Month: August 2014

Global warming leading to mass extinction?

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Earlier this year, researchers offered a hypothesis aiming to solve one of science’s enduring mysteries: what happened at the end of the Permian period to cause the worst of the five mass extinctions in Earth’s history. Methane-spewing Microbe Blamed in Earth’s Worst Mass Extinction:

globe-earth-space-western-hemisphereA microbe that spewed humongous amounts of methane into Earth’s atmosphere triggered a global catastrophe 252 million years ago that wiped out upwards of 90 percent of marine species and 70 percent of land vertebrates.

The scale of this calamity made the one that doomed the dinosaurs 65 million years ago – a six-mile wide asteroid smacking the planet – seem like a picnic by comparison.

“I would say that the end-Permian extinction is the closest animal life has ever come to being totally wiped out, and it may have come pretty close,” said Massachusetts Institute of Technology biologist Greg Fournier, one of the researchers.

I don’t mean to alarm you, but it is happening again. Vast methane ‘plumes’ seen in Arctic ocean as sea ice retreats:

Dramatic and unprecedented plumes of methane – a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide – have been seen bubbling to the surface of the Arctic Ocean by scientists undertaking an extensive survey of the region.

The scale and volume of the methane release has astonished the head of the Russian research team who has been surveying the seabed of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf off northern Russia for nearly 20 years.

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Martha McSally is a ‘Deportation Republican’

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I posted last week that The GOP is officially the party of Steve King and of mass deportation. Call them “Deportation Republicans.”

All four of Arizona’s Tea-Publican congressman voted for the two House bills. Arizona’s Senators voted with their GOP colleagues to filibuster the Democratic bill for border emergency funding over a procedural vote. Arizona’s angry old man John McCain had his panties in a bunch over an amendment that he wanted to offer to deport refugee children from Central American faster and with fewer due process protections than they now enjoy under a 2008 law (similar to the bill passed in the House). They are “Deportation Republicans.”

The Arizona Daily Star reported that CD 2 GOP candidate Martha McSally supports Rep. Steve King’s Tea Party non-compromise border bills in the House. She also is a “Deportation Republican.” CD2 Watch: Reactions to $694 million House immigration bill:

McSally-King“Yesterday, Congressman Barber failed Southern Arizonans by voting against a bill to help secure our border and provide badly needed resources to deal with the humanitarian crisis. Either he doesn’t understand how important this issue is or is more concerned with following his party’s wishes,” McSally said.

McSally notes the bill contains funding for additional resources for Customs and Border Patrol operations, funds National Guard troops on the border, increases humanitarian assistance for unaccompanied minors and adds funding for temporary immigration judges.

I guarantee you that Martha McSally, who has never demonstrated to me that she has any intellectual curiosity in learning anything about public policy, had any inkling about what was actually in these bills before this boilerplate statement was prepared for her by her RNCC handlers.

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Original “I Origins” film coming to the Loft

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Starting 8/8/14 at the Loft Theater, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. in Tucson, AZ Showtimes for opening day: 11:30 a.m., 2 , 4:30, 7 and 10:45 p.m. I Origins, the second feature film from award-winning writer/director Mike Cahill (Another Earth), tells the story of Ian Gray (Michael Pitt, Last Days), a PhD student studying molecular biology … Read more

State Sen. Chester Crandell (R-LD6) passes away

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By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings

First and foremost, my deepest condolences go out to Sen. Crandell’s family and friends.  Politically, we never agreed, on pretty much absolutely anything.  However, he was also very civil and even warm, even toward those with whom he disagreed.

He will be missed by many.

Picture courtesy the website of the Arizona Legislature

 

From the Arizona Republic, written by Alia Beard Rau –

Arizona Sen. Chester Crandell was found dead Monday afternoon after he didn’t return from a horseback ride near Heber-Overgaard. He was 68.

Crandell, a fifth-generation rural Arizonan and rancher, had served in the Legislature since 2011.

Across partisan lines, Crandell was well-liked and well-respected:

From the Facebook page of State Senator Katie Hobbs (D-LD24) –

There may not be a lot that we agreed on, but I know that we shared the same passion for making sure we leave Arizona a better place than we found it. You did that Chester – thank you.

State Senate Adam Driggs (R-LD28) tweeted this –

I will miss my friend Senator Chester Crandell. He was an Arizona statesman who worked w/ honor and integrity to make Arizona a better place.

Per news reports as of this writing, the investigation into Crandell’s death is ongoing and no arrangements have been announced.

 

Now to the political details –

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