Bill, you are so right about the Times coverage. The Guardian was much worse - steadily beating the drum about Biden's low approval ratings, about dissention within the Democratic party, using imagery like wheels falling off, etc., etc. Truly abysmal. Michael Moore was much more on point, with a few caveats. Lula's win in Brazil was truly a victory for the planet. Things could be a hell of a lot worse right now. Also good that inflation numbers ticked down a bit - dastardly Repugs were using inflation like a cudgel in their misinformation campaigns, More important, the Fed should pause rate increases to see what the impacts of their many drastic rate increases turn out to be - there's always a time lag. Robert Reich has been so effective and energetic - Warren as well - calling out corporations for doing what you would expect them to do in an Oligarchy with cartels in all major industries - exacerbate inflation to their hearts' content, raising prices far beyond any higher costs they've incurred. The capitalist bible says: fair to charge whatever markets will bear. When there are cartels in industry, due to absence of effective regulation, these supposed principles of capitalism just funnel more money from the 99% to the 1%
Just wanted to add more good news from tiny Benicia, CA in the heart of very conservative Solano County! Valero Oil has a very large refinery here and has been spending BIG$$ on very deceptive advertising to get their chosen City Council candidates elected on Tuesday. There are two Council positions open AND it looks very likely that not one, but both of Valero's chosen are going to lose. THAT would be very good news indeed! And very encouraging to "anyone possessing either a brain or heart". ;-) 💜
Rejoicing here in Michigan for the many wins for climate champions and defenders of the democratic system. Proud that Michigan is demonstrating what can be accomplished through fair redistricting.
We the rational, must begin to realize the reality we we must make in ourselves. The transition from adversarial to egalitarian relations ( One People/ One Planet) : Economically this means from Central Bank System: BIS etc. using Fiat currency in a fractional Reserve monetary system to Electronic Exchange ( IRTA.com) which is currency directly backed by Productivity ie: Foods and Services. This makes money only an exchange NOT power as it is in Industrial Civilization: a transition to this is the key to a new civilization ( new values and technology) . Please see IRTA.com and Limits to Growth: MIT on YouTube
Fascinating -- but will I and other average non-mathematical minds be able to comprehend? I recall Bertrand Russell saying Marx was simply mistaken with his "Labor Theory Of Value", I see Henry George's "Single Tax" looks destructive to planet environment, and Malthus's math missed the basic reality of what he was warning about. My non-math brain says just do price controls, gasoline rationing, 55 mph speed limit, plus a world multi Berlin Airlift system to save stuff now.
Things definitely came out better than they might’ve been. I think the Democrats have to make climate the campaign issue moving forward since enough people get it now. Thanks for your smart words.
I wrote-in Jay Inslee on my 2020 ballot -- can't shake the feeling that I'm a lone dissident, and will continue to be, if the disrupted climate of Earth suddenly gives us a break from superstorms and shortages and Putin's weird war. Both major parties and probably a majority of Earth's masses just accept abandoning the Afghans, foot-dragging on aid to Ukraine, letting the rich nations suicidally monopolizing vaccines so variants and sub-variants proliferate, and where's Dems or Repubs!?!? Where's Petra Kelly's "big tent" Green Party? -- maybe it's the Forward Party ????
BTW I'm well into your book now (The End of Nature 1989) – I'm so ashamed I needed this long to get to it!! – and there are some parts in there that turned out to be very very weighty,. Although, civilized people being what they are, I'm assuming that especially these sections that don't deal with the science were largely ignored, sadly.
Your glance backward in time, makes me recall McKibben's strong moments as brave advocate for smaller world population -- the sort of issue that could get you killed by a mob in Pakistan and other volatile traditionalist/tribalist scenes. I wonder if Cici's dictatorship does or doesn't give modernized protection from medieval-style villagers in their age-old witch-hunt mobs. As life-long free-thinking dissident type, I'm glad I've avoided living in a place with deadly choice between dictator or the mobs.
Hard to see where you're going with this Richard, at least for me. But I've been out of the loop for a while so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I do not like dictators or mobs either but that doesn't make my comments any less true. McKibben wrote in the book that he fears people will soon look to making Nature adapt to solve the world's (climate) problems, and this behavior is what got us in this mess in the first place. We are not above Nature, nor are we above anything, and until we recognize this nothing will change for the better.
Great that you are trying the mental walk along the cliff edge of balancing priorities of good mindsets -- anti-dictator, anti-mob, anti-ecocide. Here's another weight to somehow carry along the cliff edge -- be against "VICTIM-SACRIFICE" patterns, a concept flickering thru my mind about 70 years since learning about the Aztec horrors. Concept becomes less a dim shadow when I see Afghans viciously abandoned and the defense aid to Ukraine always "slow-walked" and the vaccines monopolized by the rich (so-called "advanced") nations, etc.
I decided years ago the NYT was garbage, after refusing to call torture torture during the Bush regime, and then actively working to get Trump elected in 2016. It's a useless newspaper.
Bill, you are so right about the Times coverage. The Guardian was much worse - steadily beating the drum about Biden's low approval ratings, about dissention within the Democratic party, using imagery like wheels falling off, etc., etc. Truly abysmal. Michael Moore was much more on point, with a few caveats. Lula's win in Brazil was truly a victory for the planet. Things could be a hell of a lot worse right now. Also good that inflation numbers ticked down a bit - dastardly Repugs were using inflation like a cudgel in their misinformation campaigns, More important, the Fed should pause rate increases to see what the impacts of their many drastic rate increases turn out to be - there's always a time lag. Robert Reich has been so effective and energetic - Warren as well - calling out corporations for doing what you would expect them to do in an Oligarchy with cartels in all major industries - exacerbate inflation to their hearts' content, raising prices far beyond any higher costs they've incurred. The capitalist bible says: fair to charge whatever markets will bear. When there are cartels in industry, due to absence of effective regulation, these supposed principles of capitalism just funnel more money from the 99% to the 1%
Just wanted to add more good news from tiny Benicia, CA in the heart of very conservative Solano County! Valero Oil has a very large refinery here and has been spending BIG$$ on very deceptive advertising to get their chosen City Council candidates elected on Tuesday. There are two Council positions open AND it looks very likely that not one, but both of Valero's chosen are going to lose. THAT would be very good news indeed! And very encouraging to "anyone possessing either a brain or heart". ;-) 💜
Thank you for this, Bill...so important to highlight and celebrate successes to temper the long-term fatigue so many of us feel in the fight!
Rejoicing here in Michigan for the many wins for climate champions and defenders of the democratic system. Proud that Michigan is demonstrating what can be accomplished through fair redistricting.
Love the picture !
We the rational, must begin to realize the reality we we must make in ourselves. The transition from adversarial to egalitarian relations ( One People/ One Planet) : Economically this means from Central Bank System: BIS etc. using Fiat currency in a fractional Reserve monetary system to Electronic Exchange ( IRTA.com) which is currency directly backed by Productivity ie: Foods and Services. This makes money only an exchange NOT power as it is in Industrial Civilization: a transition to this is the key to a new civilization ( new values and technology) . Please see IRTA.com and Limits to Growth: MIT on YouTube
Fascinating -- but will I and other average non-mathematical minds be able to comprehend? I recall Bertrand Russell saying Marx was simply mistaken with his "Labor Theory Of Value", I see Henry George's "Single Tax" looks destructive to planet environment, and Malthus's math missed the basic reality of what he was warning about. My non-math brain says just do price controls, gasoline rationing, 55 mph speed limit, plus a world multi Berlin Airlift system to save stuff now.
Things definitely came out better than they might’ve been. I think the Democrats have to make climate the campaign issue moving forward since enough people get it now. Thanks for your smart words.
I wrote-in Jay Inslee on my 2020 ballot -- can't shake the feeling that I'm a lone dissident, and will continue to be, if the disrupted climate of Earth suddenly gives us a break from superstorms and shortages and Putin's weird war. Both major parties and probably a majority of Earth's masses just accept abandoning the Afghans, foot-dragging on aid to Ukraine, letting the rich nations suicidally monopolizing vaccines so variants and sub-variants proliferate, and where's Dems or Repubs!?!? Where's Petra Kelly's "big tent" Green Party? -- maybe it's the Forward Party ????
I find it heartening to read this information, and almost impossible to view with a cold, sober eye. But this is civilization we're talking about and it's time to get real, so: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6996265078903734272/?origin=SHARED_BY_YOUR_NETWORK.
BTW I'm well into your book now (The End of Nature 1989) – I'm so ashamed I needed this long to get to it!! – and there are some parts in there that turned out to be very very weighty,. Although, civilized people being what they are, I'm assuming that especially these sections that don't deal with the science were largely ignored, sadly.
Your glance backward in time, makes me recall McKibben's strong moments as brave advocate for smaller world population -- the sort of issue that could get you killed by a mob in Pakistan and other volatile traditionalist/tribalist scenes. I wonder if Cici's dictatorship does or doesn't give modernized protection from medieval-style villagers in their age-old witch-hunt mobs. As life-long free-thinking dissident type, I'm glad I've avoided living in a place with deadly choice between dictator or the mobs.
Hard to see where you're going with this Richard, at least for me. But I've been out of the loop for a while so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I do not like dictators or mobs either but that doesn't make my comments any less true. McKibben wrote in the book that he fears people will soon look to making Nature adapt to solve the world's (climate) problems, and this behavior is what got us in this mess in the first place. We are not above Nature, nor are we above anything, and until we recognize this nothing will change for the better.
Great that you are trying the mental walk along the cliff edge of balancing priorities of good mindsets -- anti-dictator, anti-mob, anti-ecocide. Here's another weight to somehow carry along the cliff edge -- be against "VICTIM-SACRIFICE" patterns, a concept flickering thru my mind about 70 years since learning about the Aztec horrors. Concept becomes less a dim shadow when I see Afghans viciously abandoned and the defense aid to Ukraine always "slow-walked" and the vaccines monopolized by the rich (so-called "advanced") nations, etc.
No wonder I don't read the NY Times. Sunday paper good wood fire starter, last all week. Thomas.
I decided years ago the NYT was garbage, after refusing to call torture torture during the Bush regime, and then actively working to get Trump elected in 2016. It's a useless newspaper.