If you haven’t seen it yet, you might be interested in this video of AOC and what was a live conversation about the events of January 6, what needs to happen now, and the effects of trauma. AOC makes clear that hers is not the only story or the most important story — but it will give you an idea what it was like and why just 'moving on' is not a reasonable or acceptable option. … [Read more...] about What was it like on January 6?
Peter's blog
Thoughts on sustainability, regeneration, social justice, and more….
More deadly than COVID
Recent studies confirm what scientists have long suspected: that air pollution kills about 250,000 people in the United States—every year! And that's in addition to the hundreds of thousands with strokes, respiratory infections, and other diseases caused by air pollution. The cost in life and in dollars is enormous, but we don't see our so-called leaders doing anything to save … [Read more...] about More deadly than COVID
Science on fracking harm
Health Professionals of NY and Physicians for Social Responsibility have released a newly-updated compendium of the medical and scientific evidence of the great harm done by fracking, a widely used and trusted resource. Compendium of Scientific, Medical, and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking [PDF] From the introduction: Public health harms now … [Read more...] about Science on fracking harm
Clean energy, batteries, & mining
Clean, renewable energy is essential for sustainability. The main problems with getting to 100% renewable energy are that solar and wind energy spend on weather and time of day, and this makes some sort of storage important. Improved and less expensive batteries are often touted as the solution to the intermittency of truly renewable energy. Unfortunately, the demand for … [Read more...] about Clean energy, batteries, & mining
Connecting the Dots (2)
PBS recently republished a column by Rusul Airubail titled 'Why educators still need to talk about 9/11 — and Islamophobia'. I think this applies equally to adults and is actually very closely related to current experiences of racism and violence. It is still critical to provide safe spaces for children and adults to discuss the wave of Islamophobia that swept the US, with … [Read more...] about Connecting the Dots (2)
Connecting the Dots (1)
The shutdown of many businesses and activities during the coronavirus lockdown resulted in a significant reduction in fossil-fuel use, and the low oil prices make it cheaper to make plastic from fossil fuels instead of recycling plastic. And this leads to lower demand and lower prices for recyclables — in many cases, they now go straight from your recycling bin to the … [Read more...] about Connecting the Dots (1)
Sturgis & Coronavirus
In my recent post ['60+ Years of Assault on POC'], I mentioned the annual Sturgis motorcycle rally: The latest iteration of the annual Sturgis motorcycle rally, which is in some ways a celebration of white supremacy and (White) individuals’ ability to ignore the law, was tacitly welcomed by the government and businesses of South Dakota." Some of the Lakota nations … [Read more...] about Sturgis & Coronavirus
60+ Years of Assault on POC
As we consider the events in Minneapolis and Kenosha, let's take a minute to consider that these events are part of a pattern that's gone on for many years. It's not just a case of the disproportionate killing of Black people by the police, it's also white supremacy showing itself in many other ways, some of them quite obvious. We could go all the way back to the Black … [Read more...] about 60+ Years of Assault on POC
Bobby (aka RFK)
Bobby Kennedy was killed on June 5 1968, only two months after MLK was murdered in Memphis. To many of those at the time, these two killings were far worse and more personal than the assassination of RFK's older brother. Fast forward to 2020, and many people apparently still believe that Bobby was shot by Sirhan Sirhan, although there is ample evidence to prove this is … [Read more...] about Bobby (aka RFK)
Why?
You would think all police departments would have a heightened awareness of their actions. If they are not moved by the imperative to do what is morally right, you'd think they would at least avoid horrible publicity. This morning's news has even more examples of tragic actions by police, and it's not all racist — some is simply the result of violent police tactics. Here … [Read more...] about Why?