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CERES Report Reveals Which Electric Utilities Recognize The Clean Energy Future We Need  
Electric utilities tend to take a lot of heat for clouding public understanding of climate change and standing in the way of energy resources that won't cook the planet.

A number of utilities, for instance, have spent hundreds of millions over the past few years lobbying against the Clean Power Plan. Likewise, the Edison Electric Institute, the trade association representing the investor-owned utilities (IOUs) that serve nearly 70-percent of electric customers in the United States, has developed and is executing a multi-million dollar fight against rooftop solar.

It is, of course, unfair to lump all electric utilities together. A couple of recently published reports -- including one released Tuesday by Ceres -- reveal which investor-owned utilities are climate laggards and clean energy obstructionists, and which are working to transition to the clean, renewable energy future that the atmosphere demands. (Or at least are begrudgingly accepting said transition.)

The Ceres report looks at actual renewable energy deployment. In Benchmarking Utility Clean Energy Deployment: 2016, the report's authors analyze and rank investor-owned utilities -- which serve over two-thirds of American electric customers -- for how much clean energy and energy efficiency they deliver to customers.

This deep dive into deployment nicely complements the findings of an April report from the Sustainable Investments Institute (Si2) and the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi), which scores the nation's largest utilities across a dozen metrics for clean energy governance and, for lack of a better term, climate acceptance. Or, basically, how well these 25 of the largest investor-owned utilities are adapting their businesses for a clean energy future.

So what do these reports tell us?

A handful of utilities are leading; most are still living in the 20th Century

Consider this from the Ceres Benchmarking report: just four of the 30 companies analyzed in the report account for more than half of the total sales of renewable energy.

Of the 30 holding companies examined, which collectively represent 119 individual electric utility subsidiaries, Sempra Energy, PG&E, Edison International, and Xcel Energy ranked the highest.

A close look at this chart from the CERES report reveals three general tiers of renewable energy deployment. Those top four all procured over 20-percent of their electricity from renewable resources, and In Sempra's case, more than 36-percent. The majority of the holding companies are lumped in the 8- to 13-percent range, and then the bottom third of the bunch are all under 4-percent of renewable energy deployed. (Southern Company didn't share any data, but their political and operational history would suggest that their delivery of renewable energy is at the bottom of the barrel.)



An unfortunate reality is that three of the five largest holding companies in terms of retail electric sales -- Duke, Southern Company, and American Electric Power -- all fall in this bottom tier of renewable energy deployment.


Chart truncated. See Ceres report page 16 for full chart.

The range is clear in the IRRC Institute report as well. In, The Top 25 U.S. Electric Utilities: Climate Change, Corporate Governance and Politics, the authors rank the top investor-owned utilities holding companies across 12 metrics that show how seriously the companies' leaders are considering climate change in their planning, governance, and political activities.



Clearly, there's a lot of variability, not only in the energy mix provided to customers (as Ceres has since laid out in depth) but in a range of other corporate practices as well.

State policies matter a whole lot

Both reports show a pretty direct correlation between the utilities that are doing the most for renewable energy deployment and planning and the states with the most ambitious clean energy policy goals. States like California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, and Oregon -- all known for progressive climate and clean energy policies -- are host to utilities that score well on the Ceres benchmarks for renewable energy and energy efficiency deployment. Meanwhile, the lowest ranking utilities are almost always located in states with weak or non-existent policies, many of them in the Southeast.

Likewise, the companies that fare the worst in the corporate governance report do business in states with weaker policies. And that isn't always a coincidence, as the report reveals. The researchers track lobbying and direct spending in state and federal elections. The lowest-ranked companies tend to be the ones that spend the most on political activities. Which brings us to the next point.

Some utilities are digging in their heels in the 20th Century

Perhaps the most stunning revelation of the IRRC Institute report is how much some utilities are spending to maintain the fossil-fueled status quo.

"Some utilities are taking proactive approaches to ensure ample and dependable energy supplies that reduce regulatory and legal risk," said Jon Lukomnik, executive director of IRRCi. "But other utilities are digging in their heels while looking backwards to maintain business as usual. Rather than changing the energy mix or seeking innovation that can reduce capital costs, some utilities are deploying their resources toward court battles and political influence."

The companies that ranked lowest in the IRRCi report -- Southern, American Electric Power, and NRG Energy -- have spent the most on political and lobbying activities over the past five years.

Much of this spending was on federal issues, especially combatting the Clean Power Plan, utilities were also shown to spend heavily on state elections and lobbying state legislators in order to preserve state policies that promote centralized coal and natural gas-fired power plants.

Whatever utilities say, the Clean Power Plan won't hurt

Dan Bakal, director of electric power programs at Ceres and one of the report's authors, told DeSmog that one of the biggest revelations of their research was how relatively painless it is for utilities to comply with the Clean Power Plan. "Renewable energy and energy efficiency are both key components of the Clean Power Plan," said Bakal, going on to explain that many of the utilities they studied have already undergone the necessary transitions to comply with the regulations.

Companies are already demanding clean energy

Large corporate energy users are driving huge demand for clean energy, compelling utilities to keep up, as "green tariffs" and other large renewable energy purchasing programs are catching on in some states. The Ceres authors cite a Rocky Mountain Institute analysis that showed corporate renewable energy deals of more than 3.4 gigawatts in 2015, a whopping 300-percent increase over the previous year.



Finally, and obviously, clean energy is booming

No matter how some resist it, clean energy is taking a serious hold on the grid, and at a staggering rate. Last year, U.S. solar and wind capacity grew by more than 28 percent and 11 percent respectively, bringing combined capacity for both over 100 gigawatts for the first time in history. Looking just at utility-scale resources -- and ignoring for a moment the staggering growth of distributed rooftop solar -- solar and wind represented more than 60-percent of all net capacity additions in 2015, and for many utilities, they represented all of the capacity growth.

The 30 companies Ceres examined together sold 136,000-gigawatt hours of renewable energy to their retail customers in 2014, a 13-percent increase from the previous year.

"This is not shocking, if you follow the industry-wide trends toward renewables," said Bakal. "But on the renewable side, we're seeing dramatic growth in absolute numbers and in percentages. The numbers really jumped off the page."

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Apathy To Our Overfished Oceans  

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We know there are only three northern white rhinos left on Earth.

We know that thousands of elephants are savagely murdered each year for their ivory.

We know pandas are endangered as they are frequently the "mascot" of environmental groups.

We know that polar bears are at risk for extinction in the near future because of global warming.

We know that certain tigers are near extinction.

When we hear the plight of these land animals we noticeably become sad, upset, angered, and we campaign to save them. We set up camps, and park systems, and conservation areas to protect these beautiful animals; or we try to find scientific methods to keep them alive.

Yet, when it comes to the oceans and Pelagic areas, many of us, and some "conservation groups" turn a blind eye, by not putting the resources into notifying the public of the sustainability problems betraying the oceans.

Yes, there are a number of "sustainability seafood" charts, but in reality the idea of sustainable fishing and fisheries is mostly a farce.

Between the 1950s and 1980s the annual seafood catch increased (in tonnage), and peaked in the late 80s to early 90s.

Since then, the level of seafood catch has been on the decline.

There just aren't the same number or size of fish in the ocean as there were back then.

And back then was not that long ago; a blink in the evolutionary clock.

The book, The End of the Line, discusses how in the 1950s, a single blue-fin tuna could be weigh as much as 1200-1300 pounds, while nowadays, the largest blue-fin tuna may be only weigh 400-500 pounds; not even large enough or old enough to reproduce.

Our desire for blue-fin tuna is killing multiple generations of future fish.

And to the proponents of fish-farming; it is neither environmentally friendly, nor sustainable.

As fish-farming increases to meet consumer demand for some of our favorite fish (salmon, tuna, cod), smaller wild fish are being caught at unsustainable rates to feed the farmed fish. In fact, it can take as much as 4-5 pounds of small-wild fish to create 1 pound of farmed fish.

Moreover, the ecological footprint of farmed fish may harm wild species by increasing water pollution, spreading disease, or out-competing them for resources and affecting their fecundity.

While many environmental groups know there is a problem of overfishing and overconsumption, and while some governmental and non-governmental organizations talk amongst themselves of the overfishing quandary, it is a poorly advertised and poorly discussed problem in the public media circles.

No entity of real importance or with policy-making capacity demonstrates (to the consumers) a worry, or a fear of the overfishing problem. It's a laissez-faire attitude.

But, The End of the Line and I argue, If the same methods used for fishing the oceans existed for land animals, there would be significant public outcry. If we all knew, just how destructive our fishing methods are, and could see it, perhaps we would advocate for change.

Just imagine, if 100 chickens were "accidentally" killed for every one we eat, this practice would be seen as unacceptable, unsustainable, and an abuse and misuse of resources.

Similarly, if a foot-ball field length of net were placed between two bulldozers driven (trawling) across the landscape clear cutting trees and wheat fields, trapping and dismembering birds, foxes, lions, bears, dogs, horses, or any other animal or plant you could think of, this not only would be unacceptable, but would probably lead to major changes in dietary habits, methodology, and conservation status.

We know there are fewer than 3% of blue-fin tuna left in the oceans; yet, the desire to eat their flesh is on the rise, particularly in Japan and in Japanese restaurants in other Western countries.

We know that in the Pacific Northwest, wild salmon populations have fallen precipitously, in part because of dams; yet, we are moving at a glacial pace to do anything to fix the problem.

Adding insult to injury, the USDA government nutrition guidelines continue to recommend consuming at least two portions of fish per week.

Two portions of fish per week for 320 million Americans is nearly 50 million tons of fish per year, or nearly 100 billion pounds of fish; and, that is just for direct consumption. This does not even include the number of fish caught for other uses, including pet food, vitamins, drugs, and other industrial uses (plant fertilizer!)

Although the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations reports over-fishing as a major problem, the message is not getting to us, the consumer.

What we need is stronger advocacy for change, from government officials, from those who have power to make change, and we need to offer proper guidance. We need to follow the example of the Netherlands which just this year recommended reducing fish consumption from two times per week down to only one time per week.

Our oceanic and Pelagic systems need to garner the same attention as our land-based systems, because not only does the world get a large amount of food from the oceans, but, the oceans are our life support.

Our oceans provide oxygen, food, and water to drink in the form of rain or snow. Our oceans temper our climate, keeping the Earth a livable place; but if we continue to damage them and kill all the life in them, we may inevitably kill ourselves.

Without our oceans we would look like Mars, or the moon, and so far, we have not found life on either.

We are killing our oceans. This is a fact. There needs to be outcry, there needs to be shock and awe, there needs to be worry.

Unfortunately, there are too many political factors and groups involved that tamp down education and advertisement about the state of our oceans and fisheries. These special interests don't want us to know about the problem, they will fish, until the last fish is gone. And this is a serious, serious problem.

As the renowned Sylvia Earle says, "no ocean, no life; no ocean, no us."

We need to stop thinking of our oceans as an endless bank from which we can take.

We need to think of the ocean as a living body, one that can recuperate if we leave it alone and reduce our impact. But, to do that, we need to move away from the "All You Can Eat Seafood Buffet" and sushi models of eating which feature unsustainable fish and unsustainable fishing methods.

We need to fight for our oceans. There is a problem, we need to fix it, and we need to do it sooner rather than later.

So, What is the Fix?

1. It begins by reducing our consumption of seafood.

2. It also includes advocating and discussing with our Congress-men and Senators to support more stringent fishing regulations, especially regarding the methods used and the amount that is caught.

3. It also includes finding other healthy sources of a essential nutrients like omega-3's, which we can get from algae and plant sources since that is how fish create their omega-3's, by eating algae.

Finally, if you DO feel the need to consume fish; do so rarely (this sustainable guide; as it is the best I've seen to date discussing these important conservation issues.

Lastly, be aware that eating fish may also come with health dangers, as I previously outlined in this article: Plastic: It's What's For Dinner.


For Interview requests or to contact Dana: recipe.for.survival@gmail.com
Twitter: recipe4survival
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RecipeForSurvival/
blog: recipeforsurvival.wordpress.com

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Martian Morse Code  
This image of dark dunes on Mars was taken on Feb. 6, 2016, by the HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. These dunes are influenced by local topography. The shape and orientation of dunes can usually tell us about wind direction, but in this image, the dune-forms are very complex, so it's difficult to know the wind direction.  
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Juno probe spins up its sonic screwdrivers for Jupiter flyby  

It's in the pipe, five by five

NASA is firing up the nine scientific instruments on board the Juno probe orbiting Jupiter ahead of its first data collection mission.…

 
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This Election Cycle, Listen To Science  


In this election cycle, science matters. Though other issues are often taking the stage in a more prominent way, our presumptive party candidates need not forget the one thing that affects every single human being on Earth - climate.

The presumptive candidates obviously hold disparate views on energy and the environment. On one side, we have Clinton, who sees climate change as an existential threat, supporting a cautious, even overly-pragmatic path to clean energy and renewables. On the other hand, we have Trump, who denounces climate change altogether, and was quoted as saying, "I consider climate change to be not one of our big problems...I think it's weather changes." Trump has also said that green energy programs would hurt jobs and business, claiming that they are "really just an expensive way of making the tree-huggers feel good about themselves."

This is a dangerous spot for America to be in. Not only is climate change very real, according to every major scientific society and 97 percent of actively publishing climate scientists, but as it turns out, science is also good for business. According to the MIT Sloan Management Review's 2016 report, Investing for a Sustainable Future, more investors than ever before are paying attention to environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance metrics, as evidence increasingly correlates the financial success of a company over time to sustainability-related activities. The report finds that with greater numbers of investors making investment decisions based on sustainability performance, the time is ripe for corporate leaders to recognize that more and more shareholders are invested in the connection between a company's ESG activities and its financial success. The bottom line: "investors believe that sustainability creates tangible value."

This means it's time to get smart about science and business. To prepare the next generation of business leaders who will advocate for sustainable business practices, it's essential that business students see the value of science and understand the tangible implications that policies have. That's one of the reasons that, as part of an environmental policy class I teach, students work with a policy-focused, Washington D.C.-based nonprofit, acting as consultants to enhance the nonprofit's business strategies. This year, my students teamed up with the American Geosciences Institute, a network of more than 50 earth science associations dedicated to addressing the needs of society, to learn about the barriers that state and federal policy-makers face in accessing geoscience information. Beyond learning the basics of geoscience and policy in the classroom, the practical experience taught them just how much science can impact the decisions made in the business world.

And that's why the presidential election this fall is so important. Will the American public consider our future and seek out new opportunities to harness the power of science to implement and maintain sustainable business practices? Or will we deny evidence and refuse to take a hard look at our scientific resources for new solutions, from issues of climate change to energy production, and neglect to understand how the business and science communities can come together? When we go out to the polls this November, we must consider what's on the line; the future of our planet, and the enormous opportunity we have to lead the charge in creating value and profit from sustainable business practices.

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r0B0t: Does Your Police Department Have A 'Bomb Robot '?  
American police killed a human with a robot for the first time ever in Dallas. How many more robot s are there?  
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r0B0t: Case study: Amazon embraces shipping automation, robotics - RCR Wireless News  

RCR Wireless News

Case study: Amazon embraces shipping automation, robotics RCR Wireless News Amazon's automated shipment centers are large-scale examples of the cyber physical systems driving toward Industry 4.0, or the fourth industrial revolution. The leading online marketplace's “fulfillment centers” already rely on more than 15,000 robots ... and more »

 
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Tower Bridge  

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Sunrise 8 July 2016  

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Sunrise 8 July 2016  

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Sunrise 8 July 2016  

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What To Grow In Your Forage Garden  
Pinyon syrup; acorn and cattail crackers; golden currant wine; mountain trout with Manzanita berries and willow bark. Wild-foraged foods are becoming increasingly popular as adventurous foodies connect ancient food-gathering traditions with the local terroir.

But unless you have access to private lands, much wild food foraging is illegal. Native plants are protected, and harvesting them is poaching. Try the easy alternative to poaching in our public spaces and parks -- grow edible plants at home! We need more native plants, not fewer. Besides feeding yourself, you'll also support the native butterflies and birds that depend on these foods. We can forage in our gardens!

When people harvest native plants in our struggling Southern California ecosystems, their impact on the plants, and the insects and animals that need them, is devastating. Taking bark, leaves, seeds, nuts and berries weakens the plants' abilities to renew themselves, reproduce, and survive brutal drought. By harvesting elderberries, for example, there are fewer berries to feed birds and other animals, fewer berries to nourish the soil, fewer berries to fall to the ground and make more trees or be transported in scat or droppings to grow in other locations.


Planting a new oak tree, which may house frogs, salamanders, mountain lions, gray foxes, robins, woodpeckers, owls, eagles, egrets, herons, roadrunners, and hundreds more species of local wildlife.
Photo: Chadd Ferron

California habitats already face multiple threats: development, drought, invasive-non-native plants and insects, loss of groundwater, and ever-more-frequent wildfires. Foraging is another nail in the coffin -- a coffin we should try to dismantle rather than seal shut. California is a biodiversity hotspot. One-third of California's 6,000 species and subspecies of native plants are endemic, found nowhere else in the world. The native plant species being foraged for cocktails, pickles (such as unripe Southern California black walnuts), and condiments are already threatened and endangered due to other human activity. We can't afford for even an infinitesimal fraction of the 23 million people in Southern California to forage native plants on already stressed public wild lands.

Indigenous Californian Nicholas Hummingbird directs the Hahamongna Cooperative Nursery in Pasadena, where he and his volunteers have propagated 10,000 individual plants. He has painstakingly and sustainably hand-collected seeds and cuttings from 200 local native species, many of them the very ingredients found in forage and wild-crafted recipes. His spectacular Instagram account is "dedicated to advocating for California's native plants, animals, & landscapes. They need our voice."


Nicholas Hummingbird and Monica Reyes make sure saplings of native trees and bushes get a good start at Hahamongna Cooperative Nursery.
Photo: Suzannah Ferron

Nicholas encourages, "Bring native plants into your life by doing something small and simple in your yard. You don't need to go out in the wild to enjoy native plants. At home, you can rekindle thousands of years of relationships between humans and the land. Even tiny spaces can provide habitat and beauty. I removed a few pavers from my apartment patio to grow seeds and cuttings. I eat my breakfast outside with butterflies, hummingbirds, ladybugs, and lizards. Restoring pocket habitats will entice native animals and birds to return, and to have some respite in our cities." Nicholas explains that growing natives at home helps preserve species, such as California black walnut and golden currant, that could go extinct in our lifetimes. "When plants go extinct, the bees, birds, and animals that depend on that plant go extinct also. We may lose 3,300 species in the next twenty to thirty years."

"I've worked with native plants a majority of my life. Now, I find advocating for the rights of the plants and animals imperative. Indigenous people in California went through two waves of genocide. The plants, the animals and the land are still going through that same genocide, which has only accelerated. Plants and animals are exploited and exterminated without a voice to fight for their rights to exist. I'm intimate with the land. A part of who I am is based on these plants. They have a language. When they are gone, when they are silenced and killed, that part of myself, along with thousands of years of culture, dies too."

"Native plants give us a sense of place, of where we live and where we come from. Our local mountains are held together by the vast root systems of native plants. They support the butterflies and bees, the birds and native pollinators that so many people love. A beautiful California native oak takes only the water it needs, sequesters carbon, and gives habitat and food to hundreds of beneficial species of insects, birds, and animals. Foxes, woodpeckers, endangered amphibians.
Each oak functions as a community -- providing food, shelter and resources for hundreds of species. In the Los Angeles basin, millions of oaks inhabited the landscape, but were quickly clear cut, chopped down and dynamited to make room for invasive grass for non-native cows and grazing animals. The few remaining oak woodlands are still under incredible pressure. Our native oaks stand testament not only to our own lifetimes, but to six or seven generations to come.

Here in Pasadena, the Englemann oak has been severely impacted and is nearly extinct. So instead of eating the crop that appears every two years, we've worked hard to collect acorns from the few remaining trees. Our responsible approach to propagating the acorns will germinate a few hundred new trees."

An oak tree can be an entire community.
Photo: Nicholas Hummingbird

"Foraging in the wild has a very detrimental impact. Animals avoid a place where humans have been for several hours, and if a dog has been there, wild animals will avoid the scent of the new predator for days. By foraging, we remove the animals' food supply.

Here at Hahamongna Watershed Park, foragers constantly hold workshops. Our nursery has taken a watchdog role, assessing the impacts of foraging on the health of local elderberry trees and other plants. For example, thirty-two mature elderberries had been loaded with ripe fruit, ready to feed the birds and animals doing their best to survive this drought. Two days after recent foraging events, people had stripped the trees completely bare of not only the fruit, but also the flowers. It's very discouraging for our volunteers, who work hard to grow native plants for restoration and to learn the ethics of stewardship, to witness the greed and exploitation in this place our volunteers care for.

"Don't further destroy the last remaining natural places. We need to bring nature back into the city. Advocate for native plants you'd like to see used in community gardens and landscaping. At Hahamongna Cooperative Nursery, we teach respectful ways to interact with plants. For instance, elderberries are easy to grow at home. If you give the tree water during the summer, it will yield fruit all year. Wherever you'd have room for a crepe myrtle, you have room to grow and protect a black walnut, which is very endangered. Seeing people gather the walnuts for food makes me angry -- there just aren't enough. At the nursery, when we gather acorns and walnuts, we gather them to grow, not to eat!


Nursery volunteers prepare acorns for sprouting new trees.
Photo: Chadd Ferron

Lisa Novick, Director of Outreach of the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants, has landscaped at home with native plants. She and her family harvest in their beautiful forage garden. Lisa's elderberry tree "attracts all kinds of butterflies because its flowers are like landing pads. Once the flowers start developing into berries, the tree attracts every berry-eating bird out there -- mockingbirds, band-tailed pigeons, finches, spotted towhees, scrub jays. I make infusions from the flowers straight from the tree, or cook the berries to make sauce, jam and pies."


The elderberry tree Lisa planted yields enough to share with the finches.
Photo: Lisa Novick

She suggests, "Grow golden currant instead of a rose bush. The golden currant's yellow tube-shaped flowers are great for hummingbirds and other pollinators. The currants are edible right off bush, sweet but tart. For tea, grow white or black sage, which are also great in roast potatoes or chicken. Lisa recommends another favorite. "Buckwheat is great for pancakes. Crush the pompoms of dried flower petals and seeds and use it as flour. Buckwheat blooms vigorously all summer and then provides seeds for birds all fall and winter. The caterpillars of many species of blue butterflies eat buckwheat leaves and blossoms. By planting buckwheat at home, you feed not only people, but caterpillars, which feed baby birds. And since we are in a sixth mass extinction, we need to help other creatures beside ourselves!"


Planting buckwheat at home is great for us and for the pollinators too!
Photo: Lisa Novick

Lisa reminds us, "Native plants are adapted to local soil and climate, and won't need soil amendments, fertilizers or pesticides. Once established, water deeply but infrequently during the dry season. Other useful and easy to grow native plants include mugwort, native grape, and wild strawberry. The California bay laurel tree has a scent that combines pepper, mint, and bubblegum. Kids love it."

Explore these delicious and beautiful native plants while supporting habitat. Bon appetit!

Follow Nicholas on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_native_hummingbird/
Nicholas welcomes visitors on Sundays for nursery Volunteer Day: http://www.arroyoseco.org/nursery.htm
At the Theodore Payne Foundation, http://theodorepayne.org/ nursery staff will be happy to advise you on plants to match your site and interests. And, continue to ask for natives wherever you shop for garden supplies. Bon appetite!
http://www.cnps.org/cnps/grownative/where_to_buy.php

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'Green News Report' - July 7, 2016  
The Green News Report is also available via...





IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: Toxic algae bloom in South Florida ruins 4th of July for tourism industry; U.S. Senate moves fast to nix Vermont's GMO labeling law; Royalty reform for Big Coal's public lands scam; Oakland City Council bans coal export terminal; PLUS: Solar-powered NASA spacecraft reaches orbit around Jupiter... All that and more in today's Green News Report!

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Got comments, tips, love letters, hate mail? Drop us a line at GreenNews@BradBlog.com or right here at the comments link below. All GNRs are always archived at GreenNews.BradBlog.com.

IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): A Model for 'Clean Coal' Runs Off the Tracks; The Alabama Landfill That Brought Noise, Health Woes, and a Lawsuit; TCEQ: Contested Coal Mine Can Release Wastewater Into Drinking Supply; Agency OK With Race Through Nevada Desert; Critics Cry Foul; Canada's Pipeline Watchdog Secretly Talks Safety With Industry; Bornean Orangutan Declared 'Critically Endangered' As Forests Shrink; Floods in China kill almost 130, wipe out crops... PLUS: Modernizing The Grid: A Tugboat 'Trying To Turn A Big Ocean Liner'... and much, MUCH more! ...

'Green News Report' is heard on many fine radio stations around the country. For additional info on stories we covered today, plus today's 'Green News Extra', please click right here to listen!

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Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen: 'Green News Report' - July 7, 2016  
The Green News Report is also available via...

IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: Toxic algae bloom in South Florida ruins 4th of July for tourism industry...

Read more: Florida, Toxic Algae, Carbon Emissions, Carbon Tax, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Climate Change Denial, Electricity, Energy, Energy Efficiency, Enrique Peña Nieto, Environment, Flint Water Crisis, Fossil Fuels, Fracking, Germany, Global Warming, Global Warming Deniers, Green News, Green News Report, Justin Trudeau, Light Pollution, Propaganda, Renewable Energy, Video, Water, Water Pollution, Green News

 
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Whale and winghead sharks move step closer to extinction  

Two predatory species are added to IUCN Red List of endangered species as pressure from fishing sees their populations fall by half in the last 75 years

Whale sharks and winghead sharks have moved one step closer to extinction, after the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) redefined them both as endangered species on the group's ‘Red List'.

The two predatory species have fallen foul of increased pressure from human activity, especially the fishing industry, with populations of whale sharks the world's largest living fish halving in the last 75 years.

Related: 40% of Europe's sharks and rays face extinction, says IUCN

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Researchers reveal first sightings of rare whales off New Zealand coast  
For the first time in New Zealand waters, an extremely rare grouping of Shepherd's Beaked Whales has been spotted from a research vessel off the coast of the city of Dunedin in the South Island.  
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Bad blood: US govt bans bio-test biz Theranos' CEO for two years  

Board should fire her but can't: She owns controlling stake

It's game over for controversial blood-testing company Theranos with the news that its CEO Elizabeth Holmes will be banned from owning or running a medical laboratory for two years.…

 
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5th Anniversary Of End Of Shuttle  
written with Douglas R. Dechow



Five years ago, on July 8, 2011, the space shuttle Atlantis launched to space from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. No shuttle has launched since, and Atlantis and the other orbiters are now artifacts in museums telling the story of where we've been and who we are. Here, we share from our own photo album of that last-ever shuttle launch five years ago.

At the launch pad







The STS-135 Crew



Godspeed, Atlantis



STS-135 ended on July 21, 2011. Atlantis is now on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, where it tells an important story about space, science, and all of us who grew up with the Shuttle program roaring in the background of our lives.

-- 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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Explaining America Overseas During a Time of Upheaval  
An OZY contributor follows the news from afar and defends his homeland  
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Sunrise 8 July 2016  

Sculptor Lil posted a photo:

 
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Sunrise 8 July 2016  

Sculptor Lil posted a photo:

 
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Sunrise 8 July 2016  

Sculptor Lil posted a photo:

 
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The World (2) @ Gallions Reach 08-07-16  

AJBC_1 posted a photo:

 
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A Week of Bloodshed in America (42 photos)  

Alton Sterling, 37, was shot and killed by police officers on Tuesday, July 5, while he was selling CDs outside of a convenience store. The following day, Philando Castile, 32, was shot and killed by a police officer after he was stopped for a broken tail light. Videos of both killings were widely shared on social media, causing hundreds to take to the streets in protest of police actions, as well as memory of the two men killed. Thursday night, snipers shot and killed five officers at such a protest in Dallas, Texas. Questions of police brutality, America's historic racism, the Black Lives Matter movement, and second amendment rights have been pushed to the forefront of the nation's consciousness.

 
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London Eye  

iExploreAdventureTravel posted a photo:

London's iconic landmark at sunset **You are welcome to share this photo with attribution to iexplore.com **

 
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Fiery Thames  

Kev_Barrett posted a photo:

 
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DSC_1898 Hackney Road Shoreditch London Sunset  

photographer695 posted a photo:

Shoreditch London on Christmas Day. London is CLOSED for Christmas. It is like Doomsday with no people. London is empty of people

 
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DSC_1897 Hackney Road London Sunset Christmas Day  

photographer695 posted a photo:

Shoreditch London on Christmas Day. London is CLOSED for Christmas. It is like Doomsday with no people. London is empty of people
Hackney Road London Sunset Christmas Day

 
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Esther'90 posted a photo:

If you like my photos please like and share my facebook page,Thank you!: www.facebook.com/esztervaly

website: esztervaly.format.com/

www.instagram.com/valyesz. www.behance.net/valyeszter

 
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r0B0t: Dallas Shooter Named As Micah Xavier Johnson, A US Army Reserve  

The suspected gunman behind the Dallas shootings has been named as US Army Reserve member Micah Xavier Johnson, a US government source told Reuters.

Johnson, 25, is reportedly the shooter who was involved in the standoff with police overnight on Thursday. 

The Mayor of Dallas said the suspect died after officers used explosives strapped to a robot to “blast him out”. 

Dallas Police Chief David Brown said that, during a lengthy standoff with police, the suspect - who he did not name - said he “wanted to kill white people, especially white officers”.

Three other suspects are in custody.

Five police officers were killed and seven others wounded after snipers targeted a crowd during a Black Lives Matter protest.

The demonstration was being held following two recent fatal police shootings of black men. 

It is unclear how many shooters were involved in the attack.

The city's police chief said that the suspect who died following the standoff had told officers he was working alone.

The incident is reportedly the deadliest day for US law enforcement since the 9/11 attacks.

Brown told a press conference on Friday: “The suspect said that he was upset about black lives matter. 

“He said that he was upset about the recent police shootings. The suspect said that he was upset at white people.

“The suspect stated that he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers. The suspect stated that we will eventually find the IEDs. 

“The suspect stated that he was not affiliated with any groups and he stated that he did this alone.”

Reports are circulating that Black Power Political Organisation (BPPO) has claimed that it was behind the attack.

The group's Facebook page, where the post was originally seen, has since been deleted.

President Barack Obama said: “Let's be clear, there's no possible justification for these kinds of attacks, or any violence against law enforcement.”

Gunfire broke out about 8.45 pm Thursday as hundreds of people were gathered to protest fatal police shootings this week in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and suburban St Paul, Minnesota.

Brown told reporters the snipers fired “ambush style” upon the officers.

Mayor Mike Rawlings said one member of the public was wounded in the gunfire.

Brown said it appeared the shooters “planned to injure and kill as many officers as they could.”

Officer Brent Thompson, 43, has been named as one of the officers who was fatally shot.

The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) said in a statement: “As you can imagine, our hearts are broken.

“This is something that touches every part of our organisation.

“We have received countless expressions of support and sympathy from around the world through the evening. We are grateful for every message. Thank you.”

Black Lives Matter protests were held in several other cities across the country last night after a Minnesota officer on Wednesday fatally shot Philando Castile while he was in a car with a woman and a child.

The aftermath of the shooting was livestreamed in a widely shared Facebook video.

A day earlier, Alton Sterling was shot in Louisiana after being pinned to the pavement by two white officers. That, too, was captured on a cellphone video.

Obama told a press conference on Friday morning: “Yesterday I spoke about our need to be concerned as all Americans about racial disparities in our criminal justice system.

“I also said yesterday that our police have an extraordinarily difficult job and the vast majority of them do their job in outstanding fashion.”

Video footage from the Dallas scene showed protesters marching along a street, about half a mile from City Hall, when the shots erupted and the crowd scattered, seeking cover.

The search for the shooters stretched throughout downtown, an area of hotels, restaurants, businesses and some residential apartments.

The scene was chaotic, with helicopters hovering overhead and officers with automatic rifles on the street corners.

One woman was taken into custody in the same parking garage where the standoff was ongoing, Brown said. Two others were taken into custody during a traffic stop.

 
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r0B0t: This Week's Most Popular Posts: July 1st to 8th  

This week we looked at the expenses that actually cost more when you're poor, got our hands dirty learning how to change a car's brake pads, tried out a handheld Linux computer, and more. Here's a look back at this week's most popular posts.

The Stuff That Costs More When You're Poor

Spend less than you earn, save your money, and—poof!—your financial problems are solved. If only it were this easy. Being broke sucks enough on its own, and then there are obstacles that make it extra hard for poor people to fight their way to financial security. For example, here are a few expenses that actually cost more for low-income individuals.

Why Some Rice Cookers Are $20 and Others Are $200

I grew up with a standard, cheap rice cooker my mom bought at a grocery store. Shopping for my own cooker as an adult, I was surprised at how many options there are to choose from and how expensive those options can be. Cooking rice is a pretty straightforward task, so what's with the super expensive cookers? Here's what I found.

How to Change Your Car's Brake Pads

Your car is a big expensive machine that, over its life, will cost you a ton in maintenance. If you learn to do some of those jobs yourself, you can save a ton of cash. Replacing your brake pads, for example, is one of those jobs that sounds much harder than it is, and we're going to walk you through it from start to finish.

The PocketC.H.I.P. Is the Handheld Linux Machine I've Been Looking For

The variety of wayspeople have found to cram the palm-sized Raspberry Picomputer inside a handheld device are some of my favorite Pi projects. But those projects are usually expensive, and some even require a 3D printer. The PocketC.H.I.P. isn't nearly as powerful as a Pi, but it's still the handheld machine I've wanted for a long time. Plus, it's just $50.

Top 10 Places to Download or Stream Movies For Free, Legally

It's easy to find movies to download or stream, but if you're flying straight and narrow or want to support and watch films that are free, public domain, or whose creators want them free and openly shared, here are some great sites to bookmark—and visit when you want something new to watch.

Ambient Noise Showdown: Noisli vs. White Noise vs. Rain Rain

Ambient noise apps drown out distractions so you can focus on your work, or generate serene, peaceful environments that encourage you to fall asleep. But with dozens you can download, it's hard to know which is the best. Noisli, White Noise, and Rain Rain are all at the top of this game, so it's time to crank them up to 11 and see which one creates so much atmosphere you could practically breathe in it.

How to Turn Any Alcohol You Like Into Tasty Frozen Popsicles

Alcoholic popsicles are a great concept but, thanks to ethanol's low freezing point, it's not as simple as throwing some booze into an ice pop mold and tossing it in the freezer. But don't let that deter you from making fabulous frozen, boozy pops. All you need to do is pay attention to the ABV.

Why Hangovers Seem to Get Worse as You Get Older

Things get harder as you get older, and that includes recovering from a night of drinking. If it feels like you don't handle hangovers as well as you used to, here's why.

How to Run Hills Without Crushing Your Confidence

Few things can ruin a good run like turning a corner and facing a towering hill. You were making good time! You were flying along and everything felt great and the robot lady on your running app was whispering excellent numbers into your ear. Now that all comes to an end. You must trudge.

This Video Explains How Performance Degradation Happens In Your Gaming PC

When you first get a new graphics card, your games run buttery smooth. Over time, you might start to notice that it doesn't run as well, even on the same games. What gives? This video explains what causes performance degradation over time.

The Four Traits of Helpful, Inspiring Workout Partners

Having a partner makes those regular workouts more fun and challenging, and can make them a great bonding experience as well. But that can all backfire if you only rely on the other person to step up. If you're buddying up, you need to pull your own weight too, and here's how.

The Best Strategy for Surviving a Grenade Blast, Backed by Science

Hopefully you never have to worry about a grenade going off near you, but it's good to know what to do just in case. This video explains how a grenade works, and how you can lower your chances of being injured if one explodes nearby.

Clean Rusty Grill Grates With Some Oil, Salt, and a Potato

If you don't grill very often that probably means you don't clean your grill regularly either. If your grill grates are covered in burnt food and rust, you can get it ready for a cookout with a few household staples.

 
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r0B0t: Robot Strapped With Bomb Used to Kill Dallas Suspect  
Using robots with explosives or munitions to root out or even kill suspects appears far less routine.  
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r0B0t: Robot cheerleaders demonstrate today's advanced car technology  
More about Japan, Automobiles, Murata, Singapore, and Tech  
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r0B0t: Dallas police are first to use a robot to kill a suspect  
More about Dallas Police Shooting, Explosive, Shooting, Robotics, and Robot  
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r0B0t: Robots rolling in dough - Mountain View Voice  

Mountain View Voice

Robots rolling in dough Mountain View Voice Long answer the company is positioning itself to take advantage of automation, particularly the potential to have a pizza kitchen and delivery system that can essentially run on autopilot. That means a digitized ordering system, a robotic pizza ... and more »

 
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r0B0t: Robot brews: How AI could flavor your next beer - CNET  

Inquirer

Robot brews: How AI could flavor your next beer CNET The idea is that after trying one of IntelligentX's four beers -- named Amber AI, Black AI, Golden AI and Pale AI -- consumers use a Facebook chat bot to give feedback on what they liked and didn't like about the flavor. The algorithm, named ABI ... AI system sifts through drinker feedback to make tastier beerInquirer Robot bar workers could soon be serving artificially intelligent beer… in a computer-simulated world, of courseRobotics and Automation News (press release) (registration) all 17 news articles »

 
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Secret sexual liaisons explain mystery of night-singing birds  
Field sparrows are normally active by day, but the males sing at night in the hope of fling with a partnered female  
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Alan Farago: Hoping To Save Senate For GOP, Marco Rubio Tries On Environmental Footwear  
Last week, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio parachuted into the most befouled toxic part of the state he represents: Florida's solidly Republican and Tea Party-friendly, Martin County.

Read more: Marco Rubio, Florida, Environment, US Senate, Tea Party, Politics News

 
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The Triabrain And Answers Unleashed  
Have you ever thought about someone and they emailed seconds later? Can thoughts heal your body? Is the brain able to predict new technology? When I first wrote my HuffPost Lucy movie review, people around the globe commented about what I shared regarding the human brain's power. But that article was simply the "tip of the iceberg." I first became knowledgeable about the brain when my mother was in a catastrophic accident, and she required emergency brain surgery to survive. After the surgery, she was tasked with relearning how to eat, walk, talk, and remember again. And I have been by her side ever since. And through years working with neurologists, neurosurgeons and therapists, I discovered how the human brain reshapes and heals itself.

During my mother's major recovery, I was completing my master's degree in mathematics, and I was working as a rocket scientist, helping launch NASA's Space Shuttle and vehicles to distant planets. It took every ounce of my strength and sanity to endure my mother's ordeal while working. Through these life-altering experiences, I realized that Space and the human brain were nearly identical. And as I learned many things about Space that amazed me, I became equally in awe about the brain's phenomenon. The same applications of Chaos Theory mathematics that allowed engineers to find superhighways in space with limited fuel, is the same way that the brain builds superhighways to rewire itself. I was further amazed when I recognized that Albert Einstein's famous Theory of Relativity equation did not just deal with Outer Space. It also deals with our "Inner Space," the true power that we harness within our brains' structure. My epiphany allowed me in helping my mother's brain heal faster. Through it, I discovered a new structure to the brain and how energy is characterized through it.


Image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope of the scattered remains of an exploded star. Picture courtesy of NASA.


Image credit: Olympia LePoint

Through my personal experiences, my understanding of mathematics, neuroplasticity, and Einstein's Theory of Relativity, I have discovered the TRIABRAIN, and the Triabrain Theory of Relativity. A Triabrain refers to the brain operating in three main modes. And a person's brain energy from the Triabrain translates itself into both mass and light. Brain energy from its interior particle collisions and neuron synapsis forms both interior and exterior mass structures to the brain, and this is multiplied by the speed of light squared. Light in this case is characterized by the neurons' brain fire in milliseconds, which triggers conscious awareness. I will breakdown this concept with more clarity.

Nearly twelve years after my mother's accident, the unthinkable happened. This May 2016, my older sister went through a medical accident that required emergency brain surgery for her survival. Painful history seemed to repeat itself. However difficult both my mother's and sister's brain surgeries were to witness, I was inspired. These were opportunities to share the life-changing knowledge that I acquired through their ordeals.


The TRIABRAIN: Everyone Has It

The TRIABRAIN is composed of three main sectors. As long as humans are alive, the brain naturally reshapes. But in some, it reshapes faster. It reshapes the fastest when a person consciously uses their full three sectors: the left (scientific logical) side, the right (emotional and creative) side, and a newly discovered third side I call the faith (foreseeing) side that connects itself. Unlike the common knowledge of the left and right side operation, the faith side of the brain is the third sector that connects both the brain's left and right side together, as well as connects itself to the outside world. When the brain is linked through all three sections, the brain reshapes, unleashes answers and regrows. And this faith sector operates independent of the constraints of time and space.

During my sister's ordeal, I was teaching as a college mathematics professor and hosting live on my Radio show Answers Unleashed. The talk show was originally designed to encourage college students to overcome situations by reshaping their brains with science and faith to find the answers in front of them. I share more information about the "The Triabrain" in the first episode. But little did I know that my talk show information would contribute to a new dimension of neuroscience.


Olympia LePoint executive produces and hosts the talk show Answers Unleashed. Picture courtesy of Olympia LePoint and Michelle Manley.

The Triabrain's Faith Sector


The third side of the Triabrain is the faith sector. When people think of the brain, they typically think of a series of connections separated by a left side and a right side. All the connections, pathways and their housings that communion the brain's ability to communicate fully with itself are what I call the faith sector. This part of the brain connects the left and right sides. It helps people overcome major obstacles, and inspires people to create new technology. Plus, it appears to initiate significant body healing.

Image courtesy of Olympia LePoint.

I am witnessing that highly innovative and triumphant people use this third faith side of the brain to do great things, independent of time and space. Let's consider some examples. Olympic athletes often envision themselves winning the gold medal before the games begin. Inventors have visions of new technologies before they are created. People who miraculously heal are often the ones who knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they would recover. And in my TED x talk, I speak of how I overcame life challenges despite every odd against my favor.

For a scientific example, according to the October 27, 2013 Medical Press article, "Neuroscientists discover new 'mini-neural computer' in the brain," dendrites which are the branch-like projections of neurons, were once thought to be passive wiring in the brain. However scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are showing that these dendrites are more powerful than once believed. They relay information from one neuron to the next. They actively process information, multiplying the brain's computing power.

A computer simulated collection of dendrites, the branch-like structures of multiple neurons in the brain. Image credit courtesy of UCL/ University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.


According to the February 22, 2016 Science New Journal article, "A 'Neuroscience Bombshell' -- Human Brain is Capable of Storing the Entire World Wide Web," the brain with its connections is far more powerful than the web and is far more powerful than scientists have projected. The article states:

"An average human brain contains around 100 billion neurons and each neuron is capable of making around 1,000 connections (synapses) with the other neurons. These 1,000 potential synapses created by each neuron are responsible for data storage inside the brain. Now if we multiply the count of neurons (100 billion) by the number of connections (1000) that each of them can make, then we get a whopping 100 trillion data points -- which can at the very least account for storing about 1000 terabytes or 1 petabyte of information."

From my personal experience supporting my mother in her brain therapy support groups, I witnessed that the people who typically recovered fastest were the people who saw themselves healed before test results returned. Naturally while working with brain specialists, I needed to know the science behind such phenomenon. And I was surprised when I discovered that the brain's reshaping science had yet to be fully understood. So as a scientist, I started applying my own tools of math and science to find answers.

Image of Olympia LePoint and her mother after her mother's surgery. Picture courtesy of Olympia LePoint.

The Science Behind The Triabrain and Brain Reshaping

I am seeing that Space and the human brain are almost identical in its structure through the application of Chaos Theory Mathematics. To fly to distant locations in our solar system with a fixed amount of fuel, a "freeway" through the solar system -- resembling a vast array of virtual winding tunnels and conduits around the Sun and planets -- allowed engineers to fly to distant planets like Mars and Jupiter. With all the crooks and turns used to transport rockets as I describe in my Huffington Post Martian Movie Review by a Rocket Scientist, there are identical unknown crooks and turns in the human brain that are used to transfer knowledge from one area to another faster, igniting the frontal lobes as a result. And these frontal lobes are responsible for creating solutions.


Artist's concept of interplanetary superhighway. Image credit courtesy of NASA/JPL.

According to Dr. Caroline Leaf, a neuroscientist and author specializing in brain neuroplasticity and cognitive therapy, when a person experiences fear or trauma, dark tar-like mass forms in the brain that binds brain tissue together. The mass is like glue. This mass causes cognitive issues and grows with the presence of fear and trauma. It is through my scientific understanding that these masses block the original pathways and forces the interior of the brain to alter its superhighway pathways, creating new crooks and crannies to certain pathways. As a result, massive structures block the physical space and brain's fire. However through my chaos math analysis, the brain fire acts like a rocket traveling in space. The brain information travels on two types of pathways: where information can stall, or where it would accelerate to an intended destination. And unlike brain synapses that consists of a presynaptic ending that contains neurotransmitters, mitochondria and other cell organelles, these brains neurons are specially acting on each other through collisions caused by blockages.

Through the blockage caused by the dark-trauma-mass, neurons form collisions on a miniature scale to us, but it constitutes a large collision in the brain space. And Einstein's Theory of Relativity characterizes their action. Ideally, all neurons are electrically excitable, maintaining voltage gradients across their membranes. And neurotransmitters tell a neuron either to fire, or not.

Calculations and graphics by Olympia LePoint with image credit, iStock Photo.

Neuroplasticity science has yet to incorporate Einstein's Theory of Relativity, gravitational waves, chaos theory mathematics together within understanding how the brain reshapes itself. As a result, through my understanding of the brain, this led to the Triabrain Theory of Relativity, which says that the brain is composed of three sectors and the third sector consists of all the brain connections transferring energy inside and outside of itself using principles of Einstein's Theory of Relativity. In this faith sector, it converts energy to mass in conjunction with light. Light can defined as the way in which a person is consciously aware of the world based on their location in space. Religious officials may call this "c" in the equation the effects of "holy enlightenment." And some energy workers may refer to this "c" as "awareness."


Einstein's theory hinged his proof on the fact that gravitational waves existed, which was recently proven when audio recordings captured two black holes colliding in January 2016. The Scientific American Special Report on February 14, 2016 "The Discovery of Gravitational Waves" gives a detailed account of all The Laser Interferometer Gravitational Observatory (LIGO) gravitational wave discoveries. As a background, gravitational waves are "ripples" in space-time produced by violent events in the cosmos, such as the collisions and mergers of massive black holes. Their existence was predicted by Einstein in 1916, when he showed that accelerating massive objects would shake space-time so much that waves distorted space. Similar to the way two black holes collided in space, brain neurons and dark brain masses collide and merge. These collisions are considered massive in the brain space, thus they exert a force in the brain space, resulting in brain gravitational waves that I call Triabrain Waves.

The brain creates its own gravitational waves, known as 'Triabrain Waves' as depicted in this image. Image credit: Alamy Science Photo Library.

These waves are apart of the brain energy structure that directly builds (or destroys) mass in conjunction with brain light. These waves work to connect the left and right brain together and serve to reshape the brain's interior. The Triabrain Waves are a part of the brain's energy system that also sends waves exterior to the brain. This is the reason why a person may call when you are thinking about him or her. Or friends may know each other's thoughts for a split second. This energy is sensed by all living organisms. These waves reshape the brain and its physical properties are similar to how gravitational waves in space pierce through all matter. But most importantly, I believe these Triabrain Waves are the foundation of all future neuroplasticity science, human intuition studies and is the method in which prayer and faith work to change the exterior world.

For more information about the Triabrain, listen to my Answers Unleashed talk thow episode "Triabrain" by clicking the link.

Olympia LePoint shares how to reshape the brain with science and human experiences. Image courtesy of Olympia LePoint and Michelle Manley.


So instead of looking at my two family members' situations as tragedies, I chose to look at these brain surgeries as blessings. Their recoveries help shed light on our brains' powerful reshaping capabilities, as well as the energy we have yet to fully harness. There is still much for us to understand about the brain. And I welcome other scientists to help in developing this knowledge. And hopefully, this blog is a significant introduction to unlocking a new way of thinking about the brain's true capabilities, outside of a science fiction movie seen in theaters.

Until next time, find me on facebook on facebook.com/OlympiaLePoint and share your thoughts.

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Public Health Research Reduced Smoking Deaths -- It Could Do The Same For Gun Violence  
By Sandro Galea, Boston University and Michael Siegel, Boston University

After the most recent mass shooting in the U.S. at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said:

Other politicians echoed that sentiment. But prayers are not going to fix the fact that each year 30,000 deaths and many more injuries are caused by firearm violence. Recognizing gun violence for the public health problem it is might.

So what does it mean to view firearm violence as a public health problem? And how does that change the debate Americans are having about gun violence?

A public health perspective on firearms

First, and most importantly, viewing firearms violence as a public health problem means declaring that the current situation is unacceptable, and preventable.

We did not successfully tackle the AIDS epidemic until we made it a national health priority, an act marked by the passage of the Ryan White Care Act in 1990. Today this position is reflected by the federal government's commitment to ensure that at least 90 percent of HIV-infected individuals in the U.S. are properly treated by 2020. Federal funding has increased over the course of the epidemic, and the government is spending US$28 billion on domestic HIV prevention and treatment programs during the current fiscal year.

Second, treating firearm violence as a public health problem also means conducting research to identify the underlying causes of the problem and to evaluate potential strategies to address it. For instance, research may reveal common sense structural changes - such as firearm safety features - that limit the potential damage that can be done by guns.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has avoided conducting research on firearm violence since 1996, when Congress passed an appropriations bill barring the CDC from using funds to advocate or promote gun control.

In 2012 President Obama ordered the CDC and other federal bodies to resume research on firearms violence in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting. But Congress has yet to allocate a single dollar for CDC research on firearm violence.

While the the National Institutes of Health is undertaking firearms research, very little funding is allocated for it, on the order of just $2 million over three years. That's not much out of the NIH's nearly $32 billion budget for fiscal year 2016.

Third, a public health perspective on firearm violence means moving beyond blaming individuals and toward societal programs and policies to curb this epidemic. Just as individual smokers are not to blame for the tobacco epidemic, individual gun owners are not to blame for what is a much larger societal problem.

Taking a broad, societal approach is exactly what we have done with other public health problems, such as smoking. Public health research helped identify a proven set of programs and policies that denormalized smoking, such as limitations on smoking in public places and anti-smoking media campaigns. Thanks in large part to these societal-level public health interventions, cigarette smoking prevalence dropped to its lowest level in history last year.

And fourth, a public health approach means the "public" is included in the discussion. This means that we need to listen to concerns across sectors, including gun owners, gun dealers, law enforcement officials and public health advocates. With a public health problem of this magnitude, everyone should be at the table. That might seem impossible now, given the deep polarization on both sides of the gun control debate. However, a lack of willingness to even discuss potential solutions to the problem is simply unacceptable.

A recent collaboration between the public health community and gun dealers to reduce firearms-related suicide in New Hampshire offers an example of what this might look like.

So what does that kind of research look like?

In 2013, Boston University's School of Public Health started to conduct research aimed at understanding social norms about firearms and gun culture. We have also created a dedicated Violence Prevention Research Unit. So what have we found so far?

In a 2013 study, we linked state homicide data from the CDC with data on gun ownership, which revealed a strong relationship between levels of household gun ownership and firearm-related homicide rates at the state level. We found that this relationship is specific to homicides committed by offenders who are known to the victim.

Earlier this year, we published a study that documented a strong link between gun ownership levels and firearm-related suicide rates. These findings suggest that responding to mass shootings by arming teachers and ordinary civilians is not only unlikely to reduce homicide rates, but the resulting increase in the prevalence of firearms might actually increase deaths from both homicide and suicide.

We have also found a strong relationship between the implementation of state laws that require universal background checks for all gun sales and lower rates of firearm-related homicide.

These findings suggest that the loophole in federal law that allows unlicensed dealers to sell guns to any individual without conducting a background check may be contributing toward higher rates of firearm violence. On June 20, the Senate blocked four gun control measures, including a measure to close the loophole for background checks.

Where our research is headed

Our future work will explore the impact of various state firearm policies and identify policies that are specifically effective in reducing urban violence, which disproportionately impacts the African-American community.

Even though much of this work has been done without external funding, it is essential that Congress allow the CDC to do its job and conduct research on gun violence, and that other federal agencies like the NIH increase allocations for research in this area.

Allocating $0 for research, as CDC currently does on a problem that results in more than 30,000 deaths each year, is not how we handle a public health issue.

Sandro Galea, Dean, School of Public Health, Boston University and Michael Siegel, Professor of Community Health Sciences, Boston University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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Facebook creates wireless internet system for developing world  

Facebook has announced it is developing wireless internet access hardware and software that can be used in areas where the current infrastructure doesn't support connectivity.

OpenCellular is designed to tackle the problem of 4bn people around the world still not having basic internet access, while 10% of the world's population live outside the range of cellular activity, according to the United Nations' Broadband Commission.

The hardware is currently the size of a shoe box and can support up to 1,500 people as far as 10km away.

2G, LTE and Wi-Fi

Due to the system's computing and storage, it can be used as a network-in-a-box or purely as a cellular access point, meaning that it can be customised to provide internet access in the form of 2G, LTE or Wi-Fi.

It has also been adapted to take in multiple input power sources, including PoE (power-over-ethernet), solar, DC, external batteries (seal lead acid) and internal battery (lithium-ion).

In order to withstand extreme weather conditions such as high winds and rugged climates, the OpenCellular device has sensors to monitor temperature, voltage and current, and can be deployed by one person at a range of heights from a pole a few metres off the ground to a tall tower or tree.

“more affordable connectivity”

Facebook's main goal in developing the technology is to make it affordable for operators and entrepreneurs to deploy networks in places where coverage is currently minimal or non-existent.

The social media company has said it will open-source the hardware and software design, making it freely available and more cost-effective for existing and potential operators.

In a post on his Facebook page, Mark Zuckerberg writes: “OpenCellular is the next step on our journey to provide better, more affordable connectivity to bring the world closer together.”

The system is currently being tested in labs at Facebook HQ in California. So far it has been able to send and receive text messages, make voice calls and use 2G data connectivity.

Images from OpenCellular 

The post Facebook creates wireless internet system for developing world appeared first on Design Week.

 
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Life in Technicolor: 11 trippy visions of the future by student architects  

From Game of Thrones-inspired castle estates to spiralling pink robo-slides, this year's graduate architecture shows offer a window to escapist fantasy lands

Architects might be known for wearing black, as if in permanent mourning for the lives they once had, and for spending months searching for the perfect shade of grey. But judging by this year's student shows, that monochromatic hegemony is under threat: the next generation appears to be plotting a psychedelic revolution.

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Chairman Mao, neo naturists and the occult the week in art  

Merseyside comes alive with art and Antony Gormley laments the ‘termites' nests' of today's cityscapes. All that and more in your weekly art dispatch

Colour and Vision
This exploration of visual experience across the natural world has everything from fossils of the first creatures to develop eyes in the ancient seas to an installation about the Newtonian spectrum. Science and art come together in what should be a mind-expanding show.
• Natural History Museum, London, 15 July-6 November.

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Gundam trashes Edmonton: how the city became worthy of being blown up  

Forget New York, let alone Tokyo: as reader Greg Whistance-Smith points out, the wildly popular Japanese anime show Mobile Suit Gundam has rather bizarrely chosen quiet Edmonton, Alberta as the backdrop for its two-part season finale

One of the peculiar honours shared by the world's major cities is a knack for getting destroyed on screen. Residents of London, New York and Los Angeles have seen their cities fantastically ruined by natural and manmade disasters alike. None have experienced this quite as frequently as Tokyo: radioactive monsters, giant robots, supernatural forces and earthquakes have taken turns smashing the city in films and television shows for the past 60 years. Meticulously depicting a city's demise is, if nothing else, a declaration of its importance: these places are worth destroying.

In Edmonton, a quiet city at the northwestern tip of the Canadian prairies, those images of mass destruction seem exhilaratingly foreign. Edmonton is often forgotten not just in discussions of cities but in discussions of Canadian cities; or else it is humorously acknowledged as a place with endless winters and harsh, Soviet-like architecture. Those half-truths noted, the city nevertheless has its gems, among them an incredible river valley, one of the world's biggest universities (the University of Alberta), and a thriving arts scene, including the world's second largest fringe festival after Edinburgh. It's one of the youngest cities on the continent, with a median age of 36.5, and the northernmost city of more than 1 million people.

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D&AD New Blood 2016 reveals Pencil award winners  

D&AD's New Blood Pencil 2016 winners have been revealed, after being selected from a list of entrants from a total of 58 different countries.

The winners were announced at an awards ceremony at Village Underground, London last night, to coincide with the final day of the D&AD New Blood Festival.

To apply, entrants needed to be in full-time or part-time education, recent graduates or under the age of 23.

Black, White, Yellow, Graphic and Wood Pencil winners

Applicants were tasked with designing their projects for a particular brief by various brands, such as Dr. Martens: Celebrate Dr. Martens' Unique Brand Using Radio's Unique Platform.

From the entries, the judges chose two overall Black Pencil and four White Pencil Winners. A further 24 young creatives were awarded a Yellow Pencil, with 58 being given a Graphite Pencil and 111 a Wood Pencil.

Paul Drake, D&AD Foundation director says: “D&AD New blood is all about inspiring the next generation, which is where our ‘Win One, Teach One' mantra really comes to life.”

“Winning a New Blood pencil is a huge turning point in a young creative's career. Not only are they recognised for being the best at what they do, but they get access to a wealth of contacts and advice from professional award Pencil winners and industry experts alike.”

We've rounded up the winning entries below.

Black Pencil winners

James Wuds, Bottles of Squash
Brief by Dazed: Declare Independence in 15 Seconds

James Wuds decided to interpret Dazed's brief by portraying “the feeling of being a teenager” in a series of short black and white video clips.

The videos capture the moments when you are not yet old enough to get away from your parents but are in the midst of your search for identity. Or as Wuds describes it: ‘fizzy drinks and bottles of squash”.

Jonny Kanagasooriam, creative strategy director, Dazed Media, describes Bottles of Squash as a “truly excellent stand out piece of work. Funny, poignant, cool and accomplished.”

Polina Hohonova, Retro Serif
Brief by Monotype: Use the Power of Typography to Activate Your Cause

Retro Serif seeks to revive a lost Russian language. Hohonova has used letters such as I, Ѳ and Ѣ that were abolished by the Communist Party after the Russian Revolution in 1917, due to their association with “High Russia” and the now defunct Tsarist regime.

Reviving these characters is a protest against the prescribed dictatorship of the language.

Craig Oldham, creative director & founder of Office of Craig Oldham, says: “Rarely does a piece of work have the potential to inspire change and have such a profound impact on culture and society.”

White Pencil winners

Laurens Grainger and Matt Kennedy, Every Minute Matters
Brief by Amnesty International/WPP: Break Barriers Between Young Adults and Amnesty International

These students from School of Communication Arts 2.0 have come up with a campaign for Amnesty International that allows young adults who only call home every two weeks on average to donate their wasted monthly phone minutes to refugees who, without a credited SIM card, are unable to call home at all.

Every Minute Matters would allow these minutes to be transferred onto an Amnesty International SIM card, which would then be distributed at refugee camps around the world.

Chloe Lam and Ryan Ho, Ford Fu
Brief by Ford: Team Up With Ford To Mobilise City-Wide Change

In response to Ford's brief, the two Falmouth University students targeted Shanghai's ageing population, which make up over a third of the city's overall population.

Using Ford's InfoCycle and E-Boke technology, with one click Ford Fu tokens send a GPS check-in to an older person's loved one, while two clicks calls a taxi and a third alerts emergency services.

Kegan Greenfield, Better Together
Brief by Monotype: Use the Power of Typography to Activate Your Cause

The Chelsea College Art students have given a simple, modern update to the Moon Type that was designed by William Moon for visually impaired people back in 1845.

The new version Moon Two is a hybrid of the original typeface and Roman script. It aims to bridge the gap for children with normal sight and those who are visually impaired, who are often required to choose either visual language or a tactile alternate during the early stages of education.

Elisa Beretta, Rosita Rotondo, Alessandro, Prestia, Massimo Mazzucca and Giulia D'agosta, Human Filter
Brief by WWF: Activate A Global Conservation Community

Students from the Academy of Communication Foundation in Milan, Italy are hoping to tackle air pollution with their project for WWF.

Their proposal is simple by washing clothes with a photocatalytic water solution, people are able absorb the same amount of nitric oxide produced by a car every day.

A WWF organised marathon that aims to spread the message could turn every runner who participates into a “human filter”.

See the full list of winners here.

The post D&AD New Blood 2016 reveals Pencil award winners appeared first on Design Week.

 
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https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jul/07/nevermind-the-concrete-national-trust-to-show-the-beauty-of-croydon  
Never mind the concrete: National Trust to show the beauty of Croydon  

Bowie hated it. Peep Show besmirched it. The London suburb may get a bad rap in popular culture, but now there is the chance to see a different side

David Bowie absolutely hated the place while Kirsty MacColl hoped it might one day be blown up. But the National Trust profoundly disagrees it wants people to love Croydon.

The organisation, best known as custodian of some of Britain's most beautiful country houses, is turning its gaze on to the 60s and 70s high rise office blocks of a London suburb that always seems to spark extreme opinions.

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https://www.theguardian.com/film/gallery/2016/jul/08/fancy-a-jar-celebrities-cork-their-dreams-for-the-bfg-in-pictures  
Fancy a jar? Celebrities cork their dreams for The BFG  in pictures  

A new public art installation, The BFG Dream Jar Trail, opens across the UK on Saturday. Celebrities were tasked with coming up with a dream to inspire and improve children's lives, which was then made into a sculpture and popped into a jar. These will be displayed round the country through the summer before being auctioned for Save the Children. We let the light in on some of the best …

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https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/jul/08/chairman-mao-neo-naturists-occult-the-week-in-art  
Chairman Mao, neo naturists and the occult the week in art  

Merseyside comes alive with art and Antony Gormley laments the ‘termites' nests' of today's cityscapes. All that and more in your weekly art dispatch

Colour and Vision
This exploration of visual experience across the natural world has everything from fossils of the first creatures to develop eyes in the ancient seas to an installation about the Newtonian spectrum. Science and art come together in what should be a mind-expanding show.
• Natural History Museum, London, 15 July-6 November.

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https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/jul/08/chairman-mao-neo-naturists-occult-the-week-in-art  
Chairman Mao, neo naturists and the occult the week in art  

Merseyside comes alive with art and Antony Gormley laments the ‘termites' nests' of today's cityscapes. All that and more in your weekly art dispatch

Colour and Vision
This exploration of visual experience across the natural world has everything from fossils of the first creatures to develop eyes in the ancient seas to an installation about the Newtonian spectrum. Science and art come together in what should be a mind-expanding show.
• Natural History Museum, London, 15 July-6 November.

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art  

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http://www.designboom.com/art/jason-briggs-grotesque-porcelain-objects-07-08-2016/  
jason briggs' grotesque porcelain objects are surrealistically erotic  

the objects express strong sexual references—at once abstract, but laced with figurative forms and life-like textures, bordering on being pornographic.

The post jason briggs' grotesque porcelain objects are surrealistically erotic appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

 
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https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/jul/08/this-weeks-new-exhibitions  
Five of the best... art exhibitions  

David Hockney | Jorge Otero-Pailos | Liverpool Biennial | David Bomberg | Etel Adnan

Britain's most famous living painter is a master of the portrait, capturing entire decades and states of mind in such iconic works as Mr And Mrs Clark And Percy and Beverly Hills Housewife. His new series 82 Portraits And 1 Still-Life paints a picture of the 21st century through portraits of friends including architect Frank Gehry and artist John Baldessari. Everyone poses in the same lemon-yellow upholstered chair as Hockney eyeballs them in often delicious detail.

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond/~3/2qXLLs52ATM/alien-mindscapes-sea-changes-in-the-search-for-advanced-intelligent-life.html  
“Alien Mindscapes" --Radical New Changes Called for in Search for Advanced Intelligent Life  
 
astronomy  

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond/~3/kuPoWfWM5xc/exoplanet-discovered-unlike-any-other-known-world-three-suns-and-a-550-year-orbit.html  
Exoplanet "Unlike Any Other Known World!" Discovered --Three Suns and a 550-Year Orbit  
 
astronomy  

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https://www.theguardian.com/science/video/2016/jul/08/newly-discovered-planet-is-in-a-three-star-system-video-animation  
Newly-discovered planet is in a three-star system video animation  

This animated video shows a gaseous planet with three suns and a mass four times that of Jupiter. Located 320 light years away in the constellation of Centaurus, the planet, discovered by an international team of astronomers and known as HD 131399Ab, orbits around only the brightest of the three stars which is thought to be around 80% more massive than our own sun

• Planet with three suns spotted by astronomers

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond/~3/KPvvpCEj8ek/mysterious-anomaly-in-cassini-saturn-mission-orbit-caused-by-planet-9-gravitation.html  
Mysterious Anomaly in NASA's Cassini Saturn-Mission Orbit --"Caused By Planet 9 Gravitation?"  
 
astronomy  

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/europeanspaceagency/28090785201/  
Moving heart of the Crab Nebula  

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

This ESA/NASA Hubble Space Telescope image features the moving heart of the Crab Nebula.

While many other images of the famous Crab Nebula have focused on the filaments in the outer part of the nebula, this image shows the very heart of the Crab Nebula including the central neutron star — it is the rightmost of the two bright stars near the centre of this image.

The rapid motion of the material nearest to the central star is revealed by the subtle rainbow of colours in this time-lapse image, the rainbow effect being due to the movement of material over the time between one image and another.

Read more here.

Credit: ESA/NASA

 
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https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/jul/07/juno-mission-settles-jupiter-orbit-spacewatch  
Juno mission settles into Jupiter orbit  

Marathon journey across solar system concludes with 35-minute rocket burn

Nasa's Juno mission is spending its first week in orbit around Jupiter. This giant planet is more than 11 times the diameter of Earth.

Having travelled for more than 1.7bn miles through the solar system, Juno was captured by Jupiter's gravity at 03:18 GMT on 5 July after an engine burn that lasted 35 minutes.

Related: Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft ready for Pluto fly-by

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/eospso/28122628836/  
AWMA (ACE) 2016  

NASA's Science Program Support Office posted a photo:

Air and Waste Management Association Annual Conference and Exhibition
New Orleans, LA
June 20 - 23, 2016

 
astronomy  

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https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/jul/07/planet-with-three-suns-spotted-by-astronomers  
Planet with three suns spotted by astronomers  

Giant gas ball four times the mass of Jupiter is in a three-star system. It swings around one, but sees sunrises and sunsets from all three. Take that Tatooine

A gaseous planet with three suns and a mass four times that of Jupiter has been spotted by astronomers.

Located 320 light years away in the constellation of Centaurus the planet, known as HD 131399Ab, goes one better than Luke Skywalker's home planet of Tatooine in the film Star Wars, which famously boasted two sunrises.

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314  

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"We saw no other option but to use our bomb robot and place a device on its extension for it to..."  
“We saw no other option but to use our bomb robot and place a device on its extension for it to detonate where the suspect was…other options would have exposed our officers to great danger,”

- Dallas Police Chief David O. Brown
 
technology  

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r0B0t: Why you should be nice to your robots | Oliver Burkeman  

Oliver Burkeman says it's hard to bark orders at a machine without feeling like the kind of obnoxious person who barks orders at waiters

I became highly confused the first time I used the Amazon Echo, a voice-activated “smart home assistant” that sits in the corner and responds to the name Alexa as in “Alexa, play some music!” or “Alexa, how many ounces in a kilogram?” Partly, this was because the only person I know who owns an Echo is herself called Alexa, and she was home at the time. But that aside, it's hard to bark orders at a machine without feeling like the kind of obnoxious person who barks orders at waiters. That is, unless you start young. “We love our Amazon Echo… but I fear it's also turning our daughter into a raging asshole,” the Silicon Valley investor Hunter Walk fretted recently. Alexa doesn't need you to say please or thank you; indeed, she responds better to brusque commands. “Cognitively, I'm not sure a kid gets why you can boss Alexa around, but not a person,” Walk wrote. How's a four-year-old supposed to learn that other household members aren't simply there to do her bidding, when one (electronic) household member was designed to do exactly that?

Such worries will grow more urgent as we interact with more convincingly humanesque devices. As the tech writer John Markoff puts it: “What does it do to the human if we have a class of slaves which are not human, but that we treat as human?” Most of us would agree with Immanuel Kant that it's unethical to treat others as mere means to our own ends, instead of ends in themselves. That's why slavery damages the slaveholder as well as the slave: to use a person as if they were an object erodes your own humanity. Yet Alexa (like Google Home, and Siri, and the rest) trains us to think of her as both human yet solely there to serve. Might we start thinking of real humans that way more frequently, too?

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robots  

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http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.theguardian.com%252Fus-news%252F2016%252Fjul%252F08%252Fdallas-police-shooting-gunman-kill-white-officers%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
r0B0t: Dallas shooting suspect stated he wanted to 'kill white officers'  

Shooter, who was killed with bomb on robot device during standoff, was reportedly upset over recent killings of black men by law enforcement

The gunman who opened fire on police in Dallas said he wanted to kill white police officers and expressed anger at a recent spate of shootings by police before he was killed, it was revealed on Friday.

Related: Dallas protest shooting: five police officers dead and standoff over live

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http://insider.si.edu/2016/07/castle-corbel-chisled-basque-country-stone-carver-bernat-vidal/  
Castle corbel chisled by Basque Country stone carver Bernat Vidal  

Peering closely at the surface of the ruddy red Maryland sandstone block, Bernat Vidal sets a chisel resolutely against the stone and confidently taps it with a wood-handled mallet. With every strike, puffs of dust wisp upward, and tiny sharp chips fly off in all directions.

Vidal, unflinching, etches the beginnings of an incised line into a semi-circle that he has already coaxed out of the squared-off stone. With the easy reflex of 30 years' practice, he flicks away larger shards to reveal the beginnings of an ornate corbel to crown a stone column.

The column in question is on the west face of the Smithsonian's iconic red sandstone Castle, and the sculptor bending to the task traveled from the Basque Country, located in northern Spain and southern France, to share his craft with the public at the 2016 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The unique Seneca Creek sandstone block from a nearby quarry is very similar to the buttery sandstone Vidal chisels in his studio outside Bilbao, on Spain's northern coastline.

“We gave Mr. Vidal a couple of pieces of Seneca sandstone from our attic stock and a photograph of one of the Castle's decorative corbels,” says Paul Westerberg, registrar for the Castle Collection. “He's going to leave it unfinished and rough for us in order to show his tool marks in the stone.”

Vidal's unfinished block will eventually go on display in the Castle's Schermer Hall next to an 1846 Castle model by architect James Renwick “as a representative sample of how these carvings are made,” Westerberg adds. “People normally only see the finished product. It's rare to see something in the process of its creation. We were very happy a master stone carver was working on the Mall.”

Though once renowned in the Middle Ages for their skill, today, only a handful of traditional Basque stone workers continue the craft. Originally a painter and ceramics artist, Vidal came to the tradition almost on a whim, but became so smitten that he began to teach to the younger generation at a stone carvers' college in Bilbao 20 years ago.

Among his works: a 1.5-ton coat of arms, carved from a 6-ton block, mounted on the City Hall of Guernica, an important symbol of Basque autonomy before and after it was bombed during World War 2; and the Puerta del Mar in the Dominican Republic, commissioned in 1992 for the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the Americas.

Vidal laments the economic realities that make even highly regarded traditional craft a lackluster prospect for Basque youth, though he hopes that his efforts in educating others and demonstrating the craft may yet bring renewed interest to the trade.

Insider writer Michelle Donahue spoke to Vidal during a lull at the Festival, and he shared some of his thoughts on the history and future of Basque traditional stone carving.

Q: Can you talk a little bit about the importance of what you do as a reflection of the Basque culture as a whole?

Vidal: Basque carvers were very important during the Crown of Castile [the consolidation of Spanish kingdoms in the 13th century]. These were carvers whose works were very much sought after, but then this art was all forgotten because all of this work was being done outside of Basque country. So, the Basque people as well as the rest of Spain have lost the tradition. For me to discover this art form was very beautiful.

Q: Was the purpose of traditional Basque stone carving originally for house building, fortress building, or some other reason?

Vidal: Historically, it was for house building and making artistic works. It was even further divided than that, with specialists in different forms. Nowadays, 80 percent is for custom work at houses, family crests, or the name of the house in stone with different designs, because in Spain traditional homes have names.

Q: How did you come to be a stone carver? Was this a family tradition?

Vidal: In the village where I lived, there was strong stone influence—not in carving, but in quarrying. Then I had the opportunity to take a carving class and I loved it, the complexity of the rock. It was something that filled me.

Q: Was it easy for you to master?

Vidal: It wasn't too easy, but it wasn't too difficult, either. When you are absolutely dedicated to something, you slowly begin to master it.
Has your work attracted the interest of young people who want to learn from you?
Approximately 20 years ago, I was a professor at the stone carvers college in Bilbao. But now with the economic crisis in Spain, few are interested. It's a tough and dirty job, and people nowadays prefer to be in front of a computer.

Q:What do you hope people here learn from your work?

Vidal: By virtue of seeing it here, people can value the effort that is required to do this kind of work, and that there are very few people who actually do this. Truthfully, I've been surprised—people have been very interested in all of the aspects of my work, with a desire to learn [about] my craft.

Q: How do you find the experience of carving the Castle stone compared to the others you've worked with?

Vidal: It's intriguing. Where I'm from in Navarre there is also a different kind of red stone that looks exactly the same. But upon a closer look there are differences—that one has larger grains and it's more abrasive, whereas this one is much finer and is very malleable, but breaks very easily.

Q: How long will it take you to complete this piece?

Vidal: It's difficult to say. It's a very detail-oriented job. I'd calculate that if I was back in my shop, I'd say about a week.

Q: Will you take it back and finish it or will you stay here until it's completed?

Vidal: I can always send it back because it would be great to show all of the phases of the work, so others can see what is necessary to prepare a stone for carving. But the Basques also like this type of stonework, so they might want to keep it! [laughs]

The post Castle corbel chisled by Basque Country stone carver Bernat Vidal appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

 
culture  

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http://insider.si.edu/2016/07/monitoring-seafood-catch-data/  
Monitoring seafood catch data  

Knowing what we take from our oceans matters. Smithsonian scientists are developing tools to better understand and protect our oceans. One project they are working on is a mobile app that collects catch data from remote fishing communities. Find out more at ourfish.org

The post Monitoring seafood catch data appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

 
culture  

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http://movieposteroftheday.tumblr.com/post/147053662257  
US one sheet for ON MY WAY TO THE CRUSADES, I MET A GIRL...  

US one sheet for ON MY WAY TO THE CRUSADES, I MET A GIRL WHO… aka THE CHASTITY BELT (Pasquale Festa Campanile, Italy, 1969)

Designer: uncredited

Poster source: Heritage Auctions

 
culture  

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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160707131810.htm  
Beating heart of the Crab Nebula  
Peering deep into the core of the Crab Nebula, this close-up image reveals the beating heart of one of the most historic and intensively studied remnants of a supernova, an exploding star.  
astronomy  

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http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Falice-cunningham%2Fremembering-the-seeds-of-_b_10742950.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
Remembering The Seeds Of Freedom  
In America's early days, the nation's founders required a potent symbol to communicate the concept of freedom. In colonial Boston, the symbol that became synonymous with freedom was an elm tree.

The Liberty Tree, as it came to be known, was a gathering place for advocates for freedom. Though eventually cut down by opponents, its symbolic resonance only grew, gracing flags and pins, with elms being planted throughout the new nation.

This week following Independence Day, and throughout this summer, I hope that we can all remember the Liberty Tree and why it was such a powerful symbol. And, why the growth that it promises may continue to resonate as we undertake a new struggle for freedom.

The struggle we now face is no less a campaign for self-determination than the American Revolution. Much like the Revolution, what is at stake is personal freedom and the ability to choose your own destiny.

It is a struggle over the freedom to choose what you can grow and eat; each of us is involved, whether we know it or not. The right to choose seems basic. Indeed, you may assume that farmers have the ability to save and exchange seed that they are growing our food with, but you would be wrong.

Seeds are a gift of nature, the result of centuries of labor by farmers worldwide who have conserved heirloom seeds and thousands of natural varieties. But over the past few decades, legislation restricting access to seeds helped diminish small farmers' holdings and have established industrial agriculture as globally dominant.

Under certain laws, seed varieties must undergo complicated tests and registration procedures. Costly and lengthy processes, these favor companies with deep pockets that produce seeds -- many of them genetically modified -- dependent upon chemicals for their cultivation.

The putative goal of these laws is to protect food security. The ironic result is that our food security -- both in the U.S. and globally -- is threatened due to a lack of agro-biodiversity. As we face the uncertainty of climate change, we need more, rather than less, types of seed capable of flourishing under conditions such as drought, insects or flood.

With a handful of global seed companies monopolizing the market, we have handed our freedoms over to corporate boards. Right now, according to the ETC Group, six multinationals control 75% of all private-sector plant breeding research, 60% of the commercial seed market and 76% of global agrochemical sales.

New laws which make it illegal for farmers to save and exchange seed are a further threat. Ethically and ecologically unjustified, seed patents grant exclusive rights for inventions; but, seed is not an invention. Further, genetically engineered seeds contaminate our farms, removing the option for GMO-free food.

That's untenable. It's time for a declaration of independence that recognizes that seed is the source of life and seed freedom is the birthright of every farmer and food producer. Seed Freedom -- an initiative created by activist, author and scientist Dr. Vandana Shiva -- has done just that: created the Declaration on Seed Freedom. It's very much needed right now.

We the people should also secure the right of farmers to save, exchange, evolve, breed and sell seed. This guarantees the right of all people to food freedom, the right to know what we are putting in our bodies and the right to exercise self-determination every time we step into a market. As growers and eaters, remember that our choices -- our demand to eat and grow foods that are the products of natural and organic agriculture -- provide moral and monetary support for this struggle.

As we think back on the birth of our independence, it's clear why the patriots chose a tree as the symbol of liberty and why we can use this symbol today. The most basic of liberties is the right to choose and that right has deep roots in our democracy. Farmers and gardeners are right now struggling to regain that right. This movement is growing, sending roots deeper and shoots upward, but it isn't over. We need all of you who care to help fight for this most basic of freedoms -- the freedom of choice.

-- 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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Time Out, America  
Can American communities repair the broken interface between citizens and keepers of the peace?  
gaia  

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http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fsteve-zwick%2Fwar-peace-and-climate-how_b_10885768.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
War, Peace, and Climate: How Carbon Trading Can Help Avert Resource Wars  
This story first appeared on Ecosystem Marketplace.

Liberian environmentalist Silas Siakor knows all too well what can happen to a fragile nation when a dictator hijacks its commodity sector, as warlord Charles Taylor did in the 1990s - first by using slave labor and "blood diamonds" to finance a devastating civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone, and then by spreading that war to Guinea and commandeering the presidency of Liberia itself.

Siakor helped expose Taylor's use of "conflict timber" to finance those bloody wars, and he helped make sure farmers, conservationists, and commercial enterprises all had a role in restructuring the forest sector once the sanctions were removed - a process that Art Blundell, who chaired the UN Panel of Experts on Liberia, credits with keeping the country's current peace alive.

He cautions, however, that Liberia's peace is the exception that proves the rule.


Art Blundell

"The UN Environment Programme says that natural resources are a factor in about 40% of conflicts since the end of the Cold War, and they are often a driver," Blundell said at last month's Oslo REDD Exchange in Norway, where he presented findings from recent analysis conducted on behalf of Ecosystem Marketplace publisher Forest Trends. "But if you look at peace agreements, only about 15% of them mention natural resources, let alone call for reforms of governance in a way that will minimize the role of resources in causing future conflict."

The result, he said in a recent episode of the Bionic Planet podcast, is tragic: "More than half of peace agreements fail within five years, often because belligerents get money from the exploitation of natural resources, like logging, that they can use to fuel the resumption of civil war."

Liberia has so far avoided slipping back into that cycle, in part because it tore up corrupt concessions and started with a clean slate on forest governance. That peace, however, has a downside of its own: without civil war, the forests are now safe for illegal logging - which is often carried out not by ruthless logging companies, but by desperate farmers looking to feed their families.

As the government steps in to save forests, it risks pitting conservationists against small farmers - something Siakor says has already happened.

"The government has tried to impose [conservation] projects on the people - in protected areas - but people have resisted, and they're very active in this resistance," he said at the Oslo REDD Exchange. "The government had to roll back [its conservation efforts] and grant the community the right to manage that particular forest."

This story has been adapted from the Bionic Planet episode "Climate, Conflict, and Commodities: The Calculus of Peace on a Changing Planet", which is available on iTunes, TuneIn, Stitcher, and elsewhere.

Siakor sees a more workable solution in President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's efforts to tap carbon finance through the United Nations REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation of forests, plus other land uses) initiative, which aims to slow deforestation by funding sustainable agriculture initiatives so that farmers aren't forced to chop trees - a process that aligns the interests of small farmers with those of the forest and also promotes the kind of governance associated with lasting peace.


Silas Siakor

Such initiatives have proven successful in several Latin American and African countries, and forest-carbon projects are currently being used to conserve forested areas larger than the entire Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the most recent State of Forest Carbon Finance report. Both Siakor and Blundell say that REDD+ can support the peace process in war-torn areas, but only if its implemented in ways that recognize the challenges particular to war-torn regions.

"REDD programs working in the countries have to remember that people have been traumatized," said Blundell, adding that traumatized people are slow to develop trust. "You have to understand the history of the conflict, the legacy of that conflict in the present, and your interaction with it."

Understanding REDD+

For a deeper understanding of REDD+ and forest carbon, check out:
REDD Dawn: The Birth Of Forest Carbon
How Markets And Mother Earth Each Found A Home In The Paris Climate Accord

Liberia, Colombia, Myanmar: States of Readiness

Liberia began overhauling its forest governance more than a decade ago - when REDD+ was still in its infancy - but Colombia and Myanmar are now struggling to implement peace agreements. Colombia's peace agreement explicitly builds on resource reform, says the country's Vice Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Pablo Viera Samper, while Myanmar's peace agreement gives short shrift to resource management, says Saw Frankie Abreu, the director of Myanmar's Tenasserim River and Indigenous People's Network (TRIP NET). Both men see a potential for REDD+ in supporting resource management.

"When you're designing a REDD programme, the main objective is not [to get] money for planting trees," said Samper, who said that, from his perspective, the role of REDD+ is to "transform those drivers that are resulting in deforestation into more sustainable activities that will lead to a reduction of the conflict - social, environmental - and generate opportunity's, generate jobs, and generate income for the population."

REDD+ and Peacebuilding: Untapped Potential

Blundell's analysis shows that more than half of the countries developing REDD+ initiatives have experienced organized armed conflict since 2008, when the UN first started considering REDD finance.


Pablo Viera Samper

"The governance reform that's required for peace building is very much what is also required by REDD Readiness," he said in Oslo, referring to the process of getting a country's ducks in a row. To be "REDD Ready," countries must not only be able to demonstrate that the government can accurately monitor its forests, but also to show that their forest people and small farmers are engaged in the governing process.

"REDD+ offers a plausible alternative to sectors that have contributed to conflict, such as industrial forestry and plantation agriculture, and governance reform associated with REDD readiness can contribute to 'environmental peacebuilding'," his analysis states. "But to be effective, REDD+ must address challenges unique to countries attempting to recover from conflict."

Key Challenge: Spoilers

Blundell said that "spoilers" present a common challenge in war-torn areas.

"These are people who did well through war...and they can take advantage of grievance to go back to war to protect their own self-interest: their power and money streams," he said.

Siakor agreed, and said that Liberia's reforms were designed to make sure no vested interests are in a position to disrupt forest governance.

"We are building on the good elements of reform that have been initiated, bearing in mind the possibility that some of the spoilers could take advantage of it's not designed very well," said Siakur. "The logging companies come at the very top, wanting business-as-usual."

Ironically, Blundell says, Liberia's forest reforms are not enshrined in the peace agreement itself, but instead emerged from the agricultural and environmental communities, with support from the World Bank and some outside governments.

The Siren Song of Industrial Forestry

REDD+ proponents also face a perception problem: namely, that money flows quickly and abundantly from massive soy and palm plantations, but trickles only slowly from REDD+.


Saw Frankie Abreu

Blundell says both perceptions are wrong, and Samper adds that even when money does flow to illegal or industrial activities, it rarely makes its way to the laborers on the ground.

"If...the actual miners or the people who are growing the coca leaves (for cocaine production) were receiving the economic benefits from their products, then it would be very difficult [to win support for REDD+ or sustainable agriculture], but the reality is that the [laborers] make very little money," he said. "The reality is that they are under a situation where they are, a lot of times, forced to do this work; and the reality is that, when you talk to them, they all say that, given an opportunity, they would move away from those activities."

REDD+ funding tends to flow more effectively to farmers, and it also flows earlier than it did in the past, when payments for performance only followed after years of validation and verification. Today, payments tend to come intermittently over the course of a project, and more money should flow as companies implement the Paris Agreement.

"Right now, the question that people ask is, 'Where will the money come from to pay for the carbon?  Are you relying on the market?  Will there be sufficient money?'" he says, adding that mining companies have given more than $80 million towards local communities in the last few years.

This is the first of a two-part series. Click here or check back next week for Part Two.

-- 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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Perfect storm hits Taiwan as China sees worst floods in 20 years  
Super-typhoon Nepartak has hit Taiwan's east coast hard. It is expected to make landfall in China which is struggling with its worst floods since 1998  
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Rolls-Royce reckons robot cargo ships are the future of the seas  

A million pirates yelled 'splice the mainbrace, me hearty!'

Comment Rolls-Royce and the Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications Initiative (AAWA) believe the future of cargo transportation is autonomous and they have published an 88 page white paper (PDF) to prove it.…

 
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New ISS crew will spend their time bombarding computers with radiation  

And seeing what happens to your bones in zero-G

Three new astronauts currently rocketing up to space in the Soyuz spacecraft will be conducting new experiments, including sequencing DNA and blasting computers with radiation.…

 
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The Art and Business of Creating Life-Like Baby Dolls  

Jean Campbell is dedicated to her craft—building “reborn” dolls that bear a shocking resemblance to real-life babies. In this short documentary, Reborning, Campbell explains the meticulous process of creating these dolls, and her motivations behind doing so. She says goal for the finished product is to have a doll that is indistinguishable from the real thing: "You want it to be so real-looking that heads turn and say, 'Oh what a beautiful baby, can I hold it?'"

The film is produced, directed, and edited by Yael Bridge and Helen Hood Scheer, who also served as cinematographer. Bridge is currently working on the feature-length documentary Saving Capitalism, and Scheer is an Assistant Professor at California State University Long Beach in the Department of Film and Electronic Arts.

 
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Photos of the Day: July 8, 2016  

Explore the news of the day with these images from around the world.  
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Photos of the Week 7/2-7/8 (35 photos)  

Tears for Alton Sterling, haute-couture fashion, a swollen river in China, a rocket to the International Space Station, gorgeous goldfish, Eid al-Fitr in a 14th century mosque, lightning strikes the Las Vegas strip,  and much more.

 
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r0B0t: AI system sifts through drinker feedback to make tastier beer - Inquirer  

Inquirer

AI system sifts through drinker feedback to make tastier beer Inquirer ROBOT-MADE BEER is now a thing thanks to the IntelligentX Brewing Company, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to fine-tune beer to the taste buds of piss heads connoisseurs. The brewer joined forces with machine learning company Intelligent Layer ... This beer has been brewed with an AIAlphr Your next bottle of beer could well be brewed by an artificial intelligenceT3 Beer brewed with the help of AI? Yup, that's now a thingWired.co.uk CNET -Science World Report -Forbes -Engadget all 11 news articles »

 
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Ferdinand von Zeppelin Scientist of the Day Count Ferdinand...  

http://welweb.org/ThenandNow/images/Graf-Zeppelin.jpg


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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Los_Angeles_(ZR-3)#/media/File:ZR3_USS_Los_Angeles_an_Kriegsschiff.jpg

Ferdinand von Zeppelin Scientist of the Day

Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, a German aeronautical inventor, was born July 8, 1838.

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Sunset north London  

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Instagram: @yompyz

 
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she by Nikolay Tikhomirov  

she by Nikolay Tikhomirov

Nikolay Tikhomirov: Photos

 
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flower by Nikolay Tikhomirov  

flower by Nikolay Tikhomirov

Nikolay Tikhomirov: Photos

 
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Final Jump by Julien Orre  

Final Jump by Julien Orre

Thank you so much for viewing my images ! FollowMy Facebook Page and My Instagram

Julien Orre: Photos

 
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Les yeux dans les yeux... by Michael Pierre-Louis  

Les yeux dans les yeux... by Michael Pierre-Louis

Dans les yeux de Sophie...

Michael Pierre-Louis: Photos

 
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Green valley by Sergy Shaby  

Green valley by Sergy Shaby

From june's trip

Sergy Shaby: Photos

 
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http://twitter.com/ehiebewele/status/751394553886806017 
CITES is Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora @FMEnvng 
http://ifttt.com/missing_link?1467982188 

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Does the UK comparatively underinvests in meningitis research?  
Recent research by the UK's Wellcome Trust ¹ suggests that when it comes to infectious disease, the UK is not proportionately investing public funds in meningitis research as much as it should. And it hasn't been for a long time.



In the Research Investments (ResIn) in Global Health report, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, meningitis is shown to be the 5th largest communicable disease killer (303,500 deaths globally in 2013), but only ranks 17th for public investments proportionate to the number of deaths caused by the disease in that same year.

The UK's average spend per infectious disease death is over 10 times higher across all causes than it is for meningitis. We spend only £29 on meningitis compared to an average of £337 for all causes combined.

Total UK research investments from public bodies and research charities into infectious diseases between 1997 and 2013 totalled over £3.7 billion.

Of this, meningitis received just £91m - or 2.4% of the total.

This 2.4% is for a disease that consistently ranks in the UK as the condition parents most want their children vaccinated against.

Our course, this study is only part of the picture. It does not include investments from the private sector - most notably pharmaceutical companies. A total picture would be very useful. But it is a good window into where public and charity money is going now.

Meningitis Research Foundation and our incredible supporters do everything possible to make sure meningitis research is a priority in this country. With their support, we have invested nearly £20 million in research over the past 30 years. But elsewhere in the public domain, I am increasingly worried that meningitis is somehow slipping into the 'job done' category in the UK and nothing could be further from the truth.

Some of my fears will be tested next Monday when we await news from the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation (JCVI) about whether they have recommended the MenB vaccine for extension to under 2 year olds. If it isn't it will be interesting to hear on what grounds.

At the same time we still await detailed plans for the teenage evaluation of the MenB vaccine despite the JCVI recommending this two years ago. And we want to know when the cost effectiveness working party recommendations will be made public so everyone can see and question whether these are fair.

So we're a long way from eradicating this dreadful disease and this is no time for the UK to take its foot off the gas. It's time to put the money, and action, where the facts indicate they should go.

References
¹Research Investments in Global Health: A Systematic Analysis of UK Infectious Disease Research Funding and Global HealthMetrics, 1997-2013, Head et al, 2015, published in EBiomedicine
²Called Investment per mortality observed.

-- 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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How Was Your Day ... Tough Mudder Obstacle Director?  
"The incredibly dry soil made it hard to excavate the massive pits needed to build the obstacle, which requires participants to hoist themselves and each other over three large, rotating blocks while waist-deep in water."  
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Why a Former Olympic Athlete Wants to Kill Your Password  
Dylan Casey has competed for Olympic gold. Now he has a new goal: Steer Yahoo back on course.  
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This printer gives me hope that one day I might own a cute printer  

Printers are ugly. Big time ugly. They also haven't changed much over time. It's not like we went from a cuddly soft printer to a more industrial one — they've always looked cold and unlovable. A man named Ludwig Rensch envisioned a new kind of printer that challenges old standards. Take that, old printers. His design experiment, Paper, is a copier, scanner, and printer that looks like a thing I would willfully put in my house. Check it out in the photos below and the video above.

Paper

Paper

This isn't the first time someone has attempted to make a pretty printer. In 2013 there was the Little Printer, which was definitely high up on the cute scale but no longer exists. Samsung also created t...

Continue reading…

 
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Cities can decouple pollution from growth  
This piece is co-authored by Bettina Kamuk, Global Market Director, Ramboll Energy

From July 10 decision makers from all over the world gather at the World Cities Summit in Singapore. Waste-to-energy plants and other smart approaches can help them save money while at the same time create a more sustainable environment.



On the small Copenhagen island Amager where I work in Ramboll Headquarters, we are helping to build a spectacular plant. On the outside, the Copenhill waste-to-energy facility has climbing walls and ski slopes. Inside it raises the bar for resource optimisation with an energy efficiency of 107% and high potential for recycling and recovery.

On a somewhat bigger Island, Pulau Ujung where the majority of Singapore's citizens live, we are helping to build another plant that is spectacular in other ways: It will be the world's largest of its kind, and integrated with an adjacent water reclamation plant to fully exploit the synergies between waste and wastewater treatment.

Waste-to-energy-plants like these are one of the solutions to the global growth challenge, as identified by NGOs such as the World Wildlife Fund: A paradox at this point in history is that cities are requiring so many resources yet producing so little - aside from a lot of waste.


Waste-to-energy generates renewable energy to a city and recovers metals from bottom ash. The technology is therefore one of the hot topics on the World Cities Summit 2016 in Singapore. The summit will explore how cities can better govern and build resilience through policy, technology and social innovations.

One way for cities to succeed and attract new citizens is to coordinate better between political administrations and combine with for example innovative water technology. According to a Harvard University Study, the use of trees, plants and open spaces - so called green infrastructure - can not only reduce floods and water pollution but also provide many benefits for public health, local communities, and the environment.

If combined with canals and other waterways - so-called blue-green infrastructure - the benefits are even larger, as cities such as Singapore and Greater Copenhagen have learned. However, the first thing to ensure if cities want their inhabitants to thrive is to decouple pollution from growth - and thereby making it possible to reduce air and water pollution while enabling growth. It can be done not only in the Western world, but also in for example Middle Eastern cities such as Jeddah and Indian cities such as Udaipur.

Experience has shown that you get the best results if your approach is trans-disciplinary - and if your long term planning integrates green energy, climate adaptation and other necessary sustainable steps early in the construction of building or infrastructure.

If cities manage to adapt this holistic approach, they will be able to save money and at the same time reduce inconvenience and create a more sustainable environment. Just like Copenhagen and Singapore are doing it with the two future waste-to-energy plants.

-- 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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Frogs that can take the heat expected to fare better in a changing world  
Amphibians that tolerate higher temperatures are likely to fare better in a world affected by climate change, disease and habitat loss, according to two recent studies.  
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Marine heatwave triggers dramatic ecosystem transition  
Rapid warming off the western coast of Australia has transformed large stretches of kelp forests into tropical and subtropical marine ecosystems, a new study reports.  
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What An Hour Of Emotion Makes Visible  

Kim was an accomplished doctor with plenty of friends. But a few pulses from an electromagnet to her brain at age 54 made her reconsider how she sees herself — and the world.

 
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Dishonesty is aggressively punished in the world of paper wasps  

Full Text:

Is honesty really the best policy? Isn't it more beneficial to cheat, if you can get away with it? A study from the insect world provides a new perspective on honest communication by showing that paper wasps that send dishonest signals are aggressively punished, and the drubbing can have long-term impacts. Pictured here, two female paper wasps are fighting. In laboratory experiments, bouts between rival females were videotaped and aggression was scored based on the number of mounts, bites, grapples and stings observed.

Image credit: Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Tibbetts

 
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A sharper focus for plasmonic lasers  

Full Text:

In the past decade, researchers have attempted to miniaturize photonic technologies for dense integration onto tiny semiconductor chips. To that end, they are seeking to develop even smaller nanolasers, of which plasmonic lasers are the tiniest. Researchers have demonstrated that it is possible to induce plasmonic lasers to emit a narrow beam of light by adapting a technique called distributed feedback. This unique ability of plasmonic lasers makes them attractive for potential applications in integrated (on-chip) optics, for transporting large swathes of data on-chip and between neighboring chips, and for ultrafast digital information processing.

Image credit: Sushil Kumar

 
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Idiot brings gun-shaped iPhone to airport  

If only his dad had been firing blanks

Pic Cops at Stansted airport in Essex, UK, couldn't believe their eyes when a passenger turned up for a flight with what looked like a gun in his bag.…

 
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Branch Out  

Kieran Williams Photography posted a photo:

 
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The London Eye  

Rory Llowarch posted a photo:

The London Eye from Westminster Bridge

 
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The London Eye  

Rory Llowarch posted a photo:

The London Eye from Westminster Bridge

 
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The London Eye  

Rory Llowarch posted a photo:

The London Eye from Westminster Bridge

 
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The London Eye  

Rory Llowarch posted a photo:

The London Eye from Westminster Bridge

 
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The London Eye  

Rory Llowarch posted a photo:

The London Eye from Westminster Bridge

 
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The London Eye  

Rory Llowarch posted a photo:

The London Eye from Westminster Bridge

 
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The London Eye  

Rory Llowarch posted a photo:

The London Eye from Westminster Bridge

 
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The World (6) @ Gallions Reach 08-07-16  

AJBC_1 posted a photo:

 
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The World (4) @ Gallions Reach 08-07-16  

AJBC_1 posted a photo:

 
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The World (10) @ Gallions Reach 08-07-16  

AJBC_1 posted a photo:

 
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The World (7) @ Gallions Reach 08-07-16  

AJBC_1 posted a photo:

 
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The World (11) @ Gallions Reach 08-07-16  

AJBC_1 posted a photo:

 
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The World (13) @ Gallions Reach 08-07-16  

AJBC_1 posted a photo:

 
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r0B0t: All they need to know is this is the coolest thing they'll see all year  
This robot stingray is powered by genetically engineered rat heart cells. It has an elastomer body and a stiff gold skeleton. Rat heart cells are grown in a specific pattern on the underside, and are activated by pulses of light -- allowing the robot to be remote controlled as it navigates through a liquid with suspended nutrients that keep the cells alive. More details from Science. Even Popular Mechanics doesn't need to do much sensationalizing to this story. 
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r0B0t: The heartbreaking saga of Mighty No. 9 - Destructoid  

Destructoid

The heartbreaking saga of Mighty No. 9 Destructoid So how about we see what resident decommissioned fighting robot Tony Ponce has to dig up about the story of Beck. ~Strider]. This is an article I was never sure I would write. I've gone back and forth over past last year and half, itching to put my ...

 
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How To Heal The Planet - Become A Conscious Consumer  

I often wonder what it would be like to live in the perfect environmental world - a world where people were conscious enough always to say excuse me, please and thank you. A world where people were transparent and didn't try to cheat you or lie for their betterment. A world where trust was a value that was honored, not a quality easily disregarded. A world where we acted consciously to protect our air, rivers, oceans, and wildlife in order to ensure a promising future for our children.

Imagine There're No Toxins
It's hard to imagine how carefree I would feel if I didn't have to worry about toxins seeping into our skin and poisoning our bodies. If I didn't worry that the air we breathe might be damaging our lungs or whether there was lead or mercury in the water we drink. If I didn't have to worry about fish being overfished until there were none left or worry about whether everyone had access to organic and healthy foods.

It's all hard to imagine. But I can. I can envision an incomprehensibly beautiful life without this kind of daily worry.

My Perfect World
In my perfect world, the injustices of the social anxiety being created by climate change and overpopulation that is creating the fissure splitting our world apart would vanish. A need for "Food Justice" would not exist. Healthcare expenses would drop dramatically as a benefit of a healthier and cleaner diet. In my perfect world, the social anxiety surrounding the damage we are doing to our planet - an anxiety that few want to talk about - would not exist.

But it's not enough to just imagine. Steps have to be taken.

The Trillion-Dollar Question
Who can stop this rising social anxiety around climate change that is decimating our civilization? Who can change this? Who can make my vision of an environmentally perfect world real?

Is it our next President? Is it Congress? Is it Google? Do we need to call in The Terminator? Or is it you and me?

The answer is all of the above. No one person or entity alone can right all the wrongs. But together, as part of a small but growing group of Conscious Consumers (CC) like myself, positive and effective change is possible.

It's about making choices to change habits within a society that sees disposable options as convenient and a good thing and "now" as being more important than a future.

Please don't misunderstand my use of "now." I wholeheartedly believe in being present and living in the moment. But that does not preclude being conscious as to how our actions affect the future of our planet and the health and lives of our children.

How To Become A Conscious Consumer
Think twice before you buy something you don't need. When you buy something new, give away something older to someone who needs it more than you do. Stop before you eat past feeling full. It will allow more food to be given to someone who needs it. Pause before you get in the car by yourself to do just one errand. Carpool when possible. Clustering people and errands will save gas. Read labels. Support eco-friendly companies like those listed on my Greenopia website.

Every little action lightens your carbon footprint and is a step forward towards saving the world for future generations. The side benefit - at least for me - is that it feels good when I am consciously contributing to making a difference in the world.

The Not Impossible Mission
It might seem impossible to save our out of control planet. It might seem like there is no hope and we've gone too far. Or that there is nothing you can personally do to change the direction we're headed. But even in Mission Impossible, when Tom Cruise's character, Ethan Hunt chooses to accept, he alters the course of events.

Beyond Politics And Religion
Whatever your religion, your political persuasion or your spiritual practices are, consciousness is at the core of all of them as is doing good deeds and the idea of paying it forward. You may deny climate change, but you can't deny yourself and others the desire to live a life of health and wellness.

Being a Conscious Consumer is part of being a good citizen of the world. Are you ready to join me? Please visit Greenopia and sign up and join our community and start creating your own green utopia. Your commitment can help alter the course of climate change.

-- 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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To Stop "Bomb Trains," I Honeymooned in Jail  
It was a few days after my wedding. I was supposed to be honeymooning at a nearby winery with my newly minted husband, celebrating our unlikely marriage at age 55.

Instead, I was sitting on the railroad tracks in the pouring rain. Along with 20 other brave souls, some weeping, some singing, I was facing down a locomotive in a town -- Vancouver, Washington -- that many fear will be forced to accept the largest oil-by-rail terminal in the country.



Why would anyone do something like that?

Because a few short days before, we'd watched in horror as a mile-long train filled with Bakken crude derailed in Mosier, Oregon and burst into towering flames.

We call these oil trains "bomb trains" because we know, with one tiny loose bolt, they can erupt into an inferno, scorching everything for miles. It happened in Lac-Megantic, Canada in 2013. Forty-seven people were killed in a matter of minutes, the town leveled when a train's brakes failed.

In the aftermath of the Mosier derailment, local fire chief Jim Appleton, who was originally unwilling to condemn oil trains, was beginning to sound more and more like one of us: "I think it's insane" to ship oil by rail, he told a reporter. "Shareholder value doesn't outweigh the lives and happiness of our community."

And yet shareholder value is outweighing the lives and happiness of communities all over the world. I live in the "blast zone" less than a mile from tracks that ply this dangerous cargo here in the Pacific Northwest. And millions of people, most of them on the other side of the world, are already feeling the heat.

More bomb trains, after all, mean more climate change. Rising temperatures mean dangerous weather patterns, like the floods that recently killed hundreds in Pakistan, India and China.

Meanwhile, ExxonMobil, whose scientists knew as early as the 1960s that catastrophic climate change would ensue if they didn't change course, has invested in climate denial in order to maximize their shareholder value, counting on us to not connect the dots.

I grew up in India. I can see the faces of friends and loved ones on Facebook enduring record heat and flooding there. So if the trains wouldn't stop coming, I figured, I'd put my body on the line in Vancouver. If I went to jail, I hoped my husband would forgive me for skipping out on our first big date as newlyweds.

The riot police were beginning to gather, and the railroad's private police were issuing their warnings while hundreds chanted nearby. Not wanting to lose valuables in jail, I gave my wallet, cell phone, and wedding ring to a friend.

Then they hauled us off, one by one, in plastic handcuffs like tiny angel's wings behind each protestor's back. They put the 13 women -- as young as 21 and as old as 85 -- in one cell and the eight men in the other.

Seven hours later, as we were released from our windowless cage into the beautiful summer evening, I felt an unspeakable gratitude to my cellmates and those who awaited us outside.

Should we go to trial, many of us will be arguing we did this out of necessity, in order to prevent a far greater looming evil -- of being incinerated in our sleep, of doing nothing to stop this deadly fossil fuel cargo while hundreds of thousands of people die each year from floods, disease, malnutrition, and heat stress due to climate change.

Call me crazy, but we might just win this one. And in so doing, we'll send a very strong message to the oil companies that threaten us all that they must end this madness.

-- 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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http://www.npr.org/2016/07/07/485138688/activists-use-video-to-document-police-violence?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=technology  
Activists Use Video To Document Police Violence  

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Arthur Reed, also known as Silky Slim. He is the founder of Stop the Killing Inc., the activist group that released the footage of Alton Sterling's killing in Baton Rouge, La. They discuss the role of videos in the effort to document police violence.

 
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Synthetic Stingray May Lead To A Better Artificial Heart  

Using gold, silicone and heart cells from a rat, scientists have made a tiny artificial stingray. The engineering involved in propelling it could help make a heart that's more than a mechanical pump.

 
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Minnesota Gov. Calls Traffic Stop Shooting 'Absolutely Appalling At All Levels'  

The killing of Philando Castile, 32, in suburban St. Paul, Minn., is the second police shooting of an African-American man to gain national attention this week.

 
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Video Of Baton Rouge Man's Fatal Shooting By Police Sparks Protests, FBI Inquiry  

In the video, Alton Sterling is on the ground when one of the officers kneeling over him yells "He's got a gun!" Then at least one officer draws a weapon from his holster. The FBI is investigating.

 
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r0B0t: fsociety 'hacks' the 'Mr. Robot' Facebook page  
More about Usa Network, Facebook, Mr Robot, Tv, and Entertainment  
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r0B0t: Harvard researchers built a living robot out of rat hearts  
What do you get when you mix the heart cells of a rat with silicone from breast implants and then sprinkle in a bit of gold and genetic engineering? No, not Trump's next trophy wife -- you actually get this incredible "living" robot. Developed by a t...  
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r0B0t: Tiny mutant stingray that is part-machine, part-RAT can swim gracefully - Daily Mail  

Daily Mail

Tiny mutant stingray that is part-machine, part-RAT can swim gracefully Daily Mail When you think of a robot, you may imagine a shiny, metallic machine with a jerky gait. But engineers have created a robotic stingray that mimics the movement of the graceful and efficient marine creature. Stranger still, the robo-ray is powered and ... With gold and rat heart cells, scientists make a robot stingrayLos Angeles Times Synthetic Stingray May Lead To A Better Artificial HeartNPR Flight of fancyThe Economist Gizmodo -The Guardian -Popular Science -Science Magazine all 22 news articles »

 
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r0B0t: Robots rolling in dough - Mountain View Voice  

Mountain View Voice

Robots rolling in dough Mountain View Voice Long answer the company is positioning itself to take advantage of automation, particularly the potential to have a pizza kitchen and delivery system that can essentially run on autopilot. That means a digitized ordering system, a robotic pizza ... and more »

 
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r0B0t: Robot helps study how first land animals moved 360 million years ago  
When early terrestrial animals began moving about on mud and sand 360 million years ago, the powerful tails they used as fish may have been more important than scientists previously realized. That's one conclusion from a new study of African mudskipper fish and a robot modeled on the animal.  
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r0B0t: The Little Mermaid should have kept her tail — it might have helped fish walk  

Studies with robots and mathematical models suggest that tails could have helped propel early landlubbers around.  
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r0B0t: How to catch up on … Mr Robot  

The world of hackers, paranoia and opioid abuse was one of last summer's surprise hits. Here's our guide in Elliot's journey ahead of season two

Spoiler alert: this blog contains the plot from season one of Mr Robot

As a network, USA has traditionally been the home of “blue sky” procedurals where there's no problem that can't be overcome in the span of 60 minutes. That's why Mr Robot was a shock last summer. The gritty story of a hacker with a drug problem and mental health issues trying to take down capitalism by forgiving the world's debt didn't really make sense alongside the likes of the relatively happy-go-lucky Royal Pains and Burn Notice.

Related: Mr Robot: what we know about season two

Continue reading...  
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r0B0t: Today's Best Deals: Better Luggage, Lord of the Rings, Garmin Vivofit  

The extended Lord of the Rings trilogy, highly rated luggage, and a $40 fitness tracker lead off Thursday's best deals.

http://deals.kinja.com/todays-best-li...

Bookmark Kinja Deals and follow us on Twitter to never miss a deal. Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here to learn more, and don't forget to sign up for our email newsletter.

Top Deals

As we've been saying all week, Prime Day deals are coming a little early this year. Amazon is having a sale on a crazy amount of luggage and luggage accessories for Prime members, including two of the Internet's top five favorite brands: Travelpro and Briggs & Riley. So, if you've been using that duffel bag since college and you have a flight to catch soon, you should get on this one.

http://co-op.kinja.com/these-are-your...

http://lifehacker.com/5704519/make-y...

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Packing cubes can make organizing clothes and toiletries for your next trip a little less hellish, and this highly-rated set of four from eBags is only $20 today. That's $15 less than Amazon's current price, and the best deal we've ever seen.

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If you've been meaning to try Audible, here's the only excuse you need. For a limited time, Prime members can get a three month free trial (up from the usual one month), plus a $10 Amazon credit just for signing up.

During the trial, you'll get one book credit per month to use on any of Audible's 180,000 titles. Even if you cancel your trial later on, those books are yours to keep. And if you do stay a member, you'll be charged $15 per month for a single book credit. But hey, even if you have zero intention of becoming a paying member, or even using your three book credits, this is basically $10 for free.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/b00...

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I feel like Oprah right now. You get luggage, and you get luggage, everybody gets luggaaaaaage! Timbuk2's giant, and I mean GIANT, sale is not something you want to miss. Grab one of your top five favorite rolling carry-ons or a new laptop messenger bag. Be sure to let us know what you pick up in the comments.

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They won't count your steps or show you your texts, but these discounted watches look nicer than any smart wearable out there, and you can strap one to your wrist for as little as $41, today only. There are over 70 options to choose from, so be sure to head over to Amazon to see all of the options.

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There are quite a few permutations of the Lord of the Rings films out there on Blu-ray, but the extended editions are the ones you want, and the extended trilogy pack has never been cheaper. In fact, it almost never sells for under $50. Just note that this is a Gold Box deal, so be sure to lock in your order before this price is thrown into Mount Doom.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007ZQAKHU/...

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$5 LED bulbs are nothing to get excited about these days, except that almost all of them are 60W equivalents. While that's fine for most rooms, if you prefer your lights to be blindingly bright, Amazon will sell you a 4-pack of Philips 100W equivalents for just $20 today.

When you consider that these bulbs only need 14W to produce the same amount of light as 100W incandescents, it's easy to see how they'll pay for themselves in energy savings over time. Plus, many local utility companies offer post-purchase rebates when you send in receipts for LED bulbs, which would allow you to hit that break-even point even faster.

https://www.amazon.com/Philips-455717...

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Free money is free money, y'all. Any time you can get a discounted gift card, I think it should be worth mentioning. Get this $100 JCPenney gift card for only $80. That could go a really, really long way.

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Waterpik is an easier (and they would argue more effective) way to “floss” between your teeth, and Amazon is currently taking $10 off the Waterpik Complete Care bundle, which includes an electric toothbrush. Just clip the $10 coupon, and use Subscribe & Save to maximize your savings. Just remember to cancel your subscription after it's delivered.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

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If you don't own a salad spinner, there's really no reason not to get one for $8. Worst case, it'll motivate you to buy and eat more greens.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01173342O?...

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Adobe's Photoshop and Lightroom Creative Cloud photography suite normally costs $10 per month, but Amazon's currently discounting a 12-month plan to just $7.49 per month. Creative Cloud plans don't go on sale often, so if you're a creative professional, or just want to make your own photos look better, this is a great opportunity to save on industry standard software.

https://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Creative...

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I know, I know. The Xbox One S is coming soon. But damn, it's hard to resist this $299 deal. That gets you the 1TB Spring Bundle (which includes four games), an extra game, a $50 Microsoft store credit, an extra controller, and a $20 credit to spend at the new Xbox Design Lab.

Even if you you didn't play the bonus game or use the $20 credit, the extra controller and store credit alone are worth about $100, and you're saving $50 on the console, so I feel pretty comfortable calling this the best Xbox One deal I've ever seen.

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It's not a Fitbit, but this $40 Garmin Vivofit has a few enticing tricks up its sleeve, if you're in the market for a fitness tracker.

Of course, the Vivofit will track your steps, your sleep, and your calories burned, but two features set it apart from the field. First, if you're inactive for an hour, it'll shame you with a big red bar on the screen until you get up and move around. And second, it uses a pair of cheap watch batteries for power, which can last for up to a year with zero maintenance. That's one less thing to recharge at night.

Today's $40 deal is about $10 less than usual, but it's only available today, and only for Prime members.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HFPOXM4/...

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If you've ever spent more than 5 seconds sorting through your mismatched food containers to find the right lid, it's time to throw them all out and upgrade to this Rubbermaid's Easy Find Lid system.

These containers come in six different sizes, and yet you only have to deal with three different lids, making it much easier to find the right one. The 42 piece set has been on sale for $16 for months now, which is still within $1 of an all-time low. And today, you can also grab an $18 piece set for $8, or roughly $2-$4 less than usual.

https://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-Eas...

https://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-Con...

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If your phone supports Qi wireless charging, $10 is a great price for a charging pad. I recommend stocking up, and scattering these all around your home and office. Just use promo code V3NGLULB at checkout to get the discount.

If you need a wall charger to plug it into, Samsung's Qi charger includes one in the box, and is still on sale for $12.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016XBLT90/...

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Giant plugs that cover up half the outlets on your power strip should be outlawed, but until that day arrives, these short extension cords will have to do.

https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Exten...

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Amazon's had several deals recently on the ultra-popular Sport-Brella, but Cabela's just topped them all. The standard Sport-Brella will set you back just $32 today, or you can opt for the XL version for $38 with promo code 16CAVE.

http://gear.kinja.com/bring-your-own...

Unlike a regular umbrella, Sport-Brella leans backwards and attaches to the sand with stakes, creating a kind of semi-private cocoon with enough space for a couple of chairs and a cooler. Best of all, it sets up in about five minutes (once you know what you're doing), and can provide a full day's worth of privacy and sun protection.

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Even if you don't give presentations all that often, for $8, it can't hurt to keep this well-designed PowerPoint remote tucked away in your bag. Powered by a single AAA battery, the remote speaks to any Mac, PC, or Android device via a tiny wireless USB dongle (which docks into the pointer when you aren't using it) from up to 100 meters away. Most importantly though, it includes a built-in laser pointer, so you can use it to play with your cat even when you aren't giving TED talks.

https://www.amazon.com/Inateck-Wirele...

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It's my deeply held belief that it's worth owning a tablet simply to use as a kitchen TV, and this Belkin cabinet mount can hold a 7-10" screen at an ideal viewing angle while you chop your onions. And yes, it's easily removable when you aren't using it.

https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Kitchen...

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If it won't bother you too much to see James Bond as an overt racist, several of Ian Fleming's original novels are on sale for just $7 each on paperback today.

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This bathroom scale doesn't have any bells & whistles; just a sleek look, a great price, and tons of five-star reviews. Save a couple bucks with promo code 7RA66ARG.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F3J9G1W?...

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Mpow's Armor line of Bluetooth speakers aren't just water and dust resistant; they also include a USB output to charge your phone, and you can save on both the standard and the “Plus” model today.

The standard Armor is your basic, 3W, water resistant Bluetooth speaker. It'd be great to keep your shower, and $24's a solid price. But if you need a lot more...everything, the Plus model features dual 8W drivers, and over 20 hours of battery, which makes it perfect for camping trips, beach outings, or backyard barbecues.

https://www.amazon.com/Mpow-Portable-...

https://www.amazon.com/Mpow-Portable-...

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You have no shortage of options when it comes to Bluetooth speakers, but the Jawbone Jambox line started the entire trend, and its highly-rated mini model is just $60 today on Amazon.

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Save money, look good, and give back. Everyone's favorite noisemakers bangle bracelet maker, Alex and Ani, is helping out the ASPCA by giving 15% of every clearance purchase to the organization. All clearance is up to 30% off regular prices and there are some hidden gems in there like this awesome luna moth or this geometric cuff.

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For a limited time, Amazon's selling the 20 ounce model of your favorite travel mug, the Contigo Autoseal West Loop, for $16, or the 16 ounce model for $13, both among the best prices we've seen. These mugs are cupholder-friendly, easy to clean, and will maintain a hot beverage hot for up to five hours, or a cold drink for up to 12.

http://co-op.kinja.com/the-best-trave...

Note: The deal is available on multiple colors, so be sure to click around to find your favorite.

https://www.amazon.com/Contigo-Autose...

https://www.amazon.com/Contigo-Autose...

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If you tend to crash and burn when making baked goods, this smartphone-connected scale can walk you through the process step by step. Just connect your phone or tablet to the kitchen scale, pick your recipe from the free app, and start following instructions. The app will tell you what to add, when to add it, and how much you need; all you need to do is pop the results in the oven, and make sure you get it out at the right time.

https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Smart-...

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Nearly a decade after release, the venerable Xbox 360 controller is still one of the best PC gamepads you can buy, and the wireless model is down to just $21 today on eBay, the best price we've seen.

Note: This doesn't include the Windows wireless adapter, but you could still plug it in with an inexpensive USB connector cable.

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Today only, Groupon is taking an extra 20% off all local offers with promo code SUMMER20, up to a maximum $50 discount. That includes everything from restaurants to oil changes in the city of your choice.

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You can't control these semi-smart power outlet switches with your phone, or automate them with IFTTT recipes like you can with Belkin's WeMo line, but you can control them from across your house with a remote control, and they're incredibly affordable today.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DQELHBS?...

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If the perfect chambray shirt existed...wait no, it definitely does. The Slim Fit Chambray from J.Crew Factory is everything you want and need in a chambray. Cotton, lightweight, washable, not too-blue. And when it's on sale (with an extra 50% off using the code CLEARIT), you buy a few of them just in case.

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Whether your devices use USB-C or microUSB, today's a great day to stock up on charging cables.

https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Quick-Ch...

https://www.amazon.com/Aukey-USB-C-Ca...

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I'm not surprised Anker made a flashlight. I am surprised it uses three AAA batteries (or a single, rechargeable 18650 battery) instead of a built-in rechargeable battery pack. But if that doesn't turn you off, it does include CREE LED bulbs, three lighting modes, and IP65 water and dust resistance. Not bad for $10.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G8E3T4K?...

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Summer isn't kind to your wiper blades, so if you've been struggling to see the road through streaks on your windshield, Amazon's offering up a pair of Bosch Insight Blades for just $22 right now. Just pick the two you need, add them to your cart, and the discount should appear automatically. The deal even allows you to mix and match sizes, so you can almost certainly find a combination that will work for your car.

Note: The discount will only work on blades shipped and sold by Amazon directly. No third party sellers.

Tech

Storage

• Sony 2-Pack of 64GB USB 3.0 / MicroUSB Flash Drives | $30 | Buydig
• SanDisk Pixtor 32GB microSDHC Class 10 Memory Card | $15 | Best Buy
• SanDisk Pixtor 64GB microSDXC Class 10 Memory Card | $24 | Best Buy

Power

• CyberPower AVR CP1500AVRT 1500 VA 900 Watts 8 Outlets | $130 | Newegg
• Etekcity 10 Pack Power Extension Cord Cable Strip | $14 | Amazon | Use code AXIEKT42
• RAVPower Mini Qi Wireless Charging Pad | $10 | Amazon | Use code V3NGLULB

Audio

• Jawbone Mini Jambox Wireless Bluetooth Speaker | $60 | Amazon
• Monoprice 109564 Coiled 3-Feet 3.5mm Male to 3.5mm Male Stereo Audio Cable | $2 | Amazon
• Mpow Armor Plus Portable Bluetooth Speaker Waterproof with 5200mah Power Bank | $64 | Amazon | Use code 94CLLGOA
• Mpow Armor Portable Bluetooth Speakers Shockproof with Extra 1000 mAh Emergency Power Bank | $24 | Amazon | Use code GMKWXDF9
• Mpow Bluetooth Receiver | $9 | Amazon | Use code OFQACECW
• RockBirds Sport Bluetooth 4.0 Headphones with Mic for Cellphone | $11 | Amazon | Use code FRY4L8PF

Home Theater

• Panasonic TC-55CX420U 55-Inch 4K ULTRA HD 2160p 120Hz LED Smart HDTV | $500 | Walmart
• RCA 40-Inch 1080p 60Hz LED HDTV/DVD Combo with ROKU Streaming | $330 | Walmart

Computers & Accessories

• Lenovo Ideapad 300 15.6-Inch Laptop (Core i3, 6 GB RAM, 500 GB HDD, Windows 10) | $337 | Amazon
• LG 34UM57 - 34" UltraWide 21:9 IPS WFHD (2560x1080) LED Computer Gaming Monitor | $319 | Buydig | Use code HDVIEW
• Inateck 2.4GHz Wireless Presenter PowerPoint Clicker Presenter Remote Control 100m support hyperlink | $8 | Amazon | Use code ZOY2MEYG
• Acer 19.5" LED HD Monitor | $50 | Best Buy
• Sceptre 20" LED Monitor | $70 | Walmart
• Sceptre 24" LED Full HD 1080p Monitor | $100 | Walmart
• AOC 28-Inch MVA LED-Lit Monitor | $160 | Amazon
• ASUS USB 2.0 / USB 3.0 External 12X Blu-Ray Writer | $48 | Newegg | After $20 rebate
• SwissGear SA6639 Neon Green Computer Backpack - Fits Most 15 Inch Laptops and Tablets | $12 | Amazon

PC Parts

• PNY - CS1311 240GB Internal SATA III SSD | $45 | eBay
• G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory | $59 | Newegg
• PNY Anarchy 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory | $54 | Newegg

Mobile Devices

• 6-Pack of 22AWG Premium MicroUSB Cables | $4 | Amazon | Use Code MICROJLY
• Verizon Wireless Prepaid Samsung Galaxy J3 4G LTE w/ 8GB Mem Prepaid Cell Phone | $60 | eBay
• Verizon Wireless Prepaid Samsung Galaxy J1 4G LTE w/ 8GB Mem Prepaid Cell Phone | $30 | eBay

Photography

• Sunpak PlatinumPlus GoPro Compatible Action Camera Accessory Mount Kit | $10 | Best Buy
• DBPOWER Waterproof Action Camera 12MP 1080P HD with 2 Batteries and Free Accessories Kit | $43 | Amazon | Use Code PNIQP7SW

Home

• Newhouse Lighting Solar Flickering LED Tiki Torches, Bamboo Finish, 4-Pack | $38 | Amazon
• Speco Technologies VIP2C1P 2MP Mini Cube Network Camera | $40 | B&H
• Samsung SNH-1011 Wireless IP Camera | $49 | Amazon
• Neato Robotics Botvac D Series D75 Robot Vacuum Cleaner | $300 | Amazon
• Lasko Wind Curve 42 in. Oscillating Tower Fan with Fresh Air Ionizer | $43 | Home Depot
• Expandable Flexible Garden Water Hose w/ Spray Nozzle | $10 | eBay

Kitchen

• Rubbermaid Easy Find Lid Food Storage Container, BPA-Free Plastic, 18-Piece Set | $8 | Amazon
• Hamilton Beach 0.7 cu ft Microwave Oven | $35 | Walmart
• Ouddy 15 Inch Magnetic Knife Bar | $10 | Amazon | Use code SAXV4AAI
• X-Chef Space Saving Salad Containers High Quality Large Vegetable Dryer | $8 | Amazon | Use code DX69NZIL
• Belkin Kitchen Cabinet Tablet Mount | $20 | Amazon

Tools & Auto

• 300A Peak 8000mAh Portable Car Jump Starter / Power Bank w/ Built-in LED Flashlight | $25 | Amazon | Use Code 888DJS40
• RIDGID 15 Amp 10 in. Compact Table Saw-R4516 | $199 | Home Depot
• DBPOWER Bluetooth 4.0 Car Kit | $16 | Amazon | Use code SU9B6JQK
• RIDGID 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Brushless Hammer Drill Kit | $99 | Home Depot

Lifestyle

Apparel

• Columbia Thimbleberry Rain Jacket - Women's | $50 | REI

Camping & Outdoors

• Aerobie Skylighter Disc | $10 | Amazon
• MSR Groundhog Tent / Canopy Stake Kit | $12 | Amazon
• Work Smart Resin 3-Piece Folding Bench and Table Set, 2 Benches and 6 x 2.5-Feet Table | $114 | Amazon
• Homebunny Military Folding Shovel and Pick with Carrying Pouch | $8 | Amazon
• OxyLED MH20 LED Headlamp with Motion Sensor | $11 | Amazon

Fitness

• Double Edge Safety Razor, Oak Leaf Butterfly Open Long Handled Men's Shaving Razor with 3 Premium Blades | $8 | amazon | Use code JTH8LYRO
• Etekcity Digital Body Weight Scale with Step-On Technology, 400 Pounds | $14 | Amazon | Use code 7RA66ARG

Media

• FREE Michael Bublé: To Be Loved | Google

Movies & TV

• FREE Dragon Ball Z Season 1 | Microsoft
• The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Extended Editions) | $27 | Amazon
• Legend of Korra: Books One, Two, Three & Four | $50 | Best Buy
• Tiger & Bunny The Movie - The Rising Combo Pack | $10 | Amazon
• Tiger & Bunny, Set 1 | $15 | Amazon
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day / Total Recall (Two-Pack) | $8 | Amazon
• Stuck in Love | $6 | Amazon
• A Million Ways to Die in the West Unrated | $5 | Amazon

Books

• The Green Ember Audiobook | $2 | Amazon
• The Reaper: Autobiography of One of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipers Kindle | $3 | Amazon

Apps

• FREE Knots 3D | iOS | Normally $2
• FREE Remote Media Manager Pro | iOS | Normally $4
• Timepage by Moleskine | $3 | iOS | Normally $5
• Tersus - Icon Pack | $1 | Anrdoid | Normally $2
• Versicolor - Icon Pack | $1 | Android | Normally $2
• Abs Workout PRO | $1 | Android | Normally $2

Gaming

Peripherals

• Azio 3500dpi USB Gaming Mouse | $15 | eBay

PC

• The Ship: Remasted | $7 | Steam
• Surgeon Simulator: Anniversary Edition | $2 | Green Man Gaming | Promo code JULY20
• I Am Bread | $3 | Green Man Gaming | Promo code JULY20

PlayStation 4

• MLB The Show 16 | $40 | Amazon
• Transformers Devastation | $29 | Amazon
• FIFA 16 | $16 | PSN

Xbox One

• Microsoft Xbox LIVE 12 Month Gold Membership | $40 | eBay
• Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition | $8 | Xbox Live Gold
• Xbox One 1TB Spring Bundle + Free Select Game + Free Extra Controller + $50 Microsoft Store Gift Code + $20 Design Lab Credit | $299 | Microsoft

Xbox 360

• Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Controller | $21 | eBay

Vita

• Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational | $5 | Amazon

3DS

• Mario Tennis Open | $21 | Amazon

Toys

• LEGO Star Wars TIE Fighter | $140 | Walmart

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Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here to learn more, and don't forget to sign up for our email newsletter. We want your feedback.

 
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California's Agriculture Chief: Why Can't We All Get Along?  

Irrigated crops in California's Salinas Valley.

Among Nebraska's best farm exports may be one of the country's most important agriculture officials, California's Secretary of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross. Raised on a Nebraska farm, Ross knows her way around fields and barns, but has spent much of her adult life focused on farm policy, including stints working for a US Senator and the current US Secretary of Agriculture before accepting her current post.

With water such an essential part of every farmer's life and well-being, and with water wars being waged in drought-ravaged California, calm, even-handed Ross is in a perfect place to ensure that farmers get what they need today while water resources are marshalled and preserved for the future.

I first met Ross at an all-day seminar earlier this year hosted by former Secretary of State George Shultz at the Hoover Institution on Stanford University's campus. The seminar was focused on Israeli solutions to the California water crisis. Ross and I were both presenters.

More recently, I invited her to be a guest on my Let There Be Water Podcast. She was a delightful interview, with our conversation ranging over California's agriculture, her philosophy on water, the challenged state of her adoptive state's aquifers, and the unfortunate demonization of farmers, in general, and almond growers, in particular.


California Secretary of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross

Now in the fourth year of a drought, California faces the problem that water is not where it is needed most. The north of the state has two-thirds of the state's water resources, while the southern part of the state is where two-thirds of the water is needed for cities and, even more so, for agriculture.

California not only produces $54 billion in agricultural products, but those products also include specialty crops of the kind best grown in California, like wine and table grapes, tree nuts, leafy greens - and even about 90% of the tomatoes processed in the US for the tomato sauce found on pizzas.

With water supplies pinched, environmentalists, city dwellers and farmers have gotten into a pushing match. But Ross points out that "it takes a lot of water to grow everything that we eat" and notes that nearly 80% of the water used in California is used for agriculture.

"Farmers grow food for people," Ross says in the podcast. "The ultimate user of all of that water is the person who eats the food grown by the farmer. We are all in this together."

One of the stakeholders of interest to Ross is generations not yet born. Ross looks at the over-taxing of aquifers and notes that the status quo can't endure for long. Because of the drought and because of restrictions on surface water preserved for the environment, farmers have been pushed to pump ever deeper into aquifers, with 60% of the water that farmers now using coming from groundwater supplies.

Clearly, such over-use of aquifers isn't sustainable. "If we don't do something today," Ross says, "every year we continue to pump so much, we are putting ourselves into an ever greater deficit [of groundwater], and that isn't a wise thing to do for the generations that will follow us."

Ross and state officials have some hard decisions to make. If the preservation of the delta smelt, an endangered species, continues to keep large amounts of river water off limits to farmers, if over-pumping of aquifers isn't sustainable, and if we want California agriculture to continue to grow, the only solution is in lots of new technology. This includes more drip irrigation to more use of treated wastewater to the development of desalination plants dotting the state. Is there the appetite for an investment in all of that?

To hear Karen Ross discuss all of this, listen to her on the Let There Be Water Podcast. Click here to listen.

-- 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 DNA 'hard drive' could keep files intact for millions of years  

Microsoft and genetics boffins predict genetics in the datacenter

Researchers at the University of Washington (UW) and Microsoft have managed to write data directly onto DNA, a format with dramatic storage densities and a very long life.…

 
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Fiery Sky Silhouette  

Climate_Stillz posted a photo:

 
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A Random Rainbow at Sunset  

Climate_Stillz posted a photo:

A random rainbow appeared in the sky after a glorious day at sunset with no rain in sight!

 
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3_CAZ0623  

cazcarrot posted a photo:

Photo 24! 24 hours of photos in the Capital

 
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3_CAZ0597  

cazcarrot posted a photo:

Photo 24! 24 hours of photos in the Capital

 
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