An Open Letter to Greta Thunberg

[LeeG]

Colbert

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sGDQjAyrpPo

[LeeG]

Greenland Ice Sheet loss. Hey Rummy, what do you think about the issues raised in this article?

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-48387030

Climate change: Greenland ice melt 'is accelerating'
By Jonathan Amos
BBC Science Correspondent, San Francisco

Greenland is losing ice seven times faster than it was in the 1990s.
The assessment comes from an international team of polar scientists who've reviewed all the satellite observations over a 26-year period.
They say Greenland's contribution to sea-level rise is currently tracking what had been regarded as a pessimistic projection of the future.
It means an additional 7cm of ocean rise could now be expected by the end of the century from Greenland alone.
This threatens to put many millions more people in low-lying coastal regions at risk of flooding.
It's estimated roughly a billion live today less than 10m above current high-tide lines, including 250 million below 1m.

[Decourcy]

Interesting take on the Aspergers thing is that many of the tech pioneers working in Silicon Valley were on the spectrum, partnered, and their children inherited a double dose if you will. Short cut evolution it is called, but I thought of the Nazi efforts to breed 'superior' members of the master race, Eugenics, and how those with the talents needed seem now to be self-selecting to an extent.

Aspergers can be a benefit to us, by allowing certain people to focus on a problem while ignoring entirely on the distractions around them.

Aspergers can be a problem for us, by allowing certain people to focus on what interests them, while ignoring the side effects and collateral damage caused.

I think of Aspergers as a tool in the human toolbox. It isn't always the best tool, and thought must still be exercised as to when it's deployed.

I am reminded of something I heard long ago (I think in a M. Moore doc) about the Norwegian or Swedish oil boom and fund. The government appointed an official philosopher. When questioned as to how a philosopher could answer any of the questions raised by the complications of an oil economy, the response was that "we have other people to answer questions. The job of the philosopher is to ask questions, not answer them".

I thought that was brilliant. Cold, focused, analytical people must be balanced by humanists.

None of this post is related to Greta, but is simply morning musings.

[AlanMc]

Aspergers can be a benefit to us, by allowing certain people to focus on a problem while ignoring entirely on the distractions around them.

Aspergers can be a problem for us, by allowing certain people to focus on what interests them, while ignoring the side effects and collateral damage caused.

I think of Aspergers as a tool in the human toolbox. It isn't always the best tool, and thought must still be exercised as to when it's deployed.

I am reminded of something I heard long ago (I think in a M. Moore doc) about the Norwegian or Swedish oil boom and fund. The government appointed an official philosopher. When questioned as to how a philosopher could answer any of the questions raised by the complications of an oil economy, the response was that "we have other people to answer questions. The job of the philosopher is to ask questions, not answer them".

I thought that was brilliant. Cold, focused, analytical people must be balanced by humanists.

None of this post is related to Greta, but is simply morning musings.

everything and everyone has a purpose.

[Kevin T]

BTW, Venice flooding has city 'on its knees,' Italy to declare state of emergency

I would suggest that the good citizens of Venice get up off their knees, otherwise they are likely to drown.

[Decourcy]

I would suggest that the good citizens of Venice get up off their knees, otherwise they are likely to drown.

Problems in Venice have more to do with mud foundation and cruise ship wakes than global warming. And political corruption of course.....

[WX]

[JayInOz]

I think of Aspergers as a tool in the human toolbox. It isn't always the best tool, and thought must still be exercised as to when it's deployed.

Aspergers is a type of autism. One of our kids has it. I'd be interested to learn how he might deploy it at will. He is a highly intelligent individual and cruised through every university course with ease, but he could use some help with social interactions. Please enlighten me JayInOz

[WX]

I think of intelligence as a tool in the human toolbox. It isn't always the best tool, and thought must still be exercised as to when it's deployed.

[skuthorp]

I find it interesting keeping an eye on the usual media reactions to a woman/girl sticking their head up on a difficult and important subject. They haven't gotten their heads around the fact that;
1. She's high school age.
2. She's not a bimbo
3. She has no interest in clothes (or not in the sense that they can cope with) no hook there..
4. She's serious and will not be distracted
4. I think she'd intimidate any male journalist who tried any of the usual BS oon her, and they know it.
5. In my grannys words, "she doesn't suffer fools gladly" even if he is POTUS.
6. She knows what she's talking about, and may take her generation away from all of the established political parties, and they know that too.

In other words she doesn't fit the mould that enables the media and adults in general to say 'there there' and ignore her.

But she's going home for Christmas to 'have a rest'.

[Kevin T]

Problems in Venice have more to do with mud foundation and cruise ship wakes than global warming. And political corruption of course.....

Pretty sure I never mentioned Global Warming, so here goes, my throwaway line was a reference to being on one's knees as water rises and how it (being on one's knees) increases the chance of drowning in shoulder deep water. Oh never mind.

[Duncan Gibbs]

Yep! At least two more pages to go...

[Decourcy]

Aspergers is a type of autism. One of our kids has it. I'd be interested to learn how he might deploy it at will. He is a highly intelligent individual and cruised through every university course with ease, but he could use some help with social interactions. Please enlighten me JayInOz

Human toolbox, not individual.

[Decourcy]

Pretty sure I never mentioned Global Warming, so here goes, my throwaway line was a reference to being on one's knees as water rises and how it (being on one's knees) increases the chance of drowning in shoulder deep water. Oh never mind.

No, you didn't mention global warming, but most make that assumption when mentioning the ongoing issues in Venice, and I thought the additional information was in order. Ya, I got the joke.

[Kevin T]

No, you didn't mention global warming, but most make that assumption when mentioning the ongoing issues in Venice, and I thought the additional information was in order. Ya, I got the joke.

Apologies if that was harsh, but I do understand the historical issues of Venice and the propensity to flood.

They've been sinking into the mud for centuries and obviously the world's desire to see and visit Venice is an obvious problem much like the pathway up to the top of Everest is becoming overwhelmed with tons of garbage.

World Heritage sites across the globe are literally being loved to death.

[Hugh Conway]

Problems in Venice have more to do with mud foundation and cruise ship wakes than global warming. And political corruption of course.....

Corruption is a cheap excuse. The fundamental problem is without charging admissions- turning it into a complete theme park - Venice is like many heritage sites a tragedy of the commons. Tourists come, spend little, move on, leaving the “locals” to pay for all of the wear and tear.

[Decourcy]

Corruption is a cheap excuse. The fundamental problem is without charging admissions- turning it into a complete theme park - Venice is like many heritage sites a tragedy of the commons. Tourists come, spend little, move on, leaving the “locals” to pay for all of the wear and tear.

I don't disagree, other than with the corruption being a cheap excuse. How long has the MOSE project been going on now? Corruption is the reason that it's now not scheduled for completion until 2022. Corruption is the reason it will miss that target.

The entire world has become a theme park for the (relatively) wealthy.

[Hugh Conway]

I don't disagree, other than with the corruption being a cheap excuse. How long has the MOSE project been going on now? Corruption is the reason that it's now not scheduled for completion until 2022. Corruption is the reason it will miss that target.

big infrastructure projects are always late and over budget.

[Decourcy]

big infrastructure projects are always late and over budget.

Know anyone that lives there and deals with the corruption in their daily lives?

[Old Dryfoot]

Corruption didn't cause the flooding.

[Decourcy]

Corruption didn't cause the flooding.

Actually, it kind of does.
Venice floods yearly. Always has. It's gotten worse in recent years due to the wash from freighters and cruise ships and tourist boats on the canals disturbing the muck that is all the buildings sit on, causing the buildings to settle. This has been known for years. Corruption prevents anything from actually being done about it, including the above mentioned project, which started something approaching 20 years ago.


Venice is quite accurately described as sinking.