Disturbing Statistics / Reasons for Hope

Looking for something to cover? 

Suffering from, nothing ever happens around here? What happens over there, affects us here. You will never run out of news to cover or topics to talk about. Statistics from sources like Pew, the United Nations and others offer a wealth of information and starting points.

89.4M

The worldwide number of people displaced because of conflict, violence or disasters in 2020, a record high.

According to Pew Research:

Europe and Asia have the most international migrants. 

While the International Organization for Migration, a United Nations affiliated group, recorded more than 1,200 deaths of migrants in the Western Hemisphere in 2021, it tracked 728 migrant deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border, calling it the "the deadliest land crossing in the world."

25%

A quarter of U.S. parents say there have been times in the past year when they could not afford to buy food their family needed or to pay their rent or mortgage. Among low-income parents, these shares rise to 52%. (Pew)

NASA says, Scientific evidence for warming of the climate system is unequivocal." Ice cores drawn from Greenland, Antarctica, and tropical mountain glaciers show that Earth's climate responds to changes in greenhouse gas levels.

Pew found, Income inequality in the U.S has increased since 1980 and is greater than in peer countries. Income inequality may be measured in a number of ways, but no matter the measure, economic inequality in the U.S. is seen to be on the rise.

52% The share of Black Americans who say that racism in U.S. laws is a bigger problem for Black people in the country than racism by individuals; 23% of U.S. adults overall say this. (Pew) Americans give public health officials mixed ratings for the job they’ve done communicating with the public about the COVID-19 pandemic. Many U.S. adults feel public health officials were unprepared for the outbreak, but many also say officials’ ability to respond was hurt by interference from elected officials. (Pew) Need some help finding topics? It's only a click away if you know where to look. All of these stats and the issues they represent are an opportunity to bring people together. The solutions require input and thoughts from a broad spectrum of ideologies. We have the opportunity to bring people together.

 

Things That Work / Generosity

 

Neil Thomas

Just in time for Christmas

Christmastime is a time of generosity. Giving is always way up at this time of year. Afterall the weeks leading up to Christmas are reminders of the Hope, Peace, Love and Joy promised by the prophets. 

Vocabulary.com defines generosity as a quality that's a lot like unselfishness. Someone showing generosity is happy to give time, money, food, or kindness to people in need. Generosity is a quality — like honesty and patience — that we all probably wish we had more of.

Generosityforlife.org points out generosity can be actualized through various forms of giving. Generous activities include: monetary donations, volunteering, political action, blood donation, estate giving, lending possessions, sustainability giving, [and] relational generosity.”

What are the characteristics that define a generous person? 

5 Qualities of Generous People

• Altruism. First and foremost, generous people are altruistic. ...
• Optimism. Generous people are idealists. ...
• Trust. Trust is a major quality amongst the most generous people. ...
• Energy. When you think of people being generous, energy is one of the first things that come to mind. ...
• Ability to lead.

The Ability to Lead

“The single most important attribute of leadership is generosity.” – Jack Welch

As a generous leader give of your time rather than just money, and seek out the opportunity to fuel the success of others. -johneads for learnloft.com

The other thing you should know, generosity is a year round thing, not just for the holidays. 

Generosity starts with our own generosity. Think about it. We cannot control the generosity of others. We have no control over what they do, but we can lead by example. 

I found this at restavekfreedom.org, generosity begets generosity, meaning that it is contagious and easily caught. Having generous friends and neighbors can rub off and inspire you to be more generous. Likewise, being a generous community member will impact not only those who receive, but increase the nature of generosity in your circles of influence.

It worked in all those radio fund drives I participated in. One call would lead to other calls, and at times, a cascade of calls. Those of us on the receiving end needed to make sure we showed our gratitude. And we were thankful for the first call and all the calls that followed. The acknowledgement of support, is as important as the act of giving.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

President Barack Obama

Things That Work / Diversity

 

Matheus Vianna

Reaching Our Full Potential

As I grow older I've grown to appreciate diversity and understand it's value. Most people in my age group seem to have gone the other way. It seems as we grow older we seek out the familiar and shun diversity. It is possible I'm wrong about this, but there is support for my supposition. In an article published by Psychology Today, "Why Are People Older More Conservative," Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic Ph.D. explains why people become more right-wing, authoritarian and rigid as they age. There are three factors:

Personality - intellectual curiosity tends to decline in old age

Judgement - Our ability to process information declines as we get older. "Older people are also more likely to make categorical judgments about events, things, or people. This often involves acting in more prejudiced ways – to pre-judge means to judge before really judging – because in older ages preserving old knowledge is more important than acquiring new knowledge.

Familiarity - Dealing with the familiar is so much easier than dealing with something new and seemingly unusual. 

Diversity generates change, and that's a good thing.

Greater Good Magazine says diversity makes us smarter. 

Being around people who are different from us makes us more creative, diligent, and hard-working.

• Diversity provokes thinking.
• Diversity leads to change, for the better.
• Diversity creates growth.
• Diversity leads to a more inclusive society. People become valued for their ideas.
• Diversity leads to increased adaptability in a changing market.
• Diversity prompt us to work harder.

Diversity requires us to get out of our bubbles. We tend to reinforce our opnions by insulating ourselves with ourselves. If everybody around me thinks like me, there's no motivation for change, there's no motivation for progress.

"This is how diversity works: by promoting hard work and creativity; by encouraging the consideration of alternatives even before any interpersonal interaction takes place. The pain associated with diversity can be thought of as the pain of exercise. You have to push yourself to grow your muscles. The pain, as the old saw goes, produces the gain. In just the same way, we need diversity—in teams, organizations, and society as a whole—if we are to change, grow, and innovate." Greatergood.berkley.edu

Embrace the change. I'm convinced it is the only way forward.

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” – Maya Angelou

Going to Bed Hungry

 

Tucker Tangeman

It is getting worse

2022: a year of unprecedented hunger
As many as 828 million people go to bed hungry every night. The number of those facing acute food insecurity has soared - from 135 million to 345 million - since 2019. A total of 49 million people in 49 countries are teetering on the edge of famine.

https://www.wfp.org › global-hung...

A global food crisis | World Food Programme

What Causes Hunger?

Inequity.
Poverty.
Conflict.
Climate Change.
Disasters & Emergencies.

How much does it cost to end world hunger?

How much money could help end world hunger? Oxfam says current estimates suggest that as of this year, we need wealthy donor governments to invest around $37 billion every year until 2030 to tackle both extreme and chronic hunger.

Concern Worldwide US came up with nine world hunger solutions to get us to 2030.

1. Embrace Climate Smart Agriculture
2. Respond to the Refugee Crisis
3. Advocate for Gender Equality
4. Reduce Food Waste
5. Invest is Disaster Risk Reduction
6. Support Hygiene and Sanitation
7. Control Infestations and Crop Infections
8. Enhance Crops with Biofortification
9. Improving Food Storage Systems


Mahatma Gandhi, on feeding the hungry
“There's enough on this planet for everyone's needs but not for everyone's greed.” “There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” What is this? “Poverty is the worst form of violence.”

Things That Work / Belonging

 

Jon Tyson

Belonging Is Important

Being a part of something was so important to my development. It's a natural desire. The people I identified with provided opportunities for growth, learning, societal skills, and reinforcement. And, this is coming from an introvert. I don't need a lot of external stimulus for motivation, but going it alone was never a healthy alternative. I still seek out social interaction as I did then. 

Remember "I Am Rock" by Simon and Garfunkel? The defiance of the loner? 

I have my books

And my poetry to protect me

I am shielded in my armor

Hiding in my room safe within my womb

I touch no one and no one touches me

I am a rock I am an island

And then, reflectively, as the song ends.

And a rock feels no pain

And an island never cries

The Mayo Clinic put it this way:

The social ties that accompany a sense of belonging are a protective factor helping manage stress and other behavioral issues. When we feel we have support and are not alone, we are more resilient, often coping more effectively with difficult times in our lives.Dec 8, 2021 mayoclinic

My Question Life came up with five reasons why belonging is important. 

 1. Improved Physical Health 

Countless studies have proven that belonging can decrease blood pressure, enhance bodily performance, and increase odds of recovery from surgery or disease.

2. Reduced Stress

Maintaining secure connections cues positive hormones in our bodies, helping us to feel better.

3. Increased Life Expectancy

A sense of belonging actually improves our physical health; it also reduces our stress – two important factors in living a long, healthy life. For all the ailments, sicknesses, and recoveries we’re going to face, the support and care for others will quite literally inspire us to get better faster.

4. Higher Self-Esteem

Having a strong sense of belonging allows us to feel like we matter to others.

5. Decreased Anxiety and Depression

It’s no surprise that, with all the physical benefits of relationships, there would be mental benefits, as well.

So I remember when we were driving

Driving in your car
Speed so fast, it felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I-I had a feeling that I belonged
I-I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone -Tracy Chapman

It got me to thinking, what if management was required to encouraged belonging? It happens, I've felt it. Those jobs were the most rewarding. I felt valued. What I thought mattered. If more of this was done, there would be more value to all our lives, and we would value those around us...And less #quietquitting.

Don't Give Up

 I found this quite by mistake. I was searching for answers on why people give. As with most of us, I've given up and regretted it later. The saving grace, I've learned from my mistakes.

A primary reason for quiting?  Not realizing how gifted we really are. 

5 Reasons Why You Should Never Give Up on Your Goals

• It's Been Done Before. Whatever your goal may be, you've surely seen plenty of examples of others achieving it. ...
• It's Not a Race. ...
• Setbacks Are Lessons. ...
• You're Tougher Than You Think. ...
• Failure Does Not Exist.

Aug 19, 2022

https://firsthand.co › career-readiness

5 Reasons Why You Should Never Give Up on Your Goals - Firsthand

So...why do most people give? It's because they were asked. 

Disrupted

Piotr Cichosz

Disruptive technology isn't always sustainable.

Take, for example, Alexa. Amazon sells its device at cost and with more than 10,000 employees working on the project, it is bleeding cash. Amazon's devices and services unit, which oversees Alexa, had an annual operating loss of $5 billion in recent years, according to a report earlier this month in the Wall Street Journal.

Innovators have failed before, and it may be too soon to deem Alexa a failure, but yearly losses in the billions sure seems like a lot to overcome. But, they are not alone, Siri and Google Assistant are having problems. The idea behind Alexa was that people would buy products suggested by Alexa through Amazon.  Popular Science reports that didn't work out. They go on to say,  A rake of privacy scandals certainly didn’t help and, despite Alexa getting roughly a billion user interactions per week in 2018, they were mostly simple requests to play music or deliver a weather report. Not exactly the kind of asks that can easily be monetized. That year, it lost almost $5 billion.

The problem, Alexa is a stand alone speaker. Siri and Google come standard on smart devices. And the result; Alexa is the third most popular voice assistant. It's hard to compete that way. Amazon announced 10,000 layoffs. Forbes says, The cuts will primarily focus on money-draining units, such as Amazon voice-assistant Alexa and ebook-reader Kindle.

So, what happens when the disruptor gets disrupted by an economic reality? Other innovations and  innovators take over. The market is littered with innovative failures. Here are four from Under 30 CEO.

With the exception of Windows Vista, I'm not sure I remember any of these.

• Facebook Phone
• Navdy
• Windows Vista
• Nike+ Fuel Band

In my world, broadcasting, there's been several innovations cast aside on the media highway.

• AM Stereo
• Quad FM
• HD Radio
• Beta Max 
• 3D TV
• Digital Audio Tape (R-DAT)

Then again, maybe the next big thing wasn't really measuring up to expectations. 

Did you buy any of these? I did. I bought a Beta Max.

Things That Work / Thank You

 

Two Simple Words

Saying thank you is simple really. In my youth It was part of the magic words, please, thank you, and I added you're welcome. For me it was an acknowledgement I received the message.

Being thankful is shown to make us more positive, more resilient and improve our relationships too. People who regularly take time to notice and note the things they're thankful for, experience more positive emotions, sleep better, and express more compassion and kindness toward others.  20, 2021 cleanspace.com

Newsela.com points out, saying thank you goes beyond beyond being polite. Recent research in social psychology suggests that saying "thank you" goes beyond good manners. It also serves to build and maintain social relationships. Prakash Joshi Pax points out in an article published in Medium in 2020 it's an attitude of gratitude. 

He's come up with 5 Reasons Why Saying ‘Thank You’ Is So Important for Everyone.  

#1: It is the simplest form of expressing gratitude.

Saying thank you is the simplest form of expressing gratitude and the attitude of gratitude is what keeps us happy. Being grateful for what you have in life, even the smallest things bring more abundance and happiness in your life.

#2: People feel appreciated and loved.

Thanking others never makes you inferior. In fact, it shows a great sign of respect for another person, for his time and presence in your life. When you say ‘thank you’, people develop a feeling that they have done something to help you. This gives them inner happiness.

#3: Making others feel good brings good back to you in unpredictable ways.

When you make someone feel important and appreciated, you brighten up their days in the smallest of ways. And they are more likely to pass on that feeling to someone else. When you say than you, it also makes people more willing to do something for you again in the future.

#4: Saying thank you makes you happier and healthier.

Studies have confirmed that the simple act of saying ‘thank you’ can lead you to a happier life. When you express your thankfulness to others, it not only makes others feel great but also makes you feel great. It provides peace of mind and inner happiness.

#5: You bring abundance in your life.

When you say ‘thank you’, you attract that person or even other things. Think, for example, do your friends come around when you say thank you for their presence and every little effort or when you condemn and criticize them.

For the Ungrateful

For those of us who are ungrateful, the consequences could take on biblical proportions.

Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. When wickedness comes, contempt comes also, and with dishonor comes disgrace. The words of a man's mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice. Proverbs 18: 1-24

Then, there's always karma. 

Thanks for reading this

Things That Work / The Big Picture

 

Chris Leboutillier

Power Bills to Pop

Eversource and United Illuminating announced eye popping increases starting in January. Connecticut’s two biggest electric utilities requested a massive rate increase Thursday. The proposal could raise the average electric bill for residential customers of Eversource and United Illuminating by about $80 each month and would take effect Jan. 1. (CT Public 11/17/2022)  Then regulators rubbed salt in the wound by stating they can't do much about it.

According to the article, the people who regulate this stuff, the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), says they can't do anything.  The agency said Connecticut’s decision to deregulate energy markets more than two decades ago made it so “PURA does not have the authority to reject or modify the standard service rates.”

Eversource said in a statement: “As has been widely reported, energy costs continue to rise globally, with regional electric supply prices reaching all-time highs this year due to increased global demand for and the high cost of natural gas, world events, extreme weather, and other issues.” (CT Public 11/17/2022) 

 Immediate Relief?

The gist of the article from CT Public suggests no quick fixes. There are some things that can be done in the short term. They offer temporary relief at best. 

• Release more oil and gas from the reserves.
• Cut taxes on fossil fuels.
• Offer heating assistance.
• Improve oversight of Connecticut's utilities.

These solutions offer no relief from increased demand and dwindling supplies. A situation made worse by the war in Ukraine. 

What works? 

A broader perspective. Dependence on fossil fuels and radical change to our environment caused by carbon emissions will continue to worsen the global crisis. "The UN says, Limited natural resources, such as drinking water, are becoming even scarcer in many parts of the world that host refugees. Crops and livestock struggle to survive where conditions become too hot and dry, or too cold and wet, threatening livelihoods."

An article in Zurich.com offers the grim prediction of 1.2 billion climate refugees by 2050. "Climate change does not just pose a threat by causing immediate harm to people and infrastructure, it is also a long-term danger that can slowly destabilize societies and economies, making them more vulnerable to other threats. Take for instance sea-level rise. Over the past 30 years, the number of people living in coastal areas at high risk of rising sea levels has increased from 160 million to 260 million, 90 percent of whom are from poor developing countries and small island states."

The Big Picture

The Union of Concerned Scientists has come up with Climate Solutions listed below. These are not immediate fixes. We cannot wave a magic wand and make everything better. the changes are incremental, but they offer an improvement on the direction we're headed right now.

Cut Emissions 

Carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases are the main drivers of global warming. While climate change cannot be stopped, it can be slowed.To avoid the worst consequences of climate change, we’ll need to reach “net zero” carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner. Net zero means that, on balance, no more carbon is dumped into the atmosphere than is taken out. The scale of these changes will require significant federal policy that puts a price on carbon. It also requires international cooperation.

Remove Carbon Dioxide

To reach net zero emissions, we need to do more than just reduce our emissions: we need to actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or offset its effects.The easiest way to do this is by planting new forests (afforestation) or restoring old ones (reforestation). Other enhanced land management practices can help, as can new technologies that suck CO2 out of the air (“direct air capture”), or prevent it from leaving smokestacks (“carbon capture and storage”).

Fight Disinformation

For years, media pundits, partisan think tanks, and special interest groups funded by fossil fuel companies have raised doubts about the truth of global warming.These contrarians downplay and distort the evidence of climate change, lobby for policies that reward polluters, and attempt to undercut existing pollution standards.

Prepare and Adapt

No matter how quickly we reduce emissions, the reality is that certain climate impacts are inevitable. The seas are rising. Temperatures break records every year. Droughts, floods, and extreme weather are damaging communities today. Cutting carbon is the only long-term solution for avoiding climate impacts. In the short-term, we need to adapt.

Act

Speak up. Organize. Demand change. Promote alternatives to fossil fuels. Hold those who stand in the way accountable. Vote for politicians who understand and are willing to do something to make this a better place. 

Positive News recently posted Seven Solutions to Climate Change That Need to Happen Now. 

Embrace Renewables - The cost is coming down. Way down.

Electrify Transport - Their batteries can play a key role in the renewables revolution by acting as mini power plants, trickling energy to and from the grid when not in use.

Retrofit Houses - Most homes can be warmed by ground- or air-source electric heat pumps.

Reduce Waste - One third of all food produced never gets eaten – either because it spoils between being harvested and hitting the shops, or because it’s thrown away by the purchaser. For farmers in the global south, a combination of agricultural market reforms and provision of refrigerated storage can drastically cut wastage and boost their income.

Restore Carbon Sinks - Plant trees. Beyond trees, we need to farm in a way that locks carbon in the soil, rather than releasing it, using low- and zero-till methods, rewilding land where appropriate, and boosting agroforestry and other sustainably intensive approaches. The seas matter too: we need to adopt fishing methods that conserve marine carbon sinks and encourage habitats like mangroves and seagrass, which captures carbon up to 35 times faster than rainforests.

Reduce Consumption - Cutting resource consumption is key to many climate solutions. The rise of the circular economy, as celebrated by the Green Alley Awards, is helping break the link between quality of life and quantity of stuff.

Shift the System - It means putting a high enough price on carbon that industry is incentivised to move away from it – and reflecting that in fiscal policies that shift the burden from labour to resource use. In other words, tax what we don’t want (planet-warming activities), and not what we do (jobs).

Stepping back and taking the time to look at the broader perspective for increases in utility bills led to a greater understanding of the reasons why and some ideas of what can be done to overcome the problems.

Two Years of Obstruction

Aleksandr Barsukov

But in times of crisis, the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe. 
- King T’Challa, Black Panther (2018)

Obstructionists Control Congress

There's a real possibility of obstructionist behavior from Republicans. We went through eight years of this during the Obama administration. With Republicans now in control of congress, we face two more years of political posturing.

Obstructionism is the practice of deliberately delaying or preventing a process or change, especially in politics.

German Lopez wrote in the New York Times this morning:

Republicans are positioned to trot out an old strategy: When a Democrat has been in the White House over the past few decades, congressional Republicans have embraced calls for reducing government spending, arguing that the debt and deficits were out of control. In the 2010s, Republicans used these threats to block spending bills and make it harder for Barack Obama to carry out his presidential agenda — at times risking government shutdowns and economic calamity.

It is a political play. When Donald Trump was in the White House, Republican lawmakers approved budgets and tax measures that raised the debt and deficits to new highs.

But the approach is nonetheless poised for a comeback once House Republicans can use the threat of shutdowns and economic consequences to restrain President Biden. Trump, who announced his run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination last night, has pushed the party’s lawmakers to use these tactics to get concessions from Democrats.

Obstructionists Are Passive Aggressive

 Passive-aggressive people act passive but express aggression covertly. They're basically obstructionists who try to block whatever it is you want. 

There are strategies for dealing with passive aggressive people. Mindtools.com came up with eight strategies: 

1. Identify the Behavior.
2. Create a Safe Environment.
3. Use Language Carefully.
4. Stay Calm.
5. Identify the Cause.
6. Provide Training.
7. Set Clear Standards and Consequences.
8. Open up Channels of Communication.

Will any of these work on Republicans. Not without leverage. That leverage comes in two forms, accountability and the vote. Accountability is part of what public radio and public media listeners expect from us. The next two years represent an opportunity for us to meet the expectations of our listeners.

Things that Work / Negative Political Advertising

Brian Worthheim
 

Negative Ads

Not all things that work are good for us

I'm sure you've noticed all the negative ads as we get closer to the election Tuesday. But are they working?

They are in Wisconsin, and some heavy hitters in conservative circles are behind Ron Johnson and his campaign.

Up until recently, Mandela Barnes had a sizeable lead on Ron Johnson. That lead has evaporated as Johnson and an advertising campaign, largely funded by two billionaires who the Democrat’s campaign say are rewarding Johnson for his support of tax cuts that benefited them by hundreds of millions of dollars. The campaign is loaded with false hoods and racists dog whistles.

The Guardian and PBS reports Diane Hendricks, a rightwing billionaire businesswoman and Wisconsin native closely tied to Donald Trump, and Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, founders of the Wisconsin-based Uline packaging company who have a long history of funding far-right candidates, are the main donors to a political action committee, Wisconsin Truth, which until recently was heavily outspending the Barnes campaign.

Their campaign may not be fair, but there's no law against it. NPR reports The federal government does regulate truth in advertising, but that only applies to commercial ads, not political ones. In fact, local broadcast channels - think your local NBC, CBS or ABC news stations - are required to air candidates' ads unfiltered.

After months of flinging mud, Senator Ron Johnson was finally obliged to admit that his Democratic opponent in the upper midwestern state of Wisconsin had never actually made a call to “defund the police”.

But that did not stop the Trumpist senator’s re-election drive from continuing to broadcast racially charged advertisements falsely claiming that Mandela Barnes, the lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, “rationalized violence” against the police and tying him to the most controversial positions of Black Lives Matter. -The Guardian

In a report on PBS NewsHour, Senator Tommy Tuberville in a campaign rally in Nevada with Donald Trump made racist claims. 

Some people say, well, they're soft on crime.

No, they're not soft on crime. They're pro-crime. They want crime. They want crime because they want to take over what you got. They want to control what you have.

They want reparation because they think the people that do the crime are owed that.

Bull (EXPLETIVE DELETED)!

And there's really no getting around the fact that that is a racist statement, the idea that only Black people commit crime or something, which is just patently untrue, and — yes, and just very much untrue.

But what I will say is that the Republican effort to tie Democrats to crime, to say that Democrats want crime or our, like, soft on crime, or want lenience on criminals, that is very much on message with the Republican campaigns.

There is a huge amount of spending on crime-related advertising. You mentioned Wisconsin. -Tamara Keith

The sad part is, standing with the facts may not be enough to offset big money and big lies that resonate with people's fears. It's not ethical, but it will continue to work, unless enough people who care, vote.