Category: Travel

  • Deep-Sea Mining Could Cause 25x the Biodiversity Loss of Land-Based Mining, Report Warns – EcoWatch

    Rising demand for metals like nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese to make batteries used in smartphones and electric vehicles, along with depleting land-based deposits, has led to increased interest in deep-sea mining. But research suggests that the process of extracting mineral deposits from the ocean floor could destroy habitats and decimate species.

    According to a new report from British nonprofit financial think tank Planet Tracker, mining the ocean’s depths could cause as much as 25 times more biodiversity loss than terrestrial mining, reported Reuters. And the financial cost of repairing that damage would be twice as much as extracting it.

    Source: Deep-Sea Mining Could Cause 25x the Biodiversity Loss of Land-Based Mining, Report Warns – EcoWatch

  • B.C.’s most ‘polluting and risky’ mines revealed | The Narwhal

    The report titled, Dirty Dozen 2023: B.C.’s top polluting and risky mines, names the province’s free-entry system for mineral staking as the 12th case. The free-entry system allows companies and individuals to explore for minerals without consulting or seeking consent of First Nations or private property owners. The province currently uses an online system which allows anyone to make a mineral claim in an area of land, giving them exclusive rights to the minerals in that spot.

    Gitxaała Nation and Ehattesaht First Nation just finished presenting their legal challenge against the automatic granting of claims in their territory to B.C.’s Supreme Court. This practice goes against their laws, the Crown’s duty to consult and B.C.’s commitments to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the First Nations argue. This is the first case to test B.C.’s 2019 declaration act; a decision will likely take months.

    “B.C. has argued their archaic colonial mineral tenure system is consistent with the Canadian Constitution and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This is not honourable. This is not reconciliation,” Gitxaała Sm’ooygit Nees Hiwaas (Matthew Hill) told The Narwhal.

    The abandoned Yellow Giant mine on Lax k’naga dzol (Banks Island) is listed among the dirty dozen and is in Gitxaała territory. Exploration of Lax k’naga dzol started in the 1960’s, without the consent of Gitxaała. Eventually, Yellow Giant mine was built. In 2015 it spilled hundreds of thousands of litres of toxic waste, causing contamination to the community’s food sources and approximately $2 million in cleanup liabilities. The company went bankrupt and, according to Gitxaała’s written submissions, “the site remains unremediated more than seven years later.”

    Source: B.C.’s most ‘polluting and risky’ mines revealed | The Narwhal

  • RG Richardson Interactive Guides

    Never out of date!

    Resources for Cities, Careers, Jobs, Restaurants, Real Estate, Money and Banking

    Having taken the first of my twenty economic courses 50 years ago and completing my degree as well as licenses in mutual funds, insurance and real estate; I realized there was a need for clarity with economic, money and banking definitions eight years ago. One by one and thousands of definitions later, a work in progress RG Richardson Finance was created on finance, economics, money and banking. Change is good but forever changing definitions these days have resulted in confusion too and hopefully, this guide will bring clarity. With my preset definitions and in your language you will be guided to the proper definition faster than hit or miss by yourself. Students and professionals will need to know most of the definitions in my books to begin with. You know, it worked for me too! Enjoy….Shop now at RG Richardson City Guides!

    https://rgrichardsoncityguide.com/product/rg-richardson-interactive-money-banking/
    RG Richardson City Guide

  • Please Advise! How Should I Dress for the Public Pool? | The Tyee

    Carefully, says Dr. Steve. And with tattoos.

    Dear Shorty,

    There are indeed rules for poolside attire, recently updated by city council.

    The city’s list of forbidden clothing and accessories includes: “Items designed for sexual/intimate purposes.”

    So, to avoid awkward conversations with the lifeguard, make sure your pool noodle doesn’t take batteries. And remember, handcuffs are not pool-safe.

    A staff report also says proper pool attire includes “maintaining full and appropriate coverage of genitals.”

    In other words, make sure all your beach balls are the inflatable kind. (Whether your Speedo qualifies as “appropriate coverage” is between you and your conscience.) Alternatively, if another pool visitor demands to see your genitals for the purposes of gender identification, resist the urge to examine their genitals with your boot, and perhaps restrict yourself to noting the similarities between their own genitals and their personality type.

    The city may have its official regulations, but Dr. Steve knows some unofficial guidelines as well. Here are a few unstated rules to follow when attending our civic swimming pools.

    Source: Please Advise! How Should I Dress for the Public Pool? | The Tyee

  • Indoor plants are surprisingly good at devouring carcinogenic toxins

    Researchers have demonstrated how effective plants are at ridding the air in your home, school, or workplace of toxic, carcinogenic pollutants, providing a sustainable, low-cost way of ensuring that the air you breathe is cleaner.

    Source: Indoor plants are surprisingly good at devouring carcinogenic toxins

  • What Are Wildfires? 

    Wildfires, also commonly called forest fires or bushfires, are unplanned and uncontrolled fires burning in a vegetated landscape, such as a forest or grassland. Many wildfires are sparked by human activity, such as campfires, or natural causes, like lightning. Dry conditions and prolonged droughts, which are becoming more frequent with climate change, exacerbate the risks of wildfires. Droughts, high winds, and other extreme weather are also making wildfires more common and more powerful, with larger blazes that burn for longer and expand across more land.

    From 1998 to 2017, over 2,400 human deaths were attributed to both wildfires and volcanoes. Even when people can evacuate an affected area, they may lose their homes or businesses to the fires. Wildfires can also kill wildlife in the habitats that catch fire. Further, wildfires feedback into a loop, worsening climate change by releasing more carbon dioxide and fine particulate matter into the air.

    What Are Wildfires? 

    Wildfires, also commonly called forest fires or bushfires, are unplanned and uncontrolled fires burning in a vegetated landscape, such as a forest or grassland. Many wildfires are sparked by human activity, such as campfires, or natural causes, like lightning. Dry conditions and prolonged droughts, which are becoming more frequent with climate change, exacerbate the risks of wildfires. Droughts, high winds, and other extreme weather are also making wildfires more common and more powerful, with larger blazes that burn for longer and expand across more land.

    From 1998 to 2017, over 2,400 human deaths were attributed to both wildfires and volcanoes. Even when people can evacuate an affected area, they may lose their homes or businesses to the fires. Wildfires can also kill wildlife in the habitats that catch fire. Further, wildfires feed back into a loop, worsening climate change by releasing more carbon dioxide and fine particulate matter into the air.

    Wildfires 101: Everything You Need to Know

  • News Articles in California

    Facebook and Instagram will block all news articles in California if state lawmakers pass a bill meant to funnel money from the tech platforms to media organizations, a Meta spokesman threatened on Wednesday.

    The California Journalism Preservation Act would essentially tax the advertising profits platforms make from distributing news articles. Under the measure, some 70% of the money collected from the so-called “usage fee” would support newsrooms throughout the state.

    The bill’s sponsor, Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, a Democrat who represents Oakland, argues the measure could provide a “lifeline” to local news organizations that have seen advertising revenue plunge.

  • Explainer: Blood, treasure and chaos: the cost of Russia’s war in Ukraine

    Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has left tens of thousands of dead, displaced millions and sown economic turmoil across the world.

    As many as 354,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured, according to a trove of purported U.S. intelligence documents posted online.

    Ukraine has not said how many of its soldiers have been killed. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Sept. 21 that 5,937 Russian soldiers had been killed since the start of the war. No further updates have been given.

    Both Ukraine and Russia say the other side has sustained devastatingly high casualties. Reuters was unable to verify battlefield claims from either side.

    Source: Explainer: Blood, treasure and chaos: the cost of Russia’s war in Ukraine

  • Jacob Collier is making orchestras out of his audiences, and it’s wild

    The world’s greatest living musical genius (IMHO) is mastering an extraordinary new instrument: a dance-controlled human pipe organ with a built-in drum kit, built from scratch every night in real time, with the sonic horsepower of a football crowd.

    Source: Jacob Collier is making orchestras out of his audiences, and it’s wild

  • Forest Fire Prevention past and …….

    Are forest rangers needed on the lookout for forest fires in towers before they get out of control as they did in the past? Forest rangers can help detect early signs of a fire and alert the proper authorities to take action quickly. This is especially important during times when dry conditions increase the risk of a wildfire spreading rapidly across an area, as well as providing access to remote areas that may not be easily accessible by other means. Additionally, having trained professionals monitoring forests from elevated positions with specialized equipment can provide valuable data about how wildfires spread and what resources are available for containment efforts. Drones! It is all out of control after 24 hrs and perhaps Coulson Aviation and more technology could aid in this worldwide environmental catastrophe!