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Post by castanea on Jun 4, 2015 23:27:17 GMT -5
My concern is that there are very few great scientists just as there are very few great politicians. Both professions are supposed to be about truth and service and both rarely are.
For example, NDG Tyson had garnered a reputation as being a good scientist but then deliberately and dishonestly obfuscated the GMO issue and did so in a manner that favored Monsanto. Tyson likes his paycheck and adulation a little too much to risk them for a little thing like truth.
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Post by steev on Jun 5, 2015 0:33:53 GMT -5
That people rarely rise above mediocrity is not an adequate reason to dismiss human aspiration; I firmly believe we are descended from pond scum; I mean no disrespect to pond scum, but it really has been a long, strange trip (I think there's a 60's lyric, there). Being a veteran of the 60's sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll revolution (well, two out of three ain't bad; I never cared that much for music) I think we are best served by being loose on our feet.
Money talks; truth walks; was it not ever so? Bullshit is ever so much more convertible to coin than truth, in the short run, because people can be stampeded to ridiculous ends. Want to make money; munitions, the DuPonts know that: 200 years of fattening off the desire for war/homeland security.
While I am not overly set on the Protestant Ethic of Deferred Gratification (Pie-in-the-sky), I do wish there were more attention being paid to what we're to do after we've (they've) looted the Earth's resources, to our Corporations' short-term gain; then what? Most of us are serfs, peons, peasants again?
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Post by PatrickW on Jun 5, 2015 6:43:54 GMT -5
I'm a child of the 70's. Grew up in Chicago, went to school in northern California (Bay Area, Chico), and now live in Amsterdam. I was certainly fond of drugs in my day, but since moving to Amsterdam they seem a little boring and I don't enjoy getting blasted out of my mind anymore. These days I'm limited to brewing and drinking my own beer, a hobby I started when I was 16 to get around drinking ages. Of course we have good and bad politicians and scientists. Mostly however, you can't be either without playing by the rules. A politician can't be a politician without rasing funds and catering to constituents. You can't be a scientist without being affiliated with a research institute and publishing. Everyone needs to earn a living, and you can't fault them for that. You can't do any of these things if you don't follow the rules, and the 1% establishes the rules. Sometimes there are holes, or cracks appear in the rules. Obama was elected by soliciting small contributions over the Internet, which left him independent of many of the traditional power structures. My blog Bifurcated Carrots was a sort of independent newspaper in the early days of blogging, but like this forum has mostly been replaced by Facebook. If you're too loose on your feet, you just fade into the background. Sometimes you need to really get into people's faces, and let them know you're there. Sometimes it's important to talk about the truth, and make the aggressors look foolish. In terms of what to do after the Earth's resources are gone? Their position is clear -- technology. Technology protected by patents and other IPR. GMOs are going to save agriculture. Sequestering carbon and energy saving light bulbs are going to save the world from global warming. We are almost there anyway, and so it's almost too late for discussion. Capitalism is falling apart. The rich are too rich, and the poor are too poor. The planet is falling apart, and agriculture is failing. Then you have Bill and Melinda Gates who are going to save the world by giving their money away. This is about a 2 hour bicycle ride from my house: www.accesstoseeds.org/ On the other hand, I'm regularly in contact with NGOs and attending conferences that feature some of the poorest people in the world, mostly farmers from Africa and Asia. These farmers, who grow out and save their own seeds, are the future to feeding the planet. They are literally the only hope we have, and the big agriculture companies are preparing their last salvos to wipe them out. They are being crushed by capitalism, free trade, corporate seeds and chemicals, IPR, international treaties, land grabs, regulations -- you name it. The question is, how do you put these two extremes together? Suppose I walked over to Bill Gates office, and made a proposal for money to help small farmers. Suppose I could get $1 billion to help the worlds small farmers. How do you do it? How about using this much money to help America's small farmers, like some of you? Okay, you start by giving the farmer themselves a supplement to their income, maybe a few tens of thousands of dollars per year. Then you start local and regional seed saving organizations, and pay a few salaries for this. You set up farmers markets, and access to other markets. Pay for decent insurance for crop failures. A support mechnanism for low market prices. Maybe you've spent $250,000. The problem is none of this is going to be sustainable in our current capitalist system, and pretty soon this spending creates an alternative system that competes with capitalism. None of this money is going to address the root causes. This money isn't going to get rid of rules and bureaucracy. Money isn't really the problem, our current system is the problem. Something's going to break soon, that's for sure. |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jun 5, 2015 9:29:37 GMT -5
Suppose I walked over to Bill Gates office, and made a proposal for money to help small farmers. Suppose I could get $1 billion to help the worlds small farmers. How do you do it? The thing that would most help me as a poor farmer would be to get rid of property taxes... That way I don't loose the farm if there is a crop failure. |
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Post by 12540dumont on Jun 5, 2015 12:16:20 GMT -5
I have Kaiser Medical Insurance. Surely the worst type of insurance ever. I only have it because it's a $15 co-pay if I happen to half kill myself on the farm, I can be assured that they will finish the job.
I went to my quack after hurting my back. She wanted to give me drugs and a rectal cancer screen. I did not want any of the drugs she wanted to give me I wanted SOMA, she wouldn't give those to me because they are a Dangerous DRUG. I told her I failed to see how a rectal cancer screen would help my back. She was totally surprised and said that the screen had nothing to do with my back and they just were being proactive.
IF she wanted to be proactive, she should have given me the SOMA. I declined the screen which puzzled her. So I asked her, so IF I test positive, what is your course of treatment?
She told me surgery, radiation and chemo. So I responded by telling her cut, burn and poison would never be part of a plan I selected. I won't poison my farm, why would I poison myself?
Steev, I also feel for your niece.
There are lies, damn lies and statistics. You can twist them to your purpose like beans on a trellis.
In the off chance that I do get cancer, I hope someone will send me the proper seeds!
The thing that would help me most would be if government stopped trying to take money from my pocket. Fees for this and that. Inspections I don't need. More rules. Another fee. A tax on this, a tax on that. A fee to go to the farmer's market and 2% of what I sell. No, just no. No more money for anyone else. The farm provides very little income. What it does provide, I need.
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Post by steev on Jun 5, 2015 13:40:23 GMT -5
I also have Kaiser; it's one block away; I generally like it, probably because I avoid medical "services" and "medications".
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Post by PatrickW on Jun 6, 2015 2:16:42 GMT -5
I have the standard insurance here. It costs about $50/mo. It covers pretty much everything, including visits to any doctor, anywhere in Europe. It has a deductible of about $300, but many things fall outside this, for example visits to general practitioners or eye glasses and eye exams every 2 years are always completely free. Dental is not covered, nor are some prescription medicines. The medicines not covered are usually the very expensive ones, for chronic conditions, where better and cheaper alternatives exists.
I have a mentally handicapped friend who, in order to stay independent, really needs someone to come by and clean his house every week. Health insurance pays for this. After giving birth, young mothers are entitled to 2 weeks of home care, where someone does all the cooking and cleaning.
We have special cars here, powered by a moped engine, and you don't need a licence to drive them. If you have a medical condition that keeps you from getting a drivers license, insurance will pay for one of these.
Care is basic, but okay. Extra policies are available for dental, and if you want alternative treatments like homeopathic, Chinese herbal or whatever, and these are not so expensive.
Health care is is not very proactive. No routine rectal cancer scans or whatever. If you don't walk into a doctors office and specifically ask for something, it's not likely to be offered to you. Pap smears are the only real exception to this. They also really don't want you to get addicted to prescriptions drugs here, and can be very difficult if you ask for heavy drugs. Prescription marijuana is no problem, and always covered by insurance.
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Post by PatrickW on Jun 6, 2015 3:52:43 GMT -5
If you're looking for a college education, Germany is changing their system to English and offering degrees for free, to anyone from anywhere in the world. www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32821678 |
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Post by castanea on Jun 6, 2015 10:31:41 GMT -5
I have Kaiser Medical Insurance. Surely the worst type of insurance ever. I only have it because it's a $15 co-pay if I happen to half kill myself on the farm, I can be assured that they will finish the job. I went to my quack after hurting my back. She wanted to give me drugs and a rectal cancer screen. I did not want any of the drugs she wanted to give me I wanted SOMA, she wouldn't give those to me because they are a Dangerous DRUG. I told her I failed to see how a rectal cancer screen would help my back. She was totally surprised and said that the screen had nothing to do with my back and they just were being proactive. IF she wanted to be proactive, she should have given me the SOMA. I declined the screen which puzzled her. So I asked her, so IF I test positive, what is your course of treatment? She told me surgery, radiation and chemo. So I responded by telling her cut, burn and poison would never be part of a plan I selected. I won't poison my farm, why would I poison myself? Steev, I also feel for your niece. There are lies, damn lies and statistics. You can twist them to your purpose like beans on a trellis. In the off chance that I do get cancer, I hope someone will send me the proper seeds! The thing that would help me most would be if government stopped trying to take money from my pocket. Fees for this and that. Inspections I don't need. More rules. Another fee. A tax on this, a tax on that. A fee to go to the farmer's market and 2% of what I sell. No, just no. No more money for anyone else. The farm provides very little income. What it does provide, I need. Doctors make a lot of their money off of being "proactive", especially with respect to cardiovascular issues. Soma is a good muscle relaxer but is hell on your kidneys and liver so I'm surprised your quack did not prescribe it. They love drugs that destroy internal organs because they build more business. For muscle soreness and low back issues, curcumin based remedies are often very effective. Zyflamend and Curamin are often effective. And cannabis works for many people. Personally I like chi machines. The good ones are over $300 but if you have chronic low back problems they are worth it. |
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Post by blackox on Jun 6, 2015 12:28:05 GMT -5
If you're looking for a college education, Germany is changing their system to English and offering degrees for free, to anyone from anywhere in the world. www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32821678THANK YOU! |
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Post by PatrickW on Jun 7, 2015 6:48:04 GMT -5
Doctors make a lot of their money off of being "proactive", especially with respect to cardiovascular issues. Soma is a good muscle relaxer but is hell on your kidneys and liver so I'm surprised your quack did not prescribe it. They love drugs that destroy internal organs because they build more business. For muscle soreness and low back issues, curcumin based remedies are often very effective. Zyflamend and Curamin are often effective. And cannabis works for many people. Personally I like chi machines. The good ones are over $300 but if you have chronic low back problems they are worth it. Chiropractors are popular here, as is what's euphemistically called 'physical therapy', but is really a few massage sessions. I hope your back gets better soon! |
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Post by steev on Sept 16, 2016 23:14:46 GMT -5
To return to the founding of this thread; my grand-niece has finished her 16-month ordeal and appears fine; she, herself, drew out her feeding tube and had her first solid food in the past year+; we are so proud of her strength and fortitude. I will be in touch with her that she know she can have whatever I have to give; family isn't everything, but blood is a lot.
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Post by philagardener on Sept 17, 2016 13:03:12 GMT -5
So glad your grand-niece is doing well after all that!
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Post by prairiegarden on Sept 19, 2016 14:54:04 GMT -5
It's very good to hear she is doing well, such a relief to you all. Children especially should never have to go through things like that.
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Post by richardw on Oct 21, 2016 13:00:11 GMT -5
It's very good to hear she is doing well, such a relief to you all. Great news steevChildren especially should never have to go through things like that. Unfortunately its becoming so much more common = PROFITS |
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