There is so much literature on change management and how to create or modify culture. I am watching a Benedict Cumberbatch Documentary “How to Live on Earth”. You can watch it for free on Utube— I encourage you to invest your valuable time. The amazing Actor, begins by saying that some people want to move to Mars, he then shows a picture of the very bleak landscape and deadpans, “that would be fun”. I do encourage Musk to move to that Planet from whatever Planet he currently occupies—instead the documentary outlines some things we can and are doing save our beautiful orb. The prediction is that supporting the biodiversity of our planet will provide wealth, health, and perhaps happiness. The future is going to require significant adaptation and it will not be on a fossil fuel based economy.
I drove Clio to an event downtown this week. We ended up behind a very large dump truck with the dual exhausts on the top of the bed. The diesel fumes actually made us feel sick. Clio wanted to know what smelled so bad and we discussed the burning of fuels. Her analysis was very interesting, “does my Dad’s truck burn diesel”. We likely did not need a scientist to tell us about pollution especially if we were going to hide the facts or cover up the potential damage to our health and future.
The United Nations Climate change conference, COP31, started this week in Antalya, Türkiye. The United States is not officially taking part although we have a coalition of over 100 State and local leaders including Governors, Mayors and members of Congreve in attendance. This is one of the multiple conferences that have been held this year around the world. We should never forget who took our country out of the Paris Climate Agreement for the second time in 2025. Interesting, the only non member countries are Iran, Libya, and Yemen oh yeah, and the U. S. A. Our country is not contributing to the fund to support remediation in third world countries along with leaving our pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50% below 2005 levels by 2030. Make American Great Again Policy reversals by a climate denying administration and supported by those who benefit from and fund his Regime sum up our logic. Our policy is to maximize domestic oil, gas and coal production. To top that ridiculous plan, the Orange Felon has rolled back clean energy tax credits, repealed vehicle fuel-efficiency standards, overturned EPA emission limits on fossil fuel power plants. It is estimated that by abandoning our climate pledge our country will contribute .15C to global warming by the end of the century. We are reported to be the only G20 economy with escalating emissions in 2026, attributable to policies outlined above and Ai data centers. The War that should have been started was on greenhouse gas emissions and protecting our ecosystems. The Blue Wave we just experienced could put out country back on track to lead the world in protecting our planet in an economically sustainable manner.
I likely don’t need to point out all of the catastrophic weather events of the last few years. The Native tribes in the Columbia River Valley remind us that Earth provides nourishment and sustains human life, our job is to always stand up for and protect nature. Whether it is as a religious belief or just self preservation, that symbiotic relationship is out of balance. The Documentary I recommended will give you some insights into how that can happen.
I grew up with the knowledge that to properly count the seconds, you needed a four syllable word to stretch the space between the numbers just enough. If you are playing hide and go seek, tag, or using flag football pass rules adding Mississippi to each number forces a steady pace. The original idea was suggested by a Psychologist as a good cadence when climbing stairs. Like so many good ideas it spread to school yard games. The patience and perseverance of Scott Colom, the first black Senator from Mississippi in 150 years is cause for celebration.
I applaud the American voters, 90% of whom, were fed up with the corruption in the White House. That frustration along with health care and affordability led the way to the Orange Crush. Jamie Raskin is the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, he suggested that the Orange Wanker and his family should be held responsible for their corruption. The remedy would be “disgorgement”, a legally enforced removal of all profits, money, or assets obtained through illegal, unethical, or wrongful conduct. I love a happy ending.
Enjoy the coming rains and hopefully snow in the mountains. Mike
One Mississippi
