The John James Newsletter 89
7 November 2015
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy
Martin Luther King
Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.
Carl Bard
Climate-Change Summary and Update
“No matter how cynical you become, it’s never enough to keep up.” In climate science, my own efforts to stay abreast are blown away every week by new data, models, and assessments. It seems no matter how dire the situation becomes, it only gets worse when I check the latest reports.
http://www.guymcpherson.net/summary.html
Climate, Fire and Human evolution
Andrew Glikson outlines the principle milestones in the evolution of the atmosphere, oceans and biosphere during the last 4 million years and how we uniquely mastered the ignition and transfer of fire.
http://www.springer.com/us/book/9789400773318 ..
World’s biggest floating wind farm approved in Scotland
The turbines will be attached to the seabed by a three-point mooring spread and anchoring system, that makes them easier and cheaper to install in deep water than other traditional offshore wind turbines, which are rigidly attached to the seabed.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/worlds-biggest-floating-wind-farm-approved-in-scotland-28286
Why South Africa’s born-free generation is not happy
A new black consciousness movement is emerging in South Africa 21 years after its first democratic elections – most recently seen in nationwide student protests.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34570761
Climate Court Battle, Youth Refuse ‘To Watch Government Do Nothing’
The trial is over the refusal by the Department of Ecology to set a cap on carbon emissions. Eight young teens are the plaintiffs. “We’re the ones who have to live with it if the oceans are acidic and the planet is 5 degrees warmer. Everything that can go wrong is going wrong, and we need to fix it.”
The TPP agreement may now be read by anyone
http://dfat.gov.au/trade/agreements/tpp/Pages/trans-pacific-partnership-agreement-tpp.aspx
Israel Is Occupation Addicted
Gideon Levy, Respected Israeli journalist, explains why Israel is like an addict living off the financial aid from the US to keep feeding it’s “occupation addition”
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article43230.htm
Earth Is An Oil-Producing Machine — We’re Not Running Out
The data imply that hydrocarbons are produced chemically from carbon found in Earth’s mantle. Nature magazine calls the product of this process an “unexpected bounty ” of “natural gas and the building blocks of oil products.”
40 packages of drugs, weighing 2 tons in total, were confiscated from Saudi prince.
The prince was arrested for attempting to smuggle pills of captagon, an amphetamine widely used among fighters in the Middle East.
https://www.rt.com/news/319727-saudi-prince-drug-arrest/
Nepal’s First Woman President is a Feminist, Communist
Bhandari, 54, was the vice president of the country’s Communist Party. During the recent debates over the country’s new Republican constitution in September, she fiercely struggled for the inclusion of women’s rights.
Indonesia May Declare National Emergency over Forest Fires
The peat fires, which have spread across vast parts of the country including South Sumatra, are deliberately lit to clear forests for large plantations of palm oil and rubber.
Peat is full of methane.
Strong evidence of genocide in Myanmar
The government has been triggering communal violence for political gain by inciting anti-Muslim riots, using hate speech to stoke fear among the Myanmarese about Muslims, and offering money to hardline Buddhist groups.
Australians can be sustainable without sacrificing lifestyle or economy
We found that collective policy choices are crucial, and that Australia could make great progress to sustainability without any changes in social values.
Putin’s long-term motives in Syria remain misunderstood by many in Washington.
He does not seek to transform the country or make Russia’s involvement a dangerous quagmire. He simply seeks to ensure that the regime in Syria’s capital is acceptable. If the rest of the country roils and sends refugees into Europe, shoring up nationalists and weakening support for the EU, all the better for Putin. In fact, it would be a win-win.
New U.S.-Backed Alliance to Counter ISIS in Syria Falters:
10 days of interviews and front-line visits across northern Syria with many of the forces in the alliance made clear that so far it exists in name only, and that the political and logistical challenges it faces are daunting.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/31/us-mideast-crisis-syria-idUSKCN0SP0EA20151031
Small atoll islands may grow, not sink, as sea levels rise
After poring over more than a century’s worth of data, they conclude that 18 out of 29 islands have actually grown by more than 18 hectares.
This is the Earth! This is where we live
It’s almost impossible to wrap your mind around this information. Amazing!
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/lvas/4mJJdvJIVl8
Rosetta’s Comet Compared to Los Angeles
http://mentalfloss.com/article/60082/rosettas-comet-compared-los-angeles
Deadly 9.4 sieverts detected outside Fukushima reactor 2
Radiation has been detected. Exposure for 45 minutes would result in death.
Are Resource Wars Our Future?
A failure to cap carbon emissions guarantees not just climate shocks, but worldwide instability, insurrection, and warfare. COP-21 should be considered the most significant peace conference in history.
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176063/tomgram%3A_michael_klare%2C_are_resource_wars_our_future/
What happens when you’re about to die? Chemists explain exactly how death feels
How fear and pain trigger different parts of the brain, the brain’s chemistry places body in a state of hyper-alertness and activity and experiences an extra jolt of life before it dies
Cholera Is Coming
An outbreak is sweeping across Iraq. But El Niño, climate change, and Middle Eastern instability could make the crisis much bigger.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/11/02/cholera-is-coming-iraq-climate-change-middle-east/
Melting ice in west Antarctica
Computer models project the effects of 60 more years of melting at the current rate would drive the west Antarctic ice sheet past a critical threshold beyond which a complete, long-term disintegration would occur.
Are You Confused By The Middle East? Here Are Some Things You Should Know.
(But You’ll Probably Still Be Confused) The media never mentions the proposed Qatar natural-gas pipelines – whose path to Europe Syria has stood in the way of for years – as a reason for much of the hostility toward Syria. The pipelines could dethrone Russia as Europe’s dominant source of energy.
http://www.countercurrents.org/blum031115.htm
Indonesia Signs The Historic Bali Declaration Targeting The Looming TB Diabetes Co-Epidemic
Diabetes weakens the immune system, and triples a person’s risk of getting TB—which killed 1.5 million people in 2014. 387 million people are affected by diabetes, with 77% in low- and middle-income countries where TB is prevalent.
Since the end of World War 2, the US has:
>> Attempted to overthrow more than 50 foreign governments, most of which were democratically-elected.
>> Dropped bombs on the people of more than 30 countries.
>> Attempted to assassinate more than 50 foreign leaders.
>> Attempted to suppress a populist or nationalist movement in 20 countries.
>> Grossly interfered in democratic elections in at least 30 countries.
>> More involved in torture than any other country in the world, not just in performing the actual torture, but teaching it, providing the manuals, and furnishing the equipment.
