Bubbling Under

Some weeks it's impossible to know what we should be worrying about first. We've recently had choice of: Israel/Palestine/Gaza; Ukraine; Iraq; net neutrality; torturing "folks"; drones; SCOTUS; and on and on. Then there's that old elephant always waiting in a corner of the room. If only it were half as friendly as an elephant we wouldn't need to worry at all.

Scientists at NASA, NOAA, CDIAC, NSIDC and others are seriously concerned that human activity is likely to emit 44 billion tons of CO2 in a year's time. That amount of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere is tiny compared to what is going to soon release from the Arctic region of the planet in the form of CO2 and methane gas, and enter the atmospheric greenhouse gas mix - and it will be mostly methane. Methane, when it initially enters the atmosphere is 105 times more potent than is CO2 as a heat trapping gas, and even after a 100 years remains around 35 times as potent.

The Arctic region is 70% ocean. That is where methane is, locked in permafrost in the sub sea floor of the ocean. As the ocean's perennial surface ice melts away, as it has been doing, the sub sea permafrost thaws; that allows the methane gas to escape and enter the atmosphere. It isn't just "tiny bubbles", it is massive half mile diameter plumes of methane bursting from the water so the water seems to boil.

According to the International Siberian Shelf Study group, who conduct on-site research in the Arctic, there are trillions of tons of methane there. Not billions! A trillion tons of methane gas entering the atmosphere within a 1 to 5 year time period, would be equal to 105 trillion tons of additional CO2 in the greenhouse gas mix. That is a sobering thought which ought to be jolting world governments to full awareness of future danger to our planet, and perhaps a future danger that is not as far off as they had previously surmised. Methane will escape in huge quantities when the subsea permafrost thaws. The Arctic Ocean is relatively shallow, meaning that methane isn't consumed by bacteria before it enters the upper surface of the water.

See HERE


After preparing this post, the next day I spotted that a new book by Naomi Klein, due out next month, addresses our situation climate-wise; title: This Changes Everything. Capitalism vs. The Climate. (See HERE.)

Ms Klein:

The case I want to make to you is that climate change—when its full economic and moral implications are understood—is the most powerful weapon progressives have ever had in the fight for equality and social justice.

But first, we have to stop running away from the climate crisis, stop leaving it to the environmentalist, and look at it. Let ourselves absorb the fact that the industrial revolution that led to our society’s prosperity is now destabilizing the natural systems on which all of life depends.

"Climate change," she added, is "not an 'issue' for you to add to the list of things to worry about it. It is a civilizational wake up call."

Politix Mix - Sullivan, Klein, Palin.

We arrived home from our drive-about yesterday evening, managed to catch a repeat of Bill Maher's TV show, "Real Time" which we'd missed on Friday night. My stomach started to churn when I saw that one of his guests was Andrew Sullivan. I wrote scathingly about him at "Andrew Sullivan - Is Aries Moon to blame?" This time though I found a point of agreement with him, in spite of my hurling a few expletives early on. The panel got to discussing Sarah Palin. Mr Sullivan and I at last agreed. Our Aries Moons were in total accord on this subject - he even used the same word I've used to describe McCain's VP pick - "irresponsible". Mr Sullivan was royally pissed about Palin, became very, very emphatic - even Bill Maher looked a bit stunned at Sullivan's dramatic turn.

Another of Bill Maher's guests was Naomi Klein - a very astute, impressive lady. She and Sullivan had quite a set-to early on, on the subject of capitalism, but, when the subject turned to Palin they reached agreement.

I was keen to see Naomi Klein's natal chart, but have been unable find her time of birth. A 12 noon version must suffice, this will give a partial picture, minus ascending sign, and exact Moon position.

Born 8 May 1970 in Montreal, Canada.



Sun/Mercury conjoined and Saturn all in Fixed Earth Taurus. Mars and Venus conjoined in Mutable Air Gemini, Moon also in Gemini unless she was born 11pm or later. So all personal planets except Jupiter are in Taurus or Gemini. Two very different signs. Jupiter is in Libra, and could easily be in trine with Gemini Moon, depending on time of birth, adding strength to her Airy side.

The most significant aspect between personal and outer planets is Uranus in Libra trine (harmonious) the Venus/Mars conjunction in Gemini, but Uranus is also in irritable quincunx to Saturn in Taurus. More reflections of the dual nature, shown in her Taurus/Gemini line-up.

What does all that mean? I'd say, in a nutshell, it indicates a person with very definite and down to earth views (Taurus), with the ability to communicate these in entertaining fashion and with fluency(Gemini), unafraid to be controversial (Uranus trine Venus/Mars), and perhaps a feeling of inner irritability about the conflict between status quo and the avant garde (Saturn/Uranus quincunx).

Ms Klein is a successful and controversial author: her three titles so far -"No Logo, No Space, No Choice, No Jobs". "Fences and Windows: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Globalization Debate." "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism." I feel certain there will be many more books to come, in similar vein.

Back to the rapidly becoming boring subject of Sarah Palin. As we were driving around during the past few days we spotted two stickers in the back window of the same truck which declared "Palin 08!" and "I'm voting McCain To Get Sarah Palin". Sigh. We were in northern Oklahoma at the time. I peeked at the occupant as we passed the truck, expecting to see a female - no - two burly looking males! We did see several "Obama-Biden" garden signs in New Mexico though, and a lone "Obama 08" sticker as we drove home through mid-Oklahoma. Gotta get me one of those!