Supervisors Dating Subordinates

      In work settings, supervisors should not date subordinates. If two consenting adults decide they want to date, then the remedy is for one to seek employment or transfer elsewhere. If a college professor wants to date a student, transfer to another college or quit. If a politician, media figure or someone else has an intern, do not date the intern.
      Supervisors dating staff is corrosive and inappropriate, and creates an unhealthy work environment.

Sexual Related Crimes And Politics

     A number of celebrities, politicians, actors, tycoons, religious and political leaders and other prominent figures are accused of inappropriate sexual conduct. Some of the accusations are criminal in nature, including allegations regarding sexual contact with minors and other allegations regarding non consensual sexual conduct, coercion, force, and more. As with any crime, criminal allegations need to be thoroughly investigated by law enforcement. People are innocent until proven guilty. But the law is not something that should only apply to the weak and powerless.
     No matter the politics, religion, high and mighty status of the possible offender, no politics should be played when it comes to crime. For years Catholic priests that committed pedophilia were untouchable, (which still might be the case in certain third world nations). The high and mighty people now accused of criminal sexual conduct must not be allowed a pass. The lesson must not be repeated over and over how not holding people accountable for criminal activity only allows crimes to flourish. Innocent until proven guilty must not mean innocent even if guilty by virtue of position, title and status.
      False accusations have ruined lives. Failure to properly investigate real accusations have also ruined lives. As with all crimes, investigations must be impartial, professional, and detached from political, religious or any other influences.

Ignoring The Messenger Does Not make The Message Go Away

      It is easier to dismiss unpleasant realities or pretend they do not exist rather than face them. Ignoring, discrediting, or making irrelevant the messenger does not make the message go away.
      People do not mind hearing about a problem or form of suffering if they are told there is someone or some organization addressing the problem. But if they are told the ones they believe are addressing the problem are instead exploiting it, or are at best ineffective, it is not a message people want to hear. People want hope. But wishful thinking does not make anything better, and so the standards for ethics and efficacy remain pathetically low in much of the nonprofit world, especially when it comes to voiceless populations.
     
     
     

Animal Cruelty And Dogfighting; Exploiting Suffering

      Over the course of many years, I took thousands of pictures (much of it when film was still widely used) and spent thousands of dollars photographing and documenting animal cruelty and dogfighting. I also hold copyrights to my photographs.
       I documented this abuse with no thought of monetary compensation, and never received a monetary benefit of any sort. I wanted to raise awareness as to the crimes of animal abuse and dogfighting with the hope that the dysfunctional approach to these crimes would change. 
       Instead my pictures and efforts were used by others for their personal gain, including in documentaries.
       There is something worse than the lack of awareness about a form of suffering, and that is when awareness is exploited by individuals and organizations. At least when there is no awareness, there is the hope that things will change for the better when awareness is raised.  But when the very people and organizations that are supposed to address a problem or form of suffering exploit awareness for their own gain, not only does the suffering not get properly addressed, people are falsely lulled into thinking the opposite. There is then no longer any impetus for change. Just because individuals and nonprofit organizations claim to care about animals or other serious issues does not mean they are not selfish, exploitative and greedy.  Millions of animals have suffered, and will continue to suffer from the dysfunctional approach to animal cruelty and dogfighting, and by the exploitation of these crimes by people and organizations that claim to speak on their behalf.                                                                                                      

     

Third World Street Dogs and Cats

      On behalf of the hundreds of millions of dogs and cats roaming the streets of third world nations in which many are badly malnourished and diseased, there is no one to speak for them. Millions of these dogs and cats suffer from sarcoptic mange, which causes great agony and pain. Not only do these animals suffer, but often they spread disease through their feces and by other means to humans, other domestic animals and wildlife.

       There is rarely any money, grandstanding or self promotional benefit for any animal organization or individual, so other than a mere handful of animals that might be helped occasionally, the plight of street dogs and cats in poor nations is ignored.  

Eating Dogs And Cats In Asia and Cruelty In The U.S.

       The effort by some U.S. politicians and animal organizations to stop the eating of dogs and cats in places in Asia where dogs and cats are eaten needs to be clear about what they want to accomplish.
Some argue that the brutal and cruel way in which many of these animals are treated and slaughtered is the reason why dogs and cats must not be eaten. But they use this standard only for dogs and cats because they do not want dogs and cats to be eaten, when they know full well other animals that are consumed by humans are treated just as horrifically. Furthermore, dogfighting and animal cruelty is alive and well in the United States. As for the hundreds of millions of starving, badly diseased dogs and cats living all over the poorer nations of the world, nothing is done. Many so called animal advocates believe it is better for dogs and cats to starve to death or die slow deaths from disease and malnutrition than to be humanely euthanized. Millions of dogs and cats on the streets of third world countries are badly infected with sarcoptic mange that causes them great suffering.
        Many of the factory farms in the United States and elsewhere are brutal places. Rather than ensure the highest humane care for factory farm animals, the direction has been otherwise. If someone gets employed by one of these factory farms and photographs what really takes place inside, they will be arrested and charged with a federal crime. Protecting the factory farm industry's image is more important than ensuring the highest level of care for factory farm animals.
         It is disengenuine to pretend to care about animals only when it comes to some dogs and cats, while disregarding the much greater extent and amount of cruelty that is inflicted upon other dogs, cats, pigs, cows, chickens and other animals.
          It is estimated that approximately 30 million dogs and cats are consumed in certain parts of Asia. This nowhere equals the billions of pigs, cows, chickens and other animals that are consumed across the world.
          Wildlife continues to be decimated. Domestic animals continue to be brutalized by the billions. There needs to be consistent standards for the proper care and treatment of animals. Exposing brutality in factory farms and slaughterhouses should not be criminalized conduct. Dogfighting flourishes in the United States, and practically no one ever gets arrested because of the pathological approach to this crime by law enforcement and animal organizations. There are many things on the homefront that United States politicians and animals organizations have completely failed at when it comes to reducing animal cruelty.
           All animals need to be treated humanely. Just because one animal is a dog or cat raised for food and another animal is a pig, chicken or cow raised for food does not mean the standard of care and treatment should be any less for one species than the other.
            If they want to end the eating of dogs and cats because of the special place dogs and cats hold, then simply say so. Do not pretend it is about cruelty when their own house is not in order. But if they want to make it about cruelty, then damn well make sure they bring that fight inside of the United States as well. Because until now, other than exploit and manipulate animal cruelty for personal and organizational gain, animal cruelty has been allowed to flourish.
         
     

Animal Cruelty Is A Lucrative Business For Its Alleged Opponents

      When it comes to protecting animals, grandstanding and exploitation by those claiming to be animal protectors have contributed to an ugly history of failure and animal suffering, which they never will acknowledge.
     
       

Mugabe Ruins A Nation, The Triumph Of Evil Over Good

         37 years in power, in which time Mugabe turned a food exporting nation into a poverty stricken nation while he turned himself, his cronies and his family into multimillionaires. Political opponents brutalized and murdered, elections rigged, poor people displaced and made homeless, white farmers beaten and murdered with their lands given not to war veterans and poor people as Mugabe claimed, but to his friends and family, including his corrupt, insatiably greedy wife. The breadbasket of Africa is now a basketcase.

         Emmerson Mnangagwa , Mugabe's former right hand man and considered complicit in Mugabe's crimes, will take over as interim president. While Zimbabweans rejoice about the end to the Mugabe regime, it might be more of the same corruption and brutality that Mugabe served.

        Why was this allowed to happen?  Mugabe played the race card, demonizing the small white minority while he looted and destroyed a nation. Look at the nations, powerful people and business interests that helped keep him in power.       
        Mugabe and his wife have been freed from prosecution. How this one evil, greedy man stayed in power for so long while inflicting so much damage on millions of poor Zimbabweans is a testimony to the lasting power of evil in a world filled with far too little good. 

Trump And Conway: Elect Moore For Law And Order

     Trump and company argue that Roy Moore should be elected because he is the candidate that is strong on crime. Republicans are no better for law and order than ineffective democrats. They have been spinning this nonsense that they are tough on crime for years, as they rehash their same ineffective strategies and programs. Roy Moore, accused of having sexually abused at least one woman when she was a minor, which is a crime, is the law and order candidate Trump, Conway and company stand behind.

Burmese Pythons, Everglades Dying Wildlife And Their Worldwide Implication

             In a still relatively healthy wildlife refuge north of the Florida Everglades, a person remarked, "The Everglades have lost more than 95 per cent of its mammal population from the Burmese pythons. They are coming this way. They have already been spotted in the area. And when they come in numbers, everything will change. People will walk through here and what they can see now will never be seen again. The pythons will eat up everything. Raccoons, otters, muskrats, opossums, armadillos, marsh rabbits,  bobcats, sandhill cranes, and anything else they can catch. Other predators will die from starvation because the snakes will eat everything."
             Cute burrowing owls will not stand a chance if the Burmese python reaches their areas. As the invasion goes north, which seems to be happening, common and uncommon species will be wiped out. At some point the snakes will start eating each other out of hunger after they have eaten up everything else. Alligators compete with the Burmese python, and they eat each other depending on which one is bigger. The Burmese python is hell for native reptiles, birds and mammals.
              In places in the third world, where there is enormous biodiversity and few resources for conservation and wildlife protection, the situation is even more dire. Invasive species are not even on the list of top threats. Habitat loss and fragmentation, trashing of the oceans with plastic and other contaminants and other threats spell doom for wildlife. Invasive species are just one more poison in the pot that even a rich and powerful nation like the United States cannot control. As for the other, even greater threats, little to nothing is being done.
           

         

Awareness Raised That Is Exploited; The Sad World Of Animal Suffering

       A wildlife photographer gave a vigorous defense of animal, conservation and wildlife organizations. The photographer is paid well by these organizations. It was too much to expect that the wildlife and animals that are the real source of his fortune (but that are incapable of paying out even a penny) would be his first loyalty. These organizations raise awareness, the photographer insisted, and that is what matters.
       Animal and wildlife organizations raise awareness that they channel into contributions and support for themselves. It often does not translate into conservation success. It often does not translate into a reduction of animal cruelty. It often translates into nothing more than contributions and support for these organizations.
       If there is ignorance, there is at least hope that if there is awareness, suffering and harm will diminish because a positive direction will result from the raising of awareness. But too often ignorance is turned into awareness that becomes nothing more than the means for an organization to grow and enrich itself.
       Failure in the nonprofit world is about more than the dismal failure to hold many organizations accountable as to their efficacy. While wildlife populations continue to collapse, while animal cruelty continues as awful as ever, while oceans and other life sustaining habitats continue to be destroyed, it is long past the time to pay homage to self serving organizations. Their failures, although often hidden, are massive. Just because an organization claims to be concerned about such things as animal cruelty, conservation, wildlife, bats, birds, chimpanzees, elephants, dogs, cats and so forth does not mean it is not exploitative.
     

The Greatest, Unaddressed Threat To Elephant Survival

     The population of Africa continues to explode. Projections that world population growth will stabilize and level off simply do not hold true for most of Africa and some other parts of the world. A simple graph shows that corresponding to the rapid rise in Africa's human population has been a rapid decline in Africa's wildlife, especially that of large mammals.
      Any serious, long term plan to protect elephants and other wildlife must include family planning.
      This is one of the times in which what is good for wildlife is also good for humans. When women have access to safe family planning, poverty decreases. Abortions and sexually transmitted diseases also decrease.
      An overcrowded world has little place for wildlife. Other problems are made worse by large human populations, including environmental degradation and proper disposal of garbage (much of which now ends up in the oceans).
      By 2100, if nothing changes, billions of Africans will live in desperate poverty, beset by war and politically instability. Africa will be deforested and severely degraded. Elephants will be gone from the wild.
     

Animal Organization Windfall From Elephant Hunting, Michael Vick, Dogfighting

       Allowing tusks and other elephant parts taken from elephant hunting in Zimbabwe and Zambia to enter the United States does not mean that all of a sudden the door becomes open to elephant hunting by Americans. The door was already open in that trophy elephants parts are allowed into the states if the hunt takes place in South Africa or Namibia.
       The ban was put in place by the Obama administration on Zimbabwe and Zambia because the corruption that exists in those countries means elephant hunting could not be properly regulated.
        So why the outrage from the against cruelty, humane type animal organizations when they know full well that elephant hunting is legal in certain African countries, and that adding Zimbabwe and Zambia only expands the list but does not create any new precedent? Furthermore, it is well known that elephants and other wildlife are being decimated by the loss of habitat, not just from other threats, and that little to nothing is being done to stop this tidal wave of damage.
        They are outraged because the public is outraged. And if they properly follow public sentiment, or even better yet, lead public sentiment (through their blogs, magazines, and their other widely followed media outlets), there is a fortune to be made.
         Just like how the Michael Vick dogfighting arrest inspired anti dogfighting sentiment that these organizations capitalized on, they will also capitalize on any high profile event or issue that is potentially lucrative.
         People care about dogs, elephants and certain other animals, and that is where these organizations and certain others know there is money to be made.
         Dogfighting never went away. Ever wonder why practically no one gets arrested for the common occurring crime of dogfighting? Michael Vick was a one in a million rare exception, and his celebrity status was a huge windfall for certain animal organizations that played that arrest and the publicity it generated for everything it was worth. The same pathological dynamic that is written about extensively in previous blogs - the almost complete lack of an appropriate law enforcement response to dogfighting and animal cruelty, and the massive exploitation of these crimes by a number of animal organizations and individuals - has never changed.
          Animal cruelty is an ugly reality, but it is also a lucrative reality for a number of animal organizations and individuals that exploit and profit from this suffering. They claim to be against cruelty and for the humane or ethical treatment of animals, which allows them to continue to exploit animal suffering and take in fortunes.
          Just like dogfighting is alive and well, no thanks to a number of animal organizations and individuals that have profited well by riding the wave of sentiment against this crime, so too will the plight of elephants and other wildlife continue unabated.
           It does not have to be this way.

Hunting Elephants, Dogfighting And The Animal Organization That Gains

       The blogging from the president of one of the wealthiest animal organizations in the world about the Trump administration's decision regarding elephant hunting falsely gives the impression that this organization and its president will actually do something for elephants.
       They will do the same thing for elephants that they do for dog fighting and animal cruelty- ride the wave of public sentiment, take in a fortune, and accomplish nothing. They exploit these issues for their own gain, which is unfortunately fine with their unquestioning donor base.
        If only there was a tiny amount of scrutiny regarding the programs and efficacy of these organizations. For those of us that witnessed first hand their exploitation, their greed, their shameful exploitation of animal suffering and the plight of animals, domestic and wildlife, we can only lower our heads in disgust knowing that animals have few if any true defenders.
     

Duterte And Trump, Goodbye South China Sea

   When it comes to soft targets, Duterte and Trump are as tough as can be. Not so in the presence of strongmen and hard targets. Duterte can be seen in front of Putin begging for his friendship. It is like a Godfather movie, where the mafia underling ingratiates himself to the mafia godfather. Trump is no different. Both men in the presence of Xi and Putin are like little boys.
    Duterte has given his reasons for giving up the South China Sea and the islands that rightfully belong to the Philippines. He does not want war with China. But no one is asking him to engage in war with China. Why would Filipinos that care about their country, and not just about money, want the South China Sea to be militarized and destroyed, which is what is happening right now, knowing full well that this means less fish and food for the Philippine people?
     Is the Philippines an independent country, or a soon to be Chinese and perhaps Russian colony?
     And why is tough talking Trump putty in the hands of Xi and Putin?
     There should be an immediate call for an end to all militarization and further destruction of the South China Sea. There are ways of resisting destruction without going to war.
     Note to the people of the Philippines and China: no matter what your governments tell you, you cannot eat planes, military bases, railroads, or anything that humans create. You can and do eat fish and marine life, and that is not something any human can create.
     Rising populations in the world, backed too often by religions that call for unlimited breeding, in a world that keeps destroying its natural environment and food sources, guarantees a future of poverty and hunger.

The South China Sea Is Worth Fighting For

      The South China Sea cannot continue to be destroyed in the pursuit of territorial ambitions. If the sea is destroyed, it will mean hunger for millions. The Philippines especially, already overpopulated with an enormously high poverty and birth rate, cannot afford to lose this invaluable food source.

      World leaders are meeting in Southeast Asia, including Trump, who has offered to mediate this conflict. 

      Every nation that relies on this sea has a stake in ensuring its protection. This does not mean going to war with China, which only a fool or madman would desire. But it does mean not rolling over like a lapdog and doing nothing while this ecological treasure is dredged and ruined. 

     This issue must be put front and center. It must be made clear that there cannot be business as usual unless this sea is protected and not further destroyed in order to further a nation's ambitions.

Trump On Twitter And North Korean Nuclear Weapons

     Trump is exchanging insults with the North Korean dictator. It is meaningless and does not accomplish anything useful. It makes him look weak and foolish.
     North Korean nuclear weapons and all nuclear weapon proliferation is a world problem of enormous magnitude. It is not a problem confined to the United States. Trump said he is one of the world's greatest dealmakers. He needs to show it and stop this infantile exchange of insults.
     Note to China, the North Korean nuclear testing radioactive fallout is contaminating your country, not just North Korea.
     There needs to be a complete ban on all nuclear testing.
      It is in the interest of Russia, China, Japan, the whole world for that matter, that nuclear weapons proliferation ends, and not just with North Korea.

Failing Leadership Of The Rich And Powerful

       Powerful, rich men and women, including political leaders, too often focus on the petty, the insignificant insults to their ego, the inconsequential, and miss the big picture. They are amongst the few people that can do something about the big picture things. Yet they squander the opportunity on their own self indulgence.
       This world is in serious trouble. The environmental degradation and depletion that is occurring will exact a far worse toll than anyone can imagine. Not only in terms of suffering, but in that humankind itself will not survive this continued degradation. The only thing that can stop this dismal future, assuming nuclear weapons have not already destroyed mankind, is concerted, selfless and intelligent action.

Putin Can Stop Nuclear Weapons Proliferation And Secure A World Class Legacy

     Putin is now one of the most powerful, wealthiest men in the world. In his hands is the power to destroy this planet many times over. Far more important than reigniting the cold war, which includes supporting every murderous dictator in the world simply because they oppose the United States (the reverse also applies for the United States), Putin could instead ensure his place in history as one of the greatest leaders ever. He could do this by using his power to stop nuclear weapons proliferation and by reducing the threat to all human life that nuclear weapons pose. Petty things like whether RT must register or not in the United States do not matter. What mankind does with nuclear weapons does matter. 

Putin And RT's Freedom Of Speech Concerns

       If only Putin would extend to Russian journalists that oppose him just a tiny amount of the concern for freedom of speech and the press that he is so adamant that Americans provide his Russian television propaganda arm (RT).
       Opposition journalists in Russia get murdered. Recently one of the few opposition journalists remaining was stabbed in the neck. Fortunately she survived the attack.
       RT may have to register as a foreign agent in the American market. No one gets stabbed. No one  gets murdered. Registering Putin's propaganda network in a foreign country makes Putin and the RT gang angry that their right to free speech is violated, while murdering opposition journalists to shut them up does not elicit a whimper of a response.

The South China Sea Is Dying

     The populations of China, Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore and other countries that rely on the South China Sea are going up, not down. The wholesale destruction of the South China Sea ensures it will not be a food source for these growing populations. It will be another once thriving, biologically rich resource that humans destroyed.

      The South China Sea is being dredged. Its coral reefs, atolls and coral reef islands are being destroyed in order to create military bases. Protected by the militarization, wholesale poaching and further destruction of coral is occurring. Every sea turtle, giant clam, shark, manta ray and more are being pulled from the ocean, guarenting another human created dead zone.

      Thriving colorful coral reefs have been turned into dead zones littered with the skeletons of dead coral. 

      Asian countries are meeting. They will discuss business as usual. Trade, commerce, everything other than protecting their most important marine resource.

      How much money has been paid to win the silence of one nation in particular that is unwilling to fight for its fishermen, its fish, its future?

      

Jew Is The Weaklings' Crutch

     Weaklings need a crutch. Someone to blame and hate. They come up with a thousand reasons to justify their hate. They think there is strength in their hate, anger or violence, but it only disguises  their weakness. If ever the day should come in which people can stand on their own two feet and not rely on a crutch that hides their weakness, humankind will advance.

Elephants Set On Fire Photo

     The sad photo of a young elephant set on fire chasing after her partially on fire mother has drawn a great deal of attention. Some people have responded with anger at the photographer, or the magazine that published the photo. What action they imagine the photographer could have taken is beyond comprehension. Elephants can easily kill human beings, and these tormented elephants were already highly stressed. Regarding the magazine that published the photograph, it is good they highlighted the terrible plight elephants and other wildlife are in. Too many animal lovers and animal organizations are utterly useless when it comes to animal welfare and stopping cruelty. Their interests do not extend beyond what makes them feel good, or in exploiting the suffering of animals to raise money, advance careers or further personal agendas. Animal cruelty is far more extensive, and far more gruesome than most people realize.
       Someone noted, it is hell on earth for these elephants. An exploding human population leaves little room for wildlife. All over the world, wildlife suffers from the enormous loss of habitat and habitat fragmentation. An exploding human population, a topic money seeking conservation organizations shy away from and which is a main driver of habitat loss, ensures the plight of elephants and other wildlife will not lessen.
        In the decades to come, when the human population exceeds 9 billion, there will be little left of wildlife, especially large animals. Already the populations of many species have dramatically declined.
        If there is any hope, there must be a concerted, worldwide effort to preserve and protect critical habitat.

China Should Be At Forefront Of Ban On Nuclear Weapon Tests

     China should be at the forefront of a complete ban on nuclear weapon tests. Articles about why China does little to nothing about the North Korean regime usually include unchallenged assertions that China does not want a North Korean collapse because it will lead to a flood of refugees and a U.S. aligned Korea right at the Chinese border. Whether this is true or not fails to address a much greater threat.
      North Korean nuclear test contamination does affect China. China, outside of North Korea, has the most to lose from North Korea nuclear testing radiation poisoning. There is not a second North Korea, nor a second China, nor another earth that people can run to after poisoning what already exists.
      Humans may be incapable at present of reigning in their nuclear weapons demon, but they are capable of calling for an immediate and worldwide ban on any and all nuclear weapon tests.
     

North Korea Nuclear Contamination; UN Ban On All Nuclear Weapon Tests Must Be Implemented

     The short and ugly history of nuclear weapon tests are cancers, shortened lives, ruined islands and lands, radioactive fallout, to name but a few of the deleterious consequences of these tests. Now it appears that the site of North Korean nuclear testing has collapsed, hundreds have died and the area is contaminated.
      Even though nuclear weapon states are unwilling, unfortunately, to give up their weapons (which might be mankind's final doom), there should be an immediate resolution by the UN to ban completely and without exception all nuclear testing. A price must be paid for any nation that violates this understanding. It is disgraceful that a complete ban has never been implemented.

Increased Wealth And Power Of A Few In An A Degraded World

     Wealth and power increasingly is concentrated into the hands of a few. Theirs is a world of abundance in a world that is increasingly depleted. As daily their personal wealth increases, the real wealth of the world, the health of the environment, decreases. Not just from the thousands of tons of plastic, Styrofoam and other non biodegradable contaminants that daily enter the oceans, but from an array of threats.
   

Myth Of One True Religion

      In many corners of the world, people have their own religions, faiths and beliefs. But there are those that still insist that only the religion they follow is correct, and that everyone else is doomed for hell. They continually fail to understand that there are people in this world that either never heard of their god or set of beliefs, or were raised to believe in something different. Even worse, there are those that believe they have the right to inflict hell on earth to those that believe differently.
      The few remote tribes in this world, mostly in the Amazon, that avoid contact with the modern world, and that have their own cultures, religions, beliefs and faiths, are not primitive like those that ram their beliefs down the throats of others.
       There is not one single human being walking the face of this planet that actually died and then  returned to life and can say with certainty what there is or is not after death. Religion is a matter of faith. It should make people wiser and more tolerant. It should not be what it has been for far too often; a way for people to be intolerant, bigoted, narrow minded and ignorant.
     

Religion; Action Over Belief

      Religion is only good if it leads people to be more compassionate, more caring, braver and kinder. Far too many people believe that if they worship Jesus, Allah or God or something else, little else is required. If God, Jesus, Allah or something else wanted only blind loyalty, then why did God not turn people into mindless slaves? People have free will to choose to be better people, including how they treat not only their friends, but also their enemies. Far too many people believe that by being a mindless slave for God, they can act as God, choosing who to murder, who to harm, who to abuse. Humans are not God, and have no right to act as if they are.
      Who cares what someone believes if they are a rotten person full of hate, selfishness and ill intent? What matters is character, not what someone was indoctrinated to believe. People that insist only their religion is correct ignore that the world is a large place where people from different places and cultures follow paths that are no less true or valid. The pursuit of religious monopolies have caused enormous bloodshed. What matters far more than what one believes is how one acts.
     

Wind, Solar, Birds and Bats

       In the search for alternative energy, wind turbines and solar plants are looked at as godsends. There is a need for these fossil fuel alternatives, but it has to be thought out. Areas where there are rare species of birds and bats or that are in migratory flight paths must be avoided. There is enough research and science to point these fossil fuel alternatives in the right direction. But who will advocate for wind turbines and solar facilities to be placed in the least damaging to wildlife places, and fight to stop projects that are wrongly placed?
        A number of bat, bird, wildlife and conservation organizations would not lift a finger to do anything as a rainforest was destroyed in order to build a wind turbine and solar facility. The rainforest was habitat for rare species of bats, parrots, raptors and other wildlife.
       Bat, bird, wildlife, conservation, animal welfare organizations are businesses. They do not stick their necks out unless there is something in it for them.
       Maybe some smart young person, not yet corrupted by life, will make it a mission to ensure alternative energy projects are constructed in the least damaging locations. Meanwhile, wind turbines and solar facilities will continue to kill bats and birds by the millions worldwide.
       
       

The Stock Market God That Is Worshipped, Nurtured And Fed

      No matter the news, no matter how incompetent, corrupt, ruthless and worthless is the leadership of the world, the only important measure of wealth the world considers, the stock market, keeps going up. The lessons of the stock market are clear. Real labor is devalued. Speculators get rewarded.
      Imagine if the trillions of dollars poured into the stock markets were used for a more useful purpose. Like cleaning up a contaminated, trashed earth, which in and of itself would employ millions.
      But higher stock prices create jobs, they argue. No, they create some jobs, but not many. Not nearly as much as what such massive amounts of money and resources would create if used differently. At some point, the cheap money and "all that matters is the market" bubble will burst. The people that will again lose their shirts- and it will not be the big players- may or may not recover depending on their age.
      If nuclear weapons are unleashed, the companies related to radiation protection and nuclear bomb making will go up. It does not matter what happens in the real world anymore. The stock market exists in its own reality that governments and movers and shakers around the world nurture and protect. They do not protect their oceans, rivers, lakes or lands, or even their own people in many instances. The stock market, that artificial measure of wealth and not the real health of the planet, is worshiped, studied, analyzed and treated like a God.
       For individuals, since this has become the only game in town, and since saving money in a bank has become a form of punishment, the aforementioned is not financial.advice. Warren Buffett advises people to put money in broad based low cost index funds. Even loud mouth Jim, who has recklessly caused many to lose money, follows this bandwagon in advice he now gives, contrary to the destructive advice he gave in the past. But he still wants people to follow his mad money ride that keeps his ratings high with some portion of their money.
        It is unfortunate that in a world so highly degraded and troubled, the stock market is the beast that gets fed, worshipped, studied and picked apart from every angle. Outside of that center of power and money, in the real world, poverty, fanaticism and environmental degradation accelerate.

Wealth Foolishly Defined As The Stock Market's Health

      No matter how deteriorated our environment becomes, no matter how much nuclear weapons proliferate, no matter how much hate, fanaticism, war and terror spread, no matter how incompetent, ruthless and greedy are the leaders, movers and shakers of the world, all that seems to matter is feeding the stock market and ensuring it keeps going up. This artificial measure of wealth does not reflect reality.
       Every single day, as thousands of tons of plastics and other non biodegradable contaminants enter the oceans, one of a number of major threats to the health and well being of humanity and the planet, no one cares. The only game in town is the stock market. Wealth means its health, and foolishly nothing else.

Allah Does Not Welcome Islamic Jihadists

   Let us imagine that religious murderous fanatics, including one of the abundant Islamic jihadists, are capable of rational thought. Let us imagine that they can think logically and not just be mindless murderous sheep. Now, in that moment of rationality, can they conceive of a single reason why the God or Allah they are so eager to kill for would want to spend even a single second in their presence? Why would God or Allah want to be surrounded by a pack of murderers, rapists, torturers, complete degenerates, and for all eternity?

Trump, LowerTaxes, And Deficit Spending

     The difference between republicans and democrats is in their rhetoric, not in their actions. They both love to deficit spend. Trump will lower taxes. Many will be happy because the deficit spending that will result is a tax passed on to future generations. The rich that complain about paying too much in taxes like the tax bill to be passed on to the next generation. Many of the people that for years complained about deficit spending are now silent.

America Replaces Manufacturers With Social Media Advertisers

      Social media companies are little more than advertising companies. They produce and manufacture nothing. They inundate people with mindless ad after ad. Some of their ads serve the interests of foreign governments hostile to the United States. They don't care, as long as they can make a buck.
      Long gone are the manufacturers that made shoes, bicycles, toys, sports equipment, electronics, phones, computers, a million other things. Instead, some of America's biggest companies are nothing but unproductive, mind warping advertising companies. At least with television, people can walk away during commercials. Social media companies try to prevent any escape from their ads.

A Different Bubble Than The Dotcom Stock Market Bubble

     At the time of the dotcom bubble, analysts and other experts declared the times were different, and that new technologies were ushering in a new era in which it did not matter if companies were profitable or not. The house of cards collapsed finally and a whole lot of people lost their shirts.
     Fast forward to now, and the analysts and other experts declare this time is different. High growth  companies have real earnings, they insist. Therefore, no matter how inflated the stocks of companies might be, at least they have earnings to differentiate them from the worthless tech companies of the dotcom era.
     But wait, some dotcom era companies did have earnings. Some of them are still around. In this new era of boom, not bust, analysts insist inflated stock prices are justified because...this time it is different.
     Governments around the world have made it clear that the only game in town is the stock market. Money in the bank gets punished.  Pensions, pension funds, unions, management, municipalities, almost all are in the stock market. Everyone is happy while it keeps going up.
     But one day it will not. And if one day this was one big bubble that was recklessly created, there will be no one that will take the blame, no ammunition left to get back on track, and hell to pay.

Saving Elephants Or Serving Propaganda? Tsavo National Park And Poaching

     A recent article about elephants in Tsavo National Park, Kenya, was an uncritical look at one organization's alleged success. The organization has embarked on a path that is somewhat military without being military, and that sounds good and convincing on paper. 

      There are huge, unaddressed problems facing the elephants of Tsavo and elsewhere. This includes habitat loss and human encroachment. Human encroachment includes the use of land for cattle and agriculture, which has significant adverse impacts on elephants, buffalo and other species. Anti poaching efforts attract contributions, even if these efforts are ineffective or self serving. This allows the other enormous threats to elephants and other wildlife to continue to be ignored by contribution seeking organizations.

New York Islamic Jihad Terror Attack And The Politically Convenient Road Trump Follows

       What possesses a man with a wife and three children to completely throw away all love and obligations to his family and go commit mass murder?
       Trump looks for an easy answer. So do a lot of people. Trump thinks it can be found in an immigration system that is flawed. This murderer entered the United states legally. He was not an illegal immigrant. He was not one of the millions of illegal immigrants that do nothing but labor at low paying, shitty jobs that Americans refuse to do, and that are honest, decent people.
       Trump is doing the same thing Obama and Bush did. Refuse to face the sources of this evil.
Trump, like Obama, like Bush, does not want to to look at the sources, especially the states, some of which are U.S. allies, some of which are Russian allies, that spread virulent, intolerant jihadist ideologies all over the world.
        Anyone can read the Koran and see for themselves that there are passages, if followed, will lead  down the demented path where ISIS, Hamas, Al Shabaab, Hezbollah, Boko Haram, Abu Sayyaf, Al Qaeda, Islamic Jihad, Taliban, and many more have already gone.
        There are passages in the Koran, if followed, lead to war, killing, bigotry, slavery, rape, torture, amputations, conquest, colonialism, child marriage, and more.
         There are passages in the Koran, if followed, lead to a complete opposite life of goodwill, tolerance, peace, charity and co existence.
         What is it that Islamic states, especially the oil rich countries of the world, have chosen to follow and spread throughout the world?
          It is easier for Trump, like Obama and Bush,  to go down the politically convenient road and not hold these states responsible for the cancer many of them are spreading. If these states reverse direction and actively promote tolerance, goodwill, mutual respect and coexistence, imagine how the world will prosper.
         
     

Islamic Jihadist Mass Murder In Somalia, And The Usual silence

     The recent bombings in Somalia barely generated any news coverage in the western media, and little outrage. In one attack, over 358 people were killed, with hundreds more wounded in Mogadishu. With such a high casualty number, the usual suspect, terrorist group Al Shabaab, did not claim responsibility. They do not mind murdering innocent people to create their demented Islamic state (which will be another Islamic jihadist hellhole if ever implemented), but realized that even this action of theirs was too excessive. So they have kept silent.
      And so has the west.