Monday, February 8th, 2016
Sara Rathod, - Mother Jones
Stephan: The Judaeo-Christian idea that the world is ours to exploit as we will, that we have dominion over it, is one of the most benighted and dangerous myths to come out of the early Iron Age. That it is Biblically enshrined and therefore, to about 40 per cent of the American population inerrant, and oh so useful to corporations whose only purpose and priority is profit, is a truth about ourselves we must face or die.
In reality we live embedded in a matrix of life that we are rapidly degrading and destabilizing. When that destabilization reaches a tipping point we may well go the way of the dinosaurs. It is a lesson we should never forget.
Here is a report on another way we are polluting the Earth and reducing our chances of survival.
Naval Surface Warfare forces prepare to go to sea
Credit: Flickr
We may imagine the bottom of the deep blue sea as a peaceful, quiet place—certainly compared with the blaring horns and chit-chattering radios of rush-hour traffic. But the ocean is filled with the sounds of undulating waves, marine animals calling out to one another, and, increasingly, the ceaseless din of human commercial activity. Over the past 60 years, our contribution to the undersea cacophony has doubled every decade, and much of that noise is generated close to the shore. Roughly 40 percent of the world’s population lives within 100 kilometers—or 62 miles—of the coast. (emphasis added)
The affected creatures “are crucial to healthy and commercially successful oceans because they form the bottom of the food chain.”
A new study in the journal Nature finds that all the racket from our ships and construction activities penetrates deep beneath the surface, not merely messing with the communications of undersea mammals but changing the very nature of life at the bottom. The researchers found that […]
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Monday, February 8th, 2016
David Collins, Investigative Reporter - WBAL TV (Baltimore)
Stephan: Once again here is an example of climate change being proactively dealt with at the local level, where BS and willful ignorance meet reality and good sense prevails because it has to.
Annapolis, Maryland is a lovely seaport town that retains something of its colonial character through its architecture. It is also the home of the Naval Academy, which is a powerful influence, just as Army's academy is in West Point, New York. There is a sense of history in these places. Both train people psychological, philosophically, and physically train with the understanding that they may be asked to give up their lives. Literally. It leaves a mark. One of the things America should be proud of is its military. Honor, Duty, Service are taken seriously. And I say this all the more so for the incompetent stupid even benighted way in which they have been used. This is a group of human beings who stand watch
Annapolis has always had flooding issues. But this is something different and the city recognizes this, and accepts they have no choice but to accommodate.
That this is happening without any overall federal plan is a tree that will bear bitter fruit
The Republican Party, as a party is going to face a severe crisis within the next five years, as it becomes clear that climate change is not only real, but capable of destroying society. As I have said before: it is not about will we recognize and accept climate change, and find a way to live within the parameters we have created. We will come to that. The question is how much pain and damage we are prepared to inflict on ourselves before we learn this lesson?
Annapolis during a 2003 flood
Credit: nnhs65.com
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND —A leading expert in rising sea levels is warning coastal areas to start planning now for possible flooding.
Oceanographer John Englander is in Annapolis this week discussing how geological change will transform the world beyond anyone’s imagination.
In some respects, the steps the city of Annapolis is taking to prepare for rising sea levels is akin to building the biblical ark. Annapolis already floods easily. Between 1957 and 1963, Annapolis saw 3.8 days of nuisance flooding. Between 2007 and 2013, it increased to 39.3 days. By 2045, flooding will happen 360 times a year, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.
By the turn of the century, Annapolis City Dock and beyond could be covered in some 6 feet of water.
“Today, there are islands, like Smith Island, Tangier Island further south, they are all flooding more and more frequently, and the handwriting is on the wall,” Englander said.
Oceanographer and author of “High Tide on Main Street, Englander is discussing prevention and crisis management at St. John’s […]
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Monday, February 8th, 2016
John C. Wathey, Computational Biologist - Salon
Stephan: One of the three central characteristics of the Theocratic Right is its notable sexual dysfunction, expressed in a range of harmful ways particularly its need to dominate and control anyone with a vagina.
The other two characteristics being: a sense of self-righteous moral authority; and, a sense of persecution.
Here is a good research based essay on this subject, and the trend it represents.
A still from the Stanley Kubrick movie Eyes Wide Shut.
Excerpted from “The Illusion of God’s Presence” by John C. Wathey. Published by Prometheus Books. Copyright 2016 by John C. Wathey.
Why does God want us to mutilate our genitals, and especially those of our children? Why does the creator of this infinitely vast universe care so much about what we do with our sexual organs as adults? Why is lust considered sinful? Why was Jesus born of a virgin, and, according to Catholics, his mother also? Why did the early Shakers not only practice celibacy, but also dance naked? Why do religious fundamentalists oppose not only abortion, but also the most effective means of preventing it, contraception? Why do televangelists rant about the evils of adultery, pornography, masturbation, fornication, and homosexuality, only to be caught with their pants down doing exactly those things? Why is religion so obsessed with sex?
My answer, of course, involves the evolutionary hack that conflates infantile, maternal, and […]
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