The John James Newsletter 201
14 October 2017
Higher temperatures might be beneficial because far more people die in cold snaps
Tony Abbott
It’s a shame the White House has become an adult day care centre
Bob Corker
First, they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.
Martin Niemöller
The religious right heritage of the US opts for population control *after birth.*
Steve in New England
General Motors believes in an all-electric future
Mark Reuss, GM’s head of global product development
Sanders is a cold-warrior with a proprietorial view of the world, supported Clinton’s and Blair’s assault on Yugoslavia and the invasions of Afghanistan, Syria and Libya, as well as Obama’s campaign of terrorism by drone. He backs the provocation of Russia and that Edward Snowden should stand trial
John Pilger
Death is preordained and will come when it is written. It is not something to worry about. What one must worry about is how one lives and what one lives for
Mirza Yawar Baig
Your right to complementary medicine is under threat!
Two out of three Australians use natural therapies . Make your voice heard! Join today to protect your right of choice in healthcare. Regulatory reforms restricting access to complementary health are based on “flawed” submissions.
If not stopped then:
Non-Pharma medicines will be banned from sale.
Practitioners will be unable to access ingredients.
Educational courses will be shut down.
And further positive scientific evidence ignored.
If you use naturopathy, herbal medicine, homeopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, yoga, massage or any other commonly used natural therapy your choice is under threat. Why? Along with other attacks, Australia’s National Health & Medical Research Council ignored positive evidence in declaring popular therapies are not effective. These “biased” reports and ongoing attacks will see your choices restricted.
Sign the petition to call for a Senate Inquiry into bias against complementary medicine
https://www.yourhealthyourchoice.com.au/
Wounded Tropical Forests Now Emit 425 Million Tons of Carbon Each Year
This shows that we can’t just sit back. The forest is not doing what we thought it was doing. As always, trees are removing carbon from the atmosphere, but the volume of the forest is no longer enough to compensate for the losses. The region is not a sink any more. the tropical forests which have done us such an amazing service by drawing down a substantial portion of the fossil-fuel based carbon emission are ailing.
Brazil’s worst month ever for forest fires blamed on human activity
Brazil has seen more forest fires in September than in any single month since records began, and authorities have warned that 2017 could surpass the worst year on record due to the expansion of agriculture and a reduction of oversight and surveillance. Lower than average rainfall in this year’s dry season is also an exacerbating factor.
After twelve years do I let go of “planetextinction.com”? Advise me!!
This Domain Name is due to expire on 02/11/2017, and before closing I offer it and the material on it to whoever would find it useful. I wrote it after seeing Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth, and tried to assemble in one place all that we knew at that time. I said in it we had 8 years to stop what we were doing, and that has turned out to be prescient From about 2014 we have passed so many critical tipping points that the climate will continue to worsen without further input from us. The site still attracts over 800 visits a month.
But if I do keep this on I need someone else to update it and write the text. Offers??
http://planetextinction.com/planet_extinction_facts.htm
Is Puerto Rico the Prequel to Post-Climate Change Dystopia?
It’s time to take our heads out of the sand and realise that climate change is an existential threat to civilised life. In Puerto Rico, we may be seeing a prequel of what a post-climate change dystopian world may look like, and it’s truly terrifying. Unless rescue efforts are ramped up quickly, hundreds of thousands sick or dying from contaminated water; mass starvation because fresh food and water can’t reach those who need it; a breakdown in social order, as law enforcement officers are unable to even get to work, because they’re trying to take care of their own families, or because shattered transportation infrastructure prevents them from reaching remote parts of the island; even roving gangs of young people stealing food, water, fuel and medicine to save their own families; makeshift refugee camps fighting other refugees for scarce resources; and the armed forces trying desperately to restore order. Meanwhile, hedge funds and investment banks holding Puerto Rican debt foreclose on the territory’s assets.
Dispatch From the Frontlines of Puerto Rico in a Post-María World
I thought things were bad without electricity. Now without water, it seems like life will be unbearable.
The reality of living with 50℃ temperatures in our major cities
We expect air conditioning to take the strain, but may not realise just how much strain is involved. Shade temperatures of 50℃ mean that direct sunlight can raise the temperature to 60℃ or 70℃. Bringing that back to a comfortable 22℃ or even a warm 27℃ is not always possible and requires a lot of energy – putting serious strain on the electricity grid. Electricity transmission systems are inherently vulnerable to extreme heat, meaning they can fail simply due to the weather, let alone the increased demand on the grid from power consumers.
https://theconversation.com/the-reality-of-living-with-50-temperatures-in-our-major-cities-85315
Israel Faces “Catastrophic Defeat” if Next Hezbollah War Exceeds Ten Days
Hezbollah, Iran and Syria appear to have more or less accepted the fact of Israel’s increasing attacks on arms shipment. until the war does erupt, Israel will continue trying to stop Hezbollah from arming itself with accurate weapons. Hezbollah are preparing, expecting, preferring and intending to pursue a longer war. The longer the better for many reasons. One reason is that both sides are acutely aware that a drawn out war with Hezbollah saturating Israel with approximately 2000 missiles daily will cause nearly unimaginable damage to Israel’s military bases, infrastructure, civilian neighborhoods and population. And unless there is a hastily arranged enforceable ceasefire the war will not end even when there is not a lot left of Hezbollah neighborhoods as occurred in 2006. Unless mass public protests and demonstrations flood Israel’s streets and swarm Parliament because the UN Security Council will likely be paralyzed as unfortunately has become its recent fate.
“I Hate Everyone in the White House!”: Trump Seethes as Advisers Fear the President Is “Unraveling”
In recent days, I’ve spoken with a half dozen prominent Republicans and Trump advisers, and they all describe a White House in crisis as advisers struggle to contain a president who seems to be increasingly unfocused and consumed by dark moods. Kelly and Secretary of Defense James Mattis have discussed what they would do in the event Trump ordered a nuclear first strike. “Would they tackle him?”. Even Trump’s most loyal backers are sowing public doubts. Longtime Trump friend Tom Barrack said he has been “shocked” and “stunned” by Trump’s behavior.
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/10/donald-trump-is-unraveling-white-house-advisers
Trump and ‘His Generals’ on Collision Course over Iran
A letter sent to the president in July from “38 former flag officers from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines said that the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA) [the Iran deal] has achieved its aims over the two years since it was signed”. The military officers are on one side of the Iran recertification issue and the president and his fair weather cheerleaders in the neocon camp are on the other side.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/trump-and-his-generals-on-collision-course-over-iran/5612273
Run-Up to Another Potential US Middle East Disaster
Make no mistake. Although the invasion of Iraq proved to be a folly of the first order, messing around with the JCPOA will mean much more trouble for the US. Undercutting the agreement would guarantee that the US will be unable to reduce its military engagement in the region (even if the Islamic State is destroyed). It would also guarantee a further deterioration in US relations with key allies and further loss of trust in the competence of US political leadership. And it would further distort US priorities, reducing the chances of dealing effectively with the emerging, truly existential, threat from North Korea. Already, the DPRK has seen that any US commitments in the nuclear area cannot be relied upon. Even during the Obama administration, officials nibbled away at requirements for Iranian sanctions relief, thus raising questions not just in Iran (a minor problem) but in allied nations (a major problem).
http://lobelog.com/run-up-to-another-potential-us-middle-east-disaster/#more-41437
New research reveals the origin of Australia’s extinct flightless giants, the mihirung birds
Even the smallest of these mihirungs was as large as an emu, while others grew to the size of a horse, with males weighing up to 650kg. Despite their size, all were gentle giants, browsing on fruit and leaves of shrubs.
Watch as a World-Renowned Hacker Shows You How It’s Done
Think your wireless and other technology is safe? Think again. From Blue Tooth to automobile remotes, PCs, and “secure” credit cards, this Hacker shows how nearly every secure system is vulnerable. A simple device will display your passwords to the public.
https://futurism.com/videos/watch-as-a-world-renowned-hacker-shows-you-how-its-done/
Community 2. Big Oil 0
Chevron has followed BP — and quit the Great Australian Bight! With two of the world’s biggest polluters gone, this precious marine sanctuary is a little safer. But our fight with Statoil is yet to come. We were the first to take action and we’re in it til the end.
https://www.facebook.com/wilderness.society/videos/10155357184048500/
You can put a price on a tree
Through careful accounting, we synthesised the available data and calculated the annual contributions of industries to GDP. In 2013-14, the latest year for which all financial data were available, these came to A$310 million for water supply, A$312 million for agriculture, A$260 million for tourism and potentially A$49 million for carbon storage. All of this far exceeds the A$12 million from native timber production. Although timber production is a traditional industry, its contribution to the regional economy is now comparatively small.
https://theconversation.com/money-cant-buy-me-love-but-you-can-put-a-price-on-a-tree-84357
Queensland tree clearing wipes out federal emissions gains
Accelerating rates of land clearing in Queensland are undermining Australia’s Direct Action greenhouse gas cuts
About 40% of the clearing in the state identified in the latest figures occurred in catchments that drain water into the Great Barrier Reef, which will increase pollution affecting the struggling coral
Airbus’ Electric Flying Taxis Are Set to Take to the Skies Next Year
Airbus is aiming to put its flying taxi, the CityAirbus, into operation next year, as confirmed by the company earlier this week. The announcement comes after a successful full-scale ground test of the vertical take-off and landing vehicle’s propulsion system. CityAirbus is entirely battery-powered, uses a four propeller design to navigate through crowded cities and other dense environments, and can comfortably carry up to four people “in a fast, affordable, and environmentally friendly way.”
https://futurism.com/airbus-electric-flying-taxis-are-set-to-take-to-the-skies-next-year/
Warming Soils Could Trigger Potentially Unstoppable Climate Feedback Loop
If the microbes in all landscapes respond to warming in the way we’ve observed in mid-latitude forest soils, this self-reinforcing feedback phenomenon will go on and we are not going to be able to turn those microbes off. Of special concern is the big pool of easily decomposed carbon that is frozen in Artic soils. As those soils thaw out, this feedback phenomenon would be an important component of the climate system, with climate change feeding itself in a warming world.
New Study ‘Sounds Alarm’ on Another Climate Feedback Loop
Globally, soils hold more than twice as much carbon as the atmosphere, so even a relatively small increase in release of carbon from the Earth’s soils can have a large impact on atmospheric greenhouse gases and future warming. Rising temperatures will stimulate the net loss of soil carbon to the atmosphere, driving a positive land carbon–climate feedback that could accelerate climate change.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/12/26/new-study-sounds-alarm-another-climate-feedback-loop%20
Attempts To Silence Climate Scientists Have Been Desperate But Effective
Right-wing groups are using open records laws to obtain scientists’ emails, and then misrepresenting the content of those emails to question the integrity of researchers and cast doubt on their findings, all of which has a chilling effect on scientific inquiry. But scientists have earned powerful allies in the fight to protect their research.
https://cleantechnica.com/2017/10/07/attempts-silence-climate-scientists-desperate-effective/
Give a dog a bad name…
The poor dog didn’t do anything to be hanged. He was the victim of a negative media campaign. “Dogophobia” got him and he was hanged. That is what those who spend their time and money behind demonizing Islam seem to want to do. Islamophobia is a multibillion dollar industry which like the pre-War anti-Semitism of Germany and Europe is run by those who are trying to make hay while the sun shines.
http://yawar-where-are-the-leaders.blogspot.com.au/2017/10/give-dog-bad-name.html
Google’s ‘April algorithm’ now censoring world’s most incisive investigative journalism
Blogger Michael Tyler explains how Google has censored his and many other investigative articles, in some cases entirely removing them from its searches as if they never existed. So you wouldn’t find them even if you searched for the exact page title or headline enclosed in quotes. This is deliberate complicity by Goggle with the criminals who these articles are, in part, exposing.
http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/94172
Wealth and inequality charts
Racial and ethnic wealth disparities persistFamilies of color will soon make up a majority of the population, but most continue to fall behind whites in building wealth. white family wealth was seven times greater than black family wealth and five times greater than Hispanic family wealth in 2016.
http://apps.urban.org/features/wealth-inequality-charts/
How Wartime Spending Decisions Will Constrain Future National Security Budgets
One of the most significant challenges to future US policy will be coping with the legacy of the conflicts already fought in Afghanistan and Iraq that is debt—promises and commitments that extend far into the future. The war years have left the US burdened with heavy costs, that include the medical care for the wounded, as well as the accrued liabilities for providing lifetime medical costs and disability compensation for those who have survived.
http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/lbilmes/files/the_financial_legacy_of_afghanistan.pdf
The $6 Trillion Wars
Fighting for nothing, and destroying countries in the process, costs a lot.
https://www.thenation.com/article/6-trillion-wars/
AI and Robots will significantly threaten existing jobs in 5 years
IT leaders believe automation could impact 60% of businesses by 2022 and threaten jobs in the process. Now, a new, separate report from PwC, the second biggest professional services firm worldwide, suggests a similar timeline; one in which people may need to practice and learn new skills — or be left behind as automation takes over. A startling scenario the report envisions for the future is one in which “typical” jobs — jobs people can steadily advance in through promotions — no longer exist,
https://futurism.com/reports-ai-robots-threaten-jobs-5-years/
Google Censorship clamps down on Alternative Media
With a list of the 15 sites e have previously reported on, and some other sites that have experienced problems similar to the amount of traffic they’ve lost from search since the beginning of the year. All are authoritative sites. All produce original content.
http://www.michaeltyler.co.uk/google-censorship-clamps-alt-media/
The worst slums in Africa
Africa is a huge continent with a population of more than 1.1 billion. The population is set to double by 2050. More than 60% of urbanized Africans live in slums. They do not have adequate access to safe water, sanitation and other infrastructure. Their houses are trash.
Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya 2,500,000
Kroo Bay, Freetown, Sierra Leone, 200,000
Mathare, Nairobui, Kenya, 500,000
West Point, Monrovia, Liberia, 75,000
Makoko, Lagos, Nigeria, 86,000
Korogocho, Nairobi, Kenya, 200,000
Katanga, Uganda, 120,000
Kawangare, 15k from Nairobi, Kenya, 200,000 or more
Kiambiu, Nairobi, Kenya, 50,000
Agbogbloshie south Ghana, 80,000
Clara Town, Monrovia, Liberia, 80,000
Kennedy Road, Durban South Africa, 7,0000
Kangemi, Nairobi, Kenya, 100,000
Shomolu, Nigeria, 90,000
Mukuru kwa Njenga, Kenya, 100,000
Ajegunle, Lagos, Nigeria, 50,000
http://www.nairaland.com/3155415/africaranking-20-worst-slums-africa
