Snoopy and the gang

 In honor of the birth anniversary Nov. 26, 1922, of a man who made many people laugh, and touched the hearts of many adults while also speaking to children in his enjoyable comic strips...

"...cartoonist Charles Schulz , born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (1922). His parents left school after third grade, and his father was a barber who supported the family on 35 cent haircuts. Every Sunday, Schulz and his father read the "funny pages" together, and the boy hoped to become a cartoonist someday. But he had a tough time in school — he felt picked on by teachers and other students. He was smart enough to skip ahead a couple of grades, but that only made it worse. He wished someone would recognize his artistic talent, but his cartoons weren't even accepted by the high school yearbook.

After high school, he was drafted into the Army; his mother died of cancer a couple of days before he left. When he came home, he moved in with his father in the apartment above the barbershop. He got a job teaching at Art Instruction, a correspondence course for cartooning that he had taken as a high schooler. There he fell in love with a red-haired woman named Donna Mae Johnson, who worked in the accounting department. They dated for a while, but when he asked her to marry him, she turned him down and soon after married someone else. Schulz was devastated, and remained bitter about it for the rest of his life. He said: "I can think of no more emotionally damaging loss than to be turned down by someone whom you love very much. A person who not only turns you down, but almost immediately will marry the victor. What a bitter blow that is."

Schulz started publishing a cartoon strip called L'il Folks in the local paper, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, but they dropped it after a couple of years. Schulz sent some of his favorite L'il Folks cartoons to the United Features Syndicate, and in 1950, the first Peanuts strip appeared in national newspapers. The first strip introduced Charlie Brown, and Snoopy made an appearance two days later. The rest of the Peanuts characters were added slowly over the years: Linus, Lucy, Schroeder, Pig Pen, Peppermint Patty, and many more. Throughout the years, the object of Charlie Brown's unrequited love is known simply as The Little Red-Haired Girl.

Peanuts was eventually syndicated in more than 2,500 newspapers worldwide, and there were more than 300 million Peanuts books sold, as well as 40 TV specials, four movies, and a Broadway play.

Charles Schulz said: "My whole life has been one of rejection. Women. Dogs. Comic strips."

And he wrote: "Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love."Shultz 

SOURCE: Writer's Almanac Newsletter

SWAN WATER in the Black Mountain News

 Black Mountain News article on Swanannoa Water Action Group (entire article below)

SWAN works to preserve the watershed

Karrigan Monk

Black Mountain News

SWAN meets weekly for two hours at the Black Mountain Presbyterian Church House, Photo Kevin Jones

A group of Valley residents have come together to create a new group called the Swannanoa Watershed Action Network.

SWAN aims to “mobilize caring people and organizations in the Swannanoa watershed to help catalyze a safe and equitable space for all people in the watershed without shortfalls of the social foundation or without overshooting the ecological ceiling,” according to its website.

Founded in March 2022, Robertson Work said the group came together at the request of Kevin Jones, who contacted Work and a few others to meet for lunch because Jones had an idea.

Jones’ idea was to use the Doughnut economic model to help those in the Swannanoa Watershed.

The Doughnut economic model involves a “social foundation” and an “ecological ceiling,” according to the Doughnut Economics website.  The idea is to create a society where every person’s needs are being met without putting a strain on the environment.

“They want you to find the safe operating space for humans and the planet,” Jones said. “There’s a social undershoot. Places where social problems kind of fall through the floor if you will. The other part is where we have exceeded planetary boundaries for temperature, water, air, those sorts of things. It’s trying to build an economy that doesn’t have to grow forever, that can work to live within the planetary boundaries.”

In order to work toward this goal, the group meets once a week for two hours on Friday's at the Black Mountain Presbyterian Church house.

Around 16 people usually join these meetings, with a total of around 80 on SWAN’s Facebook page.

Work said these meetings begin with a brief meditation before different sub-groups detail what they’ve been working on for the past week. Different groups like Bounty & Soul come in to see if SWAN is able to help them in any way.

In order to work toward this goal, the group meets once a week for two hours on Friday's at the Black Mountain Presbyterian Church house.

Around 16 people usually join these meetings, with a total of around 80 on SWAN’s Facebook page.

Work said these meetings begin with a brief meditation before different sub-groups detail what they’ve been working on for the past week. Different groups like Bounty & Soul come in to see if SWAN is able to help them in any way.

Part of the work SWAN does includes river cleanups in the Swannanoa Watershed, photo by Kevin Jones

Work said SWAN has several projects to help protect the watershed and keep it clean, including several river cleanups.

Jones is currently in the process of raising money for an economic justice marketplace that will help distribute loans to Black farmers who otherwise would have difficulty acquiring loans.

“These are for folks on both sides,” Jones said. “The African American sole proprietors who are unable to get Mountain BizWorks loans or a Wells Fargo loan. … We’re getting the capital that’s needed to the folks that don’t have it.”

Jones said the Agers of Hickory Nut Gap put up the first $25,000 for the fund, and he is grateful to them.

When Jones started SWAN, Work said Jones called it a discovery. Work, who said he has spent his whole life doing community development, said the group will continue to discover new ways to help the watershed.

“We’re still discovering,” Work said. “Every week we’re discovering new things, new ideas, new possibilities, new connections, new partners. … I’m really happy I can meet every week with my neighbors and try to help people in the area.”

And on a more serious note:

End of Life documents!! Seems a good time of year to post this list.

 forwarded by my Wiccan friend...Byron Ballard, H/t Daniella Waterhawk

How many have you done?

IMPORTANT information to get your affairs in order.

Make sure all bank accounts have direct beneficiaries. The beneficiary need only go to the bank with your death certificate and an ID of their own.

TOD = Transfer On Death deed if you own a home. Completing this document and filing it with your county saves your heirs THOUSANDS. This document allows you to transfer ownership of your home to your designee. All they need to do is take their ID and your death certificate to the county building and the deed is signed over. Doing this will avoid the home having to go through probate.

Living Will: Allows one to put in writing exactly what you want done in the event you cannot speak for yourself when it comes to healthcare decisions as well as other final decisions.

Durable Power of Attorney: Allows one to designate a person to make legal decisions if one is no longer competent to do so.

Power of Attorney for Healthcare: This document allows one to designate someone to make healthcare decisions for their person.

Last Will and Testament: Designates to whom personal belongings will go too.

Funeral Planning Declaration: Allows one to say exactly one’s wishes as far as disposition of the body and the services.

If the above documents are done, you can AVOID probate.

If all the above is NOT done, you have to open an estate account at the bank. All money that doesn’t have direct beneficiaries goes into this account. You have to have an attorney to open the estate account. The attorney also has to publicize your passing in the newspaper or post publication at the county courthouse, to allow anyone to make a claim on your property. - It’s a complete PAIN.

Make a list of all banks and account numbers, all investment institutions with account numbers, lists of credit cards, utility accounts, etc. Leave clear instructions as to how and when these things are paid.

Make sure heirs knows where life insurance policies are located.

Make 100% sure SOMEONE knows your Apple ID, bank ID, account logins and passwords!

Make sure you have titles for all vehicles, campers, etc.!

Set up a trust for intended beneficiaries that are too young, and appoint a trustee of said trust.

MOST IMPORTANTLY!!!! - Talk with those closest to you and make all your wishes KNOWN. Talk to those whom you’ve designated, as well as those close to you whom you did not designate. - Do this to explain WHY your decisions were made and to avoid any lingering questions or hurt feelings.

Hope this helps! Hope this lights a spark to encourage all your friends and family to take care of these things to make it easier for those we all leave behind!

My hope is that the above list at least helps you start an important conversation with your loved ones...

And on a lighter note

 It's Greta Thunberg and Russell Howard

A 27 minute discussion with some hilarious moments, while discussing Greta's book, The Climate Book. Thanks to fellow blogger Interim arrangements.  She has a delightful laugh!

From NPR on 11/20/22 On Climate Sumit

 The final agreement struck in Egypt says developing countries need "accelerated financial support" from wealthier nations. It calls for reforms at development banks like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund so that developing countries can get more climate funding without adding to their debts. And it says development banks, which were set up to give financial and technical aid to poorer countries, should do more to encourage private investment in low-income nations.

In all, the world needs to invest at least $4 trillion every year to create a low-carbon global economy, the final agreement says. Raising that sort of money will require a "transformation" of the entire financial system.

In the end, few countries submitted new plans to reduce their emissions and the final agreement didn't impose any firm deadlines for new commitments, though it reiterated the importance of the 1.5 degree goal.

Nations will be leaving Egypt knowing that goal is still not in reach. In a best case scenario, emissions are only expected to fall around 10% by 2030, according to a report from the United Nations Environment Programme. To keep warming to the crucial threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius, emissions would need to fall 45% by 2030.

Still, countries aren't keeping the promises that they've made so far. If emissions stay on their current course, they'll rise around 7% compared to 2020 levels, instead of falling.

One hundred and fifty countries have now signed a pledge to reduce methane pollution. Methane is a very potent greenhouse gas, which means it traps a lot of heat in the atmosphere, and it's emitted mostly from oil and gas operations, landfills and agriculture.

The "Loss and Damages" Fund

Deep-seated tensions flared between richer countries that have prospered by burning fossil fuels, and developing ones, which are bearing the brunt of climate-driven disasters. But in a historic move, countries agreed to establish a fund to support poorer countries already hit hardest by the impacts.

The final COP27 agreement sets up a timeline for countries to work out the details of a new fund over the next year. Chile's Environment Minister Maisi Rojas, who helped lead the group of negotiators who created the fund, called the agreement "historic."

But she had mixed feelings about the meeting overall. "Remember, we are talking about loss and damage because we failed to reduce emissions," she said after the marathon talks concluded early Sunday morning. "So it's not really a reason to celebrate."

The newly-created fund does not specify which countries will be required to contribute, though it mentions "expanding" the sources of funding, a nod to Europe's demand that other countries contribute as well.

And the deal also does not set a firm timeline for when the money must arrive. Many wealthy countries, including the U.S., have failed to follow through on billions of dollars of previously promised climate funding.

"It's worth noting that we have the fund, but we need money to make it worthwhile," said Mohamed Adow, executive director of Power Shift Africa, a policy and advocacy group working on climate action in Africa. "What we have is an empty bucket. Now we need to fill it so that support can flow to the most impacted people who are suffering right now at the hands of the climate crisis."

There is also a new plan to beef up weather forecasts and disaster warnings in places that don't have robust national weather services. And on the money front, there are concrete pledges to spend billions of dollars on clean energy in rapidly growing countries including Indonesia, Vietnam and Senegal.

SOUORCE: NPR 

COP-17 finally came to a close Sunday morning, Nov. 20, 2022

The world has failed to reach an agreement to phase out fossil fuels after marathon UN climate talks were “stonewalled” by a number of oil-producing nations.

Negotiators from nearly 200 countries at the COP27 UN climate summit in Egypt took the historic step of agreeing to set up a “loss and damage” fund meant to help vulnerable countries cope with climate disasters and agreed the globe needs to cut greenhouse gas emissions nearly in half by 2030.

The agreement also reaffirmed the goal of keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

However, an attempt to address the biggest source of the planet warming emissions that are causing the climate crisis ended in a fiasco after a number of nations, including China and Saudi Arabia, blocked a key proposal to phase out all fossil fuels, not just coal.

UU demonstrators marching (unknown venue)

Addressing the summit early on Sunday morning, the European Union’s Climate Chief Frans Timmermans said the EU was “disappointed” with the final outcome of the summit.

“What we have in front of us is not enough of a step forward for people and planet … we should have done much more,” Timmermans said.

Victory for climate crisis victims

The agreement to help the world’s most vulnerable countries deal with loss and damage represents a breakthrough, however, in what has been a contentious negotiation process.

It marks the first time countries and groups, including longtime holdouts like the United States and the EU, have agreed to establish a fund for nations vulnerable to climate disasters made worse by pollution disproportionately produced by wealthy, industrialized nations.

Negotiators and non-governmental organizations observing the talks praised the deal as a significant achievement, after developing nations and small island countries banded together to amplify pressure.

The creation of the fund also became one of the key demands of activists attending the summit. Unlike in previous years, when huge protests and loud calls for action become part of the event, demonstrations were muted this year.

Protests are rare and mostly illegal in Egypt and the Egyptian government put strict limits on protesters attending the conference.

Still, the biggest protest of the summit saw hundreds of activists marching through the venue last weekend, demanding climate payments. On Friday, 10-year-old Ghanian activist Nakeeyat Dramani received a standing ovation in the plenary after calling on the delegates to “have a heart and do the math.”

Sean Gallup/Getty Image

The fund will focus on what can be done to support loss and damage resources, but it does not include liability or compensation provisions, a senior Biden administration official told CNN.

Reaching the agreement was not easy. The summit was originally scheduled to end on Friday, but went well into overtime with negotiators still trying to hammer out the details as the conference venue was being dismantled around them.

The US and other developed nations have long sought to avoid such provisions that could open them up to legal liability and lawsuits from other countries. And in previous public remarks, US Climate Envoy John Kerry had said loss and damage was not the same thing as climate reparations. (Kerry was quaranteened since Friday when he tested positive for COVID 19. He continued to communicate by phone.)

“‘Reparations’ is not a word or a term that has been used in this context,” Kerry said on a recent call with reporters earlier this month. He added: “We have always said that it is imperative for the developed world to help the developing world to deal with the impacts of climate.”

Details on how the fund would operate remain murky. The text leaves a lot of questions on when it will be finalized and become operational, and how exactly it would be funded. The text also mentions a transitional committee that will help nail down those details, but doesn’t set specific future deadlines.

And while climate experts celebrated the win, they also noted the uncertainty going forward.

“This loss and damage fund will be a lifeline for poor families whose houses are destroyed, farmers whose fields are ruined, and islanders forced from their ancestral homes,” World Resources Institute CEO Ani Dasgupta said. “At the same time, developing countries are leaving Egypt without clear assurances about how the loss and damage fund will be overseen.”

An outcome on a fund came this year in large part because the G77 bloc of developing nations stayed unified, exerting increased leverage on loss and damage than in past years, climate experts said.

“They needed to be together to force the conversation we’re having now,” Nisha Krishnan, resilience director for World Resources Institute Africa told reporters. “The coalition has held because of this conviction that we did need to stay together to deliver this – and to push the conversation.”

For many, the fund represents a hard-fought years-long victory, pushed over the finish line by the global attention given to climate disasters such as Pakistan’s devastating flooding this summer.

“It was like a big buildup,” former US climate envoy Todd Stern told CNN. “This has been around for quite a while and it’s getting all the more aggravating to vulnerable countries because there’s still not a lot of money getting put into it. As we can see the actual disaster impacts of climate change are getting more and more intense.”

Excerpts from: CNN COP-27 Summit

Our lawmakers have a goddess looking over their work

Hail Columbia...aka the goddess standing on top of our capitol building in DC...

The dome is topped with a 20-foot statue of a woman holding a sword and a laurel wreath, known as Freedom Triumphant in War and Peace, or sometimes, Armed Freedom.

See here for more info...
https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol.../art/statue-freedom

Climate Trace to track every big source of greenhouse emissions

 Well Al Gore has come through again. He went to COP-27 and talked, in an interview with All Things Considered, about a new way that everyone can tell what level of CO2 different industries are producing.

It's a map from satellite images. Of the world. Including China etc.

Al Gore helped launch a global emissions tracker that keeps big polluters honest

November 14, 20225:18 AM ET 

Heard on All Things Considered 

(Treehugger edition) 

Twitter

In the fight to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, one of the longstanding challenges has been figuring out who is exactly producing them and how much.

Now, a new global tracker is helping to make clear exactly where major greenhouse gas emissions are originating. Created by the nonprofit Climate Trace, the interactive map uses a combination of satellites, sensors and machine learning to measure the top polluters worldwide.

It observes how much greenhouse gases — carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide — are being emitted at specific locations, such as power plants and oil refineries. Former Vice President Al Gore, who is a founding member of the initiative, said it is meant to serve as a more reliable and accurate alternative to companies self-reporting their emissions estimates.

"Cheating is impossible with this artificial intelligence method, because they would have to somehow falsify multiple sets of data," he told NPR's Michel Martin on All Things Considered.

Gore recently returned from Egypt where world leaders have been convening to discuss the climate crisis at the annual U.N. climate conference, also known as COP27.

He believes the tracker will help countries stick to their pledges to reach net-zero greenhouse emissions by 2050.

Climate Trace wants to track nearly every big source of greenhouse emissions

The emissions tool employs over 300 satellites; sensors on land, planes and ships; as well as artificial intelligence to build models of emission estimates.

Right now, it tracks about 72,000 of the highest emitting greenhouse gas sources. That includes every power plant, large ship and large plane in the entire world, Gore said.

And that's just the beginning. By next year, Gore hopes to be tracking millions of major emitting sites.

"We will have essentially all of them," he said.

Gore said 75% of the world's greenhouse emissions come from countries that have made pledges to become carbon-neutral by 2050. "Now that they know exactly where it's coming from, they have tools that will enable them to reduce their emissions," he told NPR.

He added that the database, which is free and accessible online, can help inform countries about how much pollution is being emitted by the companies they are working with or considering working with.

It is not enough for companies to self-report, he said. For instance, Climate Trace found that the oil and gas industry has been significantly underreporting its emissions.

"We found their emissions are three times higher than they have been telling the United Nations," Gore said.

In the U.S. specifically, oil and gas producers have underreported how much methane they've been releasing, recent research suggests.

That doesn't mean companies were intentionally cheating, Gore added. However, he said underreporting prevents governments and the public from staying on track with their net-zero pledge.

Six regional governments in Mexico, Europe and Africa have already entered into working agreements for using the tool, Gore said.

Gore remains optimistic about the climate future

The world is generally off track from its goal of cutting emissions that drive climate change, but Gore said he's been impressed by recent efforts around the globe to address the issue.

In the U.S., Gore pointed to the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes over $360 billion to tackle climate change and incentivizes consumers to make greener choices. Gore described the law as "the biggest climate legislation in the history of the world."

He also praised Australia for voting in a new government that pledged to shift away from coal and Brazil for electing a new president who vowed to stop destroying the Amazon.

"So there's great danger, but there is hope," Gore said. "If we can summon the will to act."