Afghanistan is a "do over."

We will have been in Afghanistan for two decades or one full generation. There is no reason to stay, but, be cognizant of the fact there are still terrorists hiding in Afghanistan.

We left Afghanistan to a minimal military complement to focus primarily on Iraq. That was the wrong thing to do. The USA was never able to fully suppress the drug corruption of Afghanistan while improving the outcomes of the people.

April 19, 2021

By Julian E. Barnes and Eric Schmitt

Washington - The Sept. 11 attacks led American troops (click here) into Afghanistan in 2001 for what became a two-decade war. Now President Biden’s decision to withdraw military forces has prompted a central question: Will the threat of terrorism against America re-emerge from Afghanistan?

The answer is no, at least not right away. But over the longer term, the question is far more difficult to answer. The United States could find itself pulled back into Afghanistan much as it was in Iraq, some current and former officials warned.

Intelligence officials have offered the Biden administration an overall grim portrait of the future of Afghanistan itself, predicting that the Taliban will make battlefield gains, Afghan government forces will struggle to hold territory and a peace deal between them is unlikely. The broad outlines of that assessment were made public in an intelligence report released on Tuesday.

Still, on the critical question of whether direct threats to the United States still exist in Afghanistan, U.S. spy agencies have privately offered a rosier picture....

President Biden, who I think is a really great president, has picked an arbitrary date to bring all the troops home. It is a symbolic date that all those in Afghanistan should not ignore. The USA is not sincerely leaving Afghanistan, we are allowing two decades of protecting the people to cement into profoundly democratic governance that has no fear of the American military.

The USA has allies nearby that require vigilance. We have had a questionably loyal relationship with Pakistan. Pakistan allowed a radical religious sect, the Taliban, to reconstitute into a militia with deadly intent. Pakistan also allowed Osama bin Laden to live under the protection of it's ISI. The ISI is nearly an autonomous body in Pakistan and there is doubt as to the president of the country having knowledge of bin Laden's existence in Pakistan. No one will ever convince me that the ISI knew nothing of bin Laden's residence and his covert activities that used thumb drives and couriers to order heinous acts by others within the al Qaeda network.

Under President Obama, the safe haven bin Laden had was ended, and ultimately the house destroyed by the Pakistan government.

Pakistan also tolerates to this day the Haqqani Network. They are a drug cartel with a great deal of power because of their lucrative poppy business. From the beginning of the Afghanistan retaliative invasion by the USA I stated we should march through Pakistan to reach Afghanistan's al Qaeda network, but, Don Rumsfeld opted for a "paid by the taxpayer" fly-over privilege. Those monies that went to Pakistan allowed the country to order munitions from China. Those monies allowed China to build 100 more nuclear warheads. IT WAS A MISTAKE OF MONUMENTAL PROPORTION.

The USA will be leaving behind an Embassy (click here) and a vibrant diplomatic effort. The USA, through USAID, has many partnerships with Afghanistan. When the USA military leaves Afghanistan with all it's munitions and hardware, it will not be leaving a blank slate for any other country or terrorist organization to occupy. China and Russia should conduct their interests in Afghanistan accordingly.

The USA military needs to have at the ready a plan to institute another offensive into Afghanistan if the country fails in it's commitments to the US. There are many, many improvements in Afghanistan to further it's economy, including, roads and bridges. It would be a shame if those were destroyed by the USA military in a reoccupation of a dangerous country.

The USA is always demanding peace. It demands people to live a good quality of life. It demands countries move to take care of those most vulnerable to disease. And in Afghanistan, the USA demands equality for women and girls, an opportunity for women to serve in the government and be educated at universities. 

There are many good and decent reasons for the USA military to have a hand on Afghanistan to increase stability while eliminating the influence of Daesh and other terrorist networks. The USA military also needs to decide about Pakistan. Is Pakistan a friend or so disinterested in it's alliance that any manner of governance is good governance. The Haqqani Network must be dismantled and any terrorist influence in Pakistan ended, that includes disloyal people within the ISI that sabotage the Pakistani governance and substitutes terrorist fear as a real solution to any president.

The Late Ambassador to Afghanistan, Richard Holbrook (click here) had expectations for that country that cannot be forgotten. I don't know if the USA Afghanistan Embassy has been named yet, but, it should bear his name.

Those hopes are not empty dreams. Afghanistan has an opportunity to take what has occurred over two decades and become a real country and not simply a terrorist haven. The Afghan people are good people. They love their country and their families. They also welcome change and improvement and they do not tolerate corruption.

The region needs to remain stable. The USA is bringing their troops home after many have died, but, it also has expectations for that country and at the first sign of deterioration of it's democracy the USA will never think twice to occupy it once again.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are challenges to the USA military and one that it should welcome to protect NATO allies and insure terrorism doesn't rule again in that country or the region.

A drug defense for Chauvin is ridiculous.

Police are suppose to protect life. The idea drugs caused George Floyd’s death goes against every mandate on the books. Police have tools to save lives when encountering drug overdose. The idea somehow drugs in anyone’s bloodstream is a reason to hasten or further death is allowing police too much authority.

Fentynl kills immediately when taken in larger than prescribed amounts. George Floyd did not die immediately of a fentanyl. If anything the fentanyl amount in his system would have a calming effect. He was big man it would take a lot of fentanyl to cause his death.

Chauvin was called to account on the scene of George Floyd’s death by a fellow officer. One officer stated he was concerned for George Floyd’s deterioration and death. Chauvin never paused. He never ended the restraint. He never allowed concern for an impending death. 

I sincerely envy the citizens of New Zealand. Their Prime Minister was brilliant and tough.

"Morning Papers"

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

Vaccine Competency

Emory University has been tracking the effectiveness of the vaccines since they have been administered to the public at large. Global distribution is not going well and there are a handful of countries actually administering them.

But, the Moderna vaccine is noted to be "dimming" in it's effects after 6 months although still effective. Is a six-month booster necessary?

April 11, 2021
By Jim Morelli

Boston - Wonderful. Awesome. (click here) Fantastic. Those are the adjectives Emory University researcher Mehul Suthar used to describe the immunity levels seen just after the second dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.

But Suthar and colleagues at Emory’s Vaccine Center found that stunning immunity dulled after six months but not to such an extent that the vaccine was ineffective. In fact, Suthar estimated that in three age groups studied – 18-to-55, 56-to-70 and 71-and-older – neutralizing antibodies should linger for one to two years....

This is a report about Moderna, but, the Pfizer vaccine is also an mRNA vaccine. Any dimming of a vaccine's immunity means it is still producing antibodies, but, not as vibrant as previously with the initial two injections. It doesn't mean it's the ability to fight off the virus is gone, it means the immunity seems to be settling into an immune state without all the vibrancy as first experienced.

This is out of JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) that discusses neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and variants.

Neutralizing antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants after infection and vaccination

By Venkata Viswanadh Edara, PhD; William H. Hudson, PhD; Xuping Xie, PhD; et al

This study found neutralizing activity (click here) of infection- and vaccine-elicited antibodies against 4 SARS-CoV-2 variants, including B.1, B.1.1.7, and N501Y. Because neutralization studies measure the ability of antibodies to block virus infection, these results suggest that infection- and vaccine-induced immunity may be retained against the B.1.1.7 variant. As additional variants emerge, neutralizing-antibody responses after infection and vaccination should be monitored.

Limitations include the small sample size, possible selection bias, lack of clinical outcomes, and how neutralization titers correlate with protection.

Section Editor: Jody W. Zylke, MD, Deputy Editor.

If for whatever reason vaccines are not making it to the global community, in all honesty, follow the New Zealand Model and be ahead of the game. I mean that sincerely.

If the virus and it's variants can be ended in countries without vaccine, then they have a chance to never need the vaccine. Leaders of countries left out of the loop have the advantage of ending the virus and never having to fight it with vaccines. 

The people of the USA followed a stupid president and the virus is still out of control. The best example of how stupid Republican leadership can be is the State of Michigan in the USA. The Republican lead legislature has been fighting the Governor in ending the virus and it shows. Michigan now has a very high viral issue all over again. 

April 10, 2021
By Julie Bosman and Mitch Smith

Nowhere in America (click here) is the coronavirus pandemic more out of control than in Michigan.

Outbreaks are ripping through workplaces, restaurants, churches and family weddings. Hospitals are overwhelmed with patients. Officials are reporting more than 7,000 new infections each day, a sevenfold increase from late February. And Michigan is home to nine of the 10 metro areas with the country’s highest recent case rates.

During previous surges in Michigan, a resolute Gov. Gretchen Whitmer shut down businesses and schools as she saw fit — over the din of both praise and protests. But this time, Ms. Whitmer has stopped far short of the sweeping shutdowns that made her a lightning rod....

Republicans don't care about governance, they care about greed. Michigan is a prime example and now even California's Governor is receiving flack from the stupid people.

New Zealand is the only country of The West that did it the right way. The Prime Minister was a genius and the people are safe. There is no such thing as "The New Zealand Variant," now is there?

This is a graph of the State of Michigan's virus report. (click here)

The New York Times has a graph for every state. I find this reporting important. It keeps the virus in front of the people at a local level.

But, at any rate the Republican legislature has done everything in it's power i Michigan to remove the powers of the Governor. They have deliberately gone against science and pushed for the reopening of every aspect of Michigan's economy.

THE MICHIGAN REPUBLICANS ARE GREED MERCHANTS AND STUPID ABOUT PUBLIC HEALTH AND WANT TO KEEP IT THAT WAY.

This graph is the POLITICS of "The Donald John Trump Effect," stupidity reigns. The Michigan Republicans don't care who lives and who dies so much as it is not them.

Now, with Spring upon us who is actually going to travel to Michigan for vacation? That's right, far less than normally would!

Idiots. 

Michigan Republicans are idiots. New Zealand never had to worry about its economy except for the three-week shutdown in the very beginning. I swear Republicans want this spread to try and say the Democrats are to blame. 

Well, it is not the Democrats, it is the subversive Republican Party that backs a president that declared an insurrection! Why would they care about keeping people alive. The lousy no good people want certain populations to die. They honestly do.

Case in point, Michigan's outbreak effects the lower part of the state and guess where the cities.

"Good Night, Moon"

New moon

0.0 days old

0.0 lit

Ramadan starts on April 13, 2021.

11 April 2021
By Areeb Ullah

When Karen Hall (click here) became Muslim in 2001, the last thing on her mind was the moon. Having converted to Islam in Nigeria, Hall was eager to begin her journey as a Muslim.

She would learn how to pray and fulfil Islam's basic tenets by attending classes and speaking to friends who were back in her home town of Leeds. It was not until a few years had passed that the 52-year-old administrator began to notice her friends in the UK celebrating the end of Ramadan on different days.

"I'd see one friend celebrating Eid on one day and another on a completely different day," recalls Hall, who has since returned to the UK.

"I just followed my local mosque to be on the safe side."...

This is off topic, but, important.

This is off my phone. Sorry for the poor resolution, but, let me describe what is here and it may make sense to everyone. 

I don't want to hear how the shipper is wrong or the item is wrong, this is the USPS under LaJoy who is no joy as Post Master General.

The top line states April 9, 2021 at one 1:20 pm Greenwood, Indiana. 

The tracking number is 9274 8927 0050 4400 0094 6267 58.

The shipping date is April 8, 2021 at 8:14 am from LaGrange, Illinois. 

This is the night of the 10th. Nowhere in the USA should a package assigned to USPS stand in a shipping facility for 48 hours.

Kindly notice the words, "...shipping partner facility...". This one is Pitney Bowes. Pitney Bowes (click here) is the shipping partner for USPS. How much of the postage goes to Pitney Bowes? And LaJoy states the USPS is having financial trouble? Well, I guess so if the monies brought in from postage sales are going to private companies.

Look. The USPS is protected by the USA Constitution. Having our sovereign mail go outside the USPS handling is unconstitutional. I don't care if there is congressional legislation or presidential order somewhere stating it is okay to dissolve the sovereign handling of USA mail, this is unconstitutional.

I don't want this mess. I want a USPS that works and protects my mail and packages as they always have. ENOUGH OF LAJOY. He is no joy and he is screwing up everything. Give the USPS back it's own jets, 48-foot trailers, private contractors to drive the trailers, and USPS drivers that can move the mail from hub to hub with tractor trailers.

I WANT MY SOVEREIGN MAIL BACK THAT I PAY FOR AND IS TRUSTED TO THE USPS TO HANDLE.

Put an experienced Post Master General back in charge of the mail because everything is screwed up. When a package or letter is sitting in a shipping facility for more than 48 hours, there is something very wrong.

US Postal charges to customers should ensure that everything is handled within the USA Post Office as set down in the USA Constitution.

The Sixth Extinction is underway and humans can be one of the species that doesn't survive if we continue to be stupid.

This is Australia's forest. I don't care if new trees growing are a solace to anyone, it is wrong to destroy vital habitat. The picture below is of a kangaroo and her baby called a joey.

Land use is extremely important in avoiding a scorched Earth scenario. We must return burnt forests to the production of oxygen and absorption of CO2. That's right, trees are more important as climate crisis mitigators than lumber. There is no "natural" time for trees to be lumbered for timber. Not even when they die. When they die they produce soil along with detritivores. So, when some capitalist wants to know when forests can be harvested for timber, the answer is never. Forest floor litter is mitigated by evapotranspiration. The leaf litter at the base of a forest is wet enough to never burn. The problem of wildfires occurs not because of the natural cycles of the majority of trees, but, because of drought. Wildfires occur because of drought not natural processes of the forest floor.

Habitat and it's fauna are vitally important to a healthy Earth troposphere. The animals that live in their habitat conduct Earth's natural laws of selection. Nature selects species that can balance the natural world. In the USA, Yellowstone National Park is among the best examples of what occurs when human beings assume they know more about Earth than nature does. That would be wrong-headed. There are too many unknowns on the planet as there are knowns.

Protecting species is to protect habitat. Protecting habitat is protecting life on Earth in a sustainable method of natural selection.

To quote the Mandalorian, "It is the way."

7 April 2021

By Michael La Page

The Great Barrier Reef (click here) is already in a critical state. Rising sea temperatures are killing corals faster than they can recover. As temperatures continue to increase, more and more of the reef will die, along with the rich variety of life and the AUS$6 billion tourism industry that depend on it.

It is one headline-grabbing example among many. The continued rapid warming of the planet would wipe out many species, even if it were the only change happening. As it is, a sixth mass extinction in Earth’s history is already under way as farms replace forests and factory ships overfish the oceans.

The heating of the planet will push many struggling species over the brink. Some will just have no place left to go. For biodiversity, climate change is, in military jargon, a threat multiplier. Worse still, measures to limit warming often don’t take biodiversity into account. Some, such as the push for biofuels, directly harm it.

Yet there is little that is inevitable about what happens next. We might not be able to save all the species under threat, but we can save an awful lot of them. “We could cut the number of extinctions in half,” says John Wiens at the University of Arizona. “I think that’s the biggest cause for optimism.”

But our chances are better if we think more smartly about the links between biodiversity loss and climate change, and tackle both of these issues together. Done right, a rescue plan for nature can be part of a plan for saving humanity from the worst of climate change – and vice versa....

Gates is also working on projects that most Americans would worry about, nuclear power.

I think it is appropriate to worry about nuclear power, next-generation or not. But, nuclear energy is considered clean energy because it does not produce GHG. But, it has been a dangerous form of energy. Gates thinks this investment into "Terra" is an answer for a heavily used grid. He is the primary driver behind Microsoft.

Microsoft Corporation cannot survive without energy. It only makes sense for Gates to take up the challenge to produce clean energy to protect his company. I think this technology sounds interesting, but, is it really the safe alternative to the nuclear power plants we have today, and should it be considered a viable replacement for conventional energy produced through burning fossil fuels.

What really impressed me about this is that Gates accepts the climate crisis as it is. He accepts the fact the status quo is dangerous for human life. He didn't go to Mitch McConnell and hand him millions in donations to secure the coal of the future. Bill Gates looked at the facts and decided the USA and the world must end the use of combustibles like coal and go forward with energy that works for his company and its product as well as ending the climate crisis.

I can back that way of thinking. He knows there must be alternatives to fossil fuels and emissions of GHG, but, he doesn't drop the ball and demands fossil fuels be protected. Instead, he is using his wealth as an investment to the same goals most climate scientists stress. I think there is room for him in activism to end this mess with fossil fuels.

April 8, 2021
By Catherine Clifford

...But Gates was also interested in the potential of nuclear power as a clean energy. (click here)

After reading a paper about a new generation of nuclear reactors built with technical advancements to guard against such accidents, Gates founded TerraPower in 2008 to realize the benefits of these innovations.

Selected by the U.S. federal government to demonstrate the viability of nuclear power through its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP), TerraPower aims to build "fully functional advanced nuclear reactor within 7 years of the award," according to the Office of Nuclear Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy.

"We envision a 2050 grid that is powered by very significant wind and solar power, but is complemented by" Terra Power nuclear reactors, TerraPower president and CEO, Chris Levesque, tells CNBC Make It....

From the NRDC (Natural Resrouce Defense Council):

The NRDC does incredible work. Kindly donate IF you can (click here).  I have direct relationship with this organization.

 As people around the globe have become increasingly exposed (click here) to the impacts of our climate crisis, the entities with perhaps the most power to stop the crisis—corporations—have begun to squirm. Corporations produce just about everything we buy, use, and throw away and play an outsized role in driving global climate change. A recently published report identified that 100 energy companies have been responsible for 71% of all industrial emissions since human-driven climate change was officially recognized. And it’s not just the energy sector. According to self-reported numbers, the top 15 U.S. food and beverage companies generate nearly 630 million metric tons of greenhouse gases every year. That makes this group of only 15 companies a bigger emitter than Australia, the world’s 15th largest annual source of greenhouse gases....

Proctor and Gamble has been a highly successful company from it's inception which this graph shows. Yet, in the blink of an eye, when Americans worried about Chinese paper rolls in toilet paper, the stock prices started to dip.

The financial sector has to go company by company to assess the dangers they impose on our climate and what part are they playing in the crisis. No company is doing that on a daily or weekly basis. If they did they would begin to realize they are not doing everything possible to end this climate disaster with a burgeoning tipping point that could effect the ability of Earth to sustain life. There is considerable episodes of mixing between the troposphere and the stratosphere. THAT dynamic has to end.

Bending the profit line down enough to prevent any and all emissions of any kind is a reasonable request. Any company can commission MIT for designs to end their emissions.

P&G shareholders can relax, though. (click here) The sale wasn't spurred by the billionaire investor having lost faith in the company. Instead, it was simply a tool by which Buffett could efficiently raise cash to focus Berkshire's position on one piece of P&G's portfolio: Duracell batteries....

American Tissue Companies: Glossing Over Their Major Emissions

Take Procter and Gamble (P&G) as an example. NRDC and Stand.earth recently published an in-depth look at the impact P&G and a number of its competitors in the tissue sector are having on the world’s remaining intact forests. The report found that use of virgin pulp in the production of their toilet paper, facial tissue, and paper towel brands is a major greenhouse gas source. In fact, with annual virgin pulp use at 1.5 million metric tons, P&G’s disposable paper, hygiene, and baby care products are estimated to generate 17.8 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year. [1] That’s a big number—equivalent to the annual emissions of 3.8 million passenger vehicles—but P&G’s greenhouse gas reduction goal applies to only a tiny percentage of these emissions....

Thwaites Glacier is frequently called the "Doomsday Glacier." It will case 11 feet of sea level rise.

It is such a silly thing. This climate crisis. it is all happening because we are losing our ice structures to warming oceans. Why is everyone trying to make this complicated. The actual physics is complicated, but, understanding what is causing this crisis is about water, frozen water in the way of glaciers and ice fields. They are different than the ice in anyone's freezer for cooling drinks. These are big icecubes that only planet Earth can produce. The greenhouse gases have to be viewed as an existential threat to human life. No one can get their minds around the fact that big ice fields, glaciers, and ice caps are important for mitigating heat on Earth. They are our reserves. We are losing the fight. 

Antarctica and Greenland are the biggest contributors to sea-level rise. They are land-based ice and when it melts they increase the volume of the ocean. The Arctic Ocean is already down to less than 1-year-old ice and it's contribution has been significant, but, nothing like land-based ice.

April 9, 2021

By Carolyn Gramling

The under-ice trek of an autonomous underwater vehicle (click here) is giving scientists their first direct evidence for how and where warm ocean waters are threatening the stability of Antarctica’s vulnerable Thwaites Glacier. These new data will ultimately help scientists more accurately project the fate of the glacier — how quickly it is melting and retreating inland, and how far it might be from complete collapse, the team reports April 9 in Science Advances.

“We know there’s a sick patient out there, and it’s not able to tell us where it hurts,” says Eric Rignot, a glaciologist at the University of California, Irvine who was not involved in the new study. “So this is the first diagnosis.”

Scientists have eyed the Florida-sized Thwaites Glacier with mounting concern for two decades. Satellite images reveal it has been retreating at an alarming rate of somewhere between 0.6 to 0.8 kilometers per year on average since 2001, prompting some to dub it the “doomsday glacier.” But estimates of how quickly the glacier is retreating, based on computer simulations, vary widely from place to place on the glacier, Rignot and other researchers reported in Science Advances in 2019. Such uncertainty is the biggest difficulty when it comes to future projections of sea level rise (SN: 1/7/20).

The primary culprit for the rapid retreat of Thwaites and other Antarctic glaciers is known: Relatively warm ocean waters sneak beneath the floating ice shelves, the fringes of the glaciers that jut out into the ocean (SN: 9/9/20). This water eats away at the ice shelves’ underpinnings, points where the ice is anchored to the seafloor that buttress the rest of the glacier against sliding into the sea....

"Nokia" is an interesting study on point. They actually are on track for a sustainability plan for the climate crisis.

I will reiterate, 2050 is late for climate action to stem the tipping points ahead.

What I find more interesting about Nokia's plan is they want to hold the warming to 1.5 C. They should be speaking front and center at the COP 26 (click here).

April 7, 2021

Espoo, Finland – Nokia has released its annual sustainability report, (click here) People and Planet 2020, revealing it has exceeded its target to enable 6.5 billion subscriptions two years ahead of schedule.

The report presents Nokia’s position, achievements and requirements in sustainable development and corporate responsibility and is prepared in accordance with the GRI Standards. It is also aligned with other sustainability reporting frameworks, such as SASB and the UN Global Compact. The key sustainability indicators have been assured by Nokia’s independent auditor, Deloitte.

Pekka Lundmark, President and CEO, Nokia said “Too often, sustainability has been an afterthought, a ‘nice to have’. But for Nokia, sustainable solutions are both a business opportunity and the basis of our decision-making. We believe technology will help solve many of the world’s biggest challenges. The critical importance of connectivity for individuals, businesses and nations was clearly demonstrated in 2020. Our sustainability work focuses on the role of technology in combatting climate change, enabling an inclusive and more equitable society and improving lives.”

The radio networks supplied to Nokia customers supported around 6.6 billion subscriptions worldwide in 2020, ahead of the target of 6.5 billion by 2022, and up by 200 million since the beginning of the year....

We have learned a great deal about offshore wind power from "Block Island Wind Farm."

December 16, 2020
Conclusions and Lessons Learned (click here)

The design and execution of the BIWF monitoring studies (click here) produced substantive results while revealing important lessons about site assessment and monitoring (Box 1). Both soft and hard bottom habitats were present close to the BIWF, and construction effects were identified in both hard (Guarinello and Carey, 2020) and soft bottoms using directed visual and MBES surveys (HDR, 2018). Future surveys should include longer-term assessments of recovery of relocated boulders and of connectivity between introduced hard substrata (turbine foundations) and natural reefs.

The engagement of fishermen in cooperative research studies of demersal and epibenthic species (both commercially important species and bycatch) established approaches that produced results and lessons for future OSW monitoring. Notably, collecting data that are compatible with historical and ongoing regional surveys provides much-needed context for evaluating study results. Comparisons of BIWF survey results to other regional studies were required to evaluate whether observations made during wind farm operation reflected an effect that may have included reference locations or were part of a broader regional trend, including effects on behavioral and physiological traits not apparent from analysis of catch rates alone....

Republicans thought they owned corporate businesses. I would seem as though that is a well rehearsed myth.

Maybe, just maybe, the CEOs are blue-blooded American patriots and love the US Constitution. It is the only one of it's kind, which provides specific benefits to private industry. When a private company presents a hazard to citizens in the way of Environmental Justice, the government needs to exert governance. But, for the most part, corporations like being based in the USA.

I think this is a real opportunity for both Corporate America and the people of this great country. They might be coming together rather than taking up opposite corners.

April 11, 2021
By Ivana Saric

More than 100 corporate executives and leaders (click here) gathered on a Zoom call Saturday to discuss ways to combat controversial voting bills being considered in states across the country that would restrict voting access, per the Washington Post.

Why it matters: American corporations flexed their advocacy muscles earlier this month when more than 100 companies signaled their opposition to Georgia's new voting law, inciting the wrath of GOP leaders, including former President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell....

There has been a little bit of an uptick recently about geoengineering. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

Every time this topic comes up all one has to say is, "Unintended Consequences." Earth is still being studied. There are no guarantees, especially, now that there are warming effects that completely change Earth's physics.

October 6, 2019
By Carolyn Gramling

Diagram from Britannica (click here)

Geoengineering ideas — tinkering with the climate (click here) to delay or halt the worst effects of global warming — have been around for decades. Few such ideas have progressed past the thought experiment stage, due in part to concerns that the cure could be worse than the disease. But as dire warnings about climate change’s impacts increasingly dominate the news, geoengineering may once again be getting a closer look.

“We should investigate geoengineering in case we can’t change our behaviors fast enough to ward off the worst of climate change,” Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang notes on his campaign website. Yang’s campaign, alone among the candidates, proposes funding large-scale government research into massive climate intervention projects such as giant solar radiation-reflecting space mirrors or seeding the ocean with iron to promote blooms of carbon-sequestering algae.

Not everyone is sure this is a good idea. When it comes to ocean seeding, for example, “there is considerable uncertainty and disagreement … whether this would do more harm than good,” says David Karl, an oceanographer at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Vast algal blooms could alter the geochemistry of the deep ocean, he adds. “It is with great caution that anyone should be deliberating altering the nutrient balance of the sea for any reason.” Similarly, proposals to tinker with incoming solar radiation to cool the planet might significantly shift weather patterns and negatively affect crops....

This article in "Wired" last year is simply over the top irresponsible. If "Wired" wants to be a leader on climate, then preserve habitat. The only time this should be tried is when the last Earthling is leaving for "Earth II" in a different solar system.

Altering Earth’s geophysical environment is a moon shot (click here)—and it will be the only way to reverse the damage done. It’s time to take it more seriously.

Will the real Bill and Melinda Gates please stand up. Oh, they are standing up.

They weren't happy with the lack of leadership by the USA in the global pandemic. Bill Gates and his lovely wife Melinda, a leader in her own right, may very well be inspiring greater responsibility in corporate leadership.

June 23, 2020

Speaking at the Forbes 400 Summit on Philanthropy, (click here) the couple discussed plans to make sure that Covid-19 treatments and vaccines don’t just go to the highest-bidding nations but are distributed equitably.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the globe, Bill and Melinda Gates have been on the forefront of coordinating the search for effective prevention and treatment of the disease. The couple, who has spent years fighting against infectious diseases like polio, is critical of the U.S. response to Covid-19–its testing and contact-tracing efforts lag behind countries like Germany. “Usually the United States plays a role in global problem-solving, so rather than withdrawing from WHO, they’d be involved, collaborating with other countries, not just trying to cast blame. It’s a tricky situation, where the U.S. sort of turned inward on this one,” Bill Gates said at the ninth annual and first virtual Forbes 400 Summit on Philanthropy last Thursday....

This is not unusal within the practice by scientists.

I am a biologist among other credentials, past and present, but, I have been sitting at computers day after day and week after week to bring home the urgency of the climate crisis since 2004. I was an activist longer than that. But, my efforts are volunteer because no one could afford to pay me for what I do.

This climate crisis is real. Stop listening to right wing media that pollutes the airwaves with lies, half-truths, and propaganda. These people are heroes. They are putting their lives on the line to end the climate crisis. Where is everyone else?

By Michael Verdon, Rachel Cormack and Bryan Hood

A darling crop of wealthy activists are pouring their own money and energy into saving our endangered seas.

Like a real-world version (click here) of The Avengers or Justice League, an international group of unlikely activists, some of them billionaires, have banded together to save our imperiled seas, which, by all accounts, are deteriorating at an increasingly alarming pace. Calling themselves the Philanthropic Ocean Research Vessel Operators—at least until they come up with a catchier name—they’re not waiting for governments to take action. Instead, they have applied their business know-how to studying the seas and devising conservation projects to combat the ravages of climate change, over-fishing and the wholesale dumping of plastic....

Bill Gates, in the year 2021, is turning out to be a very interesting conservationist.

In good humor, I think Bill and Malinda Gates would love that depiction of them. As far as the land purchase in Washington State, Microsoft has three corporate locations in Washington. That company has a office or corporate interest building in nearly the entire country (click here).

I have been following his reports in the media these last few months. He is practically declaring himself the voice of reason on climate. These purchases of farm land are less surprising the more I realize he is on a glide path for leadership in Corporate America to end GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions.

Not to leave out Amazon. Jeff Bezos is making a concerted effort to bring the carbon footprint of his operations to zero. (I know there is a dispute with the unionization of Amazon. That doesn't mean the company is not making major strides elsewhere.).

February 27, 2021

By James B. Meigs

Late last year, Eric O’Keefe was researching a mysterious recent purchase (click here) of 14,500 acres of prime Washington state farmland. His magazine, The Land Report, tracks major land transactions and produces an annual list of the 100 biggest US landowners.

Sales of more than a thousand acres are “blue-moon events,” O’Keefe noted, so this one stood out. And Eastern Washington has some of the richest, most expensive farmland in the country. But the purchaser of record was a small, obscure company in Louisiana.

“That immediately set off alarm bells,” O’Keefe says.

He assigned his research team to dig a little deeper. Soon they came back with the answer: The Louisiana company was acting on behalf of Cascade Investment LLC, the secretive investment firm that manages most of the huge fortune belonging to Bill Gates....

Should news women anywhere allow themselves to be objectified?

I know FOX News would say yes.

March 8, 2012
By Issac Stone Fish

In an attempt to highlight (click here) the role of women in Beijing’s annual National People’s Congress, China’s party newspaper the People’s Daily published "Beautiful female journalists at two sessions," consisting of women asking questions and "beautifying" China’s legislative session. It’s hard to think of a more awkward way for a media outlet to celebrate International Women’s.
In an attempt to highlight the role of women in Beijing’s annual National People’s Congress, China’s party newspaper the People’s Daily published "Beautiful female journalists at two sessions," consisting of women asking questions and "beautifying" China’s legislative session. It’s hard to think of a more awkward way for a media outlet to celebrate International Women’s Day, except maybe last year’s offering from China’s state news wire Xinhua: "Attractive females at NPC, CPCC sessions."

It's Sunday Night

Happy yet? Everyone happy yet? 

Happy by Farrell Williams (click here for official website - thank you)

Let me tell you now
Here we go

It might seem crazy what I'm about to say
Sunshine she's here, you can take a break
I'm a hot air balloon that can go to space
With the air, like I don't care baby by the way (come on)

Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do (hey)

Here come bad news talking this and that (yeah)
Well, give me all you got, and don't hold it back (yeah)
Well, I should probably warn you, you'll be just fine (yeah)
No offense to you, don't waste your time
(Here's why)

Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

Here go
(Happy)
Bring me down
Can't nothing (happy)
Bring me down
My level's too high (happy)
To bring me down

To bring me
(Let me tell you now)
Bring me down
Can't nothing
Bring me down
His level's too high
To bring me down
To bring me down

Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

To bring me
(Let me tell you now)
Bring me down
Can't nothing
Bring me down
His level's too high
To bring me down
To bring me down

Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do