LINK: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/dec/07/ken-layne-desert-oracle-magazine-desert-gawker
Out in the wild: how Ken Layne created an alternative to clickbait in the desert
Tag: forest
Sound artist eavesdrops on what is thought to be world’s heaviest organism
Artist records underground sounds generated by Pando, a huge group of aspens in Utah considered to be a single organism
When it comes to the world’s heaviest living organism, it is a “forest of one tree” that is thought to take the crown. Now a sound expert is listening into the quiet grove in an attempt to hear its secrets.
Known as Pando – Latin for “I spread” – the 47,000 genetically identical quivering aspens in south-central Utah are considered to be a single organism, with the “trees” actually branches thought to be connected by a shared root system.
The upshot is a vast living entity, thought to be thousands of years old, that covers 43 hectares (106 acres) with a dry weight of about 6m kg, making it, putatively, the Earth’s heaviest living organism. But it is also an organism in danger, with experts warning Pando is probably dying off due to human actions.
Now an acoustic artist has revealed how he has delved deep to uncover fresh insights into the tree.
The far north is burning—and turning up the heat on the planet
The Arctic and surroundings are being transformed from carbon sink to carbon emitter.
The far north is both a massive carbon sink and a potent environmental time bomb. The region stores a huge amount of CO2 in boreal forests and underlying soils. Organic peat soil, for instance, covers just 3 percent of the Earth’s land area (there’s some in tropical regions, too), yet it contains a third of its terrestrial carbon. And Arctic permafrost has locked away thousands of years’ worth of plant matter, preventing rot that would release clouds of planet-heating carbon dioxide and methane.
But in a pair of recent papers, scientists have found that wildfires and human meddling are reducing northern ecosystems’ ability to sequester carbon, threatening to turn them into carbon sources. That will in turn accelerate climate change, which is already warming the Arctic four and a half times faster than the rest of the world, triggering the release of still more carbon—a gnarly feedback loop.
‘Do An Unboxing Video’: “Unopened Vintage 1983 Ted Kaczynski “UNABOMBER” Package STILL SEALED!”
Original article: https://www.ebaumsworld.com/articles/elon-to-purge-andrew-tate-dead-dad-from-twitter/87394809/
“The masculine urge to buy an unopened Unabomber package” @kennedygaming4 tweeted along with screenshots. The eBay account listed is censored but you can clearly see that the package is selling for $19,550( $12 shipping) and at the time of their post had 32 bids.
The censored eBay seller explains in the description that he worked for IBM in Santa Monica in the 80s and that the package was sent to him after he had transferred to the New York IBM office. He received the package from storage in 2008 and wrote to Ted Kacynski in prison to confirm that — yes he was a target of the Unabomber.
“Seller is not morally or legally responsible after [the] package leaves my possession,” concludes the censored eBay seller’s listing.
If the listing sounds too good to be true (or funny), then it probably is, as is with anything you see online. The listing isn’t searchable on eBay. But that could mean eBay has (wisely) taken the listing off for the safety of their users. The seller’s account name is censored and this eager researcher could not reverse image search his profile picture.
Even if this is fake (which I’m leaning it most likely is) the thought that you can buy a historical bomb is utterly hilarious (if true).
“Buying the unopened Unabomber package and opening it on camera to see what I get like its a vintage magic the gathering booster pack” quote tweets @uncledoomer.
Do we have a brave enough soul to host the unboxing? We’re buying.
How To Blow Up A Pipeline – Official Trailer – In Theaters April 7
A crew of young environmental activists execute a daring mission to sabotage an oil pipeline in this taut and timely thriller that is part high-stakes heist, part radical exploration of the climate crisis.
On The Nameless Episode I
Julian Langer and I often haunt the same spaces. Julian is writing a story, the first chapter of which is here. It resonates with similar forest spirit themes I am working with these days. Looking forward to more in the future.
Climate Change, Collapse, and Modernity with Dougald Hine
This episode I’m joined by writer Dougald Hine to discuss his book At Work in the Ruins.
Book link: https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/at-work-in-the-ruins/
Earth currently experiencing a sixth mass extinction, according to scientists | 60 Minutes
A Water War Is Brewing Over the Dwindling Colorado River
Diminished by climate change and overuse, the river can no longer provide the water states try to take from it.
LINK: https://www.propublica.org/article/colorado-river-water-uncompahgre-california-arizona
What the “other side” thinks
LINK: https://www.smalltowndicks.com/episode/deep-cover/
Usually, I’m not particularly eager to push people’s outrage buttons. However, I think this may include a teaching moment.
This is a “true crime” podcast that uses real, small-town cops telling their stories about small-town crime and is hosted by Yeardley Smith, the voice of Lisa Simpson.
Why I include this today is because it really struck me as a prime example of what law enforcement and mainstream folks think of radical environmentalists. So, take your blood pressure medication and listen and learn.