It’s kitten season. Take two; they’re small.
The Carnival of Education: Week 67 is available for your perusal.
Take a look at PZ’s Friday Cephalopod. It’s literally a peek inside Vitrelodonella richardi, otherwise known as the glass octopus. You’ll understand that name when you look at the picture. Fascinating.
Friday Ark #87 has all the latest animal news. And remember, these posts grow from Friday through Sunday, so check it out often for updates.
The Senate voted 63 to 34 to make English the official language of America. I’ve said before this is a good idea, but I want to point out that this is a bad move. You see, you can’t make it the official language without also addressing the 11 million Americans who are English illiterate and the 30 million Americans who are only marginally literate with the language. Come on, people. Pay attention to what you’re doing. Without addressing existing literacy issues as well as educational requirements, making it our official language is nothing more than a political move to pander to anti-immigration forces. Well, I guess that was the point.
All Americans should be embarrassed. The UN admonished our government and said it “should close [its] prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and avoid using secret detention facilities in [its feeble and stupidly executed] war on terror…” The report also says America should end its torture policies; likewise, the superpower should not return detainees to countries where it knows they face a “real risk” of being tortured. It’s quite exacting in its demands that we adhere to the international Treaty Against Torture. Sadly, our once great nation has violated that and the Geneva Conventions in horrifically prolific ways, and now we’re being called on it.
Yet more extinction news. This is getting bad. Now, a report indicates deep-sea fish have been plundered and are in danger of extinction. Guess what? The two species at greatest risk are tuna and orange roughy, not to mention entire ecosystems destroyed by the fishing methods cited in the report.
And speaking of ecological disasters, mountain snowpack around the globe is in dramatic decline and estimates show summertime melt and runoff will be greatly reduced in the coming years. Again, this has significant implications for the entire food chain and ecosystem. Ah, but climate change isn’t happening, right?
My name is on “a microchip that will be placed aboard the spacecraft accompanying it on its mission to the asteroid belt.” Yes, that’s right: my name is on its way to the asteroid belt, forever ingrained in our country’s space legacy and available for perusal by any alien race that might stumble upon it. You can add your own name if you wish.