New Plant Species in Hawaii

Its name is Clermontia hanaulaensis and it was discovered during routine survey of Pohakea Gulch on Maui. The plant has a purple flower on a shrub that seemed familiar to biologist Frank Oppenheimer, Clermontia gaudich This plant is slightly different-- its flower having white variegations, convex petals, and elongated lobes. [photo]

Earlier this year after study the plant was named a new species of the genus being morphologically different from all other known species. It is present on six of the Hawaii islands. The genus dispersed from the oldest island, Kauai'i (5.1 mya). The discovery was somewhat surprising since the area--mountain terrain east of Lahaina--has been studied for over one hundred fifty years. If the plant had not been flowering at the time of discovery, it might not been distinquished from the other Clermontia growing nearby. C. hanaulaensis immediately became targeted for conservation. The Plant Extinction Prevention Program (PEPP) collects seeds from wild plants to preserve their existence. Oppenheimer thinks plants like the newly discovered species have a right to exist, even if it is only in cultivation. 

Approximately 250 endemic Hawaiian plants have less than fifty individuals surviving in the wild. Scientists estimate that 130 plants have gone extinct. Key threats to Hawaii's native plants include invasive species such as slugs, pigs and rats. On Maui the invasive axis deer are a particular problem, along with the lack of native forest birds that provide pollination services. PEPP works with partners in conservation to save native plants from extinction. Sometimes that means working with reluctant land owners who need convincint that conservation is worthwhile. Despite obstacles, Oppenheimer remains optimistic. “All the issues can be addressed and the problems solved if we have enough resources,” he told an interviewer. He continued, “It would be easy to be sucked into a negative thought process of gloom and doom, It’s surprisingly emotional; To me, that underscores the kind of people that work in conservation.”

Wolves Coming Home to Colorado

Wolves have not inhabited Colorado since they were exterminated there in the 1940s. Coloradans wisely voted to reintroduce the species in 2020, but it has taken until now for their return to become a reality. The first wolves are expected to be released in December to selected west slope habitats.

Oregon has said it is willing to donate ten of its wolves to the Rocky Mountain state. They will be captured in the northeast which has a strong population of wolves. Wolves have had a hard time in Oregon with the total population flat-lining due to poaching and state-sponsored culling.  Wildlife authorities here are appreciative of having another method of non-lethal removal at their disposal. The Nez Perce tribe has also expressed interest in donating some of its wolves to Colorado. Support the effort to re-establish wolves by buying an attractive T-shirt here. US Person did! A portion of the purchase price will go to the Endangered Species Coalition.

TWIT: Trump Tracker

Latest: Ivanka Trump has been ordered to testify against her father in the New York fraud trail. Her attorneys attempted to dispute a subpoena served on her at her office on Fifth Avenue.  Judge Erdogan ruled she is a material witness over whom the Superior court has personal jurisdiction.  Don 'Legit' has also been called as an adverse witness by the state.

Update:  Six more defendants have been offered plea deals in the Georgia RICO case.  Three have been named: Robert Cheeley, Mike Roman and Misty Hampton.  Attorney Cheeley has rejected an offer.  It appears the DA is reserving trial for the main players: Trump, Giuliani, Eastman and Meadows.  Meadows is especially important since he has already received federal immunity from Special Counsel Jack Smith in an effort to get the goods on Don 'Legit', but that immunity deal does not affect a state prosecution. So far, thanks to some smart lawyering and despite ignoring a congressional subpoena to testify, Meadows has escaped unscathed.  DA Willis is approaching the point where she can conveniently try the remaining defendants, perhaps in two batches with the principal conspirators going first.  US Person sees the main event being the televised trial of Trump, Meadows, Eastman and Guiliani.  The second batch consists of Robert Cheeley, Jeffrey Clark, Ray Smith, David Shafer, Shawn Still, “Pastor” Stephan Lee, Harrison Floyd, Cathy Latham, and Trevian Kutti.  If the reporting is right, only three deals remain unidentified.  It is doubtful Clark gets a plea offer since he is a significant conspirator involved in attempting to pressure Georgia officials to alter the election results, and might be logically tried with the first group. Latham is a friend of Hampton, who has agreed to be a state's witness, so she is likely to accept a deal too.  A couple of these remaining defendants are simply foot soldiers, like Trevian Kutti and Harrison Floyd who coerced election worker Ruby Freemen, who would probably accept a deal, leaving a second group of six or fewer to be tried.

The New York Times has provided a convenient flow chart showing the legal troubles of Trump and his upcoming trial.  Since he has deliberately blurred the lines between his legal defense and campaigning for a second term, it is paramount that the American people have before them the complete story of his conspiracy to overturn democracy in this country.  He must be brought to trial before 2024 election, thirteen months away,  To that end, judges must be careful not to allow him to derail proceedings with an appealable restriction on his right to speak.  That consideration has to be balanced by the need to conduct fair proceedings by protecting witnesses from intimidation.   A delicate balance to be sure, and Trump can be counted on to test it.

Judge Engoron has already fined Trumpilini twice for his out-of-control press statements in the hallway outside the courtroom. The latest fine is $10,000.  Engoron took the unusual step of calling Trump to the stand to testify.  He found as the trier of fact that Trump's testimony he was referring to Michael Cohen and not his principal law clerk in his press rant to be "incredible". 

Is is interesting to note, and somewhat ironic, that American labor leader and socialist Eugene Debs campaigned for President in 1920 while incarcerated for violating the 1917 Espionage Act.  He received his highest popular vote total, 915,000, in that campaign. There is no constitutional restriction on a convicted felon holding office.  He would be disqualified from voting however.  Trump is certainly no Eugene Debs, but a narcissistic conman bent on destroying our republic.

"Ohh....that hurt!"

Scientist Determine Cause of Elephant Deaths

US Person posted in 202 0some time ago about the mass die-off of elephants in Botswana and Zimbabwe.  It was speculated that they might have died from cyanide poisoning put in water holes by agriculturalists.  Some 350 elephants were found dead in the Okavango delta.  Thirty-five were found dead in Zimbabwe.E lephants of all ages were affected.  Some walked in circles until the dropped dead on their faces.  Tests done on the elephants in Zimbabwe have finally been reported.  The Botswana elephants were not tested.

credit: Reuters

Scientists have concluded that a little known bacterium, Pastuerella Bisgaard taxon 45, caused theelephant deaths by septicemia or blood poisoning.  An international team of researchers wrote in Nature Communications journal that the infection was not known in elephants before, but is responsible for the death of 200,000 saga antelope in Kazakhstan in 2018.  The bacteria normally lives in the tonsils of antelope, but extreme high temperatures caused it to migrate to the blood stream, killing the animals.  Elephants are highly social animals and were stressed by extreme heat and drought, which  may have had a role in the disease spreading.

A participant in the study said obtaining useful samples was challenging.  Working with a large carcass that is infected with an unknown pathogen that could infect humans is potentially dangerous.  Researchers at first suspected anthrax could be a cause of the disease. Cyanide was also a suspected cause.  Wild elephant populations are decreasing in Africa by 8% per year, primarily from poaching.  Infectious diseases should be added the list of threats facing the survival of elephants.

TWIT: Melania in a Bikini at the Pool

Really?

Before US Person gets to that top line, Jenna Ellis, former Trumpillini mouthpiece and "disloyal wench", entered a plea to a single felony in the Georgia election interference case on Tuesday. [photo] The prosecution is recommending five years probation and a $5,000 fine for aiding and abetting the submission  of false documents.  That makes four of the original 19 defendants who have pleaded guilty to charges brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Ellis read a tearful written statement to the court in which she claimed that "as a Christian" she takes her responsibilities as a lawyer seriously. She apparently did not think through those responsibilities when representing the previous guy and department store rapist. Ellis told the court,"I relied on others, including lawyers with many more years of experience than I, to provide me with true and reliable information,” big mistake.

Trumpilini's motivation for illegally retaining national security documents became clearer after the NYT looked more closely at the relationship between Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt and Don 'Legit'. As US Person concluded in a previous post {05.10.2023, Secrets for Sale}, the relationship was purely transactional, or as Pratt assessed it, "useful". Pratt paid for access to Trump by buying a $200,000 membership to the Mar-a-Lago club.  He purchased two $50,000 dinner tickets for one million dollars to avoid the cap on individual campaign contributions. Pratt also purchased a full page Wall Street Journal ad supporting Trumpilini's presidential bid. Trump told him about secrets about US submarines.

60 Minutes Australia added more background to this influence peddling, exposing the slimy world of pay for play politics as practiced by the ersatz mafia don.  Tapes of Pratt talking about his 'friend' and his access to Trump's inner circle were obtained by the program. In one of the recordings, Pratt claims Trump suggested his wife Melania parade around the Mar-a-lago pool in her bikini to, "show them what they are missing". The guy is a slime ball, full stop. You can listen to the Australian reporting here:

Bad News From Antarctica

Climate scientists have concluded that rapid ice melt in Antarctica will increase sea levels by as much as five meters--enough to endanger coastal cities--regardless of how much humans reduce their carbon dioxide emmissions in this century.  In other words, the infamous "tipping point" in West Antarctica has been reached.  Analysis of data shows that melting of floating ice shelfs in the Amundsen Sea will be three times faster than the previous century.  If the entire ice sheet in West Antarctica is lost die to melting then sea levels will rise as much as five meters, which may cause abandonment of coastal settlements. More than a third of global population lives with 100 kms of the sea.

An example of the rapid rate of melting is the 1,255-sq-mile (3,250-sq-km) Larsen B ice shelf. It was known to be melting fast but no one had predicted that it would take just one month for the 200-meter-thick behemoth to completely disintegrate.

Horseshoe Island, credit: Getty Images

The new research into the rise of Antarctic sea temperatures is led by the British Antarctic Survey. Warming of Antarctic waters is causing the rapid acceleration of ice melt. Dr. Kaitlin Naughten told interviewers that work on reducing fossil fuel burning should continue despite the dire assessments based on her work because global warming has other equally adverse impacts that can be avoided or reduced by greenhouse gas reductions. The study is published in Nature Cimate Change and agrees in some aspects with previous climate studies.

GM Bacteria Light Up Tumors for Attack

Back at the turn of the last century, a surgeon noticed a remarkable correlation between cancer patients with Streptococci infections (erysipelas) and sudden remissions of their cancer tumors. Dr William Coley [photo] wrote about the strange correlation ans speculated that it might have something to do with the bacteria eliminating tumor cells. He began injecting patients with the bacteria, hoping to achieve the same remission he saw in other cases. He had some success, but also some patients died of sepsis (blood poisoning). Despite the initial success his idea faded with the advent of radiation therapy considered to be more controllable.

Now, in the age of nanobots and genetic modification of organisms, using bacteria as cancer fighting agents is getting a second look. Oncologists are always on the lookout for agents that can distinquish between normal cells and cancer cells in the body. Some bacteria will colonize tumors and leave the rest of the body alone. Motile bacteria are especially adapted to this function, as are those which can survive anerobic enviroments such as inside a tumor. Finding such bacteria is half the battle. Modifying them to destroys a tumor is the more difficult part of the problem. 

Research is starting to bear fruit. Scientist have reported a modified probiotic bacteria used in conjunction with human T-cells seems to work. Rather than introduce a toxin into the body, the modified bacteria give off a signal using the green florescent protein (GFP) modified to cause the protein to stick to the tumor's surface. The body's own immune system in the form of modified T-cells responds to this signal as an invader and begins attacking the tumor, which is a good thing since solid tumors are insidious, not giving the immune system an obvious indication of their presence. The bacterium literally explodes giving off a green flash. Its like a flare on a battlefield identifying the enemy's location.

Bacteria that are not harmful to the body and that have been genetically atenuated gives added protection to the patient. In one interesting experimental trial with mice, E. Coli Nissle 1917, a non-toxic bacterium, was modified and injected in mice with tumors modeling human brest cancer. Some mice were then treated with E. Coli having the GFP gene and a protein that attracts T-cells generally; some received bacteria with only the GFP gene and T-cells modified to recognize the GFP signal; the control group were injected with saline. The results are remarkable. Mice with the GPF gene had tumor growth of only 40%; mice treated with bacteria having both modifications had no tumor growth, while the control group had tumors that tripled in size because the strain of mouse used in the experiment has no active immune response.  Researchers looked for the engineered bacteria in other organs and found none; the bacteria are highly specific. Clinical trials are next. Dr. Coley's hunch a hundred fifty years was correct; only the proper tools had to be developed first.

TWIT: The Kraken is Down

Latest:  Trump fined $5,000 for violating Judge Engoron's gag order in the New York civil fraud case--a nominal amount even for Trumpillini, More kid glove treatment--Federal District Court Judge Chutkin who put her gag order on hold while Trump lawyers appeal her ruling.

Update: As expected, Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro accepted a plea deal on the eve of trial for election interference in Georgia.  He is expected to testify against the remaining defendants including the coup leader.  He plead to a single felony, conspiracy to submit false documents, and was sentenced to five years probation and paying $5,000 restitution.  The Harvard educated Chesebro was an architect of the false electors scheme in which false elector certifications were submitted to Congress.  What effect his felony conviction will have on his Texas law license in not clear at this juncture; sixty prominent lawyers and scholars, including his former mentor, Lawrence Tribe, have signed an ethics complaint against him in New York.  His plea does clear the way for the main event, the televised trial of Trump, Meadows, Eastman and Giuliani for racketeering and attempting to interfere in Georgia's 2020 presidential election.  The evidence against Trumpillini keeps piling up while he bloviates in courthouse hallways.  Someone should tell him to man-up!

{19/10/2023} Sidney Powell, a prominent member of the conspiracy of zealots working to overturn the election for Trumpillini, pleaded guilty to six misdemeanors for election tampering today and was sentenced to six years probation and a $6000 fine. By pleading she avoided potential serious incarceration if convicted of participating in a RICO. Powell agreed to testify against remaining defendants in return for pleading to reduced charges.  This puts Don 'Legit' in a very difficult position. As an inside participant of the conspiracy, she was privy to conversations with the former guy about disrupting the transfer of power on January 6th. At one point Trumpillini attempted to make Powell an emergency Special Counsel. Presumably she will also testify to what she knows in the DC federal trial of her former coup leader. What affect her conviction will have on her license to practice law in Texas is unclear.

Powell made false accusations against Dominion Voting Systems claiming their voting machines were rigged in a conspiracy with the former communist leader of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez to steal elections. She is also facing a defamation suit brought by Dominion. This smear was repeated by Don 'Legit' and spread over the Internet. Former trade advisor Peter Navarro said that Powell was, "the worst thing that ever happened" to their efforts to keep the former president in power.

Powell joins former bondsman Scott Hall in accepting a plea deal from DA Fani Willis. Attorney Kevin Cheesebro, an author of the fake elector scheme, remains the only defendant scheduled to go to trial next week in the Georgia election interference case. Both he and Powell requested speedy trials. If Chesebro pleads, attorneys for Trumpillini will not get a free preview of the state's case against their client. Given the leniency granted to Powell he may also decide to capitulate and testify against the man who wanted to be king. US Person suggests Powell use AI to write her required apology letter to the citizens of Georgia for interfering in their presidential election.

As expected, Individual One is appealing the gag order imposed by federal District Court Judge Chutkin prohibiting him from ranting against court personnel and intimidating witnesses.  That is, as soon as his lawyer John Lauro becomes qualified to practice before the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Trump's appeal is expected to be denied given the limited nature of Chutkin's order and the strong government interest in protecting fair judicial process. Freedom of speech is not absolute.

credit: D. Whamond, Cagle.com
Wackydoodle sez:  He don't know Sydney Cheeseburger!

Gone Forever

US Fish and Wildlife has proposed the removal of 21 species from the Endangered Species Act list because they have gone extinct.  The species removed are a mix of flora and fauna.  The agency director said the removal was a "wake up call" notifying us that conservation of imperiled species must occur before it is too late.  The ESA is now fifty years old.  It did not remove the ivory-billed woodpecker despite repeated conclusions that the large, distinct woodpecker is now extinct.  Some unverified observations of the bird in the Okeefenokee Swamp have been made in the past. [image: Bachman's warbler]

More than 100 species have been delisted under the Act based on official recovery or reclassified from endangered to threatened. It is credited with saving 99% of listed species from extinction.  The final rule of delisting based on extinction was published in the Federal Register yesterday and will go into effect  thirty days after publication.

Good News for Yellowstone Grizzlies

What has been called the last viable mining prospect on the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park was purchased for $6.25 million by a conservation group, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.  The 1,598 acre tract was slated by a Montana gold mining company for extraction.  The land is habitat for grizzlies and a migration route for elk and buffalo that overlooks the north entrance to America's first national park.  Gold miners have been attracted to Crevice Mountain since the 1850s.  The former owner had planned to dig 300 tons of ore a day, producing about half an ounce of gold per ton, which he considered high for most operations.  Mining would have undoubtably disturbed bears and others crossing into the Park. [photo credit: W. Campbell]

mother bear leads cubs on Crevice Mt.

Greater Yellowstone Coalition approached Michael Werner, dba Crevice Mining Group, LLC, to purchase the land since that was the only way to effectively end mining on the site.  Werner told interviewers he would not have sold ten years ago, but he was getting older, and appreciated the "professional approach" of the Coalition's negotiator.  An agreement to purchase was eventually reached in 2021 with the option expiring October 1, 2023.  Fund raising went into overdrive.  The group received 1,345 donations from 47 states and 7 foreign countries. The purchase was signed in September.  Head of the Coalition Scott Christensen said, "everyone who loves Yellowstone owns this victory".  It will be years before the land becomes public property, but until then animals have a permanent easement. 

Fat Bear Week Winner

128 Grazer is the winner of Fat Bear Week in Katmai National Park, Alaska.  Grazer bested the big boys and previous winners, 32 Chunk and Bear 747.   National Park Service said she won with a combination of skill and toughness as she stuffer her face with salmon from the Brooks River. She was introduced to the river area in 2005 and has since raised two litters of cubs.  In the process she has become one of the best bear anglers on the river.  128 Grazer has been known to take on bigger males to defend her cubs.  

In other bear news: two people, an adult female and a male juvenile, were killed in a remote Alaska village by a polar bear that chased several people in the village of Wales on the Seward Peninsula, one hundred miles northwest of Nome. Wales is a predominantly Inupiaq village of 150 inhabitants,  The bear was shot and killed by a local resident.  Fatal bear attacks have been rare in Alaska's recent history.  In 1990 a man was killed by a polar bear in Fort Lay, north of Wales. Biologists said that a necropsy showed the bear was starving.

Severe Drought in Amazonia Drying Up Rivers

One hundred and forty-one river dolphins have been found dead and many more are trapped in super-heated shallow pools.  People are affected by shortages of supplies and water since rivers are the main means of transportation.  Water levels are at historic lows, which also affects fishing.  The state of Amazonas has declared a state of emergency; public officials say the drought may effect half a million people by the end of the year. The state's governor met with President Luis da Silva to discuss relief plans.

The drought is intensified by a strong El Niño which prevents the formation of rain clouds.  Climate change also contributes to the drought conditions by increasing evaporation that dries out soils and vegetation. This drought is expected to last longer than previous episodes. The Amazon River at Manaus was recorded at 55 feet, six feet lower than last year. The record stands at 45 feet recorded in 2010.

Grey Wolf Spotted in SoCal

For the first time in one hundred years, a grey wolf was spotted in Southern California.  A grey wolf, known officially as OR-93 [photo] traveled from Oregon to SoCal. 2021.  Her epic journey ended in a vehicle collision along I-5 about 50 miles north of Los Angeles. Recently, A wolf was spotted by a biologist doing restoration work in Giant Sequoia National Monument ravaged by wildfires.  Later DNA analysis of hair and scat samples showed an adult female wolf.  She is the leader of the southernmost California pack in a region of the Sierra Nevadas that has not been occupied by wolves in a century.  She and her four offspring are direct descendants of famous OR-7, the first wolf known to cross into California. Biologists are cautiously optimistic that the Tulare pack will adapt to their environment only 130 miles away from Los Angeles, if left undisturbed.

But the Tulare Pack is already causing friction with local livestock owners and logging managers.  Conservationists have urged post-fire logging operations be suspended until the impact of such activities on wolves can be assessed.  California lists grey wolves as endangered; they cannot be killed unless in defense of humans.  The law provides for full market value payments to owners whose livestock are killed by wolves.  A new program even compensates owners for stress impacts from the presence of wolves within a pack territory.  So far, there have been no confirmed kills by wolves in the region. 

Once numbering in the millions, wolves are thought to be reduced to only 7500 in the lower 48 states causing herbivore numbers to explode. The apex predators are needed to restore balance to affected ecosystems. Yellowstone National Park has benefitted immensely from the reintroduction of wolves in the 1990s. About two dozen wolves live in northern California including the Lassen Pack (Lassen and Plumas Counties), Beckworth Pack (eastern Plumas County) and Whaleback Pack (eastern Siskiyou Counties)  A pack of all black wolves near Shasta has not been seen since their discovery in 2015; presumably they were killed after incidents of livestock predation.

TWIT: Lying Liars LLC

Allen Weisselberg, the former CFO of Trump Org, is on five years probation for his conviction in the tax fraud case brought against him by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg.  The conditions include that he testify in subsequent cases and that he not be convicted of other crimes.   It seems that people around Don 'Legit' have a problem with truth-telling as does the boss himself.  

Weisselberg testified in the civil fraud case brought by the New York Attorney General this week. According to a journalist who has followed the misfortunes of the Trump's business empire he may have committed perjury. Dan Alexander of Forbes magazine accused the Weisselberg of perjury in an article on Thursday. One of the lies Trump used to inflate his worth on financial documents is the size of his penthouse apartment.  He reported it as 30,000 sq.ft. when is just shy of 11,000. Weisselberg testified he did not consider the size of the apartment when calculating Trump's net worth, calling it "de minimus" several times during his testimony. Alexander says communications and reporters' notes show Weisselberg actually did take into consideration the apartment's size during a dispute with Forbes over the its value.  Eventually after more than three years of discussion, Weisselberg convinced reporters that it was worth more than the figures Forbes used after accepting the 30,000 sq. ft. figure. Trump even gave Forbes reporters a tour of the apartment, during which he emphasized the size of his pad.  Subsequently in 2016 Forbes found property tax records that listed the apartment at 10,996.

Trumpilini, in his usual ad hominem fashion has called Alexander a "psycho writer". Chalk up another defamation suit for Trumpillini. He has been at war with the "globalist rag" since it dropped him from its infamous richest list due to his twisting of financial facts. AG Letitia James is aware of the reporting from Forbes and is evaluating whether Weisselberg should be prosecuted for perjury. That is bad news for Weisselberg since a conviction would mean he would go back to jail to serve the remainder of his tax fraud sentence.

Way down home in Ft. Pierce, the MAGA jurist is up to her tricks again. She has apparently settled on a strategy of incremental delays in scheduling the Mar-a-Lago trial--which is almost entirely in her discretion-- that do not give the government an opportunity to file an interlocutory appeal to the Eleventh Circuit. She  terminated a Garcia hearing on potential conflicts of interest among defense attorneys this week after chastising a government attorney for wasting the court's time. The government wanted to restrict co-defendant Nauta's attorney Woodward from cross examining a government witness since Woodward represented the witness previously during grand jury proceedings. Defense counsel objected to arguing this issue since it was not raised prior to the hearing. The judge agreed saying,“I do want to admonish the government for frankly wasting the court’s time,” Cannon said. She added she was “disappointed” that David Harbach, one of the prosecutors, had raised the request without warning, and without citing supporting cases from the southern district of Florida. And so it goes.

credit: D. Bell

Wackydoodle axes:  Wanna know my net worth?

Chart of the Week: Gaza Strip

More: The Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of northern Gaza within 24 hours, apparently in a prelude to a full scale invasion of the the territory.  Knowledgeable observers say moving over a million people in such a short period of time is impossible.  The UN says such a movement would have "devastating humanitarian consequences" and has called for a recession of the order to avoid turning a tragedy into "a calamitous situation".  The Israeli Air Force has dropped 6,000 bombs on what it calls "Hamas targets".  

Over 2.3 million Palestinians exist in what amounts to the open-air prison of Gaza Strip.  It has been under quarantine by Israel since 2007, and the target of three military operations of 2009, 2012 and 2014 in which thousands of Palestinians died.  Israel is preparing another retaliatory incursion into the territory, sure to be larger in scale than previous ones. What Hamas perpetrated is inexcusable, but neither is the killing of civilians who have nothing to do with the terrorist group. Concentrated aerial bombardment has already killed over 1500 inhabitants including children of the densely populated Strip, which is about the size of the Detroit (138 sq. mi.) Look at the chart:

One of the members of the hard-right government controlling Israel said that Gaza should be "returned to medieval times". A similar callous expression was used by a US official during the Vietnam War, when he said he wanted to 'bomb North Vietnam into the Stone Age'.  Israel's brutal concentration and dehumanization of Palestinians since the 1987 Intifada is a root cause of the vicious Hamas breakout. Military destruction of civilian infrastructure, economic oppression, and severe restriction of movement has not solved the problems of Islamic terror or of an independent, viable state of Palestine. Is this seige to be a repeat of the Warsaw Ghetto? Since declaring war Israel has cut off food, water and electricity in Gaza, which action is itself a war crime. The proper role of the United States in this latest violent episode is to restrain its quisling state (over $260 billion in aid since the founding of Israel), provide humanitarian assistance, and prevent a widening of the conflict.

Pope Francis: Laudato Deum

drought; credit Oxfam

Now that the next global climate conference COP28 has been co-opted by the fossil fuel industry (the conference is being held in the United Arab Emirates, a petrostate, and the conference chairperson is a fossil fuel executive. Pope Francis has issued a follow up statement to his ground-breaking encyclical, Laudato Si in which he expressed the need to care for our common home. That document was aimed at influencing the 21st COP held in Paris in December 2015.  Then came the criminal destroyer, Don 'Legit'. He withdrew the United States from the voluntary goal of holding the Earth's increase in global temperature to 1.5ºC above a 1900 basline. All serious negotiations on climate action stalled for the next four years.

The pontiff is bluntly critical of elites who are failing to secure global action to reduce the threats of climate change in his new statement on climate, Laudato Deum. Instead of embracing alternative energy generation, nations increased the subsidies for fossil fuel by $7 trillion annually. Francis notes that increasingly violent weather patterns and the impact of higher temperatures disproportionately impacts poor people. Africa is home to half the world's population, but contributes minimally to global carbon emissions. Nevertheless, he holds out some hope for COP28, “To say there is nothing to hope for [from COP28] would be suicidal,” the pope writes, “for it would mean exposing all humanity, especially the poorest, to the worst impacts of climate change.”

flood; credit Greenpeace

As head of the world's largest religion--there are 1.3 billion Catholics in the world--he has rarely avoided controversy. Nor is he a science denier, either. In his statement he devotes 25% of it to citing the scientific studies supporting the real phenomenom of climate change to contradict, "dismissive and scarcely reasonable opinions that I encounter, even in the Catholic Church." The pope claims that environmental degradation is tantamount to sin, involkiing his namesake's deep love and connection to nature. He advocates all peoples of faith to recognize our technological progress is "turning against us".

TWIT: Secrets for Sale

credit: R. Bolling

Update:  In a response to defendant Trump's motion for yet more time to review classified discovery, Special Counsel Smith hinted that the government is prepared to show a motive for Don 'Legit's" illegal retention of classified material at Mar-a-Lago.  Government attorneys wrote "That the classified materials at issue in this case were taken from the White House and retained at Mar-a-Lago is not in dispute;at issue in this case were taken from the White House and retained at Mar-a-Lago is not in dispute; what is in dispute is how that occurred, why it occurred, what Trump knew, and what Trump intended in retaining them—all issues that the Government will prove at trial primarily with unclassified evidence." They maintain that the defendant has not shown valid reasons for further delay of his trial.  Meanwhile pro-Trump judge Aileen Cannon has paused the trial schedule until a SCIF is erected in the Ft. Pierce courthouse, handing yet another victory to his legal team.

[5/10/2023} US Person pleased to post that his estimation that Don 'Legit' stole the classified documents from the White House and stashed them around the 'ultra-secure' Mar-a-Lago resort because he saw value, either pecuniary or trade, in the secrets is partially vindicated. Sympathetic commentators have been attempting to minimize his crime by asserting that he suffers from some sort of compulsive-obsessive disorder.  No.  Trumpillini is all transactional, all the time.  Even his marriage to Melania is an exclusive personal services contract. He illegally retained the secret documents not as souvenirs, but for future influence peddling or outright sale.

ABC reported today that the rogue former chief executive told a foreign national at Mar-a-Lago in April 2021 about US nuclear submarine secrets. Details of the "silent service" are some of the most closely guarded US national security secrets.   The man receiving the information is an Australian billionaire, Anthony Pratt, who shared the information with others. Pratt purchased access to Der Leader by buying a club membership.  Under the Espionage Act that constitutes "dissemination", which is also illegal.  The incident was reported to Special Council Jack Smith and Pratt has been interviewed several times by federal investigators.  In the conversation Pratt had with Trumpillini about Australia buying US submarines, the criminal defendant told him how many warheads US subs carry and how they can approach Russian subs without being detected.  Pratt relayed the information to numerous individuals including ten Australian government officials and six journalists.  Subsequently, Australia agreed to purchase three Virginia-class submarines from the United States

In reaction to the story, commentators were quick to point out that Trump spoke to Putin multiple times in person when they were completely alone except for translators.   The translation records are unavailable despite repeated requests. Conservative pundit George Conway said,"Everyone who has accused P01135809 [defendant Trump] of selling the nation’s secrets should profusely apologize. Out of innate charity, he gives them away for free," Or Not!  Don 'Legit' has finally outright asked MAGA Judge Cannon that is Mar-a-Lago Papers trial be delayed until after the 2024 election.

Loose lips

Grizzlies Need Room

More:  Grizzlies are large, strong, and potentially dangerous animals.  The couple that was killed in Banff National Park recently, was camping deep in the Park when a female grizzly attacked their camp.  Family members said the couple were outdoor enthusiasts who used bear protocols.  Authorities responded to a satellite distress message; the couple and their dog were found dead outside their tent with an empty can of bear spray.  The bear was shot and killed by rangers.  A necropsy showed the bear to be nearing the end of her life with low fat reserves and worn teeth.  She was facing a slow death by starvation, and no doubt attacked the campers out of desperation.  The incident was the first fatal attack in half a century.

On a less tragic note, it is the annual "Fat Bear Week" in Katmai National Park, AK. Katmai bears are gorging on salmon in preparation for their annual winter hibernation.  Park rangers have created a contest bracket in which the public can vote for their favorite fat bear from posted photos.  Voting continues until "Fat Bear Tuesday", October 14th, when a bear with the most votes will be declared the winner.  Adult bears can pack on 200-300 pounds in a few weeks of feasting!

{04/10/2023} Biologists know that grizzly bears need a lot of room to survive.  But suitable habitat is becoming scarse as humans expand development ever further into the northern Rockies.  One solution that works is connecting existing protected land with corridors that bears can use for foraging and mating.  The Forest Service should be interested in creating more corridors and protecting the ones that already are in place.  Alliance for the Wild Rockies says that is not the case, and is suing the Forest Service to halt the massive twenty-year logging plan in the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest in Montana.

The Middleman Project covers 141,799 acres including logging and burning in old growth forests President Biden promised to protect.  This landscape happens to be adjacent to Gates of the Mountains Wilderness were grizzlies still live.  It is a key corridor between Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park ecosystems.  Yet the Forest Service plans to bulldoze forty-six miles of new logging roads and ninety miles of reconstructed roads in the Wilderness.  Tragically most bears are killed within 3 miles of a road since it gives poachers and hunters easier access to bear habitat.  The area is experiencing an exodus of elk due to human activity.  Elk is the main prey species for grizzly bears.  The Service has a poor record of enforcing closed roads, and the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks says there are already too many roads in the area for elk to remain undisturbed.

Additionally, the Service cynically avoided its legal responsibility for maintaining suitable lynx habitat by removing 125,000 previously mapped lynx habitat from the project boundaries.  The agency contends that the project will improve wildfire protection.  This is misleading.  No amount of burning and road building will make forests "fireproof".  Best available scientific evidence indicates making homes more fire resistant by installing non-flammable roofs and decks and by removing vegetation within the curtilage.  The survival of the "white house" in Lahaina's conflagration  is a stark example of what can be achieved with this approach.  Opening forests to more drying sunlight and wind are significant factors in the most destructive wildfires.  The Forest Service needs to wake up to what the courts are telling them:  follow environmental rules, not the wishes of industry.  You can help preserve the Northern Rockies biome and grizzly survival in the wild by donating to the Wild Rockies Alliance here.