New talking points from the EPA minimize human impact on climate change.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, I don't understand all of those sciencey words you keep using.

Courtesy of WaPo: 

Environmental Protection Agency staffers received a list of “talking points” this week instructing them to underscore the uncertainties about how human activity contributes to climate change. 

A career employee in the department’s Office of Public Affairs distributed the eight talking points to regional staffers. The list offered suggestions on ways to talk with local communities and Native American tribes about how to adapt to extreme weather, rising seas and other environmental challenges. 

Employees crafted the email, first disclosed Wednesday by HuffPost, on the basis of controversial — and scientifically unsound — statements that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has made about the current state of climate research.

“Human activity impacts our changing climate in some manner,” reads one of the talking points. “The ability to measure with precision the degree and extent of that impact, and what to do about it, are subject to continuing debate and dialogue.”

Another states that while there has been “extensive” research and numerous reports on climate change, “clear gaps remain including our understanding of the role of human activity and what we can do about it.”

In other words the Trump Administration is saying that since they do not understand, or really trust, science they are simply going to do nothing, and hope that the world does not burn to a cinder before Trump can run for reelection.

Personally I think that the EPA folks who start spewing this bullshit in front of the ALASKAN native community better have one hand on the doorknob of the conference room, because those folks know exactly who to blame for the changing weather patterns, and it ain't them.

Trump's EPA chief suggests that Global Warming could be good for humans. No, really!

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, alluded earlier this week that global warming may be beneficial to humans, once again questioning the world’s leading scientists who have declared the phenomenon one of the greatest known threats to humanity. 

In an interview that aired Tuesday on KSNV, a Nevada television station, Pruitt questioned how accurately scientists could predict the planet’s ideal temperature in 2100, or even this year, and said humans had “flourished” in times of past warmth. 

“We know humans have most flourished during times of what, warming trends,” Pruitt said during the interview. “I think there’s assumptions made that because the climate is warming, that that necessarily is a bad thing. Do we really know what the ideal surface temperature should be in the year 2100, in the year 2018?” 

He continued: “That’s fairly arrogant for us to think that we know exactly what it should be in 2100.”

This is not a parody folks, this is actually what he said. 

I have to wonder, is it arrogant of us to note that hurricanes and storms have dramatically increased in their destructive powers?

Or that people all around the country are dying from unprecedented drought conditions?

Is it arrogant to realize that much of the premier beach front property enjoyed by millions will soon be underwater, and that available land mass could be greatly reduced?

Is recognizing the rapidly increasing spread of disease and the loss of entire species of animals also arrogant of us?

Yeah, I think I see some arrogance as well.

And it is embodied by the asshole currently leading he EPA. 

The effects of global warming.

Courtesy of National Geographic: 

When photographer Paul Nicklen and filmmakers from conservation group Sea Legacy arrived in the Baffin Islands in late summer, they came across a heartbreaking sight: a starving polar bear on its deathbed. 

Nicklen is no stranger to bears. From the time he was a child growing up in Canada's far north the biologist turned wildlife photographer has seen over 3,000 bears in the wild. But the emaciated polar bear, featured in videos Nicklen published to social media on December 5, was one of the most gut-wrenching sights he's ever seen. 

"We stood there crying—filming with tears rolling down our cheeks," he said.

Not so very long ago we had an administration that understood what has happening and was willing to do the hard work to make a change for the better.

Now this poor animal will undoubtedly be joined by scores of other animals who will die needlessly because humans are either too arrogant or too selfish to do anything to save them. 

Trump's White House releases report which states that human beings are responsible for all the recent global warming. Wait, that can't be right.

Courtesy of Think Progress: 

On Friday, the Trump administration released the congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment, the “authoritative assessment of the science of climate change, with a focus on the United States,” as the report states. 

What’s so stunning about the 600-page report, the work of scientists from 13 federal agencies, is that the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) oversaw the final review and clearance process of the report — and yet the report details just how dangerous the Trump administration’s policy of climate science denial is to Americans. 

The National Climate Assessment (NCA) projects a devastated America — widespread Dust-Bowlification, 18°F Arctic warming, sea levels rising a foot a decade — on our current path of unrestricted carbon pollution. The report makes clear just how grave a threat are Trump’s plans to abandon the Paris climate deal, undo Obama-era climate rules, and boost carbon pollution. 

Indeed, the report explicitly states that if governments don’t meet their Paris targets, and then go beyond them, catastrophic impacts would be inevitable. 

The report “indicates that a path of inaction will truly lead to disastrous climate change impacts,” as climatologist Michael Mann said in an email to ThinkProgress, confirming a point he made when the New York Times published the leaked final draft in August. “Sadly, the Trump presidency has steered the U.S. toward this path.”

“Based on extensive evidence… it is extremely likely that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century,” explains the NCA, the most comprehensive and detailed report ever done on climate change and its specific impact on America.

No wonder Trump wants to get rid of all the real scientists in the government agencies.

These guys are clearly relying on those liberal facts to make decisions, instead of the Trumpian talking points that everybody is supposed to have memorized. 

Reverend Sarah Palin preaches that we are weak, pathetic, and nothing without God. Well there's a happy thought!

You, that's right you, are weak and pathetic. Now don't you feel inspired?

Courtesy of Sarah Palin's online place of worship, called "The First Assembly of You All Suck!"

Let's dive right in shall we and let the inspiration wash over our very souls.

Scoot Over; Get Out Of The Driver’s Seat 

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10 (Keep in minds kids that this is the person who claims that SHE is the real personification of feminism in this country, NOT those courageous women who demonstrated their ability to stand on their own without a man and demanded to be treated as equals. Clearly they were not weak enough.)

There’s nothing like the feeling you get as a mama or a daddy when a child reaches out to you. Little children, by design, are dependent on you for food, protection, and love. (Well I do agree with this at least.)

Guess what, Mom and Dad: We’re all designed to be dependent on God. In fact, we can’t get through life without Him. If you’re like me, you sometimes forget this. We think we’re in control, and – just like our kids – we sometimes forget the true source of our help and protection. (Yes citizens of the 21st Century, always keep in mind that you have achieved NOTHING and that there is an invisible man in the sky who is eternally seeing you as a needy helpless child.)

Only when the winds of persecution begin to blow are we reminded of our weaknesses. In the midst of spiritual battle, we have no one else to turn to but the One really in control. We come face to face with our humanity – our limitations – and we are left seeking the strength and perspective that only comes from above. (Or you could face your adversity, overcome it, and become stronger for the conflict. Just a thought.)

This, friends, is actually a blessing of difficulties, hardships, insults, and persecution: we’re given the opportunity to truly rely on our Maker. Persecution strips us of false notions we have about our own strength, and reminds us where the real stuff can be found – in the arms of our Heavenly Father! Sweet Freedom in Action (WTF?)

Take a break in the arms of the Father, even now. Ask for Him to take control of all areas of your life where you’ve insisted on being in the driver’s seat. (Okay now I think I understand why pedophilia is so rampant within the church. These people are conditioned to be victims.)

Look there is no sense in my suggesting that I understand this even a little bit.

As you know I am not a religious person and find the entire concept to be an obstacle to attaining our destiny as human beings. 

But seriously HOW does this kind of thinking help us to overcome life's many obstacles?

I was very fortunate to be taught at an early age to strive for perfection and to push my limits until I could push no more.

As a result I won championships, set records, and overcame my insecurities, none of which would have been possible if I were told to "delight in weaknesses."

I taught gymnastics to young people, self defense to women, and necessary life skills to the emotionally and mentally fragile.

At no time in my life have I ever told a single person that "when they are weak, they are strong."

Hell no! When you are strong you are strong, and when you are weak it is only because you are at the beginning of your journey to becoming strong.

As human beings we have proven ourselves to be capable of amazing discoveries, courageous adventures, and awe inspiring accomplishments.

Just imagine how much more we could have achieved if there were not those preaching to us that we are nothing, and can do nothing, without the assistance of a celestial patriarch?

41% of Americans are definitely, or probably, sure that humans and dinosaurs lived at the same time.

Courtesy of YouGov: 

YouGov's latest research shows that 41% of Americans think that dinosaurs and humans either 'definitely' (14%) or 'probably' (27%) once lived on the planet at the same time. 43% think that this is either 'definitely' (25%) or 'probably' (18%) not true while 16% aren't sure. In reality the earliest ancestors of humans have only been on the planet for 6 million years, while the last dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago. 

There is a religious split on this question. While most Americans who describe themselves as 'born again' (56%) believe that humans and dinosaurs once shared the planet, most Americans who do not describe themselves as born again (51%) think that they did not. Only 22% of born again Americans think that dinosaurs and humans did not coexist.

Anybody surprised that religion plays a huge part in the American people's ignorance? 

Leave it to Fundamentalists to think that the Flintstones is a documentary.

We are all Africans.

If image does not expand click here.

All of us, every single one of us, well except those people still living in Africa, are descendants of immigrants who bravely left their homeland to explore the world.

And yet today immigrants are the most vilified group on the planet.

Borders, territories, state lines are all the creation of man, and an attempt to lay claim to that which can never be owned and which should be open and accessible to every human on the planet without regard to their place of origin.

Because ultimately let's face it, THEIR place of origin, is OUR place of origin.

Oh, well now I get it.

Yep, the LAST thing you want to do as human beings is utilize the one thing that separates you from every other creature on the planet and allows you to remain the dominate species.

"The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates, via Plato.

FINALLY! A pledge that I can take without reservation.

I am one of those people who has simply never understood the point of taking a pledge of allegiance to a country. The idea that you would subjugate yourself to the United States, regardless of what kinds of decisions were made by its elected leaders, never set well with me.

Then when you add that whole "one nation under God" part it just turns me into a completely unwilling participant.  I did it for the kids in school, as a TA, but I always felt very uncomfortable and hypocritical.

However as I said that pledge up above is certainly one that I would willingly take any day of the week. And wouldn't it be a much kinder, and more peaceful planet if everybody agreed?

Spiritual people more likely to suffer from mental illness. Interesting.

Courtesy of the Telegraph:

Professor Michael King, from University College London, and his fellow researchers wrote in the British Journal of Psychiatry: "Our main finding is that people who had a spiritual understanding of life had worse mental health than those with an understanding that was neither religious nor spiritual." 

The study was based on a survey of 7,403 randomly selected men and women in England who were questioned about their spiritual and religious beliefs, and mental state. 

Of the participants, 35 per cent described themselves as "religious", meaning they attended a church, mosque, synagogue or temple. Five in six of this group were Christian. 

Almost half (46 per cent) described themselves as neither religious nor spiritual, while the 19 per cent remainder said they had spiritual beliefs but did not adhere to a particular religion. 

Members of this final group were 77 per cent more likely than the others to be dependent on drugs, 72 per cent more likely to suffer from a phobia, and 50 per cent more likely to have a generalised anxiety disorder. 

They were also 40 per cent more likely to be receiving treatment with psychotropic drugs, and at a 37 per cent higher risk of neurotic disorder. 

The researchers concluded: "We conclude that there is increasing evidence that people who profess spiritual beliefs in the absence of a religious framework are more vulnerable to mental disorder.

Well of course I have  numerous opinions on this data, including why I think it might be so, but I think I will simply leave this here for all of you to discuss and then later I will revisit it and perhaps add my two cents worth.

I think one thing to keep in mind is how one defines "spirituality" and the reason WHY somebody usually joins a religious organization. I think that will help narrow the focus of the debate.

Final thought for the day.

Final Thought of the Day.

Why is this such a difficulty concept for so many to grasp?

Does the universe have purpose? Here let Neil deGrasse explain why that's kind of a stupid question.

This represents one of my pet peeves, the idea that there has to be a "Why" to existence.

Why are we here? What does it all mean? What is our purpose?

How arrogant to believe that everything has to have a purpose just to satisfy OUR desire to make information conform to our limited ability to understand it. And then to simply create a purpose in our fertile imaginations, while demanding that everybody accept it as fact, is even more egregious.

Perhaps things simply are, they just exist, with no definable purpose except that they can.

Then wouldn't it be up to each individual sentient being to determine their own purpose for themselves? Or is that simply TOO much responsibility for most people?

And while we're on the subject of understanding, just what is it about human beings that makes them feel entitled to an eternal life?

Everything we see, and touch, and experience has a shelf life. All of it, at least on this planet, is finite and has both a beginning and an end.

Yet as a species we have created an alternative possibility for ourselves that includes the possibility that after we take our last breath we simply move on to some other plane of existence.

But why do we feel that we deserve this "Get out of Death Free" card?

Is it that we feel that we are somehow better and more deserving than the other creatures that share our planet? Or are we just so arrogant that we simply cannot imagine a universe without our presence?

Personally I feel that it is the very brevity of our existence which provides the impetus to do something of value with it. To provide love to others. To create something that will last past your final hours. To make a small or profound positive change that will better the lives of those around you.

How would we know how precious life is, if it was eternal?

I am just honored to have had the opportunity to live, when so many others were denied that choice. And can only hope that I have left laughter in my wake, created light in the darkness, and loved often and without restraint.

Really what more do I deserve, what more could I want?

Your mindblowing thought for the day.

The universe is within us.

But it takes science to show us the way.

I guess this gives a little more weight to that famous quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson:

“Recognize that the very molecules that make up your body, the atoms that construct the molecules, are traceable to the crucibles that were once the centers of high mass stars that exploded their chemically rich guts into the galaxy, enriching pristine gas clouds with the chemistry of life. So that we are all connected to each other biologically, to the earth chemically and to the rest of the universe atomically. That’s kinda cool! That makes me smile and I actually feel quite large at the end of that. It’s not that we are better than the universe, we are part of the universe. We are in the universe and the universe is in us.” ― Neil deGrasse Tyson

I am not sure id we should feel humbled by this, or incredibly important?

Just another, probably hopeless, attempt to explain evolution to the ignorant.

Like I said this will probably not change too many minds, especially those who don't WANT to have their minds changed, but I always feel that every little bit helps.

P.S. If the image does not enlarge sufficiently just click here.

Just a final thought as you drift off to sleep.

The Eagle Nebula

“Again and again across the centuries, cosmic discoveries have demoted our self-image. Earth was once assumed to be astronomically unique, until astronomers learned that Earth is just another planet orbiting the Sun. Then we presumed the Sun was unique, until we learned that the countless stars of the night sky are suns themselves. Then we presumed our galaxy, the Milky Way, was the entire known universe, until we established that the countless fuzzy things in the sky are other galaxies, dotting the landscape of our known universe. 

Today, how easy it is to presume that one universe is all there is. Yet emerging theories of modern cosmology, as well as the continually reaffirmed improbability that anything is unique, require that we remain open to the latest assault on our plea for distinctiveness: multiple universes, otherwise known as the “multiverse,” in which ours is just one of countless bubbles bursting forth from the fabric of the cosmos.” ― Neil deGrasse Tyson, Cosmic Horizons: Astronomy at the Cutting Edge

I am never in fear of the great unknown, only that in our desperate need to cling to superstitions or comforting fables we may be too ignorant to recognize it once it is revealed to us.

These are the thoughts which trouble me and create concern for the future of our planet, and the future of our species.Yet if we can allow our minds to open, and welcome new information in, then there are no limits to what we can achieve.

Namaste my friends.

How to suck at your religion.

This is all over my Facebook page today, so I thought I would share it with all of you.

Click here, read to the end, and then decide if you picked the right religion, and/or if you suck at it.

(P.S. Spoiler alert, Taoists are going to skate right through this bad boy.)

It's Sunday, so let's start the day with a little Chistopher Hitchens in honor of the Sabbath, shall we?

There were a number of things on which I did not see eye to eye with Hitch. He could also be very arrogant, and abrasive, which did not always help people keep an open mind ot the things he was saying.

However he was often very good at whittling down an argument to its most succinct points, and then stating them bluntly and with no apologies to those who might take offense.

Gotta love that about him.

Oh, well good to finally have a label for it.

By the way, though this might be the most accurate definition for my particular fetish, it still sort of has to also include the female parts.

I guess I would be more of a hetero-sapiosexual.

Nothing more attractive than a smart woman who is not trying to act dumb in some media instructed methodology to attract men.

Scientists believe they have found the "Holy Grail of Human Evolution."

Courtesy of the New York Daily News:  

Feast your eyes on what a group of scientists call the Holy Grail of human evolution. 

A team of researchers Tuesday unveiled an almost perfectly intact fossil of a 47 million-year-old primate they say represents the long-sought missing link between humans and apes. 

Officially known as Darwinius masillae, the fossil of the lemur-like creature dubbed Ida shows it had opposable thumbs like humans and fingernails instead of claws. 

Scientists say the cat-sized animal's hind legs offer evidence of evolutionary changes that led to primates standing upright - a breakthrough that could finally confirm Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. 

"This specimen is like finding the Lost Ark for archeologists," lead scientist Jorn Hurum said at a ceremony at the American Museum of Natural History. 

"It is the scientific equivalent of the Holy Grail. This fossil will probably be the one that will be pictured in all textbooks for the next 100 years."

This is why I ALWAYS choose facts over faith. Faith locks me in a box while facts hold the key to my release.

Handsome fellow don't you think?

Can I just mention how much I LOVE that they named this little guy Darwinius masillae?

I would almost like to allow myself to believe in an afterlife so that I could imagine Charles Darwin looking down form heaven and smiling at how well his theories are holding up.