RESPONSE to “IN MY OPINION: Clean and Sober”

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RESPONSE: to “Clean and Sober”

By David Shadrick

Introduction

Hello, my name is Reverend David Shadrick but I’d appreciate it if you would just call me Dave. I run a small non-profit called Street Level Resources. I would like to respond to Jennifer’s Troy’s two recent articles; “Homeless Helping Homeless” and her follow-up article, “Clean and Sober.”

For Education

Education is my goal, not conflict. Most people understand that a large part of the homeless population are mentally ill, or are alcoholics or drug addicts, or all three. The reality of homelessness is that 85% of the chronically homeless are mentally ill.  “Chronically homeless” is a category that describes people who are homeless in excess of one year.

Who Are We Talking About?

I’m not sure how the homeless participants for the Kenton Women’s Village were selected.  Did the project contain only handpicked people who complied with certain prerequisites?  Were they required to be clean and sober? Were they on prescribed anti-psychotic medications? The reason I ask is because Jennifer’s results are very good when the demographic for the homeless is applied. One to two participants out of such a group of 14 is good.

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GLOBAL SEX TRAFFICKING: PART VI-AUSTRALIA

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GLOBAL SEX TRAFFICKING:

PART VI – AUSTRALIA 

By Trevor K. McNeil

On the Surface

Australia is generally seen as a tough, sporty, happy-go-lucky western democracy. A small isolated continent surrounded by water in a geographic region known as Oceania. A tangle of contradictions and mix of traditions making it one of the most unique, unusual and interesting nations on earth. Sadly it is also a tier 1 level country in terms of international human and sex trafficking. This despite consistently complying with minimum requirements.

Not Enough

It turns out the minimum is not quite enough. Trafficking is rampant in Australia in terms of both labor and sexual exploitation. It is difficult to know exactly how bad the problem is, as there is little reliable data on the issue. The government is quite scattershot in terms of acknowledging the issue. Often downplaying it as not to sully their international reputation.

No Significant Steps

According to a report by the United States Justice Department, while levels of sex trafficking are relatively low, it remains a persistent problem. Mostly due to a lack of significant steps on the part of the government. Of the 87 cases of sex trafficking in 2014, less than half ended in prosecution. Despite cases such as a 15-year-old girl who, after suffering horrific abuse requiring surgery for severe damage to her anus, was sold to an undercover police officer for $5,000.

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Growing Wealth Inequality: A Danger Sign for Democracy

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Growing Wealth Inequality:

A Danger Sign for Democracy

By D.S. Mitchell & Jones William

Uneven Distribution

Wealth inequality occurs when income and assets are unevenly distributed within a group of people, or society. There are at least three measures of that distribution of wealth. Economic inequality is generally grouped into three categories; pay, income and wealth.

1) Pay

Pay is the amount received from employment only. Pay can be based on an hourly, weekly, monthly or yearly basis. Pay may also include bonuses and benefits. Pay inequality: the difference between individuals’ pay across all 50 states (or within one company).

2) Income

Income includes all the money received through pay, investments, state benefits, rent, pensions (personal, company, state) and savings. Income is calculated on an individual or household basis. Income inequality, is the disparity of money streams between groups and individuals.

3) Wealth

Wealth is the total assets of an individual or household. It includes all assets of value: bonds, stocks,  pensions, art, jewelry, boats, planes, automobiles, savings, investments, and real estate. Wealth is a collection of assets minus liabilities. Wealth inequality, is the difference between the valuation of all assets owned by groups or individuals.

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Extreme Measures: Late Term Abortion

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STATE OF THE UNION: MORE LIES 

Extreme Measures: Late Term Abortion

By Trevor K. McNeil

Carefully Choreographed

An annual national event, the State of the Union Address. A carefully choreographed and historic obligation of the President of the United States. A lot of pomp and ceremony. A chance for the chief of the executive branch and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces to tell the Congress and the nation his assessment of how the country is doing. Time to have a moment of reflection and even humility when necessary, as a president evaluates the actions of his administration in terms of domestic and international events. At least that is what is it is supposed to be.

A Vulgar Display

President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday, February 5th , 2019 was one of the most vulgar displays of tone-deaf arrogance in Presidential history. Including Theodore Roosevelt’s statement about “speak softly and carry a big stick” and Richard Nixon’s earnest assertion that “if the president does it, it is not a crime.”

So Many Gaffs So Little Time

There were many moments that stand out. There was his surety that the female congressional representatives were applauding for him when he mentioned that that they existed. As well as his infuriating claim that over 300 women and girls were rescued at the border. Many of the young female migrants who had already been victimized by sex traffickers on their way to the U.S. and then locked in  dog runs when they arrived here.

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Global Sex Trafficking: Part V-North America

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Global Sex Trafficking:

Part V: North America

By Trevor K. McNeil

“Sex terrorism is the use of illicit sex, violence and threats to intimidate or coerce to the state of fear and submission. Sex trafficking includes the transportation of persons by means of coercion, deception and /or force into exploitative and slavery-like conditions, and is commonly associated with organized crime,”–Erika Klein, activist, writer.

Show Me The Money

Poverty and the desire to get out of it can be a very powerful motivator, although capitalism can also be a motivating factor. For everyone who “pulls themselves up by their boot-straps,” as per the American Delusion, there are more who pursue a darker journey. Taking advantage of the freest of markets in the world. The one that is completely free of any regulation, because it operates outside the law. An estimated two-thirds trafficking victims in the United States are U.S. citizens. With foreign-born women, government statistics estimate between 15,000 and 50,000 are trafficked into the country each year. Foreign born sex trafficking victims for the most part come to the United States legally on various types of visas.

The Need and the Damage Done

The most lucrative illegal market is narcotics. It is the only vice to have a democratic government declare “war” on it. Some of the richest people in North America are drug dealers. As evidence of that fact, Massachusetts has just brought suit against the billionaire Sackler family and their company, Purdue Pharma. Massachusetts claims Purdue Pharma and the Sacklers personally and actively pushed their highly addictive narcotic pain-killer, Oxycontin on an unsuspecting populace.

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Homeless Helping Homeless

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Portland, Oregon is a beautiful city with a large homeless population

Portland, Oregon is a beautiful city with a large homeless population.

Just My Opinion:

HOMELESS HELPING THE HOMELESS

By Jennifer Troy

More Homeless Communities

Tiny house communities established by charitable agencies and social welfare groups for the homeless are sprouting up nationwide.   The primary concern is getting people off the streets and into a safe place. A big step. But then what?

Still Lost

What happens now that food, shelter and a safe haven to sleep at night have been given to these people? Is there any real expectation that any of them will re-enter the 5 day-a-week work world? Will they be able to move on into non-subsidized housing? Is there a place in society for them to return to? Even though they are off the streets they may still lack social, physical and monetary resources to keep themselves off the streets in the future. These people have been  lost and need help reintegrating back into the normal world.  Training and/or re-training is needed. Learning how to compete for jobs, interviewing techniques, correct language use, clean and presentable dress. All these skills need to be learned, before self-sufficiency can be achieved. Without such training the risk is more damaged self-esteem and failure.

Reality Bite

As I see it, what needs to happen within these communities is a mirroring of what life is like for everyone else working their way through this crazy thing called life. Not just three hots and a cot. But, a safe place to relearn, or learn for the first time, the skills needed to function and be self-sufficient in American society. A place where they can be given a “trial run”,  before facing the world again.

Bucking Trends

In many ways this runs counter to current trends. Many seem to think all we as a society need to do is  offer subsidized housing forever to the chronically homeless.  I believe that these people can do more and be more than we are asking of them.  “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,” Chinese quotation.  Let’s give them more than a bed, let’s give them an opportunity.  Let’s teach them how to fish. This is where the idea of the homeless helping the homeless comes from.

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The Alphabet Soup of Sexual Identity

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In My Opinion:

The Alphabet Soup of Sexual Identity

By Trevor K. McNeil

Too Far

It might be time to come up with a single word expression to replace the alphabet soup of letters & symbols currently in use

One of the most common subjects of mockery, especially on the right is the ever-expanding series of letter & symbols used to identify humans with non-standard sexual identity.

Times have changed as they tend to do. With that change comes discomfort and usually backlash. Look no further than the political corners of YouTube and Reddit for examples of this.   LGBTTQQIAAP has become a subject of mockery. Especially on the right. The the ever-expanding series of letters used to quickly identify humans who have non-standard sexual identity has lost its practicality. There are now up to as many as eleven letters in its longest form. It is becoming obvious that they have a point. Things have gone slightly off the rails in terms understandable and honorable attempts at representation. Though it is also fair to ask where this all started and how things got to this point.

A Good Idea At The Time

For many years the existence of non-heterosexual sexual identity was generally not acknowledged by mainstream society. This changed in the late 1960’s with events such as the Stonewall Riots in 1969 and the first performance of the openly gay play “The Boys in the Band” on Broadway a year earlier in 1968. In 1973 the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses. The term “Gay Community” came into use as a non-derogatory way to refer in general to men and women who were not heterosexual.

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What Is Threatening the Great Barrier Reef?

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This could all be gone be 2060

Efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef are falling short of what is needed. It could all be gone by 2060

The Great Barrier Reef Is Dying
What Can We Do About It?

By Brett Kondratiew                                   

A Local

As a “dinky di” Australian, living in Queensland, I am fortunate enough that one of the great natural wonders of the world, The Great Barrier Reef, is local to me. I am also fortunate to have been there on holiday several times and always marvel at its unique and amazing beauty. The reef is in the Coral Sea, just off Queensland’s coast.

World Heritage Site

To give you a bit of background, the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system. It consists of 2,900 individual reefs, and 900 separate islands stretching across 1,500 miles. This amazing feature is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms. The reef was built by billions of tiny organisms called coral polyps. Evidence indicates the complete reef has been in place at least 600,000 years. The current living reef formation grew on top of the older reef an estimated 6,000 to 20,000 years ago. The reef supports a variety of marine life.  It was designated a World Heritage Site in 1981.

Multiple Issues

It was designated a World Heritage Site in 1981.  The reef  is subject to environmental threat. According to studies the reef has lost more than half of its coral cover since 1985.  A large part of the reef is within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park which helps limit the impact of human use. But the environmental pressures on the eco-system are great and varied and primarily man-made.

Not One Culprit

Much of  popular sentiment suggests global warming is the major issue. Climate change is having a significant effect on the Great Barrier Reef, however, there are many others issues that need to be added to the list of usual suspects. Like in many other coastal areas around the world, over-fishing, pollution, shipping, coastal and urban development, tourism and agricultural runoff are all contributing factors.

Climate Change

There is no argument that warming oceans, a direct result of global warming is affecting the Great Barrier Reef. A startling 2016 report indicated nearly 500 sq miles of the northern end of the reef had significant coral bleaching.

Coral Bleaching

Rising ocean temperatures force the coral to expel the algae cells living in their tissues. The algae give the coral both color, and act as a food source. Once the algae is expelled the coral turns completely white (“bleached”) and is vulnerable to disease and starvation. Coral can survive the bleaching event, but future stress can overwhelm the organism, leading to mass death. The major issue here is that live coral is part of the food chain. As a result, marine life, reliant on live coral also suffer. Anything that has an impact on this unique eco-system needs to be recognized and addressed if we are going to save this natural treasure.

Over-fishing

Over-fishing is another major issue confronting the Great Barrier Reef. It is most clear, in the way it changes the food chain and eco-system. The Coral Trout and the Red Emperor are the bigger fish that feed on the smaller ones. With the predators depleted the smaller ones flourish, but change the current eco-structure.   The captures of predatory fish, like Coral Trout and Red Emperor mean there are far more “prey” left in the waters. As a result, the variety of fish that is needed for a healthy eco-system has been reduced. James Cook University, which is situated close to The Great Barrier Reef, stated in a recent study “diversity is what helps make reefs resilient to change.”

Coastal Development

When referring to coastal development, we are looking at human intervention. The creation or extension of tourism areas, including new houses, resorts, roads, and restaurants, are all examples. As these are often beachfront, they contribute to increased erosion, water traffic and pollution. These also have an effect on marine eco-systems that are already fragile and sensitive to outside influence.

Shipping

Both commercial shipping and private boating pose a danger to the Great Barrier Reef.  When a boat docks on the reef it can lead to the death of many coral, especially the coral  under the boat. Waste disposal discharged from the vessels pollutes the waters and kills the flora and fauna. Even worse are the frequent oil spills that kills most everything it touches.

Shipwrecks

Several shipping routes pass through the reef. There have been more than 1,600 shipwrecks in the area of the reef. In 2010 a ship ran aground, spilling nearly 700 barrels of oil, leading to extensive damage to the reef and its eco-system.

Crown of Thorns Starfish

The Crown-of-Thorns Starfish feeds on coral polyps. A large infestation of the starfish can devastate reefs. The infestations seem to occur in natural cycles, but seem to worsen with poor water quality and the over-fishing of the starfish’s natural predators.

Poor Water Quality

All reefs are reliant on pristine water quality. However, the Great Barrier Reef, like many other reef systems, are being subjected to land based run off from human development. These include industrial and agricultural factors. The increased sediment, nutrients, and contaminants can lead to further algae growth. The Great Barrier Reef Foundation state “nutrient run-off has also been linked to outbreaks of the Crown of Thorns Starfish – a significant contributor to the loss of coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef”.

Tourism

This is really the “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” scenario. Tourism brings essential money to these coastal localities. They are reliant on it. However, seemingly “benign” activities like snorkeling and diving, can have damaging effects on coral reefs. To close off the popular areas of the Great Barrier Reef, to give marine eco-systems a chance to recover, would mean financial losses equating to more than a billion dollars a year to the Australian economy. When the choice is jobs or the environment, jobs seem to win the war. Sadly, the reef that brings the tourists could soon be dead. I guess then the tourism marketers can sell a visit to the “amazing Great Dead Barrier Reef-once a wonder of the world”. Pardon my sarcasm.

Can We Preserve The Great Barrier Reef?

The Great Barrier Reef  is a natural wonder and a World Heritage Site, but its value is far more than that. Like most reefs, it protects the coastline from damaging wave action and cyclones. It provides shelter and habitat for many marine organisms. Therefore, it’s vital that we must all do something to help save it. The list I have created is great for the Great Barrier Reef, also works in other places and is quite socially responsible.

2050 Plan

In 2015, the Queensland and Australian governments signed the “Reef 2050 Plan” a plan for the protection and preservation of the reef. “The 2050 plan aims to institute protective measures to improve water quality, reef restoration, killing of predatory starfish.” What the “Reef 2050 Plan” does not address is global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions. Experts dismiss the plan as too little too late and have effectively written off the reef as a lost treasure.

9 Simple Things To Do For The Great Barrier Reef

1). Water conservation.The first thing we can all do, and isn’t a difficult task, is to be more stingy with water. Conserving water reduces runoff, which means less waste ending up in the ocean.

2). Reduce our rubbish impact. This can be as simple as picking up trash as you leave beach areas. Make sure you never litter. That bread bag that didn’t get picked up on the roadway may literally find itself blown first into a river and eventually into our oceans.

3). We as consumers have a collective influence on climate change. Thoughtful purchase of appliances, buying those with an energy star rating. About the house we can use LED bulbs that use 80% less energy than normal light globes. Purchase  electric cars to cut carbon emissions. Plan short trips and errands to reduce gasoline use.

4). You can do things on your property, and in your home, several changes that benefit the environment can be made. Resolve to plant more trees. Use your food waste as compost. Limit use of fertilizers and poisons. Use your air conditioner less. Use your clothes line for drying your clothes when weather permits, instead of throwing them in the dryer. Properly recycle oil, toxic chemicals with your waste disposal provider.

5). Conservation organizations depend on donor funding, whether from government and/or individuals. Don’t be afraid to give, even small amounts help.

6). Buy local. Reduce fuel emissions from the transportation of goods. Why not take that extra step and  reduce fuel emissions by using your car less. Take your bike for short jaunts, or walk to the corner shop instead of driving. Hey you will get fitter in the process!

7). Local fishing. If you are lucky enough to be able to fish your locality, abide by the fishing restrictions. I love the mottos “fish for the future” and “limit your kill, don’t kill the limit”.

8). Refuse plastic.When at the supermarket, refuse plastic bags, which often end up in the ocean and can kill our marine life. Take your own recyclable bags. As a consumer look for items that have minimal packaging.  Sure this can make that shopping trip a little more frustrating than normal but consider the long-term benefits to the waterways that we all love.

9). Act responsibly. Finally, don’t be the one that says “I will leave it to other people”. “I’ll be dead before that happens”! If we want to make sure that The Great Barrier Reef and other natural wonders survive for future generations we all need to CARE and we need to ACT.

References:

https://www.barrierreef.org/the-reef/the-threats/poor-water-quality

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/22/great-barrier-reef-at-risk-as-overfishing-disrupts-food-chain-study-finds

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/11-ways-to-save-the-great-barrier-reef

https://www.barrierreef.org/the-reef/the-threats

https://www.wwf.org.au/what-we-do/oceans/great-barrier-reef

 

Super AI: Genie in the Bottle

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Super AI: The Genie in the  Bottle

By Ross Turner

Daily Life

“Artificial intelligence” is hard to get away from these days.  Not merely its mention in tech circles and popular media, but its increasing application in daily life.  From Alexa to self-driving cars, from Google Maps to the US military’s drone programs, artificial intelligence is integrating itself into the vital functions of our social, economic, and political lives.  And it’s not slowing down.  On the contrary, it is growing at a clip that has many AI researchers and scientists both excited and alarmed.  Humanity now stands on a road that inevitably leads to artificial general intelligence (AGI), but one laden with pitfalls that demand caution.  In order to understand why this is so and what worries pioneers in the field, we must first examine what artificial intelligence is, how it works, and what it can potentially do.

What is AI?

Computers and cell phones all have weak AI

Computers, cell phones, calculators are weak AG

Artificial intelligence (AI) is simply any type of non-biological intelligence; that is, intelligent outcomes produced by machines.  By far the most common and familiar type of AI is narrow AI, (also weak AI), which is used to perform a specific function or functions.  It may possess superhuman abilities in limited areas, but it has no capacity to apply that intelligence broadly to other domains outside of its expertise.  Its intelligence is not generalized.

Narrow and Safe

This can be anything as simple as a calculator, to most of the apps on your smart phone, to commercial and municipal applications such as traffic lights, aviation navigation systems, medical diagnostics, and high-frequency stock trading.  Narrow AI is exactly as safe as the outcome it is designed to produce; it will never go beyond its limitations and develop its own goals and instruments for achieving them.  While this makes it incredibly safe, it also severely limits what it is able to do and thus constrains the full benefits — and risks — of machine intelligence.

Strong AI

As with every human technology, AI brings both benefits & dangers

As with every human technology, AI brings both benefits & dangers

With AGI (also strong AI), this is not the case.  An AGI is one able to perform across the full spectrum of human cognitive abilities, or better.  This includes the ability to reason, plan, infer, communicate, learn from experience, think abstractly, solve problems, evaluate with limited information, and to use these in service of its goals. Though vastly different in architecture and “lived” experience from a human being, an AGI ought to be intellectually indistinguishable.  Researchers have realized over the decades the difficulty in this given the extreme complexity of the human brain, but new developments such as deep reinforcement learning indicate significant progress in achieving a true AGI1.

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Global Sex Trafficking: Part IV-Latin America

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GLOBAL SEX TRAFFICKING:

PART IV – LATIN AMERICA

By Trevor K. McNeil

The Big Picture

Drugs and sex trafficking provide billions to crime gangs

Drugs and sex trafficking provide billions to crime gangs

Drugs and sex trafficking of children add up to big money for gangs & cartels in Latin America. While not as prevalent as in other parts of the world, more of the focus being on the drug trade, Latin America is dealing with its own growing sex trafficking issues. Particularly of young children. Corrupt governments throughout the region have moved at centipede speed in reaction to the crisis.

Comings and Goings

Much of the sex trafficking trade relies on the immigration system. Organized crime groups such as Coyotes and street-level groups like MS-13 work with sex traffickers, to exploit the flow of migrates as cover. This makes it easier to get sex trafficking victims across borders without being detected. Victims are moved to large cities and tourist spots that have brothels, sex tourism bars, strip clubs and pornography centers where traffickers require victims to take part in prostitution and sexual slavery.

Stats

South America is one of the biggest sources and destination locations for human traffickers. About twenty percent of sex trafficking victims are children. Shipped out of their native country and abused by criminals in the United States, Spain, Italy, Canada and the Netherlands.

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