We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Sunday, September 27, 2020

Posts that I especially recommend today: Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020

This is posted late, that is, on Monday morning. For some reason after I did some minor editing (some time) after publishing this set of posts, but I forgot to press the "update" button on the new weblog software, and as a result I noticed on Monday morning that the Sundays' posts were not published. I apologize. Because of this mistake I'll not publish any posts on Monday. But not to worry: today (Monday) I will scan my 50 credible websites for posts and include them with other posts tomorrow.
 
From her research Webb uncovers some odd and suspicious facts in US corporations' pursuit of a vaccine to prevent covid-19. For example:
Such experiments, like this study by Duprex, involved the genetic engineering of three viral pathogen strains and then seeing which would become most transmissible and virulent in an animal host. Such studies are often referred to as gain-of-function (GOF) research and are incredibly controversial given that they often create pathogens that are more virulent and/or transmissible than they otherwise would be. It is also worth noting that UPMC, before Duprex joined the center, had also received millions in funding from DARPA’s Prophecy program “to develop in vitro and computational models for predicting viral evolution under selection pressure from multiple evolutionary stressors.”
  • Development banks must be held accountable for their disastrous oil palm plantation investments in the Congo from GRAIN. (My reaction: But they won't be held accountable because they as transnational capitalist corporations are too powerful for ordinary people to challenge. This is true throughout the US/Anglo/Zionist Empire. This is the sad reality of advanced capitalism. Only a thoroughly democratic organization of ordinary people can challenge and topple them in the time remaining before climate deterioration really sets in and puts the end of humans and most other species.)
Cook, unlike most other thoroughly brainwashed critics nowadays, names the system--capitalism. Here are excerpts from the article: 
The cause of that full-spectrum, systemic crisis is not named, but it has a name. Its name is the ideology that has become a black box, a mental prison, in which we have become incapable of imagining any other way of organising our lives, any other future than the one we are destined for at the moment. That ideology’s name is capitalism.
... “evilness” – the psychopathic pursuit of profit above all other values – is the business model for all corporations, not just the digital ones.
The Social Dilemma offers us an opportunity to sense the ugly, psychopathic face shielding behind the mask of social media’s affability. But for those watching carefully the film offers more: a chance to grasp the pathology of the system itself that pushed these destructive social media giants into our lives.
Even in the dark age in which we are currently living, naming the system is, sadly, a revolutionary act. It will take vastly much more to change the deadly system that we are under.
  • What OBAMA Got Away With. This features Jimmy Dore (via a YouTube video) describing himself as a "dumb", but independent, comedian demonstrating what independence of thought can lead one to think critically about their "bought" government. But this comes at a price--he's losing his comedic take on life. In another video, he rants about the suicidal destruction of the ecology which supports human along with many others species--because of corporate pursuit of profits (under the capitalist system).
  • Climate Disruption Is Now Locked In. The Next Moves Will Be Crucial by John Branch and Brad Plumer from The NY Times. (Note: If you are not registered with this source, you can access the article here.) My reaction: This source is like a broken clock that registers the time correctly two times a day. This is one of those times. But, after they shock ordinary Americans with this headline, they, as a propaganda rag for the capitalist ruling class, must sprinkle their reporting with more positive statements so that we can go back to sleep--and, of course, they blame it on the government which is owned and controlled by the ruling class. But it shows that our masters are aware of this looming threat. Could the covid-19 pandemic be their desperate means to cope with the abrupt deterioration of our climate?