Globalization and the Environment

"We are in the age of globalization." It is the new paradigm. Global trade, global communication, global culture, global threats and global rewards, global environmental crisis.

Our planet's population is soaring. That population's demands on the global environment are exponentially expanding.

The hideous debris swept to sea by last Spring's tsunami in Japan is heading toward the Americas. The radiation emitted by the nuclear disaster caused by that tsunami probably hit our shores months ago. Workers toil under slavish conditions in China, India and other developing countries to supply North America and other "first world" nations with the wonders designed by Apple Computer, Microsoft and a myriad of other multinational corporations.

The ancient mountains and rich habitats of West Virginia and Kentucky are crushed into oblivion to feed our nation's hunger for cheap energy. The water supplies of continents are sacrificed to agribusiness, energy development and industrial waste to feed, shelter and indulge the hungry consumers of nations rich and poor.

Wars are waged to procure declining supplies of oil. Wars are waged to procure productive land and valuable mineral resources. Melting icecaps raise ocean levels and swamp low-lying land masses, displacing their occupants. Carbon emissions from every country on the globe spew into the already saturated atmosphere. Free market capitalism, the one true religion of the twenty-first century, demands ever increasing levels of consumption of the planet's finite resources for throw-away products that clog landfills and create continental-sized oceanic dead zones.

It's every country and man for himself out there as the human race rushes toward its terrifying confrontation with the inevitable results of debasing its environment on a global scale.

If we must have globalization, surely global regulation in our specie's self interest might be a good idea? Screw nationalistic jingoism if the price is survival.

What does "Classified" Mean, Really?

There are two very cogent reasons for classifying documents. The first, and official one, is to protect our national security. The second, unstated one, is to conceal the crimes committed by our government officials and employees.

I just read the following Washington Post article about the government's prosecution of the whistle blower who blew the top of the Guantanamo water boarding scandal.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/former-cia-officer-charged-in-leaks/2012/01/23/gIQA3AhTLQ_story.html

The prosecution of John Kiriakou indicates our government makes no distinction between the official and the unofficial reasons for classification in its regard for the seriousness of the crime of publishing classified material.

Kiriakou's crime was releasing "classified" government information. Very bad. Much worse than the criminal behavior by government officials that was revealed.

The individuals who ordered or committed the torture are not prosecuted. Those who revealed it are.

The phrase "national security" is such a useful umbrella.

Constitutional Amendment Against Citizens' United?

While comedian/satirists Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart use a SuperPac to demonstrate the dangerous and absurd levels of political skulduggery permitted by the Supreme Court's Citizens' United decision, growing voices are heard urging a Constitutional amendment to negate the Court's decision.

Proponents are urging passage of an amendment that decrees only people are people with rights under the Constitution. Ah, and this will fix our system? A system in which power speaks to power and money creates power?

Even if such an amendment could survive the arduous ratification process, its power to alter the influence of money on American government is questionable. We already have amendments that guarantee freedom of peaceful assembly (ask the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators how well that works), freedom of speech (unless you are exchanging information and files over the Internet), freedom from unlawful search and seizure (unless you choose to travel by air or Homeland Security suspects you're a terrorist).

Other protected rights that are now routinely ignored include the right to face your accuser in a court of law; the right to a trial by a jury of your peers, the right not to be detained without formal charges.

Doesn't appear to me Constitutionally protected civil liberties are taken very seriously by our government. Why would one more be any different?

While we were celebrating... .

While the online community was celebrating its victory over SOPA and PIPA, the Justice Department struck quickly and lethally at Megauploads, one of the largest file-sharing websites on the planet, proving that it DID NOT NEED SOPA and PIPA to police the Internet pretty much any way it deemed prudent and necessary.

Forget democratic protests. Forget the protests of Google, Reddit, Wikipedia, and a slew of other sites. The Justice Department managed to get arrest warrants executed in foreign countries, web servers shut down, assets confiscated the very next day after the online community convinced U.S. legislators to back off!

What is that about? Pretty much the same thing as the indefinite detention permitted in recent legislation that Obama signed with a signing statement that he "would not pursue it."

Question. If it is the executive branch's job to enforce the laws, and the President of the United States is the "boss" of the executive branch, how the hell is the Justice Department determining the means of enforcement rather than the Oval Office? Just where is the tail that is wagging the dog and how, tell me how, can that tail be cut off?

You might want to check out the CSM article linked below.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/0121/If-feds-can-bust-Megaupload-why-bother-with-anti-piracy-bills

Where is the Discussion on the Environment?

Why are none of the pundits or candidates discussing the dangers facing the global environment? Have the problems of global climate change, resource depletion, evaporating food and water supplies, debasement of huge swaths of our planet's surface disappeared?

While the corporate hegemony focuses on the expanding economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China (the BRIC countries), has the challenge of meeting the inevitably surging consumer demands that result from this economic expansion been solved? Has it become possible that all countries now can share in the lavish lifestyle of first world countries without endangering the already threatened ecosystem of Mother Earth?

While glaciers melt, sea levels rise, depleting fossil fuel sources open gaping holes in the ozone layer, and human population continues to grow, perhaps our species is not really accelerating its rush to extinction?

Surely if this were not the case, environmental issues would lead political and public discussion, not be largely ignored by it?

Caveat Emptor Ekornes?

Roughly 11 years ago my husband and I visited Stickley Furniture in Albany. I can't even remember what we were shopping for. We sat down side-by-side in two identical chairs to rest our bones and a 10 year love affair began. After a minute or so we looked at each other and said, "these chairs are REALLY comfortable." We ended up buying two of them before we even knew they were Ekornes Stressless Loungers - a ground-breaking ergonomic triumph created by a Norwegian company.

They were expensive. We decided they were our birthday, anniversary and Christmas gifts to each other for the next year and a half and never regretted it. For 10 years we sat in comfort and knew if the hips or back ached a session in "our" chairs would ease the pain. My mother fell in love with the chairs during her visits and 3 years ago I took her up to Albany and she purchased one for herself.

And that is when the story began to change. Within a year, the arm came off her chair. Reattached once. The second time the screws were irretrievable.

Despite Mom's experience, last January Bill and I decided the time had come to replace our chairs. Constant, rough wear had beaten up the leather on his and mine, although less worn, would be replaced so we could have a matching set.

The new chairs were over twice as expensive as the original ones. The store models were not as comfortable and a new sizing system was awkward, but we finally selected two we felt would suit us. I have been missing my old chair since the day a friend took it off my hands and the new ones arrived. The new chair is awkward at the back of my neck, although better than when I first started using it. It is definitely NOT as comfortable as the original Ekornes Stressless Lounger, and both chairs are already showing deterioration of their leather. Despite being far more expensive, the new ones are much lighter (what is that about?).

I Googled to see if other owners were having problems and found some negative comments, but mostly raves. Personally I feel Ekornes has made the same mistake Coca Cola did when they changed their formula back in the 80s. Coca Cola quickly rectified its mistake. It does not appear Ekornes intends to return to its original model - the one that established its reputation for excellence and eased the backs of so many weary customers.

Sad.

OMG - Where is the Shut-off Valve?!?!

The Romans knew it and so, I believe did the Babylonians. Civilization is NOT possible without good plumbing. Plumbing - the management of water access and waste removal. No modern American home functions without it. But when things go wrong - your life can head south in a hurry.

Today my daughter experienced a leak in the home she and her husband purchased just 2.5 years ago. The main shut-off valve did not stop the flow. WTF?!?! Evidently a separate line with a separate shut-off was laid for the refrigerator and its ice/water mechanism. It took seven hours work by a master plumber to locate the line and shut off valve that was trapped behind sheet rock, stop the water source and fix the leak. The line was illegally (not according to code) installed.

At the end of the ordeal, my daughter was a basket case (she is my daughter, after all), the day had been wasted and the plumber's bill promised to be astronomic and she had a brand new hole in the wall.

Please tell me again why our educational system focuses on the "professional" fields and college educations while the trades are left to scramble?

Shut-off valves are only important when they are urgently needed. It is a VERY good idea to know where they are located and how they work. When it comes to plumbing, sooner or later shit will happen.

Smokin in the Girls' Room

1964. Senior in high school. Every study hall I asked for a bathroom pass and once there, quickly entered a stall, lit up a Tareyton and smoked a few drags, dropped the butt in the toilet and flushed. Yes, it did flush in those days. Returned to study hall where my neighboring seatmates caught the whiff of tobacco and looked at me with varying degrees of "knowing what you just did" to "how pathetic" and the inevitable goody two shoes "you are soooo disgusting."

Spring 2011 my husband of 44 years, suffering from an absolutely devastating case of the flu, decides to give up his pipe. (He gave up cigarettes 20 years ago.) Fall 2011, my husband starts to make comments about how much the smell of cigarette smoke bothers him. December 2011, in the darkest hours of one night, I hear my husband wheezing as he sleeps. I already have accepted I cannot smoke in the house when my kids, mother or grandchildren visit. Now I have to go out when He is home.

Late December 2011, On nice days and nights, I alternate with trips to the front porch - it's amazing what goes on in the neighborhood after dark. I have not had this many chats with my next door neighbor (who has been smoking outside for over 20 years) in about 20 years! Also a very nice early morning chat with my neighbor on the other side (non-smoker but an early riser who was tinkering with her Christmas decorations). Probably would not otherwise have spotted Orion hit the early evening sky. Saw a spectacular Jupiter give a show in December. Caught two absolutely gorgeous full moons (plus half moon, crescent moons and of course, the dark of the moon).

The downside? During cold, stormy weather, I am once again smokin the the girls' room with the vent on and the door closed.