Friday, January 17, 2020

What happens when permafrost is no longer permanent?



What will we call "permafrost" when the frost is no longer permanent? How will this affect climate change. For more click here.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

98% of insects have vanished in 35 years from Puerto Rican rain forest

Scientist Brad Lister returned to Puerto Rican rainforest after 35 years to find 98% of ground insects had vanished
El Yunque national forest in Sierra de Luquillo, Puerto Rico
 El Yunque national forest in Sierra de Luquillo, Puerto Rico. Photograph: Stuart Westmorland/Corbis/Getty Images
“We knew that something was amiss in the first couple days,” said Brad Lister. “We were driving into the forest and at the same time both Andres and I said: ‘Where are all the birds?’ There was nothing.”
His return to the Luquillo rainforest in Puerto Rico after 35 years was to reveal an appalling discovery. The insect population that once provided plentiful food for birds throughout the mountainous national park had collapsed. On the ground, 98% had gone. Up in the leafy canopy, 80% had vanished. The most likely culprit by far is global warming.
“It was just astonishing,” Lister said. “Before, both the sticky ground plates and canopy plates would be covered with insects. You’d be there for hours picking them off the plates at night. But now the plates would come down after 12 hours in the tropical forest with a couple of lonely insects trapped or none at all.”
For more click here.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Minimun wage increases in 24 states in 2020


Click to enlarge for easier reading

For more click here.

Editor's note:

While increasing number of Americans are frustrated and disappointed with the Federal government, State governments are making important strides in improving the quality of life for their citizens. I live in New York State one of the states in the U.S. which has the highest quality of living.

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Ask Bob - Is it fake news?

Question - I read this news article and someone told me it was fake news. Do you agree?

Answer - Indeed it is. Misinformation and propaganda is widespread on the internet and people have an additional reponsibility to vet the information they find and read there.

One of the biggest problems is re-tweeting, "liking," and forwarding links that are outrageous and sensationalized so that an "echo chamber" is created of misinformation that with repeated reading starts to become true even if people were initially skeptical.

It is interesting how easily people are manipulated. Look at the millions of people who thought Donald Trump was actually going to help them and not the 1%. They bought the con hook line and sinker. Just goes to show you...............................................................................

And so it goes..................


Sunday, January 5, 2020

How "Citizens United" and big corporate campaign contributions is ruining our democracy.

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What do you think about the idea that money  is speech? If this is true, does that mean than only wealthy are heard because they speak the loudest and have the most influence?

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Ten garbage people in the US in 2019

Who are the people that have done the most damage to our culture in the U.S, in 2019?