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When I began Schwartzreport my purpose was to produce an entirely fact-based daily publication in favor of the earth, the inter-connectedness and interdependence of all life, democracy, equality for all, liberty, and things that are life-affirming. Also, to warn my readers about actions, events, and trends that threaten those values. Our country now stands at a crossroads, indeed, the world stands at a crossroads where those values are very much at risk and it is up to each of us who care about wellbeing to do what we can to defend those principles. I want to thank all of you who have contributed to SR, particularly those of you who have scheduled an ongoing monthly contribution. It makes a big difference and is much appreciated. It is one thing to put in the hours each day and to do the work for free, but another to have to cover the rising out-of-pocket costs. For those of you who haven’t done so, but read SR regularly, I ask that you consider supporting it.
Stephan: I agree with this article and am surprised it is not more openly discussed. Of course, the military-industrial complex uses the illusion that Russia is a superpower to justify billions and billions of dollars of profit. But the truth is Russia is a nation of 145 million people where the average annual income is, in U.S.dollar terms, less than $9,000. The country is run by Putin as a kleptocratic oligarchy.
When was the last time you saw someone buy a Russian refrigerator? Or an automobile? Or a smartphone? Or a... anything? The Russian economy is entirely based on petroleum and gas, and some raw materials, and as we move out of the carbon era, the Russian economy is going to collapse, and Russia will revert to what it actually is, a second-tier developing nation.
The only reason anyone sees Russia as a major power is because of their nuclear weapons. But Putin is not going to get into a nuclear war because it would turn Russia into another Syria.
Vladimir Putin
Former FBI deputy director for counterintelligence Frank Figliuzzi explained Wednesday that there is so much Russian hacking because it’s the only power they have.
“This is about as close as you’re going to get to state-sponsored terrorism in the cyber world,” Figliuzzi explained to MSNBC’s Ali Velshi. “The code in the ransomware attacks is written so it will never attack Russian targets. That seems to be Putin telling these organizations, ‘I’m going to give you license to operate. Just don’t ever let this unleash on one of our companies or one of our agencies.’ That’s essentially state sponsorship. That’s why you’ll see our entire U.S. intelligence community directed even at these criminal organizations because they’re so closely tied to the Russian government. They present a national security concern for the United States.”
Velshi asked what Putin’s end-game is in all of the ransomware attacks. Unlike in normal terrorism, there’s money to be gained, but that’s about it.
“Well, first, let’s remember, Putin simply wants to sow discord and chaos and undermine our democracy,” Figliuzzi said. “We’ve seen that in election […]
, - Government of the United Kingdom -- : Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and The Rt Hon Lord Goldsmith
Stephan: This actually happened a couple of months ago, and I was just never able to fit it in. It is important I think because it is an example of the changing way in which we are viewing other lifeforms. Little by little as a culture, the trend is to recognize that all life is interconnected and interdependent, and that is good news, even if this is early days for this trend.
Government introduces Bill to formally recognise animals as sentient beings
Animal Sentience Committee will put animal sentience at heart of government policy
Vertebrate animals will be recognised as sentient beings for the first time in UK law thanks to the introduction of the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill, introduced in Parliament today.
The legislation will also ensure that animal sentience is taken into account when developing policy across Government through the creation of a Animal Sentience Committee which will be made up of animal experts from within the field.
By enshrining sentience in domestic law in this way, any new legislation will have to take into account the fact that animals can experience feelings such as pain or joy. The Bill will underpin the Government’s Action Plan for Animal Welfare, which launched yesterday and sets out the government’s plans to improve standards and eradicate cruel practices for animals both domestically and internationally.
The Bill’s introduction, fulfilling a key Manifesto commitment, will further the UK’s position as a world-leader on animal […]
Stephan: I have been telling you that it seemed apparent that Trump deliberately implanted his orcs, like time bombs, in the lower levels of the federal government. We have seen reports about this coming out of the DOJ, and the EPA, but is apparently even worse than that. I think Trump imagined himself becoming the American Hitler, we know he read his speeches again and again and admired him. What I don't think anyone realized,is how truly loathsome Trump is, and how if he couldn't lead America, he wanted it destroyed.
What I don't understand is why the leadership of the Democratic Party isn't holding Trump and his people accountable? Why they are being such wooshes?
Neo-Nazis TrumpersCredit: Screen cap via the David Pakman Show
Toward the end of his one term in office, former President Donald Trump appointed several loyalists to key positions within defense and intelligence agencies — and some of them alarmed Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
An explosive new excerpt published in the Wall Street Journal of a new book by reporter Michael C. Bender claims that Milley was so worried about some of the appointees that he “asked some Pentagon officials whether the new hires had ties to neo-Nazi groups.”
The excerpt does not list which hires Milley was concerned had ties to Nazi groups.
One particularly controversial hire at the time was retired Army Brig. Gen. Anthony J. Tata, a conspiracy theorist who called former President Barack Obama a “Muslim” and a “terrorist leader.”
Other hires included Trump loyalists Kash Patel and Ezra Cohen-Watnick, both of whom had very limited experience in military and intelligence matters.
Stephan: Schwartz's Theorem of Wellbeing postulates that social policies that foster wellbeing are always easier to implement, more efficient, more productive, longer-lasting, less violent, and much much cheaper. Over the years I have posted numerous examples of this theorem in action, but this is a particularly compelling example of the principle.
Iceland
The country of Iceland has released the analysis of its 4-day work week experiment and the results speak for themselves.
The trials run by Reykjavík City Council and the national government took place from 2015 to 2019 and included about 1% of Iceland’s working population, making it the world’s largest shortened workweek trial to date. The findings show that paying people the same amount to work fewer hours per week results in a happier, healthier workforce with similar or increased productivity. Who knew?
Will Stronge, director of research at Autonomy, a UK think tank that co-conducted a study of the trials, said in a statement: “This study shows that the world’s largest-ever trial of a shorter working week in the public sector was by all measures an overwhelming success. It shows that the public sector is ripe for being a pioneer of shorter working weeks—and lessons can be learned for other governments.”
So what are those lessons we can learn?
1) There’s nothing magical about a 40-hour workweek.
Most of the workers in the trial reduced their hours […]
Stephan: I am beginning to see a new approach to agriculture arise, and this one, which also involves solar power, is a particularly interesting example of this emerging trend.
Minnesota sheep solar farm
Global renewables company Enel Green Power has installed 16 solar farms across Minnesota, but their arrays look a little different than others you find across the US. Instead of bare earth or gravel beneath the panels, you can find pollinator-friendly plants and grazing sheep.
Recognizing the importance of protecting pollinators, Minnesota has set the standard for pollinator-friendly vegetation at solar sites. Their sites feature pollinator-friendly grasses, sedges, and wildflowers for bees, butterflies, and other insects to seek refuge in. The state passed legislation 2016 designating what qualifies as pollinator-friendly plants to prevent greenwashing and encourage more green energy companies to green up their operations even further.
Laura Lukens, the monitoring coordinator for the Monarch Joint Venture, has been tracking the efficacy of Enel’s planting initiatives. She reports monarch breeding at every single solar site she visits, but it’s not just the insects that benefit from the plants. The vegetation improves solar output by cooling the panels and helps rejuvenate the soil on site. The sheep serve to naturally turn over the earth […]
Stephan: I have had several discussions with people about Critical Race Theory and I realize they don't really know what it is about. So here is a reasonable explanation, and as you can see it is about telling ourselves the truth about ourselves and our history. What they teach in most schools is a part of our history seen through a very biased lens. When you were in school did anyone tell you that of the first five presidents of the U.S., four were slave owners? Did anyone teach you that George Mason, one of the principal authors of the Constitution would not sign it, because even though he was a slave owner he wanted slavery to end, and foresaw that we would have a civil war within a century if the slave trade was not ended? No.Didn't teach you that? Didn't think so. but that is the sort of thing that should be taught.
President Lyndon Johnson signing the 1964 Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964, which aimed to do away with racial discrimination in the law. But discrimination persisted. Credit: Universal History Archive/Getty
U.S. Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana sent a letter to fellow Republicans on June 24, 2021, stating: “As Republicans, we reject the racial essentialism that critical race theory teaches … that our institutions are racist and need to be destroyed from the ground up.”
Kimberlé Crenshaw, a law professor and central figure in the development of critical race theory, said in a recent interview that critical race theory “just says, let’s pay attention to what has happened in this country, and how what has happened in this country is continuing to create differential outcomes. … Critical race theory … is more patriotic than those who are opposed to it because … we believe in the promises of equality. And we know we can’t get there if we can’t confront and talk honestly about inequality.”
Banks’ account is demonstrably false and typical of many people publicly declaring their opposition to critical race theory. Crenshaw’s […]
Stephan: More than climate change, or the pandemic, or anything else, what concerns me the most is the fact that depending on how the 2022 election comes out America may, or may not, remain a democracy. We have a former political party that no longer is working to making our political system work as a democracy but instead seeks to turn the country into a fascist kleptocracy masquerading as a pseudo-democracy. What surprises me is that the Democratic Party leadership, and a number of its senators and representatives, do not really seem to grasp the true state of risk we are in.
People listen as former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally on July 3, 2021 in Sarasota, Florida. Co-sponsored by the Republican Party of Florida, the rally marks Trump’s further support of the MAGA agenda and accomplishments of his administration. Photo illustration by Salon/Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty
Every so often, a right-wing pundit drops his guard a little and reveals to the world the incel-ish inclinations and bitterness toward women that undergirds so much conservative “intellectualism.” This week, it was Manhattan Institute fellow Eric Kaufmann, with a prolonged whine in the National Review about the massive social problem that desirable women apparently don’t desire Donald Trump voters. Kaufmann’s ostensible point was to warn about the dangers of “progressive authoritarianism” supposedly “infringing rights to equal treatment or free speech.” As many folks pointed out on Twitter, however, the evidence offered of such civil rights violations was centered around the low rates of “non-Trump-supporting students willing to date a Trump supporter,” the statistic that “87 percent of all female college students wouldn’t date a Trump […]
Stephan: I have warned you that it would take months and maybe years to flush out the little orcs with whom the Trump administration consciously and deliberately peopled the federal regulatory agencies, and such is proving to be the case. We can already see this in the Department of Justice, where Merrick Garland is proving to be a disappointment. Now it has become apparent in the Environmental Protection Agency. Although I support what the Democrats are doing, I find them rather flaccid and unfocused. We will see what the next months bring, but a more purposed aggressive effort is called for in my view.
Thousands participate in the National March for Science in Philadelphia, PA, on Earth Day, April 22, 2017. Similar events were held around the nation protesting the Trump administration’s cover-up of scientific data regarding the climate crisis. According to an official complaint to the EPA’s inspector general, officials at the agency have interfered with reports on chemical toxicity, Credit: Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto/Getty
Four scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency are alleging that the “war on science” is continuing under the Biden administration, with managers at the agency altering reports about the risks posed by chemicals and retaliating against employees who report the misconduct.
The government watchdog Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) filed a formal complaint Friday on behalf of the scientists with the EPA’s Office of the Inspector General, calling for an investigation into reports that high-level employees routinely delete crucial information from chemical risk assessments or change the documents’ conclusions to give the impression that the chemicals in question are not toxic.
“These alterations of risk assessments are not just artifacts of the Trump administration; they are continuing on a weekly basis.” —Kyla Bennett, […]
