Climate change could mean boring dinners

Polar bears are eating dolphins in sort of wormholes of ice created by climate change.

Global warming is reducing the diversity of the things we eat as creatures die or move away from their traditional habitats.

Perhaps, like marijuana, not everything will be clear cut. Truffles are moving north in Europe.

Both poles, like mountains, sometimes make it easier to see where the world is headed.

Polar bears have been seen eating dolphins, according to the Norwegian Polar Institute.

“White-beaked dolphins are frequent visitors to Svalbard waters in summer, but have not previously been reported this far north in early spring. We suggest they were trapped in the ice after strong northerly winds the days before, and possibly killed when forced to surface for air at a small opening in the ice. The bear had consumed most parts of one dolphin. When observed he was in the process of covering the mostly intact second dolphin with snow,” said a report by the institute.

While it is widely known that bears catch salmon, and even store them for later, it might not work if the ice is melting as temperatures climb.

There is much more at stake than whether fresh halibut will be available.

“From a human perspective, the rapid climate change and accelerating biodiversity loss risks human security (e.g. a major change in the food chain upon which we depend, water sources may change, recede or disappear, medicines and other resources we rely on may be harder to obtain as the plants and forna they are derived from may reduce or disappear, etc.),” reports globalissues.org.

Marijuana supporters have claimed, rightly or wrongly, that global warming could increase crops.

There is some hope, National Geographic reports, that science can find ways to increase crops and perhaps even preserve diversity.

“Most of us in the well-fed world give little thought to where our food comes from or how it’s grown. We steer our shopping carts down supermarket aisles without realizing that the apparent bounty is a shiny stage set held up by increasingly shaky scaffolding. We’ve been hearing for some time about the loss of flora and fauna in our rain forests. Very little, by contrast, is being said or done about the parallel erosion in the genetic diversity of the foods we eat,” the magazine said.

A group operates what is called the Ghost Food Truck, going from place to place trying to show what the socalled “Gaia Theory” could mean. One simply definition is that the

Earth will get even, saving itself before the humans or the whales.

 SOURCES

http://www.polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/26612

http://www.newsweek.com/polar-bear-observed-eating-dolphin-freezing-portion-342730

http://www.globalissues.org/article/172/climate-change-affects-biodiversity

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/07/food-ark/siebert-text/1

http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/18/4851966/ghost-food-shows-how-we-might-eat-after-global-warming

http://hyperallergic.com/88981/the-foods-forever-lost-to-climate-change/

Has war on U.S. cops begun #dallaspdshooting

At first glance it sounds like breaking news from Iraq. Or was it a horrow movie. Militants using an armored car and backed with explosives attack a police station. Was it a reaction to racist attacks on blacks, or anger at police enforcing income disparities.
“It raises the hair on the back of your neck pretty quickly just thinking of what could of happened with his intent and how we literally dodged bullets,” Dallas Police Chief David Brown said.
Liberty News said: "The radical special interest groups trying to start a war with law enforcement in America may be applauding this morning. What they seem to want to see happen is now reportedly happening."
Some sites said the attack vehicle had been sold on eBay as a "zombie apocalypse" vehicle.

But the location is not Area 51 but Dallas, in what is arguably the most heavily armed state in the nation, Texas.

The incident was likely to end in the death of the attacker or attackers. Posse Comitatus Act laws put some limits on cops using military force, but they have plenty of drones and sophisticated spying gear readily available.
The Dallas Morning News reported at mid-morning that a sniper had killed at least one attacker, a white man, some identified as James Boulware, whose age was reported to range from 33 to 50. Heavy.com published a police it identified as the killer.

Neo-Nazis on Twitter said the guy was genetically white but really transracial. Can transracials jump?
There were conflicting reports. Some said two of the attackers' bombs had self-detonated. A robot was searching for other explosives.
At first glance it sounds like a story from the Middle East or a Third World Country. Militants using an armored car and backed with explosives attack a police station.

But the location is Dallas, in what is arguably the most heavily armed state in the nation, Texas. These days U.S. cities have turned their police stations into concrete fortresses. In some cases people are discouraged from entering stations.

Twitter was a buzz saw of comments from the city as well as around the world. Tweets were arriving too fast for anyone but a cyborg to read.

As of Saturday morning, TV weekend skeletal news crews were being tested as a standoff continued in Dallas. Fox was having a field day.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/06/13/dallas-police-shooting/

Fortunately there were no deaths reported in the overnight event.

Meanwhile, law enforcement were still unable to find two convicted murderers who had escaped from a New York prison with the help of a prison worker.

NBC said as many as four people were involved in the Dallas attack. That could not be confirmed immediately.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/gunman-fires-shots-dallas-police-headquarters-cops-n374836

One caller reporter told police one of his kids had been seized and he was accused of being a terrorist.

Conflicts between police and some communities have been rising dramatically after the contested killings of unarmed suspects. Unlike the late 1960s, though, the resistance to police violence was more broadly based than just small black groups like the Black Panthers.

President Obama intervened to slow the delivery of surplus military equipment to police stations.

Some communities have handed back Humvees and armored vehicles.

Critics say the gear isn’t needed. In the South African movie “Chappie” even Johannesburg police say they do not need to be able to shoot down planes.

The Dallas Morning News identified one shooter.

“James Boulware, 50, who has a history of family violence and blames authorities for his losing custody of his son, Dallas police Chief David Brown said.

“Boulware's mother, Jeannine Boulware, declined to comment Saturday morning when she was reached at her Dallas home by phone.

"I don't want to talk to the media. I want to talk to my son. I want my grandson to talk to his father. Do not call this number again," she said.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20150613-report-of-shots-fired-near-dallas-police-headquarters-prompts-chase.ece

Is that NOAA in Denver or Noah as rain pounds weed heaven

ACLU Condemns Privacy Violation of Gay Valedictorian’s Rights

The ACLU and the family of a college student who committed suicide after being ridiculed on social media five years ago for being gay have condemned a Colorado charter school.

Most attention focused on the school, Twin Peaks Charter Academy of Longmont, for refusing to let its valedictorian give his valedictorian speech after posting a perfect grade score.

The school was upset with 18-year-old Evan Young because he planned to declare that he is gay in his speech.

The school’s principal, B.J. Buchmann, called his parents and told Young’s father that his son would not be allowed to speak because he planned to talk about his sexual preference.

The parents did not know Young was gay.

“It was outrageous enough that Twin Peaks Charter Academy High School did not allow valedictorian Evan Young to deliver his valedictory address at graduation ceremonies because he planned to openly

state that he is gay. … But even worse, Principal Buchmann called Evan’s parents before the ceremony and outed him as gay.  Even though Evan planned to publicly state his identity as gay, he should have been able to say it first to his parents on his own terms.  Principal Buchmann’s conduct was insensitive, disrespectful of Evan’s privacy, and could have led to serious harm without knowing how Evan or his parents would react.  It is ironic that the school was not willing to let Evan state a personal fact about himself in his graduation speech but felt free to share that same fact to his parents without his consent,” said Nathan Woodliff-Stanley, Colorado ACLU executive director.

Outings of gay students have led to violent incidents across the nation, including some deaths. Young’s parents accepted the news with no worries.

On Sept. 20, 2010, Tyler Clementi, an accomplished violinist, jumped off the George Washington Bridge after a roommate outed him on social media. On CBS Sunday Morning, Clementi’s parents said it still hurts.

His brother, in an interview, said of the case involving valedictorian Young: "For a young LGBT person the realization of one's sexuality can be a scary and difficult discovery. There is so much inner turmoil that goes into learning to love and accept oneself. The act of coming out and sharing this information with the people in one's life and community is a brave one, but it is also a hard thing to do for many of us. Every individual LGBT person has the right to determine when and to whom they come out. People deserve the right to make that decision for themselves, when they are ready to do it, and that choice needs to be respected."

Like his younger brother, James is gay. He only told his parents after Tyler, who like Evan Young was 18,  jumped.

Clementi and his parents founded a foundation to fight bullying and protect privacy rights. They were interviewed last weekend on CBS Sunday,  ahead of a full week of activities honoring Tyler.

Young told the Advocate: "I think what it mainly showed is that he didn't have a lot of sympathy for me, or someone in my position. He didn't understand how personal a thing it was, and that I wasn't just going to share it with people randomly, for no reason. I thought it was very inconsiderate for him to do something like that, especially without asking me first."

It remained unclear whether Buchmann had violated federal and state laws by revealing information by someone 18-years-old or older without his/her consent.

The rights of parents to have information about even their minor parents have been restricted in some cases because harm could come from the disclosures.

The decision to ban Young from speaking has also been criticized by U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, a gay, who represents nearby Boulder. The school is in Longmont.

The Boulder Daily Camera reported criticism was so intense the school set up a fundraising campaign to prepare for a lawsuit.

The plans were dropped when a fundraising site decided it would not facilitate it. The family has made clear they are not suing anyone. Young had intended to out himself, on his own terms.

The question remains whether the privacy violation, if one occurred, could threaten the charter school’s standing. The public school district, St. Vrain, has some control over it.

The St. Vrain School District met Wednesday night and commended Twin Peaks for agreeing to an investigation that is “sufficiently broad to determine if there is a pattern or practice of discrimination towards students or faculty based upon sexual preference.” Board President Bob Smith said board members retain the retain to come to their own conclusions, the Daily Camera reported.
The district personally honored Young for his "outstanding achievement."

At least one student, speaking at the meeting, said she had been bullied and harassed after coming out and officials did little about it.

Here is the schedule of events hosted by the Clementis this week: Tomorrow, June 11th. I will be in Albany New York, delivering a key note address of film screening Matt Shepard is a “Friend of Mine”: http://palacealbany.com/EventsandTickets/EventTickets/event.aspx?eid=bb4ccf68-a5b6-44ec-95e0-992ff9c54e19

Saturday, June 13th is the New York City premiere of Tyler's Suite:http://nycgmc.org/news/save-the-date-generation-y-featuring-tylers-suite/ (a new piece of contemporary music by several famous composers)

And Sunday June 14^th. My entire family will be at North Jersey Pride in Maplewood NJ:http://www.northjerseypride.org/event/2015-north-jersey-pride-festival/

http://www.tylerclementi.org/tyler_s_suite_tour