Tracing the evolution of the human diet from our earliest ancestors can lead to a better understanding of human adaptation in the past. It may also offer clues to the origin of many health problems we currently face, such as obesity and chronic disease. This fascinating series of talks focuses on the changing diets of our ancestors and what role these dietary transitions played in the evolution of humans. Leslie C. Aiello (Wenner-Gren Foundation) begins with An Overview of Diet and Evolution, followed by Richard Wrangham (Harvard Univ) on Fire, Starch, Meat, and Honey, Steven Leigh (Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) on Diets and Microbes in Primates. – Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny.
‘Hurricanes, heatwaves, fires, floods and famine. Evidence is growing linking extreme weather to global warming. As yet another round of United Nations climate talks begin, this time in Qatar. But where is all the hot air getting us in dealing with all the hot air? (27 Nov 2012)’.
Europe’s big freeze has deepened. Fresh snowfalls have swept across parts of the continent, the number of deaths has risen. Authorities in Serbia say three more people have died while a further 8 have lost their lives in Romania taking the total there to 65. Army police and firefighters were attempting to clear routes to distribute food and water to thousands who were cut off in this latest white deluge.
Global warming or climate change at its best . . . While Europe is freezing as a result of the influx of Siberian weather fronts, on the other side of the planet quite the reverse is taking place, as documented by the YouTuber and blogger uspimpclub: ‘Unprecedented warmth; Records smashed; 1st early Jan 60s ever in MN!
This is from the MN Climate Working Group and NWS today. “There has never been a 60 degree temperature recorded during the first week of January in Minnesota’s modern climate record. The warmest temperature ever recorded in Minnesota during the first week of January is 59 degrees, occurring on January 7, 2003 in Amboy, MN. The warmest temperature ever recorded in Minnesota on January 5 is 57 degrees, recorded at Crookston in 1902. Reaching 60 degrees ANY time ANYWHERE in January is quite rare, occurring in only 10 years of the 120 year modern record. The all-time record high temperature for any day in January is 69 degrees, occurring January 24, 1981 in Montevideo.” Many locations not only broke records Thursday, but smashed them by more than 10 degrees! (9 Jan 2012)’.
Much of the United States has been enjoying unseasonably warm weather, and it has many people asking whatever happened to winter? NBC’s Ann Thompson looks at the “why” behind the wacky winter weather.
(1 Feb 2012)
Meanwhile, in the Old World, as reported by the Voice of America: a ‘brutal cold front blamed for hundreds of deaths across Europe is threatening to linger even longer. High winds whipped across Russia’s Krasnodar region Wednesday [, 8 Feb], churning water in the port city of Novorossiysk, tearing apart buildings and causing some roofs to collapse. Heavy snow also blanketed the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, freezing roads and lakes. Officials say the death toll across Europe has now climbed to more than 400 people, with new fatalities being reported in central and Eastern Europe. The French news agency said Russian officials on Wednesday raised their death toll to more than 100, with 44 new deaths blamed on the cold since the start of the month. As parts of Europe issue emergency declarations, forecasters warn it could be several weeks before the vicious cold snap departs. Omar Baddour with the World Meteorological Organization said he expects the sub-zero temperatures to start warming next week. Baddour added it could take until the end of the month for Europe to see a significant change. Hundreds of villages, and tens of thousands of people, have been cut off from supplies as snow continues to pile up. Ice has also been a problem, clogging rivers and shutting down key ports. The French news agency said Bosnian authorities started using helicopters to carry needed supplies to isolated hamlets near Mostar and Kalinovic. Italy has also been hit with heavy snow and at the Vatican Wednesday, Pope Benedict prayed for victims of the bitter cold’.[1]
The climate negotiations in Durban are apparently stalling due to the dual opposition of India and China, the new economic powerhouses of the 21st century. But, as it turns out, the U.S. also carries much of the blame and not necessarily because of Republican obstructionism: ‘On Wednesday, 7 December 2011, a group of climate change deniers praised the Obama administration’s refusal to support an extension of the Kyoto Protocol or an agreement on binding emissions cuts. Democracy Now! caught up to Marc Morano, publisher of the Climate Depot, at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa. “They [the Obama administration] have kept the exact same principles and negotiating stance as President George Bush did for eight years,” Morano says. “Obama has carried on Bush’s legacy. So as sceptics, we tip our hat to President Obama in helping to crush and continuing to defeat the United Nations process. Obama has been a great friend of global warming sceptics at these conferences.” Democracy Now! gets a response from Pablo Solon, Bolivia’s former ambassador to the United Nations and former chief negotiator on climate change, and from Patrick Bond, a South African climate activist, professor and author’.
Morano did say of the current U.S. President that “His Nickname Is George W. Obama” . . . Marc Morano runs the climate website ClimateDepot.com for the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, a conservative environmental think tank. Until spring of 2009, Morano served as communications director for the Republicans on the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Morano commenced work with the committee under Senator James Inhofe, who was majority chairman of the committee until January 2007 and is now minority ranking member. In December 2006 Morano launched a blog on the committee’s website that largely promotes the views of climate change sceptics. Morano is a former journalist with Cybercast News Service (CNS), which is owned by the conservative Media Research Center. CNS and Morano were the first source in May 2004 of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth claims against John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election and in January 2006 of similar smears against Vietnam war veteran John Murtha. Morano was “previously known as Rush Limbaugh’s ‘Man in Washington,’ as reporter and producer for the Rush Limbaugh Television Show.[1]
The earthquake and tsunami that devastated Fukushima Prefecture and has led to the world’s most dangerous nuclear disaster, still unfolding, is really a poisonous gift that keeps on giving. The below news report explains further.
The Scientific American elaborates: ‘Debris from the devastating tsunami that hit Japan on March 11 has turned up exactly where scientists predicted it would after months of floating across the Pacific Ocean. Finding and confirming where the debris ended up gives them a better idea of where it’s headed next. The magnitude 9.0 quake and ensuing tsunami that struck off the coast of Tohoku in Japan was so powerful that it broke off huge icebergs thousands of miles away in the Antarctic, locally altered Earth’s gravity field, and washed millions of tons of debris into the Pacific. Scientists at the International Pacific Research Center at the University of Hawaii at Manoa have been trying to track the trajectory of this debris, which can threaten small ships and coastlines. The new sightings should help the scientists predict when the debris, which ranges from pieces of fishing vessels to TV sets, will arrive at sensitive locations, such as marine reserves. (Scientists estimate the debris will wash up on the Hawaii Islands in two years and the U.S. West Coast in three.)’.[1]
The report goes on to say that the ‘first landfall [of Fukushima debris] on Midway Islands is anticipated this winter. What misses Midway will continue toward the main Hawaiian Islands, where it is expected to hit in two years, and then on to the West Coast of North America in three years’.[2]
There have been 10 climate events already this year that have caused more than $1 billion worth of damage each in the United States, a new record. This is a countdown of those events from least to most costly.[1]
Last December I posted an entry on Canada’s tar sands and the projected pipeline that would transport the resultant oil all the way from Alberta in the north to Texas and the Gulf of Mexıco in the south.[1]
On this edition of the Big Picture, Jamie Henn and Cherri Foytlin join ‘Thom after getting out of jail. More arrests in front of the White House this week as demonstrators continue their push-back against the proposed TransCanada oil pipeline. Since Monday, 22 August, more than 160 people have been cuffed in protests. The project – mostly pushed for by oil oligarchs in Texas – will create a massive pipeline across America stretching from Canada to Texas – that will funnel 700,00 barrels of highly toxic crude every day across some of America’s most treasured and pristine lands. Protestors of the project describe it as: “A fifteen hundred mile fuse to the biggest carbon bomb on the continent, a way to make it easier and faster to trigger the final overheating of our planet” President Obama can stop the project on his own with the stroke of a pen – and environmental activists around the country – many of whom believed President Obama’s promises to heal the planet and voted for him – are hoping he doesn’t turn their back on the them now’ (25 August 2011).
In view of President Obama’s much-vaunted championing of green jobs and sustainable development, the issue of his endorsement of the TransCanada pipeline seems crucial indeed. Fortunately for him, hurricane Irene has now diverted attention away from the protests and the projected pipeline. As reported by AP’s Jennifer Peltz and Michael Biesecker ‘Irene zeroed in on land Saturday [, 27 August], losing some power but still whipping up trouble even before a catastrophic run up the Eastern Seaboard. More than 2 million people were told to move to safer places, and New York City ordered the nation’s biggest subway system shut down for the first time because of a natural disaster. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the enormous storm’s top sustained winds were down to 90 mph early Saturday from 100 mph overnight but warned that Irene would remain a hurricane as it moves up the mid-Atlantic coast, even after losing some more strength once it hits land’.[2] The Tar Sand Action group, however, remains active on the interwebz, with a dedicated website and Facebook page.[3] On Friday, 26 August, the following was posted on the website: ‘Here is an update on our plans for the coming weekend as a result of Hurricane Irene: Being mindful of the State of Emergency declared, we will have a rally on Saturday, but will not engage in civil disobedience. We will meet at Lafayette Park for the rally at 10am, and hope to be done before the storm hits. That evening, we will still have the Artists For the Climate event (How to Defuse a Carbon Bomb) at St. Stephen’s Church (1525 Newton Street Northwest, near Columbia Heights Metro). Anyone concerned about travel arrangements or other issues related to the storm is encouraged to reschedule their plans to join us in the coming week, which we expect to be even bigger and stronger than the one past. We will discuss as a group our plans for tomorrow during this evening’s training session, which will continue as planned, based on the latest weather updates. Sunday’s demonstration will be cancelled, in the interests of safety, and out of respect for everyone dealing with the immediate effects of this monster storm. Sunday’s training for Monday’s action is still planned to happen at Mt. Vernon Church at
5pm, barring major power outages or other disruptions. It does not escape our attention that storms of this size and character will be the new normal on a warmer planet. We are more committed than ever to continuing our campaign to stop Keystone XL and the tar sands development, and we will be back in action Monday, [29 August 2011]’.[4]
The powerful tornadoes and other extreme weather events that have cut swaths of destruction across the United States over the past month have prompted many to wonder if they are part of a new trend. Are these violent storms the result of climate change, or can they be explained as normal weather variations (27 May 2011).
The only known pre-Islamic Christian site at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, located at Sir Bani Yas Island, off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, has opened to tourists for the first time. A Christian church is the latest attraction in this conservative Muslim nation. Christian monasteries have already been discovered in nearby Saudi Arabia, though rarely publicised due to reluctance to embrace pre-Islamic religions in the region. Al Jazeera’s Dan Nolan reports.
The wildlife resort mentioned in the report is a viable business proposition, judging form its dedicated website: ‘The creation of the Arabian Wildlife Park is the result of years of conservation and re-vegetation work which continues to this day. Taking up approximately half of Sir Bani Yas Island, the 4,200 hectare park is surrounded by a 32km fence and is home to several thousand free-roaming animals, indigenous to the Arabian Peninsula. These animals include the endangered Arabian Oryx, Sand Gazelle, Arabian (Mountain) Gazelle as well as predators and scavengers such as the cheetah and hyena. In 2009 we introduced four cheetahs to the island as part of a conservation programme. The cheetahs were brought up in captivity, but through training from skilled Wildlife & Conservation staff on Sir Bani Yas Island, they were taught to hunt and fend for themselves and subsequently released to roam free in the Park. The hyenas clean up what the cheetahs leave behind. The cheetahs on Sir Bani Yas Island are the only free-roaming ones in the region. Both cheetahs and hyenas are native to the Arabian Peninsula’.[1] In other words, this is yet another attempt to prepare for the day the oil runs out, albeit a proposition much better conceived and marketed than the Ice Island Water Park.[2] And now, archaeology and Christian history are in the process of being added as yet more attractions to this theme park.
A reporter working for the Abu Dhabi Media Company Jen Thomas writes that ‘[o]ne of the most significant archeological finds in the Gulf is about to reveal important details about life 1,400 years ago. The remains of a Christian monastery and church on Sir Bani Yas Island, believed to have been settled around 600 AD by a community of 30 to 40 monks, opened for public viewing on Saturday [, 11 December 2010]. The site, unearthed in the early 1990s, is believed to be the only permanent settlement ever established on the island, and researchers said the find has valuable historical and religious significance’, adding that the ‘monastery complex, a multi-building compound located on the eastern side of the 87-square-kilometre island [was] [d]iscovered in 1992 during an archaeological survey, the monastery is believed to have been an important destination for pilgrims travelling along a trade route to India’.[3] Dr Joseph Elders, the project’s archaeological director, said that “Twenty years ago, we had no idea that Christians came this far south and east in the Arabian Gulf. This shows that Christianity had penetrated far further than we thought before . . . We don’t have many monasteries from this period”.[4] Thomas elucidates that ‘Christianity spread throughout the Gulf between the years 50 and 350, following the trade routes. The inhabitants of the 7th-century settlement probably belonged to the Nestorian Church, or Church of the East. Researchers believe the wealthy community was made up of a mixture of people from along the Gulf, and local residents who spoke Syriac and Arabic. The community probably chose the site based on its location at the head of a natural sheltered harbour. Archaeologists have discovered 15 types of pottery at the complex. The complex itself comprises monks’ cells, kitchens and animal pens surrounding a courtyard with a church dominating the centre. The artefacts, including bowls, jars, glass vessels and ceremonial vases, reveal that the monks had ties to modern-day Iraq, India and maybe Bahrain. The settlement remained until about 750 and appears to have been peacefully abandoned. As Islam’s influence spread, the community probably diminished slowly as the monks struggled to find new recruits. The newly opened archaeological site was excavated between 1993 and 1996 under the patronage of Sheikh Zayed, the founder of the UAE, who used Sir Bani Yas Island as a retreat. Fieldwork had been halted until 2009 when Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, ordered excavation to resume’.[5] So that now, in addition to exotic wildlife, ancient Christianity can be sold to tourist audiences from the West and the rest of the civilised world steeped in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, the chairman of the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), declared humbly that “We are delighted to be opening this ancient site to the public, which gives visitors an insight into the rich history of Sir Bani Yas Island and the UAE. We are proud of our heritage and are therefore focused on creating a multi-experience tourism destination where guests are able to enjoy a variety of activities, while protecting and preserving the history and culture of our country, as well as the natural environment of the island”.[6] QED.
The Associated Press reports that ‘Australians are experiencing severe weather conditions with floods, unseasonable snow and lightening storms causing disruption. Arrangements are being made to fly in relief supplies to some of the hardest-hit areas. (19 Dec. 20)’.
Last September I wrote in Today’s Zaman: “İstanbul, the rest of Turkey and certain parts of the world have been very hot lately. Will the coming winter months now prove to be unusually cold, heartening the climate change denial lobby?”.[1] Now, winter has arrived, carrying lots of snow in its wake. Stephanie Rogers explains on the website ecosalon that “all that snow can’t possibly have anything to do with a near-record amount of moisture in the air. Meteorologist Jeff Masters explains that heavy precipitation events are increasing as the world warms, and guess what – at the freezing point and below, that means snow (and lots of it). Global warming doesn’t mean winter is going to go away. The U.S. isn’t the entire world – it’s only 1.5 percent of the globe. The Earth’s atmosphere is getting warmer, but different climates will be affected in different ways. Local weather is becoming more volatile across the board due both to warming and normal variability, but while that has translated to more frequent, more severe snow events in North America, Brazil is experiencing a near-record heat wave at the same time”.[2] But not just America, also Europe is now also experiencing the after-effects of the increased precipitation in the air: ‘Europe saw little respite on Sunday [, 19 December] from the Arctic conditions that closed airports and disrupted travel over the weekend before Christmas, traditionally one of the busiest times of the year’.[3] AP’s David Stringer writes from London that “[b]lizzards and freezing temperatures shut down runways, train tracks and highways across Europe on Saturday [, 18 December], disrupting flights and leaving shivering drivers stranded on roadsides. Airports in Britain, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark reported cancelations or delays to flights. London’s Gatwick airport reopened late afternoon after 150 employees using dozens of plows worked to clear the runway of 10 centimeters (four inches) of snow, though officials warned flights would be limited and cancelations likely. Heathrow Airport will remain shut until Sunday after snow and ice forced the closure of runways, according to a statement on its website”.[4]
In unrelated news, ‘North and Central America will be able to view a full lunar eclipse starting Tuesday morning, Dec. 21. This eclipse is also a special one—it falls on the winter solstice, the transition between fall and winter, and it is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. It has been 456 years since the last time these two celestial events coincided’.[5]
[1] Can Erimtan, “Summer 2010: oil spills and their environmental impact” Today’s Zaman (07 September 2010). http://tiny.cc/q6oj6.
Inside Story: Climate talks COP18 – More hot air about hot air?
‘Hurricanes, heatwaves, fires, floods and famine. Evidence is growing linking extreme weather to global warming. As yet another round of United Nations climate talks begin, this time in Qatar. But where is all the hot air getting us in dealing with all the hot air? (27 Nov 2012)’.
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Climate Change, Current Affairs, Current History, Global Warming, Middle East, Peak Oil, Political Commentary, Science, Uncategorized, Water