(2020-10-04). The 2020 Battle Lines Are Drawn—It's Time for Action. scheerpost.com risingthermals / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0] By Alan Minsky Sometimes, maybe, when a bout of writer's block arrives it's 'cause there's nothing left to say. This morning I woke, stared into the proverbial blank page and quickly came to the conclusion that it was a waste of time to torture myself with words not forthcoming. Here's why: We know the score. The time for words is over. It's time to get in the… |
(2020-10-04). Top US Scientist: A Second Trump Term Would be 'Game Over' for the Climate. zcomm.org Michael Mann, one of the world's preeminent climate experts, says averting a global climate catastrophe would be "essentially impossible" if Donald Trump is re-elected. There is no more important way for US citizens to exercise agency than to vote…
(2020-10-03). Border Wall threatens extinction of numerous endangered species. wsws.org The ongoing construction increased an already tragic rate of migrant deaths, destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres of wildlife habitat and now threatens the extinction of more than 100 endangered species on the border.
(2020-10-03). As polls shows climate action winning issue, green campaigners mobilize for Democrats in key Senate and House races. nationofchange.org "Arizona, Iowa, Maine, and South Carolina could hardly be more different, but solid majorities of voters in each state support building a clean energy economy."
(2020-10-03). Book Review: Corona, Climate, Chronic Emergency. mronline.org 
Gradual reforms can't do the job: only profoundly radical measures can ensure human survival in an epoch of global sickening.
(2020-10-03). Climate Advocates Criticize Newsom's Executive Order for Not Addressing Oil Drilling. indybay.org "If your climate leadership does not include relief for hundreds of thousands of Californians — the majority people of color — living with oil drilling in their neighborhood, then you are not serious about climate justice and creating healthier, more resilient communities," said Martha Arguà´llo executive director of Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles and co-chair of STAND-L.A.
(2020-10-03). [Correspondence] Amphetamine dependence in Australia. thelancet.com Chris McCall1 painted a bleak picture of amphetamine-type stimulant abuse in Australia. Amphetamine has little appeal in Australia, although methamphetamine is certainly its most problematic stimulant, despite both drugs having similar therapeutic effects. The World Report1 briefly mentioned the decade-long monitoring of drugs with abuse potential in South Australia.2,3 In 2016, this surveyance expanded to the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program, in partnership with the University of Queensland.
(2020-10-03). [Editorial] Building a resilient NHS, for COVID-19 and beyond. thelancet.com The UK response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been ill prepared, patchy, confused, and incompetent. From initial equivocations, to a series of policy U turns and conflicts with scientific advisers, to vague public health guidance, the UK's COVID-19 performance has fallen disastrously short and undoubtedly cost lives. It has pushed the National Health Service (NHS) to the brink. Having wasted a summer of opportunity to strengthen systems to suppress viral transmission following an easing of lockdown restrictions, the UK Government is facing a winter wave of COVID-19 with no strategy in sight.
(2020-10-03). 'The Wasteland' to go on screen at Valladolid Intl. FilmFest. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 04 (MNA) — Iranian film 'The Wasteland' directed by Ahmad bahrami, will take part at the 65th edition of Valladolid International Film Festival in Spain.
(2020-10-01). Climate crisis gets only 10 minutes at end of presidential debate. peoplesworld.org 
The first presidential debate seemed like it would end without a mention of the climate crisis when moderator Chris Wallace brought it up at the end of the night for a segment that lasted roughly 10 minutes. The raucous event in Cleveland, Ohio was notable for President Donald's Trump's constant interruptions and bullying behavior as he spoke over …
(2020-10-01). Governor of Russia's remote & frozen far-eastern peninsula of Kamchatka plans to lift local mood with 'Ministry of Happiness'. rt.com 
Pharrell Williams would surely approve: the governor of the vast, but remote and sparsely populated Kamchatka region has proposed setting up a Ministry of Happiness to lift the mood on the wet and windy weather-beaten promontory. | Kamchatka, the size of the United Kingdom, with a population smaller than that of Malta, is snowbound for half the year, and has a climate ranging from subarctic in the south to polar in the north. Now, Governor Vladimir Solodov plans to get locals smiling, against the odds. The move forms part of wider reforms to government agencies on the peninsula. | In a statement on the Kamchat…
(2020-10-01). Americans demand climate change be a primary topic at 2020 presidential debates. nationofchange.org "The moderators of future debates should build on this foundation and investigate the candidates' divergent plans on the climate crisis."
(2020-10-01). 'Pictures Are Remembered Better Than Words': Art Activism in the Age of Trump. progressive.org A new book highlights how visual artists have responded to the Trump Administration's mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, immigration, racial injustice, and the climate crisis.
(2020-10-01). Can You Afford to Breathe in the Pacific Northwest? zcomm.org As climate change worsens wildfires each year, unhoused people in Oregon and Washington experience the worst of the smoke…
(2020-10-01). How Progressives Could Still Win The 21st Century. popularresistance.org Our era will be remembered for the triumphant march of authoritarianism in whose wake the vast majority of humanity have experienced unnecessary hardship and the planet's ecosystem has suffered avoidable climate destruction. | For a brief period — a period the British historian Eric Hobsbawm described as "the short 20th century" — establishment forces were united in dealing with challenges to their authority. It was a rare period in which the establishment had to face a variety of progressives, all seeking to change the world: social democrats, communists, self-management experiments, national liberat…
(2020-10-01). New Technologies Should Be Regulated by Government — Not by Those Who Profit. truthout.org Humans are inventing new technologies at a breakneck pace, adding to the thousands of previous innovations that have created vast wealth and greatly expanded the possibilities for human well-being. But technology has also created the climate emergency, the As tec…
(2020-10-01). Whatever Happens in November, Wall Street Must Act on the Climate Crisis. commondreams.org "There are two great centers of power in this nation: Washington DC and Wall Street," writes Connon. "Both are capable of changing the world, and both, should they choose to do so, are capable of bringing to heel the fossil fuel corporations that are the single greatest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions and the single greatest opponents of climate progress. If Washington falls to Trump, climate activists will need to turn to Wall Street." (Photo: Phillipp/cc/flickr) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/wall_street_0_3_1.jpeg …
(2020-10-01). First-Ever Analysis Reveals How America's Top 100 Law Firms Are 'Accelerating the Climate Crisis'. commondreams.org "Law firms write the contracts for fossil fuel projects, lobby to weaken environmental regulations, and help fossil fuel companies evade accountability in court." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/dropexxon_0.jpeg …
(2020-10-01). New Poll: Majorities Across Senate Battleground Back Bold Action on Climate. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-10-01). Whatever Happens in November, Wall Street Must Act on the Cimate Crisis. commondreams.org "There are two great centers of power in this nation: Washington DC and Wall Street," writes Connon. "Both are capable of changing the world, and both, should they choose to do so, are capable of bringing to heel the fossil fuel corporations that are the single greatest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions and the single greatest opponents of climate progress. If Washington falls to Trump, climate activists will need to turn to Wall Street." (Photo: Phillipp/cc/flickr) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/wall_street_0_3_1.jpeg …
(2020-09-30). The Arctic hasn't been this warm for 3 million years — and that foreshadows big changes for the rest of the planet. nationofchange.org As geoscientists who study the evolution of Earth's climate and how it creates conditions for life, we see evolving conditions in the Arctic as an indicator of how climate change could transform the planet.
(2020-09-30). Trump Slaps California With Anti-Environmental Plan for Point Reyes National Seashore. counterpunch.org 
During its planning process for Point Reyes National Seashore, the National Park Service received overwhelming public input opposing commercial ranching on and supporting the recovery of the rare tule elk. The Trump administration, after sparring with the California state government on climate issues, has now unveiled a proposed plan that would expand ranch operations, and
(2020-09-30). Thursday 10/1: Students Lead the Charge for Clean Energy Solar Power Teach-in. indybay.org Online via Zoom. FOR MORE INFO link / Web link to event: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aTi6NOa2Ri64LuhEFT_SQQ…