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Living within a living, loving planet
Archive for June, 2012
Lonesome George, the Last Pinta Giant Tortoise
Jun 30th
“More than just a symbol for the
Galapagos, Lonesome George was a symbol of our global never-ending struggle to
preserve the richness and diversity and beauty of the planet we inherited,” an open letter published by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says.
BBC News 28 June, 2012 Matt Bardo, Reporter
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/18604240
We did most certainly NOT inherit the Earth. It is this anthropocentric belief, handed
down and bolstered by the Christian Church among others that has become the
root rot which has blinded us to our true nature: one among many, the outer
ring of sensors born out of our higher selves – Gaia, the living, loving Earth.
Bank Exposure Infographics
Jun 26th
“LONG STORY: A
derivative is a legal bet (contract) that derives its value from another asset,
such as the future or current value of oil, government bonds or anything else.
Ex- A derivative buys you the option (but not obligation) to buy oil in 6
months for today’s price/any agreed price, hoping that oil will cost more in
future. (I’ll bet you it’ll cost more in 6 months). Derivative can also be used
as insurance, betting that a loan will or won’t default before a given date. So
its a big betting system, like a Casino, but instead of betting on cards and
roulette, you bet on future values and performance of practically anything that
holds value. The system is not regulated what-so-ever, and you can buy a
derivative on an existing derivative.
Most large banks try to prevent smaller investors from gaining access to the
derivative market on the basis of there being too much risk. Deriv. market has
blown a galactic bubble, just like the real estate bubble or stock market
bubble (that’s going on right now). Since there is literally no economist in
the world that knows exactly how the derivative money flows or how the system
works, while derivatives are traded in microseconds by computers, we really
don’t know what will trigger the crash, or when it will happen, but considering
the global financial crisis this system is in for tough times, that will be
catastrophic for the world financial system since the 9 largest banks shown below
hold a total of $228.72 trillion in Derivatives – Approximately 3 times the
entire world economy. No government in world has money for this bailout. Lets
take a look at what banks have the biggest Derivative Exposures and what
scandals they’ve been lately involved in. Derivative Data Source: ZeroHedge.”
http://demonocracy.info/infographics/usa/derivatives/bank_exposure.html
These infographics are a MUST view. I’m ashamed that I have been sitting in front
of a computer for so many years and wasn’t aware of the scope of the
unprotected extent of these contracts.
The bank also
got a SECRET
$2.041 Trillion bailout from the Federal Reserve during the crisis, beyond
the tax payer bailout.
“ “ got a SECRET
$159 billion bailout from the Federal Reserve.
“ “ got a $814
billion SECRET bailout from the Federal Reserve during the 2008 crisis
“ “ received
a SECRET
$1.344 trillion dollar bailout from
the Federal Reserve.
“ “ received a SECRET
$2.513 trillion dollar bailout from the Federal Reserve.
“ “received a SECRET
$391 billion dollar bailout from the Federal Reserve.
Total of
secret bailout money: $5.221
Trillion. This is in addition to the Public Law 110 – 343 – Emergency Economic
Stabilization Act of 2008 money.
Rio+20
Jun 23rd
“And it does not do any good to cite large ambitious promises many years out, and then behind the scenes to say ‘we’re not
going to talk about how they’re going to be fulfilled.” Jeffrey Sachs, the
Columbia University economist and special adviser to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18561223
This seems to be an appropriate summation of Rio+20
The US economy
Jun 21st
“In the current political environment the Fed is the only actor with a role. Even if there
wasn’t a presidential election looming, Congress would still be deadlocked and
neither Democratic nor Republican plans stand a chance of being turned into
reality. The Fed could print more money (or the modern equivalent) but that
would be hugely politically controversial. The bottom line is it’s not doing
much, but it’s the only one doing anything to prop up a faltering recovery.”
Analysis Mark Mardell North America editor, BBC News
It appears that the US Congress would rather fight each
other than look after the welfare of the people.
Flawed Logic
Jun 20th
Posted By roberta On May 27, 2012 @
10:03 am In Climate Change,Conservation Science,Policy
“The idea seems intuitive: If people just
had a better grasp of science, they would agree that climate change poses a
serious risk to society. But that assumption doesn’t hold up, researchers have
reported in Nature Climate Change. [The polarizing impact of
science literacy and numeracy on perceived climate change risks.
http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nclimate1547.html]
Instead of making people more concerned
about the issue, scientific literacy makes them more polarized.
The team evaluated two competing
explanations for why some members of the public are unfazed by climate change.
One possible reason is that people don’t have enough scientific knowledge, or
they tend to make quick judgments instead of using analytical reasoning.
Another hypothesis is that people stick to opinions that align with their
social groups’ values.
In other words, “polarization actually
becomes larger, not smaller, as science literacy and numeracy increase,” the
authors write. The team found a similar pattern when they polled people about
the risks of nuclear power. Instead of leading disparate groups toward a
consensus, science and math skills give people “a greater facility to discover
and use—or explain away—evidence relating to their groups’ positions.”
What does this mean for science
communication efforts? Offering clear explanations of scientific data isn’t
enough, the team says. Communicators also need to present information and
policy options in a way that doesn’t clash with their listeners’ values.” — Roberta
Kwok | 27 May 2012
Sky: For those of you who have studied human behavior,
I suppose this is not new news. However,
I find it fascinating. I’ve wondered how just a few, highly paid detractors
have been able to compete with thousands of seasoned scientists over the climate
change issue. Not only have they
competed, but they have convinced over ½ the western world that “the experts”
are wrong and also have sown deep seeds of doubt: enough to discredit
authoritative statements and lock many in a state of inaction. Maybe this study partially unravels the
mystery at least, if not going a long way toward explaining it.
Perhaps this is why
speakers on a controversial subject seem successful – they are preaching to the
converted. Those with ambivalent or
opposing opinions aren’t in attendance. They feel they don’t need to listen
because their minds are made up and they don’t want to be confused with facts.
I guess the “duh”
revelation is that you most probably will not sway people to change their
opinions with facts. I’m reminded of the
speeches of a lot of politicians. Heavy
on innuendo and catchy slogans like “I speak for peace” or “Choose the right
way.” We hear them constantly. They are effective because they appeal to
people’s cultural biases.
No Protections for National Parks
Jun 11th
Romney Energy Plan Includes Drilling ‘Virtually Every Part’ of U.S., No Protections for National Parks
By Jessica Goad
Nation of Change
This has been my fear all along and much more than really sad. Our National, State, County and city parks are the heart and soul of our country. They stand in testimony of what we respect and hold dear, hold as our treasure. They are that part of ourselves that we admire and hold dear. They must be protected. That’s why they are “public” lands.
“This morning’s Washington Post sheds more light on Romney’s energy plan, including the fact that he would open up “virtually every part ofU.S.lands and waters” to drilling regardless of whether they are national parks, national monuments, or protected in some other way. As the Post reports:
Asked whether any place would be off limits for oil drilling, campaign spokesman Andrea Saul said, “Governor Romney will permit drilling wherever it can be done safely, taking into account local concerns.”
Current law sets some public lands and waters off limits to drilling, including national parks, national monuments, and wilderness areas. These places are protected for other uses like hunting, fishing, sightseeing, and recreation.”
“Saul’s caveat that Romney would promote drilling if it could be done safely makes little sense considering that safe drilling has thus far eluded oil and gas companies. Most oil drilling involves the use of “drilling muds” that can include toxic chemicals. Hydraulic fracturing for natural gas involves pumping thousands of gallons of chemicals underground to stimulate wells. And all drilling produces contaminated water as a byproduct that must be disposed of. Additionally, oil spill are not uncommon—for example, a report from USA Today found an average of 22 large spills offshore every year between 2005 and 2009.”
24 Policies to End the Earth Emergency
Jun 10th
By Stephen Leahy
http://www.nationofchange.org/24-policies-end-earth-emergency-1338903766
“Ecologically ignorant policies are largely responsible for the interlinked crises that are unraveling the planet’s life support system.”
Sounds like something I can agree with and further:
“On the other hand bad government policies allow 3,000 of the world’s biggest corporations to escape more than 2.2 trillion dollars in annual costs through their impacts on the natural environment, according to the U.N. Environment Programme.”
Plus and to the point:
“If those companies had to account for those costs as they should, few would be profitable,” von Uexkull said. WFC (World Future Council) Founder Jakob von Uexkull
It is not so much that many, many people are not aware of the problems, it is more that Multi-nationals put profit before care of Gaia and profit before concern for public welfare. Most of us are powerless to effectively oppose their policies no matter how harmful they are to Gaia. We are governed by an oligarchy: “government by the few, especially despotic power exercised by a small and privileged group for corrupt or selfish purposes.” www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/427558/oligarchy