What's on our mind? Gratitude!

Thankful for @Kleen, for her contribution today in support of the Bicycling Monterey website and projects.

Kathleen Jones / @Kleen, a regular visitor to #MontereyCounty, along with Edith Frederick of #Salinas and Sam Winter of the #Monterey Peninsula, choose to be monthly contributors to this work. See all contributions May 1, 2009 - May 1, 2023: https://bikemonterey.org/about/financial-donations/donors

Whether you contribute one time or monthly, in any amount, your support for this grassroots #volunteer effort will be deeply appreciated.

Summary of Bicycling Monterey's local, regional, state, and national bike advocacy projects: https://bikemonterey.org/about/financial-donations/donations-some-ways-your-money-can-help

#BikeTooter #Bicycling #cycling #bike

#transportation #ClimateChange #AllInThisTogether

Greed and unbridled capitalism are sociopathic and are actively destroying the foundations upon which our societies and the cooperation that enables it, are built. Ironically, the greedy capitalists are unintentionally cannibalizing and destroying the very society that they and their enterprises can't exist without. Sounds pathological and insane, because it is!

Can Civilization Survive "Really Existing Capitalism"? An Interview With Noam Chomsky - Truthout https://truthout.org/articles/can-civilization-survive-really-existing-capitalism-an-interview-with-noam-chomsky/

#GreedKills
#GreedIsAntiSocial
#AllInThisTogether

"Since the late 1970s, most advanced economies have returned to predatory capitalism. As a result, income and wealth inequality have reached spectacular heights, poverty is becoming entrenched, unemployment is skyrocketing and standards of living are declining. In addition, “really existing capitalism” is causing mass environmental damage and destruction which, along with the population explosion, is leading us to an unmitigated global disaster. Can civilization survive really existing capitalism?

First, let me say that what I have in mind by the term “really existing capitalism” is what really exists and what is called “capitalism.” The United States is the most important case, for obvious reasons. The term “capitalism” is vague enough to cover many possibilities. It is commonly used to refer to the US economic system, which receives substantial state intervention, ranging from creative innovation to the “too-big-to-fail” government insurance policy for banks, and which is highly monopolized, further limiting market reliance.

It’s worth bearing in mind the scale of the departures of “really existing capitalism” from official “free-market capitalism.” To mention only a few examples, in the past 20 years, the share of profits of the 200 largest enterprises has risen sharply, carrying forward the oligopolistic character of the US economy. This directly undermines markets, avoiding price wars through efforts at often-meaningless product differentiation through massive advertising, which is itself dedicated to undermining markets in the official sense, based on informed consumers making rational choices. Computers and the internet, along with other basic components of the IT revolution, were largely in the state sector (R&D, subsidy, procurement, and other devices) for decades before they were handed over to private enterprise for adaptation to commercial markets and profit. The government insurance policy, which provides big banks with enormous advantages, has been roughly estimated by economists and the business press to be perhaps on the order of as much as $80 billion a year. However, a recent study by the International Monetary Fund indicates – to quote the business press – that perhaps “the largest US banks aren’t really profitable at all,” adding that “the billions of dollars they allegedly earn for their shareholders were almost entirely a gift from US taxpayers.” This is more evidence to support the judgment of Martin Wolf of the London Financial Times, that “an out-of-control financial sector is eating out the modern market economy from inside, just as the larva of the spider wasp eats out the host in which it has been laid.”

In a way, all of this explains the economic devastation produced by contemporary capitalism that you underscore in your question above. Really existing capitalism – RECD for short (pronounced “wrecked”) – is radically incompatible with democracy. It seems to me unlikely that civilization can survive really existing capitalism and the sharply attenuated democracy that goes along with it. Could functioning democracy make a difference? Consideration of nonexistent systems can only be speculative, but I think there’s some reason to think so. Really existing capitalism is a human creation, and can be changed or replaced."

Like so many things, the water crisis in the western U.S. is about short-sighted, self-interest (read selfishness and greed) and the power of certain, small but wealthy groups to dictate government agendas that hurt the majority of the population. Huh, greed, selfishness and bought politicians getting in the way of making government work for all of us? Sounds so damn familiar!!!

Why is the Colorado river drying up? Feeding cows is a large part - Vox https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23655640/colorado-river-water-alfalfa-dairy-beef-meat

#GreedKills
#CapitalismKills
#AllInThisTogether

"...residential water use accounts for just 13 percent of water drawn from the Colorado River. According to research published in Nature Sustainability, the vast majority of water is used by farmers to irrigate crops.
...
which crops receive the bulk of the Colorado River’s water, 70 percent goes to alfalfa, hay, corn silage, and other grasses that are used to fatten up cattle for beef and cows for dairy. Some of the other crops, like soy, corn grain, wheat, barley, and even cotton, may also be used for animal feed.
...
The stress on the West’s water supply due to alfalfa is especially acute in Utah: A staggering 68 percent of the state’s available water is used to grow alfalfa for livestock feed, even though it’s responsible for a tiny 0.2 percent of the state’s income. Last year, the editorial board of the state’s largest newspaper, the Salt Lake Tribune, declared that “it’s time for Utah to buy out alfalfa farmers and let the water flow.”

California takes more water from the Colorado River than any other state, and most of it goes to the Imperial Valley in the southern part of the state. It’s one of the most productive agricultural regions in the US, producing two-thirds of America’s vegetables during winter months. But the majority of the Imperial Valley’s farmland is dedicated to alfalfa and various grasses for livestock.

In Arizona, Phoenix’s backup water supply is being drained to grow alfalfa by Fondomonte, owned by Saudi Arabia’s largest dairy company, which it ships 8,000 miles back to the Middle East to feed its domestic herds. (Water-starved Saudi Arabia banned growing alfalfa and some other animal feed crops within its own borders in 2018.)
...
all that alfalfa is used to produce beef and dairy — two food groups that themselves contribute significantly to climate change. In other words, we’re using water supplies that have been shrunk in part by climate change to produce food that will in turn worsen climate change.

“Trey, how are you going to follow up that 45 minute tweezer?”
“With Stoneys favorite gin since shoreline 03”
#phish #greek #allinthistogether

It is well past time for Feinstein to step down and let a successor be appointed so that the democrats can get their judges appointed. Come on, Diane, hop to it! Resign now, please! Hanging on doesn't help anyone, especially not your constituents. Ginsberg should have resigned, and you should resign now!

Feinstein And the Ginsburg Betrayal – Ian Welsh https://www.ianwelsh.net/feinstein-and-the-ginsburg-betrayal/

#AllInThisTogether
#SelfishnessIsAsocial

"Ginsburg had cancer. It was a type of cancer which was almost always fatal. She refused to step down from the Supreme Court when a Democratic president could easily appoint her successor, and as a result the Democrats lost a court seat. Ginsburg was looked up to by liberal women, but she betrayed them, though most can’t see past their hero worship to recognize that.

Feinstein is in a similar position: shingles isn’t the real issue, she has dementia and everyone know it. If she cared about the interests of her constituents she would step down immediately so that judges could be appointed and laws passed which need her support. It’s not that she’s a good Senator, she’s voted for a lot of crap, but Democratic appointed judges tend to be better than Republican appointed judges and the difference is important.

Given how bad her dementia appears to be it may be that this isn’t mostly on her: it could be her circle who are keeping her in. If so, they’re the one’s betraying, though she did pick them before age took its toll.

A leader who puts themselves first is not a leader, just someone looking out for themselves."

We are all Steve Cooper
https://sportsfeed.me/@NFFC/110146093439766645

#NFFC #AllInThisTogether #KeepingTheDreamAlive #MiraclesHappen

#FlashbackFriday - ANZAC Day 2020

Despite the lockdowns, the spirit of the ANZACs lived on in Melbourne in 2020 with a new initiative; the driveway dawn service. Needless to say, I was quick to get on board with this.
I invited my neighbours & they were more than happy to get involved. I made some poppies, digitally delivered some home-printouts to my neighbours, then trimmed rosemary from the bush in my backyard & hand delivered it to my neighbours by leaving it on their mailboxes with a little note.
I then organised digital downloads of the last post & a reading of 'The Ode of Remembrance' & placed speakers down a few streets so the audio could reach as many people as possible. Finally, I set up a cauldron at an intersection so that people from 3 different streets had a focal point for the service.
On the dawn of ANZAC Day, I lit the cauldron, turned on the speakers, waited for everyone to walk to the front of their driveways with a lit candle & began the service in unison with the rest of the state.
It was a solemn reminder of the importance of being there for one another & that despite our challenges, we still had each other. It was a reminder to always be there for one another; in the good times & the bad & it was a show of mateship & solidarity.

#ANZAC #anzacday #anzacday2020 #community #comradery #mateship #allinthistogether #lestweforget #brimbank #WeAreBrimbank

We have to focus more on infectious diseases that could wreak havoc on our societies, rather than just what will make pharmaceutical companies the most money. Are these companies part of our society and our attempt to safeguard ourselves, or are they just there to feed some wealthy people's greed?!

A Constellation of Storms: The Threat of Infectious Diseases | Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine https://magazine.jhsph.edu/2023/threat-of-infectious-diseases

#GreedKills
#AllInThisTogether

"We have just completed the 23rd year of the 21st century, and we’ve already seen seven major viral epidemics (SARS, MERS, H1N1, Zika, Ebola, COVID-19, and mpox). As we face these assaults from nature every few years, we’re also losing treatments to drug resistance. And we are not getting new infectious disease drugs because they don’t generate as much revenue for pharma companies as drugs you have to take daily.

We face a constellation of storms.

Cancer is not going to take out society. Alzheimer’s is not going to take out society. But an infectious disease could.

COVID-19 took more than 1 million American lives—more lost than in all this country’s wars combined. That happened with a disease that had less than 1% mortality. What it if had had 5% mortality? Would police have gone to work? Would power have stayed on? I say no. Cancer is not going to take out society. Alzheimer’s is not going to take out society. But an infectious disease could.

This is the threat. Are we up to the task? Maybe.

I know I don’t sound optimistic, but actually I am. Look at the big trends: fewer people in poverty, lower maternal mortality, longer life expectancy. Major efforts to improve the lot of humanity continue relentlessly. And we learned much from COVID-19. We developed vaccines and drugs against COVID-19 in less than a year. Astounding.

But humans have a major weakness: We don’t have great capacity for long-term planning. As a species, we are really good at dealing with what’s in front of us. When it comes to disaster recovery or emergency medical treatment, we’re adept at using resources and knowledge at hand to help others in crisis. But for long-term crises like climate change? Not so much.

The fight against infectious disease is a long-term fight, a constant struggle in which humanity needs to invest.

At this point, you probably expect me to demand more funding. It’s true that funding is a problem, but overall society has been generous in supporting science. So I want to address a different weakness: how we use the resources we are given. We can do better science. We can do science based on Rigor, Reproducibility, and Responsibility—the pillars of our R3 Center for Innovation in Science Education.

Too much scientific research today is too safe. A recent Nature article showed that the average paper and patent are much less disruptive today than they were just a few decades ago. Safe, small-minded science won’t help us meet the existential challenge of new infectious diseases. We need extraordinary science and scientists. "

All these policy solutions would address not just the racial wealth gap, but the growing inequality in our country. They would help everyone by lifting those who need help the most and improving conditions and the economy for all of us. These are no-brainers, yet the GOP and their obscenely wealthy donors will oppose these with all they've got, as will their base who will also benefit from these policies, but who are happy to cut off their own noses if it keeps blacks and other minorities from being helped.

Reparations and the Enduring Wealth Gap | The Brian Lehrer Show | WNYC https://www.wnyc.org/story/reparations-and-enduring-wealth-gap/

#Racism
#RacialWealthGap
#TheyWantTheirSerfsBack
#AllInThisTogether

"EPI economist Kyle Moore spoke with WNYC’s Brian Lehrer to discuss solutions to our country’s persistent—and growing—racial wealth gap.

Some policy solutions would benefit Americans more broadly—but would benefit Black workers and families disproportionately, helping to close gaps. These include a $15 federal minimum wage, universal health care, a federal jobs guarantee, baby bonds, and legislation that would make it easier for workers to unionize.

______

Related:Unions help reduce disparities
and strengthen our democracy
______

More direct forms of reparation are being explored by some state and local governments. But, Moore says, “A plan that’s going to work to close the racial wealth gap on a national level has to come from the federal government.”

The federal government has the capacity to do so, says Moore. It is also the culpable party: It supported the institution of chattel slavery; it allowed the Reconstruction effort to fail and Jim Crow to rise; and it has perpetuated further systemic racial injustices, including redlining and mass incarceration. "

RT @Kosterh55@twitter.com

Hey everyone! Let's all learn and receive great input on how we do a rank list. I know I'll be there! Hope to see y'all there! #matchtopath #Match2023 #pathtopath #allinthistogether #pathfamily https://twitter.com/MeredithKHerman/status/1617910912043876355

🐦🔗: https://twitter.com/Kosterh55/status/1617923546403213315

The GOP now represents the worst tendencies in humans. Hatred, fear, blaming, cruelty, and exclusivity instead of inclusivity. It's always easier to hate and blame than understand and accept. What the GOP stands for undermines the very nature of societies, and is anything but what christ stood for. We resign ourselves to the dustbin of history if we don't face and transform what the GOP is doing to America. And they're doing it mostly for greed and power-hunger. The opposite of what real societies are based upon.

Opinion | Jeffries's poetry and Biden's grace highlight the GOP's thuggishness - The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/01/09/jeffries-alphabet-speech-republicans/

#GOPFearAndHatred
#GOPHatesDemocracy
#GOPUnAmerican
#AllInThisTogether
#GOPIsSociopathic

"From both Jeffries and Biden, then, we get a full recitation of American values: kindness, empathy, inclusion, generosity, decency and optimism. They echo the sensibility of the 20th-century mourner who was asked whether he had known the just-deceased President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He famously replied, “I didn’t know him, but he knew me.” The Democrats of this century know Americans, too.

The gap between that humanistic vision and what we see from the Republican Party could not be more stark. Violence (whether inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, or inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2023) and toxic masculinity seem to be endemic to a party that scorns the police who defended them two years ago and minimizes the brutality of the mob.

This is a crowd that delights in mocking the vulnerable and bullying the defenseless, persecuting refugees, elevating their selfish aims over the needs of others and fanning bitterness and vengefulness.

The Republican Party aim is to define America as a White Christian nation, bolstered by an apocalyptic fear of the Great Replacement conspiracy and a perpetual sense of victimhood. The MAGA camp’s character is displayed in the surly reception (and, in some cases, boycotts) given to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his speech to Congress.

It is exemplified, too, in former president Donald Trump’s ongoing abuse and attacks on election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, in the forced birth crowd’s insistence that a teen be compelled to bear her rapist’s child, in MAGA lawmakers’ refusal to extend the child tax credit that lifted more than 2 million children out of poverty, and in the House Republicans’ obsession with inquisitions into fake scandals and phony conspiracies.

It’s no coincidence that the most viable Republican challenger to Trump is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has repeatedly used his power to crush dissent, harass innocent voters, vilify manufacturers of lifesaving vaccines and cultivate the image of a bully. He fits right in with today’s GOP.

One doesn’t even need to know the two parties’ policy positions to know there is a world of difference in their vision and character. Poetry and grace on one side, thuggishness and fury on the other. Americans cannot say they lack a stark choice."

We are too often consumed by our need to make more money, accrue more possessions, be more successful and "win." We don't even see the bigger picture and the planet and ecosphere we are inextricably intertwined with.

“I went to space and discovered an enormous lie” - Big Think https://bigthink.com/life/overview-effect/

#AllInThisTogether
#Enlightenment
#NotTwo

"A curious phenomenon often occurs when astronauts travel to space and look out on our planet for the first time: They see how interconnected and fragile life on Earth is, and they feel a sudden responsibility to protect it.

Astronaut Ron Garan experienced this so-called “overview effect” when he first saw Earth from space. When he looked out on the planet, he saw an iridescent biosphere teeming with life, all protected by a remarkably thin atmosphere.

What he did not see was the thing that society often gives top priority: the economy. For Garan, seeing Earth from space revealed that problems like global warming, deforestation, and biodiversity loss are not disconnected. They are the symptoms of an underlying flaw in how we perceive ourselves as humans: We fail to realize that we are a planetary species."

New Year, Great Team! I present to you the AWS Cloud Academic Advocacy Team! Follow us for 🔥🔥🔥🔥 events, community, and content #AllInThisTogether #BestInTheBiz #SlayAllDay #AWSStudents

@M0YNG 1) would a little cash help? I'm up for that. 2) given that I am in NorAm would it help if I moved to that other ham instance over here?

#allinthistogether

New cartoon: All in This Together

#davidcameron #ConservativePartyConference #cartoon #AllInThisTogether http://t.co/WaaU1MLwdo

@lavish Shouldn't he be wearing a mask? I'm so offended by his cavalier attitude. #allinthistogether