Nostr notes by 504 Battery Dr

Yup. And this business is incarceration.

2025-08-25T20:42:53+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…qlzm
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Yup.

And this business is incarceration.

I've always thought that was their plan. Did those who ...

2025-08-25T19:53:10+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…wfq0
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I've always thought that was their plan.

Did those who support the immigrant deportations actually think they would stop after every immigrant was deported?

Begs the question - are all Republicans pedophiles or are all ...

2025-08-16T15:49:31+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…vjf9
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Begs the question - are all Republicans pedophiles or are all pedophiles Republicans?

That's the biggest (and most important for me) change that ...

2025-08-05T18:25:14+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…gjgs
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That's the biggest (and most important for me) change that I've made once I accepted collapse - it has totally changed my goals and expectations for the future.

What seemed so important before on many things were exposed as trivial to me now.

My focus now is on changes with immediate results; personal relationships are focused on the truly important ppl in my life and letting go of toxic relationships that I thought I could change.

Living in the here and now.
Making a difference in the here and now where I think it will have the most impact.

Granted, I have been dealing with collapse awareness since the 70s, so I have had decades of adapting to and expecting it (while still holding hope that the trajectory would be changed. That hope is all but gone now).

Now that's it's here, and pretty much inevitable, accepting the reality of it all has been easier for me.
Not having children of my own probably makes it easier to accept, than for others who have that burden weighing on them, too.

It's still sad and devastating at times, that we are destroying our very life support systems, but I've always based my life on realities.
I would rather face a devastating reality head on, than be bouyed by false hopes or promises.

John Prine - Paradise "Mr Peabody's coal train has hauled ...

2025-08-05T17:34:32+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…na82
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John Prine - Paradise

"Mr Peabody's coal train has hauled it away. . ."

https://youtu.be/DEy6EuZp9IY?feature=shared

Relatedly; for 40 years I've kept a record of the birds in my ...

2025-08-04T13:16:33+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…jjac
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Relatedly; for 40 years I've kept a record of the birds in my yard, the types of birds and the number of each type.

I average 18 different species, with a the high number of different species at 27, and the numbers of each species varying from a few of a certain species to over 300 gold finches daily one winter during an irruption that lasted months.

I stopped doing that this year.
I still watch and appreciate my feathered visitors. But the curiosity and need to document the types and numbers just doesn't seem worthwhile anymore.

It's depressing to see the numbers change in a downward trend.
And what's the point if there are no curious ppl who might be interested in seeing recorded numbers from 40 years ago to present.

Species are disappearing at a steady rate now. Many don't know this, and many more don't care. These attitudes will only increase as living day to day becomes harder and more in focus for humans.
Starving humans will gladly wipe out the last of any species to fill the bellies of themselves and their families.

Most intelligent species in the planet, my ass.

Yes, I'm pissed about this.
Bc the main point is - it didn't have to go this way.

That would be pretty cool if the next intelligent civilization ...

2025-07-25T19:13:53+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…ej7d
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That would be pretty cool if the next intelligent civilization would be led by octopi. 🤔

Yup. Some lower life forms probably will. Definitely no humans, ...

2025-07-25T18:32:57+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…3khw
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Yup.
Some lower life forms probably will.

Definitely no humans, tho; who are already dying in increasing numbers in every heat wave that rolls across the globe.

No one survives 3C+.

2025-07-25T18:10:56+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…55h9
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No one survives 3C+.

I realize now that I have been doing that for quite some time ...

2025-07-17T21:05:00+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…ppns
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I realize now that I have been doing that for quite some time now.

Raised in an unserious Catholic background, with 7 years of Parochialism schooling, I realized organized religion was not for me in the third grade.

More agnostic than atheist, I always felt there was something powerful in the universe that connected all life forms.
Something akin to The Force from the Star Wars movies.

I studied most all of the world religions over the years, and the closest I came to any of them was paganism.
Of all the spiritual beliefs, I've felt that Native Americans had the belief systems which most closely aligned with my own sense of spirituality.

With what we now know about ecology and the Web of Life, an eco based system is one that I can comfortably get behind.

Not directed at you, Ghost, but. . . Fuck every elite, faux ...

2025-06-22T16:02:44+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…hvls
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Not directed at you, Ghost, but. . .

Fuck every elite, faux Progressive, media outlet, orgs and latecomers who now want to boost and highlight Bernie; when it was exactly all of them who worked so diligently to discredit and defeat him at the time that it mattered.

It is everyone who jumped on that anti Bernie bandwagon in 2015/16 that we can legitimately now blame for the mess we're currently in.

Reichwing ideology is. . .

2025-05-02T17:22:33+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…px6r
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Reichwing ideology is. . .

The small town I spent my high school years in had the most ...

2025-04-22T03:36:16+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…zl5c
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The small town I spent my high school years in had the most magnificent trees lining the streets. Towering monsters whose canopies shaded the whole street when they were growing on both sides of a street.

The towns streets were named after trees, and the boulevards were planted with trees of the street name.
We lived on Elm Street, so we had elms with 8 foot circumferences than ran the 10 block length of the street.

In the early 70s, Dutch Elm disease struck our area, and within 5 years, the street was completely emptied of those giants.
(The city decided to be proactive and cut even healthy ones, trying to stop the spread.)

That was heartbreaking to go thru.

Between climate change, droughts and more insect infestations, that's an increasingly repeating scene, probably worldwide.

Here on our current property, we have 200 year old red oaks being threatened with oak wilt.
I'm hoping they outlast me. 🤞

I quit using FB years ago, but my nephew told me my page is still ...

2025-04-18T17:08:50+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…ghfm
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I quit using FB years ago, but my nephew told me my page is still there. I only used FB for animal rights issues (full of gory pictures of animal abuse. Family/friends would ask for my FB info, and I would tell them - you don't want to know it. 😅)

Nephew also told me he was trying to delete his FB page and it won't let him. 🤬

I have no computer, only my phone; and I use DDG on that.

I block Meta on social media apps use ( mastodon and TT).

What would a data strike look like?

2025-04-18T16:54:29+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…ffc2
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What would a data strike look like?

Felon47 makes tariff exceptions for cell phones and computers, ...

2025-04-13T18:34:30+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…0p82
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Felon47 makes tariff exceptions for cell phones and computers, but not for life saving medicines.

Yeah, I know I'm saying water is wet.

I'm saying this bc his hubris and cruelty should be pointed out daily.

I do worry about ppl with pension benefits.

2025-04-04T21:03:49+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…cqx5
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I do worry about ppl with pension benefits.

Wow.

2025-04-04T19:55:14+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…hyq9
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Wow.

I can't see where doing the same old thing that got us into ...

2025-04-04T19:51:23+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…m89l
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I can't see where doing the same old thing that got us into this mess is going to get us out of it.

The DNC controlled Dem Party is the problem.

We need to get away from that sinking anchor.

Dem voters aren't turning out to vote bc of the centrists Dem ...

2025-04-04T19:43:05+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…symw
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Dem voters aren't turning out to vote bc of the centrists Dem pols, imo.
Dems have lost considerable members, especially since 2016 when they crammed that unwinnable "it's MY turn" Hillary down our throats.
They lost even more members this last election with the way they handled that.

A new Party would definitely change the course of things, IF that new Party reflected the values voters are looking for - a hobby that put ppl first, not corporations.

All the ppl in the streets every weekend since the election shows ppl are engaged, and looking for new/better leadership.

Winning the midterms won't be enough at this point; if we ...

2025-04-04T18:31:45+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…nw69
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Winning the midterms won't be enough at this point; if we even have midterms to vote in by 2026.

We'll need either a whole new crop of Dems to vote for, or a whole new Party.

Bc, as we've seen in the past; just voting for the same old Dems has contributed to the mess we're currently in.

There are a handful of Dems worth voting for that I can see; and the best hope I have is that they get together and form a new Party.

The other option is revolution, which will long and bloody; and carry no guarantee of success without an organized group ready to take the lead once the bloodletting stopped.
With the climate clock ticking, I fear we have no time for that option.

The headline makes it sound like there are solutions, as in ...

2025-03-24T03:01:47+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…kfv0
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The headline makes it sound like there are solutions, as in plural.
Reading the article, one possible solution is referenced - marking the blades and support cables of turbines with reflectors - then a reference that more study is needed to understand birds and their flyways; hence, nothing meaningful will be done to stop turbines from killing birds in the present.

Just another feel good story that is anything but - and the decimation of other species goes on; not only unabated, but at increased levels.
💔

I'm seeing a pattern emerging. (I'm sure one seen by ...

2025-03-21T18:09:47+01:00

I'm seeing a pattern emerging.
(I'm sure one seen by others, probably way before me; but this is my wakening moment. Maybe others will follow.)

Purging the country of foreign workers, passing new draconian laws (or piggy backing on old ones that should have been abolished long ago, coughDemscough) crimes that require lengthy sentences, and then putting the millions of new prisoners to work doing all the things the foreign workers used to do.

The stocks of private prisons aren't going up and up without a reason.

The human propensity for group think; an underlying desire ...

2025-03-18T17:18:16+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…4k8r
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The human propensity for group think; an underlying desire towards selfish greed; a vulnerability to mass manipulation and a lack of curiosity to learn to solve problems that require self sacrifice - are a few of reasons that come to mind.

I misspoke in my original reply. I shouldn't have labeled ...

2025-03-09T03:34:11+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…cq36
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I misspoke in my original reply.
I shouldn't have labeled city ppl being nimbys about solar panels.
Solar panels on buildings are not eyesores to me.

Out in the country, where there are acres and acres of them all together - that's an abomination , imo.

All I see with those solar farms is land that could be rewilded instead (as an effective tool to fighting climate change, and to enjoy the beauty of nature).

Good to hear that from ppl who are actually doing it. 🙏 Weak ...

2025-03-09T03:18:09+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…2kct
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Good to hear that from ppl who are actually doing it.
🙏

Weak structures has been the go to argument from the ppl I've argued about with this issue.

I had to rephrase it differently to come up with my answer. Would ...

2025-03-05T16:11:52+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…wmaq
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I had to rephrase it differently to come up with my answer.

Would I invest in a nonprofit that manufacturers the bullets that will be used to kill me one day if the proceeds go to making protest signs that say "Don't shoot me"?

Nah, I don't think I would.

Nostr event nevent1qqsgshmeslsztd5j3kr0glq34m63vjzuv2lse6vpeac3defqu3z8kqgzyz9jwfkzgku6gwmw4ln74lqk06dlxym75vrl6rryn3q8475745lmv3pxvrq

2025-03-04T19:31:54+01:00

Bernie Sanders is on a Fight the Oligarchy tour they many states; ...

2025-03-02T01:58:36+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…ldc0
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Bernie Sanders is on a Fight the Oligarchy tour they many states; drawing huge crowds just like he did in 2016/2020.

I wonder if any of the DNC Dems regret cheating him out of both those nominations yet? 🤔

We sure as hell wouldn't be in this mess now if they hadn't.

"Cloud Vendors: Selling Dreams While the Mainframe Burns ...

2025-02-28T15:29:17+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…rt58
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"Cloud Vendors: Selling Dreams While the Mainframe Burns
Speaking of modernization, cloud vendors must be laughing all the way to the bank. They’ve convinced entire industries to ditch mainframes in favor of ‘cutting-edge’ cloud platforms that promise to solve all their problems—until the power goes out.

Here’s the punchline: mainframes were doing cloud-like computing long before Amazon ever dreamed up AWS. IBM even offers Mainframe as a Service (MaaS)—a solution that’s as scalable and flexible as any cloud platform, but without the hidden costs and vendor lock-in. It’s almost as if mainframes have been quietly doing exactly what the cloud promises, but no one was paying attention. Classic."

First time I've encountered this following a link to Reddit. ...

2025-02-17T18:53:03+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…pxsz
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First time I've encountered this following a link to Reddit.

What's going on with Reddit now?

Major solar flares happening today. ...

2025-02-15T03:45:20+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…ls0x
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Major solar flares happening today.

https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/solar-activity/solar-flares.html

She was one of only a handful of celebrities that actively ...

2025-02-12T18:26:04+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…cepn
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She was one of only a handful of celebrities that actively supported Bernie with appearances and fundraisers - but this rant just goes to show how money/privilege blinds one to the real issues the 99% face.

Her intent was to dis on 47, but she lost the plot with her focus on her shoes.

Historically, the revolutionaries die in much higher numbers than ...

2025-02-12T17:54:53+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…upsf
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Historically, the revolutionaries die in much higher numbers than the comparably minimal number of oligarchs who will eventually be 'guillotined'.

Realistically, everything will die when a ravaged/raped planet can no longer support life on this planet.
And that day grows closer every single minute of every day.

Yay humans!

It's not that we don't deserve it - we did it to ourselves - but the other life forms on the planet sure as hell don't.

Has to be a way to verify respondents. There will be a lot of ...

2025-02-11T20:23:07+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…9df3
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Has to be a way to verify respondents.
There will be a lot of moles seeking out these groups so they can infiltrate/report them.

I'm a blue dot living in a sea of red; but due to my location, I could be station on the railroad leading to Canada for those who need it. 🤷

Truth and a Lie racing around the world. Which one usually wins?

2025-02-11T19:51:23+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…ead5
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Truth and a Lie racing around the world.

Which one usually wins?

Earth is already shooting through the 1.5°C global warming ...

2025-02-11T17:25:49+01:00

Earth is already shooting through the 1.5°C global warming limit, two major studies show
Published: February 10, 2025 2:08pm EST

Earth is crossing the threshold of 1.5°C of global warming, according to two major global studies which together suggest the planet’s climate has likely entered a frightening new phase.

Under the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, humanity is seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and keep planetary heating to no more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial average. In 2024, temperatures on Earth surpassed that limit.

This was not enough to declare the Paris threshold had been crossed, because the temperature goals under the agreement are measured over several decades, rather than short excursions over the 1.5°C mark.

But the two papers just released use a different measure. Both examined historical climate data to determine whether very hot years in the recent past were a sign that a future, long-term warming threshold would be breached.

The answer, alarmingly, was yes. The researchers say the record-hot 2024 indicates Earth is passing the 1.5°C limit, beyond which scientists predict catastrophic harm to the natural systems that support life on Earth.

https://theconversation.com/earth-is-already-shooting-through-the-1-5-c-global-warming-limit-two-major-studies-show-249133

We sure as hell wouldn't be in this mess if Bernie had been ...

2025-02-08T20:22:21+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…gcr9
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We sure as hell wouldn't be in this mess if Bernie had been awarded the nomination that he won in '16.

We'd probably be under the presidency of AOC after Bernie's two terms right now instead of this hitler wanna be.

Also, the 'Impeach Trump' petition going around. 🙄 And ...

2025-02-08T19:08:00+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…ha40
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Also, the 'Impeach Trump' petition going around. 🙄

And the Democrats pontificating on the Senate floor overnight, which did nothing but delay the confirmation of Vought.

#WeAreSoFucked
🤬

That was my first thought also. Then I realized this: We'll ...

2025-01-27T21:14:31+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…rvc9
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That was my first thought also.
Then I realized this:

We'll need those non Nazis who leave the military to be out here with the rest of us when the time comes to (actively) fight back against our new Nazi military.

They'll bring with them the expertise and knowledge we'll be able to use against our oppressors.

Orgs like this one give me hope:
(Other orgs to join are mentioned at the end.)

#VeteransFightingFascism
#CopsDontStopNazisWeDo
#NoNazis
#TrumpsMilitary

20 January 2025 Body Of A Suspected Poacher Found In Kruger ...

2025-01-27T19:32:13+01:00

20 January 2025

Body Of A Suspected Poacher Found In Kruger National Park

This morning Kruger National Park (KNP) Management received reports about the body of a suspected poacher that was left along the road in the Pretoriuskop section of the Park.

According to initial unconfirmed reports, three individuals entered the Park illegally during the night with the intention to commit crime. It is at these times that they were attacked by a hippo and consequently one suspect sustained fatal injuries. The other two are suspected to have carried the body of their accomplice to where it was discovered this morning.

The remains was spotted by a tourist who covered the body and reported the matter to the Section Ranger. This resulted in an immediate response of all relevant law enforcement authorities with the pathologists securing the scene. The South African Police Service is currently investigating the matter.

Management cautions anyone who took pictures of the body not to share same as it might jeopardise further investigations. Management also reiterate the warning to anyone entering the Park illegally to desist from this dangerous practice considering the dangers it poses from freely roaming wild animals as well as arrest.

https://www.sanparks.org/news/body-of-a-suspected-poacher-found-in-kruger-national-park

The parts I found interesting - China develops a superior AI for ...

2025-01-27T17:32:23+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…237r
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The parts I found interesting - China develops a superior AI for millions of dollars vs American tech developing lesser AIs for billions of dollars.

China offers DeepSeek to the world for free vs American tech charging companies exorbitant fees to use their AIs.

Ofc I am anti AI for most every use except a few areas like medicine and some science applications, but NGL - anything that shines the light on the hubris and greed of American tech makes me chuckle.

Thank you, LL. That means a lot to me, coming from someone I have ...

2025-01-26T19:26:44+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…3ahj
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Thank you, LL.
That means a lot to me, coming from someone I have the utmost respect for.

I'll never tire of passing on this quote: "It is no ...

2025-01-26T18:26:03+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…7mpj
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I'll never tire of passing on this quote:

"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."
Jiddu Krishnamurti

Thank you. Kind of figured it was something along those lines, ...

2025-01-21T11:29:13+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…0c0e
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Thank you.

Kind of figured it was something along those lines, but I needed confirmation.

It's going to be a long, terrible 4 years ( or more ).

Can anyone translate - Section 4 General Provisions - into ...

2025-01-21T05:03:58+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…ffcl
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Can anyone translate - Section 4 General Provisions - into layman's terms, please?

I understand the rest of it, but that section is beyond me.

Leftist Lawyer (npub1v7x…5j80)

Seeing some recent vids on TT; it seems so. TT is now running ...

2025-01-20T06:53:37+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…gpy5
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Seeing some recent vids on TT; it seems so.

TT is now running thru meta servers, the reason for the 13 hour blackout in the USA.

FB now has a page on TT.

Not looking good.

Agreed. The psychopathic narcissists thrive on this attention; ...

2025-01-18T17:22:14+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…z3hs
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Agreed.

The psychopathic narcissists thrive on this attention; good or bad attention, they don't care, as long as they are in articles and front pages.

The only response to these types should be sharp, throat cut memes that mock them.
That's the most they deserve.

Excellent explanation of the economical reasons why renewables ...

2025-01-18T06:33:19+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…kg0w
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Excellent explanation of the economical reasons why renewables won't solve our energy problems.

I wish they would cover the ecological ones, as well.
Resourcing for the materials for renewables is devastating what's left of our natural world, which grows smaller every day.

Okay - I'm impressed! Thank you.

2025-01-17T18:03:53+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…n04x
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Okay - I'm impressed!

Thank you.

I'd be upset by this, but since higher education has become ...

2025-01-17T17:47:33+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…6y6f
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I'd be upset by this, but since higher education has become just another scam (among the many money hoarding scams by the wealthy) that traps young ppl in debt for decades - meh.

"DiResta argues that ideological sorting across and within ...

2025-01-16T17:14:14+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…r5kz
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"DiResta argues that ideological sorting across and within platforms, facilitated in part by decentralized content moderation, will lead to increased polarization:

The idealistic goal of federalism in the American experiment was to maintain the nation’s unity while enabling local control of local issues. The digital version of this, however, seems to be a devolution, a retreat into separate spaces that may perhaps increase satisfaction within each outpost but does little to bridge ties, restore mutual norms or diminish animosity across groups. What happens when divergent norms grow so distinct that we can no longer even see or engage with each other’s conversations? The challenge of consensus is no longer simply difficult, it is structurally reinforced.

I’m not as pessimistic. As discussed in an earlier post, shareable lists and labels are instruments that can just as easily be used to dissolve boundaries as to put up walls. They are part of the rough and tumble of free expression online. Such expression—as argued recently by Amna Khalid, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Killer Mike—often serves as a weapon of the weak. But calls for expulsion are a different matter altogether, and I hope that the platform doesn’t bend to these wishes. If one denies to all what is offensive to some, it is the least powerful among us who will ultimately pay the price."

For all social media sites, the last line seems most important, bc I have already seen a bit of that here on Mastodon.

"If one denies to all what is offensive to some, it is the least powerful among us who will ultimately pay the price."

Some ppl, or groups of ppl seem to think they are the self appointed gatekeepers of this site too.

A friendly reminder - the options to scroll, mute or personally block are always there.
Brow beating, ganging up and mass blocking ( excepting the most egregious hate speech ) are the tools of immature and insecure Karens whose intent is to restrict/remove any speech or topic they themselves find pearl clutching worthy.

Link seems broken now. Glad I read the comments, tho; I was just ...

2025-01-16T01:38:39+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…ty6n
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Link seems broken now.

Glad I read the comments, tho; I was just about to switch to proton.

Ppl have recommended Tutu.

All good ideas, imo. The problem is, it takes a strong, willing ...

2025-01-06T17:04:23+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…vxvk
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All good ideas, imo.

The problem is, it takes a strong, willing and principled person to undertake these actions.

Biden is none of the above; if he was, he and his handlers would have done it already, starting right after the election in November.

Bernie won the primaries in both '16/'20.

2025-01-06T01:42:49+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…mfp4
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Bernie won the primaries in both '16/'20.

We've been, and still trying to do that. Our best chance was ...

2025-01-06T01:37:41+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…f7q4
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We've been, and still trying to do that.

Our best chance was Bernie in '16 and '20, our latest chance was AOC recently.

Each time the dnc hooked and crooked us out of those chances.

As long as the centrists/dnc hold the reins of power, the left will never get a meaningful seat at the table. They prevent anyone from taking that power from them.

Now with the orange idiot in charge of our country, chances are good we'll never be allowed to vote again.

Overshoot: Cognitive Obsolescence And the Population Conundrum by ...

2025-01-05T06:20:47+01:00

Overshoot: Cognitive Obsolescence
And the Population Conundrum

by William E. Rees, human ecologist

Eric Lee
Jul 24, 2024

Abstract

The human enterprise is in overshoot; we exceed the long-term carrying capacity of Earth and are degrading the biophysical basis of our own existence. Despite decades of cumulative evidence, the world community has failed dismally in efforts to address this problem. I argue that cultural evolution and global change have outpaced bio-evolution; despite millennia of evolutionary history, the human brain and associated cognitive processes are functionally obsolete to deal with the human eco-crisis. H. sapiens tends to respond to problems in simplistic, reductionist, mechanical ways. Simplistic diagnoses lead to simplistic remedies. Politically acceptable technical ‘solutions’ to global warming assume fossil fuels are the problem, require major capital investment and are promoted on the basis of profit potential, thousands of well-paying jobs and bland assurances that climate change can readily be rectified. If successful, this would merely extend overshoot. Complexity demands a systemic approach; to address overshoot requires unprecedented international cooperation in the design of coordinated policies to ensure a socially-just economic contraction, mostly in high-income countries, and significant population reductions everywhere. The ultimate goal should be a human population in the vicinity of two billion thriving more equitably in ‘steady-state’ within the biophysical means of nature.

Keywords: carrying capacity; cognitive obsolescence; systems complexity; economic contraction; population planning.

Introduction: Evolution and humanity’s eco-predicament

This article attempts a more-than-usually systemic assessment of the human eco-predicament. It is inspired by two related facts: First, the human population substantially exceeds the long-term carrying capacity of Earth even at current average material standards. We are in overshoot, a state in which excess consumption and pollution are eroding the biophysical basis of our own existence (GFN, 2022a; Rees, 2020a). Second, national government and international community responses to even the most publicised symptom of overshoot, climate change, have been dismally limited and wholly ineffective (Figure 1).

. . .

https://medium.com/@alysion42/overshoot-cognitive-obsolescence-and-the-population-conundrum-1fd29de848ee

#overshoot
#biodiversity
#ClimateChange
#ClimateCrisis

Nice share, thanks. Added to my playlist. Sharing this one in ...

2024-12-19T17:50:25+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…0gsw
_________________________

Nice share, thanks.
Added to my playlist.

Sharing this one in return, in case you've never heard it.
(One of my favs.)

https://youtu.be/1Y2Pw9E3bL8?feature=shared

The #1 Reason I Became A Doomer by Collapse Musings Jan 16, 2024 ...

2024-12-18T17:21:41+01:00

The #1 Reason I Became A Doomer
by Collapse Musings
Jan 16, 2024 12 min read

We're not doomed because of climate change, resource depletion, or biodiversity loss. We're doomed because human nature made those things inevitable.

the world’s remaining ecosystems in search of rare-earth metals and other resources.

Despite the enormity of the polycrisis, people still say things like, “We’ll find a way. Look at everything humans have accomplished over the last two centuries: automobiles, airplanes, telephones, computers, and modern medicine.”

Yea, but only because of fossil fuels. Humans have been about as intelligent as we are today for at least 100,000 years, but we only just now managed to invent all these things. Have you ever wondered why?
. . .

Full article:
https://www.collapsemusings.com/the-1-reason-i-became-a-doomer/

What It Means To Be “Collapse-Aware” by Collapse Musings Mar ...

2024-12-18T16:58:47+01:00

What It Means To Be “Collapse-Aware”
by Collapse Musings
Mar 6, 2024 6 min read

Becoming collapse-aware can make you feel like you're going insane. You'd be crazy if it didn't.

I became collapse-aware a few years ago, and it completely changed my life.

Collapse-aware is a term that has become much more popular in recent years, especially among climate activists. Some people prefer the term doomer or collapsnik or eco-pessimist, but I think collapse-aware is the best term to describe someone like me.

But before I can tell you what it means to be collapse-aware, I have to tell you what “collapse-aware” means. If you’re collapse-aware, it means you’ve learned enough about climate change, pollution, resource depletion, and biodiversity loss to conclude that civilization is unsustainable and will eventually collapse.

Whether the collapse happens suddenly or takes several decades, and whether it happens soon or in the distant future, is up for debate. But the end result is the same: a pre-industrial world with a much smaller population.
. . .
https://www.collapsemusings.com/what-it-means-to-be-collapse-aware/

I like the original Henry David Thoreau definition.

2024-12-14T18:14:11+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…nycw
_________________________

I like the original Henry David Thoreau definition.

New report outlines how mining harms communities and the planet ...

2024-12-11T15:48:58+01:00

New report outlines how mining harms communities and the planet
by Protect Thacker Pass | Mar 18, 2024

“Mining may impact your community sooner than you think,” says lead author Elisabeth Robson. “We are on the brink of the biggest expansion of mining in history.”

The report includes information about:

Projected mining industry growth
How mining harms ecosystems
Eight mining and extraction case studies from around the world
The scale of mining globally
The relationship between indigenous communities and the mining industry
Links between extractive industries, violence against women, and other crimes
Analysis of mining law
The relationship between fossil fuel industries and mining
Mining has a long history in the western U.S., and especially in Nevada, known as the “Silver State” for the first major discovery of silver ore in the United States in 1859. Silver and gold were mined to enrich prospectors; copper, lead, and iron to supply the military; and of course oil and gas to fuel the modern economy.

Today, we are seeing a new “green rush” for so-called “critical minerals” to supply industry, including uranium for nuclear power; lithium, copper, nickel, and more for electric vehicle and grid storage batteries, iron and nickel for steel to make wind turbines; silver, cadmium, lead and more to make solar panels; and copper, iron, and nickel to make high voltage grid lines.

“Most people do not understand the impact that mines and the mining industry have on communities, in part because mining usually takes place in rural areas and has the most impact on poor and rural communities,” says Protect Thacker Pass co-founder Max Wilbert, who assisted with the report. “These harms include destruction of land culturally and historically important to communities; violence, especially to women and girls; and pollution that impacts both human and non-human communities who depend on the land, clean water, and clean air.”

https://www.protectthackerpass.org/new-report-outlines-how-mining-harms-communities-and-the-planet/

Nostr event nevent1qqsfhsycupgnvgcq6ntyft28tfqj84dz5w2yut59r38agxt5vuvnkfczyz9jwfkzgku6gwmw4ln74lqk06dlxym75vrl6rryn3q8475745lmvnxdvqf

2024-12-08T17:17:12+01:00

#SilentSunday

AOC launches bid to fight Trump as top Dem on House Oversight ...

2024-12-08T14:43:32+01:00

AOC launches bid to fight Trump as top Dem on House Oversight Committee

Hoping to help lead a congressional panel that could be in a position to hold President-elect Donald Trump accountable to the American public in the coming years, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Friday notified her colleagues that she is officially seeking the top Democratic seat on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

"I write to you today to seek your support to serve as ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability in the 119th Congress," the New York Democrat wrote in a letter to the Democratic caucus. "This is not a position I seek lightly. The responsibility of leading Democrats on the House Oversight Committee during Donald Trump's second term in the White House is a profound and consequential one."

https://www.alternet.org/aoc-trump-2670381564/

Before debit cards, I used to cross that out on all the paper ...

2024-12-07T22:09:52+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…k979
_________________________

Before debit cards, I used to cross that out on all the paper bills I got.

Did it once in the 80s, never again. Also, I've become anti ...

2024-11-24T16:31:31+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…a63c
_________________________

Did it once in the 80s, never again.

Also, I've become anti consumerism since then.

Grifters gonna grift.

2024-11-22T19:04:02+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…jdkz
_________________________

Grifters gonna grift.

His writings, teachings and moral compass will never be gone - ...

2024-11-09T18:08:42+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…mq9c
_________________________

His writings, teachings and moral compass will never be gone - even if one day they have to be hidden beneath floorboards, in old chimneys or buried in backyards.

In a better world, we would be choosing ppl like him as our leaders.

Nostr event nevent1qqs0vm7hjx62x6fl7lh0aw8syzkzujz40d6j5lhwkeecu2ya7g448vqzyz9jwfkzgku6gwmw4ln74lqk06dlxym75vrl6rryn3q8475745lmv5d2v50

2024-11-09T17:11:05+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…tpa5
_________________________

Neoliberals/centrists only differ from fascists in that the level ...

2024-11-09T16:13:32+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…us8q
_________________________

Neoliberals/centrists only differ from fascists in that the level of public disclosure of their plans and policies - neolibs do it behind the scenes instead of out in the open.

Start saving federally-funded data now. ...

2024-11-07T22:33:05+01:00

Start saving federally-funded data now.

I quit listening to MSM news in '16 when they all turned on ...

2024-11-07T21:08:51+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…whwx
_________________________

I quit listening to MSM news in '16 when they all turned on Bernie and disparaged him.

Had to quit NPR too, bc in every report about trump they included an audio clip of him speaking.

I don't remember them doing with Obama, and they rarely did it for Biden.

So now I'll quit listening to NPR again too.

Rod Sterling. ...

2024-11-06T17:29:19+01:00

Rod Sterling.

Most definitely; fighting for the causes we believe in is a part ...

2024-11-03T23:43:23+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…gl55
_________________________

Most definitely; fighting for the causes we believe in is a part of the survival techniques that keep us going, especially in the worst of times.

There is plenty to still be done and accomplished.

Whether the cause is human rights, environmental protection, animal rights, refugees, etc - there is still work to do to improve on the many issues we face.

Accepting the logic of our fate on this dying planet doesn't mean giving up.
If anything, it's the impetus to strive harder to make the differences where we can, while we can.

Individual adapting techniques for one's own space, sure. ...

2024-11-03T18:40:13+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…uan5
_________________________

Individual adapting techniques for one's own space, sure.

There is no remediation for for pollutants dumped by floods over millions of hectares across the planet, and have been dumped for decades now.
Microplastics and forever chemicals are of special concern.

Tho organisms have recently been found that are 'eating' plastics, that process works on nature's timeline and won't be enough to turn things around in the amount of time we have left. The scale of remediation needed is much too large, basically the whole planet, land and ocean.

There are also many unknowns about the effects of completely eliminating plastics through this process.
Humans have introduced many man-made chemicals that nature didn't evolve with.
It may be that nature incorporates plastic into the web of life - which would likely take centuries or longer.

Ronald Reagan/GOP cut funding to education for a reason, and it ...

2024-10-28T15:01:50+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…nmtx
_________________________

Ronald Reagan/GOP cut funding to education for a reason, and it wasn't to save money.

GOP has been playing this long game since the days of FDR and his societal benefits programs.
They now have more support than ever.
🙁

Digital will sink in it's own crap. Gerry McGovern Big Tech ...

2024-10-28T02:50:50+01:00

Digital will sink in it's own crap.
Gerry McGovern

Big Tech laughs about all this crap production. This is how Big Tech makes so much money in its data centers. It sells them as plush five-star hotels for superior VIP data, when in reality it’s running a datafill, a data dump. If most of the data stored in a typical data center was processed and accessed every day, then everything would explode, the servers would fry. The demand would crash everything. The data center business case is dependent on most people never accessing the data they’ve stored. You’re paying for a data graveyard.

To protect their profits, Big Tech has historically made it very hard for you to delete. Artist, Honor Ash, observed how, “Initially, Gmail didn’t even include a delete button. Not only was it no longer necessary to delete emails regularly to make space in your inbox, but it was actually not even possible. This shift broke everyone’s deletion habit—it ended the ritualistic appraisal of what should be kept, and ushered in a default in which literally everything should.”

For almost thirty years of professional content management work, I’ve had to deal with the argument that we have to keep everything because you never know what will be important in the future. This was in the middle of intranets, websites and computer systems, where nobody could find anything because of the terrible search design and because of the awful information architecture. And what they did find was usually some sort of dodgy draft, some copy of a copy, or something that was way out of date, inaccurate or useless. Keeping all this junk data does not simply reduce the chances of findability, it also increases cybersecurity risk. Huge quantities of poorly structured and badly maintained data are an invitation to hacking and other risks.
...

https://gerrymcgovern.com/digital-will-sink-in-its-own-crap/

I'd throw labor unions in that group, too. Long gone are the ...

2024-10-23T09:30:09+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…9la8
_________________________

I'd throw labor unions in that group, too.
Long gone are the days of union pride in banding together for the good of all for Republican union members.

But really, these Republican supporters come from all walks of life.

The most common denominator for all of them seems to be toxic masculinity, and the women drawn to these types of men.
All chasing the almighty dollar, as you mentioned.

Viruses and diseases have be long been a tool of nature to get ...

2024-10-19T19:49:19+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…f8cq
_________________________

Viruses and diseases have be long been a tool of nature to get out of control populations (of most every species), back into control again.
Bc the planet is only healthy when there is balance.

Modern medicines have overcome most of them for humans, adding to the imbalance of too many humans (and our accompanying livestock) compared to other species we're suppose to share this planet with.

But nature never gives up, always playing the long game. Viruses continue mutating and adapting.

Nature will do what we refuse to do; control our own numbers.

Bc nature always bats last.

On what planet do ppl think that mining for lithium and other ...

2024-10-18T18:00:32+02:00

On what planet do ppl think that mining for lithium and other minerals that support the "electrify everything!' movement, isn't as equally as harmful to the planet as fossil fuel extraction?

The 'electrify everything!' movement is a big part of the rise in ghg emissions.

The clear answer to cutting CO2 and other emissions is to drastically reduce our energy use.

But that would mean sacrifices and inconveniences for ppl, mostly in the global north who use way more energy than poorer nations.

Our very existence depends on cutting emissions, protecting nature and returning to the natural balances that support all life on earth.

Instead, we go on with BAU, ever growing and ever more destruction that leads us to the proverbial cliff.

On what planet I asked.
The answer is this one, earth.
The only planet in the known universe to support the diversity of life this one once did.

I think mastodon is not well known to the outside world. Ppl find ...

2024-10-18T16:29:12+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…zaw9
_________________________

I think mastodon is not well known to the outside world.

Ppl find it, then try it, and find out very confusing what with instances and choosing and all.
Mostly easy to understand if one sticks with it, especially with all the help current users and specific accounts there to offer advice - but ppl seem to always be looking for the easiest way in everything nowadays.
Lots of ppl want to download an app and just start using it. Mastodon requires a bit more than that, and that bit more is a bit too far for some.

Another issue I've come across is gatekeepers here who try to cancel any account they personally don't agree with. Get a few of them together and they will dogpile and report an account based solely on their personal objections to a person or topic THEY deem unacceptable.
That will chase ppl away too.

Nostr event nevent1qqsymfnvvt4kezuzrm3evd2puz68gx7304hxdjhfx396vcwzsp49y3czyz9jwfkzgku6gwmw4ln74lqk06dlxym75vrl6rryn3q8475745lmv9sauzw

2024-10-13T16:01:23+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…dnmm
_________________________

Nostr event nevent1qqsqd5l9l2nx9tae5qlhsdn2u667v3pzpkjyjlyj53ntp2yfn0lvfeczyz9jwfkzgku6gwmw4ln74lqk06dlxym75vrl6rryn3q8475745lmvlv67n6

2024-10-13T15:22:22+02:00

#SilentSunday

"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a ...

2024-10-10T01:44:12+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…r007
_________________________

"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."

Jiddu Krishnamurti

Nope. That's where I find the most breaking, often ignored, ...

2024-10-09T19:40:42+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…9aqm
_________________________

Nope.
That's where I find the most breaking, often ignored, stories and coverage on issues.

You could try googling the story, tho.

Remember during Katrina, when ppl locked up in jails or prisons ...

2024-10-09T19:12:50+02:00

Remember during Katrina, when ppl locked up in jails or prisons were left behind while staff evacuated, and they drowned?

It's happening again, in Florida this time.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP88JuLoF/

Fortunately, there is a growing group of economists who recognize ...

2024-10-09T03:33:42+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…222k
_________________________

Fortunately, there is a growing group of economists who recognize the shortcomings and failures of traditional economic theory and are expanding their views on economies to incorporate the things you've mentioned, and are promoting including more than just GDP in economic theory and practice.

Kyle Montanio (npub165c…tdlq) is a good one to follow for more on that.

Degrowth. Explanation here: ...

2024-10-08T15:44:51+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…yner
_________________________

Degrowth.

Explanation here:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/what-is-degrowth-economics-climate-change/

A couple of good mastodon accounts to follow on this topic are:

[@breadandcircuses](https://climatejustice.social/@breadandcircuses )
Gerry McGovern (npub14sz…ur2r)

Want to learn the real history and origin of the term ...

2024-10-08T08:34:17+02:00

Want to learn the real history and origin of the term "redneck".

Hint: it involves coal miners and Blair Mountain.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8REKe57/

I'm a blue dot in a solid red rural area and most often the ...

2024-10-07T17:18:30+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…7rqj
_________________________

I'm a blue dot in a solid red rural area and most often the only one masked in public (since 2019).

Surprisingly, I've never been confronted about it.
(That may be bc of my resting bitch face, that even a mask can't hide? 😏)

If ever asked, tho, my reply would be "bc I don't want to catch whatever you and the other vectors are spreading around."

Ofc, that message might get lost as they ponder what a vector is, but - worth it. 😅

Nostr event nevent1qqsyzpt5le2k2xhclppqan2g4dmd8djm3ju03q5ep0y98p48afphlkgzyz9jwfkzgku6gwmw4ln74lqk06dlxym75vrl6rryn3q8475745lmvjs7ufp

2024-10-06T15:51:03+02:00

#SilentSunday

The loss of the natural world and all the other species we are ...

2024-10-06T01:26:20+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…5gl4
_________________________

The loss of the natural world and all the other species we are taking with us on this march to oblivion is truly heartbreaking to me.

The Collapse Is Coming. Will Humanity Adapt? An evolutionary ...

2024-10-05T19:56:18+02:00

The Collapse Is Coming. Will Humanity Adapt?

An evolutionary biologist and a science fiction writer walk into a bar... and mull over survival.

By: Peter Watts
...
The following conversation was recorded in March 2024. It has been edited for clarity and length.

Peter Watts: In this corner, the biosphere. We’ve spent a solid year higher than 1.5 degrees Celsius; we’re wiping out species at a rate of somewhere between 10,000 and 100,000 annually; insect populations are crashing; and we’re losing the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, no matter what we do at this point. Alaskapox has just claimed its first human victim, and there are over 15,000 zoonoses expected to pop up their heads and take a bite out of our asses by the end of the century. And we’re expecting the exhaustion of all arable land around 2050, which is actually kind of moot because studies from institutions as variable as MIT and the University of Melbourne suggest that global civilizational collapse is going to happen starting around 2040 or 2050.

In response to all of this, the last COP was held in a petrostate and was presided over by the CEO of an oil company; the next COP is pretty much the same thing. We’re headed for the cliff, and not only have we not hit the brakes yet, we still have our foot on the gas.

In that corner: Dan Brooks and Sal Agosta, with a Darwinian survival guide. So, take it away, Dan. Guide us to survival. What’s the strategy?

Daniel Brooks: Well, the primary thing that we have to understand or internalize is that what we’re dealing with is what is called a no-technological-solution problem. In other words, technology is not going to save us, real or imaginary. We have to change our behavior. If we change our behavior, we have sufficient technology to save ourselves. If we don’t change our behavior, we are unlikely to come up with a magical technological fix to compensate for our bad behavior. This is why Sal and I have adopted a position that we should not be talking about sustainability, but about survival, in terms of humanity’s future. Sustainability has come to mean, what kind of technological fixes can we come up with that will allow us to continue to do business as usual without paying a penalty for it? As evolutionary biologists, we understand that all actions carry biological consequences. We know that relying on indefinite growth or uncontrolled growth is unsustainable in the long term, but that’s the behavior we’re seeing now.

Stepping back a bit. Darwin told us in 1859 that what we had been doing for the last 10,000 or so years was not going to work. But people didn’t want to hear that message. So along came a sociologist who said, “It’s OK; I can fix Darwinism.” This guy’s name was Herbert Spencer, and he said, “I can fix Darwinism. We’ll just call it natural selection, but instead of survival of what’s-good-enough-to-survive-in-the-future, we’re going to call it survival of the fittest, and it’s whatever is best now.” Herbert Spencer was instrumental in convincing most biologists to change their perspective from “evolution is long-term survival” to “evolution is short-term adaptation.” And that was consistent with the notion of maximizing short term profits economically, maximizing your chances of being reelected, maximizing the collection plate every Sunday in the churches, and people were quite happy with this.

Well, fast-forward and how’s that working out? Not very well. And it turns out that Spencer’s ideas were not, in fact, consistent with Darwin’s ideas. They represented a major change in perspective. What Sal and I suggest is that if we go back to Darwin’s original message, we not only find an explanation for why we’re in this problem, but, interestingly enough, it also gives us some insights into the kinds of behavioral changes we might want to undertake if we want to survive.
...

Full article:
https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-collapse-is-coming-will-humanity-adapt/

The Biggest Issue is NOT Climate Change; it is OVERSHOOT Erik ...

2024-10-01T15:22:01+02:00

The Biggest Issue is NOT Climate Change;
it is OVERSHOOT

Erik Michaels

This article was originally published on
Problems, Predicaments, and Technology, 14 August 2024
REPUBLISHED WITH PERMISSION

...
The hype and nonsense continue unabated. As I mentioned last time, optimism bias causes us to think that we can do things which in reality we cannot. Here's another perfect example of more nonsense. Here's even more nonsense. As was pointed out in Denial of Reality, climate change isn't going to be stopped or reversed on human timescales. Most people think that all we have to do is reduce emissions, not realizing that emissions is another symptom predicament of ecological overshoot, meaning that what must be reduced if climate change is to be reduced is overshoot, not emissions. This is much more difficult than simply reducing emissions, because it requires a reduction of technology use. John Peach explains using calculations from Tom Murphy and Tim Garrett and the Stefan-Boltzmann Law.

Once one understands the concepts in Tim Garrett's, Tom Murphy's, and John Peach's work, one can clearly see that climate change isn't the big predicament most people make it out to be, OVERSHOOT is. Climate change, emissions, pollution loading, energy and resource decline, biodiversity loss, extinction, etc. are all SYMPTOMS of overshoot. This means that reducing (or attempting to eliminate) emissions alone will NOT reduce climate change because it is being caused by overshoot from technology use. Thus, the hype in my first paragraph above about "renewable" energy replacing coal-fired energy will not help to solve climate change. Replacing coal-fired energy is an attempt to continue civilization, so in the end, it is nothing more than bargaining to maintain civilization.

These facts are not going to change regardless of what type of technology is used or how complex it is. In effect, our use of technology is the entire predicament in a nutshell. Now, this does not mean that all we have to do is stop using technology. Some technologies would be difficult if not impossible to stop using. Most of our lives today revolve around one type of technology or another. But without the fossil fuel platform, modernity cannot be continued. Electrification will not solve it, so that isn't an answer or solution. Hydrogen will not solve it. None of the mainstream ideas (such as AI) will solve it. Using reductionist thinking will not solve it. NOTHING will solve it because what we face is a predicament, not a problem. Acceptance of that fact is required before moving forward, because anything less than that will guarantee coming up with ideas which will only worsen the outcome rather than improve it.

Once one realizes all of this, the next idea which must be mastered is that 8 billion or more people cannot survive on this planet for long in civilization without damaging the underlying ecosystem which provides our habitat. Resilience and sustainability are key features which any system of living must provide; civilization and city living is impossible in such a scenario. Comprehending that only a small segment of the current population will make it out of this century, if any of the population, is important. Much of that depends upon an intact ecosystem, which is definitely not guaranteed. The amount of damage that will be done by the 8 billion people currently here as collapse deepens probably means a dystopian world, and even that is a very big IF. Given today's trajectories, the most likely outcome is extinction for most species, including us.

Collapse is another consequence of overshoot; it is yet another symptom predicament. Many people often forget the social aspects of overshoot and blame them on other things, yet increasing cost of living, decline of happiness, mass shootings, increasing polarization, increasing disease rates, addiction, and many other issues can be directly tied to overshoot and/or the system of civilization which ultimately causes overshoot and collapse.

I mentioned Tom Murphy above, and one of his articles comes in handy once again to point out precisely just how ludicrous some of our assumptions about civilization (or modernity as he calls it) actually are. I remain somewhat surprised so many people still believe in free will and the illusion of control. Tom dispenses with all that nonsense quickly in the first paragraph by pointing out the reality that Santa Claus is a part of a set of fairy tales. His article pairs nicely with The Cycle of Life, pointing out that just because we lack free will (or other inconvenient truths) doesn't mean that there is no point to life. Likewise, just because those of us who understand the truth about what is and what isn't sustainable doesn't mean that we have "given up" on anything but unsustainable or untenable pursuits. The real wisdom in Tom's article comes in the last two paragraphs, quote:

If modernity is not to last very long, what’s the point in pretending that it will? What’s the point in holding onto a worldview predicated on modernity’s survival? What’s the point of our current choices, jobs, ways of living? To what end do we pursue the things we presently do?

Just because a lot of the things we do today will turn out to be pointless does not mean there’s no point to anything! What a huge and unwarranted leap that is! In the context of a completely different lifestyle as subordinate partners among a cast of many in the community of life, one might find innumerable sources of meaning. Living, loving, caring, helping, singing, laughing, learning, respecting, offering gratitude, appreciating beauty, jabbering, teasing, playing, sharing—for instance—are all part of being human and of being one form of life among many others on this planet: lots of room to find meaning and “points” that validate life. If the meaning in your life is contingent on modernity, then maybe you’ve come to the wrong shop, and ought to look for new forms of meaning that are built to last.
...

https://www.pelicanweb.org/solisustv20n10page5.html

Nostr event nevent1qqsvtwc4ygfryez785njpcw9eyuzed6mg7csdze276k4mfdg9pl9aaczyz9jwfkzgku6gwmw4ln74lqk06dlxym75vrl6rryn3q8475745lmv99v0vl

2024-09-21T16:41:19+02:00

An awesome update to the First They Came For poem. Pinned to my ...

2024-09-16T19:26:25+02:00

An awesome update to the First They Came For poem.

Pinned to my profile with the permission of original author, account Anti Superiority Complex, death to empires (npub1xgp…p8ay).

__________
First they came for the forest and i did not speak out, because i was removed from my relationship to the land.

Then they came for the valleys and i did not speak out because my family has been a conquered people for generations.

Then they came for rivers and i did not speak out because i benefitted directly from the waters' destruction.

Then they came for the farms and i did not speak out because i could still access the goods produced by the farmers.

Then they came for people in foreign lands and i did not speak out because i benefitted directly from their exploitation.

Then my family settled on the lands our rulers stole and i did not speak out because i did not question my role in the genocide id already been watching unfold before me.

Then they came for me and i did not speak out because they'd successfully isolated me from community and made me believe their rule of law was made to protect me.

Regular readers of my posts know I'm always going on about ...

2024-09-08T06:51:57+02:00

Regular readers of my posts know I'm always going on about how we're destroying the life sustaining systems of the planet.

Here is someone who figured that out decades ago, who has the science and credentials to not only back it up, but to make him renowned in the serious circles of the climate change world.

He explains it much better than I ever could.
______________

Millan Millan and the Mystery of the Missing Mediterranean Storms

By Rob Lewis, originally published by Resilence.org

July 17, 2023
Spanish maqui scrubland
...

Millan is a highly technical and practical scientist, steeped in physics and with an engineer’s stamp. Yet he turns poet when describing how soil, water and plants all work together to recycle water, employing the tercet: water begets water, soil is the womb, vegetation is the midwife.

What he means by water begets water is that healthy landscapes seem to grow water. Of course, water just can’t be created. There’s a set amount on earth, and though we think of it as spread amongst oceans, lakes, rivers and glaciers, it is also inside living things. Humans are 60% water, birds 75%, fish 70 to 84%. A typical cat weighs in at 67%, while plants and trees are almost entirely water, 80 to 90%. How much water a landscape can hold is therefore proportional to how much life is in the landscape and soil to hold what arrives in periodic pulses from major water bodies, like oceans and lakes, via atmospheric currents. This water, once held, is transpired by vegetation back into the atmosphere as vapor to make clouds and future rain. Like this, the same water is recycled over and over, up and down, across landscapes. Though it used to be thought that virtually all inland water came from large water bodies and atmospheric circulations, it’s now realized that 40-60% of most rain comes via this recycling, increasing the farther inland you go. It’s called the small water cycle, and in some places, like the Amazon, it is responsible for 80% of the rain. The more life in a landscape, the more water it can “milk” from ocean flows. It’s a self-amplifying circle: water, through life, begetting more water, begetting yet more life, gathering yet more water, and around it goes, the result being increased climate cooling and moderation.

Soil is the womb because it holds the water. But here again it is really life holding the water, the rich below-ground microbial community which makes the difference between compacted, water-repellent dirt and clumpy absorptive soil. Picture soil as a sponge, held together but full of tiny cavities. There are grains of sand, clay, and minerals within that matrix, but what binds them into a sponge is life, an astounding plethora of the invisible and nearly invisible: protists and bacteria, nematodes and soil mites, and up to eight miles per square inch of fungal hyphae. It is their exudates and decaying bodies which not only glue the particles together, but hold them apart, making room for the water so crucial to all life. When it’s all working together, a very fortuitous feedback loop appears—the more carbon in the soil, the more water the soil can hold. The more water in the soil, the more vegetation it can grow. The more vegetation it can grow, the more moisture it feed the sky and the more carbon it draws down into life and soil. It’s a virtuous cycle, “begetting” water, sequestering carbon, unseen and underground, womb-like.

Vegetation is the midwife because it delivers the water to the atmosphere as vapor, where it rises, condenses, and falls again as rain. But vegetation doesn’t only send up water vapor, it also delivers the seeds of future rain drops, called cloud condensation nuclei. These are microscopic grains of various biota, such as bacteria, fungal spores, and released vapors, all of which have uniquely low freeze thresholds, hastening the vapor’s condensation from vapor to water and its subsequent return to land as rain. The vegetation sending up the water is also bringing it back down in another virtuous, self-amplifying cycle.
...
The reference to “more recent times” is even more interesting. After noting that the traditional peoples of the area—the Tuareg nomads, the Haussaand farmers and Fulani pastoralists— “had developed social, economic, political, and land use systems which enabled their survival within the constraints imposed by the environment of the area,” they describe how “European colonization introduced and imposed a variety of social and economic changes, which…disrupted the symbiotic relationships which had developed between socio-economic groups of the region. Among the measures introduced were the encouragement of the pastoralists to lead sedentary lives and the introduction of the cash crop economy. The expansion of cultivated areas took place at the expense of the more southerly and thus better watered grazing lands; fallow land was reduced; while much of the bushland, which was traditionally part of the pastoralists grazing land, was incorporated into the agricultural area.”

Today’s climate narrative typically blames Saharan droughts on CO2 emissions, but these authors clearly had land-use in their sites, pointing to “overgrazing of the deserts and their margins,” and “the driving back of the nomads from parts of the steppes (leading) to degradation of the sparse vegetation cover in the surrounding semi-deserts on the one hand, and to disturbance of the ecological balance of the cultivated steppes on the other. Serious consequences also resulted from the ploughing of dry soils in particular.”
...

Full article:
https://www.resilience.org/stories/2023-07-17/millan-millan-and-the-mystery-of-the-missing-mediterranean-storms/

Capitalism is the main driver of the climate crisis. It's ...

2024-09-07T16:18:43+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…c4ny
_________________________

Capitalism is the main driver of the climate crisis.

It's killing the planet, and us.

Ecological overshoot. Why are we not talking about Ecological ...

2024-09-05T21:39:17+02:00

Ecological overshoot.

Why are we not talking about Ecological Overshoot?
Elisabeth Robson
7 min read
Dec 13, 2023

"Bill Rees spent a good part of his career developing a tool called the ecological footprint analysis — a measurement of our collective footprint in terms of the natural resources humans use each year and the waste products we put back into the environment. His analysis showed that humanity is well into overshoot — meaning, we are using far more resources than can be regenerated by Earth, and producing far more waste than the Earth can assimilate.

Overshoot is like having a checking account and a savings account and using not only all the money in our checking account each year, but also drawing down our savings account. Everyone knows if we spend down our savings account, eventually we’ll run out of money. In ecological terms, eventually we’ll run out of easily-extractable resources and do so much damage from the pollution we’ve created, life-as-we-know-it will cease to exist.

I don’t like using the word “resources” to describe the natural world, but it is a handy word to describe all the stuff we humans use from the natural world to keep ourselves alive and to maintain industrial civilization: whether that’s oil, trees, water, broccoli, cows, lithium, phosphorus, or the countless other materials and living beings we kill, extract, process, refine, and consume to get through each and every day and keep the global economy humming. Please know that I wince each time I write “resources” to represent living beings, ecosystems, and natural communities.

Whatever we call the stuff that fuels 8+ billion humans and the great big hungry beast that is industrial civilization, Bill’s analysis estimates our collective ecological footprint is currently running at about 1.75 Earth’s worth of it. Of course that use is unevenly distributed; as a North American, I am ashamed to say that I and my many neighbors on this continent have an ecological footprint 15–20 times bigger than the Earth could sustain if everyone lived like us. Many people on Earth still have ecological footprints far below what the Earth could sustain if everyone lived like them, so it all averages out to 1.75 Earths."

https://medium.com/@elisabethrobson/why-are-we-not-talking-about-ecological-overshoot-f174a53756a5

Pinned on my profile with permission from original submitter, ...

2024-09-05T21:24:15+02:00

Pinned on my profile with permission from original submitter, Leftist Lawyer.

Once upon a time a new species evolved that thought itself very intelligent.

But this new smarty pants species had a terrible blind spot. It couldn't figure out how to stop shitting in its own nest.

It wasn't a problem at first, because when the new species filled it's current nest with shit, it would just abandon the shitscape and start someplace new.

But soon enough, the new species covered the globe and had nowhere else to create new shitnests. The species wound up drowning in its own shit and went extinct.

There was much rejoicing from all the other species that had figured out how not to shit in their own nest.

They never thought the new species was very intelligent to begin with.

The End.