Month: August 2024

Why “Missionary”?

It is a Summer Sunday and I have tale to tell….and of course a bit of history to brighten your day.

My readers know that I try to explain the mundane….the stuff that few actually think about so I do it for them.

This post begins with me and one of my sessions where I was reading and writing for about 5 hours…..finally about 4 in the morning my eyes were tired and burning so I decided to give them a break….in the background as usual the TV was on some weird ass show (it is on for company not entertainment) and I decided to put my feet up and close my eyes to help them relax….well that eye closure resulted in about a 35 minute snooze and when I awoke there was some cheesy movie on and two guys (bad actors) were arguing about sexual positions….one was sure the best was “Doggie” and the other was arguing that ‘Missionary” was the best….after about 5 minutes of that torture my brain kicked in….I understand the ‘Doggie” thing but where did the “Missionary” originate?

Sue has always said that I need to give my brain a break…..but that seems like a monumental task……but back to the tale…..I decided that as an FYI I would explain the term and educate my readers and hopefully entertain as well….

The term “missionary position” is an anthropological enigma. The most prominent explanation is that it has something to do with prudish Christian missionaries. However, that seems to be a big misunderstanding tied back to one of the most famous sexologists of the 20th century, Alfred Kinsey.

For the uninitiated, the missionary position is a sex position in which the female lies on her back with the male on top, facing one another. 

Other cultures have a variety of inventive terms for this sexual stance. Some Arabic speakers refer to it as “the manner of serpents” while in Brazilian Portuguese, it’s colloquially called posição papai e mamae (literally “daddy and mommy position”). The term missionary position has since been transplanted into other languages, including French (position du missionnaire) and German (Missionarsstellung).

Countless anthropological studies suggest the term “missionary position” relates to the coital pose favored by Christian missionaries in the early modern era. So the story goes, the position was seen as more “decent” compared to more “animalistic” positions. When the missionaries made their unwelcome arrival to distant lands in the colonial era, they attempted to teach Indigenous peoples to have sex in this more righteous and Christian way. 

This retelling of the story appears to stem from the 1948 book Sexual Behavior in the Human Male by Alfred Kinsey, in which he tried to show that the missionary position was not perceived as the default position in most other cultures. 

https://www.iflscience.com/why-is-missionary-position-called-that-its-origin-story-is-a-myth-74860

Now you know and your day will be so much brighter for it.

You know maybe Sue is on to something.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

IST Saturday News Dump–24Aug24

Another Summer Saturday and another ‘Dump’ to entertain those willing to show up on this day….and thank you for doing so.

Locally….It’s Hot!

Let’s begin today’s “Dump’ with health news….

My state of Mississippi leads the nation in new cases of various STDs….now there is a breakthrough on one of the more lasting ones….

With syphilis cases surging in the US, the FDA has approved what it sees as a potential tool to help keep the numbers in check—the first at-home test. The kit made by NowDiagnostics allows people to test themselves for the STD using a drop of blood from their finger with results ready in about 15 minutes, reports the Washington Post. However, the FDA cautions that a positive test “should be followed by additional laboratory testing through a health care provider to confirm a diagnosis,” in a release. The $30 tests are expected to be widely available in pharmacies and elsewhere in September.

The idea is to get far more people screened for the bacterial infection, including those who might be leery of seeing their own doctor about it, says the FDA’s Michelle Tarver, per Reuters. Syphilis can be cured with antibiotics if caught early, but it can be fatal if left untreated. The number of cases in the US surged by about 80% from 2018 to 2022, with more than 200,000 cases reported in the latter year, according to the CDC. The increase (183%) is even larger for congenital cases, meaning infections passed from pregnant mothers to their newborns.

We have heard the stories of the microplastics and our bodies, right?  Well there is more info….

Tiny plastic fragments have been found in human brains, lungs, livers, kidneys, placentas, testicles, knee and elbow joints, and even blood vessels and bone marrow, highlighting the huge problem of plastic pollution. Now, a new study has some microplastics researchers demanding “a global emergency” be declared in response. The research posted online by the National Institutes of Health looked at livers, kidneys, and brains collected from bodies autopsied in 2016 and 2024. Microplastics or smaller fragments known as nanoplastics were found in every single organ. But the study describes the brain as “one of the most plastic-polluted tissues yet sampled,” per the Guardian.

“The 91 brain samples contained on average about 10 to 20 times more than the other organs,” according to the outlet. “All organs exhibited significant increases from 2016 to 2024,” per the pre-print study now undergoing peer review. And it notes the two dozen brain samples collected in 2024 contained 0.5% plastic by weight. “It’s pretty alarming,” says lead author Matthew Campen, a toxicologist at the University of New Mexico. “There’s much more plastic in our brains than I ever would have imagined or been comfortable with.” Sedat Gündogdu, a microplastics researcher at Turkey’s Cukurova University, says the results show “it is now imperative to declare a global emergency” to deal with plastic pollution.

Dr. Marcus Garcia, a microplastics researcher at the University of New Mexico, says “humans consume about five grams of microplastics per week, the equivalent of a credit card,” per the Toronto Star. With “almost everything that we consume, there’s some type of microplastics present.” Animal studies have linked microplastics to cancers, immune system disruptions, impaired learning and memory, and fertility problems. Researchers are just beginning to explore how microplastics affect the human body, but early research suggests increased risks of cardiovascular disease. As more plastic is produced and more breaks down in landfills, researchers say the problem will get worse without intervention.

Now for my favorite subject….FOOD!

Do you like bananas?

The bright bananas dotting your fruit bowl are in some serious trouble. A popular type of banana is facing extinction from a fungal pathogen. The disease Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB) blocks the flow of nutrients to the fruit and makes it wilt. During the 1950s, the pathogen wiped out commercial banana crops and made one species–Gros Michel bananas–functionally extinct.

The crop failures are due to a fungal pathogen with a very long name–Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. Cubense (Foc) tropical race 4 (TR4). Abbreviated as Foc TR4, this fungus decimated several banana crops in the 1950s and wiped out one entire species, but bananas aren’t the only plants at risk.

“As a species complex, Fusarium oxysporum can infect over 100 different plant hosts,” study co-author and University of Massachusetts Amherst molecular biologist Li-Jun Ma tells Popular Science.”

https://www.popsci.com/environment/bananas-extinction/

Damn!  There goes my banana pudding.

Which is healthier salad or sandwich?

When it comes to healthy eating choices, many Americans instinctively turn to a salad, believing this to be a superior pick over a sandwich.

That might not be the case, say food experts.

“When asked whether a sandwich or a salad is a healthier choice, most people will no doubt answer with salad,” said Vanessa Imus, MS, RDN, a food expert with Integrated Nutrition for Weight Loss in Bothell, Washington.

“In reality, both can be healthy or unhealthy depending on the ingredients,” she said.

“You’ll want to make sure your sandwich includes veggies, high-fiber bread, healthy fats and high fiber whole grain bread,” Imus told Fox News Digital.

“Try to avoid sandwiches that contain high-fat processed meats and excessive cheese or heavy creamy sauces.”

Here’s more about why salads aren’t always the better option, how sandwiches can sometimes be healthier — and how to make informed choices for a balanced diet.

https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/salad-always-better-choice-sandwich-think-twice

Just in case you were having a hard time deciding on your next lunch.

Ever hear the term ‘nightsoil’?

No?

Would you eat potatoes grown in human poo? And how would you feel if the marigolds in your local park sprouted from human manure? In the midst of climate crisis, human manure offers significant environmental benefits. But can we overcome the “yuck factor” to embrace this sustainable solution?

The climate crisis has us rethinking everything, including how we grow our food and maintain our parks. Traditional fertilizers, both animal-based and synthetic, have hefty environmental costs.

Nitrate pollution from animal can have various consequences, from excessive growth of algae to a condition called blue baby syndrome. The manufacture of synthetic fertilizers is so energy-intensive that their production accounts for up to 2% of global energy consumption and about 1.4% of global CO₂ emissions.

These fertilizers are also becoming increasingly expensive, meaning there’s even more incentive to find alternatives.

So, what if there was a way to turn one of our biggest waste products—human excreta—into a sustainable, low-impact fertilizer?

It’s not as outlandish as it sounds. For centuries, societies across the world relied on human waste, often referred to as “nightsoil,” to fertilize their crops. With the advent of modern sanitation systems, that idea has been flushed away.

https://phys.org/news/2024-08-human-manure-nightsoil-great-crop.html

Now I know someone has got something to say about this!

The US has the lowest life expectation of its peers….what to do?

The US has the lowest life expectancy of high-income English-speaking nations, while Australia continues to lead the pack with the highest. Poverty and poor health are big influences on the differing outcomes, but a major factor is also the number of young Americans dying from drug abuse, car accidents, and guns, researchers say.

Researchers from the University of Southern California and Pennsylvania State University compared life expectancy in six Anglophone countries – the US, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand – between 1990 and 2019.

They broke down the data by sex, age, and 18 causes of death categories, including a range of diseases plus “preventable deaths” like accidents and overdoses.

Australia has led the English-speaking world in life expectancy for the last three decades and these findings suggest they’re still top of the class. As per the recent findings, life expectancy for men in Australia, the best-performing country, was 4.75 years higher than in the US, the worst-performing country.

https://www.iflscience.com/the-usa-has-lowest-life-expectancy-of-its-rich-english-speaking-peers-75580

A new frontier for the greedy…..and the possibility of the making of a new race for space.

Asteroid-mining startup AstroForge plans to make history next year.

The California company announced Tuesday (Aug. 20) that it aims to launch its third mission in 2025, as a ridealong on Houston company Intuitive Machines‘ IM-3 moon mission. That launch will send AstroForge’s 440-pound (200 kilograms) Vestri probe to dock with a metallic near-Earth asteroid — an unprecedented leap for a commercial spacecraft.

“If successful, this mission will be the first private mission to land on another body outside of our Earth-moon system and will move us closer to realizing our mission of making off-world resources accessible to all humankind,” AstroForge wrote in an update Tuesday.

That same update revealed that AstroForge has raised $40 million more from investors, bringing its total funding haul to date to $55 million.

https://www.space.com/asteroid-mining-astroforge-docking-mission-2025

Hurry get in on the ground floor.

That is about as much as anyone can take….so I shall wish everyone a great Saturday and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

What Is The ‘Meat’ Of The Problem?

Has anyone bought a pound of ground beef lately?

If you have then you have noticed just how expensive even something as mundane as hamburger has become…..in my area that a pound of that cheap cut of meat is about $5 and it goes p from there.

There are plenty of cows for the industry then why is it so damn expensive?

Of course there are many reasons for the increases from food shortages for th animals to unjust pricing in the distribution….below is just none of the things that the government should be looking into….

A former grocery executive told a progressive media outlet in a video released Tuesday that “people fucking need to go to jail” over a long-running scheme in which dominant U.S. meat industry players have used information provided by a little-known data analytics company to increase prices and pad their bottom lines.

“This is probably one of the top five food scandals of the 21st Century, and we can’t underplay it,” said Errol Schweizer, the former vice president of Whole Foods’ grocery division. “People need to go to jail for this shit.”

Schweizer’s comments come at the start of a nine-minute video produced by More Perfect Union, which tells the story of how Indiana-based Agri Stats, the seemingly bland data firm, “built a network used by the nation’s largest meat companies,” including Tyson Foods, Hormel, and Cargill.

“Inside that network, America’s meat barons share secret data,” says More Perfect Union‘s Eric Gardner, the video’s narrator. “It’s alleged that Agri Stats organizes and then launders that information across the industry. Companies weaponize it, restricting output, manipulating the market, ultimately raising your prices.”

Watch the full video:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/meat-industry-price-gouging

The government, well the Senate, has proposed the Price Gouging Act of 2024…..

In response to the pervasive issue of skyrocketing prices on essential products, a group of US Senators, including Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman and Bob Casey, have taken a bold step by introducing the Price Gouging Act of 2024. This legislation, spearheaded by Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, aims to curb the practice of charging customers grossly excessive prices, particularly during periods of exceptional market shock.

The proposed bill demands transparency from public companies, requiring them to disclose any changes in pricing and provide a clear rationale for such changes in their Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings. Senator Fetterman emphasized the necessity of halting the exploitation of consumers, stating, “For too long, corporations have gotten away with jacking up prices to line their shareholders’ pockets with the hard-earned dollars of working Americans. This bill will put an end to that.”

One of the key focuses of the legislation is addressing the exploitation of crises, such as the ongoing pandemic, by certain corporations to bolster their profits unfairly. Moreover, provisions within the bill seek to safeguard small and local businesses that may be compelled to adjust prices in good faith.

US Senators Introduce Price Gouging Act of 2024 to Tackle Excessive Pricing

This is a valiant effort but I fear it has an uphill battle for success if that….At least they are trying to do something to help with these rising prices….but will it help?

Thoughts?

Let the weekend begin!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

2024 DNC Wrap Up

It’s over!

Last night was the closing night for the Dems and their convention (mercifully)…..and it is now official we have our Dem candidate and now the campaigns can begin in earnest…..

The bummer of the night for those in attendance was the rumor of an appearance by Beyonce was just that…. all smoke and manure…..

Harris made her acceptance speech and made promises that will be idle words come next January…..but do not let me pee on the parade…..you decide….

As Kamala Harris took the stage Thursday during the final night of the Democratic National Convention, the cheering went on for so long that Harris had to gently move things along, saying, “OK, we gotta get to some business.” The vice president started out by wishing her husband, Doug Emhoff, a happy 10th wedding anniversary, then moved on—as expected—to laying out her personal story and accomplishments. Then came the moment many had been waiting for:

  • “On behalf of the people. On behalf of every American regardless of party, race, gender, or the language your grandmother speaks. On behalf of my mother and everyone who has ever set off on their own unlikely journey. On behalf of Americans like the people I grew up with: people who work hard, chase their dreams, and look out for one another. On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on earth, I accept your nomination to be president of the United States of America.”

  • She went on to discuss what she sees as the “extremely serious” danger of putting Donald Trump, whom she called an “unserious man,” back in the White House. “Donald Trump tried to throw away your votes. When he failed, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol.” More quotes, per CNN and the AP:

  • Appeal to the other side of the aisle: “I know there are people of various political views watching tonight. And I want you to know: I promise to be a president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country above party and self.”
  • Campaign promises: Harris talked about strengthening the middle class and said her administration would create an “opportunity economy where everyone has a chance to compete and a chance to succeed.” She said she’d end America’s housing shortage and protect social security and Medicare.
  • On the erosion of reproductive rights: Speaking of Trump’s role in the end of Roe v. Wade and the further restrictions Republicans want to see placed on abortion, she said, “Simply put: They are out of their minds.”
  • On Israel and Gaza: She said she’d “always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself, and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on October 7.” But she also said the devastation and suffering in Gaza must end.
  • On border security: She said as president she’d get the bipartisan border bill, which she accused Trump of killing for political reasons, passed and signed into law. “I refuse to play politics with our security.”

And at the end the big finale….a huge balloon drop all 100,000 of them….yes I counted.

I wish something more interesting had occurred on the last night but it was pretty much the same as all conventions…..

We now have our two candidates and it is official…..let the dueling begin….all the jibes, accusations, insults and whining….

On to November!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

Democratic Convention–1964

As you are probably well aware the Democratic Convention is going strong in Chicago and by all accounts it is a huge success (the words of political analyst for the MSM not mine)….

But let us walk back 60 years to 1964 when there was a bit of an ugly incident. (That’s right yet another chance for me to inject some history into your dreary lives)

1964 I was entering into my junior year of high school and my Leftist leanings were becoming more pronounced.

These were the dark days of segregation in Mississippi and blacks were fighting for the rights….especially the right of voting.

Ever hear of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party?

The place is Atlantic City, New Jersey….

The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) was founded on April 26, 1964 as part of a voter registration project for African Americans in the state.  For over half a century Mississippi blacks had attempted to attend regular Democratic Party meetings and conventions but were continually denied entry.  They formed the MFDP, which welcomed both whites and blacks, to run several candidates for the Senate and Congressional elections on June 2, 1964.

Attempting to get members to join the MFDP angered most white Mississippians who often responded with violence.  During the Freedom Summer of 1964, three men, Michael H. Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney, who were associated with the MFDP, disappeared and were later found dead with fatal gunshot wounds.  The one African American man was beaten so badly for attempting to register to vote that his bones had been crushed.  This defiance by Mississippi’s white majority propelled the MFDP to get its delegates into the upcoming national convention to replace the “regular” Democrats.

The regular Democrats wanted to seat an all-white delegation at the 1964 National Democratic Convention which met in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  The MFDP protested.  Supporters of the MFDP came from all over the United States to support their protest.  Eventually a compromise proposal orchestrated by Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey offered the MFDP two non-voting seats next to the regular Mississippi delegates.  However, the MFDP refused the offer because it denied them any chance of voting on the floor of the convention.  MFDP leader Fannie Lou Hamer spoke before the convention rules committee explaining the position of the party and why the compromise offered was unacceptable.

While the MFDP ultimately failed in its goal of gaining seats at the Democratic National Convention, it was ultimately successful as its story in Atlantic City reminded the country of the ongoing battle Southern blacks faced in gaining full citizenship rights.  The Civil Rights Act of 1964, passed two months before the Convention, did not address the right to vote.  African Americans in Mississippi and across the nation vowed to continue to press for full voting rights.  The MFDP’s role in that struggle helped pave the way for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

(blackpast.org)

As per usual for the day racism and bias won out and the delegates were not seated and were treated with suspicion and hatred.

Members of the MFDP went to Atlantic City believing that their planned contest of the seats assigned to the state party had a reasonable chance of success. In reality, the MFDP leadership received an education on how politics at the national level operated. While a number of MFDP delegates sincerely believed that moral persuasion would lead the DNC to refuse the regular state party the state’s allotment of seats, President Johnson had his own agenda. Johnson, running without opposition for the nomination for president, wanted a smooth convention. He feared a southern walkout if the DNC seated the MFDP. Johnson ordered the FBI to wiretap the MFDP office, as well as the hotel rooms of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Bayard Rustin. Johnson knew the positions of civil rights groups and key leaders throughout the convention. He also threatened the patronage of those who might have been inclined to support the MFDP. In addition, he coerced Walter Reuther, the head of the United Auto Workers union, to threaten to cut off financial support to SNCC and the MFDP in Mississippi if the challenge was not withdrawn.

This threat did not alter the determination of the protestors. Before a televised hearing of the Credentials Committee, the deeply affecting testimony of Fannie Lou Hamer led Johnson to stage a news conference in an effort to stop public opinion from mounting to the point that he had to give seats to the MFDP. Johnson forced Hubert Humphrey to try to convince the challengers not to go forward. This was a test of Humphrey’s personal loyalty, and Johnson told him the vice presidential position on the ticket depended on how he handled the controversy. Humphrey offered the MFDP two seats representing the state of Mississippi, and the rest of the MFDP delegation were to be “honored guests” at the convention. The MFDP refused this offer, demanding at least the seats proportionate to the state’s blacks of voting age. Unwilling to compromise, the challengers got no seats, but they did manage to obtain the credentials of sympathetic delegates from states that disapproved of the regular Mississippi delegation. Several members of the MFDP staged a sit-in demonstration on the convention floor, but security guards quickly removed the protestors.

MFDP members left the convention embittered by their experience. Feeling betrayed by the actions of northern liberals and civil rights moderates such as King and Rustin who had supported the compromise option proposed by Humphrey, the MFDP and SNCC became more militant after the convention. The DNC did unseat the regular Mississippi Democrats in 1968 (as promised at the 1964 convention) when the state party persisted in denying access to blacks. As a consequence of this action, the Mississippi Democratic Party ended the discriminatory practices and customs it had used to exclude blacks from meaningful participation in party affairs.

(encyclopedia.com)

This was a valiant attempt to gain recognition but sadly the forces of racism won the day but that was short-lived….then came the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

There you have my little slice of history from my state of Mississippi.

Now as the Right attempts to limit and even stop some citizens from voting the valor of those people should be a beacon to not roll over and never play dead.

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Democrat Vs Republican

This is an age old debate….do we follow the ideas of the GOP or the Dems…..one makes you a ‘fascist’ and the other makes you a ‘socialist’…..and all that division is just the media ramping up the animosities to sell content.

I have been saying for years that there is not much difference between the two….different sides of the same coin type of thing.

Actually the voter when asked no matter the party had similar concerns….

A new study suggests that perceived political polarization in the USA is influenced by a focus on difference, rather than similarities.

In just over three months, US voters will be asked to choose their new President. For most, the question is binary: Democrat or Republican? At the time of writing only 20 percent of independent voters are reportedly still undecided about who they will vote for. It’s a choice that has come to polarize the American population. In 2019, eight in ten US adults saw the divisions between the parties increasing and expressed concern over this trend. The lines have been drawn, or so it seems. 

This is a story about how different ways of presenting the same data can strongly influence people’s opinions.

“There’s a general perception that Republican and Democratic voters are deeply divided but our new study suggests these differences of opinion between the two groups are greatly exaggerated and that the groups are actually very similar in the values they hold as important,” said author Dr Lukas Wolf from the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath in a statement.

In their study the team set out to investigate how presentation of similarity in values impacts voters’ perception of their differences. Dr Wolf believes that “Generally, the media and social scientists compare groups by describing differences, for example by using barplots, which ignore overlap and show exaggerated divisions in US society.”

The researchers used data from a previous study polling Democrats and Republicans on their values, and presented it to the participants in one of two ways. One group was shown the results as overlapping distributions, thereby highlighting the similarities. The other group was shown bar plots of the mean of the distributions, with the y-axis truncated to strongly emphasize the differences. 

The participants who were shown distributions felt that Democrats and Republicans were more similar, and had more similar values. Importantly, this “increased their sense of hope about the future and inspired trust in people they have seen as fundamentally different to them,” said Dr Wolf. Perceived similarities also increased their perceived potential for compromise.

https://www.iflscience.com/democrats-vs-republicans-not-so-different-after-all-75359

Truthfully the voters have similar concerns the problem with solving problems is rhetoric gets in the way of solutions.

Instead of looking at the similarities they, the voter, allows the rhetoric to rule the conversation and the election.  At this rate there will never be any solutions for the creeping problems of our society…..and compromise is a dirty word.

Way to go you dullards!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

1960s And Climate Change

Climate change is a big topic these days….on both sides of the aisle….the deniers and the worried.

The debate has been going on longer than most realize.  I was around for the first Earth Day and the whole environmental movement….back in those days people were more worried about air pollution aka smog than they were about the changes in the climate.

You guys know me I will take every opportunity given to inject some history into just about any conversation…..and this is a good one to do so….

The whole environmental debate has been going on as long as some have been alive.

To judge by recent Supreme Court decisions, the world didn’t know much about climate change a half century ago.

In 2007, when the court ruled that the Clean Air Act of 1970 gave the Environmental Protection Agency the flexibility to regulate carbon dioxide emissions, former Justice John Paul Stevens wrote, “When Congress enacted these provisions, the study of climate change was in its infancy.” Writing a dissent in a 2022 case looking at similar questions, Justice Elena Kagan argued that back in 1970 when Congress created the act, legislators gave the EPA the flexibility to keep up with the times, tackling problems (i.e., climate change) that couldn’t be anticipated.

Naomi Oreskes, a historian of science at Harvard University, saw those opinions as a sign of how little people understood about the past. “I remember just being mortified by that,” she said. To be sure, at the time of the first Earth Day in 1970, people were more worried about the immediate effects of smog than the long-term, climate-altering consequences of burning coal and oil. But Oreskes knew that scientists had been working to understand how carbon dioxide affected the global climate since the late 19th century. So she set about writing what she thought would be a short paper to correct the record. 

In the process, Oreskes, along with other researchers at Harvard and Duke University, uncovered a lost history. As they searched troves of historical documents, they found plenty of other people were concerned about a warming planet, not just scientists, in the years before 1970. “We discovered a universe of discussions by scientists, by members of Congress, by members of the executive branch,” Oreskes said, “and the more we looked, the more we found.” 

https://grist.org/science/lost-history-climate-1960s-clean-air-act-supreme-court/

You see?  There has been those up trying to get the government to wake up and stop kicking the can down the road to placate the big money donors….but so far money talks and the environment be damn.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

DNC–Day 2

I know I said I would not write about the convention until the last day wrap-up…..but the Dems keep doing something not done before and it needs to be reported.

As a political junkie it is my duty to report and analyze.

Day 2 was full of stuff….the dance party and Obama coming to the mike yet again.

The Dems trying to make the convention pulled out a couple of things out of their butts….like a dance party roll call….

Convention roll call votes can be staid and cheesy, but Democrats turned theirs into the ultimate dance party on Tuesday, the AP reports. DJ Cassidy stood onstage in what appeared to be a double-breasted satin suit of royal blue, spinning a special song for each state and territory awarding their delegates to Vice President Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention. What America got was a mashup of an elite karaoke night: Detroit native Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” for Michigan, Dropkick Murphys’ “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” for Massachusetts, and Tupac Shakur’s “California Love” for California. Georgia brought out one of its natives in person: Atlanta’s Lil Jon striding through Chicago’s United Center to the beats of “Turn Down for What,” his song with DJ Snake.

  • Florida’s delegation played Tom Petty’s anthem to hard-headedness, “I Won’t Back Down,” in casting its delegates for Harris—a not-too-subtle jab at the state’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Petty was born in the Florida city of Gainesville. DeSantis used the song as the theme of his failed Republican presidential primary this cycle, and it was part of the name of a super PAC that spent lavishly on his losing cause.
  • Alabama, obviously, got “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Alaska announced their backing of Vice President Kamala Harris to “Feel It Still” by Portugal. The Man, a band from Wasilla, where Republican Sarah Palin was once mayor.
  • Minnesota went with “1999” by Paisley Park’s own Prince. Indiana, with actor Sean Astin by the microphone, went with Gary native Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough.” Nevada played “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers, the synth pop band from Las Vegas. Kansas went with “Carry On My Wayward Son” by the rock band Kansas.
  • New Jersey went with Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA.” “Under one groove nothing can stop us now,” DJ Cassidy said over Springsteen’s anthem.

Unconventional…..did it generate more enthusiasm?  Did not see it….

Then came the night’s keynote speaker….Barack Obama….

Two decades after making his national debut on a Democratic National Convention stage, Barack Obama closed out the second night of the DNC Tuesday in Chicago, a city particularly meaningful to the former president.

  • Saying Americans want to know who is thinking about their future and their children’s futures, Obama noted Donald Trump isn’t losing sleep over those concerns. “Here’s a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago,” he said. “It has been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that is getting worse now that he’s afraid of losing to Kamala. There’s the childish nicknames. The crazy conspiracy theories. This weird obsession with crowd sizes. It just goes on and on and on.”
  • He said someone recently told him Trump is like a neighbor who constantly runs his leaf blower. “From a neighbor, that’s exhausting. From a president, it’s just dangerous,” Obama said. “The truth is, Donald Trump sees power as nothing more than a means to his ends.”
  • He went on to tout Harris’ accomplishments and what she will achieve should she become president, promising she would not worry only about her own interests, as Obama accused Trump of doing, but about what’s best for all Americans.
  • As the crowd booed while Obama talked about Trump, Obama said sternly, “Do not boo. Vote.”
  • Of Harris’ running mate Tim Walz, Obama said, “Let me tell you something, I love this guy. Tim is the kind of person who should be in politics. Born in a small town, served his country, taught kids, coached football. … You can tell those flannel shirts that he wears don’t come from some political consultant. They come from his closet—and they have been through some stuff.”
  • “I noticed, by the way, that since it’s become popular, they don’t call it ObamaCare no more,” Obama said after a mention of the Affordable Care Act received enthusiastic applause.
  • “Yes, she can,” Obama said of Harris at one point, prompting a round of “Yes she can!” chants from the crowd.
  • “If a parent or grandparent occasionally says something that makes us cringe, we don’t automatically assume that they’re bad people,” he said, noting that “the world is moving fast” and some people need time to “catch up.” He urged Democrats to extend the same grace to those on the other side of the political aisle as they would want extended to them.
  • “If we each do our part over the next 77 days … if we work like we’ve never worked before, if we hold firm to our convictions, we will elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States,” he said as his speech came to a close. “So let’s get to work.”

A typical Obama speech….lots of cheers, applause….but did he change any minds that were on the fence?  Can’t see it.

To be honest there was not much different from the last convention or the one before that or……

So ends day 2 of the DNC…..what fresh Hell will be unleashed on the peasants?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

A Deal? (Maybe)

I could spend my time telling my readers about the first night of the DNC….but why? It is same as it has been for many decades….lots of chest thumping and opponent banging.

Instead I will telling you about something truly good news….well the possibility that is….a possible ceasefire deal for the Middle east.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday that Israel has accepted a proposal to bridge differences holding up a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza. He called on Hamas to do the same. Blinken was on his ninth urgent mission to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began more than 10 months ago. He did not say whether the “bridging proposal” addressed concerns cited by Hamas, the AP reports. He said, without offering specifics, there are still “complex issues” requiring “hard decisions by the leaders.”

Even if the militant group accepts the proposal, negotiators will spend the coming days working on “clear understandings on implementing the agreement,” Blinken said. Hamas has said it is losing faith in the US as a mediator, accusing American negotiators of siding with Israel as it makes new demands that the militant group rejects. Blinken did not say whether the proposal addressed Israel’s demand for control over two strategic corridors inside Gaza—which Hamas has said is a nonstarter—or other issues that have long bedeviled the negotiations.

Before meeting with Netanyahu, Blinken said the proposal was “probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire, and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security,” the New York Times reports. His visit came days after mediators, including the US, expressed renewed optimism that a deal was close.

I know I am a cynic but this is suspicious to me.  I mean after months of cheer leading for Israel the US has found a way to possibly end this conflict and just in time to be used as a campaign meme.

But is this the good news that it could be?

“The Prime Minister reiterated Israel’s commitment to the current American proposal on the release of our hostages, which takes into account Israel’s security needs, which he strongly insists on,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

According to The Times of Israel, the statement was the first time Netanyahu publicly backed the US proposal even though it included his demands. Hamas rejected the proposal a day earlier due to the added conditions. Israeli officials later told Axiosthat Netanyahu only said he accepted the US proposal because he knew Hamas wouldn’t accept it.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Hamas said the US proposal lacked a permanent ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The group also said that the US proposal would ensure Israel maintains control of the Gaza-Egypt border, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, and the Netzarim Corridor, a piece of land that separates northern Gaza from the rest of the Strip.

Netanyahu began demanding these conditions during previous negotiations after Hamas agreed to the language in the ceasefire proposal unveiled by President Biden back in May. Israeli officials and media outlets have acknowledged that by inserting the new demands, Netanyahu was trying to sabotage the chances of a deal with Hamas.

Do not get too excited for if something can go wrong this will be the place for it to happen.

They talk about hostages and so on….but I have read nothing about Israel guarantee that humanitarian and medical supplies will be free flowing into the region.

Maybe that will come out later.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”