Day 206: Bring your Own Cup and Help Save the Planet!

The other day we went to a shop to get some take-away coffee. Right next to where you get your coffee is a big stand with the prices and types of coffee, and at the bottom in a big font and size it says ‘Bring your own cup and help save the planet!’ and ‘The Earth says: thank you!”.

I’ve seen such statements many times before, but seeing it that day it really dawned to me just how ridiculous a statement like that is. I mean seriously, bring your own cup and help save the planet?

We live in a world where the economic system that runs the world is in direct violation of the Earth’s well-being – where the capacity of the Earth has been stretched to its ultimate for the sake of indefinite growth and profit. And yet somehow the corporations and politicians have to arrogance and audacity to ask people to ‘bring their own cup’ or ‘bring their own bag’ in order to ‘Help Save the Planet’?!

Surely, the waste of take-away cups and plastic-bags is just a SPEC in the face of the actual problem, which is the entirety and totality of both our individual lifestyles and the global lifestyle we have adopted as consumerism and greed. Bringing your own cup and bringing your own bag is not going to Save the Planet. It’s like trying to conserve water by catching a raindrop a day whilst letting all the taps in your house gush out water non-stop. It’s just ridiculous and kind of offending to tell people to ‘bring their own cup’ and make it look like you’re a ‘Responsible Company’ that ‘Cares about the Environment’ while everything a company that runs by the principle of Capitalism represents is the very Disregard an Destruction it is now apparently trying to abate.

Let’s have a look at for instance the whole ‘bring you own bag and save the planet’ motto.

In Britain a study was done where the results showed that on average a Brit uses 134 plastic bags in a year. This equals to 2kgs of carbon dioxide emission – while a typical person is responsible for 11 000 kgs of carbon dioxide emission in a year. That is like 0.018% that you’ve just reduced of your total emission as one person – and the Earth is supposed to say ‘Thank You’ to that? Are we now also assuming that the Planet is a complete idiot?

All those ‘little things’ that are asked of people to ‘Save the Planet’ like bringing your own cup, bringing your own bag, turning off your electronics that are on stand-by, boiling no more water in the kettle than what you need, turning off the tap while you brush your teeth, etc. – all make only a marginal difference of maximum 1% in terms of per capita emissions and mostly less than that.

The UK Government has spent £22m in the past on a ‘Do Your Bit’ Campaign promoting these type of ‘easy’ ‘quick fix’ solutions and then had to admit that the campaign produced no measurable change in people’s behaviour.

In fact, promoting these ineffectual little actions perpetuates the problem even more, where ‘bring your own cup’, ‘bringing your own bag’ and doing some recycling:

“Mori concluded that it was becoming an act of "totem behaviour" and that "individuals use recycling as a means of discharging their responsibility to undertake wider changes in lifestyle". In other words, people can adopt the simplest solutions as a part of a deliberate denial strategy that enables them to feel virtuous without changing their real behaviour.

Governments and businesses are, if anything, even more prone to tokenistic behaviour than individuals. Encouraging small voluntary actions by the public, customers or staff looks good and is much safer than passing restrictive legislation or rethinking your entire business model”.

As long as we don’t start re-evaluating our socioeconomic and political system that we live in and by, it does not matter what little token behaviour we participate in because it’s not going to make a damn difference. We need to strip the system down and rebuilt in from the foundation up – create a system that takes into account the environment and what it takes to reach and remain in equilibrium and harmony.

Within Equal Money Capitalism, points like emission and pollution will no longer just be ‘externalities’ that one does not have to account for and that are ‘conveniently’ here to be used at one’s whims. Just as someone gets something in return for their labour in a company, so will nature/the planet/earth receive something in return for what was given. If you for instance use water in the production process of your product and this water gets polluted/contaminated in anyway whatsoever: then it is your responsibility to also handle to process of purification. Only when we give as we like to receive, can we live in a sustainable, harmonious and equilibrated way with and within our environment.

Save Planet Earth? Support Equal Money Capitalism.

[info and numbers come from this article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/sep/13/ethicalliving.climatechange]

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Day 205: Pupils Need to Instruct a Minister on How to do a Proper Job?

"A number of Gauteng pupils have demanded that Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga rewrite her recently published draft norms and standards."

The nongovernmental organization Equal Education has been campaigning for two years to get the norms and standards in terms of infrastructure, sanitation and electricity and so on for public schools to be specified by the Minister of Basic Education. The draft norms were published in January, but activists and pupils were confounded at the absolute vagueness of the norms and standards it laid down.

When it comes to electricity, it states that public schools should have some form of energy. A 10 grade pupil doesn't understand the Minister doesn't even specify what kind of energy. And obviously, there should be safety instructions in relation to the kind of energy as well as how it is installed - but safety and security is not even part of the norms and standards discussed. In relation to that, one pupil says: "I mean, come to think of it, you [Motshekga, Minister of Basic Education in South Africa] would not send your child to a government school."

Now hearings are being held to hear what pupils and teachers have to say about the conditions that require to be addressed through laying out specific norms and standards so that the government can be held accountable for its lack in providing public schools with what is required to educate children in a supportive environment - and not a room where the ceiling may collapse at any moment.

How is it possible that a Minister of Basic Education requires to be instructed by pupils on how to do her job? Kids understand the need for specific norms and standards, yet the Minister doesn't? Does she even care about the children's education and safety? And how is it that only after the norms and standards have been drafted, that those who are actually experiencing the inadequate conditions are being consulted. Is it not obvious that you first consult with the relevant parties and then write your draft?

The political system obviously requires adjustment so that those who propose policy understand what it is they are talking about, so that research isn't done after the proposal and so that those in office have proven their integrity in actually giving a damn about making society the best society it can be. Together with a reform of Capitalism, we suggest a reform of the political system that corrects these points. You can read more about it at www.equalmoney.org/wiki/Politics.

We live in a day and age where technology allows us to be so efficient and so responsive. It's just that we haven't evolved with our technology yet. We haven't yet learned what it means to be an efficient person, how to be response-able, how to be flexible, how to process information effectively, how to be dedicated, how to be consistent. And those are skills that should be developed in schools. The children are begging us to step it up because they're being left in the cold and understand that if their schooling is not effective, then their chances in life will be diminished. Do we even understand how we are destroying people's lives just by allowing vagueness where specificity is required? For those who are starting to see how our current state of being as a human that is not functioning at its optimum potential is creating consequences that reach much further than we actually considered - I suggest signing up for the Free DIP Lite course at www.lite.desteniiprocess.com to develop some basic life-skills that the current education system has failed to provide. It's time for each one to step it up and upgrade themselves, because otherwise we will remain trapped in a vicious cycle where the sins of the fathers will be passed on to the children of the next generation and nothing will change and the cries of the children will be in vain.

Source: http://mg.co.za/article/2013-03-15-pupils-demand-better-norms-and-standards-for-schools

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Day 204: Food Monopoly and Equal Money Capitalism

For full article, please read:
GMOs, again…
http://www.b-fair.net/?p=5605

1. No health safety testing

Genetically engineered (GE) foods have never been safety tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), thanks to a 20-year-old policy that says it’s up to the biotech companies to determine the safety of genetically engineered (GE) foods. So while all other developed countries require safety testing for GE plants, the government agency in charge of protecting U.S. citizens lets biotech companies, who stand to make billions in profits from GE foods, conduct their own “voluntary safety consultations.”

2. No labeling

If the FDA isn’t going to test GE foods for safety, the least it could do is require labeling, so people can choose to avoid GMOs if they want. But so far, the FDA has rejected labeling under the controversial argument that GE foods are “substantially equivalent” to their non-genetically engineered counterparts.

 The U.S. and Canada stand alone as the only two industrialized countries yet to provide citizens the fundamental, democratic right to know what’s in the food they eat and feed their children.

The FDA’s refusal to support this basic right stands in direct defiance of the overwhelming will of the American people. The FDA has received over a million petitions from concerned citizens demanding that GMOs be labeled – the most received on any issue in the Agency’s history. The most recent poll shows that the overwhelming majority – 82 percent – of Americans want mandatory labeling laws. But our calls for transparency continue to fall on deaf ears.

Failure to label GMOs forces consumers to serve as test subjects for a massive GMO experiment, and makes it nearly impossible to trace health issues back to their source. It also prevents small farmers, the organics industry, and truly natural food producers from competing on an equal playing field.

5. Privatizing seeds

The FDA’s love affair with Monsanto has led to the privatization, and patenting, of the very source of life: seeds. Monsanto is allowed to sell its patented genetically engineered (GE) “Roundup Ready” soybean seeds, and other patented seeds, to farmers under a contract that prohibits the farmers from saving the next-generation seeds and replanting them. Farmers who buy Monsanto’s GE seeds are required to buy new seeds every year. Monsanto then sells the same farmers its proprietary pesticides, like Roundup, that can be sprayed in huge amounts on Monsanto’s patented Roundup Ready crops, killing everything except the GE plants.

It’s a win-win for Monsanto. But everybody else loses.

In an Equal Money System, Food will be a Basic Human Right. Food will no longer be detrimentally linked to money, where money decides the availability and quality of food and transparency of information. Food will no longer be tool for Profit but a Source of Life.

Within being put central to Life -- the development and growth of food will be in a such a way to support one's Human Body and support the Equilibrium of Life on Earth.

Different ways will have to be considered in terms of what additional tools can be used as to minimize harmful effects of agriculture on the land, air and ocean -- a holistic view will have to be applied.

Foodstuffs such as seeds, will not be able to be owned by anyone other than the Earth. It comes from the Earth – it makes no sense to claim it as one’s own and to create a monopoly around it. As such, seeds will simply be available.

Food labeling will be transparent and clear - so everyone will know exactly what it is they are getting and what went into the production of the specific food.

Food security will be guaranteed. Food will fulfil its role as Life Support and will be able to be enjoyed to its fullest potential. Starvation and Famine will be eradicated and all people will have access to their specific nutritional requirements to live their life to its utmost potential.

 

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Day 203: The Mockery of Democracy Continues - Dead People Voting in Zimbabwe

"Two thirds of the six-million voters on the roll are dead," said Biti, discussing irregularities with the crucial list.

"But unfortunately those four million who are dead have had a tendency to resurrect on election day."



(Source: http://mg.co.za/article/2013-03-09-mdc-two-thirds-of-voters-on-zim-voters-roll-are-dead)


LOL! And this is why democracy without equal economic power is absolutely meaningless. Economic power is the only power that counts, because if you have money, you can control and manipulate everything and everyone - to the point where you can be voted back into power by 4 million dead people.

A political system where each one is assumed to be equal is meaningless if that equality is not solidified through ensuring equal economic power. Allowing inequality in the economy makes democracy a true mockery - a play - a show - to keep up appearances of our apparent 'caring' nature. It is done to appease the masses and suppress guilt. Whose guilt? Of those in power? Not really - as it is unlikely they have a conscience. But of us - we who see the crimes being committed in the name of profit - and do nothing, say nothing and tell ourselves things may get better with the next vote.

And yet we know nothing will change with the next vote because no policy so far has proposed to equalize economic power. Equality has become a fancy word that is being thrown around as though that is what Jesus intended us to do with his message - to preach it but not live it.

There is a reason the Jesus message is being taught to children in school - because it is how we would want our children to be - to grow up to be honorable people, caring people - and yet, except from telling them stories, we do nothing to be honorable and caring ourselves - to lead them by example - to show them what the Jesus message means and how we organize our society in alignment with these honorable principles.

We have nothing to show for ourselves and so every parent must be prepared to disappoint their child when they ask one day why there are children that don't have food, or why some people don't have a house, or why some don't know how to read. Can you then look your child in the eye and say 'I'm doing everything I can to change that' - or will you just deflect your gaze, sigh and say 'it's complicated'.

The thing is, it's not that complicated - you can read up on the simple solutions of Equal Money Capitalism at http://economistjourneytolife.blogspot.com/p/emc.html.

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Day 202: Nightmare Bacteria on the Rise

For further context read and full article read:
CDC: 'Nightmare bacteria' spreading
Why 'nightmare bacteria' on the rise

Hospitals need to take action against the spread of a deadly, antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bacteria kill up to half of patients who are infected.

The bacteria, called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae or CRE, have increased over the past decade and grown resistant to even the most powerful antibiotics, according to the CDC. In the first half of 2012, 200 health care facilities treated patients infected with CRE.

"CRE are nightmare bacteria," CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said in a statement. "Our strongest antibiotics don't work and patients are left with potentially untreatable infections. Doctors, hospital leaders and public health must work together now to implement CDC's 'detect and protect' strategy and stop these infections from spreading."

Why are we using antibiotics so widely when the consequences are problematic?
One of the ways we consume antibiotics is through the meat we eat. Currently, the meat industry consumes 4/5th of the supply of antibiotics.Cattle and other livestock are being fed diets which counter their very design. Because it is more expensive to feed them a proper diet in order to 'meaten them up' -- cheaper and more harmful diets are fed to the animals. Obviously, since they are not designed to eat this food, like corn,  -- where the designs of these two points are not compatible -- harmful consequences emerge. One of the ways to get around the health problems that pop up their head when cattle are fed corn, is to give them antibiotics to ease their tummies. And then, if that's not bad enough -- we'll give them some more antibiotics for the sake of 'growth promotion'. Since you are what you eat -- the meat that is derived from the animals is tainted with antibiotics -- which we eat, and then become.

It's funny though how 'anti-biotics' in terms of its Latin roots literally means 'anti life'. It's also kind of how we humans act. We don't care about the life of the animals and we don't care about the lives of our fellow human beings -- all we care about is money. We want lots of it and we want it now. So we'll use antibiotics and threaten the future of humanity and the animal kingdom, but at least we'll get a good buck out of it.

I mean, hospitals are supposed to be places where you can go to 'get better'. Hospitals have become places where you now risk your life either by going into massive debt for treatments or where you get caught in death traps as all the nightmare bacteria and super bugs are coming to bite us in the ass.

And who is really the 'nightmare' in all of this? From the human's perspective its the bugs and viruses -- they are out to kill us: they have to go. Though from Mother Nature's perspective -- we're the ones destroying the environment and all Life on this planet, and we're the bad guys that have to go -- and it looks like she's currently one step ahead of us. No matter how hard we try to come up with something better to beat the bugs, they come beating us right back. And they don't have the technology and intelligence that we praise ourselves for so much. I mean, it's just a bug -- you can't even see it with your bare eyes -- what POSSIBLE significance could it have? Yet here are the bugs and they are winning this race.

In an Equal Money System, money and profit will no longer be the driving force of the Health Care System. Health, Life will drive the Health Care System. We won't just disregard treatments which are actually effective and prevent harm from being done just because it's not profitable -- that's losing the whole point of what Health Care is supposed to be about! We will respect nature, we will respect life and restore balance on Earth.

Not only will this vastly improve the quality of our lives and make health care accessible to everyone -- we will also no longer be a threat to our environment within acting within the principle of Prevention is the Best Cure.

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Day 201: The Power of 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 +... in Equal Money Capitalism

The following post was shared on my Facebook page with the title "Never Underestimate the Power of 'One' ":

Lone Indian Man Plants 1,360 Acre Forest single-handedly!!

Please Read, Like, Tag and share!! :)

A little over 30 years ago, a teenager named Jadav “Molai” Payeng began burying seeds along a barren sandbar near his birthplace in northern India’s Assam region to grow a refuge for wildlife. Not long after, he decided to dedicate his life to this endeavor, so he moved to the site where he could work full-time creating a lush new forest ecosystem. Incredibly, the spot today hosts a sprawling 1,360 acre of jungle that Payeng planted single-handedly.

It all started way back in 1979 when floods washed a large number of snakes ashore on the sandbar. One day, after the waters had receded, Payeng , only 16 then, found the place dotted with the dead reptiles. That was the turning point of his life.

“The snakes died in the heat, without any tree cover. I sat down and wept over their lifeless forms. It was carnage. I alerted the forest department and asked them if they could grow trees there. They said nothing would grow there. Instead, they asked me to try growing bamboo. It was painful, but I did it. There was nobody to help me. Nobody was interested,” says Payeng, now 47.

While it’s taken years for Payeng’s remarkable dedication to planting to receive some well-deserved recognition internationally, it didn’t take long for wildlife in the region to benefit from the manufactured forest. Demonstrating a keen understanding of ecological balance, Payeng even transplanted ants to his burgeoning ecosystem to bolster its natural harmony. Soon the shadeless sandbar was transformed into a self-functioning environment where a menagerie of creatures could dwell. The forest, called the Molai woods, now serves as a safe haven for numerous birds, deers, rhinos, tigers, and elephants — species increasingly at risk from habitat loss elsewhere.

Despite the conspicuousness of Payeng’s project, Forestry officials in the region first learned of this new forest in 2008 — and since then they’ve come to recognize his efforts as truly remarkable, but perhaps not enough.

“We’re amazed at Payeng,” says Assistant Conservator of Forests, Gunin Saikia. “He has been at it for 30 years. Had he been in any other country, he would have been made a hero.”

There are so many areas which used to provide habitats for countless animal species that have been destroyed and mostly - due to human intervention - sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly. And here is one man who decided to dedicated years of time towards rectifying one stretch of land - again providing habitats and support to a bunch of plants and animals as an effective new eco-system had been created - where, previously, nothing grew.

Witin Equal Money Capitalism, each company will have an Environmental Department to firstly prevent and rectify human-created problems in our natural environment - and secondly, to provide additional support to nature in times of, for instance, drought. This answers one of the frequently asked questions in relation to how to achieve Full Employment in a way that no meaningless jobs are created. There is so much to be done when it comes to supporting the world that supports us - that there is definitely no lack of meaningless jobs to be done. Secondly - imagine - when one man dedicates 30 years of his life towards one area - he created a jungle that now houses rhinos, elephants and even tigers! Then, consider - the actual change we can manifest if each company dedicates an entire department towards enviromental support.

We have heard many doomsday stories and yes, the situation is terrible and is deteriorating fast. However, if we pull our socks up and organise our society in a way that supports life - we can actually mitigate and correct much of the damage that has been done in a relatively short timespan.

If we wait on Capitalism and governments within a capitalistic dispensation to devise the exact incentives that may perhaps motivate people to go and change their behavior in a way that we don't destroy the enviroment, we'll still be busy for a very long time - instead of just taking the direct approach by recognising the problems and collectively taking responsibility - not waiting to try to establish 'who is responsible for which specific problem' - that is So irrelevant. Imagine you're reading a history book about a civilisation on a different planet - and just as with us, one species started slowly but surely destroying the planet that gave life to every life form on it - and that, they were too late to correct the problems because the civilisation was too busy trying to establish who should do what in terms of who is to blame for what - and where most people felt they were innocent because they never meant to do any harm - and so, the planet kept bleeding dry and eventually died as well as all life on the planet. Now - wouldn't you think: "Obviously they all died - they should've just dealt with the problems already" - I mean, it's common sense. No one reading such a history book would be concerned with who exactly caused what problem - but readers would instead be anxious to see when the civilisation was actually going to DO SOMETHING.

So - we face the same 'choice' - to simply put our heads towards paving a road that leads to an actual future or to just keep wandering into the abyss. It's really up to us. If you agree - please share this blog on your Facebook, Twitter and other social network sites. We have the time to create a better future, but we don't have the time to ignore the fact that it actually needs to be CREATED.

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