I was a child when the polio vaccine became a reality. I remember people dying, especially children. MMR didn't exist, but when it became available, I promise my mother was first in line. We almost lost a sibling to measles. She pulled through, thankfully. I have now had a second MMR because of age. Flu, pneumonia and every COVID available. I cannot understand why Da. with young children avoid the opportunity to save lives. Thank you, Dan
Good article, beautifully written. I'm wondering if Buffalo and similar places have considered adding underground passages near heating pipes for people to go from one area to another without being stuck in blizzards. Hospitals in Portland, Oregon have these, used by staff at times. I worked in a hospital, and we could stay overnight if stuck due to ice and snow. Sleeping conditions were uncomfortable, but we lived. Another option might be heated/cooled shelters. (Ingenious people broke into a school and rescued others, which reduced the death toll considerably.) Surely we can create more safety zones!
It is good to be reminded of how connected we are, especially in the midst of "wild and furious passions" that might overwhelm this country that we so love. Ignoring our connected-ness or pretending it doesn't exist makes it no less imperative that we re-imagine and redefine how we are attached to each other and the rest of creation.
I will never forget July 1990 when it was 122°F in Arizona and airplanes could not take off because the air was so thin ✈️we survived and summers are hot in Arizona 🌵but I would not trade the heat of the sun for the torrential rains, tornadoes, snow, sleet, and slush of my old life in Ohio.
Thank you Dan and Elliot for the reminder that we are both victims and perpetrators of nature's disasters. As victims, we have the responsibility to support the science and technology that can protect us from the worst effects of the storms. The development of vaccines and early warnings of severe weather must be acted upon. As perpetrators of nature's disasters, we again must heed science and technology to adjust our materialistic culture, its supportive manufacturing techniques and waste disposal, to reduce destruction to our environment.
"Your desire to address spiritual and cultural issues is many orders more complex than any science we have today." As is Earth's ability to support life... I see this as Life's desire, not just my desire. Spirit (joy, contentment, fulfillment) and camaraderie values are the decisions makers of everything we do... what scientist choose to study, what I choose to eat. We do not need the specter of authoritarianism. We just need to ask ourselves, every time we act, Is the action pro LIFE on the planet? Does it serve me ) my family ) neighbors ) city ) ecosystem ) Earth. Our restraint to our thinking this way, is we do not see ourselves living in nested worlds that control or destiny. We think we are individuals who can do any damn thing we want with no consequences. Mother's trying to teach us with hurricanes and other lessons. Are we capable of learning?
Many people cannot wrap their heads around the problem of climate change. Some are very intelligent in a narrow field of interest. I have a neighbour who is just this way. A marine engineer. Thinks climate change is for "greenies" and enjoys irritating them (us). When I ask him why he focusses on the ice age and glacier melts 20K years ago, and ignores the problems of the next 50 years, he goes silent. He has no reply. Some on this board are the same kind of people. They are smug intellectuals with a very narrow understanding of climate issues. Some simply do not care. They will be dead in a decade or less and have disconnected completely with the future. My best friend was like that in the early 1980's when interest rates went to 20% and nearly bankrupted the entire economy. When I remarked about the burdens on borrowers like me and his kids, he said he did not care, as it meant he was getting a very high return on his savings and could go to Florida more cheaply. He could care less about his kids or the implications of 20% prime borrowing interest rates on companies which had borrowed at 7% a year earlier. He actually said that to me.
These kinds of folks do not care about anything in the future, beyond their own immediate pleasures. And many are not mentally suited to understanding the interconnectedness of climate change to human activities.
It is a complete waste of time sharing ideas with them.
It took me a life time to finally realize this.
Climate change is real and it will make our children's lives more difficult. That is an undeniable reality. We must prepare for this and reduce the impact. This will be a real challenge. Look at the politicians we elect for an example of why there is little progress. We are a species that may do ourselves in before the big impacts of climate change occur.
( Maybe Putin nukes Ukraine in frustration- and we respond in an overwhelming way).
I watched the film, "Avatar: The Way of Water", yesterday evening. The light plot and heavy action underscored the message: "Water gives and takes, and our relationship with it is essential." This is equally true of the other three elements of nature: Air, fire and mineral. Any imbalance in the four will work to our detriment, and to that of the rest of nature.
Great story about the forces of nature. In my view scientist that should be studying the weather aren't being allowed. They are hindered same as free speech, nobody believes and nobody cares. Example: consequences of repeated flooding produces unhealthy conditions for miles. The only protection for people is insurance. Inventors and Investors create machines that purify recycled dirty water for drinking. That idea is only good for people that trust it. Imagine if every community had one of those machines to recycle flood waters for drinking and cleaning and store the excess water in containers that us ultraviolet light to sanitize the water. Oh well, just an idea.
well written piece Dan & Elliott. How sad there are so many nefarious, selfish, authoritarian people who try to deny science, nature and plain common sense to spew their misinformation & propaganda about vaccines, climate change, and other issues, to gain political power. i'm hoping eventually mother nature and evolution will remove the stupidity from humanity, but it will be a long time coming.
I was a child when the polio vaccine became a reality. I remember people dying, especially children. MMR didn't exist, but when it became available, I promise my mother was first in line. We almost lost a sibling to measles. She pulled through, thankfully. I have now had a second MMR because of age. Flu, pneumonia and every COVID available. I cannot understand why Da. with young children avoid the opportunity to save lives. Thank you, Dan
Biden's Climate Change legislation brings hope that saving the planet will win over short-term politcal gain and greed.
Good article, beautifully written. I'm wondering if Buffalo and similar places have considered adding underground passages near heating pipes for people to go from one area to another without being stuck in blizzards. Hospitals in Portland, Oregon have these, used by staff at times. I worked in a hospital, and we could stay overnight if stuck due to ice and snow. Sleeping conditions were uncomfortable, but we lived. Another option might be heated/cooled shelters. (Ingenious people broke into a school and rescued others, which reduced the death toll considerably.) Surely we can create more safety zones!
Thank you Dan and Elliot.
It is good to be reminded of how connected we are, especially in the midst of "wild and furious passions" that might overwhelm this country that we so love. Ignoring our connected-ness or pretending it doesn't exist makes it no less imperative that we re-imagine and redefine how we are attached to each other and the rest of creation.
I will never forget July 1990 when it was 122°F in Arizona and airplanes could not take off because the air was so thin ✈️we survived and summers are hot in Arizona 🌵but I would not trade the heat of the sun for the torrential rains, tornadoes, snow, sleet, and slush of my old life in Ohio.
“We cannot only build walls…We must build bridges…” I love that. Happy New Year!
Mr. Rather you know I’m off topic. But one of our favorite Constitutional
Scholars, Jamie Raskin, has been diagnosed with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma.
After Tommy this happens. Makes me quite sad.
Thank you Dan and Elliot for the reminder that we are both victims and perpetrators of nature's disasters. As victims, we have the responsibility to support the science and technology that can protect us from the worst effects of the storms. The development of vaccines and early warnings of severe weather must be acted upon. As perpetrators of nature's disasters, we again must heed science and technology to adjust our materialistic culture, its supportive manufacturing techniques and waste disposal, to reduce destruction to our environment.
"Your desire to address spiritual and cultural issues is many orders more complex than any science we have today." As is Earth's ability to support life... I see this as Life's desire, not just my desire. Spirit (joy, contentment, fulfillment) and camaraderie values are the decisions makers of everything we do... what scientist choose to study, what I choose to eat. We do not need the specter of authoritarianism. We just need to ask ourselves, every time we act, Is the action pro LIFE on the planet? Does it serve me ) my family ) neighbors ) city ) ecosystem ) Earth. Our restraint to our thinking this way, is we do not see ourselves living in nested worlds that control or destiny. We think we are individuals who can do any damn thing we want with no consequences. Mother's trying to teach us with hurricanes and other lessons. Are we capable of learning?
Says the righty play acting on Steady. Most of us are on to you.
Many people cannot wrap their heads around the problem of climate change. Some are very intelligent in a narrow field of interest. I have a neighbour who is just this way. A marine engineer. Thinks climate change is for "greenies" and enjoys irritating them (us). When I ask him why he focusses on the ice age and glacier melts 20K years ago, and ignores the problems of the next 50 years, he goes silent. He has no reply. Some on this board are the same kind of people. They are smug intellectuals with a very narrow understanding of climate issues. Some simply do not care. They will be dead in a decade or less and have disconnected completely with the future. My best friend was like that in the early 1980's when interest rates went to 20% and nearly bankrupted the entire economy. When I remarked about the burdens on borrowers like me and his kids, he said he did not care, as it meant he was getting a very high return on his savings and could go to Florida more cheaply. He could care less about his kids or the implications of 20% prime borrowing interest rates on companies which had borrowed at 7% a year earlier. He actually said that to me.
These kinds of folks do not care about anything in the future, beyond their own immediate pleasures. And many are not mentally suited to understanding the interconnectedness of climate change to human activities.
It is a complete waste of time sharing ideas with them.
It took me a life time to finally realize this.
Climate change is real and it will make our children's lives more difficult. That is an undeniable reality. We must prepare for this and reduce the impact. This will be a real challenge. Look at the politicians we elect for an example of why there is little progress. We are a species that may do ourselves in before the big impacts of climate change occur.
( Maybe Putin nukes Ukraine in frustration- and we respond in an overwhelming way).
Hmm!
Perhaps. Perhaps not.
I watched the film, "Avatar: The Way of Water", yesterday evening. The light plot and heavy action underscored the message: "Water gives and takes, and our relationship with it is essential." This is equally true of the other three elements of nature: Air, fire and mineral. Any imbalance in the four will work to our detriment, and to that of the rest of nature.
Great story about the forces of nature. In my view scientist that should be studying the weather aren't being allowed. They are hindered same as free speech, nobody believes and nobody cares. Example: consequences of repeated flooding produces unhealthy conditions for miles. The only protection for people is insurance. Inventors and Investors create machines that purify recycled dirty water for drinking. That idea is only good for people that trust it. Imagine if every community had one of those machines to recycle flood waters for drinking and cleaning and store the excess water in containers that us ultraviolet light to sanitize the water. Oh well, just an idea.
well written piece Dan & Elliott. How sad there are so many nefarious, selfish, authoritarian people who try to deny science, nature and plain common sense to spew their misinformation & propaganda about vaccines, climate change, and other issues, to gain political power. i'm hoping eventually mother nature and evolution will remove the stupidity from humanity, but it will be a long time coming.
Hear hear.