A Vanishing Ocean

Brian Skerry, photojournalist, with National Geographic, gives a presentation on the world's oceans. The story is both awe-inspiring and sad. The glimmer of hope for the preservation of our oceans is that scientists know what needs to be done in order to preserve and protect our ocean ecosystems.

The problem of course is ignorance, greed, and simple human short-sightedness. See
Inspiration.

Deviant Globalization Has Arrived

Nils Gilman, historian, gives a presentation at the Long Now Foundation about the development of an alternative global system. Gilman refers to it as deviant globalization.

It is real and it is growing, pushed along by the "hollowing out" of the traditional nation-state, at the moment most noticeable in the developing world, but gradually impacting the developed world. According to Gilman, money laundering alone accounts for some $1.5 to $5 trillion annually in the global economy.

Moral Arbitrage

Drill Baby Drill

Pictures from the New York Times: See
Leaks.

Fearing Great Thoughts and Some Reasons Why

Charles Darwin's 200th anniversary was celebrated on February 12th of this year. His book Origin of Species is arguably the most influential scientific text of all times, yet even in the 21st century the fury directed against evolutionary theory, especially among certain religious groups, continues unabated. Listen to
Species.

125 Light Bulbs

David Mackay, physicist at Cambridge University, breaks down our energy consumption into small, measurable units, and then indirectly asks us what are we willing to do. Will we actually do something while we have choices or end up reacting when it may be, well, too late? Go to
Light Bulbs.

It's a New Bubble (Part 2)

This is a continuation on food speculation from the Real News Network.

Plunder.

It's a New Bubble

The beginning of a new bubble--in food?

From the Real News Network comes a report on the possible surge in food prices, not from supply and demand but because of the financial involvement in the commodities futures market. Once again it appears that the origin of the nonsense started several years ago in the U.S. with deregulation,making it easier for speculators to manipulate prices, frequently with slight risks to themselves.

Plunder.

Warming has Stopped!

From Climate Crock of the Week we sadly learn the GLOBAL WARMING is very much alive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y15UGhhRd6M

Lowest Common Denominator

The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.
(John Kenneth Galbraith, economist 1908-2006)

It was vile beyond all vileness.
(Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada)

This was not our accident.
(Tony Hayward, CEO British Petroleum)

Impossible things (like unending economic growth) won't happen just because people want them to.
(Richard Heinberg, author, energy consultant, senior Fellow-in-Residence at Post Carbon Institute)

No mitigation measures other than those required by regulation and BP policy will be employed to avoid, diminish or eliminate potential impacts on environmental resources.
(BP submission to U.S. Minerals Management Service, prior to drilling in region of current oil catastrophe)

As the Gulf Coast oil disaster continues to unfold, it is patently clear that the only truly safe way to extract oil is not to drill for it, hardly likely in the foreseeable future. At this point we can but merely hope for the “best” in a very bad situation.

But beyond the immediate disaster lies our real problem, America's lowest common denominator. It is now guiding our corporate life, our political life, and seemingly our moral life.

From the worst of the climate deniers, to the banality of drill-baby-drill, to adept street hustlers like a Glenn Beck or a Sarah Palin a large segment of the American public and its elected representatives have chosen ignorance and simple greed over reason and logic when it comes to climate change and energy ... among other things.

As has been stated often enough, we need an “energy” Marshall Plan in order to develop far more diverse energy sources. We need a carbon tax to push us in new directions. We need a climate and energy policy not written by the fossil fuel industry. Yes we need a genuine conservation policy in the U.S. Most important we need a citizenry that ultimately understands that living “smart” is not a lifestyle choice. Finally, we need a sense of economic fairness in America and a determination to flush down the toilet free market zealotry. It's as ludicrous as the divine right of kings

Will all this come to pass? There's a good chance it won't anytime soon. But if you're ready to give up, just imagine the devastation that is now occurring in the Gulf to marine and wildlife, to entire ecosystems, and to ordinary humans trying to make a living. That should be incentive enough to keep going on and not give up.
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Largest Oil Donors to U.S. Senate

Chevron, Koch Industries, Exxon, Valero Energy, Marathon Oil

Largest Recipients in U.S. Senate

Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), David Vitter (R-LA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Robert Bennett (R-UT), John Cornyn R-TX

Largest Oil Donors to U.S. House

Koch Industries, Exxon Mobil, Valero Energy, Chevron Corp., Williams Companies

Largest Recipients in U.S. House

Joe Barton (R-TX), Chet Edwards (D-TX), Michael Conway (R-TX), Eric Cantor (R-VA), Peter Olson (R-TX)

Source: Follow the Oil Money (oilmoney.priceofoil.org )

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Resource Database for Gulf of Mexico

Drilling to Hell

Ricki Ott, marine toxicologist and author of Not One Drop, who lived in Alaska during the Exxon Valdez oil spill, was interviewed on Democracy Now. She talks about the fossol fuel industry and its power to avoid responsibility in major environmental disasters. See
Oil Slick.

History Not Repeated?

David Eagleman, neuroscientist, discusses his book Six Easy Steps to Avert the Collapse of Civilization.
He believes the internet may be the "key to our survival." His contention clearly raises a lot of intriguing questions, not the least of which is his 6th step: try not to run out of energy. It is an extremely interesting presentation sponsored by The Long Now Foundation. See
The Net.

Authentic American Traitors

The financial crisis of 2007-2009 has made Jefferson [Thomas] a little less out of fashion.
(13 Bankers by Simon Johnson and James Kwak)

Ira Glass' This American Life on National Public Radio is one of the best listening experiences you'll likely have. Glass takes specific American themes on each of his segments and usually provides a compelling story, one that often lingers long after the program is over.

In particular is the one on the creation of a hedge fund that contributed to our global financial disaster and caused considerable pain for a great number of ordinary Americans.

While the program provides a "clear" explanation of the arcane world of credit default swaps, bundling, shorting, and equity tranch it is much more about astonishing greed, stupidity and, yes, betting against America itself. Those nasty terrorists couldn't have done it better. Is the system dysfunctional?

As well, while not discussed on the program, the question easily comes to mind whether or not our present political system is capable of making radical changes. No, markets are not self-correcting ... nor are they "efficient."

We Americans are angry in a general sense but clearly many of us are not really certain in a specific way about what exactly we are angry about. We may "throw the bums out," but we may also regret what we have created. This 40 minute segment is well worth listening to. Go to
Eat My Shorts

Red Herrings & MacGuffins

It's more than a game. It's an institution.

(Thomas Hughes, 1822-1896)

President Ronald Reagan, the “Gipper,” took his lines seriously. It was just like a movie script, when he told Americans that trickle-down economics would be the secret of America's success. Let the markets be free!

Of course this gibberish has been uttered periodically throughout our history. It wasn't Reagan's idea, but he apparently believed it with all his heart in the 1980s, when he mouthed every cliché that was handed to him. It's been a great movie ever since.

William J. Astore's article, “Democratic Kleptocracy,” in Asia Times is worth the read. See Imitation.

The Snake-Oil Show (1)

For a great many people facts, especially the scientific kind with peer reviewed studies and extensive analysis, will never get in the way of dearly held beliefs, especially if the facts might foreshadow significant change and of course inconvenience.

Climate change is one of those complex issues that befuddles and confuses a lot of us. Add a large dose of deliberate confusion by the fossil fuel industry and a broad lack of scientific understanding by the public in general and you get climate denial.

Lord Monckton, a character out of a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta or a Monte Python sketch, is a popular figure on the climate denial circuit. It is worth revisiting his road show periodically to understand that climate change is not comedy. See Pure Imagination.

Ask the Weatherman

Some things are worth repeating over and over again. As we have learned lately from various polls and surveys, most Americans get their "understanding" of climate change (or not) from their local weatherperson. Climate science and meteorolgy are not the same thing. It becomes even more confusing for most people when denialists deliberately attempt to mislead. Once again:
Raining in Mutchkin Land.

Have a Koch

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Climate for All

All shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well
(Julian of Norwich, English mystic, 1342-1416)

Dear, Mr. President,

So, we're going to start drilling for oil and gas along some of our coastlines or at least seriously examine the possibility. Just what is your “grand” climate and energy policy to be? Will it actually be an authentic policy? Is America at this point capable of producing a climate and energy policy?

I have read a lot of the views from assorted pundits, “experts,” and interested observers as to why you're implementing this policy. It's to provide political cover, some have suggested, if peak oil really slams into us within the next few years.

You bet those old Chinese communists and ambitious technocrats in the politburo don't want angry peasants coming after them. Kill a rain forest for job security. India's one billion plus just wants its day in the sun. Brazil is merely tired of the gringos and, well, Japan wants to continue killing whales and dolphins, and who needs tuna anyway. It's only cultural cuisine, you meat eaters you. Did you know that it sometimes takes more than an hour for a whale to die a horrible death after being harpooned by one of those state-of-the-art spears?

Yeah, no one wants to contemplate a barrel of oil closing in on $200. It's going to be hard though to reduce our foreign oil import of 12 million barrels a day, even if we dig up America extracting shale oil. Michael Lynch, an energy consultant, said if you were “really” serious you'd open up the entire California coast. Hell, let's just drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Someone once said there's nothing in Alaska anyway but deadbeat fathers escaping child support payments.

We understand you have to give the opposition something if you want a genuine climate bill within the next few years. But I bet in your heart-of-hearts you know we ain't going to drill our way out of this, even if the cowboy plunderers that run the western states start drilling under Brigham Young University. Well, that's a thought....

A sort of a problem is that there is no rational opposition political party, Mr. President. There is a nasty, not very bright political cult. I know you want to break bread with Senator Lindsey Graham, who passes for an enlightened member of the Republican cult these days. Seemingly he believes climate change may be genuine. That's a dangerous position to take. Truly he's demonstrated a profile in courage.

I'm glad we now have some fuel efficiency standards, better late than never, maybe. I've heard that this could reduce oil consumption by 1.2 million barrels per day by 2020. But then, why does Senator Murkowski from Alaska want to roll back those fuel efficiency standards? Well her father, a former governor, was not terribly bright either. Maybe Senator Landrieu from the progressive state of Louisiana told her that fuel efficiency was encroaching on state rights. And who the devil is the National Automobile Dealers Association? They want to block the government's ability to regulate global warming emissions. Are they fronting for Islamic terrorists?

This naturally brings us to the U.S. Congress, specifically the United State Senate, little more than a dysfunctional debating society. Now if we ignore the members of the Republican cult, boot out a dozen or so Democratic senators, we may just have a quorum to begin debating climate change legislation and some energy issues.

I know, I know many environmentalists have said no drilling, no nukes, no biofuels, just get that alternative energy on line right now. Yup, better hitch up old Ned to the buckboard and head into town for some kerosene. In the meantime I'll be working hard at creating my resilient community.

No, I don't want us to drill in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas off the northern coast of Alaska, and I don't trust the fossil fuel industry, the night crawlers that have funded the climate deniers, and I'm well aware of the deep confusion among perhaps the majority of the electorate, and I'm angry at what I think is you having wasted more than a year screwing around with bipartisanship and a lot of timid incrementalism, but you're it right now.

You clearly have a lot of educating to do. Convincing Americans that it's never going back to the good ol' days won't be easy. Telling Americans that tearing up the planet and killing all life on it won't get them economic prosperity, job security or a future for their children is not something they want to hear. After all, we Americans are exceptional. Best hire some very smart behavioral science specialists and get on with the business of talking to average Americans, the sooner the better. Just maybe we've a 50-50 chance.

Sincerely,

A Citizen

The Antichrist is Among Us

Ignorance breeds monsters to fill up the vacancies of the soul that are unoccupied by the verities of knowledge.
(Horace Mann, 19th-century educator)

How well informed are you? Which state has proposed the following changes to its school textbooks: (1) remove any reference to the “Age of Enlightenment,” (2) demonstrate the positive contributions to America of the late senator Joe McCarthy and the enlightened leader of the confederacy Jefferson Davis and (c) take Thomas Jefferson off the list of revolutionary 18th century thinkers. Jefferson of course made the profound mistake of talking and writing about the separation of church and state.

If you said the Texas Board of Education you are clearly well informed. You'll still get some points if you said Mississippi, Alabama or even Utah. Shame on you Texas, not for not knowing that a collection of fruit flies took over the Board of Education, but letting it stand now that you do know the fifteenth century is in charge of your state's education. For the rest of us … how Texas textbooks go, frequently goes the rest of the country.

Perhaps the city of Austin, Texas will secede from the state and declare itself an independent city-state like ancient Athens. Of course it will need to acquire solid alliances in order to avoid being overrun by barbarians. Perhaps Germany would be interested or even China. Of course the United States could declare war on Texas and send in the Special Forces to round up all the white primitives and lock them up in the FEMA concentration camps, even though my militia informants within the Department of Homeland Security cannot determine the exact location of these camps.

Tom Friedman wrote an interesting piece in the NYT on 21 March entitled “America's Real Dream Team.” In his piece he mentioned names like Sunanda Sharma, Yale Wang Fan, and Otana Agape Jakpor. Yes, of course ex-political hacks like Tom Tancredo might declare that these aren't American names. But of course they are.

These are some of the American high school students who were among the 40 finalists in the 2010 Intel Talent Search, which identifies some of the best math and science high school students in America. Thank goodness we still have immigration.

A recent Harris poll declared that 24% of Republicans believe President Obama may be the Antichrist. Oh well, that's better than the 57% who believe our president is a Muslim or the 75% that believe he's one of “dem” socialists.

Dear Progressives, there is no sideline for you to stand on and hope it will all go away. Nor can you merely wait for the Democratic party to possibly turn itself into an instrument of enlightenment. Get busy. Demographic changes are slow and plenty of damage can be done in a short period of time. Do you really want the Texas Board of Education running the country?

Exploring the Word

What are the sounds that words make? How do they all tie together? Where will this journey ultimately lead us? I have no idea. But that's the fun in trying. Not that sustainability and the environment have become any less important, if anything, they loom even larger in significance, especially with the depth of denial and apathy that has spread across our planet.

So are there words to get us to think in other ways? Do you have something you want to say? We're exploring radio dramas, podcasts, interviews, videos and of course the written word. Come visit us at gumbeater.com and tell us what you think. Better yet, what do you have to contribute?

A Little Pollution

Can't stop progress ... the price you have to pay ... corporations are people too ... job growth ... it's not my problem ... the government would collapse ... you want to be poor ... children will adapt ... environmentalists don't understand how business works ... national pride ... the best economic system in the world .. and, a planet of fools....