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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 A. Schwartz, Columnist - Explore - The Journal of Science and Healing
Stephan:
In the midst of all the negative trends that are so shaping American culture at the moment there is what I consider to be not only an emerging positive trend, but one which is going to fundamentally change our society and all human societies. The matrix of consciousness is beginning to become an essential part of our view of the world It is going to take time but this is where we are headed. That’s good news as we end the year.
Koko The gorilla talking with a human friend about the pussy cat she is holding. Credit: BBC
For most of the Judaea-Christian epoch of history the view of most Western societies was that we, humanity, were separate from the rest of creation and had dominion over the earth, as if it were an exploitable bank account left us by a rich uncle. As the Bible frames it, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”1 And in a sense we have had dominion and done a very poor job of it, as the impending collapse of the ecosystems of earth, air, and water make clear.
French philosopher Rene´ Descartes in 1637, writing, “Cogito ergo sum. (“I think, therefore I am.”)2 set the tone of science when he said that only people can think; and […]
Florida is a state with all kinds of problems that are not being properly addressed, including it is almost impossible in many areas to buy home insurance. None of that seems to matter to MAGAt De Santis and his colleagues. What they are focused on, obsessed with one could say, are pronouns. This is what is going on in the state.
The lawsuit challenging Florida’s law restricting pronouns in schools is the latest legal pushback against several key polices created by state GOP leaders recently to strengthen parental rights and remove “wokeness” from classrooms, moves criticized by opponents as unfairly targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Credit: Jacquelyn Martin/ AP
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — Three Florida teachers sued state and local officials in federal court Wednesday seeking to overturn a new law forbidding employees from using pronouns in schools that differ from their sex at birth.
The group, represented by the Southern Poverty Law Center, contend that the law passed by state Republicans and lauded by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year amounts to sex discrimination and violates their constitutional rights, putting them at risk of losing their educator credentials — or jobs — for being “who they are.”
Filed in Tallahassee, the lawsuit is the latest legal pushback against several key polices created by state GOP leaders recently to strengthen parental rights and remove “wokeness” from classrooms, moves criticized by opponents as unfairly targeting the LGBTQ+ community.
The Gallup Organization gives us, sadly, more bad news about the health trends in the United States. These are the facts, and we need to face them. As I wrote yesterday we have become a sick country, and I think this in large measure because our Congress and the Red state legislatures are under the control of the Republican MAGAt cult and are doing virtually nothing to foster wellbeing. Instead, they are focused on white supremacy, replacement theory conspiracies, suppressing the rights of women to control their own bodies, America’s gun psychosis, and the threats to our democracy. As I keep saying the only thing that is going to change this is citizens voting Democrats into office. As a party they are far from perfect, but compared to the Republicans, it is night and day.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Key physical health metrics have notably worsened since before the COVID-19 pandemic, including obesity, diabetes and eating habits. The percentage of U.S. adults whom Gallup classifies as obese has reached an estimated 38.4%, up 6.0 percentage points since 2019 and just shy of the record high of 39.9% measured in 2022. A new high of 13.6% of respondents say they have been diagnosed by a medical professional with diabetes, up 1.1 points since 2019.
The most recent results, obtained Aug. 30-Sept. 8, 2023, are based on 5,316 U.S. adults surveyed by web as part of the Gallup Panel, a probability-based panel of about 100,000 adults across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Unlike some government estimates of obesity, Gallup uses respondents’ self-reported height and weight to calculate body mass index (BMI) and subsequent weight classes. It does not involve randomized clinical measurements that typically result in higher obesity estimates. A BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese. Additionally, Gallup does not discern between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes but rather asks: “Has a […]
This is a very thoughtful and insightful look at what is happening to women in our culture, Millenials and Gen Zers particularly, as they consider having children and entering motherhood. I urge you to read it, and think deeply about what it is saying. In addition to everything else I took away from this article, what particularly stood out for me was how disordered and sick American society is compared to say countries like Sweden where social relationships and social support structures are so much healthier and fostering of wellbeing.
Illustration for Vox by Eleanor Davis
I had been seeing my boyfriend for about a year, and though things were going well, we never talked about our feelings on having children. I’m aware of the dating advice that says you’re supposed to broach that topic early on, but I didn’t know what I wanted, and I didn’t feel ready to talk about that fact.
That is, until Roe v. Wade was overturned, and I could no longer pretend that Roe’s gutting didn’t have real implications for us, or at least for me. So one night in the summer of 2022, I finally asked him where his head was at.
He looked surprised, considering the question. “I think I’ve always wanted to be a father,” he said slowly, adding, “That doesn’t mean it’s a deal breaker, though.”
It was as diplomatic an answer as I could have hoped for — clear, honest, and with no ultimatum attached. Still, I felt nervous and even a bit lonely, because I am not someone who has dreamed […]
I think one of the lasting effects of the Covid pandemic is going to be loneliness. Three years of fewer dinner parties, less sports attendance, going to movies together, and a host of the small things that used to make up our social lives have left a lasting effect on people’s lifestyles.
In a new Meta-Gallup survey, 24% of people age 15 and older self-reported feeling very or fairly lonely, with young adults ages 19 to 29 having the highest rates. Credit: Yaraslau Saulevich / iStockphoto / Getty
If you feel lonely, you’re actually in good company: Nearly 1 in 4 adults across the world have reported feeling very or fairly lonely, a new Meta-Gallup survey has found.
The new survey, taken across 142 countries, found 24% of people age 15 and older self-reported feeling very or fairly lonely in response to the question, “How lonely do you feel?”
The survey also found that the rates of loneliness were highest in young adults, with 27% of young adults ages 19 to 29 reporting feeling very or fairly lonely. The lowest rates were found in older adults. Only 17% of people age 65 and older reported feeling lonely.
Over half of adults age 45 and older reported not feeling lonely at all, while the majority of those younger than 45 answered that they […]
