Allen, TX just to shoot up a Walmart. This weekend is a tax-free holiday before the start of school, so lots of people from Mexico came across from Juarez to shop here, which describes any weekend. But today a lot of the stores were especially packed.

20 dead, 26 wounded. Wouldn't surprise me if those numbers changed slightly, not uncommon for people to move from the right column to the left.

Three Mexican nationals were among those killed and another six are among the wounded, including a 10-y/o girl.

The waste of space who did the shooting is 21 years old, apparently wrote a racist screed and published it online. Reportedly the state of Texas will prosecute it as a hate crime and will probably seek the death penalty.

Because of the initial reports of multiple shooters, the mall was locked down for a period of time, merchants closing their gates. No one was hurt at the mall, all of the violence was at the Walmart which has a connected, contiguous parking area but is about half a mile away.

The mall that I was at in Las Cruces opened an impromptu blood donation center that had people lined up outside the door waiting to give. Unfortunately with my immune disorder I cannot donate.

https://www.npr.org/2019/08/03/747888743/el-paso-police-respond-to-active-shooter-at-walmart


My friend in England knew I was going to Las Cruces today and texted me to make sure I didn't go to El Paso. I told him this was one of the three reasons why I wanted to leave this country, he said it was one of the reasons he wanted to stay in England.