Visualization

Before I was born, the image of Earth from space changed not just a generation, but forever how humans saw the Earth and ourselves. It's hard for me to imagine how seeing that image affected people seeing it for the first time. Here's one: Here's another: Projected images after sea-level rise Can you imagine how we'll feel about the Earth and ourselves after more sea-level rise? I'm sure you've seen images like the ones below. If you're like me, you think about them in the abstract, wondering if that outcome is really possible. It's not just possible. It's likely. Try to imagine actually seeing maps change like this. Imagine future generations knowing there was once more Florida but we wouldn't stop ourselves indulging despite knowing…

I like free markets. I wish we had them, but as far as meat is concerned, we don't seem to. Here is a chart of Subsidies for Meat Production From Industrialized Countries (OECD Members), Estimates for 2012, in Billions of Dollars. Can we end this corporate welfare? And here are Current Worldwide Annual Meat Consumption per capita. I didn't realize the U.S. would stand out so much. I thought Brazil and Argentina ranked higher. I may not eat meat, but I don't see a problem with hunter gatherer cultures eating meat. We seem to be on a whole other scale, especially considering how much we factory farm.

Restaurants, stores, and playgrounds for kids around me put up plastic flowers and grass to make things look pretty, but plastic is the opposite of flowers and grass. If it hasn't hit you, take a moment to ponder what we've done. We're replacing lovely, healthy things with what kills them and us. We're accepting the opposite of life and nature in favor of kills nature because of the most superficial resemblance. How do we accept this travesty? It's like someone replaced your child with a Barbie doll or your pet with a Mr. Potato Head. Are we complete idiots? Who is the bigger idiot, the people manufacturing these things, the people buying and putting them up, or the people who fund it by patronizing the…

Here's a preview of my annual pictures of Washington Square Park after the Pride March and Queer Liberation March. More pictures and commentary below. Also, pictures from last year: After the Pride and Queer Liberation Marches 2022: Washington Square Park wrecked again. I could cry. and the year before: “Pride Destroyed the Park”, Washington Square Park after a parade (Video). The camera can't capture the smell of urine and already-rotting garbage, but at least organic waste decomposes. The plastic takes centuries to. By the way, in case it isn't obvious, this post isn't about people's sexuality or preference. It's about equality, fairness, and love, not least to and for the people on the receiving end of the pollution and depletion in these pictures, as well…

Election years mean candidates fill my mail box with garbage. Here's a couple days' worth. Next week there will be more. Now multiply by hundreds of thousands of mailboxes in my district and hundreds of millions across the country. I guess the environment matters except when your interest are more important--what everyone says before they pollute. I call places that send me unsolicited mail to stop it, but it doesn't work with these Democratic polluters. The campaign ends so a different Democratic polluter will do it next time. As politicians, they get discounts to pollute through bulk mail. They're taking advantage of privilege. Why should we think they'll do differently on other environmental issues when they personally benefit from violating their principles? I'm not saying…

I've been saving my recycling to take to my building's recycling bin when I empty my trash, but the years keep rolling and I haven't filled a load of trash. I'm going to bring my recycling to my building's recycling bins. I haven't kept track of when I last emptied my recycling. I think it was more recent than my trash. Here's the plastic, glass, and metal from I believe about two years. If you agree this much is disgustingly too much, I hope you're also reducing your contribution. Many days I pick up this much in my daily picking up litter. That I contributed less in two years than many people do in a few minutes in Washington Square Park, as in the videos…