Sea Shepherd Founder Arrested

The founder of the anti-whaling activist group Sea Shepherd, Sam Watson, was arrested in Greenland under an international arrest warrant issued by Japan, one of the few remaining whaling nations in the world. He faces potential extradition to Japan for his anti-whaling operations in the Antarctic made famous by the reality TV show, "Whale Wars"  He was arrested after arriving in Nuuk on the ship John Paul DeJoria, which had stopped to refuel on its way to intercept Japan newest mothership, Kangei Maru. Japan ceased whaling in the Antarctic in 2016, confining its whaling activities to domestic waters.

But the new vessel's range and size has provoked fears that Japan may return to whaling far off its shores. Watson's crews aggressively harrassed the ships predecessor Nissan Maru in the Southern Ocean. The 9300 ton vessel can process 70 ton fin whales and store 600 tons of meat, enabling it to remain at sea for extended periods. Last year Japanese whalers slaughtered 83 minke, 187 Bryde's and 25 sei whales in Japan's economic zone. Consumption of whale meat is at historic lows--less than one percent of the industry's peak in 1962. The high price of whale meat has discouraged consumers. AFter WWII whale meat was a prized source of protein. In order to claim an exemption from the international ban on commercial whaling, Japan characterized its annual hunts as "scientific". That classification was struck down by the international court of justice and ordered a halt to Japan's whaling in 2014. Japan pulled out of the IWC four years later and stopped hunting in Antarctica.

The Japanese government confirmed it will allow whalers to kill up to 59 fin whales, a species conservationists consider vulnerable to extinction. Kangei Maru is being funded by Japanese taxpayers and the city of Shimonoseki, long the center of the whaling industry. The city feeds whale meat to children at school lunches. A local seafood seller said, "But if the Kangei Maru can bring back good whale meat–not the tough, cheapest parts we used to serve in schools – then we can show children how good it really is.” Get them while they are young!

TWIT: A Yellow Dog

More:  Why hasn't US Person endorsed VP Kamala Harris you may ask? Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) explains the reasons cogently in this interview on MSNBC:

Here is Trumpilini's idol after a 1926 assassination attempt:

The would-be Trump assassin managed to kill the wrong person with eight NATO (5.56mm) rounds. His ear was only grazed by one of the bullets.  History does not repeat itself, but it certainly has reoccuring themes.  Kamala Harris will have difficulty convincing fence-sitters she is up to the job. (38% favorable vs. 52% unfavorable) Anybody not irretrievably enthralled by the Repugnant personality cult should vote for a yellow dog instead of a twice impeached, four times indicted, convicted felon who intends to end democracy "on day one".  US Person certainly wishes Ms. Harris well at the "battle box" (sic).  She will have to project an entirely more energetic, cogent persona than did old Joe lately, who appeared catatonic, if not confused at times. Biden suffered two near fatal brain annurisms in 1988. Yet he served in public office for 48 years, longer than Joe Stalin!   

After weeks of intra-party dissension created by big-money donors and stoked by the CMM, the elderly President finally decided the odds were against him.  Recovering from COVID, his advanced age and deteriorating condition became undeniable, even for the candidate. Don the Con is only three years younger than Biden.  It will be telling if the CMM ignores his age, while it pummeled Biden with his. A side note: Trumpilini's medical records while in the White House have gone missing.  You could not ask for a person less fit to be President, again. His psychopathology alone disqualifies him.  Will the Democrats (led by Obama?)  find a way to screw themselves and the country?  Stay tuned.

COTW: The Big Mac Index

This chart is a bit of fun, but actually contains some useful information.  The index, started in 1986 by the Economist  charts the price of a Big Mac in US dollars across the world,  It is an easy way to compare the value of foreign currencies against the dollar:

Switzerland has the most expensive Big Mac at $8.17.  The least expensive is Taiwan at $2.39.  Makes you want to live in Taiwan, yes?  A rough measure to be sure, but the local price divided by the US baseline gives an approximation of the implied foreign currency exchange rate.  Compare this to the official rate and you get the amount a currency is under or over valued, As US people at the games are finding out, Europe is pricy (3.17% overvalued measured against the dollar)

"Dark Oxygen" Found on Seafloor

This is a brain twister. Previously sunlight was considered necessary to produce oxygen, and element most life on Earth needs to survive. Plants engaged in photosythesis produce O₂ in the chemical process used to create energy. Scientists researching the deep ocean bed between Mexico and Hawaii have discovered that metalic nodules lying on the sea floor produce oxygen without sunlight. These nodules are the subject of efforts to mine the seafloor for minerals needed in battery production. But the new discovery poses a problem for miners. The oxygen producing nodules may be required to support life in the ocean. The discovery was published in the science journal, Nature Geoscience Nodules form when disolved metals in seawater deposit on shell fragments or other debris. It is a process that takes millions of years. The nodules contain copper, cobalt and lithium, which are needed to produce batteries. 

Companies are developing technology to bring the stones to the surface from thousands of feet underwater. Researchers think that the metalic nodes act like batteries that spilt water molecules into their components, oxygen and hydrogen. They tested this hypothesis in the lab measuring the electric current on the surface of potato sized nodes, which equaled the voltage produced by a size AA battery. [photo credit: C. Bridgewater] The seafloor in certain areas is littered with thousands of these nodes that could be enough to electrolyze seawater. The US Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has already warned that seabed mining could destroy sea life and disrupt a fragile habitat. The Clarion-Clipperton Zone where the discovery was made, is already being explored by a number of companies. 800 marine scientists from 44 country have signed a letter asking for a pause in mining efforts. Less is known about the deep sea than the surface of the Moon, and new species are discovered frequently.

COTW: 'Bigrant' Crime

That's what the genius leader of the Cult of Personality coined for an alleged increase in migrant crime.  Like so many other of his claims it is unsupported by reality. US citizens commit far more crimes per capita than immigrants. According to recent research on the subject, immigrants are 60% less likely to be incarcerated than U.S. born citizens, and 30% less likely relative to U.S. born whites. The fact is that Repugnants repeatedly trot out crime as a means of scaring voters into voting for them since Richard Nixon. This chart shows the reality and how far the manufactured perception is from reality:

Here is a breakdown of crime types in 2022 showing property crimes to be the largest category:

If you watched even a few minutes of the cult gathering in Milwaukee, you should realize that what used to be the Republican Party is now no longer interested in governance, but rather producing a bizarre, demented facsimile of a reality-TV show that is part circus, part professional wrestling and all about Trump.

COTW: Inflation Slows

 This chart from WolfStreet.com shows the various indexes of inflation;

Durable goods like used and new cars, furniture and electronics is leading the decline in inflation.  Those prices have been falling since 2022 after soaring during the pandemic.  Overall CPI has risen just 3% year over year and has been in a tight range since 2023. Core services, except energy, is still high after reaching 7% in 2023.  It is now around 5%.  Motor vehicle insurance has seen the largest increase year over year of 19.5%! it is weighted about 3% of the CPI. 

TWIT: Hack Judge Dismisses Espionage Case

Update:  Special Counsel Jack Smith filed an appeal of MAGA handmaiden Judge Eileen Cannon's dismissal of the Espionage Act case against Don the Con this week  The appeal will be heard by a three judge panel of the 11th Circuit.  It is likely that even the conservative Circuit will overturn her decision because it is so lawless and ignores decades of precedent.  She found Smith's appointment violates the appointments and appropriation clauses of the Constitution.  This is an argument that other federal courts have discarded in past challenges to special attorneys.  While it is true that current special counsels are appointed under regulation promulgated by the Department of Justice, previous special counsels were appointed under statue. (28 USC §510, 515)  Her decision was obviously inspired by crooked Justice Clarence Thomas' concurring opinion in the presidential immunity case. No other Justice joined his "talking" opinion finding Smith's appointment unconstitutional.  Thomas is responsible for the 11th Circuit docket this term.  Smith should ask for an expedited schedule.

By the way,  New Jersey Senator Menendez (D) was successfully prosecuted for bribery by a special prosecutor as was Hunter Biden for illegal gun possession. Speaking of foregone conclusions, Georgia's Appellate Court has set oral arguments in the Fanni Willis disqualification case for December 5th!   Don the Con will quash all federal prosecutions of him if he takes office in January 2025.

{15.07.2024}Saving her worst for just before the Repugnant Convention, pocket Judge Eileen Cannon dismissed the Espionage Act and obstruction case against Donald Trump on the bogus grounds that Jack Smith was unconstitutionally appointed to prosecute Don the Con. Given her previous obvious bias in favor of her benefactor, exhibited a various stages of the prosecution, the ruling was not unexpected, but still profoundly wrong based on prior federal court precedents stretching back to Richard Nixon. It is probable that she was influenced by a dissenting opinion of MAGA Justice Clarence Thomas in the presidential immunity case where he found the special prosecutor appointment under DOJ regulations unconstitutional. Further indications of outside influence on the judge comes from the timing of the decision. Defense attorneys only raised the issue of constitutionality three weeks ago, yet her decision based on constitutionality is detailed and broad (93 pages), indicating previous research and preparation. Cannon has exhibited careful, selective, and deliberate decision making up to now, with few written decisions that could be appealed.

Smith will undoubtably appeal the dismissal ruling to the Eleventh Circuit and ask for her removal from the case on grounds of bias. Potentially the case could end up going all the way to the US Supreme Court on the issue of special counsel constitutionality, which would take years to resolve. The wrench in the machine strategy has worked remarkably well for MAGA.

Hunter Biden's gun charge was brought by a special prosecutor, and Cannon's ruling may benefit him. Her cynical, partisan bias has further tarnished the US judicial system's claim to impartiality. One pundit commented about Cannon's decision,"What she's doing in many ways is putting in writing what she has done de facto in this case. She's delayed this case at every step."

Tigers Recovering in Western Thailand

hanging out at the local pool

Good news from Thailand's Western Forest Complex (WEFCOM). New survey data shows that the population of Indonesian tigers (Panthera tigris corbetti), has doubled in the last two decades. Western Thai forests are the last stronghold of the subspecies that has been extirpated in neighboring Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Only 200 are thought to survive in protected areas. The most important of these is the Huai Kha Khaeng Thung Yai (HKK-TY) a UNESCO World Heritage Site that accounts for a third of the WEFCOM landscape. HKK-TY consists of three separate reserves.  Here, healthy tiger families find prey and reproduce. The most recent survey concluded in 2023 photographed 94 individuals, up from 75 last year. [photo courtesy: Thailand National Parks]

Tiger recoveries are few in Southeast Asia, so the increase in WEFCOM is significant. Researchers installed camera traps at 270 different locations, amassing 98,305 photos over a 19 year period.  Using software that is able to identify distinct stripe patterns, researchers compiled a database of 291 igers over one year old, and 67 cubs. Study authors concluded that each of the three reserves have a solid breeding population, and could be a source of tigers for relocation to extinct zones in the future. HKK-TY tigers have been known to disperse as far as Myanmar. Currently there are about 3 tigers per km². Conservationists would like to see that rise to 5 tigers, or 350 in HKK-TY.

Poaching still poses a danger to wild tigers. Trade in their body parts and pelts remains robust. But increasing anti-poaching patrols are producing results. Major tiger poaching cases were successfully prosecuted in 2012, stopping gangs from poaching in HKK-TY. It still occurs on the periphery in isolated incidents. Rangers have not detected major activity since 2013. Anak Pattanavibool, study co-author and country director of Wildlife Conservation Society, said continued vigorous law enforcement is necessary to protect recovering tiger populations. Thailand has a substantial budget for wildlife conservation, unlike other SEA countries. In HKK-TY alone there are some 20,000 patrol personnel and 57 ranger statons.

Tigers need large herbivores on which to feed if they are to thrive. Surveys have also recorded a rebound in large herbivore numbers that indicate a healthier ecosystem thanks to restoration of water sources. Banteng, Bos javanicus,have doubled in number in one reserve and are dispersing into a neighboring reserve. Sambar deer numbers have also increased. The other requirement for healthy tiger numbers is connected safe habitat. Establishing corridors and connected habitat to allow tigers to roam freely and insure genetic diversity will require advocacy and cooperation at the international level. Tigers are ready, are humans?

Houston, We Have a Problem

More than a quarter million Houstonians are without power for a second day after Hurricane Beryl stormed through the metropolis last week.  The Cat 1 storm caused at least $2.5 billion in damage, knocking down 10 main transmission lines and an untold number of utility poles.  One would expect that power could be restored within hours.  What most people do not know is that Texas is an energy island, unconnected to the rest of the nation's power grid making it vulnerable to prolonged outages.  What's more the population of Harris County is aging and subject to numerous. chronic medical disabilities. Seven percent have no cars making escape from the heat difficult.  Many have no air conditioning,  which makes living in Houston's steamy subtropic climate bearable.  No electricity also means no food due to lack of refrigeration and no way to cook.

Politicians are looking for answers to the prolonged outage. CenterPoint, a regional utility, is coming under increasing scrutiny, One federal lawmaker has asked for a Department of Energy investigation of the utility. It has blamed the storm's surprising strength and longevity for the damage. Experts think that a Category One hurricane is not powerful enough to do the extent of damage to the city's distribution system. The Houston Chronicle's editorial board criticized the company's tree maintenance program, which is next to last in spending amoung the city's four power companies. It also singled out its outage tracker program had be offline since May's thunderstorms. Lack of information provided to its customers is also a sore point. They remember the company's performance in 2008 when power was out for two weeks affecting 2 million people.

What is becoming increasly clear is that innovative solutions to Texas' power isolation are needed as the climate warms rapidly and storm intensity increases. Burying transmission lines in selected areas is one solution, but it is very expensive. In California PG&E estimated the cost for burying it's transmission lines at $2.5 million per mile. Southeast Texas is wet and the Earth is a good conductor of electricity. The fact is that Houston was built with fossil fuels; building sprawl into floodplains is rampant. Reversing that trend will be costly and take time*. So far policy makers are clueless about how to unwrap the Gordian knot they have created.

*One estimate is that the city would have to condemn 10,000 buildings in existing floodplains at a cost of $27 billion.

Happiness Is a Warm Gun

Joe Biden proposed re-instating the assault weapon ban before this happened. Seems like a good idea in a country so saturated with gun violence: since 1981 there have been 47 incidents of mass shootings. There have been five recent shootings of Presidents: Truman, Kennedy, Ford (2), Reagan. It's very American!

Campaigning in 1912 as an independent, Theodore Roosevelt told his crowd he had been shot en route,but nevertheless completed his ninety minute speech. His life was spared by a heavy overcoat, metal eyeglass case, and a folded fifty-page speech text. Slowed down, the .38 Colt handgun bullet shot from close range still penetrated the skin of his chest on a direct path to his heart. Tough monkey, err, moose. Roosevelt lost the ensuing election.

In this particular case, the father purchased an assault-style rifle about six months before his 20 year old son, an unpopular registered Republican, attempted to off the would-be Boss of Bosses. The shooter was a member of a local gun club, but failed to make his high-school rifle team. Notoriously inaccurate, the weapon failed the emotionally unstable assassin at 443 feet. His moment to make history was quickly ended by Secret Service snipers who did not miss.

TWIT: Elites Attempt to Hijack Nomination

credit: G. Markstein

Latest: Rudy Giuliani's federal bankruptcy case was dismissed this week by federal judge Sean Lane who cited "continued failure" to provide financial transparency. Since its Rudy 'Gouli' that conclusion is hardly surprising. Guiliani filed a bankruptcy petition immediately after a $148 million verdict was handed down against him in the defamation case filed by two Georgia election workers. Guiliani accused them of election fraud without any factual basis. Lawyers for the judgement creditors, including Dominion Voting Systems that was accused of rigging their election tabulators, said Guillini's petition for Chapter 11 reorganization was a screen to hide assets and engage in frivolous spending. His plan for reorganization never materialized. The judge wrote in his 22 page decision,“there is little reason to conclude that Mr. Giuliani’s uncooperative conduct will change after the appointment of a Chapter 11 trustee.” His estate is estimated to be around $10 million. The dismissal means creditors can begin proceedings to collect on their judgements. His asset pool is mostly limited to his New York and Florida real estate holdings. Giuliani owes the US government $900,000 in taxes, and millions in legal fees.

{11.07.24}Social elites, plutocrats and CMMare attempting to hijack the Democratic nomination process. Biden has already won primaries in which 14 million or so democrats nominated him to be the party's presidential candidate. The furor over his weak performance in the so-called debate has yet to die down as it is slowly stirred by nay-sayers and media folk. The President has repeatedly said he will not vacate the top of the ticket, so time is up and the game over. On with the campaign to stop the most viable threat to representative democracy since George Third. But Democrats are famous for their desention and anxiety, which plays into the hands of their opponents. A pair of these wannabe king-makers have come up with a "blitz" primary suggestion that is simply put, looney. The proposal features "positive only" interviews with candidates conducted by sympathetic celebrities. How sick is that? There is a mechanism already available for challenging Joe's nomination: the Democratic Convention. Old Joe has already suggested that as a proper forum for dissent.  The CMM is obsessed with Joe's age and give the criminal Trump a relatively light dusting. Trump is only 4 years younger than Joe and uses heavy makeup and elaborate hair transplants to hide his age. His alleged prowess at golf is aided by frequent cheating. Note in passing: nay-sayer Nancy Pelosi is 83.

The furor has forced the Biden campaign to conduct a poll of Harris' chances of winning against Don the Con. US Person can tell you now that results of that poll: the Vice President looses. Despite his age, Ol' Joe is the most viable candidate to defeat the Ochre Menace.   Americans should realize at this point what the actual job of the Vice President is: to step in if the President becomes incapacitated. Wilson and FDR did not have the luxury of the 25th Amendment to stabilize the country during their illnesses, and America survived. You like Kamala Harris? She is already only a few brain cells away from the room without corners. All this useless hand-wringing is increasing the chances that US will be subjected to the first fascist dictator in our checkered history.

By the way, the fraudulent rapist felon Trump's sentencing is now delayed until September 18th, well after the Repugnant Convention where he will anointed heir apparent. Even the New York Times writes, "he is unfit to lead". The bloodless coup marches on and on due to the obvious shortcomings of our legal system.

credit: Oman
BC Idonwanna sez: Mind the snakes!

Whitehouse vs. MAGA

US Person has posted previously on MAGA's intent to dismantle the administrative state, which protects little people from predatory big business. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island has been at the forefront of exposing the MAGA Court's rulings diminishing the power of administrtive agencies to regulate. Here, he discusses the key rulings that have accelerated deregulation in favor of big business. Conspiracy? What conspiracy?

Pantanal is On Fire

The world's largest wetland is burning.  Brazil's Pantanal is burning at a rate that equals the devastation of the fires of 2020, the worst fire year on record. Then, about 30% of the biome burned killing an estimated 17 million vertebrates. Animals that cannot out run the flames are doomed.  Chard  corpses dot the landscape burnt to a smoky crisp. Prior to the age of global warming annual rains filled the region with water, but drought and weak rains have turned the region which stretches across Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay into arid tinder. Fires started this year in May and June, earlier than the usual season of July to September.  Scientists think that the new climate conditions spell an end to what was a richly diverse biome.

More than 90% of the Pantanal is privately owned, and most of that is ranch land.  The majority of fire outbreaks are caused by human activity.  Ranchers have been using fire to clear the land for grazing. Wetlands provided a natural fire break, but now fires can easily become uncontrolled.  Pantanal has lost 68% of its water coverage since 1985. Vegetation accumulates during the wet season, becoming highly combustable during  the dry season.  Fierce winds cross the landscape at 40kms, fueling flames into conflagrations.

a carcass from the 2020 fire

Calls are coming for the government to do more to fight the flames. Mato Grosso du Sul declared the region an emergency, and water drops have occurred but the fires continue to burn.  Long term residents say the fires are getting worse than they remember. A resident on the banks of the Paraguay River told UK Guardian, “The animals and plants and the land are dying, from the bees to the jaguars. We need even the smallest animals to be able to survive. The fires are destroying the beauty of the Pantanal.” [photo credit: UK Guardian]

Florida Cactus First Identified Victim of Sea Rise

The Key West Tree Cactus, Pilosocereus millspaughii, no longer exists in the wild in Florida, killed off by saltwater and soil loss. Scientists from Florida Natural History Museum think it is the first species to be identified as a victum of sea-level rise. It is now only found in a handful of Carribean islands, northern Cuba and the Bahamas. The species was reduced to six stems in Florida, which were moved to a greenhouse for protection. By 2021 a once thriving group of 150 growing in an isolated mangrove were reduced to the six struggling stems. There is little prosepct of the plant being reintroduced to Nature in Florida. Key West islands are five feet or less above current sea level. Conservationists at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens are growing the cactus in captivity. These cacti can grow up to six meters, have cream colored flowers with a garlic scent that gleem in the moonlight. Vivid red and purple fruits attract bat pollinators. [photo credit: Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden]

A storm surge event in 2005 established the link between salt water inundation and cactus mortality.  Subsequent storms and high tides eroded the soil where they were growing.  Additionally animals deprived of fresh water were eating the moisture laden plants.  In 2017 Hurricane Irma, a category 4 storm, covered  the area in saltwater for weeks.  That destructive event was followed by two king tides in 2019 that eventually led to the survivors being evacuation to human custody

TWIT: Jet Lagged

credit: D. Bell

It is a glaring perversity of the media-driven politics of this country that a convicted felon running for president is out-performing an incumbent who had a poor performance during a 90 minute television appearance, but has an outstanding record of accomplishment in his three and half years of office.  Joe criss-crossed the Atlantic just prior to the TV show, so it's no wonder he was tired.   Perhaps the Fat B**tard got in a few rounds of golf while Joe was running the country and treating with allies. Even a younger, quick-witted candidate would have trouble responding in real time to Defendant Don's non-stop sh** show. Chicken Little Democratic elites seemed determined to saddle US with another Hubert Humphrey substitute!

Don the Con cannot complete a sentence without lying. He attempted to overthrow the government, yet polls post him ahead in the race for office.  His radical supporters published a 900 page manifesto (Project 2025)* showing how his second administration will end a quarter-century of republican government and establish an autocracy. All the while he will be wrapped in a blanket of prosecutorial immunity for "official acts" gifted him by the MAGA Court.  

The CMM continues to palpitate over the possibility of driving the current old President out of the race. In US Person's opinion no other possible Democratic candidate can win against the old Ochre Menace.   Joe has already told us he is in the race to win. It is a disservice to democracy to continue undermining his re-election.  All lovers of democracy should be supporting Joe this Fourth of July in the fight against the MAGA threat. 10 to 4 Joe is far less dangerous than 8 hr King Trump, the first of his name.  

BJ Idonwanna: The Ghoul rides again!

*Realizing that his endorsement of the extremist Project 2025 will cost him votes in a close election, the Liar in Chief attempted to walk back his support on social media, his favorite propaganda platform, claiming he knew nothing about it.  FALSE.  Some of the people involved in the project are former senior members of his administration.  These include Paul Dans, former chief of staff at the Office of Personnel Management; Karoline Leavitt, campaign spokesperson was featured in a video about the project; and John McEntee, former White House chief of personnel management. Russ Vought, a key ally, wrote part of the manifesto and is on the Repugnant platform committee.  In fact Trump's denial is a favorite tactic.  When finds out something he said or did is unpopular, he immediately disowns it.  He still denies knowing E. Jean Carol, the person he sexually assaulted at Bergdorf-Goodman, or having intimate relations with Stormy Daniels.  US Person does not label them "Repugnants" for nothing!

Colorado Taxpayers Will Pay For Oil Well Cleanup

Old wells that operate on the margin of profitability cost less to abandon than to clean up after they are plugged. According to a new study. The cost of decommissioning 48,000 unplugged wells across the state will cost between $6.8 to 8.5 billon not including the cost of reclamation of surface disturbance for thousands of other wells.  Six years of study by the state of the problem has produced no more financial assurance than existed before the study commenced.  Production peaked five years ago, and attempts to redevelop oil fields outside of one basin north of Denver have largely failed.  These wells have produced declining amounts of oil and face eventual abandonment by an industry willing to cut operating costs as much as possible.  Operators in "legacy" areas plug only 0.4 of their wells every year.  Legacy areas represent 57% of the statewide total of oil and gas wells. To compound the problem, marginal wells are often sold by large producers to small, independent operators that do not have the capital needed to properly decommission a non-productive well.  According to the state's regulator, a single well can cost $110,000 or more to close down.  A well may become an "orphan" that has no responsible owner; about 120,000 such wells exist across the USA.

The study concludes that something must be done quickly if the public is to be protected from becoming the deep pocket of last resort.  These legacy wells will generate about $1 billion in revenue, but decommissioning  will cost $4-5 billion.  Unless properly plugged a well can leak methane and other toxic gases into the environment.  Colorado attempted to solve the problem in 2022 by revising bonding requirements for drilling. But the gap between bonding amounts  and clean-up costs continues to increase.  Colorado is not alone in having inadequate assurance provisions from the industry.  Fifteen of the major oil producing states have funds on hand for less than 2% of costs according to analysis by Pro Publica. [photo credit: Texas Observer]

Colorado made some sweeping reforms in 2019, giving its regulatory authority, Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) a mandate to protect human health and environment above industry profit.  The reforms included revising the financial assurance requirements, restricting transfer of wells to smaller, less capitalized companies, and imposing a fee on producers. There are just three publicly traded companies currently operating in the state: Occidental, Chevron and Civitas that have the means to properly decommission their wells. The rest of the operators do not.  KP Kaufman, the largest owner of marginal wells in Colorado, has already told the state it cannot afford to pay a $2 million fine for environmental violations, and has sued ECMC to reduce the fine. Compared to next door New Mexico, which has struggled to pass more stringent requirements, Colorado is better off, but not by much. Its fee arrangement only generates about $10 million annually.  This pathetic situation exists in a period of record industry profits.  Colorado will need to look elsewhere for funds to protect its citizens from abandoned oil wells.  Taxpayers, open your wallets!

The Last Wooly Mammoths

Love Dalen, a geneticist at Stockholm University, has studied Wooly Mammoths for two decades.  He and his team have successfully mapped the genome of an iconic species of the Pleistocene. Through their efforts, it has been determined the last small herd of mammoths perished 4,000 years ago on Wangle Island, an arctic land mass the size of Delaware, 80 miles north of Siberia.  They suffered from a host of genetic abnormalities due to inbreeding, which may have contributed to their demise. Opinions differ on this point.  Dr. Dalen compared the genomes of 14 mammoths that lived on Wrangle to seven genomes of mammoths that lived on the mainland. Mammoths began disappearing from their range about 15,000 years ago.  Climate change and human predation are thought to have caused their extinction.

The genetic record indicates that the herd began with fewer than ten individuals. How they got to Wrangle from mainland Asia is open to debate, but they probably were isolated on what became an island when sea levels rose from melting glaciers. It was a fortuitous event for the stranded since the climate on Wrangle was favorable and allowed edible plants to flourish. There were no competing herbivores present, and the island was free of humans and other predators. Wrangle Island's isolated colony managed to survive for 6,000 years. The population grew from around ten to 300, the maximum allowed by the island's plant resources. The early inbreeding eventually took its toll on the population. The earliest signs of human habitation occur 400 years after the disappearance of the mammoths. It's possible that they died in a volcanic eruption, tundra fire, or even from a pathogen like bird influenza that migrated to the island. Dr, Dalen has not been able to return to Siberia to study possible causes due to the war in Ukraine. [graphic credit: B. Zaiken]

The research on Wrangle Island mammoths is a cautionary tale for scientists seeking to resurrect extinct species like the thylacine. A late survivor from which DNA is extracted may be burdened with accumulated defects caused by inbreeding. Recovering populations of endangered animals need to have their genetic diversity boosted by re-location of individuals or even cloning.  Researchers successfully cloned a black-footed ferret in 2021 from a population that became extinct in the 1980s.

TWIT: The Stigmata of Donald Christ

credit: M. Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BC Idonwanna sez: Give Orange Whiner truth serum!

Still More: As expected, the MAGA Court gave Don the Con a level of comfort today by ruling that he is entitled to immunity for official acts while in office.  The problem is that most of his acts in aiding the insurrection were unofficial, but the DC District Court will have to determine which acts are within the scope of his official immunity on remand.  Theoretically, a fact finding hearing could be held by Judge Chutkin before the election in November, but it would be a tight squeeze.  His lawyers will take every opportunity to delay the process until after the election.  There is an even chance the prosecution will be quashed after that. 

The decision overrules both the DC Circuit Court of Appeals and the DC District Court that found no immunity for Trump's actions leading up to the storming of the Capitol.  Corrupt Justice Clarence Thomas took the opportunity to also attack the legitimacy of Jack Smith's appointment as Special Counsel.  No other justice joined in that opinion.  Dissenting Justice Sotomayor compared today's decision to the one that found WWII interment of Japanese-Americans constitutional; writing it is an abusive expanse of executive power that creates a "law free zone" around the President.  The MAGA majority's bias is as plain to see as the robes they wear, and they are not above destroying democracy to protect their strongman from criminal prosecution.

{27.06.24 } Latest: The MAGA Court threw out the conviction of a Pennsylvania police officer who participated in the January 6th insurrection in a 6-3 decision. The case will impact other insurrectionists charged with obstruction of an official proceeding under 18 U.S.C. 1512. The majority, which included former defense attorney Jackson-Barrett, found that the statute applies only to documents, records or other objects used in an official proceeding. Hundreds of insurrectionist convictions for obstruction did not use such documentation or records and will be eventually overturned. The minority opinion was joined by Coney-Barrett.  Their opinion relied on §1512(c)(2) that applies to defendants who "otherwise intended to impede or influence an official proceeding". Clearly that is the case of rioters who stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop the Electoral vote count. Once again the conservative majority shows how their strict constructionism applies when its suits their desired result.  How the decision will impact Trump's prosecution remains to be determined.  He is charge with two counts of obstruction, but he is alleged to have allowed false voter certifications (records) to be submitted to Congress.

More: If voters learned something from the optical event that occurred on Thursday night it is that Joe Biden in an elderly man who stutters, and 180º Donald Trump is a congenital liar. So what else is new? The best line from Joe Biden was, "You have the morals of an ally cat." True. The best line from Trump was, "I did not have sex with a porn star." False. Clearly Biden's handlers did not get the performance they were hoping for from their candidate, but he did manage to stand up for ninety minutes and respond more directly to questions than his opponent. He occasionally got lost in relating his statistical factoids.  Biden has the best record of legislative accomplishments in recent decades. He ended a forever war, the longest in American history. He rejoined the Paris Climate Accords and invested heavily in US infrastructure. Don the Con has almost no accomplishments except giving the ultra-rich more tax breaks; building a damaging, porous folly in the desert; restricting women"s bodily autonomy; and attempting to overthrow democracy. Mature voters should know performance in office matters.

BC Idonwanna sez: Don't forget his belt and necktie!

{25.06.24}Yes, folks the man has descended into undeniable delusional absurdity: he offered to show a zealous fundamentalist crowd in Washington, D.C. the wounds all over his "beautiful body".   But the wounds he suffers are mental, not physical, and mostly self-inflicted.  That this demented criminal can be considered fit to serve in the highest public office with a finger on the nuclear trigger is an indictment of the American political system. US Person extends his sympathy to Joe Biden, who has to stand for 90 minutes and 'debate' a demonic lunatic. 

credit: Danziger
Wackydoodle sez: And tax breaks to boot!