The John James Newsletter 150 – a call to action

4 December 2016

It appears that over the past 18 months or so we have pushed the earth into an irrevocable spiral. The accumulating feedback loops cannot now be contained, though with concerted effort we may be able to diminish them.

It’s fair to say we have passed the point of no return on global warming and we can’t reverse the effects

Dr Thomas Crowther (links at the end)

We are at the most dangerous moment in the development of humanity 

Professor Stephen Hawking

Carbon in the earth is now being released through many feedbacks. Just hit the news that soil respiration “is about to add between 0.45 and 0.71 parts per million of CO2 to the atmosphere every year”. We know that methane in Arctic permafrost and clathrates is being released 200 times faster than usual. The impact of forest fires has been overlooked but can be as high as half the total emissions from fossil fuels. Droughts that now circle the globe reduce forest ability to absorb carbon. And so on.

Everybody knows the changes are speeding up. We seem to be past the point of no return. We could be witnessing multi-metre sea level rise over the next decade or so. There is no escape. As James Hansen said, “this is inevitable”.

We the people now have to act for our own survival. We cannot trust the politicians. Its up to us, and we can, as long as we start now.

On the South Coast we have begun a process that we would like to see advanced everywhere. On every front we intend to implement local alternatives for all aspects of our lives so we are independent of endangered supplies.

When we follow the connections between rising seas, fleeing populations and the collapse of industry its obvious we will find it increasingly difficult to import fuel, food and manufactured goods on which we depend.

Think about the consequences, and the tensions and panic that would follow.

We have oversimplified the issues into eight headings. There are answers to each one as long as we act while there is still time.

Food, Water and Goods, equipment, clothes, shoes, winter food storage
Transport and Trawling, cartage, busses, distribution of food and stuff, ambulance
Flooding and Heatwaves, alternative roads, wharves, sewage and homelessness, keeping cool
Communication, can we rely on internet, how to network if web were restricted
Wellbeing and Resilience, panic when people feel threatened and compelled to change
Building and Maintenance, fixing and repair of equipment, spare parts, power outages
Essential Services, health, dental, security, trash, bushfire protection, school, burials
Money and Governance, publicity, exchange, charities, grants

We are calling ourselves The Platform, from the image that when the train bears down on the station it is best to get off the tracks and onto the side.  Perhaps when others come on board we will become The Platform (South-east). But, in the meantime we have agreed down here in the Bega area that we have to start planning now.

We still have all the benefits of an industrial society to help us. Lets use what tools we have, and start now.

This is a call to action – it is now time – as everybody knows this moment is propitious.

John James

_________________________________________

References:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/11/30/the-ground-beneath-our-feet-is-poised-to-make-global-warming-much-worse-scientists-find

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3703458/The-Arctic-leaking-methane-200-times-faster-usual-Bizarre-gas-bubbles-create-trembling-tundras-speeding-global-warming.html

http://joannenova.com.au/2015/07/forest-fires-may-produce-as-much-co2-as-half-of-all-fossil-fuels-burned/

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/drought-amazon-carbon-capture-18733

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/mar/22/sea-level-rise-james-hansen-climate-change-scientist

The John James Newsletter 149

3 December 2016

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Wendell Berry: “The Peace of Wild Things”

Capitalism has neither the capacity, the morality, nor the ethics to solve the problem of poverty 

Fidel Castro

What’s really worrying is that we are getting feedbacks that are almost dominating the warming process. A perfect storm of bad things is going on

Peter Wadhams,

The Drums of War

it’s not just Trump. Clinton and Sanders also made impossible promises to bring back jobs. Half the platform of both parties was based on a delusion. The social, environmental and economic crises we face require a complete reappraisal of the way we live and work. The failure by mainstream political parties to produce a new economic narrative, that does not rely on sustaining impossible levels of growth and generating illusory jobs, provides a marvellous opening for demagogues everywhere. The combination of automation, complexity and climate change is dangerous in ways we haven’t even begun to grasp.

http://www.monbiot.com/2016/11/24/the-drums-of-war/ 

Frightened by Donald Trump? You don’t know the half of it 

For 15 years tobacco, coal, oil, chemicals and biotech companies have poured billions into an international misinformation machine composed of thinktanks, bloggers and fake citizens’ groups. Its purpose is to portray the interests of billionaires as the interests of the common people, to wage war against trade unions and beat attempts to regulate business and tax the very rich. Now the people who helped run this machine are shaping the government.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/30/donald-trump-george-monbiot-misinformationnb 

Don’t Let Politics Trump Science, 2000 Scientists Warn President-Elect

Scientists are “looking at the kinds of people that Trump is appointing, and we have no good reason to be optimistic”

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/12/01/dont-let-politics-trump-science-2000-scientists-warn-president-elect 

Warning of Global Havoc as Possible Arctic ‘Tipping Points’ Pile Up

The signals ‘are getting louder,’ What is happening in the Arctic will not stay in the Arctic. Researchers warn that as many as 19 ‘tipping points’ could be triggered by the increasingly warm temperatures in the northern polar region. These rapid Arctic changes will destabilize the regional and global climate, with potentially major impacts.

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/11/25/warning-global-havoc-possible-arctic-tipping-points-pile 

Cynthia: Flesh-Eating Synthetic Bacteria Has Mutated

In 2011, Cynthia was unleashed in the Gulf of Mexico and in its initial stages of life it was absorbing oil slicks at breathtaking speed. The bacteria was eating up its “meal”. But then this bacteria mutated and soon was feeding on organic lifeforms. Strange reports started coming from the US,

http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/cynthia-flesh-eating-synthetic-bacteria-has-mutated-spreading-uncontrollably/ 

Grizzly-polar hybrid is a new result of climate change 

Grizzly bears found in Alaska and Canada appear to be moving north as their environment warms, bringing them into contact with polar bears located on the coastline. Polar bears are spending more time on land as Arctic ice diminishes, causing them to lose body weight and decline in numbers as they are unable to hunt for favored prey such as seals.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/18/pizzly-grolar-bear-grizzly-polar-hybrid-climate-change 

The Great Barrier Reef has suffered the worst die-off ever recorded 

Two-thirds of the corals in the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef have died on in the reef’s worst-ever bleaching event

http://www.sciencealert.com/this-bleaching-event-is-the-worst-die-off-ever-seen-on-the-great-barrier-reef

Stop Adani destroying our land and our culture

If the Carmichael mine were to proceed it would tear the heart out of our land. The scale of this mine means it would have devastating impacts on our native title, ancestral lands and waters, our totemic plants and animals, and our environmental and cultural heritage. It would pollute and drain billions of litres of groundwater, and obliterate important springs systems. It would potentially wipe out threatened and endangered species. It would literally leave a huge black hole, monumental in proportions, where there were once our homelands. These effects are irreversible. Our land will be “disappeared”.

http://wanganjagalingou.com.au/

https://www.communityrun.org/petitions/don-t-let-adani-build-their-huge-coal-mine-on-our-traditional-land 

San Francisco’s Official Response to the Election of Trump

RESOLVED, That no matter the threats made by President-elect Trump, San Francisco will remain a Sanctuary City. We will not turn our back on the men and women from other countries who help make this city great, and who represent over one third of our population. This is the Golden Gate—we build bridges, not walls.

http://sfbaytimes.com/san-franciscos-official-response-to-the-election-of-trump/ 

Finland set to become first country to ban coal use for energy

The groundwork for the ban already seems to be in place. Coal use has been steadily declining in Finland since 2011, and the nation heavily invested in renewable energy in 2012, leading to a near doubling of wind power capacity the following year. It also poured a further €80 million into renewable power this past February.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2113827-finland-set-to-become-first-country-to-ban-coal-use-for-energy/ 

Vast methane reservoir beneath Antarctic ice

Half the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and a quarter of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet lie on pre-glacial sedimentary basins containing around 21,000 billion tonnes of carbon. “This is an immense amount of organic carbon, more than 10 times the size of carbon stocks in northern permafrost regions.”  TEN TIMES??? !! 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/vast-methane-reservoir-could-be-beneath-antarctic-ice-8092445.html 

Brace yourself, the polar vortex is shifting

it’s going to make winters on the east coast of the US and parts of Europe even longer, with exceptionally cold temperatures expected during March.

http://www.sciencealert.com/satellite-data-shows-the-polar-vortex-is-shifting 

Repair café

White Goods are now made to last only a few years. Here is an alternative!!

https://www.facebook.com/ATTNVideo/videos/1626807070957581/ 

India: Millions Rise Up Against Ban On Cash

Bankers attacked and locked up by angry mobs as Indian government teeters on the brink of collapse after citizens revolt against draconian anti-cash laws that have thrown the country into chaos as hundreds of millions of ordinary people are unable to access their savings. In a country where 98% of transactions are performed using cash, the sudden ban on cash transactions, and the withdrawal of cash from circulation, has created outrage.

http://yournewswire.com/india-millions-protest-new-world-order-ban-cash/ 

Facebook Must Stay Out of China

A Faustian pact with Beijing would almost certainly make user behavior around the world visible to Chinese state security.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/11/28/facebook-must-stay-out-of-china/ 

Climate Links Evident as Fire for the History Books Ravages Tennessee

The southern Appalachians have endured their hottest and driest autumn on record, setting the stage for dozens of wildfires across the region that culminated in Monday’s blazes. “In my 25 years of federal park service, I’ve participated in many fires, but none of that could have prepared me for this.” He called the winds on Monday “unprecedented.”

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/11/29/climate-links-evident-fire-history-books-ravages-tennessee

How ‘Alfred’ the whale lost its teeth to become a giant filter feeder 

Baleen whales, such as the gigantic 30m-long blue whale, are the largest animals that have ever lived on this planet. They even beat the largest of the dinosaurs. But, ironically, the secret to their success lies in their taste for tiny prey.

https://theconversation.com/how-alfred-the-whale-lost-its-teeth-to-become-a-giant-filter-feeder-69489 

Australian schools continue to fall behind other countries in maths and science

Only in Year 4 mathematics is the score significantly higher than in 1995, and this is because of a small jump in scores in 2007. Since then there has been no change. During this same 20-year period countries such as Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Japan made steady improvements, while Canada, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland and the US have improved and now outperform Australia.

https://theconversation.com/australian-schools-continue-to-fall-behind-other-countries-in-maths-and-science-69341 

Obama Failed to Understand Putin

Relations between the US and Russia are the worst they have been since the end of the Cold War and perhaps worse than some periods during the Cold War.  The risk of accidental conflict seems higher now than in years, with US and Russian war planes conducting combat sorties in close proximity in Syrian airspace, repeated harassment of US and NATO aircraft and ships in the Baltic Sea and elsewhere, and the open discussion of nuclear war by the both governments and civil defense drills being conducted in Moscow.

https://www.thecipherbrief.com/article/asia/obama-failed-understand-putin-1090 

China on verge of wasting $490 billion on unnecessary coal plants

Currently, the country has 895 GW of operating coal capacity, or 2,689 coal plants being utilized less than half the time, with another 205 GW of capacity under construction. Therefore if plants under construction are finished, and existing capacity is run at 45%, then 210 GW of coal capacity will be unnecessary in 2020 with growth at 3%.

http://reneweconomy.com.au/china-verge-wasting-490-billion-unnecessary-coal-plants-says-carbon-tracker-52997/ 

Only 60 Years of Farming Left If Soil Degradation Continues

Generating three centimeters of top soil takes 1,000 years. The causes of soil destruction include chemical-heavy farming techniques, deforestation which increases erosion, and global warming. “Soils are the basis of life,”

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/only-60-years-of-farming-left-if-soil-degradation-continues/ 

“Orders to Kill” Dr. Martin Luther King

The evidence gathered and documented in The Plot to Kill King, proves that King was killed by a conspiracy masterminded by the US government.  Much of his evidence was presented at the 1999 trial.  The names and details make clear that, as with the murders of JFK and RFK, the conspiracy was sophisticated with many moving parts organized at the highest level,

http://www.globalresearch.ca/orders-to-kill-martin-luther-king-the-government-that-honors-mlk-with-a-national-holiday-killed-him/5559300 

Obama Extends Global Reach of US Special Operations Death Squads

The mandate of the new formation, to be called the “Counter-External Operations Task Force,” or Ex-Ops, will embrace the entire planet. US military death squads could be sent to virtually any location, from European cities to South American jungles, including the US itself. This makes counter-terrorism an independent, global command.

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2016/11/29/jsoc-n29.html 

How Obama’s climate change legacy is weakened by US investment in dirty fuel

An agency inside the Obama administration poured billions into fossil fuel projects that will lead to global carbon emissions on a damaging scale. Since 2009, seven of the bank’s 10 largest deals went to oil and gas giants, including ExxonMobil, BG Energy Holdings – now part of Royal Dutch Shell – and Australia Pacific LNG.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/nov/30/us-fossil-fuel-investment-obama-climate-change-legacy 

The John James Newsletter 148

26 November 2016

You never have to default, because you print the money

Donald Trump

Banks create deposits whenever they make loans; and this is the source of 97% of the UK money supply 

Bank of England

It is difficult to produce a television documentary that is both incisive and probing when every twelve minutes one is interrupted by twelve dancing rabbits singing about toilet paper

Rod Serling

Climate Chaos Worse than the COP22 is Letting on

Conversations with Guy McPherson, Cory Morningstar and Dahr Jamail. Global Research News Hour Episode 160. I can pretty much guarantee… we’ll get zero-emissions economy by 2050.” -Professor Guy Mcpherson

http://www.globalresearch.ca/climate-chaos-worse-than-the-cop22-is-letting-on/5557899 

COP 22: “One Step Closer Towards A Climate That Is Incompatible With Dignified Life”

the lack of urgency has further condemned young people, future generations and the world’s most vulnerable to food insecurity, water scarcity, extreme weather events and climate induced conflict. As young people, we will live with the consequences of these negotiations.

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/11/23/cop-22-one-step-closer-towards-a-climate-that-is-incompatible-with-dignified-life/ 

Algae to Bio-Fuels – Better than electric cars?

From carbon dioxide, water, nutrients and light energy can be produced a substitute for diesel, especially in heavy transport and trawling. Also, stock food. Now running in the Shoalhaven.

http://algaetec.com.au/index.php/technology/algae-to-bio-fuels-the-process 

The heat is there: but is there a future for geothermal energy in Australia?

Although geothermal energy is a mainstay of electricity generation in countries such as Iceland and El Salvador, the ancient, slumbering strata of Australia presents a more challenging landscape.

https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/nov/04/the-heat-is-there-is-there-a-future-for-geothermal-energy-in-australia 

How energy efficiency will reshape power markets

An unfashionable yet economically alluring investment that could reshape power markets for ever, and remove fossil fuels as the primary driver of market prices. Energy efficiency has long been held by its enthusiasts as the most obvious lever to reduce emissions, and save costs.

http://reneweconomy.com.au/how-energy-efficiency-will-reshape-power-markets-80706/ 

Arctic ice melt could trigger uncontrollable climate change at global level 

Arctic scientists have warned that the increasingly rapid melting of the ice cap risks triggering 19 “tipping points” in the region that could have catastrophic consequences around the globe. The Arctic Resilience Report found that the effects of Arctic warming could be felt as far away as the Indian Ocean, in a stark warning that changes in the region could cause uncontrollable climate change at a global level.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/nov/25/arctic-ice-melt-trigger-uncontrollable-climate-change-global-level 

‘Extraordinarily hot’ Arctic temperatures alarm scientists 

Temperatures in the Arctic are currently about 20C above what would be expected for the time of year. Ice that should be growing is retreating. There is no ice at Svalbard yet. In the last few days there has been a decline in sea ice in the Bering sea. Very warm air has flooded into the Arctic from the south, pressing the ice northwards.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/nov/22/extraordinarily-hot-arctic-temperatures-alarm-scientists   

Sea ice is shrinking 

Arctic sea ice shrunk 49,000 km² in four days. Antarctic sea ice is also falling, reflecting the warming of oceans globally. For some time now, Antarctic sea ice extent has been at a record low for the time of the year.  On November 19, 2016, the combined extent of Arctic and Antarctic sea ice was 22.423 million km², as the image below shows.

http://arctic-news.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/sea-ice-is-shrinking.html 

It’s More Dire Than You Think in Greece, Where Home Repossessions Are Exploding 

More than 120,000 homes stand to be repossessed as tenants and owners find themselves unable to shoulder a taxation burden that far exceeds their 10,000 euro total annual income. How did we get to this point, and where will Greece go from here?

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/38496-it-s-direr-than-you-think-in-greece-where-home-repossessions-are-exploding 

Neoliberalism is creating loneliness. That’s what’s wrenching society apart

Plagues of anxiety, stress, depression, social phobia, eating disorders, self-harm and loneliness now strike people all over the world. The latest, catastrophic figures for children’s mental health in England reflect a global crisis. The underlying cause is human beings, the ultrasocial mammals, whose brains are wired to respond to other people, are being peeled apart.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/12/neoliberalism-creating-loneliness-wrenching-society-apart 

Methane: rate of accumulation outstrips the rate of C02

While carbon dioxide emissions get a lot of attention, the rise of methane is even more worrying. According to NOAA data, annual mean global methane grew 2004-2013 by an average of 3.75 ppb per year. In 2014, the rate was 12.56 ppb. Methane increase almost double that of C02.

http://arctic-news.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/monthly-co-not-under-400-ppm-in-2016.html 

Nicolas Sarkozy promises to hit America with a carbon tax if Trump rips up Paris climate deal

French presidential candidate suggests US should be punished financially if Trump fulfils pledge to pull out.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/donald-trump-us-carbon-tax-nicolas-sarkozy-global-warming-paris-climate-deal-a7418301.html 

On the road with our American selves, or How to Feel Like a Jerk in Mombasa 

Trump has pledged to “take out” the families of terrorists, a plan that sounds ordinary compared to our actual drone assassination program, conceived by George W. Bush and maintained and expanded by Obama.

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176209/tomgram%3A_mattea_kramer%2C_you_don%27t_leave_home_without_it/ 

Destruction of kelp forests by tropical fish shows impact of ocean temperature rise

Deforestation near Coffs Harbour coincided with 0.6C temperature rise has had ‘catastrophic’ effect of attracting tropical fish The proportion of kelp showing signs of bite marks increased from less than 10% in 2002 to more than 70 in 2008. At the same time the proportion of tropical fish in the ecosystem increased from less than 10% to more than 30.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/nov/15/destruction-of-kelp-forests-by-tropical-fish-shows-impact-of-ocean-temperature-rises 

Killing Euthanasia Laws: Politicians, Piety And Popular Public Policy 

There are national implications for the persistent influence that permeates our legislatures, a religious presence that now offends three-quarters of the community. It’s a political malaise we inherited along with colonisation, largely ignored by media but recently described as a “theocracy inside our democracy“.

https://newmatilda.com/2016/11/20/killing-euthanasia-laws-politicians-piety-and-popular-public-policy/ 

Is the investment in private health insurance worthwhile?

For the first time in 15 years, as premiums and complaints rise, the proportion of the population with private health insurance is declining. Recent polling shows 20% of those who have private health insurance (46.8% of the population) expect to downgrade or drop their cover in the next six years.

http://theconversation.com/is-the-investment-in-private-health-insurance-worthwhile-68980 

He’s learned from our guys. What else can we teach him?

Trump to scrap all Nasa climate research

This would mean the elimination of Nasa’s world-renowned research into temperature, ice, clouds and other climate phenomena. Nasa’s network of satellites provide a wealth of information on climate change.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/nov/22/nasa-earth-donald-trump-eliminate-climate-change-research 

The Global Coral Bleaching Event That Began in 2014 May Just Keep Going and Going

Around the world, reef systems came under severe stress as sea temperatures exceeded 28-30C. Among the hardest hit regions were the reefs of Kiribati. There, sea surface temperatures hit up to 31.4 C on an extended basis. Such hot waters have, for all practical purposes, wiped out their reefs.

https://robertscribbler.com/2016/11/22/why-the-global-coral-bleaching-event-that-began-in-2014-may-just-keep-going-and-going/ 

Saving the Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is sometimes described as the Earth’s largest living organism, but it is much more than that. There is nothing else on the planet like it: more than 3000 individual reefs and 1000 islands spread across an area stretching 2300 kilometres. It is the only natural wonder you can see from space.

http://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2016/saving-the-reef/index.html 

Curating the Future: Museums, Communities and Climate Change

The book asks what should the people of the present be collecting for museums in a climate-changed future? Curating the Future is for those working in museums and grappling with how to talk about climate change.

https://www.routledge.com/Curating-the-Future-Museums-Communities-and-Climate-Change/Newell-Robin-Wehner/p/book/9781138658523 

Jill Stein Raises Millions for Recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvani

Stein’s effort comes after a group of activists told New York magazine that Hillary Clinton—who lost the presidency despite winning the popular vote—should call for a recount in those three battleground states, alleging foreign hacking.

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/11/24/jill-stein-raises-millions-recounts-wisconsin-michigan-pennsylvania 

CSIRO “internet of things” pilot aims to cut community housing power bills by 80%

Evergen’s technology, which was developed by the CSIRO and has been backed by AMP Capital, uses a household’s power consumption patterns and weather forecasts to decide when to use solar power, when to store it, and when to draw from the battery or the grid, according to what is the most cost-effective for the household.

https://onestepoffthegrid.com.au/csiro-internet-things-pilot-aims-cut-community-housing-power-bills-80/ 

Economic Emergency In India And What Does That Mean For The Common People

Former Prime Minister and a former governor of Reserve Bank of India, Mr. Manmohan Singh has called demonetisation “organised loot and legalised plunder.” From the day one it was obvious that government of India’s demonetisation move was a plunder of people’s hard earned money.

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/11/09/economic-emergency-in-india-and-what-does-that-mean-for-the-common-peop 

The John James Newsletter 147

23 November 2016

The more the climate movement can provide structures for people’s engagement — clear directions and support for people who are ready to tackle the climate emergency — the more people will go into emergency mode.

Margaret Klein Salamon

If we don’t act quickly to curb emissions every ecosystem across Earth will fundamentally change in our lifetimes

James Watson.

Folks — we’re in a climate emergency. Tell everyone you know

Eric Holthaus

We are committed to 2.4°C no matter what we do

The observed increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases since the preindustrial era has committed the world to a warming of 2.4°C above the preindustrial surface temperatures. The committed warming is inferred from the most recent IPCC estimates of the greenhouse forcing and climate sensitivity.

http://www.pnas.org/content/105/38/14245.full 

Leading the Public into Emergency Mode: A New Strategy for the Climate Movement

In emergency mode, members of groups work productively together in a coordinated way to solve a crisis. Then the vast majority of people contribute their best effort and available resources. People fill different roles and take on complementary projects in order to ameliorate the crisis. While the profit motive and self-interested behaviour are not eliminated in a long emergency, working for the common good to create solutions, rather than focusing on their own comfort or advantage, becomes the norm. People gain satisfaction and pride from helping the group, and they feel motivated, even driven to do so.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9HHPq85FjLGNmhVODlrY2VoOGM/view 

Ice melt, sea level rise and superstorms: 

Late  in  the  prior  interglacial, when sea level rose 6–9 m with evidence of extreme storms while Earth was less than 1C warmer than today.

http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/16/3761/2016/acp-16-3761-2016.pdf 

The Arctic Ocean Above 80 North, It’s Still Summer in November

For in the Arctic Ocean above the 80 degree north latitude line which encircles the crest of our world, temperatures today are around 17C above average. These are the warmest temperatures for this region ever recorded. And they include numerous locations in which temperatures spike to well above 20 C warmer than average.

https://robertscribbler.com/2016/11/14/for-the-arctic-ocean-above-80-north-its-still-summer-in-november/ 

Climate Change Has Already Altered Nearly Every Ecosystem on Earth

82% of “core ecological processes” on land and sea have now been affected by climate change in a way that had not been expected  to happen for decades. Temperature extremes are causing evolutionary adaption in many species, genetically and physically. Responses include tolerances to high temperatures, shifts in sex-ratios, reduced body size, and migration.

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/11/15/climate-change-has-already-altered-nearly-every-ecosystem-on-earth/ 

Trump Induces First Major Policy Change On Syria

While Obama met Trump in the oval office, new policies, prepared beforehand, were launched. The policies were held back until after the election and would likely not have been revealed or implemented if Clinton had won. The U.S. declared that from now on it will fight against al-Qaeda in Syria

http://www.moonofalabama.org/2016/11/nusra-on-the-run-trump-induces-first-major-policy-change-on-syria.html#more 

Trump’s $1 Trillion Infrastructure Plan – Print Money

Under Trump’s plan the federal government would offer tax credits to private investors interested in funding large infrastructure projects, who would put down some of their own money up front, then borrow the rest on the private bond markets. President-elect Trump, who is nothing if not bold, can solve the nation’s funding problems by tapping the sovereign right of government to issue money for its infrastructure needs.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article45862.htm                     

Trump Prepares to Takeover the Feds

Trump is going to leave Wall Street stripped of its power-agency and left to fend for itself

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article45869.htm 

More People Live Inside This Circle Than Outside Of It

http://brilliantmaps.com/population-circle/ 

Ignoring the evidence

Climate Deniers have to ignore a lot, to believe what they believe. An illustrated list of what we should not ignore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se75GW_JDhU 

Birds Can Be Drawn to the Scent of Plastic

Over the last 50 years they feed on a bounty of plastic from trash, usually broken up into small pieces by exposure to waves, ultraviolet radiation and other factors, often called microplastics. These types of birds have a strong sense of smell, and respond to a certain chemical, dimethyl sulfide, as a cue to find their prey.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/10/science/birds-plastics-smell.html?smprod=n&_r=0 

Al-Shabab regains land as Ethiopia pulls troops

Ethiopia unrest and the troop withdrawals have come as a opportune boost for al-Shabab as they seize more territory. Ever since al-Shabab was pushed out of the Somali capital, they have been losing major towns across the Horn of Africa.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/10/al-shabab-regains-land-ethiopia-pulls-troops-161031113137810.html 

Massive cyberattack hit five top Russian banks

DDoS attacks involve flooding websites with more traffic than they can handle, making them difficult to access or taking them offline entirely. These attacks saw 660,000 requests being sent per second using a network of more than 24,000 hijacked devices located in 30 countries. More than half the devices were in the US, India, Taiwan and Israel.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/massive-cyberattack-hit-five-top-russian-banks-kaspersky-150738178.html 

Anti-Trump Protesters Are Tools of the Oligarchy

I hope no one thinks that simultaneous protests in 25 cities were a spontaneous event. How did 25 independent protests manage to come up with the same slogans and the same signs on the same night following the election? What is the point of the protests, and what interest is served by them? “Who benefits?” Only the Oligarchy. Trump is a threat to the Oligarchy, because he intends to stop the giveaway of American jobs to foreigners. The jobs giveaway, sanctified by the neoliberals as “free trade,” is one of the main reasons for the 21st century worsening of the income distribution. Money that was formerly paid in middle class wages and salaries to American manufacturing employees and college graduates has been re-routed to the pockets of the One Percent.

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article45828.htm 

Trump in the White House: An Interview With Noam Chomsky

Trump has already taken steps to dismantle the EPA by placing in charge a notorious climate change denier, Myron Ebell. His top adviser on energy, billionaire oil executive Harold Hamm, announced dismantling regulations, tax cuts for the industry, more fossil fuel production, lifting Obama’s temporary block on the Dakota Access pipeline. The market reacted quickly. Shares in energy corporations boomed, including the world’s largest coal miner, Peabody Energy, which had filed for bankruptcy, but after Trump’s victory, registered a 50% gain. There had been hopes that the COP21 Paris agreement would lead to a verifiable treaty, but any such thoughts were abandoned because the Republican Congress would not accept any binding commitments.

http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/38360-trump-in-the-white-house-an-interview-with-noam-chomsky 

Climate Change vs Wine: A Snapshot of Year 2050

The world’s most important wine regions, like Napa, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Walla Walla, Rioja, Douro, Barossa and Stellenbosch, are on an irreversible course towards excessive summer heat and drought.

http://winefolly.com/update/climate-change-vs-wine-a-snapshot-of-year-2050/ 

What do we want? Charting the rise and fall of protest in Australia 

When economic change and the rise of the New Right in the 1980s saw the collapse of union power, the Old Left was history. In 2003, when the government under John Howard deployed troops to fight in Iraq, 600,000 Australians marched in protest. It was a number never approached before. Despite their massive size, the protests were ignored.

http://theconversation.com/what-do-we-want-charting-the-rise-and-fall-of-protest-in-australia-68436 

Demonetisation In India And What Does That Mean For The Common People

At the stroke of midnight November 9, India imposed an undeclared economic emergency on India. With a stroke of pen he wiped out Rs 15 lakh crores in cash from the system. What prompted this drastic step? What will be the fall out of the action for Indian economy? Behind Modi’s move there is also the ambition of the PM to make India a cashless country.

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/11/09/economic-emergency-in-india-and-what-does-that-mean-for-the-common-people/ 

The Cashless Economy Of Chikalthana

India is falling deeper and deeper into economic crisis. Economic activities in small towns and villages, about 80% of India, is grinding to a halt. Respected journalist P. Sainath reports from  Chikalthana village where Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of cashless India has already been achieved!

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/11/20/the-cashless-economy-of-chikalthana/ 

For the first time in India, the rich beg the poor to help them 

“I’m an ordinary man and I’m suffering hardship too. I was in a long queue on Saturday. But it’s worth it. The rich need to be punished forbeing greedy. I am savouring the moment,” said a smiling Mohan Kishore, who sells fresh coconut water on a South Delhi street.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/for-the-first-time-in-india-the-rich-beg-the-poor-to-help-them-20161117-gsrcuo.html

Demonetisation has Left India’s Food Markets Frozen – and the Future Looks Tense

In the last seven days, the supply of new stocks in this wholesale market, which supplies cooking oil, spices, rice, wheat and pulses to shopkeepers across Patna, has plummeted. The supply of cooking oil is down by 80%.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/demonetisation-has-left-indias-food-markets-frozen-and-the-future-looks-tense/5557634 

War on Cash intensifies: Citibank to stop accepting cash at some branches 

Less than a week after India’s surprise move to scrap its highest denomination cash notes, another front in the War on Cash has intensified down under in Australia. Yesterday, banking giant UBS proposed that eliminating Australia’s $100 and $50 bills would be “good for the economy and good for the banks.”

https://www.sovereignman.com/trends/war-on-cash-intensifies-citibank-to-stop-accepting-cash-at-some-branches-20495/ 

Moldova and Bulgaria Elect Pro-Russian Presidents 

As the European Union continues to spiral towards an all-out disaster due to significant economic problems, the migrant crisis, cultural decay, and an overall loss of purpose, countries like Moldova and Bulgaria, which wereonce blinded by the false promises of the European dream, are beginning to shift course back towards the only nation in Europe today that is experiencing a remarkable renaissance – yes, Russia

http://www.globalresearch.ca/false-promises-of-the-european-dream-moldova-and-bulgaria-elect-pro-russian-presidents/5556890 

Greece’s Public Health Services on the Brink of Collapse

Six years of economic crisis, loan agreements, austerity cuts and freezing of new hiring threaten the primary health care system. A report draws a dire picture.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/greeces-public-health-services-on-the-brink-of-collapse/5557663 

Black hole captured eating a star then vomiting it back out by scientists

The scientists tracked a star about as big as our sun as it was pulled from its normal path and into that of a supermassive black hole before being eaten up. They then saw a high-speed flare get thrust out, escaping from the rim of the black hole.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/scientists-capture-black-hole-eating-a-star-and-then-vomiting-it-back-out-a6751976.html 

The John James Newsletter 146

12 November 2016

The ice caps don’t negotiate, and neither do rising seas

Khalid Pitts

If you were born yesterday, with no knowledge of the past, you might easily accept whatever the government tells you. But knowing a bit of history might lead you to ask questions, and its then more likely that you would find the truth

Howard Zinn

Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half

Gore Vidal

Air pollution has been described by the WHO as a public health emergency, yet it’s treated in most countries as an afterthought

George Monbiot

Like we weren’t feeling bereft enough, Leonard Cohen has died at 82

After decades of writing, touring and praise, his final album last month was titled, “You Want It Darker.” Now it is. Trump is president and Leonard is dead. “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wRYjtvIYK0  

The Arctic ice pack is packing in 

Arctic sea ice regrowth this winter is truly horrible, with 13 metre waves breaking up what thin fragile ice remains. We are heading to zero sea ice. With two must-see videos.

http://arctic-news.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/less-sea-ice-warmer-arctic-ocean.html

To the citizens of the United States of America from Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

In light of your tendency to propose uncivilized people for public office who masquerade as the leader of the world, and thus your tendency to elect completely incompetent Presidents who then want to rule the world when you cannot govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories except Arkansas, which she does not fancy and will confine the Clintons to its borders to spare the rest of the world from their shenanigans including their pretend charity that launders money for their escapades

https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/north_america/2016-u-s-presidential-election/letter-of-queen-elizabeth-ii-to-american-people/. 

Your smartphone security is a civil rights issue

The smartphone you use reflects more than just personal taste … it could determine how closely you can be tracked. Privacy expert Christopher Soghoian shows the glaring difference between the encryption used on Apple and Android devices and urges us to pay attention to a growing digital security divide. “If the only people who can protect themselves from the gaze of the government are the rich,” he says, “that’s a problem.”

http://www.ted.com/talks/christopher_soghoian_your_smartphone_is_a_civil_rights_issue 

There’s a La Nina Developing — So Why is the World Still Heating Up?

By themselves, these abnormally high temperatures at the poles would be odd enough. But when taking into account that La Nina should still be cooling the globe, it starts to look like this severe polar warming has jostled the La Nina cooling signal, turning it back toward warming by late fall. And if that is what’s really happening, then it would imply that the natural variability signal that is produced by El Nino is starting to be over-ridden by polar amplification based influences.

https://robertscribbler.com/2016/11/04/theres-a-la-nina-developing-so-why-is-the-world-still-heating-up/ 

Putin: “Do you realize what you have done?”

Since the end of World War 2, the US has (with links to sources):

    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 the practice of torture than any other country in the world

https://williamblum.org/aer/read/146 

The Paris Deal Dooms the Planet to Climate Change Chaos

Environmental organizations and activists continue to slam the agreement for doing too little too late and dooming the world to climate chaos, here are five things you should know about the COP21 climate deal.

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/analysis/5-Ways-the-COP21-Deal-Dooms-the-Planet-to-Climate-Change-Chaos-20151214-0015.html 

Harsh Criticism of False Climate Solutions 

The world’s largest social movement blasted world leaders Monday for promoting “false solutions” to the global environmental crisis and disguising ongoing crimes against humanity as a commitment to climate action as the COP22 world climate meeting kicked off in Marrakech, Morocco, on the heels of last year’s Paris summit.

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Harsh-Criticism-of-False-Climate-Solutions-Overshadows-COP22-20161107-0003.html 

and

https://corporateeurope.org/pressreleases/2015/12/activists-call-out-false-climate-solutions-paris 

Game Over? Warming Is Still Underestimated

Researchers say “business as usual” could actually put planet on track for 4.78°C to 7.36°C rise by 2100. Because the climate has “substantially higher sensitivity” to greenhouse gases during warm phases, within the 21st century, global mean temperatures will very likely exceed maximum levels for the last 784,000 years.

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/11/10/game-over-climate-report-warns-warming-still-underestimated 

Sources of world energy

http://www.solarcarandtractor.com/solarcarandtractor/index.html 

Ultra-efficient air-con retrofit wins Australian Tech Comp

technology re-uses air-conditioning waste-water to produce ultra-efficient cooling. In its six years of operation, the Australian Technologies Competition has identified more than $250 million dollars in contestable project opportunities for Australian SMEs.

http://reneweconomy.com.au/ultra-efficient-air-con-retrofit-wins-australian-tech-comp-72175/ 

US military hackers have penetrated Russia’s electric grid, 

US hacks into the computer infrastructure of adversary nations such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea is akin to the kind of military scouting that is as old as human conflict.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-hackers-ready-hit-back-if-russia-disrupts-election-n677936 

If You Think Racism Won Donald Trump The Election, You’ve Missed The Point… Again 

Watch his final two minute ad. If you put aside the quiet anti-Semitism, and the reference to illegal immigration, it mostly sounds like a left-wing attack on the super-rich. The political establishment doesn’t care about people like you, they destroyed our jobs and sent them to foreign countries, putting our wealth into the hands of a handful large corporations and political entities. Only we can stop them. The framework is clear, the rhetoric is stirring, and the message is seductive.

https://newmatilda.com/2016/11/10/if-you-think-racism-won-donald-trump-the-election-youve-missed-the-point-again/ 

for the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vST61W4bGm8 

Why Trump Won; Why Clinton Lost

For all his faults, Trump was one of the few major public figures who dared challenge the “group thinks” on the current hot spots of Syria and Russia. In response, Clinton and many Democrats chose to engage in a crude McCarthyism with Clinton even baiting Trump as Vladimir Putin’s “puppet” during the final presidential debate. It is somewhat remarkable that those tactics failed; that Trump talked about cooperation with Russia, rather than confrontation, and won.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/why-trump-won-why-clinton-lost/5556188 

What History Teaches Us About Demagogues Like The Donald

Demagogues have been a problem for democracy for 25 centuries, at least since the populist Cleon persuaded his fellow Athenians to slaughter every man in the city of Mytilene as punishment for a failed revolt.

http://time.com/4375262/history-demagogues-donald-trump/ 

Europe’s Far-Right Emboldened by Trump’s Triumph

Europe right wing says that Trump’s staggering victory gives them hope for their own causes.

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Europes-Far-Right-Emboldened-by-Trumps-Triumph-20161109-0007.html 

Trump’s 7 Most Dangerous Campaign Promises

Donald Trump made hundreds of promises on the campaign trail, usually vague, often changing, but nonetheless terrifying. As the US and the world wake up to the reality of a Trump presidency we review some of his most dangerous pledges.

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Trumps-7-Most-Dangerous-Campaign-Promises-20161109-0002.html 

US General says we plan on “governing Raqqa” after takeover, and set up safe zones to train Al Qaeda

The end goal…to keep the war in Syria alive, and keep the diminishing hopes of overthrowing Assad in play, irregardless of the inevitable fact that the legitimate government in Damascus will soon control the major urban western hubs of the fractured nation.

http://theduran.com/us-general-says-will-govern-raqqa-takeover-set-safe-zone-train-al-qaeda-rebels-fight-assad/ 

Are US allies in Southeast Asia defecting to China?

Malaysia and the Philippines’ rapprochement with China is the result of realignment of interests.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/11/malaysia-philippines-relations-china-161107101018957.html 

Marijuana legalised

California, the first state to approve medical marijuana two decades ago, was among five states weighing whether to go beyond medical use and permit pot for adults for recreational purposes. The other states were Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada. With California “yes” vote, recreational cannabis will be legal along the entire West Coast, giving the legalization movement powerful momentum.

http://www.fox5ny.com/news/216285833-story 

How battery storage can cut home electricity bills by one quarter

The combination of PV+battery+grid is $123 per year cheaper than the cheapest grid-only offer ($1,645 per year) and $449 lower than the median grid-only offer. In other words, our typical 4,800 kWh household can beat all contemporary grid-only offers by installing a PV+battery system and selecting the best retail offer to provide their residual grid consumption and to export their PV production surplus.

http://reneweconomy.com.au/battery-storage-can-cut-home-electricity-bills-one-quarter-73736/ 

How Trump could be a win for battery storage – and renewables

Tthe incumbent energy oligarchs have no reason for complacency or satisfaction” from Donald Trump’s win in the US. They are more exposed to disruption than ever.

http://reneweconomy.com.au/how-trump-could-be-a-win-for-battery-storage-and-renewables-60872/ 

Chinese Kids Want to Believe in America, but We’re Not Making It Easy for Them

China has had a loving, and long-running, sibling rivalry with the United States — until Donald Trump barged in.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2016/11/07/chinese-kids-want-to-believe-in-america-but-were-not-making-it-easy-for-them-elections-trump-clinton-history/ 

How Israel Is Gradually Privatising Its Occupation of Palestine

With the Middle East aflame, and Israel selling itself as an island of stability amid a region in conflict, there are few compelling reasons why the Jewish state won’t continue to market itself as a model in how to manage unwanted populations, with private companies the beneficiaries of this policy. Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of Israel’s occupation of Palestine, and the colonization is increasing. Without massive inter­national pressure, it’s impossible to see how the outsourced occupation won’t become a permanent nightmare.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/how-israel-is-gradually-privatising-its-occupation-of-palestine/5554217 

The John James Newsletter 145

5 November 2016

Silence in the face of injustice is complicity

Ginetta Sagan

I am poor. Hell yes, I am voting for Trump. Tired of politicians. He is putting on a great show, pissing them other bastards off. They deserve it!

Florence Johnson

Despite Paris Climate Pledge, Planet on Track to Surpass 3.4°C 

After 24 years of negotiations we are hurtling towards a catastrophic world. UN Environmental Program has concluded that the Paris pledges to cut emissions will still result in a global temperature rise of 3.4ºC above pre-industrial levels, far above the 2º and 1.5º goals. As heads of state from around the world descend on Marrekech for the COP22 climate conference set to begin on November 7, the UN hopes the report will be “a wakeup call to the world.”

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/11/03/despite-paris-climate-pledge-planet-track-surpass-3degc-temperature-rise

For the full report

http://capacity4dev.ec.europa.eu/emissions_gap_report_2016.pdf 

Daily commutes are draining our water reserves

Melbourne’s transport uses 311 billion litres of water each year – equivalent to flooding the city’s centre 8 metres deep. Cars are the most water-intensive, using on average 6.4 litres of water per passenger, per kilometre. Diesel trains use 5.2L per pkm and electric trains use the least, at 3.4L per pkm. This means that a typical commuter can use between 140L and 350L of water per day to travel to work and back. This is at least as much as a resident’s daily household water use of 160L.

https://theconversation.com/daily-commutes-are-draining-our-water-reserves-67051 

Israel breaching Palestinians’ right to development amid epic unemployment and poverty

The Palestinian economy is without parallel in the modern world. Poverty is rising. Unemployment is rising to epic levels. Food insecurity is becoming more acute. The Palestinian economy is becoming more stifled and less viable under the occupation.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-un-report-palestians-right-to-development-epic-unemployment-poverty-food-west-bank-gaza-a7385186.html 

Imagine a world without animals. You’ll soon see how much we need them 

A couple of years ago we heard news that 50% of all vertebrate species had disappeared in 40 years. On Thursday, we were greeted with news that by 2020 the figure is likely to rise to 66% of all vertebrates. It is no wonder that the conservationists are shouting. It is no wonder that they are so desperate to get their message heard. Animals, it seems, are on the way out. And no one appears to much care.Are animals, perhaps, all a bit overrated? Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/31/world-without-animals-pollinating-crops 

Will FBI Director Comey’s October Surprise Derail Hillary’s White House Bid? 

That the FBI has reopened the Hillary case of her violation of US National Security protocols, not because of the content of the new email releases, but because voter support for Trump seems to be overwhelming, while Hillary has cancelled appearances due to inability to muster a crowd. The popular vote leaves the FBI far out on the limb for its corrupt clearance of Hillary. The agency now has to redeem itself.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/will-fbi-director-comeys-october-surprise-derail-hillarys-white-house-bid/5553913 

The Real Reasons Why FBI Director James Comey Reopened the Hillary Email Investigation

Because it’s so blatantly obvious to the entire world that Hillary is guilty as sin, Comey’s whitewash didn’t go over well with either Americans or longtime FBI agents who reacted angrily to Comey’s over-the-top corruption. In recent months Comey has had a virtual mutiny on his hands in the FBI.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-real-reasons-why-fbi-director-james-comey-reopened-the-hillary-investigation/5553979 

‘The FBI is Trumpland’

Deep antipathy to Hillary Clinton exists within the FBI spurring a rapid series of leaks damaging to her campaign just days before the election. Current and former FBI officials have described a chaotic internal climate that resulted from outrage over director James Comey’s July decision not to recommend an indictment over Clinton’s maintenance of a private email server on which classified information transited.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/03/fbi-leaks-hillary-clinton-james-comey-donald-trump 

Mainstream Media Support Of Hillary Clinton Will Cost Her The Election

Research done by the American Press Institute found that in a group of 2,000, only 6% trust the media. Over the last two decades, research shows the public has grown increasingly skeptical of the news industry.

http://regated.com/2016/09/mainstream-media-clinton-cost-election/ 

What convinces me that the Oligarchy intends to steal the election 

The vast difference between reporting and the facts on the ground. According to the press, Hillary is so far ahead that there is no point in Trump supporters bothering to vote. Hillary has won the election before the vote. Hillary has been declared a 93% sure winner. Yet I am yet to see one Hillary yard sign, while Trump signs are everywhere. Reports I receive are that Hillary’s public appearances are unattended but Trumps are so heavily attended that people have to be turned away.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article45756.htm 

Tesla’s price shock: Solar + battery as cheap as grid power

The price per kWh stored and re-used has halved in less than a year. Indicative installed prices in Australia are a little over $10,000. The commonly accepted wisdom was that battery costs would decline more gradually than the precipitate decline seen in solar PV costs. This has been proved wrong.

http://reneweconomy.com.au/teslas-price-shock-solar-battery-as-cheap-as-grid-power-22265/ 

The $100bn gold mine and the West Papuans who say they are counting the cost 

Since the Suharto dictatorship annexed the region in a 1969 UN referendum now seen as a land grab. 500,000 West Papuans have been killed in their fight for self-rule. Decades of military and police oppression, kidnapping and torture have created a long-standing culture of fear. Local and foreign journalists are routinely banned, detained, beaten and forced to face trial on trumped-up charges. Undercover police regularly trail indigenous religious, social and political leaders. And children still in primary school have been jailed for taking part in demonstrations calling for independence.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/nov/02/100-bn-dollar-gold-mine-west-papuans-say-they-are-counting-the-cost-indonesia 

A quagmire of incompetence: the true story of the really not very good at all Turnbull government 

How many things can go wrong for the Malcolm government?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/02/a-quagmire-of-incompetence-the-true-story-of-the-really-not-very-good-at-all-turnbull-government 

EU and US Interests in Hungary in Jeopardy

Hungary’s illiberal shift sends a dismal signal. During a retreat with ethnic Hungarian leaders, Orban explicitly outlined his desire to build an “illiberal new state based on national foundations,” citing Russia as a “successful” example.

https://www.thecipherbrief.com/article/europe/eu-and-us-interests-hungary-jeopardy-1093 

Climate Change: A Simple Punter’s Guide To The Winners And Losers 

Way back in 2003, a US study described the following as plausible: “Nations with the resources to do so may build virtual fortresses around their countries, preserving resources for themselves.” From this ‘fortress’ point of view, Australia’s ‘turning back the boats’, the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union and Donald Trump’s plans to build a wall across the Mexican border are just trial runs for ‘dealing with’ the impending hordes of climate refugees in the future.

https://newmatilda.com/2016/11/01/climate-change-a-simple-punters-guide-to-the-winners-and-losers/ 

Ancient fishes kept their young in a nursery 

This is the first time we have a placoderm nursery with more than one species. The nursery in Strud recalls life histories of other groups with adults laying eggs or giving birth in shallow continental environments or near shore.

https://theconversation.com/ancient-fishes-kept-their-young-in-a-nursery-65400 

Iraq ‘ready for war’ with Turkey over who should control Mosul after Isis

Tension between the two countries is growing as parties inside Iraq and neighbouring countries become convinced that they are seeing the last days of Isis rule. Turkey sees itself as the protector of the Sunni Arabs of Mosul and northern Iraq.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iraq-ready-for-war-with-turkey-over-who-should-control-mosul-a7394071.html