Me and Earl and the Dying Girl -- at Salem Cinema

Not to be missed. Lil' ol' Salem has a movie house that's the equal of any on the West Coast.

Unauthorized Immigrants support Medicare

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

How Unauthorized Immigrants Support Legal Users of Medicare

Unauthorized immigrants create a huge surplus in Medicare by contributing to payroll taxes.

That sound is the other shoe dropping hard: More than 300 wildfires are burning in Alaska right now.

More than 300 wildfires are burning in Alaska right now. That's an even bigger problem than it sounds.
// Desdemona's Blog

By Chris Mooney
26 June 2015

(Washington Post) – Following on a record hot May in which much snow cover melted off early, Alaska saw no less than 152 fires erupt last weekend. The numbers have only grown further since then, and stood at 317 active fires Friday, according to the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center, with over 280,000 additional acres burned just since Thursday.

"Given the high number of fires and the personnel assigned to those fires, the state's firefighting resources are becoming very limited, forcing fire managers to prioritize resources," noted the state's Department of Natural Resources Tuesday. The preparedness level at the moment for the state is 5, meaning that "resistance to control is high to extreme and resistance to extinguishment is high."

This stunning tweet from the Alaska Division of Forestry sort of says it all:

All of which is troubling for multiple reasons: (1) Recent research suggests that more Alaskan wildfires, and more large Alaskan fires in particular, are a trend; (2) In some cases, wildfires in Alaska don't just consume trees, grasses or tundra. They can burn away soils as well and threaten permafrost, frozen soil beneath the ground, and so potentially help to trigger additional release of carbon to the atmosphere.

"One major concern about wildfires becoming more frequent in permafrost areas is the potential to put the vast amounts of carbon stored there at increased risk of being emitted and further amplify warming," said Todd Sanford, a climate scientist at Climate Central and lead author of the group's newly released report on Alaskan wildfires, by e-mail. [more]

Over 300 wildfires are burning in Alaska right now. That's an even bigger problem than it sounds

Technorati Tags: Alaska,Arctic,permafrost,wildfire,forest fire,heat wave,global warming,climate change

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"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Turns out Jeb! BUSH is as big and as dangerous an idiot as his brother

New gun control measures are not the way to prevent mass killings such as the shooting deaths of nine people in a South Carolina church, the Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said on Saturday.

Bush, who plans to meet black ministers in Charleston, South Carolina, on Monday, said identifying potentially violent people before they committed such crimes was a better approach than further restrictions on gun ownership.

Because it's so easy to know the evil that lurks in the hearts of men, right?  Moron.

Gun control won't prevent another Charleston-style shooting, says Jeb Bush | US news | The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/28/gun-control-wont-prevent-another-charleston-style-shooting-says-jeb-bush
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"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Graphic evidence on climate disruption that would be undeniable (if evidence mattered)

"The clear and powerful data will instantly silence your climate science denier friends."

The Sightline Institute writer who pointed out these terrific graphs is just a tad naive about how denial works (her comment above).

But still, this is a truly great visual presentation that would, if evidence mattered, matter a great deal.

http://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-whats-warming-the-world/

Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

It's been a tough session - end with something good: Let the Senate Vote on National Popular Vote

Senator Courtney:

I know it's been a very tough session, from its strange beginning to its brutal ending.  You've done some good and you've seen some bad done too. There's one important thing left to do:

Let the Senate VOTE on whether Oregon should join the National Popular Vote compact.

Let proponents and opponents make the case — but don't keep strangling this off-stage. If there are arguments against making sure that America's only nationally elected figure has to get a majority of Americans' votes, lets hear them.

Sincerely, your constituent,

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Just a few seconds could help cripple Icelandic whaling - please spread widely

Subject: Days to save whales

Icelandic whalers are about to start harpooning over 150 endangered fin whales. But if we can get a tiny Caribbean nation to remove their flag from a ship that's carrying millions of dollars worth of fin whale meat to Japan, we can hit them where it hurts. Stopping this sale could turn the tide. The ship could leave in six days. Add your voice and share this urgently: Sign the petition Dear friends, The Icelandic whaling fleet is about to leave port to hunt and kill 150 endangered fin whales. We've come close to shutting down this barbaric operation before and now we have a chance to end it for good. As the whalers sharpen their harpoons for this year's hunt, their boss is trying to ship last year's whale meat to Japan right now. Over 1,700 tonnes are about to be sent through the icy passage between Russia and the North Pole. But if the tiny Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis simply removes their flag from the vessel it can't leave port! Tourism is the main pillar of their country's economy and we can put their reputation on the line by throwing them into our giant global spotlight. We have just six days before the boat could set sail.   Our community already helped push European countries to shun this shameful trade. Let's now get St. Kitts to stop helping the whalers! Sign now and share with everyone urgently -- Avaaz will deliver our voices straight to the new Prime Minister, and if he doesn't respond quickly, Avaaz'll target his biggest tourist market - the US - and show how St. Kitts is supporting the slaughter of these majestic beings: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/days_to_save_whales_loc/?biMcPdb&v=61050 Dear friends, The Icelandic whaling fleet is about to leave port to hunt and kill 150 endangered fin whales. We've come close to shutting down this barbaric operation before and now we have a chance to end it for good. As the whalers sharpen their harpoons for this year's hunt, their boss is trying to ship last year's whale meat to Japan right now. Over 1,700 tonnes are about to be sent through the icy passage between Russia and the North Pole. But if the tiny Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis simply removes their flag from the vessel it can't leave port! Tourism is the main pillar of their country's economy and we can put their reputation on the line by throwing them into our giant global spotlight. We have just six days before the boat could set sail.   Our community already helped push European countries to shun this shameful trade. Let's now get St. Kitts to stop helping the whalers! Sign now and share with everyone urgently -- Avaaz will deliver our voices straight to the new Prime Minister, and if he doesn't respond quickly, Avaaz'll target his biggest tourist market - the US - and show how St. Kitts is supporting the slaughter of these majestic beings: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/days_to_save_whales_loc/?biMcPdb&v=61050 Iceland's entire fin whaling industry is run by one man, Kristjan Loftsson, but his business is barely breaking even, so if we stop the whale meat from reaching Japan we can sink his profits! Other nations have removed their flag from vessels in response to public pressure over other environmental concerns so we know this can work for the whales. All we need to do is create a scandal and get a delay to make the crossing to Japan impossible. Japanese whalers plan to resume "scientific" whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary despite widespread opposition, and St. Kitts and Nevis votes in support of Japan's "research" at the International Whaling Commission. If we take them out of the equation now we can strike a deadly blow to both Icelandic and Japanese whaling at the same time! Pressure has been mounting globally and nationally to stop the Icelandic whalers. This could be a turning point for the whales. Together we have the power to turn the International Whaling Commission into the International Whale Conservation Commission. And we can get started by stopping this year's harpooning and this whale meat shipment! Sign the urgent petition now: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/days_to_save_whales_loc/?biMcPdb&v=61050 We know our voices work! Following our 1 million strong petition in 2013, the Dutch government blocked Iceland's whale meat shipments docking in the Netherlands. And together with Greenpeace, our community managed to get fin whale meat sent back to Iceland from Germany. Since then major shipping companies announced they would never ship whale meat again. We're making it harder and harder for this industry to make a profit. Let's shut it down for good! With hope,  Lisa, Danny, Alice, Ricken, Mel, Nick, Rewan and the whole Avaaz team MORE INFORMATION Iceland sends shipment of 1,700 tonnes of whale meat to Japan (The Guardian) http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jun/05/iceland-sends-shipment-of-1700-tonnes-of-whale-meat-to-japan. Desperate whalers go north (Greenpeace) http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/whale-meat-iceland/blog/53241/ The Winter Bay (Vessel Fider - shows where the ship carrying the whale meat is and which country is registering it) https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/WINTER-BAY-IMO-8601680-MMSI-341433000 Japan to resume whaling hunt despite IWC warning (AFP) https://uk.news.yahoo.com/japan-resume-whaling-hunt-despite-iwc-warning-105354478.html#ohHmAJ1

Avaaz.org is a 41-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Time to Stop Protecting Insurance Company Profits instead of Patient Safety

From that noted lefty rag, Forbes:

On Tort Reform, It's Time to Declare Victory and Withdraw: http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevecohen/2015/03/02/on-tort-reform-its-time-to-declare-victory-and-withdraw/

 

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Dutch Court finds Carbon Cuts Required

http://gu.com/p/4a49a/sbl

Happy Solstice! (Act fast to get your own solar system installed quick, federal support likely to disappear)

12 noon on Summer Solstice 2015 at LOVESalem HQ: 54 Month's output of 4.4 kW system (351 kWh/mo)