2020-04-15 WHO

The usual crap: Trump's arguments about the WHO are not all untrue.  It needs to be shaken up, but getting out is not constructive.  As to China-bias:  how many organisations are US-biased?

I was very surprised and disappointed to see that the WHO website did not contain any maps of the COVID-19 outbreak.  I would assume that at the very least the WHO would have a large department whose only function it is to chart diseases in space and in time, and to publish them. But apparently not.  It referred to other sources.

Trump's legacy will be that he shook things up, for the wrong reasons, in the wrong ways, with enormous damage, but he did shake things up.

2020-03-07 Loyalty

Also today:  Trump replaces White House chief of staff. The guy made a small slip, and is now eliminated. Demanding unquestioning loyalty, removing people who committed the slightest error, silencing opposition, ruthlessly eliminating rivals:  these are characteristics of dictators.

2020-03-07 Confusing religion and ethnicity again

Read on the BBC site today: ‘Recreating Muslim sailors’ first voyages to Australia — Indigenous Australians had contact with Indonesian sailors long before the first European settlers arrived in Australia in the 18th Century. The Muslim Makassans traded with the local Yolngu people as early as the 1500s, some experts believe. Now the sea voyage has been recreated, aiming to help young Muslim Australians feel a better sense of belonging."

Perhaps, but why don’t they write “Christians” instead of “Europeans”?  Do Indonesians, whatever their beliefs, “belong” in Australia any more than Europeans?  Both invaded territory that was first settled by aboriginal Australians.  And anyway what has their religion to do with their trading?

Once again confusion of religion with ethnicity, similar to the perception that all Arabs are Muslims.  This is wrong and dangerous.

2020-03-06 Brexit costs

Apparently just the preparation costs of Brexit were over 4 billion GBP.  How much was it the UK contributed to the EU budget?  Subtract from that the amount that anyway came back to the UK in the form of various subsidies, research programmes, etc., then divide those 4 billion to see how many years of membership have been wasted?  And was it not all supposed to go to the NHS, schools, infrastructure?

2020-03-04 Climate Surrender

Thunberg calls the new EU climate proposals “surrender”.  Yes, I agree completely that it's by far not enough.

It's worse than that:  the green activists also do not go anywhere near far enough.  To make a real difference there is no other way than to engage in war on our human desires.  For at least a period long enough to re-establish a reasonable environment, humanity has to act much as in war times:  bring down superfluous activities such as advertising, fashion, much of entertainment.  Stop over-packaging of goods.  Seriously start re-using, not re-cycling.  Forbid home heating and/or cooling unless enough insulation has been put in to make that almost unnecessary.  Pay people in many sectors for not working.

Make calculations of cost based on entropy, not energy and least of all money.

The main problem really is overpopulation however:  an obligatory period of one-child policy all over the planet is a must.

I'm writing a page on the subject:  how to transit from our current society to one in which we have the same standard of living but with no environmental impact. The transition period will be as hard as going through a major war, but it is possible.

2020-01-23 Study Economics

Steven Mnuchin, the US head of tresury, tells Thunberg to study economics.  This just shows Mnuchin’s total ignorance of the problems of the real world.  We are at war with the business-as-usual economy.  If we are to survive, then jobs as usual cannot be held.  We will all have to change.  A very deep change in economics.  So go home Mr. Mnuchin and study the real world.  Or, rather, come out, travel outside the US to see what is really going on.