You talking to me, wmconelly? Or some other evil rightwinger whom you accuse of only listening to Fox News?
Barack Obama says “no challenge poses a greater threat to our future and future generations than a change in climate.”Really. If China decides to start World War III with Taiwan and the Philippines, there will not be a future generation. If Iran nukes Israel – like they have threatened to do a thousand times – there won’t be a future generation. You get my gist?
What is odd is that for a fraction of the money being spent to preserve fossil fuel facilities, renewable infrastructure could be phased in, making the US energy independent long term. The cost of a finite resource will rise as the supply is depleted and we cannot alter the laws of supply and demand.
Further is the great hype about the threat of green technology to the economy. In truth, many jobs will be displaced for some period of time. However, those, as usual will be replaced with better jobs and more of them.
When I was in the service they gave a sort of a test. Last question was basically, “Could you push button and kill millions?”. Yep! But kill someone one on one is a different story.
“Sixth Mass Extinction”. I wish I could slap people in the face with that phrase every hour. We are murdering the world. Teeny little moves won’t cut it. Driving a Prius won’t do it. Expressing outrrage at Cecil’s killing won’t matter in the slightest. It will take a dedicated effort so great as to make WWII look like a fistfight in comparison. Mike Gravel (remember him? The Chauncey Gardener of 2008?) was willing to make a good start; 5 million windmills. And that’s only a start.
People are pretty good at thinking about more or less human sized things, mice to elephants, and human sized time scales, maybe up to your grandchildren, but it’s an effort to go beyond these measures. For most of human history, that’s all that was needed. But now things have changed. If we’re going to make it through, we need to think about the planet as a whole, and we need to think about thousands of years. I teach ancient history, and what I really try to do is to get the students to think about time. I go back to about 2000 BC, that is, about four thousand years ago. At the beginning of the term, I ask the students to draw a time line from 2000 BC to now and I ask them to place some important events on the time line. Then I ask them to draw the time line 4000 years into the future and I ask them to imagine important events that might happen in the future. The point is to get them to think about the long duration of history and to think about the future as history. I also do a class session I call “The world of the Ancient Canadians”. I ask them to imagine a history class two thousand years in the future and I ask them to image how the teacher would teach our time from the perspective of their time. What would have remained in existence, what would be lost? What would still make sense and what about our time would be very strange to people of the future. These are interesting mental exercises, and they teach something very important.
We’re probably talking to people who chose their religion on the basis of how easy it was and how little they have to do to satisfy their official conscience. Maybe this is a version of Pascal’s Wager: “If I’m right, we’ll live and I can laugh at them. If I’m wrong, we all die, so it’s a tie.”
That was a terrible thing to do to a lovely sentient soul.However in light of the massive 6th extinction, it is a drop in the bucket.The media is keeping us focused on things so we won’t notice the big bad changes that we must do Something about.Wake up people!
Bittermelon of Truth almost 9 years ago
You talking to me, wmconelly? Or some other evil rightwinger whom you accuse of only listening to Fox News?
Barack Obama says “no challenge poses a greater threat to our future and future generations than a change in climate.”Really. If China decides to start World War III with Taiwan and the Philippines, there will not be a future generation. If Iran nukes Israel – like they have threatened to do a thousand times – there won’t be a future generation. You get my gist?
superposition almost 9 years ago
What is odd is that for a fraction of the money being spent to preserve fossil fuel facilities, renewable infrastructure could be phased in, making the US energy independent long term. The cost of a finite resource will rise as the supply is depleted and we cannot alter the laws of supply and demand.
Tzinger almost 9 years ago
Further is the great hype about the threat of green technology to the economy. In truth, many jobs will be displaced for some period of time. However, those, as usual will be replaced with better jobs and more of them.
We can retire the buggywhip factory any day now.
NeedaChuckle Premium Member almost 9 years ago
When I was in the service they gave a sort of a test. Last question was basically, “Could you push button and kill millions?”. Yep! But kill someone one on one is a different story.
Cerabooge almost 9 years ago
“Sixth Mass Extinction”. I wish I could slap people in the face with that phrase every hour. We are murdering the world. Teeny little moves won’t cut it. Driving a Prius won’t do it. Expressing outrrage at Cecil’s killing won’t matter in the slightest. It will take a dedicated effort so great as to make WWII look like a fistfight in comparison. Mike Gravel (remember him? The Chauncey Gardener of 2008?) was willing to make a good start; 5 million windmills. And that’s only a start.
lonecat almost 9 years ago
People are pretty good at thinking about more or less human sized things, mice to elephants, and human sized time scales, maybe up to your grandchildren, but it’s an effort to go beyond these measures. For most of human history, that’s all that was needed. But now things have changed. If we’re going to make it through, we need to think about the planet as a whole, and we need to think about thousands of years. I teach ancient history, and what I really try to do is to get the students to think about time. I go back to about 2000 BC, that is, about four thousand years ago. At the beginning of the term, I ask the students to draw a time line from 2000 BC to now and I ask them to place some important events on the time line. Then I ask them to draw the time line 4000 years into the future and I ask them to imagine important events that might happen in the future. The point is to get them to think about the long duration of history and to think about the future as history. I also do a class session I call “The world of the Ancient Canadians”. I ask them to imagine a history class two thousand years in the future and I ask them to image how the teacher would teach our time from the perspective of their time. What would have remained in existence, what would be lost? What would still make sense and what about our time would be very strange to people of the future. These are interesting mental exercises, and they teach something very important.
Sir Uncle Rat69 Premium Member almost 9 years ago
Yes it is and very sad for the lion and the killer himself who gets a thrill from killing as well.
David Rickard Premium Member almost 9 years ago
One death is a tragedy, an extinction is a statistic…
Kip W almost 9 years ago
We’re probably talking to people who chose their religion on the basis of how easy it was and how little they have to do to satisfy their official conscience. Maybe this is a version of Pascal’s Wager: “If I’m right, we’ll live and I can laugh at them. If I’m wrong, we all die, so it’s a tie.”
pam Miner almost 9 years ago
That was a terrible thing to do to a lovely sentient soul.However in light of the massive 6th extinction, it is a drop in the bucket.The media is keeping us focused on things so we won’t notice the big bad changes that we must do Something about.Wake up people!
pam Miner almost 9 years ago
Yes, If you see this check out 8-4-2015 heat in the middle of the mideast.It was with heat index over 160+ degrees!
pam Miner almost 9 years ago
Please, wake up to what is Really Happening!