Earth Changes Evolve Human Consciousness
"When glaciers descended upon Europe and Asia, the proto-humans living there evolved adaptations for colder climates, including short, massive limbs, and huge chests and noses. Neanderthal brains also increased in size, and actually became larger than our own, though their cognitive and linguistic abilities were not as advanced as modern humans."
by Martin LeFevre
New findings and nuanced theories have been coming out recently regarding the clash in Europe between Neanderthals and the first fully modern humans, the Cro Magnons, tens of thousands of years ago. These findings speak of the last great breakthrough in human evolution, highlight the darkest impulses in human nature, and point to the next, urgently required leap in consciousness.
When the Cro Magnons encountered the Neanderthals in Europe over 40,000 years ago, it was a clash between the primal human consciousness, which had existed for hundreds of thousands of years, and modern human consciousness. Undoubtedly there was conflict, just as there has been between groups of Homo sapiens ever since.
After all, throughout history when Homo sapiens encounter unfamiliar groups, they most often were (and still are) perceived as sub-human. Imagine then what an encounter between humans and actual sub-humans must have been like!
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Saturday, May 24, 2008
Zimbabwe: Country At Risk of Climate Change Effects
by Sifelani Tsiko
ZIMBABWE is suffering more from the impact of global warming like most other countries in Africa signalling the burden of climate change risks to be felt more by the poor in the near future.
In a paper presented at a three-day regional workshop on Trade and Development, Agro-Biodiversity and Food Security, Ms Mutsa Chasi of the Environmental Management Agency said Zimbabwe is now experiencing an unprecedented series of extreme weather events which have serious implications on food security and the economy as a whole.
She revealed that six warmest years on record for Zimbabwe have occurred since 1987 and that the increased frequency of droughts since 1990... is causing massive drop in crop yields in the country's agricultural sector.
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ZIMBABWE is suffering more from the impact of global warming like most other countries in Africa signalling the burden of climate change risks to be felt more by the poor in the near future.
In a paper presented at a three-day regional workshop on Trade and Development, Agro-Biodiversity and Food Security, Ms Mutsa Chasi of the Environmental Management Agency said Zimbabwe is now experiencing an unprecedented series of extreme weather events which have serious implications on food security and the economy as a whole.
She revealed that six warmest years on record for Zimbabwe have occurred since 1987 and that the increased frequency of droughts since 1990... is causing massive drop in crop yields in the country's agricultural sector.
Read Entire Article
Thousands flee Chile floods
Four people have died and 5,000 have been forced out of their homes in south central Chile due to flooding. Rivers burst their banks on Thursday as heavy rain fell around the port area of Valparaiso.
Two of the dead lost their lives in landslides, a third was hit by a boulder and the fourth by a falling tree. Roads were impassable after more than 90mm of rain fell in a 24-hour period.
Hundreds of people were displaced into temporary shelters. Others found refuge with neighbouring friends and relatives. There was further flooding in the Maule region south of the capital, Santiago, an important area for agriculture. Here, the Lontue river burst its banks.
Heavy rains are an annual occurrence and frequently cause floods during the autumn.
Two of the dead lost their lives in landslides, a third was hit by a boulder and the fourth by a falling tree. Roads were impassable after more than 90mm of rain fell in a 24-hour period.
Hundreds of people were displaced into temporary shelters. Others found refuge with neighbouring friends and relatives. There was further flooding in the Maule region south of the capital, Santiago, an important area for agriculture. Here, the Lontue river burst its banks.
Heavy rains are an annual occurrence and frequently cause floods during the autumn.
At least 6 die in Colombia earthquake
BOGOTA -- At least six people, including two children, were killed when a 5.5-magnitude earthquake jolted central Colombia Saturday afternoon, authorities said.
The earthquake occurred in Meta province at 14:21 local time (1921 GMT), and its epicenter was at a depth of 3.9 km, Colombia's seismological administration said.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake's epicenter was at 54 kilometers east-southeast of Bogota at a depth of 10 kilometers.
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The earthquake occurred in Meta province at 14:21 local time (1921 GMT), and its epicenter was at a depth of 3.9 km, Colombia's seismological administration said.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake's epicenter was at 54 kilometers east-southeast of Bogota at a depth of 10 kilometers.
Read Entire Article
Tornadoes tear through Oklahoma
ABC News
Severe weather is sweeping across the US Midwest, spawning devastating tornados.
Emergency officials are currently assessing the damage in north-western Oklahoma where several tornadoes touched down earlier today.
The American National Weather Service says severe storms are likely to hit southern Oklahoma in the coming hours.
Weather forecasters say at least a dozen tornadoes hit the state of Kansas yesterday, destroying numerous homes and injuring several people.
Kansas flower shop owner Bob Kuntz described the scene as a twister touched down near his store.
"When it would hit a farmstead you could see all this debris going in the air and it was like half a mile wide, this tornado. And it had little ones coming down inside of it feeding the way it looked, and it just kept getting bigger."
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Severe weather is sweeping across the US Midwest, spawning devastating tornados.
Emergency officials are currently assessing the damage in north-western Oklahoma where several tornadoes touched down earlier today.
The American National Weather Service says severe storms are likely to hit southern Oklahoma in the coming hours.
Weather forecasters say at least a dozen tornadoes hit the state of Kansas yesterday, destroying numerous homes and injuring several people.
Kansas flower shop owner Bob Kuntz described the scene as a twister touched down near his store.
"When it would hit a farmstead you could see all this debris going in the air and it was like half a mile wide, this tornado. And it had little ones coming down inside of it feeding the way it looked, and it just kept getting bigger."
Read Entire Article
Measuring sustainability in a Sicilian eco-village
Note: Emergy analysis (spelled with an “m”) is an environmental accounting method.
There is growing interest amongst both local communities and policy makers in improving the sustainability of local communities. However, developing accurate measures of sustainability has been problematic because a wide range of parameters need to be considered, from energy use through to monetary flows. New research shows that 'emergy' analysis can be applied to evaluate the sustainability of a small rural community.
Emergy analysis can be used to measure all inputs of energy and resources used to develop a given product or process. This includes both current and historical inputs as well as direct and indirect inputs into the product or process. To allow comparison between different types of energy inputs, all energy flows are converted into a single form of energy, such as solar energy.
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There is growing interest amongst both local communities and policy makers in improving the sustainability of local communities. However, developing accurate measures of sustainability has been problematic because a wide range of parameters need to be considered, from energy use through to monetary flows. New research shows that 'emergy' analysis can be applied to evaluate the sustainability of a small rural community.
Emergy analysis can be used to measure all inputs of energy and resources used to develop a given product or process. This includes both current and historical inputs as well as direct and indirect inputs into the product or process. To allow comparison between different types of energy inputs, all energy flows are converted into a single form of energy, such as solar energy.
Read Entire Article
Friday, May 23, 2008
Early Mars Had Floods, Yellowstone-Like Hot Springs
Ancient Floods and Earth Changes Holds Key to Understanding Mars
Anne Minard for National Geographic News
The formation of an Idaho canyon thousands of years ago has given scientists a clearer picture of how water sculpted the surface of Mars.
The chasm in the western United States has a shape once thought to be characteristic of slower, sustained groundwater flows, but new research suggests that was carved by ancient torrential floods.
Comparable canyons on Mars may share a similarly violent history, scientists at the University of California at Berkeley say.
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Anne Minard for National Geographic News
The formation of an Idaho canyon thousands of years ago has given scientists a clearer picture of how water sculpted the surface of Mars.
The chasm in the western United States has a shape once thought to be characteristic of slower, sustained groundwater flows, but new research suggests that was carved by ancient torrential floods.
Comparable canyons on Mars may share a similarly violent history, scientists at the University of California at Berkeley say.
Read Entire Article
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