We live in dangerous times.

We are in a climate crisis and we need to end the use of fossil fuels in our country. It is just that simple. No more greenhouse gas emissions. We need to push the curve currently destroying Earth the other way. The biotic Earth doesn't have enough trees or wildlife habitat. The oceans are becoming very warm and fish are now found far more north because the water temperature is an issue of survival for them. Also, plastics in our ocean is an enormous problem, microbeads have now been found in our food chain. That's right, human beings dumped their microbeads into the ocean and other waters and it is now coming back to haunt us.

You may (click here) have heard from friends, read the blogs, and seen the articles – microplastics have infiltrated our marine and freshwater environments. Whether they're plastic microbeads from personal care products (think facial scrubs, exfoliating cleansers, and toothpaste), or plastic microfibers from your favorite yoga pants, small plastics escape our wastewater treatment facilities and enter the water stream....

New Research has found evidence of plastic in the bloodstream of humans for the first time. (click here)

A global pandemic with variants coming out every other week. Currently, there is a new omicron virus variant that is proving to be a problem far greater than the other variants. I TOLD YOU SO. This was bound to happen as people put their "liberty" before the public health. Again, more wayward decisions by the Supreme Court. 

There are gun deaths in the USA surmounting previous records. President Biden is about to issue an order regarding "ghost guns." There is too much violence in the USA. I think the country needs to revisit efforts by states to limit the availability of high powered weapons on the market and if legislation can actually stop the deaths we are witnessing. 

There is a Russian president that has blatantly disobeyed international order and laws. He has committed genocide including at least 200 dead children. These children did nothing to Putin, yet they are dead anyway. The West has acted valiantly. The West opened it's borders to parents and children and elderly and there are many Ukrainians now safe that would otherwise have been killed in the impulsive war by Russia. No punishment for this regime in Russia is too great. This is the year 2022 and we are witnessing genocide by a large country with nuclear capacity. 

Our legal system has been burdened as never before with an insurrection that was inspired by a former president. It was this past week when Trump stated he wanted to march to the Capitol with the demonstrators. It was for politics and to drive his MAGA electorate to the voting booths in 2022. It is very unfortunate Trump still has a megaphone to continue to press an ideology harmful to the USA Constitution. The coup was prevented on January 6th because Vice President Pence loves this country just the way it is. We were lucky in many ways, including the fact no Congress person was killed. Unfortuantely, the police that responded that day have suffered. 

We live in dangerous times, but, incredible times whereby computers extend our ability to work quickly on issues of survival on Earth. We must tackle these problems no matter how uncomfortable it makes us feel about our politics. The best way forward is TOGETHER and on the same page that will end these tragedies. It is vital we end the lethargy of putting profits before life. Profits should follow THE BEST PRACTICES of living on Earth. We need to do this now.

Time mark in the video at 1 minute and 23 seconds, "...and you need to be careful because they will overthrow you...."

Hello. Kindly pay attention. Trump was idealizing the overthrow of the Biden administration even in the debates.

Now. Trump doesn't need a referral when those he inspired are pleading guilty? I don't think so. Trump does not walk away from this. January 6, 2021 was premeditated by the former president.

April 8, 2022

Washington - A leader of the far-right Proud Boys (click here) pleaded guilty on Friday to charges related to the attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to a court filing, a victory for prosecutors that could bolster their cases against members of the group.

Charles Donohoe, the leader of the group’s North Carolina chapter at the time of the Capitol attack, entered the guilty plea during court hearing on Friday in the District of Columbia.

Donohoe admitted to conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding — a felony carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He also admitted to assaulting and impeding police officers.

Under sentencing guidelines, Donohoe faces a likely sentence of around six years in prison, with credit for time already served. He will be sentenced at a later court hearing....

 

Electric cars are the present and the future. Let's get on with it!

This is what it looks like when an EV fuels up away from home. It is called PRICE STABILITY. It ends the dependence on foreign oil. Enough already.

• Turning Point: Electric vehicles account for a small slice of the market, but in 2022, their march could become unstoppable.

April 8, 2022
By Yan Zhuang

Secondhand cars listed for tens of thousands more dollars (click here) than new cars. Batches of vehicles selling out in minutes. Monthslong wait times.

Welcome to Australia’s electric vehicle market.

“With the fuel prices, everything’s gone crazy,” said William McVicar, a retiree in Brisbane. He and his wife started thinking about buying an electric vehicle last year but put it on the back burner, thinking they would have plenty of time to get around to it.

“We realized we made a terrible mistake. We should have done it then,” he said. Now, everyone they know is talking about getting one, wait lists for new cars have shot up and waiting times have blown out by months.

With soaring oil prices and supply chain constraints, getting your hands on an electric vehicle right now is a challenge in many countries. But the shortage is particularly severe in Australia, where these pressures are compounded by what experts and industry advocates say is a lack of incentives for manufacturers to increase supply to Australia....

The Great Horned Owl nest in Savannah. This is just magnificent to watch. The parenting is interesting as well.

This is when it hurts. When a beautiful creature loses it's sustainable numbers.

It is a race against time to save the Vaquita Porpoises (click here)

The problem are gill nets. The small porpoise gets caught in the nets used to harvest "Totoaba" (click here) a larger fish that is protected and should not be fished anyway. The Bottle Nosed Dolphins had the same problem. They  were getting caught in gil nets as they and Yellow Fin Tuna swim in the same areas of the ocean.

The area where both these animals are found should be closed to fishing until further notice.

Vaquita, the world's rarest marine mammal, (click here) is on the edge of extinction. The plight of cetaceans—whales, dolphins, and porpoises—as a whole is exemplified by the rapid decline of the vaquita in Mexico, with about 10 individuals remaining. This little porpoise wasn't discovered until 1958 and a little over half a century later, we are on the brink of losing them forever. Vaquita are often caught and drowned in gillnets used by illegal fishing operations in marine protected areas within Mexico's Gulf of California. The population has dropped drastically in the last few years.

The vaquita has a large dark ring around its eyes and dark patches on its lips that form a thin line from the mouth to the pectoral fins. Its top—the dorsal surface—is dark gray, its sides are pale gray, and its underside—the ventral surface—is white with long, light gray markings. Newborn vaquita have darker coloration and a wide gray fringe of color that runs from the head to the flukes, passing through the dorsal and pectoral fins. They are most often found close to shore in the Gulf's shallow waters, although they quickly swim away if a boat approaches....

Human beings are headed for their own extinction.

No worries, extinction is painless once all are gone. The real problem with pain is one of a species is left without another. Once we are gone I won't be able to say "I told you so." So, I thought a foretelling would serve the same purpose.

April 4, 2022
By Frank Jordan and Seth Bornstein

Berlin - Temperatures on Earth (click here) will shoot past a key danger point unless greenhouse gas emissions fall faster than countries have committed, the world’s top body of climate scientists said Monday, warning of the consequences of inaction but also noting hopeful signs of progress.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change revealed “a litany of broken climate promises” by governments and corporations, accusing them of stoking global warming by clinging to harmful fossil fuels.

“It is a file of shame, cataloguing the empty pledges that put us firmly on track toward an unlivable world,” he said.

Governments agreed in the 2015 Paris accord to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) this century, ideally no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit). Yet temperatures have already increased by over 1.1C (2F) since pre-industrial times, resulting in measurable increases in disasters such flash floods, extreme heat, more intense hurricanes and longer-burning wildfires, putting human lives in danger and costing governments hundreds of billions of dollars to confront....

I don't care about his politics, this is a magnificent moment in Ukraine.

In this image provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson talk during their walk in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April 9, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
 

Has anyone asked Dr. Oz about this endorsement.

Trump needs to stick to pizza parties with Palin. What would she have done on January 6th if she was Vice President?

April 10, 2022

By Oliver O'Connell and Shweta Sharma

Former president Donald Trump (click here) has endorsed Dr Mehmet Oz to represent Pennsylvania in the US Senate, angering a number of prominent Republicans.

“I have known Dr. Oz for many years, as have many others, even if only through his very successful television show,” Mr Trump said on Saturday. “He has lived with us through the screen and has always been popular, respected, and smart.”

The announcement outraged many conservatives, including the previous Trump-endorsed candidate for that seat.

“I have enormous respect for President Trump,” tweeted Sean Parnell, who dropped out of the race in November. “But I’m disappointed by this. Oz is the antithesis of everything that made Trump the best president of my lifetime—he’s the farthest thing from America First & he’d be very bad for PA.”

Meanwhile, the US State Department says Donald Trump and other White House officials left office without providing a record of the gifts they received from foreign governments.

And as investigators continue probing the 2021 Capitol riot, one prominent MAGA activist has said he will talk. Ali Alexander, the organiser of several “Stop the Steal” rallies protesting the 2020 election, will cooperate with the Justice Department’s investigation of the January 6 insurrection, his lawyer says....

And at the other end of the spectrum are laws that provide WOMEN RIGHTS and privacy.

April 9, 2022

Maryland enacted (click here) the most sweeping change to its abortion laws in three decades on Saturday, as Democratic state lawmakers overrode Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto.

The new law puts Maryland at the vanguard of abortion rights nationwide, expanding access and requiring most insurance policies to cover the entire cost of the procedure. The state is among a small minority to advance abortion protections this year as many rush to pass restrictions in case the Supreme Court strikes down the right to abortion.

Hogan vetoed the legislation Friday evening, saying that it threatened women’s well being to remove a long-standing restriction that prevented anyone but physicians to perform abortions.

The Democratic supermajority in the General Assembly promptly overrode him on several liberal priorities that forced him to take a stand on issues he had largely been able to avoid. The lawmakers created a paid family leave program to subsidize 12 weeks off work, put in new restrictions for gun deals, and barred police from interrogating children unless a parent or lawyer is present....

More backlash from a wayward Supreme Court.

This is what happens when "stare decisis" is ignored and caution is thrown to the wind for a Robert's Court that cannot find it's stance within the Rule of Law so much as their political promises that put them in those chairs of power.

The Federalist Society is a threat to Americans' quality of life. 

Did they actually think handing Texas a win over abortion would not create such self-righteous attitudes in the state's legislature that abortion was turned into murder? Do these judges know nothing about the way their decisions translate within the country? Texas has no problem making women second class citizens.

The (click here) conservative club that came to dominate the Supreme Court

10 April 2022
By Ed Pilkington

The woman who was thrown in jail on a murder charge in Texas (click here) for allegedly having caused the “death of an individual by self-induced abortion” has been released after the local district attorney dropped the case.

Lizelle Herrera, 26, was reported to be back with her family on Sunday after the district attorney in Rio Grande City, on the US-Mexico border, put out a statement saying he was immediately dismissing the case. Herrera had been arrested last Thursday and placed in the Starr county jail on the back of a grand jury indictment.

“The issues surrounding this matter are clearly contentious,” the DA, Gocha Allen Ramirez, said. “However, based on Texas law and the facts presented, it is not a criminal matter.”...

The beautiful thing about the USA Consitution is that no one is above the law.

I think it is a mistake to say that a Congressional referral to the Justice Department is a mostly symbolic act. The January 6th committee has made other referrals already, this is different? Trump is different than any other American acting against the USA Consitution? I don't think he is different. I think he has to be held accountable no different than any other person invovled in January 6th that have been taken before the courts and held accountable. 

If the US House is holding some of it's own accountable for the insurrection, it is their right to have all those involved in the conspiracy against our soveriegn constitution held accountable. Why the difference? Because of a backlash? If it is going to happen, it will happen anyway and the only way to stop the backlash is to hold ALL those in violation, including Senators such as Josh Hawley. Just because the US Senate is not holding their own committee, that doesn't mean it didn't happen.

The American people need to know all those involved, not just those that won't cause a political backlash.

I dont' know how many Americans held the line against Trump, but, he wasn't re-elected and that was before January 6, 2021. The American people were deciding about Trump for years. I am fairly sure there will be few Americans surprised that he is definitely involved in a PLOT to overthrow the freely elected government of the United States of America.

Look, there is a A LOT about the Trump's activities during those four years that are in question. The name Helsinki will no longer sound neutral or benevolent, so much as the meeting that turned Trump into a Putin minion. 

These findings don't even begin to speak to the unlawfulness of the Trump White House. There are many issues coming to light including the fact a North Carolina House Representative didn't even live in the district he represented. All this is so astrounding I think it will take some time before the American people finally realize how completely terrible and destructive the four years of Trump actually became for no reason except Trump was more interested in his own wealth than the policy of The Rule of Law.

There is a lot to be viewed of those four years as grossly inappropriate and dangerously so, including the fact Mitch McConnell is as corrupt as the day is long and he couldn't bring an impeachment so much as a political display for his own brand to keep the corrupted dark money rolling in.

I suppose the House Committee on the events of January 6th will do the best thing for the country, but, Trump should not be allowed to be viewed as above the law. This is the time when FACTS should set the tone and direction, not politics. 

THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DESERVE THE TRUTH!

April 10, 2022
By Michael Schmidt and Luke Broadwater

Washington - The leaders of the House committee (click here) investigating the Capitol attack have grown divided over whether to make a criminal referral to the Justice Department of former President Donald J. Trump, even though they have concluded that they have enough evidence to do so, people involved in the discussions said.

The debate centers on whether making a referral — a largely symbolic act — would backfire by politically tainting the Justice Department’s expanding investigation into the Jan. 6 assault and what led up to it.

Since last summer, a team of former federal prosecutors working for the committee has focused on documenting the attack and the preceding efforts by Mr. Trump and his allies to reverse his defeat in the 2020 election. The panel plans to issue a detailed report on its findings, but in recent months it has regularly signaled that it was also weighing a criminal referral that would pressure Attorney General Merrick B. Garland to open a criminal investigation into Mr. Trump.

Despite concluding that they have enough evidence to refer Mr. Trump for obstructing a congressional proceeding and conspiring to defraud the American people, some on the committee are questioning whether there is any need to make a referral. The Justice Department appears to be ramping up a wide-ranging investigation, and making a referral could saddle a criminal case with further partisan baggage at a time when Mr. Trump is openly flirting with running again in 2024....

Magnitude of deaths in Ukraine difficult to comprehend

April 10, 2022

Breakfast was sad this morning. (click here) The photo on the front page of the newspaper showed many body bags in Ukraine (”Russian missile kills at least 30 civilians at train station, Ukrainian officials say,” April 8). I did not count them.

They were all individual beings. One might have been a young man studying to be an engineer. Another might have been a woman who was a midwife who had helped ma—ny to begin their lives. Another perhaps an elderly lady beloved by her grandchildren.

Each had memories: their first day at school, their favorite foods, that special friend, the pain they had felt at a loss. Now, it was all gone. Each was a world. You do not count worlds.

Andrew D. Goldfinger, Baltimore

Russia if your listening...

 ...all NATO wants is PEACE.

This begins the Chrisitan Holy week of Easter.

Today is Palm Sunday.

Ramadan is ongoing from April 2nd  through May 2nd.

Jewish Passover begins April 15th until April 23rd.

Below is the rest of the summer months reflected in a University of Michigan calendar (click here). April holds many religious holidays this year.