 |
| Indian fishermen pushed their boat through plastic waste last month in Mumbai |
Morris Dean
[Anonymous selections from recent correspondence]
"Study Finds Rising Levels of Plastics in Oceans." [John Schwartz, NY Times] Excerpt:
Some eight million metric tons of plastic waste makes its way into the world’s oceans each year [the equivalent of “five plastic grocery bags filled with plastic for every foot of coastline in the world”], and the amount of the debris is likely to increase greatly over the next decade unless nations take strong measures to dispose of their trash responsibly, new research suggests....
The research also lists the world’s 20 worst plastic polluters, from China to the United States, based on such factors as size of coastal population and national plastic production.
According to the estimate, China tops the list, producing as much as 3.5 million metric tons of marine debris each year. The United States, which generates as much as 110,000 metric tons of marine debris a year, came in at No. 20.
While Americans generate 2.6 kilograms of waste per person per day, or 5.7 pounds, to China’s 1.10 kilograms, the United States ranked lower on the list because of its more efficient waste management, Professor Jambeck said....
The problem is more than an aesthetic one: Exposed to saltwater and sun, and the jostling of the surf, the debris shreds into tiny pieces that become coated with toxic substances like PCBs and other pollutants.
Research into the marine food chain suggests that fish and other organisms consume the bite-size particles and may reabsorb the toxic substances. Those fish are eaten by other fish, and by people.... But prodding developing countries to spend money on waste management is difficult, she acknowledged. “You’ve got critical infrastructure needs first, like clean drinking water,” she said. “It’s kind of easy to push waste to the side.”
Similar results were shown at Yosemite; Great Smoky National park; Juneau, Alaska; Elliot Lake, Ontario; New Jersey and Minnesota.[New Jersey correlation of reduction in nuisance black bear complaints, September 29, 2005[http://www.bearsmart.com/docs/Tavss-v4.pdf]] This shows that with the proper education and garbage tools, people and bears can live in peace.
In an article titled "What ISIS Really Wants," author Graeme Wood talks to ISIS sympathizers, including London imam Anjem Choudary and Australian preacher Musa Cerantonio, who explain in eloquent and learned terms over tea how the ISIS caliphate actually is a return to the original form of Islam practiced by its founder, Muhammad.
According to ISIS adherents, a caliphate – with control of land – is necessary to bringing about the end of days, and they intend to do their part. ISIS currently controls a large swath of northern Iraq and eastern Syria.
It believes a large battle with the enemies of the faith will take place in Syria and is trying to goad the United States, Turkey, and other Western nations into the fight.
But in their strict interpretation of the Koran, not everyone who claims to be Muslim qualifies. Those who fail to pledge allegiance to ISIS leader and self-proclaimed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi are apostate and subject to death.
.jpg)
When we first started up Badass Digest, I remember telling Devin about a whittler from eastern Ohio and how I thought he was one of the most badass characters I've ever come across. He was highly dubious of this claim, and I promised to make my case and write a Badass article about the guy. A year later and I still have it on my to-do list. I'm taking most of this month off for paternity leave and am not supposed to be working. I'm up at 2AM and can't sleep, so I'm going to give it a whirl and sell this guy as a genuine badass.
From sixth grade to twelfth grade I grew up in southeastern Ohio. All the while I was completely unaware of what is now my favorite museum in the entire world, only an hour away from where I used to live. I was back in my hometown of St. Clairsville, Ohio for a wedding and took a few extra days to show my wife the sights...After [three places], I kinda ran out of steam and started looking for suggestions from the wedding party. The father of the bride heartily recommended a trip to nearby Dover, Ohio to visit the Warther Carving Museum. We went for it and I am forever grateful that I did.
Hello...I'm nastya currently from moscow, My husband left me because he felt I can bear children. But to God be the glory, i met people talking of this priestess and how powerful her spell is. her website is [withheld], I contact through the website and she emailed me [email address withheld]...before i Contacted her I heard she brings family together. I contacted her and she gave me a spell that made me conceive a baby girl 3 months ago, that's after she has already bring back my husband who left and divorce me. But now we are happily living together. and I am 3 months pregnant. I met this woman priestess and my life changed. Yours could be too if you met her to solve your problems with her spell. It worked me for and I appreciate that.Albert Einstein:
- Too many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves.
- Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism – how passionately I hate them!
- No, this trick won't work...How on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love?
The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.
They're at it again. Unelected bureaucrats are meeting behind closed doors making decisions that could cost tens of thousands of good jobs.
It’s called the Trans-Pacific Partnership. We don’t know what’s in it, but we know who wrote it: corporate lobbyists and representatives of countries that include repressive regimes with no concern for labor or environmental standards.
We should have learned our lesson by now. Bad trade agreements create a race to the bottom which benefits only the multinationals. It lets them export jobs, undermine environmental standards and restrict internet freedom?.
Now they want "fast-track" rules on a secretly negotiated treaty. Fast track means Congress skips the amendment process and skips to vote all before they even know what is in the treaty.
The corporate lobbyists don’t want the public to have the chance to see what’s in this deal – and they don’t want Congress to change what they are trying to foist on America.
As Sen. Elizabeth Warren said, "they have to be secret because if the American people knew what was going on, they would be opposed."
Click here to tell Congress to vote no on "fast-track" authority for the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
American jobs and strong environmental protections are too important to rush through another bad trade agreement.
Recently, Robert Reich and award-winning director Jake Kornbluth worked with MoveOn to put together a video about the worst trade deal you've never heard of – the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), often called "NAFTA on steroids."
If the TPP doesn't sound familiar, that's no accident: This giant story has been almost totally ignored by mainstream TV networks. (Interestingly, most TV networks are owned by corporations that would rake in profits if the deal goes through.)
But the joke's on them. Thanks to MoveOn and social media, as well as the work of progressive allies, the cat is out of the bag. The "NAFTA on steroids" video has already been viewed online THREE MILLION TIMES.
This got Reich and Kornbluth thinking: What if they could do this on all the issues that matter?
This model has incredible potential to revitalize our democracy. That's why MoveOn is teaming up with Robert Reich to launch a groundbreaking new project to reveal what's really going on in our economy, and how to fix it – bypassing the corporate media entirely.
.jpg)
Free Trade Agreements: It started with NAFTA, which was a Republican plan put forth and supported by large corporations. In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed the bill into law. The bill passed, 234 – 200; 156 democrats, 43 Republicans, and 1 Independent voted no. Less than half of the president’s own party supported the bill. This was the start of the rush to the bottom. The ink wasn’t dry before the factory doors began to close and what had been viewed as the world’s industrial giant became a memory."Congressman warns that GOP attacks on Obamacare will cause a favorable outcome." [Egberto Willies, Daily Kos] Excerpt:
The Economic Policy Institute did a study, which found that sixty-one per-cent of the jobs lost to Mexico because of NAFTA were relatively high-paying manufacturing jobs. Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and California took the hardest hit.
CAFTA was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The vote took place in the middle of the night and passed by one vote. The free trade agreement with Central America was the extending of NAFTA to the other countries to the south. Nothing in the bill added any safeguards for the workers in the United States. It only opened up more countries for the corporations to rape.
We have trade agreements with China and South Korea that have created a hole we may never climb out of. Borrowing money isn’t a big deal, as long as they take payment in goods. The problem is we import far more from these two counties than we export. Talk about the playing field not being level; we are pushing up the hill while they are charging down. The terrible thing about all this is: we built the damn hill. Maybe not we, but the corporations, were given free range to cut any deal they want. None of those deals included American workers....
Now waiting in the wings is the Trans-Pacific Partnership. We were tied to the post and shot, and now here’s the bullet to the head. This is the monster of all deals. It is such a giveaway that the meetings are being held behind closed doors. Now Obama wants to fast-track the trade deal, even though no one has any idea what damage it will do to the American worker.
A Chinese proverb comes to mind – "He who seeks vengeance must dig two graves: one for his enemy and one for himself." Ed Schultz asked Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) whether the Republican bill to redefine full-time work in the eyes of the Affordable Care Act to a 40-hour week would have a severe impact. McDermott's answer was thoughtful and reflected what many feel will be Obamacare's ultimate great outcome.
"Well I think if you take in the big picture, Ed, this is in the longterm good for us. Because they are driving us towards single payer. Employers are trying to get out of participating in the employer mandate. They don't want to provide for their employees if they can get out of it. So they are all playing all sorts of games. And ultimately this 40-hour week thing means everybody – people are working 38 hours or 35 hours – they are not going to have to offer them health insurance either. They will come in to the subsidized exchanges and be a part of the federal system. I think we are moving to a system where business is trying to offload their responsibility for the health of their workers."
Majestic road. The Amalfi Coast, Italy:
Sleep tight: Early beds were made with a wooden frame. Ropes were tied across the frame in a criss-cross pattern. A straw mattress was then put on top of the ropes. Over time the ropes stretched, causing the bed to sag. The owner would then tighten the ropes to get a better night's sleep.
Make your own happiness a priority. Your needs matter. If you don’t value yourself, look out for yourself, and stick up for yourself, you’re sabotaging yourself. Remember, it IS possible to take care of your own needs while simultaneously caring for those around you. And once your needs are met, you will likely be far more capable of helping those who need you most.
1st of 18 Photos from The Smithsonian’s “Wilderness Forever” Photo Contest
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has unveiled an epic photo exhibit called “Wilderness Forever” 50 Years of Protecting America’s Wild Places.” The exhibit features jury-selected images that perfectly capture the gripping beauty of America’s wildest natural spaces.
The exhibit celebrates the Wilderness Act, an integral element of the USA’s conservation efforts that, since its adoption in 1964, has protected more than 109 million acres of American wilderness.
The exhibit was selected from more than 5,000 submissions from throughout the US. Many of the winning photos come from the stunning mountains and tundras of Alaska, the mossy mountain forests of the Pacific Coast, and the unique sandstone formations of the Southwest – all regions worth exploring.
The water of Angel Falls in Venezuela (the world's highest) drops 3,212 feet (979 meters). They are 15 times higher than Niagara Falls.
The Cool Dude
I had an exhilarating day of skiing today. It was my second time up on the hill this season mostly because the snow pack was terrible. The first time, back in December, ended quickly because I pulled my back muscle. I wasn't in shape. So while waiting for it to snow I headed to the gym where I walk two miles intermingled between a series of nine weight exercises several times a week. Finally after a weekend of snow and being in shape, today was great. It's sad to see what global warming is doing to the ski season here in Tahoe.
Knowing the Bible can save your life!
A woman had just returned to her home from an evening of church services, when she was startled by an intruder.
She caught the man in the act of robbing her home of its valuables and yelled: "Stop! Acts 2:38!"
The burglar stopped in his tracks.
The woman calmly called the police and explained what she had done. "I quoted scripture to him."
As the officer cuffed the man to take him in, he asked him why he had stopped when the homeowner quoted scripture to him.
"Scripture?" replied the burglar. "She said she had an ax and two 38's!"
Limerick of the week:
Why, he quizzed himself in pious self-indulgence,
do I ev'ry week read verses that give me no refulgence?
Am I damned? Am I in a state of pique
for being disregarded for my cheek?
Am I flagellating myself in self-revulgence?
| Copyright © 2015 by Morris Dean |
Thanks for the fish! Plastic levels rising, challenge of garbage management, ISIS's return to the Prophet's practice, badass with a knife, spam of the year, Einstein quoted and misrepresented, before cellphones, emergency airstrips, closed-door negotiations, NAFTA on steroids, monster of all deals, businesses driving health care to single-payer, majestic road along Amalfi coast, sleep tight, prioritizing your own happiness, Wilderness Forever, Angel Falls, cool dudes, exhilarating skiing, Acts 2:38, wages of cheek....
ReplyDeleteI know a vain fellow whose errors are ample,
ReplyDeleteHe abides no critique and won’t learn by example;
So I’ll cease to beseech
Or make efforts to teach,
The music of language is his turf to trample.