Comforting Thought: Live now, as we think human beings should live @jhalifax
“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history based not only on cruelty but also on compassion, sacrifice, courage and kindness.
“What we choose to emphasise in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something.
“If we remember those times and places – and there are so many – where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least, the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.
“And if we do act, in however a small way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is…
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The History of Salt in Ancient Civilizations
Life itself depends on salt, and people in early civilizations went to great lengths to acquire it. It was, and still is, used to preserve and season food, and it is important in medicine as well as religious ceremonies, all of which have made it a valuable trade commodity. Some early cultures even used it as a form of currency. All of this means that from ancient China to Egypt, Greece, and Rome, the history of human civilization is closely linked to the history of salt. Source: The History of Salt in Ancient Civilizations
Geographically close to China, in the area that would become modern-day Pakistan, a different kind of salt with a much older history was discovered and traded. Rock salt, also known scientifically as halite, was created from the evaporation of ancient inland seas and saltwater lakes, which left concentrated beds of sodium chloride and other minerals.
Himalayan rock salt was first laid down more than 500 million years ago, 250 million years before massive tectonic plate pressure pushed up the mountains of the Himalayas. But while early cultures living around the Himalayan mountains are likely to have discovered and used deposits of rock salt much earlier, the history of Himalayan rock salt starts with Alexander the Great in 326 BC.
Species Extinction: just how bad is it and why should we care?
Euan Ritchie, Deakin University
“Dad, the world is missing amazing animals. I wish extinction wasn’t forever”.
Despite my wife and I working as biologists, our five-year-old son came to make this statement independently.
He is highlighting what I and many others consider to be society’s biggest challenge, and arguably failure: the continuing loss of species from Earth. The massive impact we are having on the planet has firmly entrenched us in a period of our history commonly called the Anthropocene.
The environment was front and centre of public consciousness and a key election focus in Australia in 2007, but following the global financial crisis and continuing economic uncertainty, we seem to care less and less about the environment and more and more about budgets and surpluses.

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The face that was – Chen Song Ping
Google Online Security Blog: Google Protects Your Accounts – Even When You No Longer Use Them
The Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack came through an inactive account that didn’t use multifactor authentication, according to a consultant who investigated the incident. And in the case of the recent T-Mobile breach this summer, information from inactive prepaid accounts was accessed through old billing files. Inactive accounts can pose a serious security risk.
For Google users, Inactive Account Manager helps with that problem. You can decide when Google should consider your account inactive and whether Google should delete your data or share it with a trusted contact. Source: Google Online Security Blog: Google Protects Your Accounts – Even When You No Longer Use Them
The durability of immunity against reinfection by SARS-CoV-2: a comparative evolutionary study – The Lancet Microbe – (Me: Masking, contact tracing and boosters will have to continue)
The timeframe for reinfection is fundamental to numerous aspects of public health decision making. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, reinfection is likely to become increasingly common. Maintaining public health measures that curb transmission—including among individuals who were previously infected with SARS-CoV-2—coupled with persistent efforts to accelerate vaccination worldwide is critical to the prevention of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Source: The durability of immunity against reinfection by SARS-CoV-2: a comparative evolutionary study – The Lancet Microbe

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