earth related

The sweet story of the Falkland Islands otherwise known as Islas Malvinas


how sweet of UK to put so much time and effort just to address the “wishes of a few islanders” on the other side of the world. they even send their prince there on a nuclear submarine just for good measures. those darn kind and loving brits.

a little background: as you may know, argentina claims the island as theirs, britain considers it as part of the british territory (a more acceptable word for empire) since 1833. note: it appears that the world didn’t exist pre 1833.

argentina’s president, cristina fernandez de kirchner asks the UN today, “how can it be claimed that this territory is part of britain? how can it be claimed that an island, 14,000 kilometers away, can be part of the british territory?”

david cameron passionately replied: “UK has no aggressive intentions, but do not under-estimate our resolve, threats will not work, attempts to intimidate the islanders will not succeed, because britain stands ready and willing to stand up for the falkland islanders at ANY TIME. as long as they wish to remain a british territory, that is the way it will stay.”

if i didn’t know better i would have thought david cameron’s mother was argentinian and from the falklands the way he talks about “the falklanders wishes.” can someone please ask the kind-hearted british government when was the last time they spent their money, their lives and their energy in addressing anyone else’s wishes but their own? makes you think why britain is so set on the wishes of a few islanders 14,000 kilometers away? mind you the total population on the falklands is only 3,000 people and 30% of them are british expats to begin with. now, just because a few islanders prefer to be under british rule rather than argentina’s economic depression doesn’t make it so. i assure you that many islanders around the world would prefer to be under US territory rather than their own bankrupt government but since when did that become ok? good luck at the UN and fix that bankrupt country, we’d love to visit… by xy

CATEGORIES: earth related

end of the world is quite homo-centric: how about the end of our galaxy as we know it

our galaxy, the milky way, and andromeda (a small fuzzy object that was first seen by ancient astronomers more than one thousand years ago) have been on a collision course since their birth. it has long been known that the two galaxies have been heading in the general direction of each other, but not until weeks ago did we know that they are converging at something like 250,000 mph. the new hubble telescope data provides detail of when and how a union is likely to unfold.

viewed from earth, the night sky should look fairly spectacular when they collide. that is assuming, of course, that a human species is still around billions of years into the future to look upwards at the fireworks. nasa however has speculated based on the hubble data-feed that jesus will most probably resurface prior to such collision to insure prime seats for the believers.

the two galaxies are being pulled together by their mutual gravity and the scientists expect them to begin to merge in about four billion years’ time (so don’t go selling your shit yet). our sun’s position will be disturbed, but the star and its planets are in little danger of being destroyed, just shuffled around. this will surely effect the real estate market in new york.

dr. van der marel (no data is provided on him but lets trust him since hes a dr.) told reporters “due to the natural evolution of the sun, it will get slightly hotter over time and a few billion years from now it will have got sufficiently hot to make life on earth as we know it impossible… but since we are talking billions of years into the future, i personally do not think that means our civilization will not be there. for example, if we find a smart way to use solar energy and turn it into air conditioning, we may still be able to live on this planet.” now that’s a start! by dd

CATEGORIES: clips, earth related

how man devours his children: a word about jamie oliver, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, goya, and pink slime

ugolino and his sons, by jean-baptiste carpeauxa. a society that devours its children is no society at all… 

clip from chef jamie oliver and his now-defunct TV show. a must see. “schools across the US are to ‘be allowed’ to stop serving the so-called ‘pink slime’ beef to their pupils at mealtimes.” notice the word ‘allowed,’ which in this case, refers to the fact that until now US schools had no other choice but to serve ‘dog food’ (also referred to as pink slime) to children.

so what is “pink slime”? it is a term reportedly coined by a microbiologist working for the US government — it is a form of “lean beef” formed by reclaiming the small parts of meat, which are otherwise trashed, or at best turned into dog food. it contains leftover bits that include inner parts of the cavity where the guts are and generally contain salmonella and E. coli. pink slime is only tuned into somewhat edible food by dousing it with the chemical ammonium (like bleach) to kill the bacteria. and then mixed into 70% of US consumed ground beef (that would include almost all fast foods, most restaurants, and even supermarket and clearly school meats) as a thinner to increase profits!

last year, british celebrity chef jamie oliver publicly criticized the product on his US TV show (the show has since been cancelled – most definitely due to the strong beef lobby in the US). the revelation prompted a popular outcry, and even mcdonald’s recently said it would phase out the use of “pink slime” in its burgers which it called 100% beef (well that is kinda correct) with the blessing of USDA.

the USDA, a body charged with the protection of US citizens and paid for by our taxes, “continues to affirm the safety of lean finely textured beef product for all consumers and urges customers to consult science based information on the safety and quality of this product,”

how pink slime is made: “the beef is spun in a centrifuge to separate the meat from the fat, before the final product is treated with a puff of ammonium hydroxide gas to kill any bacteria. it is produced in bulk by a firm in north dakota”. source bbc. by dd

CATEGORIES: earth related

I CAN AFFORD TO BE SICK

this is an article from Esquire, april 1970. juuuuuust about 42 years ago! it’s all relative, but how is the big picture still the same? i at least think we’re a pretty smart bunch of kids, there must be a better way instead of draining people because they got the short end of the stick, or worse, shutting out citizens from options to take care. the weird comfort americans have with the insurance system is my least favorite thing about the united states, that comfort, or fear of losing false control, is what keeps this system alive. by kl

CATEGORIES: earth related, musings

good girl!


we like sandra fluke. for a second, consider the absurdity. religious organizations are trying to ban offering birth control to those on their insurance plan, because their religion is against it. their religion is against birth control because no one but god can take a life; yet, they are for capital punishment, and hell–why not war! (hmmm? tight argument) in other words, they will force upon you their religious beliefs should you work there or in this case go to school there. rush limbaugh (some conservative political commentator and radio host) made an ignorant comment, inline with his apparent character, stating sandra fluke, who opposed this absurd law “is a slut… a prostitute” for simply wanting  birth control to be covered under her insurance she is surely paying for. he stated that if we are paying for a portion her birth control through our taxes “so she can have sex”(another thing banned by god and religion apparently), we should then get something in return. rush wanted her to at least post videos of her having sex online so taxpayers can watch it (now that is surely in line with his religion and american moral/conservative values). as if the rest of our tax dollars are really accounted for… like the billions spent on fake wars or funding wall street. now it even more absurd when all of this is from a man, rush limbaugh, who was detained in a florida airport last year after returning from a trip to the dominican republican with viagra that he did not have a prescription for. it all makes me want to puke… and puke on his very small penis and his even smaller ideology. off the air please! by ts

CATEGORIES: earth related

precession of the equinoxes

every once in a while it must cross your mind, this rumor about december 21st 2012 being a turning point for ‘life as we know it’. this is sparked by the sudden end to the mayan calendar, which even contemporary astronomers and science in general revere as impressive. so… what’s going to happen?  well, it has been mapped out that earth’s movement in our universe, multiverse, whatever, is called the precession of the equinoxes, which means its gravitational ecliptic around the sun fluxes, as it has a small angle on its orbital plane, through a cycle of 26000yrs (as my very basic understanding of it goes). this year, on december 21st the earth will align with the dark rift, the center of the milky way, basically the galactic equator. this is meant to effect our poles which are now moving at 40miles/yr (where only in 2005 we thought the rate of 25mi/yr was too much) and therefore climate migratory instincts. ecosystems will have to reset. but, ‘they’ also say this is a moment for human consciousness, and like your alarm clock, after the power stops even for a second, will have to be reset purposefully. let me put it this way…

 

“it is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism” – frederic jameson

 

maybe the paradigm shift will be as simple as work to live or living to create rather than living to work. i’m no different,a little bit guilty of pride and ambition as well, or should i say victim to it? it’s difficult in our world, raised with praise and approvals, gauging respect via associations. i don’t think we’re weak to be in this habit, but it’s a first step to be able to step back. that hopefully soon the garbage that clutters stores and individually sanitizes our nutrition will disappear and we will actually see one another and connect rather than feel safer with our differences. can you tell i had a long week?  ooh, i know what will help! …

 


by kl

CATEGORIES: earth related, musings

under the sea

honestly, i came across this image on tumblr and know nothing about it, who it’s by, or what it was for (the type is to small to make out). would love to know more, but really, i think we get the most important part.   by kl

CATEGORIES: earth related, photography

plus model magazine; not too cold, not too hot, just… feel good!

hmmmm… i wonder why?

 

yes there’s no question about the oddity of 14 year old girls selling clothes to 40 year old women and the disparity of the reality out there, but lets not have a cup-cake party yet. first off you have to be pretty weak to be affected by all this marketing and expect a bunch of shysters to guide you through what is right and wrong. but we understand that most people are weak and need constant hand holding & reassurance. enter “plus model magazine” a pub that has found a way to sell us more shit by telling us its ok to be fat, now don’t for a minute think they actually care. we’re kindda’ sick of all this self-help marketing aimed to make people comfortable with their inability to stay off the couch and the flavored chips. the reality is that the average person today resembles a hippo more than a human body form, so lets not look at the average “man” for guidance. while being anorexic is an issue, being fat is a much bigger issue today. for the record, in the united states 44% of teenagers are overweight/obese that figure goes up to 71% for adults vs. the statistics for anorexia/bulimia which is stable at 4% of adult women and less than 0.5% of adult males**. the human form is not meant to carry blubber. so while plus size model katya zharkova seems pretty healthy and should be pleased with her body she could skip a few of those donuts here and there. i assure you her body fat is more appropriate for a polar exhibit than a fit specimen of a homo sapien, so please don’t pander her as the ideal body type, shes more of a feel-good transparent marketing tool to sell more crap and we ‘aint buyin’… whenever you have a question just look at nature, you’ll find the answer there every time. ** canadian and U.S. governments statistics. if you actually care to change the fact that the next generation of americans will have a shorter lifespan than their parents for the first time then do something about it. by dd

CATEGORIES: earth related

it’s a choice and it’s mine


so bugger off… i must admit it’s a bit strange to wear a shirt like this as it’s so personal, but i guess you need to make it ok, in the face of all those religious freaks who are somehow for capital punishment, guns, and wars but suddenly against taking a life? go figure…  by ld

CATEGORIES: earth related

happy thanks giving: food for thought

they’re probably thinking, “i hope you choke on that turkey”

found this while reading about this silly holiday “…this may surprise those people who wonder what native americans think of this official U.S. celebration of the survival of early arrivals in a european invasion that culminated in the death of 10 to 30 million native american people. thanksgiving to me has never been about pilgrims. when i was six, my mother, a woman of the dineh nation, told my sister and me not to sing “land of the pilgrim’s pride” in “america the beautiful.” our people, she said, had been here much longer and taken much better care of the land. we were to sing “land of the indian’s pride” instead. i was proud to sing the new lyrics in school, but i sang softly. it was enough for me to know the difference. at six, i felt i had learned something very important. as a child of a native american family, you are part of a very select group of survivors, and i learned that my family possessed some “inside” knowledge of what really happened when those poor, tired masses came to our homes. when the pilgrims came to plymouth rock, they were poor and hungry — half of them died within a few months from disease and hunger. When Squanto, a wampanoag man, found them, they were in a pitiful state. he spoke english, having traveled to europe, and took pity on them. their english crops had failed. the native people fed them through the winter and taught them how to grow their food. these were not merely “friendly indians.” they had already experienced european slave traders raiding their villages for a hundred years or so, and they were wary — but it was their way to give freely to those who had nothing.” thanksgiving a native american view.  by xy

CATEGORIES: earth related