6 WAYS THE BORDER WALL COULD DISRUPT THE ENVIRONMENT
People who live and work along the southern border of the U.S. will tell you that the farther away the political debate occurs from the border, the more detached it becomes from the reality of life in the borderlands. That long-held view has been confirmed yet again as the wrangling in Washington over President Donald Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion to build a wall along the border devolves into an argument over whether such a wall should be concrete slab or steel slats.
The reason to build a wall is to keep people out. Yet history is replete with examples of walls all over the globe that rarely deterred determined people from getting in. Janet Napolitano, who served as governor of Arizona and President Barack Obama’s secretary of Homeland Security, was famous for her oft-repeated declaration:
“Show me a 50-foot wall, and I’ll show you a 51-foot ladder.”
The wisdom of building a wall across the length of the U.S.-Mexico border at a time when the number of arrests of illegal border crossers is at a 45-year low is an issue for the debate over immigration law.
1. Threatening diverse landscapes
2. Exacerbating flooding
3. Perils to wildlife and plants
4. Dividing a river
5. Disrupting wildlife refuges and parks
6. Exemption from environmental oversight laws
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/01/how-trump-us-mexico-border-wall-could-impact-environment-wildlife-water/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=social::src=facebook::cmp=editorial::add=fb20190110env-borderwallimpacts::rid=&sf205749481=1
https://t.me/MkNotes/764
People who live and work along the southern border of the U.S. will tell you that the farther away the political debate occurs from the border, the more detached it becomes from the reality of life in the borderlands. That long-held view has been confirmed yet again as the wrangling in Washington over President Donald Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion to build a wall along the border devolves into an argument over whether such a wall should be concrete slab or steel slats.
The reason to build a wall is to keep people out. Yet history is replete with examples of walls all over the globe that rarely deterred determined people from getting in. Janet Napolitano, who served as governor of Arizona and President Barack Obama’s secretary of Homeland Security, was famous for her oft-repeated declaration:
“Show me a 50-foot wall, and I’ll show you a 51-foot ladder.”
The wisdom of building a wall across the length of the U.S.-Mexico border at a time when the number of arrests of illegal border crossers is at a 45-year low is an issue for the debate over immigration law.
1. Threatening diverse landscapes
2. Exacerbating flooding
3. Perils to wildlife and plants
4. Dividing a river
5. Disrupting wildlife refuges and parks
6. Exemption from environmental oversight laws
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/01/how-trump-us-mexico-border-wall-could-impact-environment-wildlife-water/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=social::src=facebook::cmp=editorial::add=fb20190110env-borderwallimpacts::rid=&sf205749481=1
https://t.me/MkNotes/764
Environment
6 ways the border wall could disrupt the environment
Trump's plan to build a wall from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific could come with unintended consequences for wildlife and people.
One sunny day a rabbit came out of her hole in the ground to enjoy the fine weather. The day was so nice that she became careless and a fox snuck up behind her and caught her. "I am going to eat you for lunch," said the fox. "Wait," replied the rabbit, "You should at least wait a few days." "Oh yeah? Why should I wait?"
"Well, I am just finishing my thesis on 'The Superiority of Rabbits over Foxes and Wolves.'" "Are you crazy? I should eat you right now! Everybody knows that a fox will always win over a rabbit." "Not really, not according to my research. If you like, you can come into my hole and read it for yourself. If you are not convinced, you can go ahead and have me for lunch." "You really are crazy!" But since the fox was curious and had nothing to lose, it went with the rabbit. The fox never came out. A few days later the rabbit was again taking a break from writing and sure enough, a wolf came out of the bushes and was ready to set upon her.
"Wait!" yelled the rabbit, "you can't eat me right now." "And why might that be, my furry appetizer?" "I am almost finished writing my thesis on 'The Superiority of Rabbits over Foxes and Wolves.'" The wolf laughed so hard that it almost lost its grip on the rabbit. "Maybe I shouldn't eat you; you really are sick … in the head. You might have something contagious." "Come and read it for yourself; you can eat me afterward if you disagree with my conclusions." So the wolf went down into the rabbit's hole … and never came out.
The rabbit finished her thesis and was out celebrating in the local lettuce patch. Another rabbit came along and asked, "What's up? You seem very happy." "Yup, I just finished my thesis." "Congratulations. What's it about?" "'The Superiority of Rabbits over Foxes and Wolves.'" "Are you sure? That doesn't sound right."
"Oh yes. Come and read it for yourself." So together they went down into the rabbit's hole. As they entered, the friend saw the typical graduate abode, albeit a rather messy one after writing a thesis. The computer with the controversial work was in one corner. And to the right there was a pile of fox bones, on the left a pile of wolf bones. And in the middle was a large, well-fed lion.
The moral of the story: The title of your thesis doesn't matter. The subject doesn't matter. The research doesn't matter. All that matters is who your advisor is.
https://t.me/MkNotes/765
"Well, I am just finishing my thesis on 'The Superiority of Rabbits over Foxes and Wolves.'" "Are you crazy? I should eat you right now! Everybody knows that a fox will always win over a rabbit." "Not really, not according to my research. If you like, you can come into my hole and read it for yourself. If you are not convinced, you can go ahead and have me for lunch." "You really are crazy!" But since the fox was curious and had nothing to lose, it went with the rabbit. The fox never came out. A few days later the rabbit was again taking a break from writing and sure enough, a wolf came out of the bushes and was ready to set upon her.
"Wait!" yelled the rabbit, "you can't eat me right now." "And why might that be, my furry appetizer?" "I am almost finished writing my thesis on 'The Superiority of Rabbits over Foxes and Wolves.'" The wolf laughed so hard that it almost lost its grip on the rabbit. "Maybe I shouldn't eat you; you really are sick … in the head. You might have something contagious." "Come and read it for yourself; you can eat me afterward if you disagree with my conclusions." So the wolf went down into the rabbit's hole … and never came out.
The rabbit finished her thesis and was out celebrating in the local lettuce patch. Another rabbit came along and asked, "What's up? You seem very happy." "Yup, I just finished my thesis." "Congratulations. What's it about?" "'The Superiority of Rabbits over Foxes and Wolves.'" "Are you sure? That doesn't sound right."
"Oh yes. Come and read it for yourself." So together they went down into the rabbit's hole. As they entered, the friend saw the typical graduate abode, albeit a rather messy one after writing a thesis. The computer with the controversial work was in one corner. And to the right there was a pile of fox bones, on the left a pile of wolf bones. And in the middle was a large, well-fed lion.
The moral of the story: The title of your thesis doesn't matter. The subject doesn't matter. The research doesn't matter. All that matters is who your advisor is.
https://t.me/MkNotes/765
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One sunny day a rabbit came out of her hole in the ground to enjoy the fine weather. The day was so nice that she became careless and a fox snuck up behind her and caught her. "I am going to eat you for lunch," said the fox. "Wait," replied the rabbit,…
https://t.me/MkNotes/343
Classic short stories that introduce American literature to intermediate English learners.
My First Selection, O Henry.
1. 'Hearts and Crosses,' by O. Henry, Part One
2. The Caliph, Cupid and the Clock by O. Henry
3. 'Mammon and the Archer' by O. Henry
4. 'One Thousand Dollars,' by O. Henry
5. 'The Gift of the Magi,' by O. Henry
6. Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O. Henry
7. The Furnished Room by O. Henry
8. A Retrieved Reformation by O. Henry
9. 'After Twenty Years,' by O.Henry
10. 'Transients in Arcadia' by O. Henry
11. 'From the Cabby's Seat,' by O. Henry
12. 'The Romance of a Busy Broker' by O. Henry
13. 'The Count and the Wedding Guest' by O. Henry
14. 'The Cop and the Anthem,' by O. Henry
15. 'The Exact Science of Matrimony' by O. Henry
16. 'The Ransom of Red Chief,' by O. Henry
17. A Municipal Report by O. Henry
https://learningenglish.voanews.com/z/1581
https://t.me/MkNotes/344
Classic short stories that introduce American literature to intermediate English learners.
My First Selection, O Henry.
1. 'Hearts and Crosses,' by O. Henry, Part One
2. The Caliph, Cupid and the Clock by O. Henry
3. 'Mammon and the Archer' by O. Henry
4. 'One Thousand Dollars,' by O. Henry
5. 'The Gift of the Magi,' by O. Henry
6. Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O. Henry
7. The Furnished Room by O. Henry
8. A Retrieved Reformation by O. Henry
9. 'After Twenty Years,' by O.Henry
10. 'Transients in Arcadia' by O. Henry
11. 'From the Cabby's Seat,' by O. Henry
12. 'The Romance of a Busy Broker' by O. Henry
13. 'The Count and the Wedding Guest' by O. Henry
14. 'The Cop and the Anthem,' by O. Henry
15. 'The Exact Science of Matrimony' by O. Henry
16. 'The Ransom of Red Chief,' by O. Henry
17. A Municipal Report by O. Henry
https://learningenglish.voanews.com/z/1581
https://t.me/MkNotes/344
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O Henry, After Twenty Years
#OHenry #After #Twenty #Years
https://t.me/MkNotes/343
#OHenry #After #Twenty #Years
https://t.me/MkNotes/343
C O N N E C T O R S
- Transitions
- Coordinators
- Subrdinators
- Correlatives
Some people make headlines while others make history.
https://t.me/MkNotes/22
- Transitions
- Coordinators
- Subrdinators
- Correlatives
Some people make headlines while others make history.
https://t.me/MkNotes/22
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ANY FOOL CAN CRITICIZE, CONDEMN AND COMPLAIN-
AND MOST FOOLS DO. --Benjamin Franklin
AND THOSE FOOLS MUSTN'T FEEL SMART WHEN THEY DO SO.
- - MkNotes
https://t.me/MkNotes/781
AND MOST FOOLS DO. --Benjamin Franklin
AND THOSE FOOLS MUSTN'T FEEL SMART WHEN THEY DO SO.
- - MkNotes
https://t.me/MkNotes/781
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ANY FOOL CAN CRITICIZE, CONDEMN AND COMPLAIN-
AND MOST FOOLS DO. --Benjamin Franklin
AND THOSE FOOLS MUSTN'T FEEL SMART WHEN THEY DO SO.
- - MkNotes
https://t.me/MkNotes/781
AND MOST FOOLS DO. --Benjamin Franklin
AND THOSE FOOLS MUSTN'T FEEL SMART WHEN THEY DO SO.
- - MkNotes
https://t.me/MkNotes/781
Yuval Noah Harari: the myth of freedom by Yuval Noah Harari
Fri 14 Sep 2018
www.theguardian.com/books/2018/sep/14/yuval-noah-harari-the-new-threat-to-liberal-democracy?CMP=fb_gu
Realizing that our thoughts and desires don’t reflect our free will can help us become less obsessive about them. People sometimes imagine that if we renounce our belief in “free will”, we will become completely apathetic, and just curl up in some corner and starve to death. In fact, renouncing this illusion can have two opposite effects: first, it can create a far stronger link with the rest of the world, and MAKE YOU MORE ATTENTIVE TO YOUR ENVIRONMENT AND TO THE NEEDS AND WISHES OF OTHERS. It is like when you have a conversation with someone. If you focus on what you want to say, you hardly really listen. You just wait for the opportunity to give the other person a piece of your mind. But when you put your own thoughts aside, you can suddenly hear other people.
https://t.me/MkNotes/787
Fri 14 Sep 2018
www.theguardian.com/books/2018/sep/14/yuval-noah-harari-the-new-threat-to-liberal-democracy?CMP=fb_gu
Realizing that our thoughts and desires don’t reflect our free will can help us become less obsessive about them. People sometimes imagine that if we renounce our belief in “free will”, we will become completely apathetic, and just curl up in some corner and starve to death. In fact, renouncing this illusion can have two opposite effects: first, it can create a far stronger link with the rest of the world, and MAKE YOU MORE ATTENTIVE TO YOUR ENVIRONMENT AND TO THE NEEDS AND WISHES OF OTHERS. It is like when you have a conversation with someone. If you focus on what you want to say, you hardly really listen. You just wait for the opportunity to give the other person a piece of your mind. But when you put your own thoughts aside, you can suddenly hear other people.
https://t.me/MkNotes/787
the Guardian
Yuval Noah Harari: the myth of freedom
Governments and corporations will soon know you better than you know yourself. Belief in the idea of freedom has become dangerous
21 LESSONS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY, by Y. N. Harari
‘Fake news’ is much older than Facebook.
Humans prefer power to truth. We spend far more time trying to control the world than trying to understand it.
As a species, humans prefer power to truth. We spend far more time and effort on trying to control the world than on trying to understand it – and even when we try to understand it, we usually do so in the hope that understanding the world will make it easier to control it. Therefore, if you dream of a society in which truth reigns supreme and myths are ignored, you have little to expect from Homo sapiens. Better try your luck with chimps.
It is the responsibility of all of us to invest time and effort in uncovering our biases and in verifying our sources of information. First, if you want reliable information – pay good money for it. If you get your news for free, you might well be the product. Suppose a shady billionaire offered you the following deal: “I will pay you $30 a month, and in exchange, you will allow me to brainwash you for an hour every day, installing in your mind whichever political and commercial biases I want.” Would you take the deal? Few sane people would. So the shady billionaire offers a slightly different deal: “You will allow me to brainwash you for one hour every day, and in exchange, I will not charge you anything for this service.” Now the deal suddenly sounds tempting to hundreds of millions of people. Don’t follow their example.
The second rule of thumb is that if some issue seems exceptionally important to you, make the effort to read the relevant scientific literature. And by scientific literature I mean peer-reviewed articles, books published by well-known academic publishers, and the writings of professors from reputable institutions. Science obviously has its limitations, and it has got many things wrong in the past. Nevertheless, the scientific community has been our most reliable source of knowledge for centuries. If you think that the scientific community is wrong about something, that’s certainly possible, but at least know the scientific theories you are rejecting, and provide some empirical evidence to support your claim.
Scientists, for their part, need to be far more engaged with current public debates. They should not be afraid of making their voice heard when the debate wanders into their field of expertise, be it medicine or history. Silence isn’t neutrality; it is supporting the status quo.
www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/aug/05/yuval-noah-harari-extract-fake-news-sapiens-homo-deus
https://t.me/MkNotes/789
‘Fake news’ is much older than Facebook.
Humans prefer power to truth. We spend far more time trying to control the world than trying to understand it.
As a species, humans prefer power to truth. We spend far more time and effort on trying to control the world than on trying to understand it – and even when we try to understand it, we usually do so in the hope that understanding the world will make it easier to control it. Therefore, if you dream of a society in which truth reigns supreme and myths are ignored, you have little to expect from Homo sapiens. Better try your luck with chimps.
It is the responsibility of all of us to invest time and effort in uncovering our biases and in verifying our sources of information. First, if you want reliable information – pay good money for it. If you get your news for free, you might well be the product. Suppose a shady billionaire offered you the following deal: “I will pay you $30 a month, and in exchange, you will allow me to brainwash you for an hour every day, installing in your mind whichever political and commercial biases I want.” Would you take the deal? Few sane people would. So the shady billionaire offers a slightly different deal: “You will allow me to brainwash you for one hour every day, and in exchange, I will not charge you anything for this service.” Now the deal suddenly sounds tempting to hundreds of millions of people. Don’t follow their example.
The second rule of thumb is that if some issue seems exceptionally important to you, make the effort to read the relevant scientific literature. And by scientific literature I mean peer-reviewed articles, books published by well-known academic publishers, and the writings of professors from reputable institutions. Science obviously has its limitations, and it has got many things wrong in the past. Nevertheless, the scientific community has been our most reliable source of knowledge for centuries. If you think that the scientific community is wrong about something, that’s certainly possible, but at least know the scientific theories you are rejecting, and provide some empirical evidence to support your claim.
Scientists, for their part, need to be far more engaged with current public debates. They should not be afraid of making their voice heard when the debate wanders into their field of expertise, be it medicine or history. Silence isn’t neutrality; it is supporting the status quo.
www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/aug/05/yuval-noah-harari-extract-fake-news-sapiens-homo-deus
https://t.me/MkNotes/789
the Guardian
Yuval Noah Harari extract: ‘Humans have always lived in the age of post-truth. We’re a post-truth species’
In his new book, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, the bestselling author of Sapiens and Homo Deus turns his attention to the problems we face today
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You Don't Lose Unless You Quit!
https://t.me/MkNotes/791
https://t.me/MkNotes/791
ABC OF LIFE
Accept, Breakaway, Create, Decide, Explore & Experiment, Forgive & Forget, Grow, Hope, Ignore, Journey, Know, Love, Manage, Notice, Open, Play, Question, Relax, Share, Try, Use, Value, Work, X-Ray, Yield, Zoom
https://t.me/MkNotes/792
Accept, Breakaway, Create, Decide, Explore & Experiment, Forgive & Forget, Grow, Hope, Ignore, Journey, Know, Love, Manage, Notice, Open, Play, Question, Relax, Share, Try, Use, Value, Work, X-Ray, Yield, Zoom
https://t.me/MkNotes/792
MkNotes
21 LESSONS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY, by Y. N. Harari ‘Fake news’ is much older than Facebook. Humans prefer power to truth. We spend far more time trying to control the world than trying to understand it. As a species, humans prefer power to truth. We spend…
So if you blame Facebook, Trump or Putin for ushering in a new and frightening era of post-truth, remind yourself that centuries ago millions of Christians locked themselves inside a self-reinforcing mythological bubble, never daring to question the factual veracity of the Bible, while millions of Muslims put their unquestioning faith in the Qur’an. For millennia, much of what passed for “news” and “facts” in human social networks were stories about miracles, angels, demons and witches, with bold reporters giving live coverage straight from the deepest pits of the underworld. We have zero scientific evidence that Eve was tempted by the serpent, that the souls of all infidels burn in hell after they die, or that the creator of the universe doesn’t like it when a Brahmin marries an Untouchable – yet billions of people have believed in these stories for thousands of years. Some fake news lasts forever.
I am aware that many people might be upset by my equating religion with fake news, but that’s exactly the point. When a thousand people believe some made-up story for one month, that’s fake news. When a billion people believe it for a thousand years, that’s a religion, and we are admonished not to call it fake news in order not to hurt the feelings of the faithful (or incur their wrath). Note, however, that I am not denying the effectiveness or potential benevolence of religion. Just the opposite. For better or worse, fiction is among the most effective tools in humanity’s toolkit. By bringing people together, religious creeds make large-scale human cooperation possible. They inspire people to build hospitals, schools and bridges in addition to armies and prisons. Adam and Eve never existed, but Chartres Cathedral is still beautiful. Much of the Bible may be fictional, but it can still bring joy to billions and encourage humans to be compassionate, courageous and creative – just like other great works of fiction, such as Don Quixote, War and Peace and Harry Potter.
www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/aug/05/yuval-noah-harari-extract-fake-news-sapiens-homo-deus
I am aware that many people might be upset by my equating religion with fake news, but that’s exactly the point. When a thousand people believe some made-up story for one month, that’s fake news. When a billion people believe it for a thousand years, that’s a religion, and we are admonished not to call it fake news in order not to hurt the feelings of the faithful (or incur their wrath). Note, however, that I am not denying the effectiveness or potential benevolence of religion. Just the opposite. For better or worse, fiction is among the most effective tools in humanity’s toolkit. By bringing people together, religious creeds make large-scale human cooperation possible. They inspire people to build hospitals, schools and bridges in addition to armies and prisons. Adam and Eve never existed, but Chartres Cathedral is still beautiful. Much of the Bible may be fictional, but it can still bring joy to billions and encourage humans to be compassionate, courageous and creative – just like other great works of fiction, such as Don Quixote, War and Peace and Harry Potter.
www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/aug/05/yuval-noah-harari-extract-fake-news-sapiens-homo-deus
the Guardian
Yuval Noah Harari extract: ‘Humans have always lived in the age of post-truth. We’re a post-truth species’
In his new book, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, the bestselling author of Sapiens and Homo Deus turns his attention to the problems we face today
A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales.
The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.
The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.
Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.
The little girl said, 'When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah'.
The teacher asked, 'What if Jonah went to hell?'
The little girl replied, 'Then you ask him'
The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.
The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.
Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.
The little girl said, 'When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah'.
The teacher asked, 'What if Jonah went to hell?'
The little girl replied, 'Then you ask him'