Category Archives: Progress

Rising volatility in the global food system is causing a breakdown in a system thats already fragile. Thats the conclusion of the 2022 Global Food Security Index released today, Sept. 20. The report, produced by Economist Impact and sponsored by Corteva Agriscience, is an in-depth look at several factors impacting food production, availability and sustainability.

This is the 11th report released by Economic Impact, and it shows that when all the factors are measured, the global food system is slipping, not improving. When the report was first created in 2012, and for the first eight years, the numbers kept rising, but in 2019 they peaked. It is clear that the development and progress of the first eight years is stalling and declining, says Pratima Singh, policy and insights group, Economist Impact.

Singh points out that while there have been major socioeconomic shocks in 2022, the key takeaway from the report is that the food environment and the food system have been deteriorating for some time. There is a lack of resilience, she says. There is much more susceptibility to vulnerability. It is quite worrying.

The index rates food security for 113 countries based on four pillars: affordability, availability, quality and safety, and sustainability and adaptation. That fourth pillar related to sustainability was added in 2020. And for the 2022 report, each pillar was adjusted with new information. The previous reports were updated to include that information, so trend data is consistent.

For example, under affordability, agricultural trade and trade freedom were added since these can impact food costs, from rising tariffs to seeking other sources at higher costs. For availability, access to agricultural inputs was added since this weighs on producer prices and includes access to Extension services, community organizations and empowering women farmers.

Singh explains that these and other changes were made to account for the complexity and interconnectedness of the global food security system, starting at the farm.

Digging into the data and the global decline in the index, Singh shows that food affordability scores dropped globally between 2019 and 2022 after increasing in previous years. That rising food cost and the strain on governments to fund food safety-net programs hit those affordability scores in the index.

Singh says COVID-19 was also a factor since some governments had to shift spending on food safety-net programs over to health programs.

Quality and safety scores also declined. This is where countries studied have significant room for improvement on setting nutritional standards, having a national nutrition strategy, and implementing nutrition monitoring and surveillance. Almost one-third of countries studied do not have a national nutrition strategy in 2022.

Availability and sustainability continue to remain weak and contribute to softer scores too. For availability, challenges include dependency on chronic food aid and lower expenditures in agricultural research and development. Although starting from a low base, recently added measures on agricultural inputs have shown notable improvements over 11 years.

Sustainability numbers have risen as governments adopt national agricultural adaptation policies. However, there is room for improvement in boosting soil organic matter content, protecting marine biodiversity and managing agricultural water risks.

Sardar Karim, policy analyst, Economist Impact, offers a look at the top 10 and bottom 10 countries in the index. These indexes look at performance across those four pillars and aggregate the information to come up with a score. Here are the top 10 in the 2022 report:

The average score for the top countries is 25% to 27% higher than the global average, and the strongest areas that drive those scores up include food safety-net programs, access to diversified financial products, and a political commitment to adaptation is strong as well, Karim says. They do have areas they can improve on, including research and development investment, irrigation infrastructure, and support for women farmers.

Other areas where theres room for improvement include food security agencies and production of marine biodiversity.

At the bottom of the GFSI, starting with lowest score and moving higher, are:

Karim notes that the bottom 10 have scores that are 30% to 40% lower than the global average, and every pillar has room for improvement. The weakest areas are food safety-net programs, high food costs, lack of irrigation infrastructure, poor roads and lack of nutritional standards. Six of the bottom 10 countries are in sub-Saharan Africa.

The GFSI is used by policy-makers, private companies and non-governmental agencies, and provides an in-depth, country-by-country look at performance across those four pillars.

And while it is easy to point to the war in Ukraine or rising inflation as a cause of the latest decline in the index, Singh clarifies that what we are seeing with the impact on input prices and rising food prices, chronic food aid in more unstable and volatile markets are all long-term factors. Were seeing more stress [to the system].

She emphasizes the need to look at those long-term factors, including water availability, irrigation infrastructure and ways to tackle extreme weather events.

The entire report is online with the ability to not only drill down to 2022 numbers, but also look back on 11 years of data to see whats impacting food security.

Adds Tim Glenn, executive vice president, seed business unit of Corteva Agriscience, and program sponsor: Were conscious of the impact on society and consumers, and we work closely with farmers around the world. Farmers are critical from a food security standpoint; theyre on the front line, and it is critical that we recognize and respect what farmers bring to the table what farmers responsibilities and their roles are. And we want farmers to produce the right things, the right way, to help solve the food security issue.

You can check out the entire report by visiting economistimpact.com/food-security-index.

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Global Food Security Index stalls for 2nd straight year - Farm Progress

In the aftermath of the atom bomb, having proved that we are already adept at knowing how to destroy ourselves, the question became can we figure out a way to not destroy ourselves?

Maybe it was a result of my early exposure to 60s protest songs, or because I tend to resonate more with the old wisdom than I do the new innovations, but it always seemed to me that despite all the progress and economic development, all the medical and technological advances, the comforts and conveniences of modern living, the improvements and upgrades and enhancements and even taking into account the steady increase in our average life expectancy that we were progressing in the direction of self-destruction, not self-preservation.

We may have gained certain capacities along the way, such as the ability to travel and communicate across greater distances in shorter amounts of time, or to mass produce products, or increase the yields of our hunts and harvests, or shield ourselves against visible and immediate threats to hearth and health and home, but in the process, we introduced new and even more treacherous hazards, in the form of toxic chemicals, harmful radiation and damaging stress which all whittle away at our physical, mental, and emotional well-being, thus raising questions about quantity versus quality of life.

But in light of recent scientific advances such as the portable, inexpensive desalination units which render ocean water drinkable within a matter of minutes, thus making the threat of water scarcity appear just a little less dire, or the recent findings that coral reefs can, with our help or maybe without our hindrance, recover from and adapt to climate change, which is good news for marine life and all the creatures, industries, food chains and beaches that depend on it I find myself feeling a lot more hopeful lately about our progress, and the direction were heading.

Im thinking, maybe we havent been losing ground but instead have been just barely outrunning our problems.

Maybe thats what progress is: get rid of one problem and in the process create another.

Sure, were the ones who built the factories and burned the fossil fuels and blew the soot and noxious fumes out through the smokestacks and into the sky; and were the ones who dumped the waste into the river, and spilled the oil into the sea; the ones who sprayed poison on our fields and food and flowers, and buried batteries and tires and old radios and TVs in our landfills.

And yeah, maybe it did cause cancer, and maybe it did endanger a species or two, but widespread as it may be, the fact is: cancer is no longer the death sentence it once was; and the eagles and falcons and gators and bears and wolves and whales and woodpeckers are back again, so maybe we are making progress.

Of course, progress is a relative term, relative to given points in time. Such as the 1960s were better than the 1930s, the Renaissance period was better than the Medieval period, or the Tang Dynasty was better than the Sui Dynasty. And also relative to different parameters and indices, such as the economy or the environment, or the amount of pain or pleasure we experience.

But in my book, theres no progress if we are not moving toward greater understanding, greater fulfillment, and a richer experience of life and living.

They say that the first step in recovery is admitting you have a problem.

But part of the problem, with all the politics and economics and religion and social dynamics that get in the way, is that we cant seem to agree or get consensus on whats a problem and whats not.

As for whether were outrunning or being overtaken by our problems, remember that:try as you might, you cant run away from yourself.

So, the enlightened persons way of dealing with a problem is to first look in the mirror and realize that the solution and the path to progress may begin with oneself.

Iwas skimming through the weekly science and technology report, and I read this little teaser sentence in a shaded box that said, When pain b

"Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today." Ben Franklin

Maybe at first I had some grand notion of doing it all in one continuous expedition, but considering my life, my family, and the need for empl

Is there no end to the enlightening revelations that come our way in the national news? Like today, I read an article that said poverty and pu

It was just an empty field of dry grass, not a tree or a bush in sight. Not a table or a bench, nothing that might serve as a prop for play, b

One thing I appreciate about scientists is that theyre willing to let reality shape their beliefs rather than vice versa. If, for instance, t

You know when you cant get a song out of your mind? You find yourself singing it, over and over, in all the different settings you move throu

The first call came in at about 6 p.m. from a friend in South Carolina, and over the next 18 hours several more calls from all over the countr

Iwas listening to my friend describe a series of experiences hes had with a gray fox, which have taken place now over a number of years, and

Ive been watching the coverage on the news about whether or not the federal government should make available $25 billion to bail out the auto

Iwas getting out of my truck, and the door handle broke off in my hand. For a second, I thought I was going to have to get out on the passenge

In one of my favorite all-time books, a Muslim, a Christian and a Jew play a remarkable game of poker in the back room of an antiquities shop

It was an article about how free choice does not result in happiness. It talked about how in American culture and in our philosophy of democra

It takes power to do or to accomplish anything, whether its lifting up a weight, driving the car down to the corner store, or standing up for

From the time I was 9 years old, I knew Id leave my home state of Michigan and move to California. I didnt know when or how long Id end up

There was a story I did about 15 years ago, having to do with cell phones and the possible long-term effects caused by radiation emitted from

I woke up the other morning and said to my gal, we need to find a way to fit living into our lives.

I love words. I love the sound, the rhythm, the pictures and the emotions they can evoke.

Sam Cooke sang, "Change is gonna come." Ghandi said, "Be the change you want to see," and Warhol wrote, "They say times change, but you actual

In a poll, executives rated creativity as the single most important trait for success in business. Yet, those same people who said creativity

When I was little, maybe in junior high, I read an interview with Eric Clapton in which the interviewer asked what he thought about people cal

Theres an old Sufi saying: Even if it makes you happy, at the mint, fools gold will be identified. That came to mind this afternoon, as I

It seemed to me there were far fewer Christmas lights on display this year than any year I can remember. It struck me as I was driving, and ov

Im writing this on my 55th birthday, while reading an article in Science Daily that tells how a man reacts to hassles between the ages of 55

For at least the last four decades, obesity rates have risen steadily in the United States. Today, 28 percent of Americans are classified as o

One of my memories from grade school days was taking chalkboard erasers down to the janitors room, and putting them on the bench-mounted vacu

As I was gearing up for my trip, knowing I was headed for hot and humid weather, I decided to buy a couple of white T-shirts to help control t

Steve Bannon told President Trump to throw some haymakers. As a boxing and hockey fan, I knew what he meant.

As the sportswriter for the newspaper, I was on assignment to cover the first professional boxing event at our local casino, and what an event

One of the best ones Ive heard in a while comes from University of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh Go Blue! who instructs his player

They wanted balloons for the celebration, but the guy at the balloon store said they couldnt get us a helium tank because theres a shortage

Iwas walking up to the corner, and there was a car stopped in the street next to me, waiting to make a right turn. I was still probably 20 yar

Good friends are like trampolines. Theyre there to catch you when you fall, then they bounce you back up again. They have enough give in them

Theres this dude who haunts my dreams. Actually, its not in my dreams where he haunts me but on the street, walking around town.

There was this kid on my basketball team when I was growing up, and boy, could he shoot free throws.

There are certain days, certain moments, certain events embedded so deeply and that stick out so vividly in memory theyre always right there

I dont know if that was normal or an unusually high or low week for me, but I do know Americans spend, on average, five hours, 24 minutes a d

I was in the market, refilling my water jugs, gloves on as they have been for the past month whenever I go out in public. Most of the people a

Occasionally I like to scan through a list of odds-and-ends trivia that appears on a website I sometimes visit. I was doing so today, when I c

My gal said, "I liked it better when we didnt know peoples politics." She was referring to the ways in which some people make it known on so

I dont know, maybe its because Ive been reading these great epic novels lately, which follow a group of close comrades and crisscrossing fr

Four years ago, at this same time, I wrote a column five days before the election knowing it wouldnt come out until two days after the el

A few years ago, it was the music stars: Bowie, Prince, Glenn Frey, Leonard Cohen, George Martin, Scotty Moore, Merle Haggard, Paul Kantner an

Sometimes when you eliminate the distractions and the trimmings, you can get down to the real meat and potatoes, or maybe just the potatoes if

I was driving over the Pass in the early morning light, and Bob Marley came on the radio. The song was Rat Race, from the Rastaman Vibration

Maybe its because our holidays have been taken away from us this year that some of us feel its even more important than ever to celebrate th

When I had an office and a desk at the newspaper building, and I would go in to do work from there, unlike now when everything is sent electro

Call it rooting for the underdog, fighting for those who have been marginalized or discriminated against, or speaking out for the cause of jus

Rain is Gods gift to poets. I say that not because its so beautiful or sweetly natural or dramatic or gentle, as the case may be; and neithe

In the old days, like in the first century B.C. and again in the 16th century (A.D. or C.E.) they used to change the calendar when it didnt m

This past week marked one year since everything started shutting down on a mass scale due to COVID-19. I know because I was emceeing a music f

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Keeping pace on the path to progress | Ron Colone - Santa Ynez Valley News

"When people in towns across our state stop to ask our troopers how Sgt Wendler is doing, it reconfirms how fortunate we are to serve the people of Idaho."

TWIN FALLS, Idaho AnIdaho State Trooperis "making remarkable progress" on his recovery after he was hit by a car over a week ago on Interstate 84 in Jerome County.

Sergeant Mike Wendler was critically injured in the incident and has been recovering at the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center ICU. According to a Facebook post from Idaho State Police (ISP), he was recently moved out of ICU and can now walk short distances.

"As an agency, the Idaho State Police is overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring of support we have received on behalf of Sgt Wendler and his family," a post from ISP on Facebook said. "We know it is in part, due to the caliber of men and women who serve with us, like Sgt Wendler. But we also know it is because of the kind of people we serve here in Idaho. Stepping in to help and support each other is ingrained into who we are as individuals, agencies, and communities. Nearly every day, when people in towns across our state stop to ask our troopers how Sgt Wendler is doing, it reconfirms how fortunate we are to serve the people of Idaho."

Family and members of the Idaho State Police Department have also been a great source of support for Sgt Wendler on his way to recovery. Other local law enforcement agencies stepped up to help as well, by providing support to ISP and Sgt Wendler's family,

One day after Sgt Wendler was injured, Colonel Kedrick Wills said in a Facebook post: We are profoundly humbled by the outpouring of support we received from the people of our great state. It has reinforced our belief that Idaho is truly a great place to live and serve."

KTVB received an update on Wendlers condition on Monday, September 12 from his verifiedGoFundMepage, that he is showing positive signs of recovery, with some medical devices being removed and doctors now focusing on physical injuries.

"This morning his wife Amy, family and friends were greeted with Mike'ssmile,and he recognized every person in the room and is able to hold short conversations with each one," said ISP trooper Mike Hausauer. "He is aware of his surroundings and is giving hugs and fist bumps. His vital signs continue to improve as well."

Hausauer started the GoFundMe to help Wendlers family cover any unexpected expenses and in just a couple days more than 500 people have raised more than $45,000 to help.

Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) said the investigation into the incident is still pending and asks the public to slow down and move over when emergency personnel are on the road.

"We ask that you continue to keep Sgt Wendler and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Recovery for them will take time and they, as well as friends and co-workers, will need love and support," ISP said on Facebook. "And thank you to all the people across our state who have truly demonstrated the Idaho Way of taking care of each other. We are proud to be a part of our great state."

See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist:

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ISP trooper 'making remarkable progress' on recovery - KTVB.com

At Padua University, west of Venice in Italys Veneto region, there is a magnificent anatomical theater, a dissecting arena holding up to 250 students and faculty. Its the first permanent structure of its kind, a conical space with six concentric, elliptical rings circling upward. Designed without a bad seat in the house, the woodwork is an impressive combination of crafted larch, spruce and walnut. The theater has no windows because, when it was built, autopsies only took place in winter when cold temperatures preserved cadavers the 3-6 days needed for dissection. Under the main entrance, a 16th century Latin inscription reads This is a place where the dead are pleased to help the living.

Founded in 1222, the prestigious University of Padua in northern Italy is the worlds fifth-oldest surviving university. For 18 years, which he considered his best, Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was professor there, chairing mathematics until 1610. Notable alumni include astronomer Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543), who postulated the heliocentric solar system, and anatomists William Harvey (1578-1657), who described the heart and circulatory system functions, and Gabriele Falloppio (1523-1562), a priest after whom Fallopian tubes are named. He primarily studied inner ear, head and reproductive organs. Philosopher-friar and Catholic saint Albertus Magnus and noted seducer-writer Giacomo Casanova were also Padua students, as were 17th century Transylvanian humanist and historian Istvan Szamoskozy and Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564).

Vesalius, considered the first modern human anatomist, corrected a lot of erroneous thought about how our bodies worked, some based on long-held surgical procedures dating to the Roman Empire and 3rd century writings of Galen of Pergamon. Despite violating graves to examine corpses and skeletal remains Vesalius was offered a professor of medicine position at Padua in 1537. Insisting that his students perform dissections to learn human anatomy, he was eventually allowed by church and government to use cadavers of convicted criminals born outside the country but executed in Italy. That special dispensation enabled Vesalius in 1543 to publish his seminal work, De humani corporis fabrica libri septem (On the Fabric of the Human Body in Seven Books). In it he provides complex illustrations and detailed diagrams of numerous dissections, discovering human body parts previously unknown. To assure accuracy, drawings of musculature and skeletal formation were made by professional artists, who were not only numerous but world class in 16th century northeast Italy. Many consider it the first empirical textbook of modern medicine, a practical, illustrated guide to human anatomy. Completed three decades after Vesalius died and inaugurated in 1595, the dissection arena at Padua University still stands, serving medical students and wowing tourists and future surgeons alike, as a monument to biological expertise. Its an edifice to the value of shared knowledge, a place where throngs of future experts could assemble, observe, and learn from elite instructors, paying their skills and wisdom forward, benefiting humanity.

Today, contrary to Scientific Revolution/Age of Enlightenment attitudes, social media have created a dangerous cult, advancing fallacies that everyones an expert and everybodys opinion is equally valid. Stupidity, inflated by the internet, has taken that tutorial tower at Padua and flattened it, erecting in its place a digital conduit for sound and furys political babble. As a result, those who actually do have comprehensive knowledge, skills and authoritative wisdom are distrusted in growing numbers, a subset easily manipulated by demagogues. That makes the idea of referendum votes on complicated matters (ecological, medical or otherwise) about which most people not only have limited knowledge, but resist being educated, extremely perilous. Historically, progress has usually begun in academic sectors and spread to the people, who, inspired by new and better visions of the future, demanded political actions to achieve them. Thirty-five years ago, when global warming and anthropogenic climate change were already scientific fact, accepted by scholarly consensus, major steps to curb carbon emissions might have begun in earnest had more college degrees been awarded at the time. Probably twice the number of Bachelors Degrees would have gotten it done because fewer politicians could have held office without acknowledging and proactively addressing global warming. Instead, were in its climatologic crosshairs.

Knowledge deserves power; ignorance invites disaster. Bees, octopi and other nonhuman animals learn, judge and base decisions on the credibility and experiences of others, weighing costs and benefits of problem solving alternatives. Many birds, mammals and other organisms, even some fungi, pass that learning on to succeeding generations (what we ethologists call culture) to deal with realitys day-to-day nuances. When a bee colony selects a new hive location, for instance, it evaluates options offered by a number of scouts, who emit constant, modulated electric fields while waggle dancing information, eventually choosing the one with the best supporting reconnaissance. Scouts with dissenting opinions, whose nest locales seem less desirable, are gradually denied further consideration in the debate and pushed from the colonys brood chamber (that is, the forum where all this occurs). Compare bees with the U.S., where anti-elitism has become tightly interwoven with fractious individualism, disdain for institutions and attempts to bolster flagging self-esteem. Some politicians, acting only for perceived self-interest, have quickly exploited that trend, actually getting away with labeling distinguished scientists and medical advisers elitists to discredit them and perpetuate conspiratorial delusions to string along their obsequious base. Anti-vaxxers, global warming deniers, insurrectionists, mass shooters and election gainsayers show how monstrous their creations can become.

Unlike bees relocating a hive, Americans have ceased to weigh facts, preponderance of evidence or simply acknowledge reality itself. Contempt for arrogance and bloated egos, however much scholastically and professionally supported, is one thing; spiteful dismissal of singular expertise and well-honed, accumulated knowledge is another. After all, dont we all value advancement from merit and proficiency instead of from nepotism, money or social connections? As passengers on commercial jets, dont we all want elite pilots to fly them and elite mechanics to prevent engine failures at 10,000 feet? We want elite anesthetists and surgeons to perform even our simplest operations, elite players on our favorite teams, elite artists to exhibit and perform; elite epidemiologists to advise us on disease control. Why then do we elect ill-equipped leaders to ignore matters of national and planetary importance, such as anthropogenic climate change, mass extinctions, pandemics and peaceful transitions of power after certified elections? To the radical Right, elitism has become synonymous with acknowledging reality and existential threats. Our job is to ignore that propaganda, which makes elite a dirty word, and recruit and elect our finest intellectuals into leadership roles.

To succeed as a people, we must again respect elites in whatever fields and professions they excel. Otherwise, cogent problem-solving and building a sustainable future is impossible. This is especially true in government, where a dearth of elites now exists. In a world demanding scientific acumen, for instance, few if any American politicians have equivalent discernible skills. At a time when social media amplify and disseminate disinformation and an ex-president lies to us daily and is proud of it, most state and federal offices are held by lawyers, entrepreneurs, business majors and political hacks. A few are held by farmers, historians, philosophers, electricians and social workers, and thats good. But scientifically, most are unschooled. Some even have ties with heavily subsidized fossil fuel, pharmaceutical, meat and Big Ag industries causing most of our problems. At least, in representative, if not referendum, democracies civil servants, who are exemplary in their fields, can be called upon to provide expertise where it is lacking in federal and state legislatures. But their recommendations, once summoned by government, have to be acknowledged and acted upon, not merely used as show ponies and window dressing, then summarily unheeded. Too often judgments are clouded by economics and prospects for reelection alone rather than adhering to hard empirical evidence, ethical considerations and fact-based decision-making benefitting us all.

Given politicians powers to decide our futures, as well as the planets, scientists shouldnt be limited to 21st century supporting roles, but actually hold political power themselves and run for office. One reason China and the EU outpace the U.S. in many respects has been their scientists in politically influential positions. Angela Merkel and Margaret Thatcher, quantum and food research chemists respectively, are examples of very effective leaders with science backgrounds. Thatchers knowledge made her chief advocate of the Montreal Protocol (1987), the worlds first global treaty to reduce pollution, on which Earths ozone layers recovery from deteriorative CFCs currently depends. Merkel was the backbone of the EU, and her initiatives, with support of the Green Party have made Germany a world leader in clean alternative energy production, including hydrogen technologies.

As rare as Thatchers and Merkels science backgrounds are in the halls of European government, American legislators, trained in objective analysis of empirical data and hard evidence, are scarcer still. Already, the quality of decisions made in the United States Congress, a republic-style representative body of government, is blatantly compromised. The influence of money and corporate lobbying is palpable. As a result, absence of term limits prevents the untainted from getting elected and new ideas from getting heard. And not everyone in the U.S. has the same weighted vote in the Senate, where each state, regardless of population, has two representatives. A vote cast in Alaska, Hawaii or Wyoming per se has more political clout than votes in more densely populated states like New York and California. Then, theres the demeaning way in which those votes are solicited. This upcoming election, as every election, is already dominated by populism, issues of lesser importance made vote-seducing priorities, aggressive personal attacks, misinformation and out-and-out lies. Each election cycle repeats the same formula because weve become a politically pliable society, malleable to unsubstantiated suggestion, which readily accepts the implausible. In other words, were easily played for suckers. The result: a widening divergence between recognition of fact and adaptive, responsible behavior.

Throughout our species history, human development has shown repeating accelerated transitions from situations of scarcity to technological innovations which increase resource availability but ultimately lead to population growth, increased consumption, and wasteful despoiling. When bigger populations, consumption and pollution deplete or impede access to resources, conditions of scarcity reoccur and the cycle repeats, so long as technological innovations continue to bail us out. Upsala Universitys Craig Dilworth calls this the Vicious Circle Principle, and each, successive iteration imposes new limits. From wearing clothing to thermo-regulate to discovering fire and burning wood, coal, whale oil and petroleum for heat, to generating electricity and internal combustion engines, we keep moving further out of equilibrium with the biosphere. Nuclear fission seemed promising, until its inherent risks and radioactive waste piled up. Now, solar, hydroelectric and wind-generated energy seem keys to sustainability, provided the human population, once that transition is made, doesnt exceed our energy- and food-dependent carrying capacities.

To achieve and maintain equilibrium, we must summon elite minds to break that vicious cycle, admitting that everyones opinion is no more equal than the average American can duplicate a Lebron James slam-dunk for the Lakers, Yo-Yo Ma on the cello, or Aaron Donald and Stafford to Kupp for the Rams. Thankfully, the planet still has Greta Thunberg and streets still clog with students supporting various causes. But, its not the late 1960s or early 1970s anymore. The music and television coverage which encouraged, inspired and echoed that progress has been dumbed-down and made lightweight. The clarion bells that were voices of Baez and Dylan, Seeger and McGuire, Judith Durham, the Association, Mary Travers; Bev Bivens are pretty much limited to recordings now. But we can advance those same ideals, when environmentalism, civil and animal rights, peace and gender equality movements converged, finding common language in the music, literature and leaders of that time, when elitism was very much in flower.

Scott Deshefy is a biologist, ecologist and two-time Green Party congressional candidate.

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Historically, Progress has Usually Begun in Academic Sectors and Spread to the People - CT Examiner

The United Nations' latest annual ranking of nations by "sustainable development goals" will come as a shock for many Americans. Not only aren't we "Number One," we're not even close. The top four countries are Scandinavian democracies. The United States ranksforty-first, just below Cuba (that's right, below our Communist neighbor). Countries that outrank us include Estonia, Croatia, the Slovak Republic, Romania, and Serbia.

The goal of the report is to measure countries' progress, or development, toward a civilized and sustainable future.

Every ranking contains some element of subjectivity. But the seventeen "sustainable development goals" (SDGs) developed by economist Jeffrey Sachs and his team are well chosen. They include the absence of poverty and hunger, good health and education, gender equality, clean air and water, and reduced inequality.

The goal of the report is to measure countries' progress, or development, toward a civilized and sustainable future. As historianKathleen Frydlpoints out, "Under this methodology ... the U.S. ranks between Cuba and Bulgaria. Both are widely regarded as developing countries." Frydl's essay was widely circulated under the headline, "US is becoming a 'developing country' on global rankings that measure democracy, inequality."

To Frydl's point, the US picture does look like that of a developing country. But how, exactly, does a country that was once "developed" become "developing"? The phrase "developing country" implies that there are countries that have achieved development, and countries that are on their way. It leaves no room for the possibility that a nation, once it developed, can "un-develop" itself. It's like saying that a "growing child" can become "un-grown." And yet, that's exactly what is happening to the United States.

The language of "developed" and "developing" countries carries with it the idea that Western European and North American countries reached an endpoint in the 20th century, one that other nations naturally aspire to and are on the road to achieving. It is the language of post-colonialism (which suggests the United States is now colonizing itself). The words are heavily freighted with assumptions about globalism, capitalism, and liberal democracy. Among them is the idea that these forces bring with them a stability, the kind of benign stasis that Francis Fukuyama once called "the end of history."

Fukuyama has since renounced that idea, and understandably so. The declining status of the United States undermines the historical assumptions about progress that have guided political and financial elites for many decades. Countries like the United States and United Kingdom look less and less like the end-state of history and more and more like declining world powers, like so many that have gone before them.

Perhaps for this reason, the public debate has moved away from the quasi-Utopian ideals of Westernized development and back toward the idea that history is a cyclical process in which empires rise and fall. Anthropologists like Marshall Sahlins and David Graeber find positive qualities in 'primitive' societies. Journalists like Chris Hedges adopt the decline of the American empire as a major theme. InTo Govern the Globe,historian Alfred McCoy forecasts the decline of American power and speculates that imperial nation-states may soon cease to exist altogether.

The historian Marc Bloch, quoted in Harvey Kaye's book onthe British Marxist historians, sounds prophetic when he writes that history is "the science of eternal change."

Where does that leave the people of the United States? Other measurements and reports may not place the US below Cuba or Serbia, but most major measurements seem to point one way: down. Life expectancy is declining. Economic inequality is rising. Other measurements are flat at best.

Progress isn't like rain. It does not, as the Bible says of rainfall, "fall on the just and unjust alike." Progress, real progress, is made by people working together for the common good. If they don't work together it slows down, or stops, or reverses itself. The language of "development" is obsolete. We need a new language of cooperation, democracy, and justice. And we need it now, before it's too late, before the forces of climate change carry us away on the tides of eternal change.

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Opinion | Is Progress Obsolete? The United States Is Now an 'Un-Developing' Country - Common Dreams

Sixty years ago today, President John F. Kennedy delivered his Moonshot speech at Rice University, committing to putting a man on the moon and bring him back. This afternoon at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, President Biden will discuss his bold vision for another American moonshot: ending cancer as we know it.It is a vision that will change peoples lives for the better, improve their health, and decrease the burden of the disease.

Cancer not only afflicts Democrats and Republicans, but all Americans. When we come together as a nation around ideas that unite us like fighting cancer we can show the world that anything is possible. The President has long believed that America can be defined with one word: possibilities. And the American people demonstrate every day what is possible.

When President Kennedy delivered his Moonshot speech, the United States had the building blocks to know what was possible. However, there were major scientific and societal advances that needed to happen.As a nation, we needed to fully commit to a future in which traveling to the moon was possible and we did just that.

Today, we have many of the building blocks needed to make significant progress combatting cancer, but we must come together to equitably deliver on this promise.

President Biden will announce new actions the Biden-Harris Administration is taking to deliver on this mission for the American people, and discuss progress made to date, including:

INAUGURAL ARPA-H DIRECTOR

In March, President Biden created the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to improve the U.S. governments ability to speed health and biomedical research. Today, President Biden is announcing his intention to appoint Dr. Renee Wegrzyn as the inaugural director of the new agency.

Dr. Wegrzyn, a leading biomedical scientist with professional experience working for two of the institutions that inspired the creation of ARPA-H the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) will deliver the strategy for the agencys nascent research portfolio and inaugural budget.

America has an extraordinary biomedical system that has delivered stunning advances previously seen as inconceivable from COVID-19 vaccines to drugs that can eliminate certain cancers. Under Dr. Wegrzyns leadership, ARPA-H will support programs and projects that undertake challenges ranging from the molecular to the societal, with the potential to transform entire areas of medicine and health in order to prevent, detect, and treat some of the most complex diseases such as Alzheimers, diabetes, and cancer, providing benefits for all Americans.

NATIONAL BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOMANUFACTURING INITIATIVE

Today, President Biden will sign an executive order that establishes the Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative to ensure cutting-edge biotechnologies necessary to end cancer as we know it and other innovations will be developed and manufactured in America. This will save lives, create jobs at home, build stronger supply chains, and lower prices for American families even in times of global turbulence.

Other countries are positioning themselves to become the worlds resource for biotechnology solutions and bio-manufactured products this new initiative adds to President Bidens economic plan to bring back manufacturing jobs to the United States. The United States has for too long relied heavily on foreign materials for bioproduction, and our past off-shoring of critical industries, including biotechnology, presents a threat to our ability to access key materials like including the active pharmaceutical ingredients for life-saving medications.

This initiative will grow the strength and diversity of domestic biomanufacturing capacity, expand market opportunities for bio-based products through the federal programs, drive research and development across all relevant agencies, streamline and harmonize appropriate regulation, and prioritize investments in applied biosafety research in biosecurity to reduce risk throughout research and development lifecycles. This initiative is rooted in the principles of equity, ethics, safety, and security that will help benefit all Americans and the global community, and maintain United States technological leadership and economic competitiveness.

CANCER CABINETS PROGRESS TOWARDS ENDING CANCER AS WE KNOW IT

When the President and First Lady reignited the Cancer Moonshot seven months ago, the first-ever Cancer Cabinet was formed to mobilize all levers of the federal government and realize the Presidents vision of ending cancer as we know it. In July 2022, the Cancer Cabinet unveiled priority actions to: (1) close the screening gap, (2) understand and address environmental exposure, (3) decrease the impact of preventable cancers, (4) bring cutting edge research through the pipeline to patients and communities, and (5) support patients and caregivers.

The Cancer Cabinet is announcing the following progress made towards reaching these goals:

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FACT SHEET: President Biden Details Cancer Moonshot Progress and New Initiatives on 60th Anniversary of President Kennedys Moonshot Address - The...

The solar power plants are at an advanced stage in their development, which means that, between the last quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023, the plants located in the Coquimbo, Valparaso, Metropolitana and Maule regions can become operational. The first plant to be operational, by November of this year, is expected to be the Santa Mara plant, in Valparaso.

This progress has been achieved as a result of an agreement with Gasco Luz, Four Trees Capital and, more recently, Levering Energy Solutions SpA, through ten-year lease contracts of these plants, which would involve an annual payment of around $360,000 by Banco Santander.

Thanks to this, Santander Chile will become the first bank in the country to have this type of energy compensation, as all of the electricity injected into the grid will be recognized as energy consumption from Non-Conventional Renewable Energy sources (NCRE) by the bank. This action will reduce the institutions carbon footprint by 1,500 tonnes CO2 per year.

We are excited to see how the construction of the solar plants that will offset the banks energy consumption is progressing steadily. This will be a major milestone for the industry, as it will be able to set the tone regarding what comes next in terms of the contribution to and concern for the environment by large Chilean companies, says Rafael Barbudo, head of Services at Banco Santander.

With the construction of these solar plants, the bank is in line with one of the Groups global commitments to contribute to the UN-led Sustainable Development Goals. Santander resolved that 100% of the energy it consumes should come from renewable sources in 2025.

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Santander Chile is making progress in building its solar plant network to offset its energy consumption - rea corporativa Banco Santander

OBSERVER Photo by M.J. StaffordThe sale of the White Inn was announced in mid July by the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency.

The new owners of the White Inn offered an update to the OBSERVER on their plans for the venerable Fredonia hotel.

Were going to start construction and start demo work on the interior, said Devin Jones, who partnered with Steven St. George to buy the structure in July.

Jones is taking a hard look at the kitchen design phase. He said they will likely have to dig up and reinstall the kitchen floor, and he also plans a new walk-in cooler/freezer.

The roof needs work, too. Jones said a roofing company will be brought in to secure the roof enough to get through the winter. The long-term, comprehensive repair job will start in the spring. That will include tearing out the old carpets.

The inside stuff that we can do right now, were gonna do, Jones said. That includes ordering new equipment and lining up contractors to install it.

I want to make a little sense of the giant shell we have, he said. Weve got a road ahead of us.

Jones said he is not ready to offer a time frame on when the hotel will reopen.

St. George said, Weve made significant progress in not only determining the scope of work required to restore the Inn to its former greatness, but were going to improve the Inn with modern conveniences, including new audio and video systems throughout the Inn, new heating and cooling systems, and all new kitchen equipment. We are working on getting quotes for further repairs and getting funding in line.

He added, Chautauqua County officials, including Mark Geise, Nathan Aldrich and Kristine Morabito; Fredonia Mayor Doug Essek; and others have gone out of their way to help make this project a success.

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'A road ahead of us' :Owners note 'progress' at White Inn - Evening Observer

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. (WKRG) In Orange Beach, Its a wonder any of the boats made it, two days after Hurricane Sally, we will have to totally rebuild this, Lynne Swafford was recording on her cell phone her first look at what Hurricane Sally had done to Zekes Marina. I was stunned but I was heartbroken primarily because I realized what the charter captains were going to be dealing with.

There was no doubt looking at all the destruction it was going to be an uphill climb.

It was mind-boggling how much destruction there was and I was here for Ivan and it was not even comparable in my opinion. Charter Captain Bobby Kelly is still doing what he loves but those early hours of the storm are as fresh as the days catch. I got a phone call from a friend of mine who said hey Bobby, your boats in my front yard.

His red charter boat Brianna along with almost every boat in the charter fleet was damaged or destroyed. This place was in splinters, he said looking around Zekes. The entire property it seemed like was all in splinters and you just wonder how you will ever come back from it.

We had to step back when we first saw it, said Swafford. Because your gut instinct is just to get started.

Looking at it now, its hard to find any sign of the storm at all. Swafford says there is not a deck board or piling that didnt have to be replaced. Two years seem like a long time to complete what we have in that short period of time.

Other parts of the community are still waiting for repairs. The scenic view at Perdido Pass is still obstructed by protective fencing from the broken and bent boardwalk. Those repairs are expected to start this Fall and be finished by Spring. There is no word yet on when the Gulf State Park Pier will be made whole again.

It is amazing how far this place has come back, adds Kelly

With all the damage Sally inflicted, two years later the scars are still there but so is the progress.

Stay ahead of the biggest stories, breaking news and weather in Mobile, Pensacola and across the Gulf Coast and Alabama. Download the WKRG News 5 news app and be sure to turn on push alerts.

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Progress and scars 2 years after Hurricane Sally - WKRG News 5

The fire is 35 miles northeast of Sacramento, CA

Firefighters are making good progress on the south, west, and north sides of the Mosquito Fire near Foresthill, California.

On the northeast side, the firing operation along Chicken Hawk, Old Foresthill, and Deadwood Roads is complete and is being mopped up. This will reduce the chance of the fire spreading further to the west and northwest.

Below Todd Valley on the west side, another firing operation is tying in that corner of the fire with the Middle Fork American River. Much of the south side from Volcanoville past Quintette is looking fairly secure.

What is left is the east side which this week, pushed by the prevailing winds out of the southwest, has been moving east about a half mile each day. Firefighters are prepping multiple north-south roads out ahead to the east which could serve as indirect firelines when complete.

Two miles east of the fire is the northernmost grove of Giant Sequoias (see map above), trees that can live for 3,000 years during normal climate conditions or if managed and protected appropriately. On Thursday firefighters completed a four-acre burn in this small grove. This was to reduce the fuel so that when the main fire comes through hopefully these huge trees will be protected.

The weather on Friday will be similar to what we have seen for several days, moderate relative humidity and wind. That will change Saturday as a system comes in that starts in the afternoon with strong southwest winds gusting to 23 mph, but the RH will still be moderate, in the upper 30s. These winds could throw out burning embers far ahead of the fire, starting spot fires that could increase the rate of spread significantly. Saturday night the wind will come out of the south at 14 mph and that is when the chances for rain begin. By Sunday morning the chances increase to 50 percent and through Monday will vary, but could be as high as 80 percent. The NWS forecast predicts the amount of precipitation through Tuesday could exceed one inch.

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Progress made on Mosquito Fire, but the weather will be changing - Wildfire Today