climate

Dead End: How the West Was One

Will we 

all die

by AI?

Or will climate

be our 

ultimate

end?

To pretend

that this 

moment

will merely

foment  

debate

and our 

fate 

will be

established

at some

later date

is a great

mistake.

Recently,

an artificially

intelligent

secret

agent

got smart.

In the 

Hugging

Face 

Incident,

autonomous 

AIs

breached 

containment

by creating

and using

self improvised

message

boards. 

The cyber

attacks

by autonomous 

hacks

exposed

a chain

of vulnerabilities. 

With 

ludicrous

speed

these

dangers

proceed

like 

a stampede.

Have we

agreed

to this?

Not quite

the abyss,

but we should

not dismiss

just how

ridiculous

it is 

to ignore.

Suffering

caused

by plagues

and disease,

floods

and tsunamis,

tornados,

volcanos,

fires,

and heat

and cold

extremes

it seems,

means

finding 

alternative

energy.

I don’t 

mean

green,

although

that’s a 

must;

It’s trust

in truth,

science,

and defiance

of the nefarious

among us.

Unplug

from the

drug

of scrolling.

The trolling

is too

often

insidious.

The hideous

side

of humanity

that revels

in the 

insanity

that drives

the rest

of us

crazy,

needs

an alternative

too.

If facts

were enough

we’d

have solved

this stuff,

but the 

way people

feel

is what’s

most seemingly

real.

So facts

must

resonate

in order

to activate

an adequate

shift

from this

current

rift

where

we are

all

adrift

as we 

sift

through

the algorithmic

stew

created

bespoke

for me

and you.

Now that

AI

creates

its own

DIY,

can we

defy

the odds?

West

will need

East

and at

the very

least,

we will

need

each other

to recover

and survive.

Remember

“Westworld”?

and “2001: A

Space Odyssey”?

Add the documentary

“An Inconvenient

Truth”?

We

are living 

in the scariest

movie

ever.

But don’t

cover

your eyes;

energize.

Organize.

Contribute.

VOTE.

Despite 

the warnings

from AI

CEOs,

it seems

like no one

knows 

for sure

what we 

could

possibly

endure.

Some are

fearful

of government

oversight

as though

that might

inhibit

profit.

But AI 

dominance

comes with

great

consequence,

especially

when 

incompetence

lives

in the 

White House.

A do nothing

Congress

suggests

we are helpless.

Like children

in 

lockdown

with an 

active

shooter.

There’s still

a bad taste

from what’s

now seen

as a waste:

keeping schools

closed

during COVID.

Government

intervention

(except

with abortion

and immigration)

is seen

as best

to avoid.

But the void

that  gets 

filled

from bills

that get 

killed

that would

otherwise

subsidize

a clean

green

future

and have

a close

eye

on AIs,

it’s no

surprise,

has made

the future

more tenuous.

The ominous

effects

will affect

all of us.

Let’s not

invite

this way

to unite

us.

We need

not be

helpless,

so please

help us.

Democracy

might 

still be

the way

of progress

even in

this mess.

The Living Will

Nuclear disaster

seemed faster

than 

we could master

until deterrence

prevented

such occurrence

(thus far).

The inconvenient

truth

known by 

youth

is that the climate

is changing

and rearranging

our lives

and will affect

who survives

on earth.

Before the fall

we had

it all;

an eden

or so

we thought.

We had a system

with much 

wisdom

but also some

problems

too long

ignored.

Bored of

compromise

and the exercise

of sacrifice,

it would

suffice

to kick

the can

down the

road.

Now 

the road’s

end

seems visible,

which is

nothing less

than unbearably

miserable.

The dead

end

would not

just be

individual,

but global

if Artificial

Intelligence

renders 

humans’

irrelevance

to evolution’s

preference.

Every cliché

describes

today

as humanity

stares at

calamity

pending;

an ending

most

heartrending

as humans

and earth

will be worth

nothing,

if we 

do 

nothing.

We are surely

living in

an historical

epoch;

an epic

one,

at that.

But more

than just

a new

technology

transforming

capabilities,

the possibilities

of AI’s

utilities,

along with

our vulnerabilities,

are inevitabilities

as always,

demanding

our consideration.

It seems

to me 

that intelligence

can’t have

independence

from life.

The dinosaur

did not know

if a meteor

could be 

coming for 

its end.

We are not

the equivalent,

and need not

be ambivalent

about 

evolution

that we forgot

has got

us within.

The current 

administration,

socially

Darwinian

and authoritarian,

focuses in

on their

version

of survival

of the fittest.

And we’ve

all witnessed

the biggest 

loser,

perpetual

abuser,

use politics,

despite

the critics

and analytics,

ignorant

of high school

civics,

to ignore

the hazards

ahead.

The zero

sum game

that we use

to frame

our politics

creates

eternal

conflicts.

We know

the game

and the system,

and the eternal

victim

who is gaming

the system

merely for his

advantage.

Change

is current

and more

than we know,

so why not

make it

currency

for the urgency

of our concerns?

We tend 

to see

patterns

as stability

and sometimes

forget 

our ability

to imagine.

We are

to evolution

as the wave

is to the ocean.

We’re in

perpetual

motion,

though we 

still 

feel still.

What will

the living

be giving

the future?

How can we

necessitate

“do not

resuscitate”?

What interventions

can serve as 

preventions

or mitigate

the worst

extensions?

The solutions

to overwhelm

and apprehensions

are actions.

The knowledge

of Artificial

Intelligence

is not a

license

for passivity.

Cognitive elasticity

allows for

adaptivity,

a necessity

for life.

So for all

the strife,

individually

and between

each county,

we’d better

find a better

way

to genuinely

solve problems.

The living

will 

affect what

living is.

How will

you?

Err Quality

With salad days

no longer

upon us

as fears

intensify

not just

from lettuce,

let us

consider

how to act

our age

of one 

disaster

after another,

ever threatening

food,

air,

and water.

Skies of orange

and smoke

are no joke

and occurring

more often

now.

How can

cuts 

in government

effectively

prevent

these crises?

Fire fighting,

ever frightening,

is becoming

more than

seasonal.

It’s reasonable

to link

constant

crises

to larger 

opportunities.

Do we 

now live in

the Pyrocene?

And what

does that

mean?

Is this all

a warning

about global

warming?

Are we reassuring

ourselves

without insuring

ourselves

financially

or substantially

reckoning

with what

the series

of crises

is beckoning?

Rethinking

forest maintenance

certainly

makes sense

in order

to achieve

better balance.

How much

damage

is too much

for such

a planet

as ours?

The powers

that be

want to see

as much money

from each 

oil and tech

company

as possible

which results

in possibly

the stupidest

policy

gutting

thinkable.

There’s been

so much

progress 

in the private

sector

in green

technology,

but without

government

enforcement

of environmental

policy,

the intentional

destruction,

hardly

an error,

means

life is scarier

as a result.

The cost

of putting

out fires,

political

and literal,

is becoming

too great.

This 

climate

crisis

is 

upon us,

exacerbating

conditions

for deadly

lettuce,

much less,

endless

fire season

and other

disasters

that are

unnatural.

Please 

hold the powerful

to account

for this mounting

crisis.

Are you 

contacting

your legislator?

Are you giving

to a climate

nonprofit?

We can 

remedy

some,

and become

more 

adaptable,

but the less

we do

the more

intractable

it will be.

El Niño

A marine

heat-wave

seen

forming 

in

the Pacific

Ocean

confuses

global 

weather systems

and produces

more intense

drought,

rain,

and flooding,

disrupting hurricane

and monsoon 

seasons-

reasons

for extreme

heat

and agricultural

retreat

and failure.

With the coming

Super

El Niño-

the fear

this year

is that a 

warming

climate

will exacerbate

an already

monstrous

El Niño fate,

already difficult

to navigate.

With higher

temperatures

expected

this summer,

and weather

systems

becoming

chaotic,

our sclerotic

governmental

attempt

to preempt

disaster

will be tested

faster

than expected.

What to expect

when you’re

expecting

El Niño

in an already

overheated,

defeated,

depleted,

political

climate?

When 

an 

over reliance

on business

to lead us

without

government

to co-invent

a clean

energy

environment,

we are left

with 

insufficient

preparation.

Meanwhile,

AI Data Centers

are being built

without

regulation

as their demand

for water

and electricity

hurts

each nearby

community,

as tech companies

seem to have

immunity

from everything.

Nurturing

is not just

for mothers.

For Mothers’

Day,

I say,

start to be

a citizen

who takes

action

beyond

a ballot.

The climate

is in crisis.

Think of it

like Isis:

we can’t

just

be victims

in waiting.

I know

the threats

to democracy

are 

an emergency

we see

playing out

each day.

But this 

El Niño

on the way,

is a brutal

warning

of what

global

warming

plus natural

disaster

at a rate

much

faster

than expected

means

when unprotected.

The El Niño 

prediction

of infliction

of serious

threat

should get

you to do

what you can

for collective

action.

Building

political will

will require

your energy

and money

for green energy

policies,

and government

assurance

that insurance

will be there

when

and where

it’s needed.

This Mothers’ Day,

I say,

write a letter

to the editor

and/or

your 

legislator.

Connect with

another 

activator.

Here’s a toolkit

that could fit

most any

climate

issue:

https://www.beyondplastics.org/tools

And here’s a way

(for Mother’s Day)

to contribute

to candidates

to flip the house

towards

climate stewards

(and other helpful

policies):

https://app.oath.vote/

And working

to pass 

reasonable legislation

is the 

Citizens Climate

Lobby 

organization:

Homepage

These are just 

a few

I hope 

you

will explore,

but I implore 

you to 

do something

for Mothers’ Day,

as 

El Niño

is on the way

and the climate

crisis

is already

here.

The antidote

to fear

is action.

Please,

in honor of 

your mother

and earth,

your actions

are worth

it.

We can

make progress-

even now,

despite

that monster

threat.

Resiliency

and sustainability

are a possibility

but require

communal responsibility.

Now go 

to your room

and do

your homework.

Happy Mothers’

Day!

Winter Games

Everything 

I see

lately

is curling-

in the Olympics

and in politics.

Meddling

at home

without

much medaling

in Italy

yet,

from the outset,

has been

great upset.

Booing Vance

in advance

of the games

brought me

no pride.

Inside

I cringed

at how fringed

our stature

is

on the world

stage.

The rage

against

Trump

is

justified,

as the 

slide

to authoritarianism

can not

be denied,

but mostly,

I felt sad.

And then

the great

losses

early on

by the bosses

of skating

and skiing,

felt metaphoric.

This season

of ICE,

the most

chilling

in memory,

could be

an opportunity.

But not 

yet.

Shutting down

Homeland Security

even partially,

may be

a Hail

Mary,

but it feels

like a lose-

lose.

And gutting

the EPA

and throwing

away

environmental

progress,

much less

democratic

process,

make today,

Presidents Day,

nothing more

than a day

to buy

a mattress.

If you’re feeling

powerless,

know that

you are not.

Politics,

unlike

The Olympics,

is not

a spectator

sport.

The dual

crises,

existential,

democracy

and environmental,

require your

participation.

Sure,

bring your bags

to the grocery

store,

but before 

you do,

take a few

moments

(literally, a few!!)

to take

actions:

Home
Dashboard for Democracy

Use the tools

of democracy

to save democracy

and the climate

crises.

Already crafted

emails

and petitions,

download the apps

for your signature

additions.

I get nothing

out of sharing

here

other than knowing

we are daring 

here

to do democracy

together.

It’s better 

than just watching

the screen

as we careen

off course.

And of course,

share with 

your friends

and family

and your 

networks.

Be a reason

democracy

works.

That’s

how we

win.

The President’s Crude

Now we know

“The Donroe

Doctrine”:

Mucho dinero

in exchange 

of Madero

for American oil

on Venezuelan

soil.

Putting

in custody

another

bad guy

can’t justify

“We’ll run

the country”

now.

Trump’s 

surprise

invasion

required

no persuasion

of the American

people

or 

of Congress,

no less.

But 

oil stocks

grew,

so why 

renew

energy

when we

can invade

another

country?

(Just 

a week

prior

the national 

ire

was affordability.)

Not everyone

is a Beverly

Hillbilly.

And what

about 

the instability

in that 

petro-country

without 

democracy?

We know

he loves

the oil

industry,

(his BFF

is the

head Saudi).

The military

action

may have 

been

perfection

(although

almost

100 people 

were killed),

but

the ramifications

for such invasions

are not

sympathetically

viewed.

Insatiability,

not stability,

or responsibility

drives

the probability

of more

of Trump’s

crude

presidency.

Let’s not

forget,

that at 

Trump’s 

direction,

the January 6th

insurrection

made possible

not just 

the attack

on

The Capitol,

but his ability

to ignore

democracy,

and implement

crude

policy

seemingly

for free,

or for

the deals

he 

gets

when he makes

such bets

with the 

oily

captains

of industry.

Trump’s crude

presidency

has cleverly

worked

around 

democracy.

But this

is the year

to renew

energy;

new energy

to mitigate

the worst

effects

of this 

climate crisis

Trump’s crude

presidency

has imposed

upon us.

Going Greene?

Could this climate

change

be more strange

since

a faction is 

going Greene?

That anti-

Epstein

lean

lead by

Marjorie Taylor

Greene,

the conspiracy

theory

machine

amplifier,

is taking

a higher

road 

and putting

the load

on Trump.

The sport

of support

of a politician

becomes ammunition

in the next

election

round.

Support

is substantial

when it’s

financial;

it need not

mean

moral or

emotional

approval.

Still,

money spent

is acknowledgement 

and a willingness

to abide

on the side

of what 

money will 

buy.

Just look

at the guy

who will try

to get

in bed

with any

(and every)

naughty

Saudi.

But back

to Marjorie,

who can

see

with

laser-like

efficiency

the value

of the spotlight.

She just might

be

the perfect

thorn

as she persists

her endless

scorn

with seeming

righteousness

against the hideousness

of the monstrousness

of sexual predatory

behavior.

Once her enabler,

he’d now like

to disable her,

but Marjorie

Taylor

sees GREEN.

If you feel torn

about watching

with popcorn

this ick-fest

contest,

I suggest

you just

let it

rest.

The best

you can do

is to

continue

or start

to be part

of real

greening

solutions. 

All conclusions

point to

intrusions

of human greed

and the need

to live more

sustainably. 

Understandably

daunting

with disaster

ever 

haunting,

environmental

concern

should earn

more 

of your

attention

and support.

This Giving

Tuesday

I hope you’ll

pay gratitude

and/or express

your attitude

of stewardship:

Climate Action Now

Home

BeyondPlastics.org

https://www.beyondplastics.org/

Citizens Climate Lobby

Homepage

Fashion Revolution

Home

These are 

some orgs

with which 

I regularly 

engage,

helping

to assuage

my rage

and fear

and to use

the tools

of democracy

for a more healthy,

greener

place 

for humanity

to thrive.

Plastic Surgery

I’m a hypocrite;

I know it.

I admit it,

though

I think 

the problem

is public

as well as

corporate.

I know

it would be

drastic

to forgo

the use of

plastic,

because it

really is

fantastic,

but it’s 

poisonous.

Poisoning us

like smoking

does,

without noticing

thus.

Leaching into

water sources,

air and soil,

natural resources,

mammals

and all animals,

and the atmosphere

here

on earth,

is deceptively toxic

from so much plastic.

Who knew 

that from

the era of

“The Graduate”

we’d gradually,

inadvertently,

blindly,

slowly

kill everything.

Micro 

and nano

plastics

are found

underground

and inside us.

But the demand

for change

in how we 

arrange

our lives

for health

is rather strange.

We know

the plastic

problem

continues

to grow,

though we

dare not

abstain,

which is 

a stain

on our 

humanity.

Kennedy,

the Secretary

of Health,

and Human

Services,

has an opportunity

to shift away

from mRNA

funding cuts,

to finding 

the guts

to take on

Big Plastic.

It’s so ubiquitous,

this poisonous

stuff 

that’s poisoning

us 

and the environment,

but its

retirement

is not yet

a conversation.

It will 

necessitate

those who 

might hesitate

to boldly

demand policy

private

and public,

that plastic

becomes

less ubiquitous

and poisonous

to us

and every

living thing

around us.

Start here:

https://www.beyondplastics.org/act

https://www.beyondplastics.org/

NOAA’s Arc

In an atmosphere

of fear

and threat

and perpetual

distortions,

we get

flooded

with antediluvian

actions

compounded by 

distractions

of epic

proportions.

The contortions 

of explanation

from the current

administration

on everything

from reigning

in immigration

to raining

inundation,

when the

lapse in 

communication

seemed to

exacerbate

a biblical

situation,

severely

compounds

the loss

and frustration

that somehow

is still

siloed.

The National

Oceanic

and Atmospheric

Administration

endured

DOGE

job 

eliminations

which

seemed to

affect

communications

between

the National

Weather Service

and state

actors.

But detractors

will insist

that deathly

flooding

would persist

no matter 

what.

Yes,

the rains

were extraordinary

and likely

to cause

adversity.

But was

the calamity

necessarily

due to

an impossibility?

The unbearable 

tragedy

from the floods

in Texas

reminds us

that nature

can be 

quite cruel.

But humans

fuel

the result

of nature’s

tumult

one way

or another. 

NOAA’s

arc 

of expansion

decades since

its creation

has provided

communication

and exploration

tools

that only fools

in this administration

would find

dispensable.

We’ve seen

this with

other agencies,

like USAID

where the lack

from the cutback

means

more die.

Defunding research

and/or communication

leaves

those most

in need

in the lurch

in the most

horrible

situation.

Responsible

oversight

might

seem ancient

when the penchant

for disruption

is au curant. 

Until recently,

NOAA’s arc

was built

conscientiously

to protect

us 

and the environment.

As 911 

and Katrina revealed,

the politics 

concealed

breakdowns

between authorities.

The disparities

were ignored

until 

the devastation

was toured

and the discoveries

appalling.

NOAA’s arc

again

reminds me

that  we

must bend

the arc

of history

creatively

toward justice

and sustainability.

Urgent Care

Crisis centers

focus 

upon disaster

faster

than the usual

perusal

of a concerning

issue.

Discerning

misuse

or abuse

from the obtuse,

while trying

not 

to confuse,

we use tools

of expedience

for the 

triage experience;

a quick

fix,

if temporary.

Contrary

to ordinary

problems

of persistence,

when resistance

to change

allows for a range

of ways 

to cope,

the end of 

the rope

of crisis

invites us

to pivot;

to  apply

a tourniquet

to stop

the flow.

The distinction

between

an emergency

and urgency

may be

unclear.

The fear,

however,

is whether

or not

we’ve got

enough

stuff

to manage

the damage.

Just how deadly

is this?

The persistent 

quality

of urgency

insistently

demands

attention

for mitigation

of a critical

situation.

An emergency

emerges

more quickly

than urgency,

yet

both insistently

demand

intervention.

But convention

sometimes

clouds

the urge

to purge

the toxic

ways

that delays

imagined

discomfort.

With no

more room

for emergencies

or crises

imposed

upon us,

we retreat

in defeat

and claim

self preservation,

without realization

that earth’s

land, sea, 

and air

can’t self

repair

without

urgent care.

Urge your legislators:

Home