To Our Good Health

We are likely to get COVID-19 (I've heard estimates of 70 to 80% of us). Fortunately, most people have mild to no symptoms. The severity of the disease is primarily dependent on the strength of our immune system and the initial viral load at infection. About 70% of the severe cases are in people with some level of obesity. We can influence these factors folks. Wearing a mask, even a homemade one, will reduce the initial infection load. Obesity is a result of poor (misinformed) dietary choices and is really pretty easy to correct. The truth is that we blame people for being overweight and sick, but it’s not their fault. Our taste buds, hormones, and brain chemistry have been hijacked by the food industry. Stress is also a complicating factor, as is poor sleep and lack of rest. The concurrent economic collapse coupled with worry about family and friends add to our susceptibility. Perhaps some of us will manage to avoid infection until there is a vaccine. That appears to be a year to 18 months away. That's a long time to be isolated using good antiseptic measures. So this week I thought we should focus on maximizing our own healthy immune system and reviewing protective techniques to minimize infection. Let's try to do more than just survive, but to thrive... and come out of this seismic event better, more thoughtful, and kinder people.

Fear Fuels Foolishness

Americans are easy to scare. In just the last couple of decades think about how TPTB used situations to take advantage of citizens. First 9/11 creates the opportunity to eliminate privacy with the Patriot Act and begin a Forever War OF Terror. Then the crash of '08, the US bailed out banks and foreclosed on homeowners, and used the emergency to provide cover for the murder by drone program as well as many more coups and regime change wars (thanks Obomber). And now COVID provides for the completion of corporate capture. We are buying corporate debt AND stocks of the very businesses which bought so much of their own stock that they are underwater. To top it off the US gets no say in the management of the very companies we are buying. We are being had, and most folks are happy they will receive a pittance of $1200 because most of them don't even have an extra $500 to handle emergencies. But...but...COVID is going to kill us! So we provide for the wholesale purchase of corporate America by the government? What a con.

Viral Evolution

While it is true viruses are sometimes misread by the host and mutate (like a cold virus for example), this week I want to speculate how the SARS-CoV-2 will and is causing societal evolution. Viruses have always been agents of evolution as they attach and pull away from our DNA and RNA, but this global pandemic is going to fundamentally change societies and the way we interact...especially in the short term. If and when a vaccine is developed, some sense of normality should be re-established, but societies will never be the same...like 9/11 and the 2008 crash. So get out your crystal ball and let's think about what's coming around the bend.

Clowns in the Corona Circus

Time for one of these?

The Fix is In and the Masks are Off

The corporate oligarchs that run the dimocrap party made it plain this week. They have pulled back the curtain and have revealed themselves to anyone who bothers to look. They want Joe as the nominee, and they will use every lever of power and propaganda at their disposal. I think their hope is that progressives will be demoralized and roll over and take it. But all is not lost (yet). Bernie still has a chance, and we need to redouble our efforts to help him help us. Don't listen to the MSM naysayers reading their teleprompters. There are other events happening that are less hopeful... Julian and Chelsea are still being tortured, war rages in Syria and the ME, Palestinians continue to be shot every Friday for protesting their open air prison, the planet warms as more drilling and pipelines are promoted, a pandemic is spreading across the country and world, and we sit on the brink of economic collapse... compared to those items the fact that Bernie is still in the running is good news.

Promoting Injustice and Rigging Elections

Julian Assange's trial is a farce. First, they are charging an Australian journalist with treason against the United States for revealing blatant US war crimes. Second, the CIA spied and listened to all his conversations with his lawyers while he was in the embassy. Third, they still will not allow Julian to work with his lawyers on his defense, and actually have him in a bullet proof glass cage during the trial where he has difficulty even hearing the proceedings. Fourth, the Judge has conflicts of interest which should require her to be recused. Fifth, and perhaps most important, is the silence of the MSM about this joke and absolute miscarriage of justice. This whole trial is a shameful scam that shows the depth of the erosion of the rule and respect of law. Meanwhile on the home front, the MSM is quite actively trying to thwart Bernie's movement, as is the DNC. They're back with the no-evidence Russia, Russia, Russia interference without mention of their own bias and election interference.

Watch 3-4 min of this clip to hear directly from the FBI how they subvert democracy in the US.

The whole clip is good but over a year old.

After a three week break from the news cycle it is back to the same ole fetid swamp...both on the domestic and international side of things. As many here predicted, Bernie is winning the primary but the DNC and MSM have teamed up to try to ensure he does not get the nomination. The corruption of the party is plain to see for any who look. More sanctions have been imposed on Venezuela and Nicaragua in the last couple of weeks, and Guaido was recognized at the State of the Union address and applauded by both parties. Carbon Dioxide levels in the atmosphere have reached new record highs making many of the other stories moot as we rush head long into extinction. Though there was some good news on this front from the UK. BoJo is banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars as well as hybrids by 2035. The UK has also banned fracking at least temporarily. Things couldn't be more different in the US...

Over the last 10 years, the U.S. has become the largest oil and gas producer in the world, largely due to hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. From 2005 to 2018, U.S. natural gas production rose by 70 percent, and greenhouse gas emissions rose accordingly; between 2016 and 2018 alone, greenhouse gas emissions from US petroleum and natural gas production increased 13 percent.

Costa Rica "On the Beach"

Let's finish the trip on the beach...Playa Zancudo. So we've seen the Southern Highlands, the Osa Peninsula, and now let's spend a week on the beach. I often wonder at my good fortune to be able to have such rich experiences. I paid my dues as a classroom teacher...but I loved my job in many ways. I have a pension...a good one run by a fellow originally from MN. We had the foresight to purchase an incredible piece of property at a bargain. Our home of over 30 years was raised by 50 of our friends and filled with good spirits over all those years. All people should be able to live in healthful communities and have enriching experiences. Let's continue our exploration and cross the Gulfo Dulce from Osa to Zancundo

This week we'll visit the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado National Park located in Costa Rica’s South Pacific region. Corcovado National Park is one of the most unique and biodiverse places on the planet and visiting the Peninsula should be a real treat. It contains over five percent of the world’s animal population just within that small area, making it a popular ecotourism destination. For example, the national park is said to contain the entire ecosystem of insects that is found between Panama and Mexico. Additionally, National Geographic describes it as the “most biologically intense place on Earth in terms of biodiversity.” (6 min)

Heading South to Costa Rica

It is our first trip to this central American country. The fact that they disbanded their military and created a network of parks is part of the appeal...along with their rich biological diversity. Costa Rica alone has 75% of the Central American Biodiversity. In 1970 the Costa Rican people wanted their beautiful country to be protected so future generations could share its natural flora and fauna. That year Costa Rica founded the Costa Rica national parks system that is admired around the world. Costa Rica has maintained a higher proportion of its land mass for national parks. Much more than any other country in the world- with 10.27 % protected as national parks by Costa Rican law. An additional 17 % set aside for reserves, wildlife refuges and protected zones. Almost one third of their country is protected. The Costa Rican government also protects areas of historic and archaeological interest. Pre-Columbian settlement areas and early battlefields are protected with the same fervor as the rainforests and wildlife preserves. Protecting the natural resources of Costa Rica has far-reaching implications because of its amazing biodiversity. https://www.costarica.org/national-parks/