Bruises received
Are never acceptable
Inflicted by life though
Can be bad or good
Tacky to flaunt them
But sometimes they seem
A well-needed lesson
Be it small or extreme
(from https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/)
Sea level rise
Global sea level rose about 8 inches in the last century. The rate in the last two decades, however, is nearly double that of the last century
Global temperature rise
The planet's average surface temperature has risen about 2.0 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 degrees Celsius) since the late 19th century, a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere. Most of the warming occurred in the past 35 years, with 16 of the 17 warmest years on record occurring since 2001. Not only was 2016 the warmest year on record, but eight of the 12 months that make up the year — from January through September, with the exception of June — were the warmest on record for those respective months. 6
Warming oceans
The oceans have absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 700 meters (about 2,300 feet) of ocean showing warming of 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969
Shrinking ice sheets
The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. Data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost 150 to 250 cubic kilometers (36 to 60 cubic miles) of ice per year between 2002 and 2006, while Antarctica lost about 152 cubic kilometers (36 cubic miles) of ice between 2002 and 2005.
Declining Arctic sea ice
Both the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly over the last several decades.8
Image: Visualization of the 2012 Arctic sea ice minimum, the lowest on record
Glacial retreat
Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world — including in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska and Africa.
Extreme events
Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world; including in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska and Africa. The number of record high temperature events in the United States has been increasing, while the number of record low temperature events has been decreasing, since 1950. The U.S. has also witnessed increasing numbers of intense rainfall events.10
Ocean acidification
Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by about 30 percent. This increase is the result of humans emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and hence more being absorbed into the oceans. The amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the upper layer of the oceans is increasing by about 2 billion tons per year.
Decreased snow cover
Satellite observations reveal that the amount of spring snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere has decreased over the past five decades and that the snow is melting earlier
(from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/books/review/the-social-conquest-of-earth-by-edward-o-wilson.html)
on ‘The Social Conquest of Earth,’ by Edward O. Wilson
". . . one can stack up log-style all humans alive today into a cube that’s about a mile on each side, easily hidden in the Grand Canyon. And all the ants on earth would fit into a cube of similar size. More important, humans and certain insects are the planet’s “eusocial” species — the only species that form communities that contain multiple generations and where, as part of a division of labor, community members sometimes perform altruistic acts for the benefit of others. . .
. . . Wilson’s own theory is far too extreme, though. He adopts a Manichaean view of evolution, in which group selection is responsible for all of our virtues (“honor, virtue and duty”), while individual selection produces nothing but sin (“selfishness, cowardice and hypocrisy”). But it’s long been known that unrelated individuals can benefit from repeated cooperation with one another, so long as there are mechanisms in place to encourage reciprocity and punish betrayal. There is now evidence — from computational modeling, observations of real-world human interactions and laboratory studies — showing that our altruistic and eusocial choices are sensitive to past interactions with individuals and that we are inclined to reward cooperators and punish cheats and free-riders. This evidence suggests that group conflict is not the sole force that has shaped human eusociality. Wilson must be familiar with this research, but doesn’t acknowledge how it complicates his account. . . "
OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak. Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com
My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music will be released April 7, 2014 Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak
(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)
". . . Even if some French lawmakers are playing to their numerous Muslim voters, the vote to recognize Palestine in Paris — the city where Yasser Arafat died — is of far greater global significance than a vote in Dublin or even Madrid. . ."
So what if French lawmakers are playing to their numerous Muslim voters? U.S. lawmakers play to extremist Zionist voters on a daily basis.
". . . The dark spume on this European wave is the twin growth of anti-Semitism and militant Islam in Europe. There are worries that Jihadis returning from Syria and Iraq may attack Europe's Jewish population, as a French ISIS fighter did in May this year when he killed four people at Belgium's main Jewish museum. . ."
Israelis are deluding themselves if they think ANY agreement, vote or peace accord will stop any ISIS, Al Qaeda or any extremist minority from doing stupid things to innocent people
OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak
My latest solo release, '2014' of original, instrumental piano music, can be downloaded digitally at:
(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)
the avoidance of excess or extremes, esp. in one's behavior or political opinions.
"he urged the police to show moderation"
Aristotle said, "Moderation in all things" and even wrote a book
detailing multiple situations to which is can be applied. On the
surface, moderation seems to be a wise and prudent approach to take with
many things from diet to politics. Still, Americans seem to find it a
very difficult thing to practice.
Yet . . .
"A wise man is superior to any insults which can be put upon him, and the best reply to unseemly behavior is patience and moderation."
-Moliere
"Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody."
-Mark Twain
"Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess."
-Oscar Wilde
"Complete abstinence is easier than perfect moderation."
-Saint Augustine
I'm glad you're down there working on your applique. . . fabric spread all over the floor, scissors in hand. We're both tired from a busy weekend and probably should go to bed early but if you don't make time for your handiwork, you may not get any done at all tonight and wind up feeling frustration later. Do it now while you can because once the Shirk Brothers (Yeah, I've met Mr. Shirk. Nice enough guy. Firm handshake. Sincere smile. Called me by name. But you wait. You'll see. He's gonna destroy the lower level of the house and make my life miserable for gawd knows how long.) get in here and tear up the basement, which they say will take "two weeks" to put back together, you won't have a place to do this. Yes, you thought I was extreme in my fear of having the house in a shambles for an interminable amount of time, but you just wait. We'll have to take down a plate of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut and cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, possibly several consecutive Thanksgivings. I can see it now. I'm feeling nauseous.
You may think I'm extreme, but. . . I'm just sayin'. . .
I think sometimes, probably more so during the year-end holiday season (Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years for all of the 'religiously-persecuted') that we as a species have arrived at a particularly crucial point in our development.
On the one hand, the more educated and sophisticated we become, the greater our preoccupation with our self-realization. As this takes place, we find ourselves less involved with the intricacies of our extended families. In fact, sometimes we find that while we love the members of our extended family we don't, in truth, like them as much as other, more-similarly (within the realms of intellectual, artistic, political, and humanitarian areas) disposed people.
So as we attain greater freedom, movement, awareness and development, we lose the commitment, duty, obligation to care for our family members who, in tribal times long gone, we would have spent our entire lives with- day in and day out.
I don't know what or where the happy medium between these two extremes exists. I most certainly understand and appreciate the value of existence at both ends of this spectrum.
What
do YOU think?
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html
You can NOW download
your
very own copy of Ray Jozwiak's
newest release:
AMBIENCE & WINE
It was the wrong and cowardly thing to do. It was extreme. When all is said and done, it will not contribute to the accomplishment any possible goal held by the perpetrators of the murders. But the situation is much more complicated than that (much, much more complicated) and requires more than a simple ‘John Wayne’ response from a reputedly ‘responsible’ and ‘respectable’ public figure for such a response accomplishes no more toward a resolution than the initial, violent action.
Let’s start at the beginning. A film. A piece of ‘entertainment’ or ‘diversion’, if you will. Whether or not in the guise of educational or informational material, merely a film. Offensive to someone? Hell yes!. An excuse that someone with an agenda may use to further their cause, however justified or unjustified it may be. (More on that later.)
So a film was made and exhibited via the Internet. The origin of the film is extremely hazy and involves individuals from many and disparate origins including a former Marine and longtime religious-right activist (from a group called Courageous Christians United), a Coptic Christian, 15 key players from the Middle East) Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan, Iran), an alleged Israeli-born, 56-year-old, Jewish writer and director and who knows how much of this information is accurate. In any case, all or many involved are now quite frightened of the backlash their venture has unleashed.
First and foremost, in reasonable, rational and educated 2012, a film is a film. A document conceived, written, performed, directed, filmed, manufactured and distributed by human beings. Mere human beings. Nothing more, nothing less. Irrespective you spiritual, religious or cultural beliefs, in reasonable, rational and educated 2012, a film is still a film. Nothing more. Any ‘holy’ book that instructs one to kill another over a matter such as this is surely misguided at best. In fact, most ‘holy’ books, to the best of my knowledge, instruct their readers to be merciful; to forgive. In short, be virtuous; the better man and set the example as opposed to reactionary, vengeful, vindictive and violent.
What
do YOU think?
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html
You can NOW download
your
very own copy of Ray Jozwiak's
newest release:
AMBIENCE & WINE
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