Can we still see the Star?

Merry Christmas!

Partisans and Patriots

Yesterday was December 7. It was a day that many older Americans remember and many younger ones should learn about. Some may feel it was a more innocent time, where events were black and white, where Americans could stand up as one people and respond to an attack on their country with one voice.

In case many of you have missed it, there is currently just as serious an attack on the future of our democracy. It was one that was envisioned by those who created the United States of America. This isn't about party affiliation, or shouldn't be. This is about standing up as one people and doing what is right. Even if it means standing against those in our country who seek to tear it apart for their own agenda.

Partisans or Patriots? Listen and you shall hear.

More from Less

Yes, it's time for another book. I will state up front that I have not read this book...yet. It just came to my attention today. However, it's subject matter deserves delving into. For it deals partly with an issue that has been brought up in the comments section in the past, the effects of population growth. As so many have assumed, me included, the effects of a rise in population on our planetary resources could only lead to their depletion. But as some have suggested there may be technological, and other advances, that have just the opposite effect. This book sheds light on that argument. The book is:

More from Less - by Andrew McAfee

Without further introduction I will let Andrew McAfee explain:

I think it important to emphasize the last point that McAfee makes about the involvement of good government. None of this would have occurred if it weren't for smart policy decisions by past governments. And we are now in danger of undoing some of that good,

Why I Left a Cult

Does any of this sound familiar?

Does anyone she describes sound familiar?  Sometimes even the most intelligent of person can be deceived... 

Born to Walk Alone

As many of you already know President Donald Trump recently ordered all of our troops to withdraw from northern Syria, effectively abandoning our Kurdish allies who have been so instrumental in our fight against ISIS. The Kurds are no stranger to betrayal, but this is not what America stands for. Or at least it shouldn't be.

Senator Mitt Romney recently spoke about this on the floor of the Senate.

He is not the only person questioning this policy of Donald Trump. The Kurds are not just allies of the US but friends to many of our military personnel. Many are not happy with what they perceive as a dishonorable betrayal.

One military wife penned an open letter to the Kurds.

Open letter to the Kurds

But this has not been Donald Trump's only betrayal. His actions in putting his own political and financial well being before the good of America have betrayed his oath of office to uphold and protect the Constitution. Perhaps what is even worse is that so many Americans either do not understand or actually support what he is doing. To deliberately undermine the dream that our country was built on is their own betrayal.

Recently, retired General James Mattis spoke at an event. I had only heard the clip of one of his jokes and hadn't listened to the full video until a friend sent me a copy. He said that it might be a good idea for all of us to listen. I did, and he was right.

Take a few minutes and listen to what James Mattis has to say.

The full quote by Abraham Lincoln:

“Let every American, every lover of liberty, every well wisher to his posterity, swear by the blood of the Revolution, never to violate in the least particular, the laws of the country; and never to tolerate their violation by others. As the patriots of seventy-six did to the support of the Declaration of Independence, so to the support of the Constitution and Laws, let every American pledge his life, his property, and his sacred honor;--let every man remember that to violate the law, is to trample on the blood of his father, and to tear the character of his own, and his children's liberty. “

Music Montage II

It's Saturday night and I feel like a little music. How about you? Let's see what I have up my sleeve...

Have you ever felt you made a mistake that led to some unintended consequences?

How about a story from long ago?

Or a reminder of what is really important?

Sage advice for someone?

Maybe we should have more faith?

At a Crossroads

Climate change protests, an impeachment inquiry and a court ruling judging a Prime Minister's actions illegal. All events unfolding in the past few weeks that may seem to be unrelated, but on closer inspection they are all bringing to a head issues that will have an enormous impact on the world's future.

Greta Thunberg, whom I never tire listening to, at an awards acceptance speech again points out the need for our action. She has been pivotal in inspiring the many climate change protests that have taken place over the past few Fridays.

As Greta said the solution to climate change will not be found in today's politics. Because today's politics, at least in the United States, is about furthering the influence, power and monetary advantages of a few select groups of people who have rallied behind a man who uses his office to enrich them and himself. But perhaps the people have had enough, we will see.

When a snatch and grab for power by a would be strongman was upended by the rule of law, a court ruling in the UK may remind us all what a true balance of power means.

Perhaps Michael said it best so many years ago.

Climate change is real. It is the words and actions of some politicians that are the hoax.

Rebirth

No, on this anniversary of 9/11 I am not going to do a traditional commemorative post. Instead I am going to discuss how we can make a difference to our futures. Because I can't think of a better way to honor those who fought so hard for life on that fateful day 18 years ago then for us to fight for our lives on this planet.

I know that the thought of extreme climate change can be overwhelming, that it might be easy to give up before we have even started to fight back. But this is the planet's 9/11 and we can do no less than those who lived and died on that day.

While we talk about alternative fuels being of importance to this fight we seem to have forgotten other possibilities. In this first video I would like to show you that even just one person can make a huge difference to his environment.

Now this next video may seem to be counter intuitive, but hear him through. There are so many things in the natural world that are interconnected that removing or adding something has an effect on the environment as whole. Trying to mimic nature may help to return things to the original balance, which may help with climate change.

Sometimes thinking outside the box isn't such a bad thing.

Something Different

Why does someone pick up a gun, walk into a movie theater, a cafe, or any other place with a large gathering of people with the intent to kill as many people as they can? It's a question that is asked after every new mass shooting. In some cases the shooters were bullied in school, in others the shooters are following a hateful ideology of a group they identify with, or there has been some traumatic incident in their lives that have pushed them over the edge.

Why do people join a group like ISIS? In some cases they are following what they perceive is a greater cause than themselves. But it is more than that, as they are quite ready to use violence against innocent people to achieve it, "infidel" or Muslim.

Why is there an addiction crisis, whether to drugs or alcohol? This doesn't just affect those who have experienced a serious medical event, but also those who have experienced a serious mental one.

There may be an underlying connection. Something that is driving people to act out in ways that are not just self destroying but harmful to others.

While the vast majority of people do not act out in the ways mentioned above, there are still those who may suffer the same malady in silence. I suspect the correlation between the above behaviors is loneliness. For many the antidote is to find a place they belong, not always wisely, or to self medicate. I know it may seem simplistic, but loneliness is a huge problem. More so than we may realize. Remember all of those virgins offered to the ISIS fighters?

What is the antidote to loneliness?

So how did one of the happiest countries in the world get that way?  (This video was recorded when they ranked number one, in 2019 they were number two.  Finland displaced them.) 

I'm guessing that the United States could learn a thing or two from them.  No, I didn't put that video up just to spite you know who...who shall remain nameless in this post. 

Carrying Capacity

I am reading a book, no surprise there. The book is “The Uninhabitable Earth”, by David Wallace-Wells, a columnist at New York magazine. As the title suggests it is about what the effects of climate change could mean for us. I say “could” because despite the fact that the book is rather alarming reading there is still the possibility that we can affect how the end of this story turns out.

The Guardian had a nice review:

The Uninhabitable Earth

One of the issues Mr. Wallace-Wells touches upon is hunger. As our climate changes we will find that our ability to feed ourselves will be impaired due to the effects of things like drought. While many of the world's breadbasket areas will be affected detrimentally northern areas in Canada and Russia will see temperatures more conducive to growing crops, The catch, though, is that this land is not as fertile. So the yields will not be as high. Then, of course, there is the rather unnerving possibility of having to look to Russia for food. But that is a subject for a different kind of post.

So, even as our population grows our ability to increase our food supply may very well be limited by climate change.

How many people can Earth support? This video was made in 2015 and at that time the world's population was estimated at 7.2 billion. Today in 2019 the estimate is 7.7 billion. In 2050 the estimated world population will be 9.7 billion.  While his numbers may be questionable it is still an interesting overview.

The Bigger Picture

There were any number of current events I could post about this week; Donald Trump and his latest obnoxious, ill informed tweeting, Iran and it's snatching of oil tankers in a bid for attention, the horrifying story of a man granted temporary admittance to the United States only to say a final farewell to his dying daughter.

But I thought it might be time to remind people, again, of how fragile our life on this planet is. Instead of the constant fighting and sowing of hatred we should be taking each day as a blessing and working together, because we really don't know what the future will hold for our civilization.

I ran across this Ted talk given by Stephen Patranek. He did this one a number of years ago, but what's rather interesting is how some of this may be more of a danger now. I wonder if he would change the order of his list.

Anyway, here is his talk on “The 8 Ways the World Could End”. If you've got a rainy day, like I have, settle in and maybe rethink what is really important in your life.

Oh, one more thing...

Imagination

Once upon a time in a long ago land a group of people dared to imagine a world where everyone had the freedom to live their lives as they chose. It was one of the most significant and creative endeavors ever attempted.  It is still a work in progress today.

While we argue among ourselves and focus on our divisions we miss the whole point of that endeavor, which was to create a better world for ourselves and those who would join us, either as new citizens of our country, or as representatives of a democratic set of ideals in their home countries.

It was to create hope for a world that was in many places shrouded in darkness.

In 2008 J.K. Rowling gave the commencement address at Harvard. Her words are a reminder of the power that is within all of us, if we only imagine.

Happy 4^th of July everyone!

Us

Just a few days ago we marked the anniversary of D-Day. We fought for something then, something that was bigger than any of us, the right of everyone to live free of persecution because of who they were.

Then recently there was a mass protest in Hong Kong against what people there perceive as China's erosion of their political freedoms. They too were trying to fight for something bigger than themselves.

Striving, struggling, and fighting to make this world a better place was who we were. We didn't become a great country just because our economy was large, it was because we cared enough to fight for those less fortunate, even if it meant we fought ourselves. We would have been on the side of those protesters in Hong Kong, just like we would have helped the people who made their way to our shores.

The young woman in this video clip said she would have been a different person if she had stayed in Syria, she would have been a different person if she had been born here. It was because of the hurdles she overcame to get here and the struggle to adjust to life in America that she became the strong,  confident young woman who now has dreams she never envisioned before.  We should be proud to call her one of us.

Donald Trump and his followers are not who we are. They are an aberration that must and will pass. I believe, as one of my favorite singers says, in us.

Track of the Bear

I'm reading a book written by Malcolm Nance, “The Plot to Destroy Democracy”. I know, the title seems a little hyperbolic. But I thought I would give it a chance given the events surrounding, and the result of, our 2016 presidential election. I am only a short way into it so won't give it either an up or down review. So far it is readable and the case he makes is interesting. But the reason I bring it up is because of a newspaper article that I just read in my paper today. It was another instance where Russia seemed to be a player in some way, shape or from in the events that transpired.

The article was regarding the resignation of Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, a far-right leader who was filmed in 2017 promising government contracts to a woman claiming to be the niece of a Russian oligarch. Strache was known for his derogatory attitude toward the press and his admiration for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's success at curtailing freedom of the press in that country. The article I read was from The New York Times. But as they want you to subscribe I will post a BBC article.

Austrian Vice-Chancellor Resigns

Germany's DW has a portion of the video here:

If I had only read the article, and wasn't reading the book, I probably would have shrugged this off as just another corruption scandal. Or just another sign of the inroads the extreme far right have made in Europe, just as they have in America.

Then I heard that Trump just welcomed Orban to the White House.

While I wouldn't go so far as to say that Russia has orchestrated all of this there seems to be a collection of useful fools type of scenario taking place with events moving in a positive spin for that country. But then I haven't finished the book yet, it may present a substantial case for bear tracks.

Will People Listen?

I know this year I have focused many of my posts on climate change or its effects.  Perhaps that's because it has become very apparent that it is not a far danger, but a near one.  It is not only a danger to those on the coasts but to every one of us.  Even on the surface for those a warming planet may have advantages for there are problems that will arise.

This video was from a couple of years ago but is a nice question and answer session from our friends in Canada.

Like the earlier video I posted about the flooding in the mid western section of my country, this video focuses on extremes in other areas of the world that point to a rapidly changing environment, which will lead to continuing migrations of people.  It is a full length documentary from Deutsche Welle, a German broadcaster.

As before, I feel the need to add a video on other aspects of our changing world.  This highlights our poor stewardship of this planet and its effects on other inhabitants, even down to the smallest.  They are not an afterthought and their "vanishing" will have far reaching consequences for all.

So I ask, will anyone listen?

A Tale of Two Americas

This was recorded in 2015, describing events that took place shortly after 9/11, but it has relevance today.  What we are seeing in our partisanship and our division, even the election of Donald Trump as president, is a direct result of the fractures described in this talk.

Take a moment to listen.

And, yes, I understand that since the advent of Donald Trump's administration the chances for immigrants have lessened, but that will not help those who live in that other America, the one where chances are slim.  That is not the solution.

A short excerpt of an interview with Anand Giridharadas on Bloomberg.  They kind of cut it off at the end, but he gets his opinion across as to the reason we are where we are, both here and across the pond with Brexit.  And perhaps the current protests in France today.

The Face of Climate Change

You've heard the statistics, the warnings, but what does it mean to us? Really. People can talk all they want, but it seems a distant threat, not a clear and present danger. Or so people may think.

This winter for the first time I had my roof shoveled off. Oh sure, we've always used the snow rake to try to clear some off the edges, even though we've never had problems with ice dams. But this year seemed different. The snow was deep, very deep, all the way to the edges of my roof. So during one snow storm when someone drove by offering to shovel off my roof I took him up on his offer. You see, we were on track for another storm the next weekend, with the heavy wet stuff. I was actually concerned about the weight on the roof, even though everyone says that trusses can hold a lot of weight. The result was huge piles of snow, not just along my driveway from snow blowing, but also around my house. It almost looked like an igloo. This was a winter that was unusual in the current scheme of things, not just for precipitation, but for temperatures. I don't ever remember another winter where we had snow every other day for a long stretch, which is what we were seeing.

So what happens when all of that snow melts, which it has been doing? The ground is still frozen so it runs into the rivers. Yes, we have always been at risk of spring flooding. But obviously the more snow we have the more runoff. It's not just Minnesota that is at risk.

When the talk revolves around the details of climate change it's hard sometimes to picture what it will look like.

I spoke to someone this weekend who mentioned the large amount of flooding happening in Nebraska.

So I have today some pictures...

predictions...

and what some climate scientists have been thinking about their region of the world and their future...

In that last video the temperature in her home is referenced as 39C.  This translates to 102F.

It's not just that sea levels will rise or that global temperature is rising, it is what that will result in that is of major concern for our future life on this planet.  The pictures out of Nebraska should be a warning. 

A Choice

There was murder done in New Zealand. A man took a gun and shot and killed, as of this writing, 49 people. They were worshipers at two mosques, people who were simply going about their rituals of worship. He did not know these people, only that they were different from him. It was an act of hate and fear, and ultimately, cowardice. And it was wrong.

There are those who believe that white nationalism is of no threat. That's its beliefs are of no danger. But it is ultimately a belief system based on hate. It twists facts to lure in those who do not look too closely at the veracity of those facts. Its hate is no different than that espoused by those who are called Islamic fundamentalists.

Today I have another book recommendation for you. The book is “Rising Out of Hatred” by Eli Saslow. It tells the story of Derek Black, son of the former Klan leader and founder of the website Stormfront, Don Black. Derek was raised in a white nationalist household and home schooled from the fourth grade on, until he went to New College of Florida. Among other things he believed in overturning the Fourteenth Amendment which granted the right to birthright citizenship and reinstating a European-only immigration system. His method? Somehow pack the Supreme Court with justices who would support this. The book chronicles his journey of awakening to a world that shook the beliefs he was raised on. When Mr. Saslow first approached him he really wasn't interested in speaking out, he just wanted to put his past behind him. But he changed his mind after he realized that some of the very things he had argued for during his time as a white nationalist, which he now disagreed with, were becoming more mainstream.  He felt a responsibility.

He has chosen to speak out.

800 Pound Gorilla

You know, the one sitting in the corner of the room? That 800 lb gorilla. The one who is waiting for just the right, or wrong, moment to fall? In this case it's China. A couple weeks ago, before I got sidetracked with snow issues, I decided to look again at China's economy, as we are so closely linked.   Coincidentally a friend was also doing the same thing.  And, of course, with this trade war we have going on it seemed a good time to do so. When thinking of China people tend to immediately think of their manufacturing capability and how it affects us. But they have an Achilles heel. Something that does not bode well for their future prosperity. Something that is causing a huge property bubble that is slowly deflating.

First lets look at the surface:

Now lets look at the cause, or their Achilles heel:

So you have many people investing in real estate, so much of which is sitting empty. Now lets look at some of that investment real estate. Hat tip to a friend for this video.

And another tour:

Is the bubble bursting? There are those that think so. Again a hat tip to a friend for this link.

The pitiful state of the Chinese economy

So what will be the fallout if China tanks? Are we ready?

Whose Future is it?

The last post was foreshadowing a future that could mean massive destruction for life on this planet as we know it. Depressing, I know, so this post is looking at some of the advances, or missteps, that human civilization is embarking on even while the change in our climate may make some of them impossible or irrelevant.

I ran across some rather interesting predictions for major stories put forth by The Economist back in December 2018 for 2019 and beyond. From advances in technology that have wide ranging applications to political upheaval in the West they are snippets of events that will affect all of us. In the case of Trump they already are. The massive airport hubs in China, and another rather surprising country, will impact not just air travel but climate change. The realization in Japan that they can't sustain their lifestyle when most of their population is aging rapidly and the supply of workers is dwindling has implications for other countries who will find themselves in the same boat. Japan's solution may surprise some of us. And the moon? Yes, it looms over all of us.

So if you are sitting inside on another snowy day, like I am, and have some time to while away, here are the videos of our future... maybe sort of. Yes, I will always qualify that because one doesn't really know what the future holds.

Part 1:

Part 2:

" I don't want your hope..."

I mentioned her in passing before in the comments section, the girl from Sweden. I think it is about time I gave her another venue, even one as small as mine, to express her thoughts. Because her thoughts should be ours.

I also mentioned before the idea that we are in a period of mass extinction, as did Greta in her talk. This second video examines a world of declining insect populations. You may have heard of the concern about bee populations declining. They aren't the only ones. And, yes, it does matter. That is, if you are fond of food.

Take a moment and listen...

Treason

Espionage, they call it the second oldest profession in the world. And I suspect that, like the first, it will never go away. Spying for one's country is one thing, but spying for a foreign power against one's country is another. It's called treason, and would be considered a high crime or misdemeanor. Don't ask me why that phrase popped into my head. I have an interesting, and rather depressing I would say, video today from the History channel about some famous spies who betrayed America. It is worth watching, though, to remind us of what it looks like and how it can happen.

One of the common denominators in all of those cases was that so many people really didn't believe that the guilty person would have done what they did, or that it could happen at that level of government. But greed, for one thing, is a huge motivating factor. The video is long, but never boring.

A Slice of Minnesota

I thought it might be time for another post on my fair state. As many of you know we can get, ummm, rather cold in the winter. This has led to some rather unusual ways of dealing with our propensity to hibernate until spring. It has become a tradition to brave the elements on New Year's Day by jumping into what is really, literally, ice cold water. We call it the Polar Plunge. I know, some might find it, well, odd, but you just gotta think outside the box.

I ran across a video from this year's plunge on Lake Minnetonka. It does appear that we have dragged some poor, innocent visitors from foreign lands into our crazy world. But they took it in stride and with good humor.

I must say that some of those people can swim quite quickly.

Happy New Year Everyone!