Heatwaves, Hegemony, and Health: Three Alarms for a Failing System
1... MEDITERRANEAN SEA RECORD HEATWAVE AS CLIMATE SPIRALS OUT OF CONTROL...
(From the Washington Post): The most extreme heat event on the planet right now is happening not on land but at sea. A prolonged, record-smashing marine heat wave is scorching the Mediterranean, where water temperatures have hit levels unprecedented for the early summer. The Mediterranean’s average temperature is currently 26 degrees Celsius compared with a long-term average of 23 degrees Celsius at this time of year. “For large water bodies that’s ludicrous,” said Jeff Berardelli, a U.S. meteorologist. (And we've all perhaps heard about the heat wave across Europe at the same time - this is only the beginning of the climate change age; and the problems are going to get much worse and pick up speed as well. Driving less, flying less, and consuming less can help; but so far that reduction in consumption is not really happening from what I can see. )
2... WHAT IS PRESIDENT TRUMP DOING?
I think the United States is being removed from its position as the worlds' # 1 nation and the mantle will be moved to China and Asia. And this movement to Asia is picking up speed and Mr. Trump, with his tariffs and insults to the world, is helping speed up the end of The American Age.
For most of the past 100 years, The United States has been quite undemocratic and largely controlled by a .01% Corporate Elite. But now those people have sucked America dry and wrecked it and created massive debts, while the people at the top have stolen all the wealth. And now it's goodbye America - and Hello Asia. And I think that's what President Trump is doing. He is speeding up the end of the American Age. Even here in Canada, which has been for decades so closely tied into the USA, those ties are loosening and being cut. President Trump is angering and threatening Canada. And the EU. And Japan. These are long time close allies and the United States is being removed from them. According to the BBC: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that Canada's old relationship with the United States, "based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation, is over".
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa Carney said Canadians must "fundamentally reimagine our economy" in the face of US President Donald Trump's tariffs.
Well those are big words coming from the United States' top trading partner. 'The old relationship is over' ... and we have to 'reimagine our economy'. That's big for Canada and it's big for the United States as well and it is going to cost the United States a lot; which they may not really be in a position to afford.
The United States government is $36 TRILLION in debt. The debt of the U.S. government is over $36 Trillion - and going up fast. The United States now spends more on interest on the national debt than they do on the military. That's why the American people are getting poorer and poorer. In Canada our federal debt is $1.2 Trillion; which is double what it was just five years ago. Mr. Trudeau doubled our debt from about $650 Billion to $1.2 Trillion. That is not good. The US economy is about 10 times our size so their debt should be maybe $12 trillion. But it's $36 Trillion.
Meanwhile, the first LNG tanker just left Canada for Asia. Before this we've exported a lot of natural gas to the United States. But now it's beginning to move to Asia. And Prime Minister Carney says openly that the old relationship with the United States is gone and it's not coming back.
Well what does that mean? Right now, a NEW 'Economic and Security Agreement' is being negotiated between Mr. Carney and Mr. Trump. What's being discussed? We Canadians don't know. Are we getting closer to The United States with this new deal or are we breaking away from them? We don't know.
That's because 'we', the Canadian and American people, are irrelevant in what is being decided. This is a Business Arrangement. You can be sure that Big Business is intimately involved in what is being discussed and negotiated between Mr. Carney and Mr. Trump and their advisers. In my opinion Corporate Canada will decide Canada's positions on this major new agreement with the United States; assuming something is actually agreed to. In my opinion, in both Canada and The United States, the corporations stand 'above' our governments and tell them what to do. And soon we shall be told what the new arrangement is going to be. Or maybe they won't even bother to tell us.
We don't have democratic governments in Canada these days; we have corporate governments. Big changes are happening right now. I think one of the biggest changes is that The United States is being removed as The World Leader. But where Canada is going to fit into that is a good question. I assume our resources will be re-directed to Asia. Possibly to Europe also, but it's also possible that Europe will be brought down economically along with the United States and Canada. We shall see.
Big changes coming. Stay tuned.... And PS: It's also worth noting how President Trump's ongoing craziness gives the media something to cover so they don't have to inform people of the environmental disaster that is occurring around the world, including plastic in our brains and etc.
3... FOOD, DIET, EXERCISE, AND HEALTH:
I think I can guarantee you that if you improve your diet and have a good (but not difficult) exercise program, your health can and will improve no matter where you are starting from and also no matter your age. The human body, like the bodies of all living creatures, is a totally amazing creation that we should look at with awe and respect every day of our lives. And we should treat our bodies and ourselves as best we can. And that's pretty easy to do. Good food. Organic where possible. Not too much; over-eating is a big problem for a lot of people and reducing our food consumption especially here in North America would be one of the best Public Health Measure we could take. (Certainly including me.)
Stay away from junk food as much as possible, and when you want to eat junk food buy the healthiest junk food you can find, it will make a difference. If you are eating at McDonalds or places like that, you are going to pay a price for the low quality of the foods and oils and etc that they use.
Eat simply ... vegetables and fruit, nuts and seeds, whole grains, as close to organic meats as you can, beans are great and cheap and delicious, and keep away from the 'over-processed foods' as much as you can. Out of this short list above, and other things too, pick what you like and eat simply and well.
I seldom fry foods for example, but was taught that if I cook veggies in water for example, but add a bit of oil to the water, the water keeps the oil from getting too hot and you also get the nice taste of fried food as well.. It's win - win.
And one other thing, my Chinese Medicine Doctor always tells me not to eat or drink cold things; the body depends on being hot inside and it works best at a normal temperature of around 36 to 37 degrees Celsius. If you are drinking ice water or cold drinks or beer or cold foods out of the fridge, you are interfering with some basic body functions and you should always keep that in mind. Same with ice cream or anything else cold, a little but not always - and that's important too; you 'can' eat some junk food but not too much. As for dairy, I stopped eating dairy a long time ago and my health improved because of it, but for some people it's no problem. Just keep an eye on these things and pay attention and keep in mind the important role of diet in your health. If you have ANY health issues an improved diet can help. The whole 'diet' thing is really that simple; you are what you eat and if you eat junk and garbage or overprocessed you will pay a price and if you don't eat them your health will be better and that is a great thing.
And as for exercise, that is also very important - to be talked about soon.
