Posts by ML1
Posts by ML1 |
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1)
Message boards :
Politics :
Climate Change, 'Greenhouse' effects: Solutions
(Message 1504356)
Posted 2 days ago by  ML1
Where next for Avaaz in 2014? ... Priorities... A big difference is in the way of the manipulation and the business intent... Selective breeding is usually done to breed something beneficial or desirable. The 'desirable' traits might not be beneficial for health (as is the case for "pedigree dogs" for example), but at least the 'natural breeding' aspect limits what harm can be done. With artificial food-GM, you truly can introduce or take out almost anything you like and without care for whether the result is healthy and viable or not. Indeed, one of the first traits to be introduced was what came to be termed the "knockout gene" to ensure farmers could not sow any viable seeds for next year's crop! Also note how nearly all food-GM is directed to allow ever higher levels of toxicity to be generated or tolerated and to tie that in with whatever pesticides and herbicides that company Markets... That is a double win for the agribusiness and an ecological disaster for everything else. We also eventually get to eat the (more highly toxic) stuff... And once food-GM genetic traits escape into the wild, it stays out there for anything viable. As is now being suffered for various "super-weeds" in the US and Canada that are now additionally resistant to the same super-herbicides as the intended crops... From my observations, food-GM is being cynically used as a patents abused Marketing tool to lock up our food chain. Meanwhile, in the name of no-morals business: Science, our environment, and all consumers be damned. In very great stark contrast, note the great benefits being sown for medical-GM. However, also note how that is used and controlled in a very different way. All on our only one planet, Martin |
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2)
Message boards :
Politics :
Climate Change, 'Greenhouse' effects: Solutions
(Message 1504346)
Posted 2 days ago by ML1
And a noticeable part of the world are awake to climate change, land use, and the corruption behind all that: Where next for Avaaz in 2014? ... Priorities... Interstingly, the major group of people are in education... Perhaps we really do need a lot more of education to save our world from ourselves. Also note the repeated meme that the more highly educated overall appear to feel a far lesser need/desire for "large families"... A simple equation of: Better education for EVERYONE = better awareness, better life, less corruption, and a stable population ? This is our only one planet! All on our only one planet, Martin |
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3)
Message boards :
Politics :
Against ALL women - Infanticide, Slavery, Rape, Trafficking...
(Message 1504344)
Posted 2 days ago by ML1
How women are viewed and treated is, no surprise, deservedly one of the hot topics here for doing something about it: Where next for Avaaz in 2014? ... Priorities... All in our only one world, Martin |
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4)
Message boards :
Politics :
I have been slimed..
(Message 1504343)
Posted 2 days ago by ML1
No surprise that GM-food is one of the hot topics for a lot of people worldwide: Where next for Avaaz in 2014? ... Priorities... All on our only one planet, Martin |
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5)
Message boards :
Politics :
Windows8: The Beginning of The End? Or... Win9 v soon!?
(Message 1504341)
Posted 2 days ago by ML1
Martin as you run Linux why the hell do you care what happens to us Inferior Windows users?... Special note: Windows users should not be considered 'inferior' in any way. If anything, it is more that they are victim to exploitation "for Marketing purposes". And if you haven't already realized: I support multiple platforms/OSes as part of my IT support. Out of all of them, Windows uniquely continues to be by far the greatest pain all round for my support even though the Windows stuff is in effect only acting as an office app and web browsing platform... And I've had to give up trying to support Windows FOC for various friends... Various others are on Linux (Kubuntu and more recently Mageia) and that lets us talk about more other things now in that their computers are no longer the butt of various stale jokes... Windows truly is an astounding success of Marketing. Shame about that for the users... IT is very much what we make it... Martin (All personal opinion from what I personally see and have found for myself... ;-) ) |
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6)
Message boards :
Politics :
Windows8: The Beginning of The End? Or... Win9 v soon!?
(Message 1504145)
Posted 2 days ago by ML1
And for yet more collateral noisome noise, just like flies around any dead and dying thing: Bad PUPPY: Undead Windows XP deposits fresh scamware on lawn Cybercriminals have already seized upon the end of support for Windows XP as a theme for numerous scams and fake software updates. Microsoft pushed out its last ever patches for the 13-year-old operating system last Tuesday (8 April). Numerous YouTube videos "advertising programs and functionality related to Windows XP" that have appeared online over recent days are actually pushing adware and other undesirable apps... Yet more silly cyber-pollution that is wasteful and annoying for all so inflicted, especially so for the victims and for anyone in any sort of IT support... IT is what we make it... Martin |
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7)
Message boards :
Politics :
Windows8: The Beginning of The End? Or... Win9 v soon!?
(Message 1504141)
Posted 2 days ago by ML1
Is this presaging a Vista-like short life for Windows8?... Microsoft: Windows version you probably haven't upgraded to yet is ALREADY OBSOLETE [OLD] versions of Windows 8.1 will no longer support patches [will not be updated] Microsoft is urging users running Windows 8.1 to update their systems soon, since the company plans to drop patch support for early versions of the operating system. Redmond said that after May it would only issue updates for systems running the Windows 8.1 Update release and later. The move means that Windows 8.1 systems which have not installed the "Update" package will receive "not applicable" notifications when attempting to install future system updates... INCREDIBLE! I guess a monopoly can do anything it likes and the users be expensively damned?... IT is what we allow it to be... Martin |
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8)
Message boards :
Politics :
Windows8: The Beginning of The End? Or... Win9 v soon!?
(Message 1504138)
Posted 2 days ago by ML1
I want to know why if Linux is so good, Why cant they even give it away. Note how Microsoft is now giving away its OS for supposedly free-of-cost in India... Also note how despite the supposed incredible high tech of Microsoft for 'protection' and DRM (digital restrictions management), there are still a very great proportion in certain parts of the world where the user has not paid Microsoft for the use of the OS copy they use... Youd figure that the PC makers would jump at the chance to not pay for an OS. That is part of the story... But the question remains why there is not greater take-up of Linux for desktop use despite very good credentials... But this is a Windows thread... A better question is why there is such widespread use still of the antique Windows XP? Why have such Windows users never 'upgraded'? Really? Can Windows offer nothing better from so long ago?! Or are there other reasons why users have never upgraded from WinXP?... IT is what we allow it to be... Martin |
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9)
Message boards :
Politics :
Climate Change, 'Greenhouse' effects: DENIAL (#2)
(Message 1504093)
Posted 2 days ago by ML1
While we continue to IGNORE the cost of pollution, coal and other dirty fossil burning will remain too cheap and instead they will cost us our doom: Coal gasification: The clean energy of the future? Dirty it may be, but coal is cheap. For this simple reason, it remains the world's main source of power... The challenge, then, is how to harness coal's energy more cleanly. While global attempts to develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) have stalled, a number of countries are looking at different ways to exploit their abundant coal reserves. Not all are motivated by environmental concerns, but are driven instead by economics... [BUT] ... a study by Duke University in the US suggests synthetic natural gas emits seven times more greenhouse gases than natural gas, and almost twice as much carbon as a coal plant. The second problem is water use. Coal gasification is one of the more water-intensive forms of energy production... ... The problem, of course, is that the process depends entirely on wider efforts to develop CCS, efforts that have, so far, singularly failed to find a solution. Until one is found, any attempts to gasify coal underground will either remain theoretical or will exacerbate the already grave problem of CO2 emissions... All a game of the no morals and the world be damned economics of our own destruction by pollution! Business as usual then? All on our only one planet, Martin |
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10)
Message boards :
Politics :
Windows8: The Beginning of The End? Or... Win9 v soon!?
(Message 1503423)
Posted 4 days ago by ML1
The better question would be, why can't Linux get to 2% of the desktop/laptop market share of all OS's Considering the good technical and user advantages, that is a very good question... Especially so considering the rampant success (too much so) for Linux everywhere else... (And note: We really do need at least another two system to add into the mix to avoid an unhealthy monopoly...) IT is what we make it... Martin |
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11)
Message boards :
Politics :
Japanese Arctic Whaling JUDGED Criminal
(Message 1503420)
Posted 4 days ago by ML1
:( Unfortunately so... The Japanese look to squirm further into crass dishonor... Sea Shepherd themselves sum up nicely: Japan’s Institute for Cetacean Research (ICR) Shames Themselves in Defiance of World Court Ruling In a blatant show of defiance of the recent landmark ruling in The Hague by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR) has today filed court briefs stating they intend to return to hunt whales in the Southern Ocean for the 2015-2016 season with a newly designed "research" program and will seek a permanent injunction against Sea Shepherd USA... ... Clearly, the ICR is unsettled not only by the favorable ICJ ruling but also by Commissioner Peter Shaw’s recent recommendation to the Ninth Circuit Court that Sea Shepherd USA not be held in contempt... ... A status conference will take place at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 16 in the United States District Court, ... to set the trial date for a permanent injunction case brought against Sea Shepherd USA from obstructing illegal whaling operations in the Southern Ocean. The meeting is open to the public. Kidnapping, and ramming and sinking ships... Killing endangered whales in a whale sanctuary for the sake of producing pet food... How corrupt can the Japanese whaling and the Japanese government go?... All on our only one planet, Martin |
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12)
Message boards :
Politics :
Climate Change, 'Greenhouse' effects: DENIAL (#2)
(Message 1503413)
Posted 4 days ago by ML1
Slowly, an end to the politics of Denial? Fox News climate change coverage is now 28% accurate, up from 7% An analysis of cable news climate coverage finds Fox News 28% accurate, CNN 70%, and MSNBC 92% The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has just published an analysis of 2013 climate coverage by the three major American cable news networks. The report and data are available online, and the results are summarized... ... "Sometimes, it's like the networks are covering different planets. Unfortunately, too many politicians, interest groups, and pundits continue to dispute established climate science and cable shows sometimes give them a platform to do so." The UCS analysis found that Fox News Channel hosts and guests were the most likely to accuse scientists of manipulating or hiding climate data. Fox hosts and guests often conveyed misinformation about scientific findings, including many false claims... Unfortunately, for too many people unthinkingly hooked to sound-bites, the Television is the Gospel Truth!... All for a propaganda medium at its best?... All on our only one planet, Martin |
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13)
Message boards :
Politics :
Windows8: The Beginning of The End? Or... Win9 v soon!?
(Message 1503411)
Posted 4 days ago by ML1
More of a question than comment: How did this come to pass for such long forlorn stagnation? Microsoft Is Finally Killing Its Darlings There are a lot of metaphors one could use to describe the decade plus longevity of Windows XP, Microsoft Office 2003, and Internet Explorer 6. But I'm gonna go with lichen. These software gems were hardy, reliable, unobtrusive, and enduring as wave after wave of technological progress crashed over the jagged rocks they clung to. What, you don't like my metaphor? Microsoft has been working to kill these services, and they just keep holding on. It's apt! But I guess we can also call them zombies, if you insist. But today Microsoft released seven security updates for Windows XP and four for Microsoft Office 2003... Over TEN YEARS and STILL severe security holes and still the users cling on... Why?! IT is what we make it... Martin |
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14)
Message boards :
Politics :
Climate Change, acceptance
(Message 1503409)
Posted 4 days ago by ML1
Really? Is this the way to go?... We should give up trying to save the world from climate change, says James Lovelock The scientist and inventor James Lovelock claims we should stop trying to save the planet from global warming and instead retreat to climate controlled cities... ... James Lovelock, who first detected CFCs in the atmosphere and proposed the Gaia hypotheses, claims society should retreat to ‘climate-controlled cities’ and give up on large expanses of land which will become [un]inhabitable. Lovelock, who has just published his latest book A Rough Ride To The Future, claims we should be ‘strengthening our defences and making a sustainable retreat.’ “We’re reaching an age in history where you can no longer predict the future with any hope of success. “We should give up vainglorious attempts to save the world. ... Really? We should all just roll over and die and let the polluters pollute most of us to Hell?! All on our only one planet, Martin |
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15)
Message boards :
Politics :
I have been slimed..
(Message 1503406)
Posted 4 days ago by ML1
And about time too... How did the food industry get away with such fraud in the first place?! FDA rules that honey with added sweeteners can no longer be called 'honey' ... The FDA regularly detains honey imports and tests them after finding drug residues and unlabeled added sweeteners. Only manufactures that do not add sugar, corn syrup or other sweeteners should label their products as pure 'honey,' the FDA said in draft guidelines posted online. The proposal aims 'to advise the regulated food industry on the proper labeling of honey and honey products to help ensure that honey and honey products are not adulterated or misbranded,'... However... That carefully worded phrase begs the question of whether parts of the food industry can still get away with unregulated silliness... We are what we eat... Martin |
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16)
Message boards :
Politics :
Climate Change, 'Greenhouse' effects: Solutions
(Message 1503197)
Posted 5 days ago by ML1
Another and potentially a rather large part of the story: Cities on frontline of climate change struggle Half of the world's population now lives in cities - a proportion that's set to rise to two-thirds by 2050. Yet cities are vulnerable to the worst impacts of climate change precisely because their locations are fixed... ... cities can play [a vital role] in cutting greenhouse gas emissions. This should come as no surprise, since urban centres are responsible for three quarters of global energy consumption and for 80% of greenhouse gas emissions. "In a sense, they are the carbon criminals of this world, but they also provide us with really good opportunities,"... ... [for] directed alteration of the built environment to, for example, increase its energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption. ... Interestingly, locally our council are already following one of the examples in that article. Some rather old dull street lighting are being replaced with new LED street lights. We get a multiple win all round with the same or greater light for much less energy consumed. They are also almost maintenance free for a very long operational life. The replacement will likely quickly pay for itself just in reduced running costs... The new can be very much better than the old... All on our only one planet, Martin |
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17)
Message boards :
Politics :
Climate Change, 'Greenhouse' effects: Solutions
(Message 1503188)
Posted 5 days ago by ML1
At least one helpful solution? Thanks for that. That's certainly part of the near-term story. However, before we need to mine and recycle too much of that stuff, hopefully there will be enough development quickly enough to allow surface science chemistry and nanofabricated surfaces to move us onto much better tech. There are other ways yet still. As mentioned by someone else earlier, this story is to pull together a much wider story of multiple tech, politics, people, and culture. And all, hopefully, in time to give us and our planet enough breathing space to allow us to reach a non-controversial non-detructive zero population growth. Can all that be done in time despite the desolation being wrought by the pollution and FUD and corruption of the dirty fossils?... All on our only one planet, Martin |
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18)
Message boards :
Politics :
I have been slimed..
(Message 1503173)
Posted 5 days ago by ML1
A brief Sunday magazine experiment: Can you [easily, lazily] live without processed food? The white stuff you sprinkle on your food is back in the headlines. Whether it's salt or sugar, it seems many of us may be consuming too much. So how easy is it to live without processed food for a week?... ... The week has been enlightening - and it's definitely something I will do again. But without a lot of forward planning and preparation, it's impractical for many. I could have opted for a more varied diet such as grilled fish and steamed vegetables, but without my own personal chef or a job working from home, that was beyond me. So how did I do? According to Victoria Taylor, not too badly. She says based on a comparison with my "control" week, my salt and saturated fat intake were both reduced by half. The main reason for me - as a non-meat eater - was giving up bread and cheese, which, while not conventional processed foods - can be relatively high in salt and saturated fat... Are really so many people now incapable of cooking or preparing food for themselves?! Even I can make my own bread! Ok... So that's with the help of an automated breadmaker device and 15mins to put in the flour and bits and minimal salt :-) We are what we eat and we are a part of the world we live in, Martin |
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19)
Message boards :
Politics :
I have been slimed..
(Message 1503168)
Posted 5 days ago by ML1
Critics of GM crops said that no matter how big the scale of the environmental benefits, they believe that consumers will not be interested.Luddite! Nope. More a case of very healthy suspicion and cynicism for a part of the food industry that cares nothing for the health of the end product nor the means by which they strive to make monopolistic profits. The highly publicized supposed exception for "golden rice" is a complete sham to try to give one attempted positive example. There are better more effective and cheaper ways to improve a populations diet than attempt a monopolistic expensive and dubious vitamin addition... For all such food-GM, the environment and the very consumers themselves be damned. Note that there are no, that is zero, beneficial Genetically Modified foodstuffs. In all cases, the GM is to boost the use of associated agribusiness fertilizers and poisons. That is bad for forcing the use of dangerously susceptible monocultures over vast areas that literally poison our environment and denude what we consider to be common wildlife. In stark contrast, much better and more healthy and far longer lasting benefits can be had by using better farming practices. Better non-monopolistic farming is very likely cheaper and more robust also... All in our one world, Martin (Note: GM for MEDICAL uses is very differently motivated and controlled and very definitely is beneficial. However, the same development conditions as is placed on medical-GM would stop all foodstuffs GM immediately dead.) |
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20)
Message boards :
SETI@home Science :
Arecibo Observatory operational after repairs to fix earthquake damage
(Message 1501928)
Posted 7 days ago by ML1
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/guest-blogs/2014/0409-arecibo-observatory-earthquake-repairs.html Unbelievable! The world's premier interplanetary radar, and so far the world's only radio dish of that size, and... The NSF look to be abandoning it. Is this where blindly stupidly ignorant petty politics go far far too far?... Keep searchin', Martin |
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