Perception // Current TV

NY Times gets blunt: Climate action requires a fundamental remaking of the sinews of modern life

John Broder had this remarkable sentence in his Sunday New York Times dispatch from Durban:

Effectively addressing climate change will require over the coming decades a fundamental remaking of energy production, transportation and agriculture around the world — the sinews of modern life.

This is uncharacteristically blunt for the Times. It reflects a worldview that is generally not reflected in their overall coverage, as I discussed in “The New York Times Abandons the Story of the Century and Joins the Energy and Climate Ignorati.”

Broder’s point is that the UN process is simply not up to the task of addressing the climate problem:

It is simply too big a job for those who have gathered for these talks under the 1992 United Nations treaty that began this grinding process.

“There is a fundamental disconnect in having environment ministers negotiating geopolitics and macroeconomics,” said Nick Robins, an energy and climate change analyst at HSBC, the London-based global bank.

Unfortunately, most economics ministers are pretty clueless about the subject. That said, I’ve never been a big fan of the current process, which requires near-unanimous consent by nearly 200 countries.

What’s most blocking action, from my perspective, isn’t the process so much as the failure of the media and policymakers here and around the globe to realize that failing to address climate change will lead to an even bigger remaking of what’s left of modern life in a world of 10°F warming (see An Illustrated Guide to the Science of Global Warming Impacts: How We Know Inaction Is the Gravest Threat Humanity Faces“).

Inaction will create the almost impossible task of feeding 9+ billion in “the face of a rapidly worsening climate.” And avoiding mass starvation and general chaos will certainly require a fundamental remaking of the world. The NYT‘s science reporter Justin Gillis gets this, as you see in articles like “Food Supply Under Strain on a Warming Planet” and “Global Warming Hinders Crop Yields, Study Finds.”

We cannot escape fundamentally remaking the sinews of modern life over the coming decades — in a sustainable way if we act on climate and in a catastrophic way if we don’t. Now is the time for major media outlets like the New York Times to remake their coverage to inform the public of this far more clearly and unambiguously.

More at the linkJohn Broder had this remarkable sentence in his Sunday New York Times dispatch from... more

JanforGore
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EPA displays erectile dysfunction regarding delays on carbon limits on oil refineries as CO2 emissions climb

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, struggling with an ambitious agenda on clean... more

JanforGore
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Perception, Reality, and Tyranny.

It has been said that "reality" is based in perception... just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder... so is "reality". The difficulty, the devil, is in the details.

While digging through history books, congressional records, and the writings of wise people who have come before us... it becomes blatantly clear that our modern version of history; its events, condition of life, principles of human interaction, and governance are widely misunderstood. Of course there are grains of truth in what we are force fed that works to give it all some validity... and each person will view this "information" and form their idea of "reality", often around what fits their expectations and desires, but we must realize... in the end there can't actually be a multitude of realities... only perceptions, and much of what is factual is often left behind.

There is a factual reality... it is however obscured by misinformation, half truths, the spin of agendas, and the individual perception of those who digest it... belief once realized becomes a prison of the mind... and is unfortunately the catalyst for the perpetuation of obfuscation and spreads like a plague through the minds of individuals with similar perception.

Once... that was me, and few spoke louder and spread a twisted perception more than I. Yet... somehow I continued to become more and more unsettled as things just didn't add up. It is a mind wrenching and heart breaking experience to challenge ones own beliefs... yet I was compelled by my desire for knowledge, and to understand why things "are the way they are" when nearly everything I had been taught didn't "jive" with our current condition.

It is a journey many people are not willing to take and that is understandable... picking the lock on ones mind and getting past the comfort in denial are hard enough but the difficulty and pain associated with such an undertaking can be so great as to turn one from that path once the journey has begun... and attempt to rest again in the comfort of previously held belief. I know... because that is exactly what happened to me, yet that respite was brief because once the door of the mind is opened... there isn't any intellectually honest way to turn back. The "tickle" in my mind ate away at me as I attempted to live with my preconceived ideas while holding knowledge that more than challenged that belief... it shattered it... I had to move forward.

There is so much misinformation and literal "crap" out there that it is difficult to sift through it all, I had to find a way to separate the chaff from the grain; finally I decided that the "details" were the problem as so much of it is impossible to verify... thus I began at the beginning... and found a solid foundation to start from in the principles of Natural Law as that was the POWER behind the Declaration of Independence and IS the reason, if we realize it or not, that we recognize our Individual Natural Rights. Once I had that firm understanding I began to look at what currently conflicted with it as those issues are easier to verify, I looked for the actions that precipitated those conflicts to find the "grain of truth" as it is easy for words to lie... actions are much more apt to lead in the direction of facts but in instances when that doesn't hold true... I have found looking for motivating factors to be important, but in the end, I often let those questions go as simply "mysteries" I cannot solve.

To eyes willing to see... it is glaringly obvious that our country and indeed the world we live in is not congruent with Natural Law or with what we have been led to believe. To be honest... in my opinion the first is much more important; how we find ourselves in this position and the falsehoods we have been led to believe are not nearly as important as the condition of respect for our Natural Rights, a perception rooted in Natural Law, and a burning desire to correct the condition of how we experience and enjoy our inherent Natural Rights to Life and Liberty. All other issues simply tend to get in the way and work with great effectiveness to keep us at each others throats and divided when it is vitally important for us to be united... to hell with our differences and beliefs rooted in perception... let us recognize that those are "personal" and thus should not be forced upon another... instead we should be united for ourselves and the good of mankind, just as those who came before and sacrificed so much, and demand that once again Natural Law be recognized and that our Individual Natural Rights be respected as "untouchable"; inherent and unalienable. Declare our Independence from Tyranny once again and as many times as we must.

We need not live with the idea that we must choose between governments, countries, or varying degrees of tyranny... no... instead let us understand that our Individual Natural Rights are already ours... inherent... unalienable... and that no country... no government... no man or group of them... has the RIGHT to infringe upon them. When they do... it is a crime, not against some arbitrary "man-made" law, but against Natural Law, the God of nature, and an act of war against humanity.It has been said that "reality" is based in perception... just as beauty is... more

Rob_Work
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Jeana: A Hollywood Tragedy - Baseline Intelligence

Veteran Television Executive Jim Romanovich shares a sad story of the dark side of... more

jamesluk
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Brain Mechanisms of Self-Consciousness. « Ramanan50's Blog

Beyond Human Understanding.... more

ramanan50
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The One

I'm often being told that there is only one God and that God is typically the God... more

trickyrelativity
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1 year ago
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The End of Existential Angst or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Liberal Conservative in Me

Those who descended from the beings that populated what we know today as Africa may... more

trickyrelativity
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Does Integration Equal Disintegration?

We all may hate each other, but for some crazy reason we cannot stop having sex with... more

trickyrelativity
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I'm White, I'm Male, So The @#$% What!!!

"I don't have a job, a home or a car! I don't have anything and you want me to apologize to you because you don't have anything either!? Spare me! Why don't you go cry to Oprah, Jennifer Lopez, Tyler Perry, Alex Rodriguez, Kobe Bryant or Will Smith!!!"

You can lob epithets like racist, bigot, homophobe, misogynist and the like at the infamous White Man and no one will say much. It's expected. He is The Man after all. He's not even human. Just an oppressive automaton who is responsible for all the world's ills and he even has the audacity to not apologize for simply being? How dare he!? Good thing there are liberal white men out there. At least they express their tacit guilt. But really, what is inherently wrong about him taking pride in his European heritage? Is it because you view your existence as inauspicious due to this heritage? He exploited and oppressed you and because of this there should be no celebration of European virtues. You supported his whims through your labor. He killed you. He took your land. He deceived you. He raped your women. But what is it about him that makes him behave this way and if he thinks himself superior is he truly superior or do you give him power by thinking him evil? What if he is just like you?

What if he feels powerless even though you say he controls "everything?" What if he feels like nothing? Why must you treat him as if he is some comic book-esque supervillian? Why do you laugh in his face when he expresses his frustration? What does this say about you? Are you envious of the access his skin color affords him? Do you see his lack of melanin as a blessing? Do you not feel your abundance of melanin is a curse? Do you have to overcompensate in order to battle against a deep-seated inferiority complex? Is your black or brown pride a by-product of the acknowledgement of his existence? Who were you before you found out about him? How did you see yourself then? Probably not as brown or black. Perhaps you were just you.

That's it! That's why the white man is evil! He made me acknowledge the fact that I was 'some thing.' I'm not 'some thing,' I am some ONE!

Is this all his fault? What if it is all OUR fault? And by 'our' I mean us, not them...and by 'not them' I mean them.

Hey, I clicked those hyperlinks and I'm lost. Us? Not them? What?

We're all lost. Click the link below and let's see if we can build a compass...together.
http://trickyrelativity.wordpress.com/2010/11/09/im-white-im-male-so-the-what/"I don't have a job, a home or a car! I don't have anything and you... more

trickyrelativity
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What exactly IS fashion?

1. In what ways can fashion and beauty (in the sense of the term limited by the topic... more

AwakenedAesthetic
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How Perception of Time Relates to Decision-Making (VIDEO) - The Daily Blender

Professor Philip Zimbardo Conveys How Our Individual Perspectives Of Time Affect Our... more

dryeraser
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You just realized...ducks are actually wearing little dog masks.

Your perception is about to change.

cheshiresleeves
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How Marijuana Pepsi Sawyer got her name & see what Conservative Christian thinks about this

Sawyer's mother, Maggie Johnson, picked her name. Her father objected but lost... more

worrg
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Some insight regarding: percieved truths versus facts.

"Actions, that individuals take, based on perceived truths, are based in theory.... more

Fading_Chaos
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Can the Peace Drug Help Clean Up the War Mess?

At a conference last weekend, researchers reported positive results on the... more

cosmobirdie
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Do we live in a Multiverse?

WHEN cosmologist George Ellis turned 70 last year, his friends held a party to... more

cosmobirdie
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Have we cracked the DMT Puzzle?

James Kent attempts to tie a knot in the meme of autonomous elves and other DMT entities...

Hey Clifford, a friend recently pointed me to your article on DMT, Moses and Aliens. Since you asked people to voice their opinion I shall. I have studied this issue very closely for the past fifteen years, and though I have not published the results of all my research I would like to share with you some of the conclusions I’ve made about DMT and the dramatic phenomena it produces.

In short, I do not believe DMT is a gateway to an alternate dimension, nor does it induce contact with autonomous elves and alien entities. Yes, DMT produces a vivid other-worldly landscape when ingested, often including elves, aliens, insects, snakes, jaguars, etc. This is true for the majority of people who try it. Some people do not have such vivid responses, but many do. Although this may appear at first glance to be “shocking,” it is actually no more shocking then the fact that most people dream at night, or that most people see geometric patterns (pressure phosphenes) when they close their eyes and press against their eyeballs. But the difference between pressure phosphenes and DMT is that DMT is illegal and very hard to come by, so most people never have the opportunity to experience it. If we could all hold our breath for a minute and produce vivid hallucinations of alien landscapes it would seem quite mundane, no more than a mere curiosity of the human condition. However, since this particular alien landscape is produced by a specific rare substance (DMT), people seem to think it is akin to unlocking the mysteries of the universe when they actually get their hands on it.

Now don’t get me wrong, DMT is stunning in its effect, no doubt. But, like anything, when you do it many times the magic tends to wear off and reveal itself for what it is; an exotic aberration of the brain’s perceptual mechanics. To illustrate this point I would like to offer the following observations:

Read the full article at http://www.brainwaving.com/2010/04/07/have-we-cracked-the-dmt-puzzle/James Kent attempts to tie a knot in the meme of autonomous elves and other DMT... more

cosmobirdie
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Don’t Retreat, Instead – RETHINK!

In order to take a concrete stand on an issue we must betray our very nature. Doubt, a... more

trickyrelativity
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Is the Drug War legitimizing Racism?

Obama’s mere presence in the Oval Office is offered as proof that “the... more

cosmobirdie
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THE MACHINE STOPS

Anybody who uses the Internet - and that's pretty much everyone - should read E.M. Forster’s The Machine Stops. It is a chilling, short story masterpiece about the role of technology in our lives. Written in 1909, it’s as relevant today as the day it was published. Forster has several prescient notions including instant messages (email!) and cinematophoes (machines that project visual images).

THE MACHINE STOPS
Arts — POSTED BY Charlotte Walsh on March 22, 2010 at 10:27 am | Edit

Anybody who uses the Internet should read E.M. Forster’s The Machine Stops. It is a chilling, short story masterpiece about the role of technology in our lives. Written in 1909, it’s as relevant today as the day it was published. Forster has several prescient notions including instant messages (email!) and cinematophoes (machines that project visual images).

by E.M. Forster (1909)

I
THE AIR-SHIP

Imagine, if you can, a small room, hexagonal in shape, like the cell of a bee. It is lighted neither by window nor by lamp, yet it is filled with a soft radiance. There are no apertures for ventilation, yet the air is fresh. There are no musical instruments, and yet, at the moment that my meditation opens, this room is throbbing with melodious sounds. An armchair is in the centre, by its side a reading-desk-that is all the furniture. And in the armchair there sits a swaddled lump of flesh-a woman, about five feet high, with a face as white as a fungus. It is to her that the little room belongs.

An electric bell rang.

The woman touched a switch and the music was silent.

“I suppose I must see who it is”, she thought, and set her chair in motion. The chair, like the music, was worked by machinery and it rolled her to the other side of the room where the bell still rang importunately.

“Who is it?” she called. Her voice was irritable, for she had been interrupted often since the music began. She knew several thousand people, in certain directions human intercourse had advanced enormously.

The the full story fro free at http://www.brainwaving.com/2010/03/22/the-machine-stops/Anybody who uses the Internet - and that's pretty much everyone - should read... more

cosmobirdie
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