BITS & BITES -- July 24, 2011

Let's all help the people of Somalia

Do You Give a Buck?

The crisis in Somalia is horrific. Drought, the greed of the global capitalist system, cynical politics, and militancy have all played their part. This is one of the worst human tragedies of the past half century -- if not the worst. Would you give just one dollar to help? Just a buck? And then, would you ask your friends to do the same? And have them ask their friends? That's just one buck each. And it would add up and save many, many lives. We can hardly say that we can't make a difference. Of course, if you can give more than a dollar, awesome! If you literally don't have a dollar to spare, could you email your government and insist that they help? Many voices = change. Personally, I don't see how anyone can sit by and watch children starve to death without raising a finger to help. And I say that believing that the good in us all does outweigh the complacency, when it really comes down to it.

Click here to see the UNICEF page


Global Warming Map/Contest

Click on the link below and check out the Union of Concerned Scientists' "Climate Hot Map" competition. Good educational stuff.

Click here to see the Climate Hot Map


Norman Solomon -- An Honest Man Headed for DC

Don't forget to throw your support behind Norman in his run for Congress. I'm as cynical as anyone when it comes to politicians. But Norman is an activist and a wonderful human being, not a career politician. He's a good chance of winning his district and, once he gets to Capitol Hill, the cat will be among the pigeons. Onward!

Click here to see Norman Solomon's campaign site


Win a Book!

Don't forget, you can win a copy of Amy and David Goodman's excellent book "Standing Up To the Madness," signed!, by getting me some more followers for this blog:

Click here to enter


DemocracyNow.org Roundup

Kudos as always to Amy Goodwin and the DemocracyNow.org crew for another week of top drawer, honest reporting on everything from Somalia to the debt fiasco to the revolutions in the Mid East to that tool Murdoch and his nastiness.

Click here to go to DemocracyNow.org


Jim Morrison and the Doors -- They Got it Right

"The old get old and the young get stronger,
May take a week and it may take longer,
They got the guns but we got the numbers,
Gonna win, yeah we're taking over."

-- Lyrics from the song "Five to One," and pretty much how I feel the tide is turning in favor of the masses. Slowly but very surely.


Keith Olbermann: "Face It! We Do Not Take Care Of Each Other."

While there are one or two phrases I'd personally like to edit out, I think this monologue by TV personality Keith Olbermann is well worth watching. Seriously, sometimes you just have to get mad and DO SOMETHING:

Click here to see the Olbermann clip


Vale Amy Winehouse

It's very sad when a young person dies. And it's also sad to lose a talent like Amy Winehouse. I hope she is now at peace. Her story is a warning about the horrors of addiction. And I suspect it's also a commentary on the lack of care and compassion in the corporate-run music industry. I covered the MTV Video Music Awards in Vegas a few years ago when Britney Spears was all messed up: And I wrote a column the next day about her performance and the issue of the music industry chewing people up and spitting them out. I think Britney has stepped back from the precipice now. Good for her. But I see a pattern here.

RIP Amy.


Til next time, take care: of yourself and of each other,
Adrian

IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING you might like to take a look at the first edition of BITS & BITES.

THE FLOODS IN AUSTRALIA

Much of Queensland looks like this. Including regions that have had 10 years of drought. (Yes, TEN YEARS.)

It seems there is never any shortage of disasters.

At this time, I'd like to send my very best wishes to everyone in Australia affected by the terrible floods. I'm sure the Aussie spirit will prevail.

Anyone interested in donating to flood relief should go to the Queensland Government's page. Queensland is the state hit hardest by the flooding, with a region the size of Germany and France combined under water.

When you look at ALL the evidence -- and especially trends in the weather and not just isolated events -- I fail to see how anyone can deny the threat of climate change and that we humans are causing it.

Honestly, it's at the point where anybody who argues that global warming is fantasy rather than a very real threat to our existence is a flat earther.

We are destroying the planet. That's science, not sensationalism. It's a not-so-gradually unfolding final cataclysm.

We must live cleaner and keep the pressure on our governments to improve all policies pertaining to the environment, to rein in companies that carelessly poison our air and water, and to promote and support innovations that lead us away from fossil fuels.

The clock is ticking. And it's starting to tick pretty damn loud.

Take care,
Adrian Zupp

IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING you might like to take a look at EDMUND BURKE'S ETERNAL TRUISM.

NOTES FROM DOWN UNDER -- PART 2

My brother has always been able to make me laugh but this time he was able to do it without trying.

We were at a petrol station outside of Sydney. I'd just bought something to eat as he was heading in to the cashier area to pay. I thought he'd used plastic at the pump.

"You're paying now?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"But you already got the petrol, right?"

"Yeah."

"The honor system?!"

That's right about when I cracked up.

Living in Las Vegas, I have about as much chance of pumping-then-paying as I do of beating one of the casinos into submission at the blackjack table. Ain't gonna happen.

And so it is that Australia is still a little bit, happily, behind the times.

But let's talk some Aussie politics.

Australia has a federal election this weekend. Following the lead-up while I was Down Under was simultaneously interesting, annoying and, to an extent, heartening.

Let's get this bit out of the way: The two party leaders vying to be Prime Minister are about as inspiring as a sea urchin. And that might be a bit "dirty" on sea urchins. The candidates are very average in the intelligence department, transparently rat cunning, evasive on specifics, and just bloody hard to listen to. They are, in short, true politicians.

They make promises and run through the "important issues," but make no effort to articulate HOW they will do what they say they are going to or WHERE the money will come from. And we all know damn well that they aren't going to be doing that stuff anyway. For example, the Liberal Party (conservative) leader, Tony Abbott, who is running to oust the incumbent Julia Gillard, is a proud Doubting Thomas about all this global warming stuff. Yep, a real genius who probably has mates in the petroleum industry.

So the pols in Australia have some commonalities with their U.S. counterparts; but they're not quite as vicious and evil and, frankly, don't have the same opportunities to be.

But one difference I did note about politics in Australia was in some of the media coverage.

One journalist on the government-run ABC TV station, Kerry O'Brien (pictured), has been dishing it up to the pollies for years. He totally exposed Abbott as an inept house plant with direct, meaningful questions. And Gillard was left to twist in the wind with parries like: "Yes, but you didn't answer my question!" It was like heaven to my ears after 15 years of the knuckleheads at Fox and CNN et al. And it shows why it's important to take media out of the hands of private owners.

(Visit the webpage for O'Brien's show "The 7:30 Report" here:
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/)

And while the commercial channels were softer, Abbott and Gillard and co. definitely had to work harder for their biscuits than Obama ever has or ever will. Heaven forbid a "mainstream" American journalist should dare point out that, good gracious, the president-of-great-promise is, well, a liar. Or that his arithmetic on the "withdrawal" from Iraq doesn't really add up to a withdrawal at all. Five minutes with Kerry O'Brien would be very telling indeed.

Another Aussie TV station, SBS, was started 30 or so years ago -- again by the government -- to cover all the multicultural bases. So it offers news that really is international and films that you won't see on the English-speaking channels (not to mention excellent soccer coverage).

George Negus, another veteran Aussie TV journalist, hosts a show called "Dateline" on SBS. But unlike its American namesake, this program will actually show you deformed babies in Iraq so you can't just mindlessly eat your burger and fries and not think about the consequences of what your government does in the name of its "interests."

I urge you to visit http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/story/watch/id/600687/n/Iraq-s-Deadly-Legacy and watch Negus' report "Iraq's Deadly Legacy."

Here is the lead-in to the segment. It will give you some idea of the difference between between what is reported within the United States and what is reported elsewhere:

"It is seven years since the invasion of Baghdad and only now is the US withdrawing its forces from Iraq, but the Iraqi people themselves, meanwhile, are having to deal with what appears to be a more immediate and devastating legacy from the war - stories are now emerging of increased deformities in the country's newborn babies as well as a dramatic rise in the number of children with cancer. Dateline's Walkley Award-winning reporter Fouad Hady, an Iraqi-Australian, went back home to investigate. As you know, Dateline always warns it’s viewers when they are about to show images or sequences that they think you might find upsetting. Well, George Negus had a long look at Fouad's piece and it's definitely upsetting - confronting, in fact. Nevertheless, he urges you to stick with it. It says a lot about the ethical dilemma of modern armed conflicts like Iraq."

There is a long way to go to get all the ducks lined up and quacking in Australia but, like Europe and, well, just about anywhere that isn't America (or some other totalitarian regime), you do get some real news. In the States there's much more mass media, and much less news.

And the real news always reminds me of some bare truths. Especially when I see all those suffering children and the way the U.S. buries that kind of information. And the main truth that hits me is this: If you believe there is a God, you can believe that He is very pissed off with what we've done on this planet.

Not the happiest of thoughts but it's not too late to dig in and change things. If you really care.

Onward,
Adrian Zupp

BIG WORLD VS. SMALL WORLD -- PART 2

Last time, I described my Big World Vs. Small World notion, how we are unavoidably a part of both, and that there will be dire consequences if we concentrate all our thoughts and energies on our Small World at the expense of the Big World.

So where does that leave us?

Well, it leaves us with a responsibility to educate ourselves about the Big World and then take action. You’ll note that I’ve avoided saying “educate ourselves about Big World issues” since “issues” carries connotations of the current political system which, while an institution we can occasionally sway, is not likely to be the answer to our prayers. Presently, it tends to be operate more as one of the architects of our nightmares. (Now that I’ve clarified the connotations of the word, I will use it below.)

So, education. Where do you get your information from? Newspapers? Mainstream Internet news sites? TV news and political shows? None of the above?

These sources are fraught with peril. They are not owned by you and me. They are owned by mega-wealthy people who have mega-wealthy people’s agendas. It is a matter that will require its own blog entry (or two), but suffice it to say if we get our information from these sources, we are largely being misinformed, manipulated, or subjected to some raving lunatic’s ratings-grabbing “entertainment.” What little news we do get from these sources is heavily compromised by the news we should be getting that is never reported.

So we live in the Big World but we are not getting the Big Picture.

So we must educate ourselves. And there are plenty of sources for this. (see below) But it takes some effort and some re-thinking. Certain “truths” we may have held to be self-evident will be burned down as falsehoods. Keep an open mind. When looking at alternative/independent news sources, ask yourself: What do these people at these news sources have to gain? The answer is a lot less than the people at the “traditional” news sources.

Okay, so we seek education – which should be an ongoing thing. What about action? What do we do?

Well, that depends partly on how much time you can find. Most folks can’t tailor their lives to become a leading activist. But we all need to find whatever time we can for social change because the clock is ticking on us all. (Some of the brightest brains on the planet believe that if things continue as they are, we may only have a half century left.)

Reaching out to friends, family, colleagues, acquaintances and strangers and talking about social change is important. That makes your self-education “viral” (however, we should all avoid being “preachy” – people don’t tend to respond well to that).

You can tailor your Small World so that you make time to address the Big World. Support groups like Corporate Accountability International, Union of Concerned Scientists, United for a Fair Economy or International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. You can do this around your current schedule thanks to the Internet. Find ways to give them your time and voice, not just your money.

There are countless groups tackling the big problems. However there are not so many that are over-arching and want across-the-board institutional change – but that too is a topic for another time.

Follow the real news and issues on Democracynow.org, zcommunications.org and the like.

Phone your political representatives to express your concerns about things like the recent banking bailout, invasions (not “wars”) in places like Iraq, Afghanistan and others, the terrible environmental policies of the United States as well as global warming, and so on. You might call this “macro issue change” and it’s more incremental than trying to actually change institutions like government, media and the structure of the economy. But it is at least on the road between Small World and Big World.

Add your voice to online petitions, such as those you can have delivered to your email by sites like http://www.care2.com/causes-news/ Every voice counts!

Surf the Internet and find groups tackling big/real issues. Do Google searches to find blogs and discussion boards. Make social networking work for something worthwhile – start a social change Facebook page, for example. The possibilities are endless. Just think about what is most effective, what is most gratifying to you, then do it. That’s how I came to start this blog and in the coming year or so I’ll roll it into my own social change networking website. As it progresses it will be very much action oriented, not just information oriented.

And, of course, teach your kids about what you are doing. It could be the most vital education they get.

Remember: The “enemy” is all around us. We are constantly being distracted from things that matter by junk entertainment and overcomplicated tax forms that are meant to tangle us up and wrong-headed patriotism over cynical invasions.

And yes, making a commitment to social change is on top of our essential duties of family, work and leisure (also very important). Time is precious but it is stockpiled in the future: a better future and one we are yet to secure.

Above all, don’t leave it to someone else. Every little bit helps and it really helps if you can do more than a little bit. No Super Bowl or reality show or daily duty is nearly as important as the challenge of preserving our planet and improving our lives.

Take care,
Adrian Zupp
IMPORTANT EX POST FACTO FOOTNOTE: A recent discussion I was involved in indicated to me that I may not have been totally clear about an important point: Addressing Big World issues can be done in little ways. They do not have to cost huge chunks of time or money or even worry. Every step counts. The more you can do, the better. But obviously we are all able to do different things and to different degrees. And generally, as we do a little here and a little there we find that the burden is not so great, and the challenge not insurmountable. You will feel empowered.

IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING you might also like to take a look at BIG WORLD VS. SMALL WORLD -- PART 1 or WE MUST ATTACK IGNORANCE AT EVERY TURN.