Personal Responsibility
I feel that us humans are the biggest enemy to this planet....I think that every adult that is fortunate enough to live in a country where they have access to luxuries like grocery stores, a flushing toilet at home and water coming out of a faucet has a personal responsibility to make an effort to do their part to make this world a better place. Anything else in my eyes is morally wrong. You can start small like NOT littering. I just read this very informative article
www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/biodiversity and there is so much information easily accessible on the web. Here are some snippets but I recommend that you read the whole article.
“When a species goes extinct, it’s gone forever. Losing species isn’t just deeply sad, it’s also dangerous. It’s like throwing bits of an aeroplane out the window mid-flight – we don’t know what species are crucial parts of a functioning ecosystem. And when ecosystems start unravelling, we all suffer. We rely on nature for literally everything that matters: food, air, water. Our health depends on the planet’s health.”
“Rich people have lots of choice, poor people have much less, it’s harder for people on low incomes... so the messages have to be different according to people’s circumstances”, says Professor Lang. What does he recommend? “Eat less, eat diverse, buy organic and sustainably produced food wherever possible, and eat a variety of plants.”
“Within the food industry I would like to see a very radical transformation. The food processing industry has got to support organic and biodiverse cropping systems. They must simply produce less. And they must phase down and alter animal production.”
“There are responsible ways of eating meat. You can begin with knowing the farm your animal came from and what kind of life the animal had. There are examples of well-managed, pasture-raised meat.”
“In the last 50 years, fishing has been the leading cause of loss of marine biodiversity, and scientists are concerned about the collective threats facing our seas."
"Fish are sometimes caught up in trawlers as ‘by-catch’ (fish caught by mistake and thrown back into the sea). Around 10 million tonnes of by-catch is caught per year and thrown back into the sea, often dead."
"Dairy milk and cheese have large impacts because of the land use, manure, chemicals and water use – and because of the quantities they’re consumed in.... Cheese is a problem because it’s basically a very condensed version of milk, requiring multiple litres of milk to produce 1kg of cheese.”
Also RECYCLE - please! Six out of ten human items most commonly found in the oceans are recyclable. Animals sustain life threatening injuries because of the trash and recycling that end up in the ocean. The best way to prevent this from happening is to create a strong recycling culture. Please learn how to recycle right and if you have trash, properly bag it, throw it in the trash bin and put a lid on it. And if someone offers you a plastic straw or a plastic bag think again....do you really need this item or could you do without it?
It is NEVER too late to change for the better! My personal journey as a human living my life here on this planet is to improve and do better. I love animals and I love nature.
I also use these plastic bags recycling collecting bins that are located in many grocery stores where I live. I do not use plastic bags when I bag my groceries, I would rather carry the stuff out in my arms than get a plastic bag for that but when I get fruit and vegetables I do bag those (depending on the amount) in the thin plastic bags that are found in the produce section. And I recycle all of those bags.
I do not eat meat and I do not miss it. Last night I had potatoes and cauliflower for dinner and again for lunch today (leftovers). Delicious cauliflower that I cooked in the oven with garlic and olive oil. There are plenty of alternatives to meat and fish.
www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/biodiversity and there is so much information easily accessible on the web. Here are some snippets but I recommend that you read the whole article.
“When a species goes extinct, it’s gone forever. Losing species isn’t just deeply sad, it’s also dangerous. It’s like throwing bits of an aeroplane out the window mid-flight – we don’t know what species are crucial parts of a functioning ecosystem. And when ecosystems start unravelling, we all suffer. We rely on nature for literally everything that matters: food, air, water. Our health depends on the planet’s health.”
“Rich people have lots of choice, poor people have much less, it’s harder for people on low incomes... so the messages have to be different according to people’s circumstances”, says Professor Lang. What does he recommend? “Eat less, eat diverse, buy organic and sustainably produced food wherever possible, and eat a variety of plants.”
“Within the food industry I would like to see a very radical transformation. The food processing industry has got to support organic and biodiverse cropping systems. They must simply produce less. And they must phase down and alter animal production.”
“There are responsible ways of eating meat. You can begin with knowing the farm your animal came from and what kind of life the animal had. There are examples of well-managed, pasture-raised meat.”
“In the last 50 years, fishing has been the leading cause of loss of marine biodiversity, and scientists are concerned about the collective threats facing our seas."
"Fish are sometimes caught up in trawlers as ‘by-catch’ (fish caught by mistake and thrown back into the sea). Around 10 million tonnes of by-catch is caught per year and thrown back into the sea, often dead."
"Dairy milk and cheese have large impacts because of the land use, manure, chemicals and water use – and because of the quantities they’re consumed in.... Cheese is a problem because it’s basically a very condensed version of milk, requiring multiple litres of milk to produce 1kg of cheese.”
Also RECYCLE - please! Six out of ten human items most commonly found in the oceans are recyclable. Animals sustain life threatening injuries because of the trash and recycling that end up in the ocean. The best way to prevent this from happening is to create a strong recycling culture. Please learn how to recycle right and if you have trash, properly bag it, throw it in the trash bin and put a lid on it. And if someone offers you a plastic straw or a plastic bag think again....do you really need this item or could you do without it?
It is NEVER too late to change for the better! My personal journey as a human living my life here on this planet is to improve and do better. I love animals and I love nature.
I also use these plastic bags recycling collecting bins that are located in many grocery stores where I live. I do not use plastic bags when I bag my groceries, I would rather carry the stuff out in my arms than get a plastic bag for that but when I get fruit and vegetables I do bag those (depending on the amount) in the thin plastic bags that are found in the produce section. And I recycle all of those bags.
I do not eat meat and I do not miss it. Last night I had potatoes and cauliflower for dinner and again for lunch today (leftovers). Delicious cauliflower that I cooked in the oven with garlic and olive oil. There are plenty of alternatives to meat and fish.
Here the police had retreated for a while and suddenly called the gathering an unlawful assembly and announced (via megaphone) that protesters were subject to arrest. Nobody left. Including myself. According to a few people that I talked to the police had shot a person in the forehead with a rubber bullet and after that they (the police) went either inside or behind the Justice Center. I did not see anybody injured by a rubber bullet or any other object while I was downtown. That doesn't mean it didn't happen. 
Painted on the boards that are put up to protect the stores. 
I like the Lady Justice. 
And then much of downtown Portland is covered in this.....Now I know what ACAB, Fuck 12 and other things like 88 mean. I guess you are never too old to learn new stuff. 
Some people are giving out free water and are trying to gather up trash. Some businesses are completely untouched and others got looted and damaged the first night of the protests, many places are boarded up. 
I saw a fire in a dumpster one night. 
I don't understand why people bring animals and children to events like these. It is a loud stressful situation that can escalate into something violent and scary within seconds. I think it is very irresponsible and foolish to subject a poor animal to this. 
Random scribble that I suspect don't mean anything really, people are just caught up in the moment. No thought behind it....more like, others do it so I will too. 
Part of the protest reminded me of the raves I used to go to back in the day, similar friendly vibe except no music and dancing. But then there were other destructive aspects of the crowd that were very un rave like. Here is what I think. I feel bad for the police, I saw them getting taunted and yelled at by people that perhaps one day will need the help and protection of the police. So I want to say THANK YOU to the police for being brave and helping people in need while often risking their own safety in the process. I am against police brutality and I do think that there needs to be some sort of reform to get rid of the negative aspects in the police force but to defund and get rid of the police in today's American society and let people do what they want? I don't see that as a possibility. Regular society is not like Burning Man where the majority of people get along and help each other. Regular society are places like Chicago and Detroit and burglaries, rapes, child molesters, murders, abductions, violence - you name it. I am not an innocent angel and I have never pretended to be either, I am guilty of crimes as well but nothing that comes close to a serious felony. I will watch how CHAZ is going to unfold, CHAZ or Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone that covers six blocks or so in Seattle since a few days now. I kind of want to take a trip there to see it for myself. Right away I thought about Freetown Christiania located in København (Copenhagen) Denmark when I heard of CHAZ. Christiania was created in 1971 and it still exists. But Denmark and the US are two very different countries. George Floyd's GoFundMe has amassed a large amount of money (over thirteen million dollars). To achieve real justice in my eyes some of the money should go towards David Dorn's family, as well as to the other people's families that had somebody die because of the protests in George Floyd's name and to the injured like Shay Mikalonis. The money should go to the business owners that got their places looted and destroyed and the money should go towards cleaning up and restoring all the destruction of public property. Also let's not forget the woman that George Floyd threatened and burglarized years ago, she too should get some for her pain, suffering and the trauma the he caused her. THAT would be justice. Floyd was a 46 year old father of five (supposedly) that was trying to turn his life around (supposedly). I am sure he was a nice man to the people that knew him but I do not think a responsible father should have meth and fentanyl in his system. Clearly he did absolutely not deserve to die the way he did. And I think that most people agree with that what happened was wrong. But I do not think that he is some sort of a hero. Who is protesting for and speaking up on David Dorn's behalf? Where are the large gatherings of outraged people shouting his name? He surely did not deserve to be shot and killed so that somebody (a 24 year old black guy) could loot a shop. What kind of a life did David Dorn live before he was shot dead at age 77? He left behind a wife, five children, 10 grandchildren and decades of service for the St.Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Although many of the people that I encountered downtown Portland were friendly, I also saw things that made me feel sad and got me thinking that hell is here on earth. Human beings are so messed up. We are the real virus that will kill everything eventually. I feel that the situation on this planet as a whole, all the ongoing problems and suffering that go on all over the world, much of it is beyond repair. I will try to do my part in what I believe in and I do believe in trying to make the world a better place, I do believe in helping others when I can and caring for animals and the environment but some people don't care about anything besides themselves. In the end we are all humans sharing the planet together and the more we can all somehow try to coexist the better off we will be. It makes perfect sense and it sounds easy but it sure is difficult to put into practice.
I was tempted to go downtown and see the situation with my own eyes but in the end I decided against it. My thoughts on riot, vandalism and looting? I say go ahead and arrest and charge everybody involved with destroying stuff and endangering the safety of others. NOTHING....again NOTHING good will come out of it. I agree with protesting for what's right and fair, I believe in standing up for yourself and others when you see injustice and I also believe that violence is justified in certain situations like self defense but I do not believe in what is happening on the streets now. These people, or THUGS which is an appropriate term to describe them as said by president Trump are acting without logic. I would like for their own homes, businesses and vehicles to be set on fire and destroyed or perhaps their parents. Then there would be a different tune. Maybe that would be a fair punishment....you burn down somebody's house, business or car then you will stand by and watch when whatever you have gets set on fire. Portland has been scheduled to slowly open up after being shut down due to COVID-19, many have been without jobs and now add THIS to make things even more difficult. Yeah.... And speaking of the president....I got called a Trump supporter today for pointing out that making fun of his hair is immature. OK then. You are talking about the hair of a man in his 70s, like making fun of it? What the fuck does your own hair look like? Do you have a leg to stand on? If you do not agree with the president's policies then talk about that specific issue. Speak like an adult with some form of intelligence left in the brain. I definitely do not agree with the current US president on a lot but I am not a political science major, I try to limit my discussions to topics that I have some knowledge about and before getting so angry that my temper boils over I try to fact check and read up on stuff before spewing out some "facts" that are far from the truth. I know that there is a lot that most of us are not even aware of that goes on in the world of politics. I do NOT envy the role of president or prime minister anywhere, seems extremely stressful and comes with enormous responsibilities. Trump supporter? Actually I would had given my vote, had I been allowed to vote, to Bernie Sanders. As far as who I would vote for between the two candidates running here in the US in 2020.....there are other parties besides the two major ones. I would put my vote on somebody else.
