It's a return performance for this week's Fool-on-the-Hill, Texas Repugnican Senator Ted Cruz. This time he made a fool of himself at Yankee Stadium getting a posh $2,500 seat behind home plate as Yankee fans cursed and booed him for daring to show up in New York. His security detail must get combat pay. One can only wonder how this fool even gets up every morning. How does he live with himself. How do his wife and kids live with him??
We can't help but wonder if any Yankee fan yelled "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" to the senator from Texas? Speaking of which, here in WMass some of us have the opportunity to vote with that in mind. The ballot question reads: "Carbon Cash-Back Public Policy Question. Shall the representative from this district be instructed to introduce and vote for legislation that puts a fee on the carbon content of fossil fuels to compensate for their environmental damage and returns most of the proceeds in equitable ways to individuals as a cash-back dividend?" It is on the November 8th ballot as Queston 5 in the 1st Hampshire state rep. district (Lindsay Sabadosa's) and the 1st Franklin (Natalie Blais'), except in Shelburne, where it is Question 6. It is also on the ballot in the 5th Worcester district. The idea is to amplify the concept for a 2024 election effort. Your vote counts! And now, this: Did you know the Mississippi River is drying up? Watch THIS. Finally this: "During the United Nations' COP26 climate summit last November, 145 nations signed the Glasgow Leaders' Declaration "to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation" by the end of the decade. One year later, "not a single global indicator is on track to meet these 2030 goals of stopping forest loss and degradation and restoring 350 million hectares of forest landscape," according to the annual Forest Declaration Assessment.
Time for our Good Riddance Biomass Baker Countdown Timer!
Glen will surely have a few words to say about Charlie Biomass Baker.
It's into the Wayback Machine for a long trip in our Enviro Show Quote of the Week:
What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments but what is woven into the lives of others.
—Thucydides
In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we have the sorry and sordid tale of plastics recycling (such as it is). Grist tells us "According to a new report released on Monday by Greenpeace USA, no
plastic product meets a common industry standard for recyclability, even
though they bear the familiar “chasing arrows” recycling symbol." On the upside, Harvard's Crimson reports: "Roughly 30 Harvard and MIT students
interrupted an ExxonMobil recruiting event at MIT last Wednesday in
protest against big oil companies’ contributions to climate change." Meanwhile, here in the Valley, another 30+ demonstrators showed up in front of Eversourse's HQ on Rt.9 in Hadley to express their ire about the utility's plans to clearcut hundreds of acres of forest to expand their powerline corridors and run a new fracked gas pipeline into the climate justice community of Springfield. That was a Trees as a Public Good Network action and full disclosure, yours trulys participated in the event.
After out conversation with the guests we go to the Bus Stop Billboard:
Saturday, November 12, Noon. New England Rally for Climate Forests. It’s time to RALLY! Join in solidarity with climate and forest activists around the US calling for an end to logging mature and old-growth forests on federal public lands like the Green Mountain National Forest. The proposed Telephone Gap project on the GMNF could cut nearly 11,000-acres critical for carbon storage, biodiversity, and water quality protection. This rally is one of many planned around the US (Oregon, Alaska, Montana, Georgia. West Virginia, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, California, and Vermont). Together we can send a loud and clear message from New England to Washington, DC: "Hands-off our climate forests!" WHEN: Gather at NOON for the rally; optional visit to recent clearcuts at 1pm. WHERE: GMNF Rochester Ranger Station RSVP: For more info and carpool options Wear orange or bright colors!
Tuesday November 15, 12
- 2pm. The
Department of
Energy
Resources
("DOER") will
hold an
additional,
regionally-focused
virtual
workshop as an
opportunity
for the public
to engage in
the ongoing Technical
Potential of
Solar Study.
Regionally-focused breakout discussions will offer attendees the chance
to share
unique
perspectives
and concerns
related to
solar siting
from different
geographic
regions of the
Commonwealth. via Zoom
(Register here). While
advance
registration
is not
required to
attend, it
will help DOER
ensure
adequate
resources to
facilitate an
engaging and
meaningful
event. More
details can be
found on the Study website.
Wednesday, November 16, 6:30pm. Myth Busters: What the US Forest Service doesn’t want you to know about the impacts of logging. Presenters: Bill Stubblefield, PhD, Bart Bouricius, and Cheryl Joy Lipton Join us for a presentation covering the 11 most common myths the timber industry uses to excuse logging. Research backing the presentation will be included so we can help you demystify the timber industry’s propaganda. Discussion and Q+A to follow the presentation. This is a virtual event. Click here to register.
Thursday, November 17, 6:30 PM. XR Boston: A Degrowth Primer. I will discuss what degrowth is, why it's necessary, and how it can supplement our current Green New Deal discourse. Sign-up here!
Friday November 18, 7 to 8:30pm. Ants, Plants & Birds. an exploration of the symbiotic relationships of various species of ants with plants and a great variety of insects. In the case of army ants, many bird species depend on army ant swarms. Find out how this dependance influences both temperate and tropical ecosystems. Register HERE
Monday, November 21, 6pm. Not Sleeping? Anxious?Depressed? Who knew --it could be the radiation from your wireless devices...IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND BUT WOULD LIKE TO JOIN ANOTHER CONVERSATION, OR PERHAPS HOST ONE OF YOUR OWN, CONTACT: MA4SAFETECH@GMAIL.COM.
That's a wrap fror this show but please remember to listen to your Mother!
