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Americans: 'Our Crown Jewel National Park System Worth $92 BILLION to Us!'  
When America declared our independence from the British Crown 240 years ago today, we cut ourselves off from the "dowry" of Crown Jewels protected in the Jewel Vault in the Tower of London. Including the Imperial Crown of State -- adorned with the Second Star of Africa, part of the largest diamond ever mined in history, 2,783 other diamonds, 17 sapphires, 277 pearls, 11 emeralds and 5 rubies -- a total of 142 spectacular items are protected as Crown Jewels, "enduring symbols of 900 years of monarchy." Every year approximately 2 million Britons and foreign tourists gape at them from behind a glass partition.


When we took our independence from Britain we eschewed the trappings of monarchy including this Imperial Crown of State, and created a new system of government and a new system of Crown Jewels - National Parks.

In contrast, America's Crown Jewels are spread out across our country like a vast network of precious gems available for every American and millions of foreign visitors to enjoy . The system of living, breathing landscapes and historic sites to which President Abraham Lincoln made the first deposit of Yosemite Valley in 1864, now stands at 411 units valued at $92 billion, according to a recent study.


The ethereal vision of Yosemite Valley that Albert Bierstadt portrayed in his paintings inspired President Lincoln to set aside the valley as our fist state park, later expanded to become Yosemite National Park.

With the great man-made monuments of Europe behind them, Americans in the "new world" chose a system of values based on land, creating our Crown Jewels from the glorious swaths of nature they encountered as they pushed west. Today our "Crown Jewel" National Park System ranges from the diamond hard face of "the Great One" - Mount Denali in Denali National Park, Alaska to the welcoming turquoise waters of the US Virgin Islands National Park and archaeological records dating back to 800 BC. From Independence Hall in Philadelphia where the US Constitution was debated and signed to George Washington Carver's Secret Garden at his birthplace National Monument in Diamond, Missouri, our historical sites serve as guideposts, continually refining our progress towards a nation "with liberty and justice for all."

Last week President Obama added another jewel to our treasury, creating the Stonewall Inn National Monument in New York City as a tribute to the efforts of the LGBT community to have their human rights recognized. Our Crown Jewels support our lives by purifying our air and water, providing habitat for wildlife, absorbing storm surge and protecting us from the effects of climate change. As valuable as they are, Britain's crown jewels cannot lay claim to those qualities.


I can hardly wait to explore the trail to his Secret Garden at George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Missouri when I speak at Carver Day on Saturday, July 9.

So today I rejoice in the knowledge that the American people truly recognize and prize our Crown Jewel National Park System. A study released last week by the National Park Foundation shows that Americans assign a value of $92 BILLION to the System and the services provided by its caretaker agency, the National Park Service. The study showed that even people who do not visit national parks value them highly and say they'd be prepared to pay higher taxes to protect them.

These results perfectly illustrate the complete unacceptability that our Congress assigns a meager annual budget of approximately $3 billion to the parks, resulting in a huge deficit of funds to adequately care for and protect them, to maintain the roads and restrooms (I learned that each stall at Grand Canyon south rim uses one mile of toilet tissue every day!) hire biologists and wildlife managers, and park rangers to tell the stories of history and nature. It is only appropriate that we create an endowment for the Park System that honors the park service's mission to protect them in perpetuity instead of having to depend on an anemic annual budget.

I am trusting that this report will spur a different conversation about the future of our Crown Jewels. I hope it exposes the Park Service's attempts to allow a greater corporate presence in our national parks in exchange for money, as proposed by the current director in a pending order. Like a poison pill that will go into effect after he leaves office at the end of this year, the order proposes a shift to commercialize our crown jewels in ways that have not been allowed in 152 years and was not intended by their 19th Century founders. If managers at the Tower of London suddenly decided to give corporations titular ownership of the Crown Jewels in exchange for money, today's uproar over the outcome of Brexit might seem comparatively mild.


Bear Lake - oh what a feeling!

In Estes/Rocky Mountains National Park a few weeks ago, I sat on a bench overlooking idyllic Bear Lake and watched visitors strolling by on the trail. From the youngest babies and eager young children clutching their Junior Ranger notebooks and making notes, to elderly family members walking with a cane, no one seemed rushed or stressed. Everyone smiled and said hello to me as I sat quietly enjoying the forest and the lake, the ambience of singing birds and quaking aspen leaves.

Seeing a young mixed couple going around for the second time, I asked what they'd think if they knew there was a move afoot to allow a greater corporate presence in our parks.

"What?!" they blurted simultaneously. "That's dumb. We come out here to get away from the corporate world."

Exactly.

As we celebrate our Independence from Britain and all other foreign powers today, let us remember the words of our founding father Thomas Jefferson, in one of his last letters:

". . . let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them," he said of Independence Day and the Declaration of Independence in June 1826. He died the following month.

Let us demand of Congress that they allocate the budget required by the Park Service to appropriately care for our Crown Jewels. I have no issue with corporations contributing to the support of our parks, but God forbid that they have an ego big enough or rude enough to want to impose their "brand" on our collective treasures. For shame! Whatever else happens, it is our patriotic duty to defend our parks "for the benefit of this and future generations."

Happy Independence Day!

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How being Down Under helped me see Brexit the right way up  
I've just arrived back from Australia, where I was sharing Forum for the Future's work at the first Sustainable Brands conference in the region.

I left London on the day that 52% of the UK population voted to leave the EU. I left with a very heavy heart, dumbstruck that such a body blow to one of the most important integration projects since World War 2 had been delivered. For the next few days I would wake (admittedly, at totally the wrong time for my UK-based body clock) with a profound sense of loss, which took a few seconds to pin-point to the outcome of the vote.

I now realise that travelling to the other side of the world has actually helped me begin to make sense of what's happened, and, critically, begin to understand what needs to happen next.

First: We ignore inequality at our peril. The voting demographics of the Referendum reflected a huge divide between the haves and have-nots, the urban and rural or ex-industrial populations, and age groups. London has become a prosperous, multi-cultural bubble, disconnected from other parts of the UK despite being the home of its national government.

Even though my family comes from the Midlands, where the Leave campaign romped home, I failed to really notice - by that I mean internalise - that the high street of the town I grew up in is now reduced to a string of charity shops, and that when a job is advertised in the new, local Costa Cafe, hundreds apply, and that job goes to someone with a Master's degree. I failed to notice that the digital revolution is just mumbo jumbo to a vast swathe of over-60s, and has delivered precisely nothing for them.

Contrast this with Australia, where huge efforts are now underway to deliver a meaningful reconciliation plan, designed to address the huge inequalities that exist between the native aboriginal people, and within the broader Australian society. Plans such as the one being delivered by Bupa, the global healthcare company. Australia is taking inequality very seriously.

Without facing inequality head on, any hope we have of delivering broader environmental progress is probably doomed.

What next? We need to ensure that action taken by business, NGOs, government and civil society is guided by goals that deliver simultaneously for all strata of society and the environment. Which is why in these turbulent times, the Sustainable Development Goals have never been more important.

Second: A functioning, progressive national government is useful, but not essential for progress towards sustainable development. Cut scene back to Australia, where for two years, from September 2013 to September 2015, it was governed by Tony Abbott, a climate denier who famously described the science around climate change as 'crap'. During this time, some of the passionate sustainability champions I met in Sydney, described how they didn't feel comfortable sharing their profession with 'non-susty' types, and just kept quiet about what they did for a living.

And yet, whilst they stayed under the political radar, they remained busy. Busy promoting renewable technology as the sensible transition pathway for a coal-dependent economy, busy innovating and testing sustainability solutions, such as bugs that turn waste into fuel. Busy creating a movement of sustainability advocates, who, now that Mr Abbott is gone, are unleashing their energy and passion with vigour on Australia's businesses and government.

The political vacuum that is emerging in the UK (which some may argue has been here for some time), is no reason not to push ahead with a powerful sustainable development agenda. Businesses remain committed, so is civil society (well, elements of it), and nothing has changed for the NGOs.

What next? We must harness the levers for change that remain as strong as they were before June 24th. To do this, we need to employ systems thinking and innovation to understand our sustainability challenges from the inside - examining the linkages and interactions between and among different actors to diagnose exactly where the barriers and opportunities for collaborative action lie, and how best to push those levers to accelerate change.

We will continue to push ahead with our global initiatives that bring stakeholders together to transform entire systems that we all depend on - these include the Protein Challenge 2040, Cotton 2040, the Living Grid and the Net Positive Project. We will harness the energy of business, civil society and others, and leave a spare seat for national government, hoping that sometime soon they may want to focus on progress, rather than each other.

Third: Even if, and maybe when, the button that triggers Article 50 is pushed, the UK is still part of a global economy. Here's my last reflection from Australia: It is a very long way away from anywhere. It has access to all the resources it needs. It could theoretically exist as an isolated outpost in the Southern Hemisphere.

But! We live in an interconnected society. An interconnected economy. As Forum's Futures work has demonstrated time and again, one decision made today has multiple long-term ramifications that echo across the world. Even if project globalisation halted tomorrow, there are global links that connect us in ways that didn't exist before. Perhaps these links will burst apart under isolationist-type pressures. I doubt it though.

For me, this is why the Leave campaign argument that leaving the EU would give the UK more control over its economic destiny was such piffle. The UK may well leave the EU, but its complex web of connections - societal, economic and environmental - don't recognise state borders and won't all get sucked into the waves of the English Channel. These connections are strong. What binds us unites us, and it's folly to think otherwise.

What next? Yes, the UK will feel the EU's wrath at this ridiculous vote, but the UK is part of a system. We don't exist in isolation. While elements that bind part of our system might weaken, others can grow stronger. At Forum we will be concentrating on harnessing the power of parts of the system that are passionate for progressive change. From citizen innovators to enlightened trusts and foundations, which happen to be in the UK but are certainly part of a global economy, these are individuals and organisations that won't let a miscalculated vote undermine the positive forces for change. And neither will Forum.

So, thank you Australia. Thank you to all the wonderful people I met. Being Down Under for a few days has definitely helped me see things the right way up, and I now face the challenging times ahead for the UK with a renewed sense of optimism.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

 
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New study confirms that migration leads to larger wings in monarch butterfly populations  
How does migration boosts the size of monarch butterflies? This was the question scientists asked in their recent study, which found that in fact migration can increase the size of wings in these butterflies.  
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Scientists discover maleness gene in malaria mosquitoes  
Scientists have isolated a gene, which determines maleness in the species of mosquito that is responsible for transmitting malaria. The research describes identification and characterization of a gene, named Yob by the authors, which is the master regulator of the sex determination process in the African malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, and determines the male sex.  
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New electron-microscopy technique measures magnetism at the atomic scale  
Aberration of electron beam allows microscope to pick out magnetic moments  
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Last Sunlight  

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Last Sunlight  

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The Best Fourth Of July* Speech In American History  
In 1852, Frederick Douglass gave a rousing speech on July 5, a day more black Americans chose to celebrate in the decades before the end of slavery.  
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Baby Tamarin  

syphrix photography posted a photo:

A very young baby cotton-top tamarin. Isn't it cute? You can see it near the entrance of the Singapore Zoo.
Taken at the Singapore Zoo.

[Facebook | 500px]

 
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By Jove! NASA's Juno prepares to slip into orbit around Jupiter  

The big red button has already been pushed on the risky manoeuvre to date

NASA's Juno spacecraft is set to enter its most critical stage as it attempts to fly into Jupiter's orbit.…

 
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r0B0t: Robotic rectum may aid prostate cancer diagnosis  
A robotic rectum may help doctors and nurses detect prostate cancer. The technology, which consists of prosthetic buttocks and rectum with in-built robotic technology.  
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r0B0t: New warehouse robots roll out after Amazon corners market - Arkansas Online  

Irish Independent

New warehouse robots roll out after Amazon corners market Arkansas Online "Warehouses are very high-tech places," said Bruce Welty, co-founder and chairman of Locus Robotics, a firm that's developed robots to work alongside, rather than replace, human workers. "Because the only way you can take costs out is automation.". Robotic arms race for online retailersFort Wayne Journal Gazette Adrian Weckler: Robots helped to cause Brexit - and they're not done yetIrish Independent all 4 news articles »

 
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r0B0t: Giant spacecraft nears Jupiter - CNN  

CNN

Giant spacecraft nears Jupiter CNN (CNN) It's been speeding toward Jupiter for nearly five years. Now -- can it slow down? On Monday, NASA's Juno spacecraft -- a spinning, robotic probe as wide as a basketball court -- will perform what the space agency calls a 35-minute long ... NASA Probe Ready for Fourth of July Rendezvous With JupiterNBCNews.com NASA Swears It Didn't Mean to Interrupt Your July 4 CookoutWIRED NASA's dangerous Juno mission: Unravel Jupiter's secrets and solve the mysteries of lifePhys.Org Scientific American -Wall Street Journal -International Business Times -Ars Technica all 308 news articles »

 
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Yugoslavia 1991: How Can a War Start If Nobody Wants It?  
Twenty-five years ago, Yugoslavia's best-known musicians gave a concert in Sarajevo. Those in attendance were sure of one thing: There should not and would not be a war. Then all hell broke loose. A new project is looking for people who were at the show.  
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Merkel's Chief of Staff on Brexit: 'Advice from Outside Out of Place'  
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, discusses the consequences of Brexit for Europe and why he believes the British should be given the time they need to contemplate the consequences of their vote to leave the EU.  
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The Yugoslav War: A Prisoner in My Own City  
Before the war, Milan Trivic worked for a Yugoslavian broadcaster. Along with a few rock musicians, he came up with the idea for a peace concert. Once war broke out, he lost everything. Milan Trivic's story in his own words.  
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The Yugoslav War: Answers to the Ten Most Important Questions  
What brought about the wars in former Yugoslavia? What role did ethnic tensions play? Did war criminals get punished? Answers to the most important questions.  
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The Crimea Complex: A Crisis of Identity Where East Meets West  
It's been two years since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Since then, President Vladimir Putin has been cheered for liberating the peninsula and scorned for usurping it -- depending on who you ask. But what do the Crimeans think?  
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Happy Fourth of July! The incredible shot shows the Statue of...  

Happy Fourth of July! The incredible shot shows the Statue of Liberty in New York City. The colossal copper structure depicts a robed female figure — Libertas, the Roman goddess of liberty — who bears a torch and a tablet upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence — July 4, 1776. The statue is an American icon of freedom and a welcoming sight to immigrants arriving from abroad. We hope everyone in the US has had a fantastic holiday weekend! ? by @jeffreymilstein (at Statue Of Liberty)

 
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P1110061  

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London sunset HydePark  

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Chain  

JB_1984 posted a photo:

Weathered chain on the beach by Chiswick Bridge at low tide.

 
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Join The Fight to Defend Our Oceans  

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Meatless Monday: The Revolution Will Not Come With Meal Kits  
Today we celebrate Independence Day, that time a few hundred years ago when our forefathers broke with British tyrants. Their revolution took nerve and hard work, but it turned out okay. So okay, in fact, it's time to try it again. This time, we're not taking aim at the Brits - they've got enough problems. We need to take aim at ourselves.

We're obese. Not pretty. Not healthy. Not cheap. The annual health costs are between $150 and $200 billion. Our forefathers didn't have a revolution in order for us to stuff ourselves to death. The new revolution needs to happen in the kitchen.

Don't believe me? Here's some more off-putting stats. According to a recent study:

-- Over 60 percent of overweight participants say their food portions are too large.

-- More than half say their family doesn't know how to choose healthy food.

-- Over 40 percent of respondents say they'd eat healthier, except fast food and food delivery make it easier not to.

-- The same number say they're too busy to eat healthy.

As a result, most Americans eat products, not food.

Spoiler alert -- the study was conducted and funded by Home Chef, the meal kit company, or rather one of many meal kit companies. Touted as the new great market disrupt, meal kit subscription markets itself as home cooking with the sourcing and sous cheffing done for you. You pay, and the components of your favorite foods come pre-portioned, made-to-measure, cleverly packaged and shipped to your door. Some assembly required. Combine the contents in the boxes and bags, simmer and voila, dinner.

Anything that gets you in the kitchen is good. Yet I'm conflicted about meal kits. I wonder about price point. Safe, accessible, healthy food should be accessible for all, not just those who can afford it. I wonder about other costs, too, including the amount of packaging waste it produces. When you factor in the carbon involved in shipping, I question sustainability.

Perhaps Mark Bittman has questions, too. The VB6 author and former Opinionator left the New York Times for the vegan meal kit startup Purple Carrot . . . only to leave it a few months later.

Most of all, though, I wonder about us. I can't think of anything more essential to our daily wellbeing and our overall humanity and socialization than cooking -- and we outsource it. Is it really so hard to open a can of beans that we have to pay someone else to do it for us?

Beautifully-styled food and celeb chefs make great entertainment but they're as far from real, everyday eats as meal kits are. Worse, they contribute to the lie that you're unqualified to cook. If you can read this, you've eaten enough food by now to get a good sense of it. You know more about making it than you think you do.



The revolution will not come with an app or a kit. Rather than outsourcing, empower yourself. Kitchen literacy, from sourcing your food to preparing it, is the real declaration of independence.

Fireworks Black Bean and Mango Salad

This salad is so quick and easy, it barely qualifies as a recipe. But it explodes with pizzazz, pairing the sweet summer burst mango (let's hear it for fresh, seasonal and local -- summer means mango season in South Florida) with a zing of chili. Black beans add fiber for fullness and protein because that's what your body wants. Besides, everything works with basic black. All this and it's fat-free, too.

Serve atop the fresh local farmers market greens of your choice.

1 jalapeno, minced (wear gloves when handling chilies -- really. Yes, even you.)
1 red pepper, diced
2 ribs celery, chopped fine
2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or 4 cups cooked black beans)
1 teaspoon cumin
juice of 1/2 lime
2 mangos, peeled and diced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for garnish, optional but adding fabulous crunch, not to mention goodly amounts of manganese and magnesium
3-4 cups fresh greens like spinach, arugula or frisbee

In a large bowl, gently mix together jalapeno, diced red pepper and celery. Add the black beans and combine well.

Add the cumin and the lime and toss to coat.

Just before serving, add the mangos and chopped cilantro. Season to taste. Place atop greens and serve at once, garnishing with toasted pepitas, if you like (and you will).

Serves 4 to 6.

More at soulfulvegan.com

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Episiotomies Still Common During Childbirth Despite Advice To Do Fewer  

Overall rates of the surgical snip have declined nationally in the past decade. But, despite advice, some hospitals and certain doctors still routinely cut the vagina to ease a baby's birth.

 
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