neoliberal playbook:

(1) Degrade public health by underfunding and corruption,
(2) watch it fail in a very public test, and
(3) replace it with coercion. Best of all, in future you can go directly to coercion!

05/10/2021

 

 left’s favorite floating signifier: neoliberalism.[Vulgar Marxism].

To grease the wheels of accumulation, every president from Jimmy Carter through George W. Bush helped build out a new model of governance that
cut corporate taxes,
dismantled welfare,
deregulated industry,
broke labor power, and
promoted financialization.

This is the original meaning of what is now the left’s favorite floating signifier: neoliberalism. In George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, a preacher explains the emergence of the undead by intoning: “When there is no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth.” Well, when there is no more labor to profitably exploit in the periphery, capital will deepen exploitation in the core. If capitalism is a vampire that “only lives by sucking living labor, and lives the more, the more labor it sucks,” as Marx described it, then neoliberalism is a zombie, returning to feast on the flesh of loved ones after picking the bones of strangers clean.

 

“Enough food” is each person having daily access to an average of 2,353 calories of culturally appropriate, locally available, affordable, unrefined, and delectable nourishment. The good news is that we already grow enough food to feed 10 billion people. The challenges are that the food is not fairly distributed, a lot of it is thrown away, and the process of growing it industrially is trashing the planet. Contrary to conventional mythology, smallholder farms and regenerative agriculture can feed the world. By paying attention to racial equity, Indigenous food sovereignty, waste reduction, and agroecosystem health, we can uproot hunger and seed justice on a planetary scale. —Leah Penniman, Black Kreyol farmer and food justice activist

https://www.yesmagazine.org/issue/how-much-is-enough/2021/08/10/meditations-on-enough

 

Morality demonstrated in stories can alter judgement for early adolescents

by Bert Gambini, University at Buffalo

Do children reading about particular moral characteristics absorb those traits as a building block for their own morality? The findings, which appear in the Journal of Media Psychology, suggest so, and further support how this indirect approach to socializing children's morality can supplement the direct teaching of moral principles kids might receive through formal instruction.

 ...

"When parents are considering what media they might want to select for their children, they can take into account 

- what particular moral value is being emphasized by the main character, and 

- how the main character is treated because of those actions," she says.

 

...

 

Hahn is first author of the new study, which adds critical nuance to a body of literature that explores how media content affects children. While many previous studies have focused on broad conceptualizations, like prosocial or antisocial effects that might be associated with specific content, Hahn's study looks at how exposure to content featuring specific moral values (care, fairness, loyalty and authority) might influence the weight kids place on those values.

 

 

...

For the study, Hahn and her colleagues took the main character from a young adult novel and edited the content to reflect in each version the study's focus on one of four moral values. A fifth version was manipulated in a way that featured an amoral main character. Those narratives were shared with roughly 200 participants between the ages of 10 and 14. This is a favorable range for media research because it's more difficult to introduce narrative comprehension in younger kids, while equally challenging to hold the attention of older adolescents, who become bored with rudimentary storylines, according to Hahn.

 

More information: Lindsay Hahn et al, Narrative Media's Emphasis on Distinct Moral Intuitions Alters Early Adolescents' Judgments, Journal of Media Psychology (2021). DOI: 10.1027/1864-1105/a000307

 

 

 Crise energética chinesa!?!?!

Menor crescimento da produção interna de carvão (4,4%)

    [causa medio prazo]

          (em relação ao crescimento do consumo de energia (14%) e [em do PIB],  

     [causa de curto prazo]

        menor importação (Austrália, agravado pelo AUKUS),

     [longo prazo, que o texto não fala, devido a mudança de base industrial, para indústria 4.0].

[médio prazo - China projeta cortes, no plano plurianual, em investimentos em projetos de mineração na África e América Latina, por exemplo)

Maior uso De energias renováveis 

[ indústrias eólicas e solares sao mais tecnologicamente avançadas e com cadeias de produção mais qualificadas - Se o carvão correspondeu a 4,4, de aumento da oferta, devido a 14% de aumento no consumo de energia, quanto do aumento da produção de energia foi derivado de fontes renováveis],

Diminuição de exportação de defensivos agrícolas [ ou pesticidas e fertilizantes] (para atender demanda interna - maior produtor, maior exportador, maior consumidor)

Redução de compra de minérios [problemas com fornecedores [ AUKUS, outros membros do falecido BRICS], 

Reduzir importação de gás natural e petróleo ( e também amônia, uréia [furacão IDA), por aumento de custo internacional 

"Crise" [ou melhor, alteração] do mercado imobiliário e construção civil (Evergrande) [ incentivo a construção para uso e desincentivo a construção para especulação, 

Ou 

[Mudança de matriz energética, para reduzir poluição, mitigar aquecimento global e aumentar autonomia energética?!?!?]

 [As reduções de importação e da emissao de gases estão relacionadas a alterações no plano plurianual, portanto, podem se relacionar não tanto a problemas derivados de causas imediatas, mas principalmente por tentativa de focar em questões básicas e de longo prazo, como dar conta do aumento das demandas internas, bem  como e se tornar mais autônomo e ou autarquico reduzir dependência externa]

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=33092

 

UK is in need of about 90,000 HGV drivers

Trade association Logistics UK estimates that the UK is in need of about 90,000 HGV drivers - with existing shortages made worse by a number of factors, including the
pandemic,
Brexit, an
ageing workforce, and
low wages and
poor working conditions.

This isn't a particularly popular idea with many cabinet ministers.

That's because the new immigration system that came in after Brexit was all about saying to companies: "You can't rely on cheap foreign labour any more, you've got to focus on the workforce in this country, you've got to train them, you've got to pay them better wages."

Relaxing those immigration rules now undermines that message. It could lead to other sectors saying they want special treatment too.

 https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58687026

About Panic buying

Panic buying is a natural reaction to a stressful experience. In particular, it's a response to uncertainty. When people feel things are uncertain, they tend to focus on something that gives them a sense of certainty and makes them feel in control.

Of course, most people can't recruit new lorry drivers or mobilize the army to help with the delivery—but they can stock up on fuel. In taking this action, they feel as if they are doing something proactive, and taking charge of the situation.

COVID-19 has exacerbated uncertainty around what the future may hold and increased anxiety for many people, which is notable given we know existing anxiety is a precursor for panic buying. So when people heard there were concerns about petrol supply, it's not altogether surprising they began queuing up with extra Jerry cans. People may be more susceptible to this behavior than usual given the pandemic.

,,,

 

Precise and thoughtful communication is key to alleviating concerns, and therefore deterring people from panic buying. In this case, the public needs reassurance that there is not going to be a petrol shortage, as well as information about solutions—but it needs to be convincing. For example, announcing that 5,000 HGV drivers will be able to get temporary work visas without stating how they will be recruited may not be seen as entirely credible.

The way language is used can also affect people's perception of a situation. It's encouraging to see reports indicating the government has advised councils not to use the terms "panic" or "panic buying" in this discussion. Indeed, widespread use of the word "panic" means we perceive others as panicking. And thinking back to the principles of herd behavior, we tend to assume others know what they're doing—and we become more likely to follow suit.

So it's important that the government, local authorities and the media be careful with the language they use during this time.

Things you can do

If you are in the UK and currently affected by the crisis, ask yourself whether you really need to buy petrol. If you decide you don't really need to—perhaps you can leave your car at home and take public transport—even this basic thought process is a way of taking charge and reducing anxiety levels.

If you're concerned about the possibility of not being able to drive your car, it's a good idea to come up with a plan B. What specifically would you do if you found yourself with an empty tank? Could you perhaps travel to work with a neighbor who still has petrol in their car? Check bus and train routes and travel times to see whether that may be a solution.

By having a specific plan, you will feel as if you are in charge—albeit in a different way—and this might make you feel less inclined to urgently seek petrol.

https://phys.org/news/2021-10-petrol-toilet-paper-ways-crisis.html