... THE CULT-OF-TRUMPISM ... (signs obvious & everywhere)

 ... as-true-disciples-members of the 'Cult-of-Trump' few if any of them are going to read ANY of these articles

... otherwise they would not be cult members... for it is blatantly-obvious he's a conman-cult-leader... has been from the start

 ... worse... he's spawned a whole-new-brood of like-minded-sycophants wanting-willing to take over when he goes... having-been-present witnessing-the-powers

... THEY-BELIEVE ... !!!

... good-luck-America ... those of us knowing what-could-have-been.. wishing-you-well

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

01.21.21
"So Many Great, Educated, Functional People Were Brainwashed”: Can Trump’s Cult of Followers Be Deprogrammed?
As the president’s conspiracy theories start to unspool with his departure from office, cult experts believe there’s hope—if the way Americans consume information undergoes a radical change.

07.27.21
Why is it was so easy for Donald Trump to sucker Americans into his cult?
Trump grew a cult following by casting himself as an outsider.

07.19.21
Certified Loser Donald Trump Is Rebranding MAGA as a Full-On Cult
As a twice-impeached, one-term historical freak show of a president, his only hope is to turn his movement into a cult, worshiping himself.

07.14.21
Is It Finally Time to Begin Calling Trumpism Fascist?
Hitler's Fascism in America has become the cult of Trump's Fascism

02.01.21
What American Horror Story: Cult Got Right — and Very Wrong — About the Trump Era
Even though Trump’s time as commander-in-chief has ended, the cult of Trumpism is still very much alive.

01.19.21
Another mess left by Trump: A cult of die-hard followers whose delusions run deep.
The real carnage wrought by the Trump years is cognitive. It won’t be fixed by prosecution or policy alone.

01.11.21
The ‘Shared Psychosis’ of Donald Trump and His Loyalists
The outgoing president’s pathological appeal and how to wean people from it.

12.15.20
Denying Reality Is How Trumpists Pray
Odds are, you have someone in your life that should know better mindlessly parroting some bit of empty drivel originating in the Trump lie machine.

11.18.20
The Cult of Trumpism and the ‘Stop the Steal’ Lunacy
Trumpism is a perilous path for the virus, the climate, human rights, world affairs, and for the future of America’s democracy.

07.30.20
The Sad Cult of Esoteric Trumpism
The pattern of cults.  A revelation of truth from on high will set you free; a Gnostic secret, known only to adepts.

04.04.20
Cult Experts Warn That Trumpism Is Starting to Look Awfully Familiar
Calls to sacrifice life to the coronavirus “evoke memories of people lining up to drink cyanide.”

 

Climate: What a summer of disaster tells us - The-Week - July 31, 2021

 "Apocalypse Right Now" would be an apt title, said Maureen Dowd at The New York Times,
or maybe "The Day After Tomorrow Was Yesterday."
Either way, this summer of climate horror feels like the "first, vertiginous 15 minutes of a disaster movie."

 
After the hottest June in recorded history obliterated temperature records not only in Death Valley (130 degrees) but also in usually mild locales like Seattle (108) and British Columbia (121), supercharged rainstorms created massive flooding in central Europe and China, turning streets into raging rivers and killing hundreds. Forest fires are now ravaging Siberia (Siberia!), Canada, and the Pacific Northwest, where Oregon's historic Bootleg Fire has so far consumed a staggering 400,000 acres of woodland, in a blaze so intense it has its own weather system — including lightning storms that start more fires.

The inferno has also created a continent-wide plume of smoke now reddening sunsets and making it hard to breathe as far away as New York. If there's any consolation for this "catastrophic summer," said Sofia Andrade at Slate, it's that "more and more people are becoming concerned with the existential threat that the climate crisis poses."

The dire scenarios climate scientists have projected for 2030 or 2040
are "already here."

In fact, said Andrew Freedman at Axios, scientists are now wondering if their computer models of climate change were too conservative by an order of magnitude. The Pacific Northwest heat wave in particular, which killed at least 200 and melted power lines in Portland, Oregon, with mind-blowing temperatures of 116 degrees, was "so far from the norm" that it's "causing experts to re-evaluate what's possible."

One phenomenon climate models didn't foresee is a "stuck" jet stream, which instead of moving weather around, locks in rainstorms, hurricanes, heat waves, and droughts for extended periods.

Ironically, the Pacific Northwest is where Silicon Valley's millionaires have been buying up property, said Naomi Klein at The Intercept. They figured a warming climate would turn Oregon into something "like California in its glory days," while California itself became an arid inferno. Let's hope this summer's horrors shatter that "fantasy of safety" for all the world's complacent elites.

Climate change is here, and nowhere and no one on this planet will be unaffected.

With extreme weather events now the norm, said Ilan Kelman at The Washington Post, we need to start adapting. Housing should no longer be built in woodsy fire zones, and we need both natural fires and prescribed burns to cleanse forests of dry timber. To limit damage from surging rivers and rising seas, cities must build walls and new drainage tunnels. Places like Portland need to set up cooling shelters to protect the elderly and vulnerable in heat waves. This summer's disasters have added "urgency for action."

"Adaptation" has long been a "dirty word" among eco-activists, said David Wallace-Wells at New York Magazine. They've seen it as surrender in the fight to decarbonize society and stop the planet from warming. But this summer's "freakish showcases of climate horror" should expose that as a false choice.

Efforts to replace fossil fuels must accelerate dramatically, but it would be "criminal to fail to focus on managing climate change," now that summer has already become a mass-casualty event. We need to help people already suffering and dying in 117-degree heat, biblical floods, and decades-long droughts.

The "permanent emergency" has begun.

TheWeek.com - July 31, 2021

 

... make no mistake ... there is NO-moral-justification ... futures of all-those we-know-&-love at-stake

 

On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was stormed during a riot & violent attack against the U.S. Congress.

 

se•di•tion sĭ-dĭsh′ən

• n.  Conduct or language inciting rebellion against the authority of a state.
• n.  Insurrection; rebellion.
• n.  A factious commotion in a state; the stirring up of such a commotion; incitement of discontent against government and disturbance of public tranquillity, as by inflammatory speeches or writings, or acts or language tending to breach of public order: as, to stir up a sedition; a speech or pamphlet, abounding in sedition.
   

Sedition remains a crime in the United States under 18 U.S.C.A. § 2384, a federal statute that punishes seditious conspiracy, and 18 U.S.C.A. § 2385, which outlaws advocating the overthrow of the federal government by force.

 

... Donald Trump's actions regarding the Capital riot on January 6th was-is-sedition & he must be banned from ever holding political office again

... there are obviously millions who disagreed... but I've yet to read anything even remotely indicating-justifying why he should not have been immediately impeached 

 

... for years we continually accepted totally-unacceptable-behaviors from this lurid-individual
... for what:   corporate-profits... propping-up-stock-prices ... what

... bringing anything up about his extreme inadequacies of leadership & all the conspiracy-theories get regurgitated by all those hard-right-believers abandoning-refusing rational-thinking

... not liking the idea they in fact believe-act in cult-like-fashion decrying anyone disputing the hard-facts of the horrors Trump has unleashed on this country & the world

... not only the worst political force this nation has been subjected to
... he's one of the worst the world has experienced

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  

Then there is:   The-Sedition Nobody's-Talking-About

 

... we must decide who we are to believe
... all these guys with big-money-at-stake
... or those actually caring about democracy & the welfare of all-every American-citizen

 

 

... and any of those attempting-coping-out saying they don't want to discuss-politics are trying to separate their world from reality ... can't be done ... they are waaay-too-intertwined

... this entire world surrounding us, as well as our-entire-future totally-controlled at-the-mercy-of political-rulers
... and their-backstage-plutocratic-masters pulling-their-our-strings

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

 

 

 

Favorite-Films-TV ... (at-the-moment)

... could change couple-times-week-or-year

... this-all want-to-include right-now ... there's-lots-more

... these all kinds of movies-TV-series can-will watch more than once

    _______________________________________________________________________

2 Nights Till Morning  (2015)
... showing that cinema doesn’t need classic-Hollywood-narrative or intensely-complicated-plots to strike a chord

5 to 7  (2014)
... 'older'-woman-(mid-30's) younger-man hardly ever done much better

A Walk on the Moon  (1999)
... all the leads-cast-are-exceptional.. of an 'era' firmly-implanted-in-memory

After The Wedding  (2006)
... after many viewings remains one of top favorites

Already Tomorrow In Hong Kong  (2016)
... they both are very good ... Hong Kong the star

Anna Karenina  (2013-18)
... sweeping-cinematic-drama of Tolstoy's-classic-work

**Apple Tree Yard  (2017)
... Emily Watson is just phenomenal ... must-be-watched  -  3h 43min

B. Monkey  (1998)
... little known gem.. several-great-performances.. he's-son of great Richard Harris

 Big Little Lies  (2017-19)
... only-Season-1 ... here discovered the amazing Shailene Woodley

Chinese Puzzle  (2013)
 ... several favorite European actors in an-easy-fun-film  

Come Undone  (2010)
... when passion comes into-conflict-with-reality.. an-Italian-romantic-drama

Dates  (2013)
... some great talent with a very entertaining script-format

Doctor Foster  (2015-17)
... she's just-sooo-exceptionally-good ... the-'dinner-scene'-priceless 

Ei kittos (No Thank You)  (2014)
... anyone tracks down another English-subtitled-version.. LMK

En Equilibre (In Harmony)  (2015)
... favorite Cécile de France film

Episodes  (2011-2017)
... Matt LaBlanc's best work.. entire cast outstanding-funny

Far from the Madding Crowd  (2015)
... she's consistently one of the absolute-best-in-the-business

Fidelity (Vernost)  (2019)
... a-rarity... a-good-adult-Russian-film

**Fleabag   (2016-19)
... doing-it-all... she's-absolute-genius  -  5h  27min

Four Lovers  (2010)
... could be best-partner-swap-movie have come-across  

Friends With Kids  (2011)
... top-notch-ensemble-cast.. all-doing-very-good-work

From the Land of the Moon  (2016)
... no-actor-does-more with-their-eyes-alone

Gentleman Jack  (2019-)
... another Suranne Jones triumph

Happiness Never Comes Alone  (2012)
... forty-six hardly-ever looking-this-captivating

Killing Eve  (2018-22)
... Oh & Comer beyond-exceptional.. marvelous-programming

Laggies  (2014)
... a favorite film of many of these actors

Man Up  (2015)
... film's $3M worldwide-gross-receipts belie-its-worth

**Normal People  (2020)
... to remain one of best-of-its-genre  -  5h 39min

Not Suitable For Children  (2012)
... when-I-got-Snook'ered.. (he's-good too)

Pulp Fiction  (1994)
... 27-yo-film ... as-good-today

**Rust and Bone  (2012)
... another film remaining-among BJ-top-five  -  2h 3min

**Scenes From A Marriage  (2021)
... will take very special performances keeping them from their Emmys  -  4h 56min

**Showtrial (2021-)
... fantastic series, Celine Buckens is brilliant - 5 h

Spotlight  (2015)
... very good reasons won Academy Award for Best Picture

Taboo  (2017-)
... very-dark &-weirdly-alluring

Take This Waltz  (2012)
... she's-always-good... mho - some of Rogen's-best-screen-work

The Bourne Identity  (2002)
... beginning of a terrific-franchise

The Great  (2020-)
... start to finish just wacko fun... Elle Fanning is charming-terrific

The Matrix  (1999)
... to-think Will Smith passed-on-being-Neo for-'Wild-Wild-West'

The Painted Veil  (2006)
... superb-acting.. visuals-locations-are-breathtaking-stunning

The Reports on Sarah & Saleem  (2018)
... when infidelity becomes an-act-of-terrorism

 **The Split (2018-2022)
... most of the genre nowhere-near-as-believable-enjoyable  -  17h

The Vicious Kind  (2009)
... her-philanthropic-work nearly-impressive as-her-acting-career (from-age-8) 

Those Happy Years (Anni felici)  (2013)
... one reviewer's comment:  "A filmmaker’s love letter to his-formative-experience
.. a heated & heartfelt swell of emotion, enthusiasm & empathy."

Une nouvelle amie (The New Girlfriend)  (2014)
... two favorite French actors... their work always special

(updated 10.12.21)

 

... gun-ownership-possession is waaay-too-laissez-fare in the U.S.

~ guns are a political-issue in this country... &-must-never-be thought-otherwise

~ gun manufacturers don't G-A-S ... sales are what's of uppermost-importance-priority

~ laws-regulations if-when they exist at all are totally-ineffective at best for protecting people

~ every-sale-transfer at every step of ownership-possession s/b fully-regulated-documented

~ w-severe-compulsory-penalties (financial-penal) for non-compliance

~ weapons-of-war (AR's, etal) must never be sold to the civilian-population.. EVER

~ mandatory-gun-registration w-local-law-enforcement is tantamount to population-safety

~ guns are a crisis in this country... school-education need reflect this-critical-situation

... we go nowhere till we get this right.. we opened this door.. we control these weapons

... or they will forever be controlling-killing-us in-ever-greater-numbers

 

 

 

... invader ... colonizer

 

... versions of history are-have-always-been highly politicized
... my generation being-taught 'Vikings' were marauders-invaders
... while other European nations were portrayed to be 'Colonizers'
... as they invaded-taking-over huge portions of the known & New-Worlds

... colonial, colonist, frontiersman, homesteader, pioneer, settler
... whatever ... it turned into becoming genocide on a massive scale
... far greater than when Hitler slaughtered millions during his reign of terror

... when the New-World was 'discovered' it was far from being an-unoccupied-land
... estimates range from upwards of 30-50 million people were then already here

... in North America millions-of-indigenous-peoples 'fending-for-themselves'
... going-back-thousands-of-years ... hundreds of tribes coast-to-coast
... then-they-got-invaded 'colon-ized'.. (look-how-well that's-been-workin-out)

... as far as we know it was first instance of massive-plague[s] in North America
... one's Europeans brought with them decimating a completely-vulnerable-population
... for sure 'Indian-Wars' took lives of hundreds-of-thousands probably-millions

... yet the real deadly toll came by way of numerous-infectious-deadly-diseases
... smallpox, malaria, viral influenza, yellow fever, measles, typhus, bubonic plague, typhoid fever, cholera, & pertussis (whooping cough)
... tens of millions of indigenous populations perished

 

... at same time we were invading foreign lands capturing-kidnapping several-hundred-thousand of other-nations'-peoples
... to be used as beasts-of-burden slave-labor on-'our-soil'

... then came the numerous prejudices against:  limeys.. micks.. frogs.. kikes.. cochise.. dagos.. gooks.. nips.. jungle-bunnies.. chinks.. spics.. pinkos.. wetbacks.. etal


... we live today with-these-outcomes legacies-from-our-past into-our-present
... true-history of who-we-are ... the-darker-side of our 'melting-pot'-heritage

 

Disturbing NASA photo of Amazon fires captured from space.

Wildfires and plumes of smoke from the Amazon rainforest can been seen from space in satellite images captured by US space agency NASA.
The disturbing photos show smoke and fire across several Brazilian states as the crisis reaches record-breaking levels.
More than 75,000 fires have erupted since the start of the year [2020] — an 83% increase on last year & the highest since records began in 2013.

The latest fires have been burning for weeks now, prompting anti-government protests & international furor.
NASA’s images show the increase in smoke & fire activity as flames break out in Rondonia, Mato Grosso & Amazonas.

More than half of the fires are in the massive Amazon Basin, where more than 20 million people live.
Some 1,663 new fires were ignited, according to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research.
Environmental organizations & researchers say the blazes were most likely set by humans who wanted to clear & use land for business purposes.

Amazon Watch, a non-profit organization working to protect the rainforest, said farmers had been setting the forest ablaze to create pastures, emboldened by Brazil’s conservative pro-business government.

“The unprecedented fires ravaging the Amazon are an international tragedy and a dangerous contribution to climate chaos.”

Fires are “directly related” to Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro, a climate skeptic who in the past has been criticized for claiming environmental protections hinder the South American country’s economic growth.
“This devastation is directly related to President Bolsonaro’s anti-environmental rhetoric, which erroneously frames forest protections & human rights as impediments to Brazil’s economic growth.”  

Bolsonaro’s message allowed farmers & ranchers “to commit arson with wanton impunity.”
“The vast majority of these fires are human-lit.”  
Farmers & ranches had long used fire to clear land, which was the most likely cause of the unusually large number of fires burning in the rainforest.

Bolsonaro, who has previously described rainforest protections as an obstacle to Brazil’s economic development, sparred with critics who warn the Amazon absorbs vast amounts of greenhouse gases & is crucial for efforts to contain climate change.
The Amazon fires have become a global issue, escalating tensions between Brazil & European countries who believe Bolsonaro has neglected commitments to protect biodiversity.

The Amazon is often referred to as the planet’s lungs, producing 20% of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere.
As the largest rainforest on the planet, it's considered a vital instrument in slowing global warming.

According to the National Institute for Space Research.. more than one-and-a-half soccer fields’ worth of Amazon rainforest are being destroyed-every-minute.

AP

  

Before coronavirus, 14.5 million people in the UK were caught up in poverty, equating to more than one in five people...

... all-loving-their-Monarchy ...

 

1. Balmoral Castle
Set in Scotland, Prince Albert bought this property for Queen Victoria in 1852. It's a place where the Royals still escape to each summer on holiday. Boasting baronial-style features such as turrets and dormer windows, it really is like something out of a fairy tale book.

2. Buckingham Palace
Perhaps the most famous of all, Buckingham Palace is the London residence & official administrative seat of the monarch of the United Kingdom. It's also where the Queen gave birth to Prince Charles & Prince Andrew. 

3. Craigowan Lodge
Just a stone's throw from Balmoral Castle, this seven-bedroom stone house was once a firm favourite of Prince Charles & Princess Diana. Today, however, it is mainly used to host visiting VIPs. 

4. Hillsborough Castle
In the heart of Northern Ireland [Queen's residence], this country house was built back in the 1770s. As well as four giant Ionic columns added by local architect Thomas Duff in the 1820s, it has incredibly breathtaking gardens. 

5. The Palace of Holyroodhouse
Over in Scotland, Holyroodhouse was home to Mary Queen of Scots and now serves as the official residence of the monarchy in Scotland. If you pay a visit, you can still see the many ruins today. 

6. Sandringham House
The Queen inherited private ownership of Sandringham from her father, King George VI, back in 1952.

7. Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is the largest & longest-occupied castle in Europe, which was founded by William the Conquerer in the 11th century. The 1,000-room castle is a timeless blend of both Victorian & Georgian style.

 

8. Birkhall
Home to the Prince of Wales & Duchess of Cornwall, Birkhall is a beautiful private residence in Scotland. Hidden in the gardens, you'll find the famous Wendy house which was built for Princess Elizabeth before she took the throne.

9. Clarence House
Today, Clarence House is the official London residence of Charles & Camilla, who have apartments on the second floor.

10. Highgrove House
Prince Charles first bought Highgrove House in 1980 and it now serves as his family home. The property is also close to the prince's Duchy Home Farm [organic farm operated by the Duchy of Cornwall]. The farm is part of the gardens of Highgrove House.

 

11. Llwynywermod
This property is Charles & Camilla's Welsh home, which they bought & refurbished in 2007. Previously, the home was owned by relatives of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII. 

 

12. Tamarisk House
This home on the Isle of Scilly also belongs to the Duke & Duchess of Cornwall, where they often visit for a holiday. Most recently, they have opened it up for holidaymakers to rent.

 

13. Kensington Palace
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge live in this 20-bedroom property with their three young children. Back in 1689, King William III and Queen Mary bought the mansion for £20,000 and commissioned Sir Christopher Wren to expand it.

 

14. Amner Hall
Anmer Hall was a wedding gift to William and Kate from the Queen, which now serves as the Cambridges’ country home. It is part of the Queen's Sandringham Estate, and is where the Cambridges spend much of their time together.

15. Frogmore Cottage
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex renovated this quaint cottage before moving in after the birth of their son Archie. The couple commissioned Soho House designer Vicky Charles to add a 1920's style to the interior. [now they live in California]

16. Gatcombe Park
This Grade II listed property was purchased by the Queen as a wedding present for Princess Anne in 1976. Anne now lives there with her daughter, Zara Tindall.

 

17. St James' Palace
This is the official residence of Princess Anne and also contains the London residences of Princess Beatrice of York and Princess Alexandra. The interiors are remarkably striking, with a red brick exterior and four courtyards.

 

18. The Royal Lodge
Prince Andrew moved into this 30-room property back in 2004. 

 

19. Bagshot Park
Home to Queen's youngest-son Prince Edward - Earl & Countess Sophie of Wessex, this 120-room Tudor mansion was previously used as a hunting lodge. Before they moved in, Queen Victoria arranged the construction of the property for her son, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, in the 1870s.

 

 

 

Are we much better.. we had Trump spending $150,000,000 playing golf ... in addition to all the hundreds of millions his-royal-family cost American taxpayers... still are.

 

... supplying this-family with-subsidies... like propping-up fossil-fuels or-war

... money needs-to-have much-higher-purpose

 

 

  Property descriptions by Lisa Walden, Digital Writer, House Beautiful & Country Living

... they are gone-going

... when we first moved to the Vegas-Mojave-Desert twenty-plus years ago
... the natural world out here was just beginning to get interrupted

... at first there were lots of smaller animals & insects (even a small bobcat out back)
... now most all are gone

... years & years of development along-w atmospheric-chemtrail-spraying taking their toll
... large roaches once were plentiful in warmer months

... now have not seen a one for more than a year or so
... smaller creatures being slowly poisoned are first to go

... our time ever more unavoidable can come as no surprise

 

... where's the real-estate-industry

 ... when's last article you've read where industry-members are rallying-against-climate-disruption
... philosophy appears to be.. we don't talk about it it'll have less effect

... or at least we'll sell more properties until whenever it's blatantly-obvious there's-a-major unavoidable-climate-issue gonna impact each & every one of us on-the-planet-severely

 

... all have been told in the past sooo many times
... this is gonna start happening 2100-2150

... too many alive believe they're not gonna-see-it
... few-realizing it's-starting-happening right-now

... whatever-the-calamity.. major-storms.. rising-seas.. heat-drought-wildfires
... we're a-big-country.. yet few places are not to be badly-impacted one-way-or-another

... there's a chance to keep a society where you'll want your-kids & g-kids to live
... yet we're wasting it each-every day we do sooo-little to-save-rescue-it

 

 

... certain-things:

progressives 2b mostly cast-aside in Biden-administration

Trump most likely never to go behind-bars

trillions-to-bail-out failing-banks Wall-Street

lots more billions given to the Pentagon than-they-even ask-for-request

'tax-cut' handing trillions over to the rich

2,000 billionaires w-more-wealth than 5-billion-people on-the-planet

work to stop-climate-destruction gonna-be 2-hard-4-us

we-can-get whatever-we-want whenever-we-want ... not-enough-money for-you-though

$140,000,000 super-yacht ... crosses-Atlantic on $300,000 worth-of-fuel

healthcare.. education.. prisons.. pandemics.. all-4-profit - all-perfectly-ok-acceptable

let's-block-out-Sun w-giant-balloons to help-w-global-warming  (B. Gates)

U.S. sold $175B+ military equipment to foreign governments fiscal year ended 09.30.20

whistleblowers-are-terrorists

hundreds-of-years of-continuing-racism

74 million Americans wanting-voting status-quo

literally-anyone can-will-be elected-POTUS

don't-even-really-know.. 50-60 million-in-poverty ... how-many-millions-homeless

one-guy-today makes-near $2,500 a-second ... net-worth almost $200-billion

maybe-there's ... no-such-thing as-chemtrails ... all-over-the-world

methane's-the-one ... taking-us-to increases-in-temperatures beyond-imagination

more than 57,000 U.S. wildfires scorched 10.3 million acres in 2020

a record 212 land & environmental-defenders murdered-in-2019  (more-than 4-per-week)

we're being-spoken-to ...  just don't-presently-have wisdom-humility-to-listen

 

more-to-come

 

Optimism is the madness of insisting all is well when we are miserable.  ~Voltaire

TheWeek.com

 

COVID-19 keeps proving everyone wrong

Noah Millman

 November 2, 2020

 

America once again broke its own record last week for daily confirmed cases of COVID-19, with over 100,000 new cases on a single day. That's not as many cases as we actually had back in the worst days of March when testing capacity was almost nonexistent and the virus had been raging essentially unchecked for weeks through the Northeast. But it is clearly worse than the summer surge through the Southeast & Southwest. 

And while the current wave is hitting Midwestern states like Wisconsin hardest, in every part of the country, from Texas to Massachusetts, numbers are rising, and in an accelerating fashion.

It's a terrible & depressing state of affairs. So imagine how we'd feel if the numbers were more than two and a half times worse — if, instead of 100,000 new cases a day, we had nearly 250,000. Because that's what America would look like if we had the same number of new cases per capita as France.

The ferocious return of the virus across Europe is not exactly an under-reported story. But it has been under-assimilated to the dominant narratives of both sides in America's COVID culture war. This past summer, advocates of stringent measures — aggressive lockdowns, universal mask-wearing, etc. — could point to Europe's success as proof that the virus could be beaten with sufficient determination, organization, and social solidarity. If America would only get its act together, we could emulate the approach of countries like France and have some semblance of our normal lives back by Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, advocates of a less-stringent response could point to Sweden, Europe's outlier country that never locked down, to say that ruthless suppression of the virus was unnecessary. With adequate protections for the residents of nursing homes (which Sweden failed to enact in the initial phase of the pandemic), and with restrictions on large gatherings, much of life could continue almost as normal and without massive economic and social dislocation. The virus would spread slowly through the population, taking a modest toll in life and health, but there would be no crisis, and eventually herd immunity would cause it to peter out.

Both views have now taken a serious hit. France successfully suppressed the virus to a level well below where states like New York got it, declared victory, and returned to something closely approaching normal. And it was precisely that return to normal that allowed the virus to return as well — and once it achieved a critical mass of infected individuals, the number of cases exploded.

Nor is France unique. The Czech Republic, a country that responded swiftly and forcefully in the spring, and thereby managed to avoid the first wave almost entirely, is now suffering one of the worst outbreaks in Europe. After doing surprisingly well through September, Sweden is facing its own surge, and abandoning its earlier lax approach to the virus. Meanwhile Belgium, arguably the worst-hit European country back in the spring, is also having a devastating fall, with two and a half times the number of daily cases per capita as France — over six times the U.S.'s rate. If Belgium hasn't benefited from herd immunity, it's hard to think of what country could.

 

Where does that leave all of us, staring down the barrel of a brutal winter?

Many may be tempted to take their prior views to new extremes, as if, like socialism, the only reason they haven't worked is that they've never been tried. So the advocates of lockdowns can point to the virus' resurgence and say they should never have ended — we should all have stayed maximally distanced until a vaccine is widely distributed. But this is neither a socially nor economically viable strategy. Indeed, one reason that the virus was able to surge back in France and elsewhere in Europe is precisely that European governments were loathe to crush their economies for a second time in only a few months and aware that the population was unlikely to comply in any case. If the only way to beat the virus is "lockdowns forever," most people are going to take their chances with the virus.

The "it is what it is" camp would seem to have the more plausible stance, in that case. If the virus is going to win regardless, why not just give in and get it over with? And while herd immunity hasn't quite panned out the way they hoped, they do have one other good talking point: though the virus appears to be as contagious as ever, it has had a markedly lower fatality rate lately than was estimated to be the case back in the spring. Indeed, even accounting for the younger population now being infected, the fatality rate has fallen to a fraction of what it was. It wasn't just the flu back in March, but maybe it is now?

The problem with this view is the same as it has been since the beginning of the pandemic when a certain segment of the American right first began to air it. Even at a lower fatality rate, the virus would prove devastating to vulnerable populations who cannot be ring-fenced if the virus is raging out of control in the general population. 

But further, that lower fatality rate is itself largely a function of improved therapeutic techniques. If the health-care system is overwhelmed with cases, that improvement will vanish. Now consider that in Belgium they are asking doctors with active COVID infections to continue working, and ask yourself whether you'd still take your chances with the virus if that was the case in your community. Once the virus is raging out of control, the government won't have to order a lockdown — people will lock themselves down, and take the economy with them.

Of course, there are still things we can do to improve overall outcomes. We can wear masks; we can take (and distribute) vitamin D; we can invest in testing infrastructure and contact tracing. It's still better to be Germany than France. But the unfortunate reality is that none of that will eradicate the virus. We have to live with it. And our only two alternatives for living with it are each deeply unsatisfying.

One choice is to adapt to the virus's new abnormal in which we prioritize the essential (e.g. education) even when it cannot be deemed wholly safe, but where many if not most of the pleasures and conveniences of life (eating in restaurants, attending a friend's wedding) are simply out of reach for many months to come. It's a gray and depressing prospect, where, regardless of how well the government cushions us from dire need, our lives are all persistently poorer. Unsurprisingly, no country I'm aware of has freely chosen this path. I haven't chosen it myself.

The other choice — the one the Western world has largely made — is for a manic-depressive cycle of opening and locking down with economic gyrations to match. The tougher we crack down at first, the harder it will be to resume cracking down later after a respite brings the virus back. But the laxer we are at first, the more ephemeral any period of respite will be. The death rate will almost certainly be higher in this world, but we'll likely tolerate it better than persistent misery. Indeed, in the context of so much volatility, with dread alternating with euphoria and plans subject to continuous revision, perhaps we'll barely notice.

 

"One of the most magical times of year...

... as we reach the December-21st-Solstice, the shortest day of the year. 

 

 

 

Celebrated all over the world, this is the moment when the rhythm of the earth changes and the heartbeat of Gaia, the mother Goddess, takes on a new charge of energy.

 

We are told that she is a goddess who, by all accounts, inhabits the planet, offering life and nourishment to all her children.

 

In the ancient civilizations, she was revered as mother, nurturer & giver-of-life. And in Greek Mythology she represented the Earth, birthing all forms of landscape, plant & creature.

Though her creation was majestic, her solitude was great. She longed for love & created the sky with whom she mated, igniting a creative force which birthed-countless-offspring: 

... Time & the Fates, the Muses & the Oceans ... to name a few. 

 

She’s considered the-primeval-mother of whom-all-gods - & life-itself - descended. 

As-mother-figure she represents the Divine Feminine."

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

 

"A concept grounded in spirituality, definitions vary depending on who you ask, the Divine Feminine is an energy that has been with us since-ancient-times.

 

Consciousness is basically divided up into ‘masculine’ & ‘feminine’ sides, both are needed to achieve our highest creative potential.

 

 

In other words, the Divine Feminine represents the connection to the part of your consciousness responsible for nurture, intuition, & empathy, regardless of gender.

 

The Divine Feminine is the aspect-of-the-self associated with 'creation, intuition, community, sensuality (felt-sense rather than thinking-sense), & collaboration.'" 

 

 

 

'GAIA as the mother figure represents 

... the Divine Feminine'

 

 

 

... I'M A-F-S

 ... that sooo many have such little capacity to understand how serious a predicament we are all facing

... that almost-half 48 percent of-voting-Americans can't-see or want-to-believe: 

• ... that war-4-profit is one of our main exports costing-squandering the country's-precious-resources desperately-needed for all-our-underfunded social-programs

• ... that our major-political-parties are still-more-concerned beholden-to-plutocracy than-lives-concerns of all-hardworking-decent-Americans 

• ... that our-government has-been-corrupted into-believing healthcare-education-housing-jobs & safety-security of-its-citizens are-no-longer of-its-responsibility
  

• ...that our species feels so little towards millions-of-others it-wipes-them into oblivion-extinction at alarming-speeds with-not-so-much of-any-thought-concern at-all

• ... that the disruption-destruction of earth's-climate has such an excruciatingly low priority we are facing doom within the lives of our-younger-generations existing-on-earth-today

• ...that millions are suffering-dying resulting-from-one-man's complete-insanity-hubris-stupidity ... now-attempting leading-our-nation into-tyranny
  

• ..that hatred-misogyny-bigotry-racism are to-such-degree so alive & well in this land we continually call-refer-to-as.. 'greatest-on-earth'

 

... and ... I'm-Angered-Frustrated-Saddened

... that all-of-this has-happened-is-happening to-all-of-us during-the-course of-one-lifetime

 

 Hopes for Humanity

 ... that-this-was-from seven-years-ago ... &-where-are-we-today

SCOTUS v. USA

 

 

 

Republicans plan to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. When installed, she will form a 6-3 majority on the court that represents a small minority of the country. 

A Republican president hasn’t won a first term with the popular vote since 1988, but the chaotic nature of Supreme Court appointments plus the anti-democratic nature of the electoral college mean that five of those six justices were appointed by Presidents who lacked popular support.

This problem isn’t limited to the Supreme Court―lower courts are now just as skewed. And our polling shows that voters don’t like the way these arch-conservative courts have been ruling.

 

Mitch McConnell took control of the Senate in 2014, and immediately erected a blockade on judicial nominations from President Obama. Senators from red states had already been placing holds on nominees over the previous six years, leaving enormous numbers of judicial vacancies at all levels of the Courts when Trump took office in 2017―and he and McConnell went to great lengths to pack those courts full with young, unqualified conservative hard-liners.

Republican judges are positioned to strike down abortion rights, voting rights, and environmental regulations. Republicans can lose every election for the next 50 years and still enact their agenda.

 

Voters don’t approve of Republican jurisprudence. We want government to be able to regulate greenhouse gas emissions:

And voters don’t want an activist court to strike down state-issued public health measures to contain the coronavirus:

 

 www.dataforprogress.org