Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

Stuck in the Smoke as Billionaires Blast Off
TheIntercept | Naomi Klein | 07/23/21

Many people here think they are safe from climate change, the journalist from a German newspaper explained to me. They don’t see it as an immediate threat, like Covid-19. They see the Greens as scolds who want to take away their cheap holidays. “What do you have to say to them?”

The question came via video call in late June, and I was, at that very moment, pickled in my non-air-conditioned home, gripped by a heatwave that would, before the week was done, kill about 500 people in British Columbia, Canada, and cook perhaps a billion marine creatures on scorching shorelines. Over the years, I have faced many such “why should I care” questions, and I usually try to reach for some kind of moral argument about our responsibility to fellow humans even when we aren’t immediately impacted. But because I was far too hot and angry for high-mindedness, what I had to say instead was “Give it a minute.” ... Read more

How many years until we must act on climate? Zero, say these climate thinkers
The Guardian | Jennifer Francis ... | 07/30/21

Peter Kalmus: ‘Zero years’
We have zero years before climate and ecological breakdown, because it’s already here. We have zero years left to procrastinate. The longer we wait to act, the worse the floods, fires, droughts, famines and heatwaves will get.

The primary cause of these catastrophes is burning fossil fuel. Therefore, we must shut down the fossil fuel industry as quickly as we can. Fossil fuel subsidies must end today. New fracking wells, pipelines and other fossil fuel infrastructure can no longer be built; that we continue on this path is collective insanity. Fossil fuel must be capped and rationed, and diverted to necessities as we transition to a zero-carbon civilization. If we fail, the planet will continue to heat up, creeping past 1.5C, then 2C, then 3C of global heating as we keep squandering precious time. ... ... Read more

Internal CDC presentation warns: "The war has changed"
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Axios | staff | 07/30/21

Unpublished research indicates that the Delta variant causes more severe illness and spreads as easily as chickenpox, and that vaccinated people may transmit the strain as easily as those who are unvaccinated, according to an internal CDC presentation obtained by WashPost.

Why it matters: The data played a key role in the CDC's decision to tell vaccinated people to resume masking indoors, with the presentation calling on health officials to "acknowledge the war has changed," The Post reports. ... Read more

If The Jan. 6 Rioters Were Just Tourists, Why Was Mo Brooks Wearing Body Armor?
HP | Ryan Grenoble | 07/30/21

When Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) took the stage on Jan. 6 to rile up a crowd of Donald Trump supporters ahead of their violent siege of the U.S. Capitol, he was concealing a telling wardrobe choice. Underneath his canary-yellow windbreaker, he was wearing body armor, the Republican told Slate on Wednesday.

... In a follow-up statement Thursday, the congressman told CNN that he “had no information of any threats, by anybody, but from socialists, generally, Antifa and [Black Lives Matter] in particular” that day. He also compared it to bringing an umbrella in case it rains. ... Read more

Google and Facebook offices to mandate vaccines
Axios | Scott Rosenberg | 07/29/21å

Google and Facebook both announced Wednesday that they would require everyone in their offices to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Why it matters: The Delta variant's spread is upending corporate plans for a quick and steady resumption of in-office work, and vaccine mandates are one way for companies to put employees at ease and increase their safety. ... Read more

This family reported their son to national security authorities over QAnon | Four Corners | 06/14/21 | 50:10

The World’s Biggest Junkyards You Have to See to Believe | | 10/28/20 | 23:10

Daniel Hale Sentenced to 45 Months in Prison for Drone Leak

Daniel Hale, a former U.S. Air Force intelligence analyst, was sentenced to 45 months in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to leaking a trove of government documents exposing the inner workings and severe civilian costs of the U.S. military’s drone program. Appearing in an Alexandria, Virginia, courtroom, the 33-year-old Hale told U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady that he believed it “was necessary to dispel the lie that drone warfare keeps us safe, that our lives are worth more than theirs.”

In delivering his judgement, O’Grady said that Hale was “not being prosecuted for speaking out about the drone program killing innocent people” and that he “could have been a whistleblower … without taking any of these documents.” ... Read more

National parks "drowning in tourists"
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Axios | Alayna Treene | 07/28/21

ational parks across the U.S. are overflowing with a post-pandemic crush of tourists, leading to increased issues with congestion, traffic jams, user experience, strain on staff and increased damage to the parks.

Why it matters: Some are seeing such a record number they're being forced to limit, and even close, access to certain areas to avoid the danger of eroding the land. The result, ultimately, could change the way Americans interact with the parks going forward. ... Read more

North America drought: As wildfires rage, farmers are running out of water | DW News (Germany) | 07/27/21 | 8:45

Cheney: Causes of Jan. 6 riot "will remain a cancer" without investigation
Axios | | 07/27/21

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) on Tuesday called for the "full and open testimony of every person with knowledge of the planning and preparation" of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, warning that it will "remain a cancer on our constitutional republic" if left uninvestigated.

Why it matters: Despite not being the chair or ranking member, Cheney was asked to deliver an opening statement at the first hearing of the Jan. 6 select committee to show that the investigation will be bipartisan — despite Republican leadership's refusal to participate. ... Read more

bMRUTGLC7YQ | MSNBC | 07/27/21 | 6:03

Housing Discrimination: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | John Oliver | 07/26/21 | 32:07

"Kara" by Quantic Dream | 03/07/12 | 7:01

What Happens if You Abandon Alice (Worst EVIL Choice) - DETROIT BECOME HUMAN | 05/29/18 | 9:05

My Name is Kara - Kara Full Story - Detroit Become Human | 05/29/18 | 2:30:04

Study: Get ready for many more record-shattering heatwaves
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 07/26/21

The recent deadly heat wave in the Pacific Northwest, during which all-time temperature records were shattered by several degrees, is a prologue to what is coming across much of the U.S., Europe and Asia, a new study finds.

The study, published Monday in Nature Climate Change, also finds that looking to past extreme temperatures when making infrastructure decisions offers a poor guide to the future given how quickly human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are transforming the likelihood of unprecedented heat extremes. ... Read more

Climate Change
Massive Monsoon Storm Floods Phoenix Arizona July 2021 | Living in Arizona Now | 07/25/21 | 13:55

We Own These! | What Could Be Done With These?
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The USN Mothball Fleet - Storing up for a rainy day | 07/21/21 | 43:33

Lawmakers Sound Alarm Over China Purchases Of US Farmland
ZeroHedge | author | 07/20/21

Recent legislation advanced by House lawmakers warns that China's presence in the American food supply poses a national security risk, while key Senators have expressed interest in keeping American farms in American hands, according to Politico.

By the beginning of 2020, Chinese owners controlled approximately 192,000 agricultural acres in the US, worth around $1.9 billion - including land used for farming, ranching and forestry, according to the Department of Agriculture. It's a small but growing percentage of the nearly 900 million acres of total US farmland - with the USDA reporting in 2018 that China's agricultural investments have grown more than tenfold since 2009. ... Read more

Miami Will Be An Island By 2048 (Global Warming Documentary) | Earth Stories | Earth Stories | 04/17/21 | 24:06

Wells Fargo Cutting Credit Is The Tip of The Iceberg | Real Danger Ahead | Mark Moss | 07/13/21 | 32:42

Watch Rachel Maddow Highlights: July 20th | MSNBC | Rachel Maddow | 07/21/21 | 20:22

Morning Joe 6AM 7/21/2021 | Morning Joe | 07/21/21 | 42:12