Monthly Archives: September 2015

Climate Disruption: Thought of the Week

30 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by in Anthropogenic Climate Disruption

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Global Women's Climate Justice Day of Action - 29 September 2015

Women’s Earth & Climate Action Network, International

Women at the Forefront of Climate Change Action

“As innovators, organizers, leaders, educators and caregivers, women are uniquely positioned to help curb the harmful consequences of a changing climate. Incorporating a gender perspective into climate change policies, projects and funds is crucial in ensuring that women contribute to and benefit from equitable climate solutions.”
~ Report by the United Nations Population Fund and Women’s Environmental & Development Organization

Pope Francis: For the Common Good

27 Sunday Sep 2015

Posted by in United States

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Pope Francis addresses United States Congress - Washington DC - 24 September 2015

Pope Francis addresses U.S. Congress – Washington DC – September 24, 2015
Photo Credit: Catholic News Agency (L’Osservatore Romano)

Pope Francis, leader of the Roman Catholic Church headquartered in Vatican City, is the latest celebrity to hit the shores of America. When he arrived at Joint Base Andrews on September 22, President Obama received him with the honors due a Head of State. After his reception at the White House in Washington D.C. and engagements in New York City, the pope headed for Philadelphia on Saturday morning and will fly out on Sunday evening for Rome. For his seventy-eight years, he sure has a lot of stamina.

The Church’s first Latin American pope has brought much needed fresh air to an institution beset by internal political strife, sex abuse scandal, and rising secularism. Since taking over the leadership position, Pope Francis has called on all Catholics to focus on Jesus’ message of love, forgiveness, and care of the most vulnerable among us. In setting the example with a simple lifestyle and his concern for the poor of our world, the Holy Father has won many admirers inside and outside of the Catholic Church. Continue reading →

Climate Disruption

23 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by in Anthropogenic Climate Disruption

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Time is Running Out

Time is running out to transition to renewable energy, yet the most “relevant” people in power aren’t aware of the situation’s gravity. “Even people who go around saying, ‘We have a planet in peril,’ don’t get it. Until we’re aware of our future, we can’t deal with it.”
~ Dr. James Hansen, former NASA head climate scientist, now Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, at Grandparents Climate Action Day, Washington D.C., September 9, 2015.
~ Read complete article, “Climate Expert James Hansen: “We’ve Got an Emergency” by Anne Meador and John Zangas, TruthOut, September 16, 2015.

Looks Can Be Deceiving

20 Sunday Sep 2015

Posted by in Brazil, Human Behavior, Relationships

≈ 22 Comments

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Rosaliene and Sons - Brazil

Rosaliene and Sons – Brazil

Over a year had passed since my estranged husband returned to Guyana, leaving our two sons and me behind in Brazil, when my three friends decided that it was time for me to have a night out. They invited me to join them and their husbands for a show and dance at a popular night club. Djavan, one of my favorite Brazilian singers, was coming to Fortaleza for a one-night presentation.

Fatima, the oldest among us, had it all arranged. She would buy the admission tickets and I could reimburse her on payday. Since we lived about a ten-minute-drive away from her house, my sons would stay with her two kids and live-in maid. At the end of our evening together, her husband would take us home.

Not since my days in Guyana had I gone dancing at a night club. To accept their invitation would bring back too many memories of good times gone sour. But when your friends care about you, how can you say no? Continue reading →

Climate Disruption: Thought of the Week

16 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by in Anthropogenic Climate Disruption

≈ 11 Comments

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Hawaii Governor David Ige signs energy bill - 8 June 2015

Hawaii Governor David Ige signs Renewable Energy Bill – June 8, 2015
Photo Credit: Governor of the State of Hawaii Photo Album

Hawaii Leads the Way to 100 Percent Renewable Energy

Governor David Ige today [June 8, 2015] signed into law four energy bills, including one that strengthens Hawaii’s commitment to clean energy by directing the state’s utilities to generate 100 percent of their electricity sales from renewable energy resources by 2045.
~ Press Release, Governor of the State of Hawaii, June 8, 2015

Guyana: “Essequibo Is We Own”

13 Sunday Sep 2015

Posted by in Economy and Finance, Guyana

≈ 20 Comments

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Map of Guyana - Disputed Area being claimed by Venezuela

Map of Guyana: “Disputed Territory” (salmon-pink) claimed by Venezuela
Source: Caracas Chronicles

Guyana struck black gold in May 2015! American oil giant ExxonMobil estimates that their find amounts to at least 700 million barrels of crude oil, valued at US$40 billion, over ten times Guyana’s entire economy (GDP). The elation of Guyana’s newly-elected government was short-lived. Within weeks, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro issued a decree claiming sovereignty over the ExxonMobil’s drill site along with the rest of Guyana’s territorial waters off the Essequibo region. [That Guyana should keep it in the ground is another story.]

Venezuela persists in a belief that the entire region west of the Essequibo River, including the islands in the river, is rightfully theirs. With over 50,000 square miles of savanna and forest cover, the Essequibo Region makes up about two-thirds of Guyana’s total territory. Continue reading →

Climate Disruption: Thought of the Week

09 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by in Anthropogenic Climate Disruption

≈ 6 Comments

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350.org - Plan for The Road Through Paris

350.org Global Climate Plan for Paris 2015

Add Your Voice to “The Road Through Paris”

2015 is on track to be the hottest year in recorded history, and this December hundreds of world governments will meet in Paris to try to strike a global climate agreement. It will be the biggest gathering of its kind since 2009…
~ Learn more about 350.org’s plan “The Road Through Paris.”

“What My Father Believed” – Poem by John Guzlowski

06 Sunday Sep 2015

Posted by in Poetry

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Syrian Refugees at Railway Station in Budapest - Hungary - September 2015

Syrian Refugees at Railway Station in Budapest – Hungary – September 2015
Photo Credit: Daily Mail UK / Reuters

My Poetry Corner September 2015 features the poem “What My Father Believed” by Polish-American poet John Guzlowski. Born in a refugee camp in Germany after World War II, he was three years old when he came with his parents and five-year-old sister to the United States in 1951 as Displaced Persons (DPs).

In his poem, “I Dream of My Father as He Was When He First Came Here Looking for Work,” Guzlowski writes:

I woke up at the Greyhound Station
in Chicago, and my father stands there,
strong and brave, the young man of my poems,
a man who can eat bark and take a blow
to the head and ask you if you have more. Continue reading →

Climate Disruption: Thought of the Week

02 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by in Anthropogenic Climate Disruption

≈ 8 Comments

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Climate Leaders Don’t Drill The Arctic

Climate Leaders Don’t Drill the Arctic. Talking about the urgency of climate change while allowing massive fossil fuel extraction isn’t leadership, it’s hypocrisy. Science says we must not burn 80% of known fossil fuel reserves, including all Arctic oil. President Obama, to lead on climate, you must Keep It In The Ground.
~ CREDO Action Petition

Thanks to blogger JoAnn at Aware & Fair for sharing this video.