Elie clifftop walk Source: Wordless Wednesday Apr 17 – Photos by Jez
Category Archives: News to use
Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works
WORDLESS WEDNESDAY – 100CountryTrek.com
Illegal mining in the Pan Amazon: an ecological disaster for floodplains and local communities – Stigmatis News
- Floodplains are extraordinarily productive because they are the connection between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. They are socially and economically vital because tens of thousands of families depend on their natural resources for their livelihoods.
- However, placer mining – as Killeen explains in this section – generates catastrophic impacts when miners remove and turn over topsoil as they search for gold sediments. The most optimistic estimate is that 350,000 hectares of forest and wetlands have been lost in the Pan Amazon region as a result.
- Although visible on the banks of rivers and their headwaters, the damage caused by mercury is invisible when it comes to the health of miners, their families and communities. In reviewing 33 studies conducted in the Tapajós watershed, Killeen found that high levels of mercury were widespread.
- Remediation can be very costly economically and politically, as governments need to take measures against illegal mining and protect affected communities.

Floodplains are extraordinarily productive because they are the interface between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. They are remarkably diverse because they integrate a mosaic of lakes, marshes, palm swamps and inundated forests, which create the complex food webs that support fish populations. Floodplain habitats are socially and economically vital because tens of thousands of families depend upon their natural resources for their livelihoods. The impacts from placer mining are catastrophic to floodplains because miners overturn the top layer of soils to expose the gold-bearing placer sediments, leaving behind a desolate moonscape.
Songs I Like (27) | beetleypete
The Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, in 1986. The band consists of Nicky Wire and cousins James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore. They form a key part of the 1990s Welsh Cool Cymru cultural movement. Many of their songs have a left-wing political element, and the band is still going strong, with a very loyal following of die-hard fans.
I thought they were talented and ‘different’, but never quite liked them enough to buy one of their albums. Then in 1996, I heard a new record from them, released as a single from an album. I was very impressed with what sounded to me like a mini-symphony, and I bought the CD single with the extended mix. I like to revisit the song now and again, reminding myself just how much I liked it 28 years ago. It takes a minute to get going but then becomes something of an ‘anthem’, and the orchestration makes it for me.
The lyrics are still relevant in modern Britain. Play it with the volume high.
Source: Songs I Like (27) | beetleypete
Resource wars and the geopolitics behind climate-fueled conflicts – Stigmatis
- Journalist Dahr Jamail joins the Mongabay Newscast to discuss the history and present context of resource wars, which he says are putting pressure on the planet’s ecological limits.
- Noted for his work as an unembedded journalist during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Jamail says resource-based motives are behind many if not most conflicts today.
- Scientists have warned governments this risks wasting time and money that could otherwise be spent on addressing the looming threats of climate change.
- One estimate puts the total cost of all post-9/11 wars at $8 trillion to the U.S. alone, and the death toll at between 4.5 million and 4.7 million people…
Source: Resource wars and the geopolitics behind climate-fueled conflicts – Stigmatis

Ramanavami: Reverence and Reflection

Today is Ramanavami, a sacred Hindu festival observed on the ninth day of the waxing moon in the month of Chaitra. It commemorates the birth of Lord …
Ramanavami: Reverence and Reflection
Painting: The Mirror Of Venus

Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 28 August, 1833 – 17 June, 1898 was an English painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood’s …
Painting: The Mirror Of Venus
Vidalia Onion Dressing

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Cheerful Choices: Vidalia Onion Dressing! Have you ever loved the taste of a homemade salad dressing so much you …
Vidalia Onion Dressing
Streetart – Norberto Tozcano @ Moyobamba, Peru

Location: Moyobamba, Peru Artist: Norberto Tozcano (Mexico) For: Festival Fiesta Amazónica A project by: TierraQPinta Year: 2023 Photo Credits: Juan …
Streetart – Norberto Tozcano @ Moyobamba, Peru
Streetart – Konestilo @ Huelva, Spain

Title: El sueño es volar Location: Huelva, Spain Artist: Victor Romero Toscano aka Konestilo For: Día Internacional del Autismo Year: 2023 Photo …
Streetart – Konestilo @ Huelva, Spain
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