State of the Modern World Address — August 2019 

Prometheus.
“In the Western classical tradition, Prometheus became a figure who represented human striving, particularly the quest for scientific knowledge, and the risk of overreaching or unintended consequences.” — Wikipedia

TECH

Some Programmers Conspire To Serve Mother Nature

https://fixathon.io/

Your Email Inboxes Are Causing Co2 Emissions

https://blog.leavemealone.app/clean-your-inbox-save-the-planet/

The Cost of Modern Tech and Luxuries: Slavery

https://carrcenter.hks.harvard.edu/news/your-phone-tainted-misery-35000-children-congos-mines

https://foodispower.org/human-labor-slavery/slavery-chocolate/

https://labs.theguardian.com/unicef-child-labour/

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-05-01/chinese-factory-slave-explains-why-manufacturing-jobs-are-never-coming-back-america

The Internet is Making Us Stupider

Also available on Libgen.is. Give your spare money to charities!

GLOBAL

US Army Pollutes Like There’s No Tomorrow

https://theconversation.com/us-military-is-a-bigger-polluter-than-as-many-as-140-countries-shrinking-this-war-machine-is-a-must-119269

Humanity is Winning the War against Biodiversity

The 6th Mass Extinction Is Already Underway

Why We Need Biodiversity in Our Crops

http://thescienceexplorer.com/nature/why-we-need-biodiversity-our-crops

Global Food Crisis Ongoing

https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/08/21/the-global-food-crisis-is-here/

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=drought&t=hr&iar=news&ia=news

Rapid Mass Extinction of Languages and Cultural Diversity

https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/scheer-intelligence/the-sordid-story-behind-the-mass-extinction-of-languages

NORTH AMERICA

Ongoing Destruction of Native American Biodiversity

Earthworm invaders alter northern forests

Rapid Deforestation of North American Rainforest

https://thenarwhal.ca/canadas-forgotten-rainforest/

Fruits and Vegetables Becoming Less Nutritious

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss/

Agriculture Becoming Increasingly Toxic

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/aug/07/americas-dependence-on-pesticides-especially-neonics-is-a-war-on-nature

GREENLAND

Greenland is Melting!

https://weather.com/photos/news/2019-08-20-greenland-melting-glaciers

SOUTH AMERICA

Monsters Burn the Amazon Forest Like Never Before

https://www.npr.org/2019/08/19/752529425/brazils-amazon-rainforest-is-disappearing-under-president-jair-bolsonaro

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-29/brazil-s-neighbors-are-also-burning-and-poisoning-the-amazon?srnd=markets-vp

https://amazonaid.org/warrior/why-you-should-care/

Amazonian Tribes Have Outdated Weaponry

http://frogs.cc/the-blowguns-and-darts-that-use-frog-poison/

Brazilian Army Fights Fires

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/08/planes-dump-water-amazon-brazil-army-begins-fighting-fires-190826014239300.html

ARCTIC

The Arctic is Burning!

RUSSIA

Russia is burning!

https://www.vox.com/2019/8/1/20750200/siberia-wildfire-russia-fire-smoke-trump-putin

EUROPE

Europe is Getting Really Hot!

https://e360.yale.edu/digest/europe-is-warming-faster-than-even-climate-models-projected

AFRICA

Africa is Burning!

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-23/more-fires-now-burning-in-angola-congo-than-amazon-maps

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8066871.stm

CHILD-REARING

Teach Your Kids How and Why To Grow Food

https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/children-growing-their-own-food-zbcz1811

GREEK MYTHOLOGY

In Greek mythology, the Titan Prometheus had a reputation as being something of a clever trickster, and he famously gave the human race the gift of fire and the skill of metalwork, an action for which he was punished by Zeus, who condemned Prometheus to being chained to a rock and having his liver eaten by an eagle every day, and then regenerated so it could be eaten again the next day, over and over and over again.

“In the Western classical tradition, Prometheus became a figure who represented human striving, particularly the quest for scientific knowledge, and the risk of overreaching or unintended consequences.” — Wikipedia

(Post by Edgar Smith)