Water Crisis, Plus PFAS Pollution, Plus Water Quality & the Pandemic

 In the not too distant future, this will affect every one of us.  Not enough is being done to mitigate the situation.

Explained | World's Water Crisis | FULL EPISODE | Netflix - YouTube

If you can't spare the time to watch all of the short video above, at least watch the first 5 minutes.  The stats/metrics starting at 2:35 will amaze you.  One of the problems is that people see water all over the place and tend to think there's no shortage of potable water.  That view has to change.

PFAS pollution is a public health emergency in the USA, and probably several other countries as well.  You would never know it by the coverage it receives from the corporate, mainstream media and politicians.

Forever Chemicals Are Widespread in U.S. Drinking Water - Scientific American

Finally---

What the pandemic shows us about water quality---

Pandemic spotlight on urban water quality (springeropen.com)

................................................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Crucial Issues for Spaceship Earth

 Growth, economic resilience, recovery, & inequity:

doughnut-shaped-recovery-executive-summary.pdf (leeds.ac.uk)  (With a link to the full article)

Social rights & planetary boundaries:

Securing the social foundation: A rights-based approach to planetary boundaries - ScienceDirect

Water scarcity & Wall Street vultures:

Wall Street Vultures Are Ready to Get Rich From Water Scarcity | The New Republic

...........................................

If the world returns to our pre-covid economic paradigm, then the Boom-Bust Cycle, economic fragility, eco-disasters (including pandemics), and social injustice/inequity again will be our lot.  It should be clear by now that we must bring about a massive paradigm shift to a new economics, an ecocentric relationship to the natural environment, and social justice.  It's not only that those things would be "nice", it's also that they are necessary if organized human existence is to survive and thrive on Spaceship Earth.

............................................................

Not only my opinion.  Stay Well

Ever wonder why the Global South largely remains poor, and how the Global North perpetuates that? World Poverty, Inequality, Foreign Aid, and NeoColonialism

 Professor Jason Hickel, my favorite anthropologist & political ecologist, has superb bona fides.  In the clip below (only about 6.5 minutes long), he cogently and concisely explains how the global economy operates to the detriment of most of the Global South.

Here’s Why Foreign Aid Is a Scam | Doha Debates - YouTube

.....................................

Many Oligarchs in the North often promote the idea that foreign aid, foreign investment, loans, and neoliberalism (in general) - corporate globalization - all demonstrate sincere efforts to lift the South out of poverty.  Some actually may believe that.  As Dr. Hickel shows, the reality of the situation is quite different.

The Global South is more in need of justice than it's in need of charity.  It certainly doesn't need privatization of public services or loans with shades of the old IMF "structural adjustment" requirements.  Unfortunately, as the video depicts, neocolonialism dominates the world economy.

Via entities such as the WTO, IMF, & World Bank, as well as so-called Free Trade Agreements (which aren't "free" at all), the Global North guarantees the perpetuation of the old colonial transfer of wealth from the South to the North.  And it's all under the guise of compassion for the poor of the world.  [Again, some people may believe that it is such.]

How can this situation be remedied?  Watch the short video.

.........................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Joint Chiefs Have Their Say RE Attack On Our Capitol

 https://twitter.com/ScottHa85992272/status/1349480397856452609?s=20

The rights to free speech, petitioning the government, and assembly do not allow violent, law-breaking assault. Anyone with even only a cursory knowledge of American Government 101 should know that.

The mob which attacked Congress had no "patriots" in it. It was composed primarily of cult members. Unfortunately, I doubt they know they are such---

The 'Shared Psychosis' of Donald Trump and His Loyalists - Scientific American .

For the future---

Trump Precedent: No President Should Be Above the Law 

(theintercept.com)

Now that Trump has been impeached twice, hopefully we can return to some degree of sanity in our Government... shortly... in a week or so.

.......................

Not only my opinion.  Stay Well

Nixon and Trump

 https://twitter.com/ScottHa85992272/status/1348148957122359296?s=20

A seven-second clip from the David Frost-Nixon interview in 1977, plus my commentary on impeachment. Clip also found here---

Nixon says, "...but when the President does it, that means it is not illegal..." - YouTube

If we are ever to have a democratic and sustainable world, then the rich & powerful elites (in particular) must not be allowed to get away with blatant crime.

Just as Obama ignored the war crimes of the Dubya Bush Admin - "We want to move forward, not backward" - Biden & Team most likely will do nothing about Trump's crimes once DJT leaves office.

Trump clearly incited a riot, and probably (more accurately) an insurrection. He should pay the price for such egregious action.

Despite what they've been led to believe, Presidents are not above the Law. If ever there was a time to drive that home, it's now. ..............................

Not only my opinion. Be Well

"Americans Are Now Getting a Mild Taste of Their [Our] Own Medicine"

 It has come home---

“Americans Are Now Getting a Mild Taste of Their Own Medicine" of Disrupting Democracy Elsewhere | Democracy Now!  

Short, informative interview.

Take note:  Nairn (an alternative, award-winning journalist & author) admonishes us not to embrace the Establishment because of Trumpism.  He's talking about the neoliberal Establishment.  That's what we've had for decades.  Utilizing Edward Bernays style propaganda, it's a softer version of Trumpism... more subtle, classier, and much more effective.  Presently, it's the dominant political & economic ideology in the world.  It's all about "atomizing" society, & having Big Biz be in control utilizing Crony-Casino-Monopoly-Disaster Capitalism.  Gov'ts will exist strictly as window dressing.  We're almost there... just a micron or so away.  Neoliberalism does not favor democracy at all.  It does favor the appearance of democracy in order to mollify the masses.

Notable people have recognized this for years, and they're all across the political spectrum.  Here are only a few of them:  Noam Chomsky, Paul Craig Roberts, Bill Moyers, Barry Commoner, Ron Paul, Rand Paul (to a lesser degree), Naomi Klein, C.W. Mills, Glenn Greenwald, Lori Wallach, Ellen Brown, Bernie Sanders, Ralph Nader, George Monbiot, Jason Hickel, and many more.

...........................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

RE: "SAVE AMERICA"

 A reminder--- I'm not a Republican OR a Democrat.  I've studied USA politics since 1956.

..........................

https://twitter.com/ScottHa85992272/status/1346972530318462976?s=20

and

https://twitter.com/ScottHa85992272/status/1346977984796831745?s=20

..........................

Despite the fact that our various systems (political, economic, & social) here are flawed to various degrees, I love this Land. For many years, I've watched various aspects of it change and some aspects remain pretty much the same. There's good, and bad, and everything in-between here.

Hands down, Trump is the worst politician ever elected to high office

in our country. His words and actions are egregious, dangerous, and embarrassing beyond the pale. The fact that he was elected to the Presidency is quite a testament to the power of propaganda, as well as to the degree of ignorance apparently rampant among too many of us. Thank heaven he was soundly defeated in the recent election.

His prior election was not mainly due to votes for him, but rather because of votes against the ESTABLISHMENT candidate, Clinton. People in the Rust Belt of America - and elsewhere - were fed up to the hilt with neoliberal policies resulting in jobs and manufacturing being shipped overseas or south of the border. Other factors played a part, too, such as deep-seated racism in various parts of the country and the bane of nationalism (as opposed to genuine patriotism). Mainly, though, people voted for Trump as a vote against the neoliberal Establishment.

Such voters apparently thought Trump would improve things. He lied to them, and I guess they believed the lies. And so, our nightmare began.

Biden is no prize, but he's a gazillion times better for us and the world than is/was Trump. So, let's make the best of a new day.

........................

Not only my opinion. Stay Well

"Getting Back to Normal" is Not Where We Want To Be

Here's what "normal" has meant for decades---

 Neoliberalism, Climate Change, Migration: George Monbiot in conversation with Verso - YouTube

Trumpism is small potatoes compared to the scourge of neoliberalism.  Monbiot writes for The Guardian, & is one of my favorite writers.  In this short clip, he explains how neoliberalism is destroying democracy while claiming to promote freedom.  He also shows how a wannabe autocrat can rise to power in the current neoliberal environment.

At the link below is a review of Monbiot's book, Out of the Wreckage.  Not being one to only warn people of danger and disaster, in the book he offers beginning steps to correct the wreckage caused by neoliberalism.

Out of the Wreckage by George Monbiot review – the thrill and danger of a new left politics | Politics books | The Guardian

In addition to his suggestions, I again encourage you all to work toward the implementation of ecological economics, a la Herman Daly, et.al. [See previous posts on this venue, especially those in May - September.]

...............................

Not only my opinion.  Stay Well 

The Radiant Joy of BEING

 https://twitter.com/ScottHa85992272/status/1345006244420083713?s=20

Happy New Year!

If viewing & listening to the very short clip above does not bring a smile to your face, then I'll eat my Stetson hat.

[Note: Be sure to turn on the sound on the piece. Without the music, it's only about one-tenth as enjoyable.]

Naturalists, conservationists, ecologists, truly spiritual people, and like-minded others especially will be entertained to the max by this compilation of natural actions. Enjoy.

.......................

Not only my opinion. Be Well