KY_EnviroGuy
KY_EnviroGuy's JournalWe as a nation are having a collective mental degradation....
from a time when most people were compassionate, empathetic and caring. There's always been a certain percentage that were psychopathic and caused trouble, but the majority tried hard to not harm their fellow-man.
The Great Depression and WW-2 for a time ingrained humility in us that lasted quite a time. I believe that's now mostly gone. Over the last 30 or so years, I've seen increasing isolationism, selfishness and caustic language and attitudes in our people.
The drift from that better time was slow and driven by rampant consumerism, violence on TV and in movies, and financial markets that demand more and more from working citizens. In other words, we're much closer to a dog-eat-dog life to survive.
I've thought a lot about this of late, especially having been raised by Depression-era parents in the country. Because of the ever increasing asset and income inequality that is disenfranchising working citizens and driving us toward servitude, I regret to say I see no long-term solutions. But, I'm now to damned old to come up with new ideas.
KY rant done.......
You have to be from the country to love it.
Having been raised in a small farm town in the South (TN - 50s/60s), this post in a small southern town newspaper from years ago made me roll in the floor, and I paraphrase it here (spoken in a sweet little 'ole lady voice):
"I'll be so proud when the new Dollar Store opens here in town so I won't have to dress up like I'm going to Walmart"
KY......
Imagine a world where....
only people like S. Sanders and her dad, Trump, Louie Gohmert, Dick Cheney and hundreds of other right-wing politicians, numerous right-wing media organizations, evangelical churches and your neighborhood MAHAt exist.
Those inside that tightly closed world only communicate with those within. Interface with outside people is forbidden except to make money from them or demoralize and insult them. They see anyone outside the bubble as evil and adversarial. Therefore, lying to and deceiving outsiders is the honorable thing to do.
Vast sums of money float about within the bubble but for use only by those within and a very complex web of social interconnections exists.
That is their world and they protect only their own. Persons losing their job simply needs to network within the bubble and all will be well. Positions with think tanks, media companies, hundreds of corporations and lobbying firms abound.
They are in touch with reality but it is one entirely of their own making.......
How about the 'pro-life' lobby get behind these life-positive causes instead?
How about the ‘pro-life’ lobby get behind these life-positive causes instead?Hadley Freeman @HadleyFreeman
Sat 25 May 2019 09.00 BST
Banning abortion isn’t the most effective place to start if you want to save lives
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2019/may/25/how-about-the-pro-life-lobby-get-behind-these-life-positive-causes-instead
(snips)
While we’re at it, let’s campaign for universal healthcare. The rest of the developed world has accepted that affordable healthcare is a good thing, but the American right still treats the concept of going to the doctor and not ending up in crippling debt as some kind of nefarious communist plot.
Just ban guns already. Even more than the national passion for Everybody Loves Raymond, nothing baffles me more about my fellow Americans than the gun obsession. US politicians talk proudly about how they are anti-abortion because “every life is filled with potential” (Carly Fiorina) and then in the next breath refuse to admit that maybe the reason 30,000 Americans are killed by guns every year is because of all the goddamn guns.
Vaccinations. According to the World Health Organisation, 10 million lives were saved by vaccinations between 2010 and 2015. Hard to get more pro-life than that!
Sort out the climate crisis. You know what’s pro-life? Living happily in a world with a functioning ecosystem and enough clean water for all. You know what’s anti-life? Everyone being wiped out by a terrible ball of fire.
Excellent summary, Hadley!.......
I am grateful for DU, it's been my daily repose for a while.
I'm a relative new-comer (2017) but feel like I've been here a long time. Great place to vent and keep up with current Democratic Party thinking and trends, and to get a snapshot of news that's important to us.
I'm also grateful for the vast store of knowledge that's frequently shared here and I think we have experts on most every topic.
My other places of refuge are a few European news sites which don't stay enamored with tRump bullshit....
Coolest sports celebration photo I've ever seen.
Coach gets dowsed in beer, but timing is everything!
Bayern celebrate toughest title in years with 'Robbery' send-off party
(click on image to enlarge and to see three other photos)
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2019/may/20/bayern-munich-celebrate-toughest-title-years-arjen-robben-franck-ribery-send-off-party#img-1
Disclaimer: I'm not a big sports fan, just thought the image timing was very cool.
Study casts doubt on electric vehicles' climate-saving credentials
Ifo study casts doubt on electric vehicles' climate-saving credentialsA Tesla Model 3 has a worse life-cycle carbon footprint than a similar-sized Mercedes diesel car, the renowned German think tank has found. It warns that electric vehicles are "no panacea" against climate change.
Link: https://www.dw.com/en/ifo-study-casts-doubt-on-electric-vehicles-climate-saving-credentials/a-48460328
(snips)
The research trio compared the CO2 footprint of a Tesla Model 3 with those of a Mercedes 220d diesel car and a Mercedes C Class model converted from petrol to liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Their focus was on the cars' whole life cycle emissions — from the first nut welded right down to the cars' final kilometer. The life cycle in terms of distance driven was arbitrarily set at 150,000 kilometers (93,205 miles) for better judgement.
As an engineer, I've always been skeptical about claim of electric cars saving the planet because most analysts were failing to include complete life-cycle emissions for batteries and electric energy sources. It is a very complex analysis and subject to much contention. Therefore, I still withhold my final judgment and I'm probably too damned old to make the call anyway.
Regardless of your opinion on this topic, this article contains some very informative data on the various inputs to this discussion.
KY..........
New Darwin Award nominee....
Black church fires: Louisiana suspect charged with hate crimesLink: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47938276
(snips)
------
Among evidence presented during the pre-trial appearance, in which Mr Matthews was displayed on video feed from jail, Mr Browning testified that the suspect documented his alleged crimes through videos and photos on his phone. After he was arrested, prosecutors found pictures of the flames that appeared to have been taken before firefighters arrived to extinguish them.
They also found news reports on his phone in which he had superimposed himself on those reports in order to claim responsibility while talking to a friend online. "He actually superimposed himself on those news reports, claiming responsibility for these fires," Mr Browning said. Location data from his mobile phone and surveillance footage of his vehicle also tied him to each of the crime scenes.
Has also thereby advanced his resume' for a job in Homeland Security for tRump.......
Women Candidates Have Fun Hobbies Too - Vogue
Women Candidates Have Fun Hobbies Too, They Just Don't Get to Talk About ThemApril 4, 2019 11:11 AM by Michelle Ruiz
Quote:
"In the spirit of covering women candidates for the "rock stars" they, too, are: read on for 19 colorful character quirks and staggering academic achievements of Sens. Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand and Amy Klobuchar. Two of them even have dogs!"
Link: https://www.vogue.com/article/2020-women-candidates-quirky-hobbies-intellect-too
(snips)
The media loves a politician who works out. Look no further than Gillibrand, who has run two marathons and plays on the congressional women's softball team.
Sen. Klobuchar enjoys hiking and is a barre-class devotee. (“It’s a reminder that we must all be humble," she told Vogue, "because I’m like the worst in the class.”)
Artemis O'Rourke may get all the glory, but have you met Warren's own First Dog contender, Bailey the golden retriever? Warren's preferred beer is Michelob Ultra, or, as she jokingly calls it, "the club soda of beers."
(read more at the link, above)
This lovely article certainly adds to our knowledge of the personalities of these great candidates!....
How the media let malicious idiots take over
A good summary article in The Guardian that explains one of many reasons we're in the mess we're in today:
How the media let malicious idiots take over
George Monbiot @GeorgeMonbiot
Fri 22 Mar 2019 15.57 GMT
Be it Jacob Rees-Mogg or Nigel Farage, blusterers and braggarts are rewarded with platforms that distort our political debate
Snips...
----
In the US, the phenomenon is more advanced. G Gordon Liddy served 51 months in prison as a result of his role in the Watergate conspiracy, organising the burglary of the Democratic National committee headquarters. When he was released, he used his notoriety to launch a lucrative career. He became the host of a radio show syndicated to 160 stations, and a regular guest on current affairs programmes. Oliver North, who came to public attention for his leading role in the Iran-Contra scandal, also landed a syndicated radio programme, as well as a newspaper column, and was employed by Fox as a television show host and regular commentator. Similarly, Darren Grimes, in the UK, is widely known only for the £20,000 fine he received for his activities during the Brexit campaign. Now he’s being used by Sky as a pundit.
The most revolting bigots, such as Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump, built their public profiles on the media platforms they were given by attacking women, people of colour and vulnerable minorities. Trump leveraged his notoriety all the way to the White House. Boris Johnson is taking the same track, using carefully calibrated outrage to keep himself in the public eye.
On both sides of the Atlantic, the unscrupulous, duplicitous and preposterous are brought to the fore, as programme-makers seek to generate noise. Malicious clowns are invited to discuss issues of the utmost complexity. Ludicrous twerps are sought out and lionised. The BBC used its current affairs programmes to turn Nigel Farage and Jacob Rees-Mogg into reality TV stars, and now they have the nation in their hands.
Very depressing world we live in today, one of entertainment and sensationalism and bright shiny objects.....
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: TN, KY
Home country: USA
Current location: KY
Member since: Thu Jul 6, 2017, 07:43 PM
Number of posts: 14,490
