Vida Enigmática

"Who speaks for Earth?"

Who speaks for Earth?

atmosphere Australia biodiversity buying case climate climate change consumerism don't Earth environment environmental food home humanity know Leslie Dean Brown life Mars materials money natural nature oxygen part petition planet power products reason rich science scientific scientists sustainable technology tell thing trees value want water what work world

This is Pluto speaking here.

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>sign the petition to reinstate Pluto‘s full planet status<
Illustration by Leslie Dean Brown
Illustration by Leslie Dean Brown

Hello.

This is Pluto speaking here.

Look, I wasn’t very happy when some scientists took away my “full planetary” status in 2006 without even consulting me directly. And I’m not alone.

I’ve been thinking about it – and this whole ‘dwarf’ designation has never really sat well with me ever since. And my moon Charon is not to thrilled about it either… because that would make her the moon of a dwarf planet, aka a “dwarf moon”.

Especially when you say that I’m a dwarf planet, and then go on to say “which is not really a planet”. Imagine how Jupiter would react if you said: “Jupiter is a gas giant planet… which is not really a planet!” !!

And then you gave me a number. What do you call it? “Minor planet designation”. Wait a second. Let me look that up. Let’s see here, what have I got, I knew I had it somewhere… “134340”. That’s it. “134340”. That doesn’t sound very special to me. One minute I’m named after a God. And the next thing someone has placed this completely arbitrary bogus number IN FRONT OF my name. Not after it mind you. BEFORE! Like this: 134340 Pluto. One-three-four-three-four-zero-pluto. To a planet, this is invective! [Read more…]

“There are no accidents”

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We assume that true “randomness” exists. But is there really such a thing as a purely random event or thing?

I think we only use the word random to describe things that we can’t fully explain. I think that the events which first appear to be random are actually be very structured and organised. It’s easier to say “it’s entirely random” than to explain the myriad of intricacies of any particular system…

Picture several hundred people moving at a train station or crossing a busy intersection. At first glance it looks purely random. But there is really nothing random about it. Each of the people has a distinct set of reasons for being there. Maybe some of them are going to work, or coming home from night shift or meeting a friend for a coffee. They are doing what people do: shopping, socialising, travelling, working, playing, walking, seeing, doing and a multitude of other things that other people do to make themselves feel happy. None of that is random.

“There are no accidents” — Master Oogway

[Read more…]

Help fund the birdLife migratory birds & flyways programme!

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What is the point of creating high definition televisions, sharper lenses and ever-more megapixels, if we’re only going to witness the destruction of nature in ever-greater detail and clarity?

I hope you like the special video I put together and that you’re in a good mood what with the music and everything. Please do watch it in full 1080p high definition with the volume up!!

I would really love to see this particular project 100% funded! www.justgiving.com/BirdLife-migratory-flyways

It’s now been sitting at 34% for literally weeks on end. So far there have only been 22 donations. A total of ££3,403.50 has been raised of £10,000.00 target.

Welcome to the BirdLife Migratory Birds & Flyways Programme Fundraising Page
For millennia the miracle of migration has inspired mankind.
But now the pressures on migratory birds have got to such a level that they’ve become one of the most threatened groups of species and the natural phenomenon of migration is under serious threat.
By making a donation today, you are joining a unique community who are helping to monitor the movements of migratory birds, unravel the mysteries of their amazing journeys and protect them all along the way.

Please give generously.

Carnivorous plants are fast becoming critically endangered!

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Carnivorous plants are in danger from poaching and habitat destruction
Illustration by Leslie Dean Brown. © 2015. All rights reserved.
Illustration by Leslie Dean Brown. © 2015. All rights reserved.

We must assess them all for The IUCN Red List to guide vital conservation action. Thanks to your support, we’ve reached our initial USD 25,000 target, allowing us to bring together experts for the first assessment workshop in August 2016.

The next step will require fieldwork in remote locations to enable the assessment of poorly known species. Assessors will work unpaid but the expeditions need to be funded. Thus, we need to raise an additional USD 100,000 – will you help? Please see the IUCN website for more details.