A Place in the Sun
We are fortunate to have forward-thinking individuals like Bill McKibben providing research that proves solar energy can be a big part of producing the energy we need without further damage to the environment (“Bill McKibben Still Has Hope,” September 21).
Sugarmaker14, posted on bostonglobe.com
We who believe in renewable energy are furious with the Trump administration’s return to fossil fuels. Why discontinue off-shore wind? Why stop hybrid and electrical vehicle incentives? Clean energy saves lives by reducing air pollution and creating new jobs.
jrb123, posted on bostonglobe.com
We should be focusing on nuclear power, in particular small pebble-bed reactors that are relatively less expensive to build and operate than the large rod-based designs that cost hundreds of billions.
JimL5922, posted on bostonglobe.com
The sun can save homeowners and taxpayers billions in energy costs (while perhaps also saving the planet). Many of our neighbors, nationwide, have been for years now paying little to no electric bills by renting or buying solar panels.
MickeyLong, posted on bostonglobe.com
You don’t need huge swaths of open Vermont pasture for solar. We have rooftops, roadsides, nothing but space. Environmentalists have explored options such as solar tarmacs and roofing tiles. It’s OK to think outside the box sometimes.
POZZYBEAR, posted on bostonglobe.com
Solar tech innovation and battery storage have already become [in many cases] the least expensive energy tech, and the most important business value is speed to implementation. One to three years vs. [three] to 10 to build a gas-fired plant, transmission and distribution lines, or a gas pipeline. . . . Corporations already understand this and are moving to that solution. The business case is made. The focus isn’t even about “clean energy.” It’s about cost, reliability, and resilience.
GuinnessOwner, posted on bostonglobe.com
The “solar + batteries are cheapest” talking point only works if you ignore the full system cost. For residential use, sure — it’s fine if you can shift loads or live with some curtailment. But at industrial scale — factories, refineries, data centers — you can’t. Solar farms don’t deliver 24/7 on their own. You need new transmission lines to move power, and backup generation (usually gas or hydro) to cover nights, seasonal gaps, or multi-day lulls. Batteries help for a few hours, but not days or weeks. Those costs don’t vanish — they just get pushed onto the grid.
Joe Meaus, posted on bostonglobe.com
The latest Lazard’s Levelized Cost of Energy analysis shows utility-scale solar [to be] the lowest-cost energy source [for new-build energy generation], very closely followed by onshore wind. The only fossil fuel source that is close is combined cycle gas. Even if you add the cost of storage to solar and wind, they remain competitive. As mentioned in another comment, solar is the fastest energy source to bring online. . . . Note that Lazard is not an environmental advocate group, it’s one of the largest [global] financial advisory firms.
Lee-Eel, posted on bostonglobe.com
I had 16 solar panels installed on my roof 12 years ago. I haven’t paid a penny to the utility nor to maintain my system in all those years. My system was completely paid off in 4Æ years, and I have a whopping credit on my bill because I sell all my excess power production to the grid. Still think solar is a pipe dream or extreme?
Other-Wise, posted on bostonglobe.com
One for the Books
At first it was the loss of Nina McLoughlin’s lovely, informative column, “New England Literary News,” and the Books section’s reduction. There is, apparently, room for copious wedding photos and features of people I don’t know. And what happened to recipes in the magazine section? The news is available everywhere but those special features of nourishment for body and soul are missed by this reader and longtime subscriber.
Joan Stack Kovach, Hull
Game-Changer
As a lifelong Red Sox fan and a Globe subscriber for over 50 years, I want to compliment Chad Finn on the piece about Will Middlebrooks and Jenny Dell (“Built to Last,” September 21). It was a refreshing look at people who have lived in the spotlight, but Finn brought their humanity and personalities into fresh perspective. Hooray for them!
Richard Carleton, Yarmouth Port
Wonderful article on Will and Jenny. I’m a facts-and-stats kind of guy, but this was a must-read because I have followed both Jenny’s and Will’s careers.
Mark McAulay, Buzzards Bay
[Middlebrooks] had so much potential, but his body betrayed him. So unfortunate. But for him, I imagine, the little time he got with the Red Sox turned out to be worth it in a life-changing way.
FutureLooksBright, posted on bostonglobe.com
[NESN] didn’t force [Dell to retire] — they said they’d let her out of her contract if she wanted to go. I was a little surprised that the fraternization wasn’t frowned on more heavily, and I note that the couple didn’t want to talk about the early days of their relationship. But I’m glad Chad wrote about this now, putting it all in perspective.
Mr-Tattie-Heid, posted on bostonglobe.com
Will is one of the guys you always hope the best for. Jenny is a star in her field and they are even better teammates and parents. Here’s hoping for a long career with the Sox in this different role.
Route202, posted on bostonglobe.com
Many of us have our own stories about how Fenway Park is more than just a baseball stadium. The emotions, the high and lows over the years, the love, and then, at times, the hate you feel, our connections to the players and announcers, it is part of our lives. And then to see a story, a follow-up on a couple who both were and are part of our lives, turn out to be a happy family with two young girls, just made my day. Wishing the Middlebrooks many more years of happiness.
GardenFan64, posted on bostonglobe.com
Intelligence Gathering
I appreciated the well-written and interesting article “True Lies” (September 28). The comparison between humans and AI was insightful and informative. I agree that both groups hallucinate, but I hadn’t thought much further on what that really meant. And that it is relevant to our understanding of ourselves as humans.
Bob Spillman, Boxford
AI chatbots are tools for some purpose. If we assume that they are unreliable, the question becomes, “What purpose DOES it serve?” If your jar of caviar is 20 percent mouse droppings, you’d better . . . do more than put a label on it saying “may contain mouse droppings.” You’d better do more than say “everybody knows that you need to check every spoonful before eating it.” But AI fans focus on the 80 percent: “Yes, there are mouse dropping but look how MUCH caviar there is!”
dpbsmith3, posted on bostonglobe.com
How is that an improvement? We’re supposed to spend trillions on software and data centers and energy on that? I thought we developed technology that fundamentally surpassed our innate capabilities. If I wanted a calculator prone to math mistakes, I’d do the calculating myself!
user-3820275, posted on bostonglobe.com
If you allow yourself to remain a Luddite, you will miss out. . . . This resistance is futile; better to explore and help formulate guardrails, limits, and greater understanding, as begun here.
DPier, posted on bostonglobe.com
Pieces of the Past
The Connections author told about a beautiful gift sent to her (“Memories in B&W,” September 28). I have often thought that each of us should write a paragraph or two describing the essence of who we are during our vibrant years. Some day, if we cannot speak, it can be posted near our bedside so that caregivers and visitors can relate to us as the person we once were!
Barbara Kaplan, Rockport
Looks like [the writer’s] mom had a well-lived life, with lots of love in it. She is lucky to have all these photos.
Horselover44, posted on bostonglobe.com
When my mother died in 1975, my father created a photo album that contained over 600 photos recording their lives — from courtship, marriage in 1931, children, weddings, and finally an obituary. I’m approaching my 90th birthday and I was concerned about preserving the memories contained in the photo album. I chose to have the entire album digitized and distributed the digital record to my siblings and other members of the family. Now the memories of my parents will be passed on to future generations.
dsak, posted on bostonglobe.com
Man’s Best Friend
Thank you for Sabrina Shankman’s Perspective on her recent acquisition of her rambunctious puppy, Gigi (“Life Is Chaotic. Sometimes, Chaos Is a Puppy,” September 28). The two photos alone made me laugh in delighted appreciation of the joy they conveyed — this, in a world so otherwise saturated with conflict and grief — reminding me of another world altogether.
John Hagan, Boston
A dog will improve your perspective on life in many ways.
gbhk, posted on bostonglobe.com
The best part of my day is always the first five minutes after I get home from work. No one greets you like your dog!!
Cotchpinicut, posted on bostonglobe.com
Dachshunds are adorable but are a special kind of crazy. Barking at every moving object as a perceived threat. Housebroken only when they want to be. Constantly hiding under blankets and burrowing their way to the foot of the bed. The original 100-pound dog in a 10-pound body. They will test your patience every day. But they are also hilarious. Somehow that makes it all worth it.
Peterw11, posted on bostonglobe.com
We got a dachshund puppy eight years ago and he’s a delight. Yes, he drove me crazy when he was a puppy. . . . We take him everywhere — because we have to. He’s banned from two boarding kennels.
Mermaid16, posted on bostonglobe.com
Free-Range Kids
I read this Perspective (“Kids Need More Independence. If Only the Law Would Allow It,” October 5) with a bit of amusement. I am in my 70s. I feel sorry for the children of today. Technology has brought good and bad; so many think their child is going to be a victim. When I think of the places we went, at a pretty young age: On my brother’s 6th birthday, I (14) took him to Franklin Park Zoo. The Red Line ended at Harvard, and we lived a bit of a walk from the bus that would bring us there. It was a wonderful adventure, which he still remembers (he just turned 64!). Maybe the better thing to do is not shelter children so much, but provide them with information on navigating life.
Patricia Caldwell, Cambridge
The government should not make controlling decisions in the raising and education of future voters. Freedom of speech requires freedom of thought; children are learning to think for themselves.
ehamgrams@gmail.com, posted on bostonglobe.com
The greatest thing we could do to help kids learn independence is enforce traffic laws/create safer walking conditions.
hugeweasel, posted on bostonglobe.com
[When I was 10 and my sister was 8], I took my younger sister by the hand, walked one block to gather my cousins of a similar age, and we all walked the mile and a half to the community pool. We crossed a major road on the way. We played all day and reversed the procedure to go home. We did this most sunny days in the summer. No one was abducted. No one was hit by a car. No one drowned. We were taught to cross the street at the crosswalk, stay on the sidewalk, no running at the pool, and listen to the lifeguards. Most kids nowadays wouldn’t be allowed to do any of that. I applaud Mr. Hiale for trying to teach his girls to be independent.
Patricia Lowden, Lexington
My children, 5 and 7, are free to roam outside on their own within the neighborhood and where I can see them. They also stay alone home after school just as we did in the ’70s. Not an issue and nobody should be allowed to dictate how we raise them.
tgshannon, posted on bostonglobe.com
Children aged 5 and 7 are too young to be alone at any time. That’s just common sense in any decade.
nemv22, posted on bostonglobe.com
“Two parents were charged in 2015 with child endangerment for letting their boys, ages 9 and 7, stay at the beach by themselves.” I was often left alone on the beach in the 1970s but I also almost drowned.
Michael N-K, posted on bostonglobe.com
The scenario the author described is the best of both worlds: he was about to go to the park with his kids, but he needed to pick something up before he left so he paused and they started out on their own. It’s a nice blend of spending quality time with them and letting them build confidence by starting out to the destination on their own.
checkerboardchatter, posted on bostonglobe.com
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