Global Priorities. By definition this is one of the most important subjects in the world for you to consider today.
[video] A Better World by 2030 -- 3 minutes
Does that raise any questions? Such as:
Should global priorities be things that fix problems OR that offer something new?
Improve the sanitation round the world or develop brain memory modules?
Is a proper priority something that helps SOME people the most, or everybody to some degree.
Finding a cure for ALS disease which can be horrible to a few people, or a cure for bad hair days?
Are there things so important that they may terminate life on earth?
In that case we should devote all of our energies to finding and destroying space rocks?
Or to destroy all the computers to keep the robots from taking over as part of The Singularity in 2040 -- that is only 25 years from now. Last year when that was presented to you, it was 26 years away. Time moves on.
Since water is vital to life. All living things require water, shouldn't that be the number one priority?
Should everybody have clean water ? It has been said that the metal lead causes retardation in children. It has been said that lead pipes used in ancient, but progressive, ROME caused a gradual weakening of that civilization.
Notice that things can be intertwined?
Sanitation is the flip side of water -- this seems that it should be something that should be a minimum for everyone. It could also solve a lot of the problems with disease. This should be a starting point that everyone should be able to have. Recall that UN aid works spread cholora in un-sanitary Haiti. Sanitation was controlled it in the home country, but spread where sanitation was almost non-existent. Sanitation works.
BUT, how do you provide water for those who live in the desert ? Or sanitation facilities for those who are nomadic ?
Do we have to force everybody to live in a high rise apartment building project?
There are two issues here today.
One is the discussion and selection of global priorities. I WAS going to put up a list of projects and take a poll before and after discussion of each topic. That might be fun ; but that stuck me as taking too long for the limited amount of time we have in two hours. This could be a year long discussion with one valuable topic after another. Everybody might consider presenting your favorite of the world priority topics. The UN project team has filtered things down from ONLY 1,000 potential projects. Each a global issue! [ insert home page here ]
Second is the Process. How do we choice? As with all things in life, everything is inter-related. We can only guess at secondary effects. So of the evaluation techniques of cost, benefits and forecasting about the future, I find fascinating, and I hope you do to.
What are the key values to be considered in making a decision on global priorities?
Should we be concerned about priorities that are not a significant need in the US?
How is Maslow's hierarchy of needs related to the global priorities?
Lets see what one group does it for the next 17 minutes.
[ video one ] Copenhagen 2005. - 17 minutes
Millennium Goals or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Development_Goals#goals or web - handout
A summary of goals, 2004 . cc2004.txt - this week's handouts
A summary of goals, 2012 . post2015.txt - new handout
What do you think of economics being considered?
Money is not evil, it is a unit of measure of the value.
What priority do we value?
Therefore economics, the study of allocation of limited resources, does apply.
Methodology.
An objective thought says that anyone concerned about the whales or pandas, should personally adopt one, not try to get my money, take my store of value, to support your hobby.Yet if we can show a good benefit, then our leaders should encourage support for VALUable projects.
Did you see that the esoteric subject of micro nutrients meant vitamin pills. And that of the vitamins with the highest reward for cost was Vitamin A -- ie. carrots -- in pill form.
Sanitation and water
This seems that it should be something that should be a minimum for everyone. It could also solve a lot of the problems with disease. This should be a starting point that everyone should be able to have. BUT, how do you provide water for those who live in the desert? Or sanitation facilities for those who are nomadic?Lets be realistic.
About one third of the world's land surface is arid or semi-arid. Various aid groups have introduced well drilling technology in arid portions of sub-Saharan Africa, the suh-Heel region.
suh-Heel
Using techniques long common in the American prairie of drilled wells and windmills to bring up clean drinking water, cooking, washing, irrigation and livestock all-year round in areas depended on seasonal rains. Certainly raised the standard of living. The aid society's magazines show proof with photos of happy villagers in green gardens requesting more donations.
More wells and irrigation brought forth natures bounty.
Here is the short version of the next five years.
- More people needed firewood, so that all the trees are cut down
- Raising Livestock means overgrazing ;
- Irrigation means most of the fresh water evaporated ... causing salt build-up
- The water table is eliminated.
Now that is Africa where good intentions went wrong.
Could it happen here? Ahh, California; where else?
[Internet] Lets look at the Drought Monitor -- live
Map of U.S. CA dark maroon in a region of bright red, indicting severe drought
I plant and followed this all last year when Iowa was beige, with a touch of brown= moderate drought
[video] California's Water Challenge - 2:43 min [stop at 1:00] web
There can be a downside to governmental actions?
[video] Environmentalists to blame - 4.3 minutes. You can [stop after about 2.3 minutes], but the rest is interesting, too.
What is the criteria for Global Priority projects? Comprehensive studies are required. Africa and California offer cautionary tales.
Global Warming.
Lets spend some time on the most well known global priority : climate change.It has been found that if every nation imposes massive clean air conservation that sea level rise on the Bangladesh coastline might be can be retarded by one foot in next 85 years. But : This would cost billions of dollars by every developed country every year till the end of the century, starting right now. That is your tax dollars and your children, grandchildren and great grandkids.
Others say that flooding will occur as part of the natural global weather cycles.
Here is my interpretation of this:
At one time, Beringia connected Asia and North America as a fertile hunting ground that encouraged a decent population.
[animation]
Beringia -- 20 seconds web
Global warming caused the ice sheets over Iowa to melt and to flood Beringia such that Beringia disappeared under the waves as the Arctic and Pacific Oceans were joined. People had to evacuate, leave their homes. Some returned to the Asian steeps and became mammoth hunters. Others were forced to move East and became hunters of seal in the north or buffalo down here.
Iowa is now warmer than it has been -- is that good or bad? Greenland was once green and grew grapes. Hotels were once built in the middle of the Baltic Sea covered with ice that served stage coast routes between Germany to Sweden. Such climatic swings are of recent times, not just cave man stuff. And certainly not considering that earth was once an ice ball, or of the sweltering heat of the Triassic Age of dinosaurs as Pangaea broke up
[picture] Triassic earth 200 million years age
[Chart 500 MM years] 500MM years -- skip
This is too long ago to have any meaning? Lets look at the last 1%.
[chart] 5MM years of declining temperatures
[POINT] This is Lucy's period when smart apes starting to walk upright , 4MM year ago.
[POINT] Neanderthal types started 1/2 MM , last 10%, and his Eastern cousins Denisovans. [da ne sava]
[POINT] We are currently in the last 2K of this cold period and on an upturn from about the coldest in the last 5MM years.
[PICTURE] Lets drill into more recent period -- the Last 2K years since Paul invented Christianity.
The last mini-ice age ended about 1860 and it has been warming since. We have a'ways to go to get to the 2,000 year average. And a LONG way to go to get to the 5MM year average.
But earth was once cold, very cold, an ice ball, in fact. And was once hot, really hot with Brachiosaurus making oil in Texas. It is all part of nature and of living on this planet -- third from the Sun.
[video] Cool It -- 2:20 minutes
- Have you ever seen such a list of wonderful goals to strive towards ? to make a better future for our children !
If you say we have to address world hunger, then you are a proven compassionate person.
If you say we must end conflict by learning to all live together, you are a real humanitarian.
But some think that - All talk and no action is worthless.
This is high sounding clap trap.
Lets see what Bjorg has to say that is real.
Global Costs -- Bjorg Part II
[video] Global Costs -- 16:3 minutesA summary of goals, 2004 . cc2004.txt - this week's handouts
The 2004 goals were obtainable. Here is a summary of the 2012 goals.
A summary of goals, 2012 . post2015.txt - also in the new handout
How do we determine what is of value ? Of significant worth for world-wide action?
On what do we devote our time and treasure? Without causing waste or harm?
End of presentation, now lets talk. The following are my thoughts on some of the topics.
... Teach a man to fish and feed himself for a lifetime." -- or to build a house and a latrine
This shows happy children singing with a new school building.
Do you get the idea the authors do not take this goal seriously?
I wonder if having fewer children will increase survival rate?
This group is big on education. I agree, but part of the problem with education isn't going to be served simply by spending more money on it -- although that may be a large part of the problem in under-developed countries. Here, we build memorial gymnasiums and serve year round kitchens. I am concerned about how and what we teach. We have so much more to teach the kids today than we had to learn 60 years ago and yet they are putting in fewer hours in the classroom -- in Marshalltown last month I learned that they get out early every Wednesday afternoon so that the teachers have meeting time or prep time or something. I know that we hear so much about teacher pay being low, but is that true anymore? has it ever been? specially for 9-month year? One sister-in-law just retired at 75% of her top salary. Fisher pays about 25%. The other sis-out-law retired at 92% as a school system accounting clerk. These woman have a retirement income many times mine, for the rest of their lives. So, there is a lot of money out there for teachers and support staff.
But, what exactly are we teaching the kids in the U.S.? In California they learn about Islam but they can't be taught Christianity. Why?
I don't know about Common Core, setting minimum standards -- that has people up in arms as too tough. The school day is spent on non-academic stuff -- socialization and diversity, etc.
MCC tells its adjunct staff not to enforce academic standards because "we are a service to the community." So, how will making community colleges free be of much help? Anyway, education and women's rights are a top priority for me -- and is more than simply providing school books, pre-school, and sensitivity training for my town and around the world.
I also think that immigration and migration is an important issue here and around the world.
We are encumbered by "citizenship by birth" from judicial interpretation that differs from the constitution. We are encumbered by special interest desires for cheap labor and cheap-to-buy voters.
We have seen how do-gooders can screw up Africa and is contributing to the masses floating into southern Europe. We are not alone ; Mohammad is the most popular name in England, surpassing John.
Arab state people in dire conditions are moving thru Greece to northern Europe. Do they want to become acclimated to the new country or do they expect the new country to compromise their heritage, laws, and culture for these new people? There were no-whites zones in France with Sharia law. And yet something must be done for those attempting to escape from wars and starvation. We see a clash of cultures rather than assimilation. How is that to be handled? In Marshalltown, it appears to have become a case of the Americans assuming responsibility for feeding and educating the children of the overflow population of Latin Americas. Several states exceed Marshalltown's two free meals a day, week-ends, holidays, all summer vacation. Seven states now offer dinner as part of their education budget. Crys of "For the children" will see our education taxes increase year over year.
Diseases
I like to consider the part of the video where they question should we totally eradicate a disease (which would cost many many times more) or try to decrease by say 50% which is doable? I read a report that forecast the number of children to be abused in Iowa, and my first thought was that the goal should, of course, be zero. But, is that at all realistic? Is it realistic to attempt to eradicate disease? Right now, polio is almost gone, but in Pakistan and Afghanistan the tribal leaders/warlords, have tried to stop or hinder that fight against a horrible disease by saying that the doctors are really harming the children, etc. -- they are using the campaign against disease to manipulate the people and to turn things to their own goals. Malaria is always one of the diseases mentioned -- it does make sense to attempt to reduce the number of people who catch malaria -- and perhaps the water and sanitation goal would help achieve that. The number is far greater than those suffering from AIDs, but AIDs has a rich voting block from show business, etc.. Ebola is trivial in world numbers, but high in world risk. What diseases should be considered with a high priority. And how to address it? The permanent fix may be strengthening by local medical infrastructures. Yet war lords and tribal chiefs don't like somebody coming into their territory and taking credit for helping their people.Animal Protection
Ebola has killed of 1/3 of apes and chimps, something we don't think about. There is an ape vaccine, but they are not allowed to test it because of ape protections laws. This will make an interesting example of the impact of government regulation on global priorities.Hunger and malnutrition
This is also an important and primary goal -- if people are not able to have a decent diet, they won't be healthy and cannot make a contribution to their own welfare and livelihood. (The same reason that we feed the kids in Marshalltown at the schools -- if they are hungry they can't pay attention and do well. Somebody's expensive feel-good project) If we combine the education and peace issues with fighting hunger, we have the concept of the Peace Corps -- teach them to fish so they can feed themselves rather than give them a fish which lasts only a day. If they are fed, then they can also be more resistant to disease. Well, some of them anyway. What diseases others may catch might be slowed because when healthier they participate in activities which mitigate other problems. Yet California has a measles outbreak (think singles at about our age) because parents don't vaccinate their kids.Global Warming
-- bah, humbug.Warming to the point of massive dislocation of people is not new. The last mini-ice age ended just ended continues warming today. We have another 5 degrees F to warm to get back to the days of Neanderthal. Life on this planet involves weather changes. You you should be used to it, having lived in Iowa.
Vast sums of money can be spent trying to stop the global cycles, yet proponents say it will be 100 years before we see if it helped even a tiny bit or not. Meanwhile, a lot of other problems might be solved if we use the billions of dollars and billions in prevention money in other ways -- today.
Besides, why worry about the end of the century when the world becomes unknowable after 2040? The Singularity
Corruption
I don't know how money solves that. A lot of that is based on culture and politics. We like to think that Education has something to contribute. That woman's rights will input some family values and sanity into the world. But the politician will always be with us. If money is offered to fight corruption, you can be sure those in charge will syphon off a big part of it.War.
We would like to think that there would be a way to end war, but then some new group pops up and starts in a totally unexpected area -- like ISIS. Or any other modern version of the chief of the neighboring tribe gets big ideas. My history professor said that all war was based on economics, and it most ways I agree, but then there are the religious fanatics. They may also be going to war because of economics as often those groups have been marginalized. In Ireland, the Catholics vs. the Protestants, we viewed as being because of religion. And yet, the Catholics were in lower economic conditions (WHY? Probably from religious prejudice) and that was largely why they were fighting. For many years, in Israel, the Arabs and the Jews lived together peacefully -- or so I have heard. Today, the Palestinian are certainly not allowed the same economic chances that the Jews have. And, they were driven off their land and new communities of Jews (often new immigrants who came to Israel from around the world) moved in and took over. Are the Israelis bombing Palestine because of religious differences or to get even for the actions of the Palestinian who are trying to get back at the Jews for taking over their country -- now 60+ years ago. I blame it all on Hitler -- without him trying to eliminate the Jews, the rest of the world probably wouldn't have been so interested in helping them establish their own country. And, they really didn't want them in "their backyard". Now ,the Jews in France are moving to Israel because of the treatment they are receiving in France. German, Irish and Italian integrated in the United States. The Semitic peoples, Jews and Arabs, do not seem to assimilate , and that causes trouble.Financial experts really do believe World War III is inevitable due to economic reasons, and it's possible Vladimir Putin's claim over Arctic oil could be a trigger point, since it's believed worldwide oil reserves could run out by 2060. Although one would hope World War 3 does not automatically entail nuclear war, Russian nuclear weapons now surpass the number of U.S. warheads. [ A topics of these talks was on the Arctic a few years ago, look it up in our website archives.]
History from the dawn of writing 5.000 years ago, is the reportage of war. Hieroglyphics did carve in stone the glories of conquests by Pharaohs. The Old Testament is war, after war, after war. Does anyone doubt the there were wars before writing?. Lewis and Clark tried to get a stone age people to stop warring against each other and they responded with, "but without battles, how will we know who are to be our leaders?" The gentle peoples of New Guinea ate Michael Rockefeller in 1961.
Population growth
Population control is among the top issues among the public. The experts will not touch the issue! Why? How do you handle population restraint when several religions encourage large families and no birth control? This dates back to the warlords like Abraham who needed replacements for his conquests. Fertility restraint seems to happen as the economic and educational status of families increases, but lags by a generation or TWO. But not always. Look at the Mormons. They encourage large, and even huge, families. But, they also encourage self reliance and tithing to support their church -- which will in turn support them in times of emergency. The Roman church is finally, this month, acknowledging that the population cannot breed like rabbits. Maybe we can put a condom on Mexican growth in Marshalltown. The problem is not only that churches see population growth as a way to outnumber the competition ; Businessmen are aware that economic growth and population growth follow an identical chart pattern. But birth rate is a cultural issue that isn't going to be easy to change. China had a fair bit of success with tough laws, but even they are easing that restriction.
Hunger 13 minutes. Lays a guilt trip we don't need.
Other links
time of man
Here is more on a similar theme : The Big Question -- 10:25 minutes Bert will love it.
Go to : Copenhagen homepage
URL : http://www.manorweb.com/creative/2015/copenscript.html
Last Updated: Jan 29, 2015
Back to : Creative Retirement Menu