This is another one of these photo diaries meant as a small refuge from the strugggles of the day and as a brief reminder that we share this planet with all manner of amazing critters. I hope you enjoy your visit here.
Sea Star Shrimp Periclimenes soror on a Cushion Star Culcita novaguineae
When you turn over these echinoderms you often find these tiny crustaceans. Their color varies to match their host.
Welcome to Apache Leap. The elders tell of a time when invading U.S. soldiers sought to abduct the Apache people, herd them onto reservations, and steal their land. The people fought valiantly, but were woefully outnumbered. When the end came, the Apache warriors chose to retain their honor rather than surrender to thieves and thugs: They leapt off the peak to their deaths below, joining the spirits of their ancestors and depriving the Army of prize captives.
At the base of the formation, a nearly-translucent brown-black obsidian is found. The stones are called Apache tears, and as the story goes, when the surviving women found the bodies of their men at the base of the leap, they mourned so deeply and bitterly that Spirit turned their tears to beautifully, lethally sharp stone, so that no one would forget the crime against the people that had happened in that place.
Now, John McCain, Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick, and other greedy pols want to turn this sacred space over to an even greedier consortium of foreign corporations - to desecrate it further and dishonor the memories of those warriors and their survivors.
Not sure where I got that phrase mental gymnastics from, but I've used it for decades to describe doing something just to do it. Not cause you have to. Not cause you are forced to. Maybe not even because you think it will be fun. But to do it to think, learn, and maybe expand your horizons.
I've been a liberal for as long as I can recall. Coming here I don't know how many years ago has not changed my views much. This site has instead reinforced them. Educated me endlessly. And maybe most important of all, given me the ability to express my views to others in a much more persuasive manner.
But it has changed me in one major way!
For most of my life I was the cheerleader on the sidelines. Somebody could tell me they were going to "save the world" I'd cheer them on endlessly. Offer support. And then say something like, "hey when you are done saving the world I'll be here when you get back." Before I came here I had never worked on a political campaign (well once). I had never given money to a campaign. I'd been to marches and rallies, but mainly cause I figured they'd be a train-wreck and I wanted to watch it.
The community here has changed all of that. Which is why if you follow me below the fold I'll explain why I'm going "green" in the next year.
In this weekly series we have been discussing the benefits of a vegetarian diet including:better health, animal rights, food safety, frugal living, global food crisis and the immense contribution of meat production to climate change.
Here is where we get to work and celebrate climate solutions
Here we again. Magical, marvelous Monday is here. Time to gather around and take a well deserved hiatus from all the politics of the day. Science talk is here. New discoveries, new takes on old knowledge, and other bits of news are all available for the perusing in today's information world. Over the fold are selections from the past week from a few of the many excellent science news sites around the world. Today's tidbits include turning heat into computing power, ultrathin solar cells, scarless brain surgery, climate change may bring prime time for parasites, stem cells that do not age, and could genetically altered trees help counter global warming. Pull up that comfy chair and relax. There is plenty of room for everyone. Settle in for one more session of Dr. Possum's science education and entertainment.
BP and the Feds have fooled America and the entire world into thinking the BP Gulf Oil Spill is over, that the beaches are clean and that the seafood is safe, and everything is OK.
Titled "The Gulf Oil Spill isn’t over!" here's a little bit of mournful Louisiana blues to tell the real story.
Let's make this one viral...
The U.S. Senate looks on track to take one measure in the post-election, lame-duck Congressional session to address the most serious challenges of our oil addiction and our heavy carbon footprint. This will be, as I understand it, an effort to fast track a piece of legislation introduced by Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid: S. 3815: Promoting Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles Act of 2010.
Let us be clear, the idea that the Senate (and Congress) might actually fast-track something to deal with America's addiction to oil is -- on the face of it -- a good thing. Even if we didn't face the looming prospects of future economic shocks and security risks due to Peak Oil colliding with increasing demand, that a significant portion of America's trade deficit is going to put oil in our McSUVs (that we drive to Wal-Mart to buy Chinese-made products) is something that should be on the top of Congress' agenda for addressing with serious and meaningful legislation.
However, the idea that that will be throwing more money into subsidizing fossil-foolish addictions is a sorry excuse for responsible legislating.
In almost all American communities, if public transit exists in any meaningful way, it competes for patronage, primarily though not exclusively with driving. While some advocates seem to believe that the best way to attract more riders to transit is to make driving increasingly as unappealing as possible through fees, removal of or restrictions on parking, "road diets" and the like, I’m not fully in that camp. There is an appropriate context for each of the things I just mentioned, but for the most part I want to make transit better so that customers choose it not just out of necessity but because it is easily accessible, comfortable, and efficient.
You are in the current BP Catastrophe Morning Edition - AUV #402. ROV #401 is here.
The digest of diaries is here.
Please RECOMMEND THIS DIARY, the motherships have been discontinued.
Bookmark this link to find the latest Gulf Watchers diaries.
Please be kind to kossacks with bandwidth issues. Please do not post images or videos. Again, many thanks for this.
PLEASE visit Pam LaPier's diary to find out how you can help the Gulf now and in the future. We don't have to be idle! And thanks to Crashing Vor and Pam LaPier for working on this!
I live in Little Texas. I am surrounded by people whose worldviews are very different from mine.
Some are libertarians. Some are likely neo-cons, and even neo-libs. Not very many true libs. I'm not sure how many true conservatives populate my region, either - old-time conservatives. The ones that really want to conserve things, as opposed to just steal them.
It's hard to work it out. People get so confused by the ongoing changes in nomenclature. And rightly so.
(Crossposted from FireDogLake and RightofAssembly)
Ryan Lizza, writing in the New Yorker, has published a devastating behind-the-scenes story of how the Senate and White House missed their best chance to deal with climate change. It's a fascinating story of capitulation, recalcitrance, and political malpractice.
I tracked the climate bill in the Senate for about a year, generally speaking in favor of passing a mediocre bill now and strengthening it later. The bill that came closest to passing the Senate was not that mediocre bill. Instead, it appears -- its text was never released in public -- in its near-final form to be an abomination one step above the "Dick Cheney's oil lobbyist's wet dream" Energy Policy Act of 2005.