Extreme fishing, dead butt syndrome, Giga Train, tipping points, AI and your future, eating dogs and cats, stroke recovery
September 16, 2024
Every other week, the award-winning Nett Report provides readers with thoughtful perspectives helpful to navigating life in a changing world. Past issues.
Political Divide
“They have been the single most divisive entity in the last 30 years in politics. If there was no Fox News, we’d still have mud fights, but it wouldn’t be like today.” – Joe Peyronnin, a veteran network news executive and Fox News president in the mid-1990s. Note: For additional background on the emergence of partisan cable news networks, see my 2017 story in Triple Pundit.
The loss of civility – 1960 presidential debate to now
The 1960 presidential debate between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon was markedly different from the recent debate between the 2024 candidates where “little was said about issues like taxation, trade policy, regulation, legal immigration, and debt,” according to a September 11, 2024, story in CEO Daily. It was different in 1960, when the candidates “earnestly presented their views on salaries, health care, education, trade, farming, Russia and other policies.” Even Nixon, who later left office because of the Watergate scandal, said this: “The people now have the opportunity to evaluate his, as against mine, and I think both he and I will abide by what the people decide.”
Speaking of immigrants and eating dogs and cats
The recent false story about Haitian immigrants eating dogs and cats reminded me of a personal experience when I was working in fisheries conservation in the 1980s. Part of my work involved reducing the incidental catches of marine life in gillnet fisheries. I was at a meeting of about 10 people in a conference room in Sacramento. The subject was illegal gillnet fishing by Vietnamese immigrants. The director of the Department of Fish and Game made a comment about Vietnamese eating dogs. Some weeks later he was removed from his position for making that remark in that small room.
Two charts to assess bias in media
In determining which media to trust in terms of bias and fact-checking, there are two reputable sources to keep in mind, Ad Fontes Media and AllSides Media. Both have charts and other services which rate various media sources. Its interesting to note that several outlets are listed twice in the above chart - one for opinion and one for news - but in different columns.
Ad Fontes Media Bias Chart – rates media in a grid with the most fact-based and politically neutral outlets at the top, middle.
AllSides Media Bias Chart – rates media in a chart with five columns: left, leans left, center, leans right, right.
Future of Work / The Economy
“Disciplining employees instead of coaching them is the ‘wrong frame of reference.’” - Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol on “the worst advice he ever received was to fire someone to make an example out of them,” as reported in Fortune on September 9, 2024.
“I want to see a note of American expansion, not retreat. We need a strong America that's in an expansionary global mode and protects democracy and stands up for the rules of democracy.” – Dave McKay, CEO, Royal Bank of Canada, in Fortune on September 12, 2024.
Automated vehicles predicted to comprise 10% of sales by 2030
Automated vehicles are coming, but how fast? An August 19, 2024, analysis by Goldman Sachs predicts 10% of new car sales will be autonomous vehicles by 2030. “The bottom-line is that we believe improved AI technology will help the industry reach higher levels of performance, although we also believe that wide scale AV adoption is still at least a few years away as a base case,” says Goldman Sachs Research analyst Mark Delaney. “Partially autonomous vehicles that require driver supervision are forecast to rise from about 20% of sales this year to about 30% in 2027 (the previous forecast was around 24%).”
Bill Gates on ways AI will change your future
Billionaire Bill Gates, in addition to being rich, is also an astute observer of the world we live in. In a September 16, 2024, story in Inc., Gates discusses how artificial intelligence will change life as we know it. These are his thoughts.
AI is improving health care. Using AI to accelerate health innovation can probably help us save lives. Sun Microsystems co-founder and venture capitalist Vinod Khosla says that it's his dream to get an app approved as a primary care physician within the next few years.
AI is changing education. How do we let students do their work independently, but do it in a way that the AI isn't doing it for them, but it's supported by the AI?" Gates believes AI has the potential to act as a tutor for every child in Africa. It's hard to see that as a bad thing.
AI can provide companionship. People are using ChatGPT and other AI software as an informal therapist. The worldwide supply of human therapists is far from enough to deal with the current level of mental health needs. So perhaps using AI for therapy or even companionship makes sense.
AI could leave humans wondering about our purpose. Will AI eliminate jobs by replacing human employees? Of course, it will. There's the more complex question of what exactly humans are here to do. As we take people out of the loop, what are we replacing their sense of purpose and meaning with?
Climate Change
What people want is a convenient way to travel and a warm home
“Have no illusions. To achieve our goal of getting off fossil fuels, these reductions in demand and increases in supply must be big. Don’t be distracted by the myth that “every little bit helps.” If everyone does a little, we’ll achieve only a little. We must do a lot. What’s required are big changes in demand and in supply.” - Author David MacKay, from his book Sustainable Energy - without the hot air. Reprinted from a story by Hannah Ritchie in her newsletter Sustainability by the Numbers on September 11, 2024. Ritchie argues that solving environmental problems requires both consumer demand for better products and corporate efforts to produce those products. As an example, she says what people want “is not a petrol [gasoline] car or a gas boiler [heater]. It’s a convenient and comfortable way to travel from A to B, and a warm home.”
Tesla launches battery-powered train in Germany
Tesla has launched the first all-electric battery-powered 'Giga Train' that runs between Erkner Station in Germany to Tesla Sud, a stop at the firm’s manufacturing facility 20 miles southeast of Berlin. It has 120 seats, according to a September 6, 2024, story in Yahoo, and can transport 500 people. The ride is free to both Tesla employees and regular passengers.
What are the climate tipping points?
There has been a continuing stream of stories in the media about climate tipping points, defined as “sweeping changes in the natural world that would be hard, if not impossible, to reverse.” The New York Times on August 11, 2024, provided an overview of those tipping points that puts them in context and observations on when each might happen.
Mass Death of Coral Reefs. It could already be underway.
Abrupt Thawing of Permafrost. The timing will vary place to place. The effects on global warming could accumulate over a century or more.
Collapse of Greenland Ice. Irreversible melting could begin this century and unfold over hundreds, even thousands, of years.
Breakup of West Antarctic Ice. As in Greenland, the ice sheet could begin to recede irreversibly in this century.
Sudden Shift in the West African Monsoon. Hard to predict.
Loss of Amazon Rainforest. Will depend on how rapidly people clear, or protect, the remaining forest.
Shutdown of Atlantic Currents. Very hard to predict.
Health
Do you have dead butt syndrome? Its not funny
Known as “gluteal amnesia” and “dead butt syndrome,” “muscles in your rear can become so weak from inactivity they seem to forget how to function — meaning they fail or become slow to activate,” according to a September 6, 2024, story in The New York Times. The syndrome is caused by long periods of sitting and can cause a delay in the neurons that signal the glutes to activate. “Over time, this cycle can cause the glutes to get weaker, which has been linked to lower back pain and knee pain, especially in active people.” How do you know if you have dead butt syndrome? “The simplest test is to stand on one leg, letting the other dangle. Your glute on the dangling side will feel soft. Now put weight on that leg and squeeze the cheek hard. You should feel a subtle firming of the muscle. If your glute is weak, you may need to squeeze a few times before you feel it fire.”
Former NBC San Diego journalist on recovering from a stroke
Paul Krueger, a retired investigative journalist at NBC7 San Diego, posted an opinion in the San Diego Union-Tribune on August 23, 2024, about his recovery from a stroke thanks to a drug that can reverse stroke damage. After being rushed to the hospital and being diagnosed with an ischemic (blood clot) stroke, he was given a “a clot-busting medication called tissue plasminogen activator or tPA.” When he arrived at the hospital, he had tried to talk but only spoke gibberish. Kreuger writes that “within minutes of the IV injection, my thoughts were more focused. The more I talked, the more my speech improved. Within an hour, everyone could understand what I was saying.” He has now returned to his normal life.
The Nett Light-Side
“Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” - A.A. Milne, British author known for creating Winnie-the-Pooh
Padres still in the hunt for National League division lead
Baseball has always been an important part of my life (I was once a writer for a fan magazine syndicate covering the Dodgers, Yankees, and Houston Astros), so this season brings special joy as the San Diego Padres are still in contention for the National League’s Western Division title. According to a September 14, 2024, story in The Athletic, the team is only 3.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers have been faltering of late while the Padres continue a surge that began after the All-Star break. And they are leading the National League’s Wild Card race. So, here’s hoping for a playoff bid and a run to the World Series!
Wetsuiting – a way of fishing that goes beyond the extreme
Another of my favorite activities is fishing, but a September 4, 2024, story in The Atlantic detailed a kind of fishing that I have no interest in trying. Called “wetsuiting,” this is an extreme form of “of saltwater fishing that involves wearing a wetsuit and wading or swimming out to offshore rocks—almost exclusively at night, often during storms—to access deeper water or faster currents than can be reached in traditional waders.” The anglers walk or swim offshore to stand on underwater rocks and reefs where they can cast their baits or lures, often fishing all night. They are seeking large striped bass, upwards of 40 pounds, in waters that are known to have multiple species of sharks, including great whites, at a time of day when shark experts suggest one should avoid the water. No thanks, but good luck!
Carl Nettleton is an award-winning writer, speaker, thought partner, facilitator, and subject-matter expert regarding water, climate, sustainability, the ocean, and binational U.S.-Mexico border affairs. Nettleton Strategies, the consultancy he founded in 2007, is a trusted source of analysis and advice on issues at the forefront of public policy, business, and the environment. He helps people and organizations to think strategically about their options for change. He is also the founder of OpenOceans Global, a nonprofit addressing ocean plastic in a new way.