0602blog
Truth or Lies
And now the news, is it fact or fiction? The troubling trend toward subjective opinions about objective facts continues and it raises the question of whether facts really matter or whether the only thing that matters is what people believe. Skillful use of words and savvy interpretations and conclusions are enough to sway many people, even the smart ones among us.
Take the quiz on the following 10 issues and decide what is true and what is false.
1. An amazing breakthrough has been reported in the battle to find a cure for all types of cancers and it has to do with the use of a newly determined synthesis of special proteins to block the information that is sent to the cells regarding cancer, and although it is extremely promising, it will be some time before clinical trials are completed but in all the years of cancer research, this is most definitely the most promising progress, according to experts. It has all the signs of the proverbial game changer for the health of many millions of people around the world.
2. Now that we have vaccines to protect against getting COVID-19, amazing and rapid progress has been made to finding a cure for COVID-19 with major pharma moving quickly toward a cure with an emphasis on affordability. One novel theory is that the pandemic’s roots were not with bats but with certain as yet undetermined foods that are common in most Asian diets and that the cure may be found in the very foods that cause the disease.
3. On the subject of climate change, there has been a whirlwind of activity with the greatest boost in the use of sustainable fuels ever seen, particularly in developing countries. And in the developed world, the news seems even better as all major countries have vowed to stop using petrochemicals and to switch all industries to solar and wind, thereby taking a huge step toward limiting and eventually halting the trend of global warming. The experts in climate change are more optimistic than at any time in the past 20 years that the latest plans will drastically cut greenhouse gases and extend the life of the planet.
Technological plans also are being developed to shield the earth from the sun’s rays to reduced warming. The most promising research involves a space-based sunshade, a giant umbrella that would be launched to shield the damaging effect of the rays.
4. Racism remains the most intractable societal issue that continues to undermine the very fabric of the nation but optimism is appropriate with the growing incorporation of critical race theory in school curricula, especially throughout areas of the country that are considered as “red” and conservative. As people become more informed about the ongoing, pernicious effects of slavery they will undoubtedly see the reason for change and eventually, even reparations.
5. At least 155 million people are facing acute hunger because of conflict, economic shocks and extreme weather, according to the Global Report on Food Crises 2021, which adds that the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically increased the risk of severe hunger in some regions of the world. It is a dire situation but world leaders have recently met and pledged to forward billions of dollars worth of food aid to the countries with the most severe hunger while the movement on climate change also should arrest the droughts and the political tensions that have greatly degraded food and water supplies.
6. The political climate is as much a crisis as the environmental climate but help could come with widespread support for changing the electoral college process so that smaller states will not continue to have outsized influence on the process and support also is growing for legislation to limit campaign contributions, particularly in light of past U.S. Supreme Court rulings while a proposal to expand the number of justices to negate the conservative majority also looks to remain on an active agenda.
The political polarization is only getting worse but paradoxically, that may be the best thing to happen to the American political system. There are growing signs of increasing unhappiness and impatience with the current system that pits Americans against Americans, leaving all with the wounds of the bloody battle and no solutions. As Americans get more battle weary they will look for ways to heal, it is just a natural reaction to danger and stress. The tipping point may have been the election of trump because he has shown that the nation is terribly brittle and fragile and how a dictator could gain enough support to irrevocably topple our system.
7. Many argue that the economy of most Americans will continue to slide as long as income inequality continues to be so pervasive, indicated by the growing gap between the rich and everyone else. The simplest answer and the one that holds the greatest promise is to boost taxes on the super rich and pour that tax money into infrastructure, education and other public programs, lessening the tax burden for those not considered to be part of the 1 percent of the wealthiest and most powerful Americans.
8. The struggle for rights goes on for members of the LGBTQ community but the ouster of trump shows promise with President Biden’s actions to stem institutional bias crimes while more people are coming to the realization that a person’s gender is a purely personal issue.
9. On the international front, there is reason for optimism as the Israeli leaders have indicated they will support a two-state solution, thereby empowering Palestinians by removing the sanctions currently in force to limit the rights of Palestinians. And coincidentally, a major issue may be seeing real change as Israeli settlers in the West Bank and Gaza, land seized by Israel after the 1967 war, have largely agreed to withdraw from the settlements and return to Israel’s pre-1967 boundaries. Again, crisis is the trigger for change as the latest fighting between Israel and Hamas shows that it will only continue and only get more deadly, if real solutions aren’t found.
10. Crime and suicide are a plague that has continued through the generations, crossing political boundaries and effecting members of all racial, religious and cultural groups. Interesting findings have shown that there may be a simple way to cut back on crime and have fewer people ending their own lives. It has to do with color, specifically the color blue that scientists have found is a soothing color and it may be that blue streetlights could be erected with surprisingly health effects. Similarly, the initial research shows other colors have other physiological effects, such as red which has been found to help people with severe allergies and green which can, in some cases, help with vision issues.
The answers: 1, false; 2, false; 3, false; 4, false; 5, false; 6, false; 7, false; 8, false; 9, false; 10, false.