On Friday morning my seven-year-old granddaughter was watching an interactive video about sea creatures as part of her remote learning routine. She is learning to read so I offered to help her with that part even though we both knew she had the option of hearing the questions read aloud by simply clicking a button.
The lesson considered the origin of the mermaid myth -- certainly of interest to my young friend and to me as well. The program made a convincing case that when in ancient times people glimpsed some of these large creatures like manatees and sea lions from afar or through the mist they probably thought they had human characteristics.
Also, the skeletons of these creatures when they washed up on a beach bore a striking resemblance to human bones, which no doubt helped the myth gain strength.
Fifteen years ago, when my youngest daughter (her aunt) was seven, her favorite book was "The Little Mermaid." She had me read it to her so many times that she could recite the entire story long before she could actually read herself. As the myths an memories played in my mind, I started to sort through the day's news headlines...
***
When it comes to resource management, scientists periodically suggest a better way forward from our modern industrial methods of deforestation and exploitation of fossil fuel deposits would be to return to the methods employed by indigenous people who've lived in balance with nature for millennia.
Of course this approach would not solve every aspect of the looming climate crisis, because native people did not have to generate food for billions of city dwellers who do not engage in food production or resource conservation except in indirect ways like recycling waste products or home gardening.
But the essential principle of living in balance with all of the other plants and animals that inhabit this planet would certainly go a long way toward reaching the goal of avoiding the medium-term extinction of the human species.
Another part of the puzzle is the slow but steady flow of new information about the intellectual and emotional characteristics of life forms besides humans. I include as many headlines about these discoveries as I can among my daily news summaries but they are not really news stories at all. They have far more profound implications than a daily news cycle can capture.
One recent example is the disappearance of kelp forests from the coastal Pacific off of the western edge of our continent. The kelp resemble the giant redwood forests on land but they move with the poetry of the tides. So many creatures live among the kelp that they could be called the rainforests of the sea.
Who knows what the kelp think or feel -- certainly not us.
Against the majesty of these natural systems and the enormity of the challenge facing us to preserve them, our politics seem so tiny and trivial by comparison that some days I can only give a glancing nod to the Beltway soap opera featuring third-rate actors and outright fools.
In the political world, climate deniers somehow still have a voice as the fools on the hill nod and hold their hands out for the political donations (bribes) that keep them in power. If only the kelp forests (and the coral reefs and the coho salmon) had a voice in our public affairs, most of those in public office would be swept away by one massive angry tsunami.
And their insurance policies would be of little help, since this would qualify as an "Act of God." You can't really insure against stuff like that.
***
* There’s a Global Plan to Conserve Nature. Indigenous People Could Lead the Way. -- Dozens of countries are backing an effort that would protect 30 percent of Earth’s land and water. Native people, often among the most effective stewards of nature, have been disregarded, or worse, in the past. (NYT)
* Global Rise in Childhood Mental Health Issues Amid Pandemic (AP)
* The Justice Department on Friday said it expects to file criminal charges against more than 100 additional people who allegedly participated in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, in what it described as probably the most complex investigation it has ever handled. (Reuters)
* Justice Department seeks to build large conspiracy case against Oath Keepers for Jan. 6 Capitol riot (WP)
* A broad majority of Americans say that political violence in response to election results is likely in the United States in the next few years, according to a new poll. (CNN)
* Maryland-based drugmaker Novavax said its vaccine candidate appears to be highly effective against COVID-19. Novavax said its vaccine is 100% effective in preventing severe disease, raising hopes that a fourth vaccine could be available in the U.S. in the coming months. [HuffPost]
* California regulators are ordering car insurers to refund money to car owners in the state, accusing them of overcharging customers during the pandemic. (WSJ)
* Thousands marched in central Beirut on Friday demanding a new independent government to lift Lebanon out of its deepening crisis as frustration over the country’s financial meltdown grew. (Reuters)
* A memo from Afghanistan's education ministry banning girls 12 years old and older from singing at school functions has been causing a stir on social media. (AP)
* The Seattle area once had more coronavirus deaths than anywhere else in the United States. A year later, the region’s deaths per capita are lower than any other large metropolitan area. (NYT)
* Lobbyists for Facebook and Google threw their weight against new U.S. legislation that seeks to aid struggling news publishers by allowing them to negotiate collectively against the tech companies over revenue sharing and other deals. (Reuters)
* The House approved a pair of bills aimed at expanding and strengthening background checks for gun purchasers. The bills are expected to face stiff opposition in the Senate. (AP)
* Biden called out the rise in attacks on Asian Americans since the beginning of the pandemic, saying these "vicious hate crimes" are "un-American." A database collecting reports of racist incidents found more than 2,800 reports from Asian Americans by the end of 2020, a number that is likely an undercount. [HuffPost]
* Biden met leaders of Australia, India and Japan on Friday, a group central to his efforts to counter China's growing military and economic power, and said a free and open Indo-Pacific region was crucial to all of them. (WP)
* Rage Spreads in Paraguay as Virus Surges, Exposing Corruption (NYT)
* The national debt is high and growing. Congress’s infrastructure bill must keep that in mind. (WP)
* U.S. pedestrian fatalities jumped 45% over the last decade as planners prioritized vehicle speed and traffic flow over the lives of those on foot. Florida is by far the most deadly state for pedestrians. [HuffPost]
* Next items on Biden’s agenda — immigration and infrastructure — face trouble already (WP)
* Man Sues Hertz Over Lost Receipt That Was His Murder Alibi -- He spent four years imprisoned on a murder conviction before the car rental company finally located a receipt showing he was nowhere near the scene of the 2011 killing in Michigan. (NYT)
* N.Y. Assembly authorizes impeachment inquiry into sexual misconduct allegations against Cuomo (WP)
* Majority of New York congressional Democrats call for Gov. Cuomo's resignation (CNN)
* As Vaccines Roll Out, Major League Baseball Eyes a Return to Full Ballparks (WSJ)
* Minor League Baseball To Experiment With Robotic Umpires -- The robot could help rein in different interpretations of the strike zone among umpires. It also limits the ability of catchers to frame a pitch. The machine will appear in select Low-A games. (NPR)
* More Americans Putting Off Marriage To Focus On Making Nachos In The Microwave (The Onion)
***
Under the sea
Under the sea
Darling it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me
Up on the shore they work all day
Out in the sun they slave away
While we devotin'
Full time to floatin'
Under the sea
-- Songwriters: Alan Menken / Howard Elliott Ashman (The Little Mermaid)
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