IF YOU ENJOY SR AND FIND IT USEFUL WOULD YOU PLEASE DONATE
When I began Schwartzreport my purpose was to produce an entirely fact-based daily publication in favor of the earth, the inter-connectedness and interdependence of all life, democracy, equality for all, liberty, and things that are life-affirming. Also, to warn my readers about actions, events, and trends that threaten those values. Our country now stands at a crossroads, indeed, the world stands at a crossroads where those values are very much at risk and it is up to each of us who care about wellbeing to do what we can to defend those principles. I want to thank all of you who have contributed to SR, particularly those of you who have scheduled an ongoing monthly contribution. It makes a big difference and is much appreciated. It is one thing to put in the hours each day and to do the work for free, but another to have to cover the rising out-of-pocket costs. For those of you who haven’t done so, but read SR regularly, I ask that you consider supporting it.
This article is the first I have seen that really climbs into the IVF procedure in the United States which, as it describes is very different than in other nations. Why? Because in the U.S. you can gender select, something you cannot do in other nations. And, because we don’t have healthcare focused on wellbeing, having an illness profit system, IVF is increasing a profit scheme. As I read this report what came up in my mind, was the history-changing cultural mistake the Chinese made by limiting families to one child, and then overwhelming having families choose boys. China now has a population skewed to males. The percentage of females is 49.02 percent compared to 50.98 percent males, which is 28 million more males than females. There are a lot of men in China who will never marry, and it has affected the culture. In America IVF is being used to go the other way, to choose girls. The trend is growing, and it will be interesting to see how it develops, but it is unlikely to have a positive effect.
Illustration by Anna Kim / Slate
Amy Yin always envisioned having at least two daughters. She spent her 20s working as an engineer and founding a startup in San Francisco. When she wasn’t working, vacationing with friends, and spoiling her cats, Amy dedicated herself to helping other women take charge and launch high-powered careers. Now 32, she’s bringing that same energy to her family planning. She has frozen her eggs and, when she’s ready, will undergo IVF so that she can select the sex of her future children. “I think I’ll raise really powerful women who are going to be rock-star leaders,” Amy told me, without hesitation.
In vitro fertilization is invasive, grueling, and expensive. One round costs an average of $20,000. Only 15 states require that insurance plans offer any kind of coverage for it—and even then, the coverage is usually minimal. The treatment is often a last resort for those who are eager to be parents but who face one roadblock or another when it comes to conceiving; some couples are struggling with fertility issues, […]
As the damage of the carbon industries and their role in creating climate change becomes ever more evident I think many Blue states are going to follow what Vermont is doing. This issue of the responsibility of the carbon industries, I think, is going to become a major political issue strongly influenced by the corruption of Congress and state legislatures.
Flood waters block a street in Barre, Vt on July 12, 2023 . Credit: Charles Krupa / AP
Modeled after the EPA’s Superfund program, which forces companies to pay for toxic waste cleanup, the climate superfund bill would charge major fossil fuel companies doing business within the state billions of dollars for their past emissions.
Vermont is poised to pass a groundbreaking measure forcing major polluting companies to help pay for damages caused by the climate crisis, in a move being closely watched by other states including New York and California.
Modeled after the EPA’s Superfund program, which forces companies to pay for toxic waste cleanup, the climate superfund bill would charge major fossil fuel companies doing business within the state billions of dollars for their past emissions.
The measure would make Vermont the first US state to hold fossil fuel companies liable for their planet-heating pollution. “If you contributed to a mess, you should play a role in cleaning it up,” […]
Hannah Devlin, Science Correspondent - The Guardian (U.K.)
Stephan:
What I have been warning you about AI is now becoming increasingly recognized as this article describes. I think this is going to have a significant impact on our democracy because many people are easily manipulated by influences they see as authoritarian. To understand why take a look at my podcast. What I describe is changing American society radically already.
The researchers found an instance of an AI system playing a board game telling another player: ‘I am on the phone with my girlfriend.’ Credit: Wodthikorn Phutthasatchathum / Alamy
The analysis, by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers, identifies wide-ranging instances of AI systems double-crossing opponents, bluffing and pretending to be human. One system even altered its behaviour during mock safety tests, raising the prospect of auditors being lured into a false sense of security.
“As the deceptive capabilities of AI systems become more advanced, the dangers they pose to society will become increasingly serious,” said Dr Peter Park, an AI existential safety researcher at MIT and author of the research.
Park was prompted to investigate after Meta, which owns Facebook, developed a program called Cicero that performed in the top 10% of human players at the world conquest strategy game Diplomacy. Meta stated that Cicero had been trained to be […]
Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood, Reporters - CNN
Stephan:
Biden has changed his position on Israel and its genocide, and I think this is happening because of the large demonstrations at colleges and universities across the country. I believe the Democrats and Biden are beginning to realize his unquestioning support of Netanyahu may cost him the election. In Israel, Biden’s public statements are provoking shock and anger in Netanyahu’s administration. We will see how this develops. I hope Biden takes an even stronger position against what Israel is doing.
President Biden Credit: CNN
The Biden administration said Friday that it is “reasonable to assess” that US weapons have been used by Israeli forces in Gaza in ways that are “inconsistent” with international humanitarian law but stopped short of officially saying Israel violated the law.
The report which was drafted by the State Department said that investigations into potential violations are ongoing but noted that the US does “not have complete information to verify” whether the US weapons “were specifically used” in alleged violations of international humanitarian law.
“Given the nature of the conflict in Gaza, with Hamas seeking to hide behind civilian populations and infrastructure and expose them to Israeli military action, as well as the lack of USG personnel on the ground in Gaza, it is difficult to assess or reach conclusive findings on individual incidents. Nevertheless, given Israel’s significant reliance on U.S.-made defense articles, it is reasonable to assess that defense articles covered under NSM-20 have been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its IHL obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm,” the report said.
Recently I have had several readers write me, often criticizing me, and asking why I say the Red States, particularly the Red States of the South, have such inferior governance, and such poor wellbeing. They tell me they accept the social outcome data I publish frequently. but they don’t understand or deny my conclusions. So why do the old Confederacy states continue such poor governance? Here is the answer. The Red States are not governed to product wellbeing. They are governed to further enrich a White minority and maintain White supremacy. Facts are facts whether you believe or like them or not.
Summary: The Southern economic development model has failed to create shared prosperity in the region. In fact, this model was deliberately designed to do the opposite—to extract the labor of Black and brown Southerners as cheaply as possible. This report examines the racist roots of the model and provides the necessary context to challenge the enduring racial hierarchy in the South.
Key findings
From low wages to unfair tax policies to a weak safety net, the Southern economic development model ensures that businesses continue to have access to cheap Black labor even after the abolition of slavery.
A key component of the Southern economic development model is low wages. Twenty states still use the federal minimum wage of $7.25, and half of these states are in the South.
On top of struggling with low wages, many Southerners—particularly Black and brown Southerners—have trouble accessing unemployment insurance and other benefits, which are often inadequate.
Policymakers have worked to limit Southerners’ rights to unionize and bargain collectively since unions make it hard to keep wages low and benefits stingy.
Why this matters
Analyzing the roots and evolution of the Southern economic development model shows that civil rights are deeply connected to workers’ rights. We need an economic strategy that reverses the impact of 150 years of racist, anti-worker policymaking in the South.
How to fix it
The Southern economic development model cannot […]
There are all these pro-Palestinian demonstrations and tent camps at colleges and Universities across the United States, but I wonder if these young people realize the actual political reality. Biden, although he is not, in my opinion, doing a very good job is still the one trying to stop the carnage, and the Republicans are the party that wants more bombs to be sent to Israel. Here in their own words is the evidence.
Speaker of the House Republican Mike Johnson Credit: The Hill
President Biden’s move to pause a shipment of heavy bombs to Israel has drawn the fury of Republicans, further polarizing U.S. efforts to deter Israel from launching a bloody campaign in southern Gaza.
The U.S. held back some 3,500 bombs that had already been approved for Israel as the White House is growing increasingly frustrated with the civilian toll in Gaza and is concerned about a looming Israeli full-scale invasion of Rafah, a southern city where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering.
But the decision to hold back weapons shipments is among the most significant actions that Biden has taken to assert U.S. leverage amid Israel’s war in Gaza. While progressives have long called for such weapons restrictions, Republicans responded to the move with blistering statements attacking Biden.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and House Armed Services Chair Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said in a joint statement Wednesday they were “appalled that the administration paused crucial arms shipments to Israel,” accusing […]
This story about the Republican politicians in Louisiana is disgusting. I don’t know how Republicans live with themselves. As this report describes how would you ever get the image of a raped child delivering a baby while holding her Teddy Bear out of your memory? I certainly couldn’t. But then most of these anti-choice politicians have never seen anyone deliver a baby. All they care about is White male dominance. And the Tradwives who vote for Republicans seem to find their submission the most important factor in their lives.
A state legislative committee in Louisiana has blocked the advancement of a bill that was designed to allow young people who are pregnant as the result of rape or incest to obtain abortions.
But the House Committee on Criminal Justice voted 7-4 against the measure, with all opposing votes coming from Republican lawmakers, some of whom tried to justify their votes by claiming they were protecting the “innocence” of fetuses.
The world of the next century is going to be very different than it is today. It isn’t just climate change, it is also dramatically changing population levels, and vast migrations both internally and across nations. Here is the headline on population from this research paper. “In the decades immediately ahead, East Asia will experience perhaps the modern world’s most dramatic demographic shift. All of the region’s main states—China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan—are about to enter into an era of depopulation, in which they will age dramatically and lose millions of people. According to projections from the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic Social Affairs, China’s and Japan’s populations are set to fall by eight percent and 18 percent, respectively, between 2020 and 2050. South Korea’s population is poised to shrink by 12 percent. And Taiwan’s will go down by an estimated eight percent. The U.S. population, by contrast, is on track to increase by 12 percent.”
In the decades immediately ahead, East Asia will experience perhaps the modern world’s most dramatic demographic shift. All of the region’s main states—China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan—are about to enter into an era of depopulation, in which they will age dramatically and lose millions of people. According to projections from the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic Social Affairs, China’s and Japan’s populations are set to fall by eight percent and 18 percent, respectively, between 2020 and 2050. South Korea’s population is poised to shrink by 12 percent. And Taiwan’s will go down by an estimated eight percent. The U.S. population, by contrast, is on track to increase by 12 percent.
People—human numbers and the potential they embody—are essential to state power. All else being equal, countries with more people have more workers, bigger economies, and a larger pool of potential soldiers. As a result, growing countries find it much easier to augment power and extend influence abroad. […]
