Happy Independence Day, But Don't Carry it Too Far
Happy Independence Day. In honor of the holiday, so quintessentially American, I am leaving the country. For the first time in two years, I'm going to London, where I will see the branch of my family that left California ten years before the current rush. My grandson is a British schoolboy. How did that happen?
I'll be writing from London and telling you what the differences are between life in the US, where masks are a thing of the past, and London, which is still partially locked down. Here's your news:
First, a piece of bad news for me: One Medical, the service I use for concierge medical care, has decided to unionize because of the way workers and patients were treated during the pandemic. The article cites loss of quality. I have relied on this group since it came to Phoenix, because I knew about it from Silicon Valley. The unionization doesn't sadden me; the threat of poor treatment does. However, doctors and nurses are not included in the unionization.
This is something we can all intuit, but Axios gives us the numbers. Since Trump left, there are far fewer news junkies. axios.com/newsletters/axios-media-trends-b5f26c47-e755-412d-a53f-cc6a47bd0d23.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosmediatrends&stream=top
Well, Israel made the desert bloom, so I'm sure it can grow meat in a lab. The question is, how good is it for our bodies? I know it is good for the planet, so maybe we have no choice. Is it better or worse than GMO corn?https://newatlas.com/science/worlds-first-industrial-lab-grown-meat-facility-israel/
Let's not confuse the oil and gas industry with the plastics industry. Plastics is the industry that wrecks the planet with excess waste. Oil and gas provide heat and fuel. Give it another moment's thought, however, and you will realize that oil and plastic are inextricably connected, and in the 50 years since Dustin Hoffman received the advice to go into plastics as a career, we've trashed the planet. If you look at the map of places where oil drilling has occurred, you will realize how oil has also transformed the planet for the worse. https://www.asyousow.org/report-page/plastics-the-last-straw-for-big-oil
These "experts" have reached the same conclusions I have. They think one of our biggest problems is the lack of civic and history education in our schools. BUT..can we even agree now on what can/should be taught? https://time.com/5954170/partisanship-how-to-reunite-america/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-share-article&utm-term=ideas_politics
I can't decide whether Glenn Greenwald is a wonderful journalist or nuts. Decide for yourself. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzGkXwMRCWMDGXHTztLnCnFBTDnF