Random Politics & Religion #00

I got told about eight thousand times growing up "you're lucky your grandfather isn't alive".

All I can imagine is that he wouldn't have taken kindly to -- apparently -- a single *** thing I did, ever.

The world is embarking on its sixth mass extinction with animals disappearing about 100 times faster than they used to, scientists warned Friday, and humans could be among the first victims.

Not since the age of the dinosaurs ended 66 million years ago has the planet been losing species at this rapid a rate, said a study led by experts at Stanford University, Princeton University and the University of California, Berkeley.

The study "shows without any significant doubt that we are now entering the sixth great mass extinction event," said co-author Paul Ehrlich, a Stanford University professor of biology.

And humans are likely to be among the species lost, said the study -- which its authors described as "conservative" -- published in the journal Science Advances.

"If it is allowed to continue, life would take many millions of years to recover and our species itself would likely disappear early on," said lead author Gerardo Ceballos of the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico.

The analysis is based on documented extinctions of vertebrates, or animals with internal skeletons such as frogs, reptiles and tigers, from fossil records and other historical data.

The modern rate of species loss was compared to the "natural rates of species disappearance before human activity dominated."

It can be difficult to estimate this rate, also known as the background rate, since humans don't know exactly what happened throughout the course of Earth's 4.5 billion year history.

For the study, researchers used a past extinction rate that was twice as high as widely used estimates.

If the past rate was two mammal extinctions per 10,000 species per 100 years, then the "average rate of vertebrate species loss over the last century is up to 114 times higher than it would be without human activity, even when relying on the most conservative estimates of species extinction," said the study.

"We emphasize that our calculations very likely underestimate the severity of the extinction crisis because our aim was to place a realistic lower bound on humanity's impact on biodiversity."

The causes of species loss range from climate change to pollution to deforestation and more.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, about 41 percent of all amphibian species and 26 percent of all mammals are threatened with extinction.

"There are examples of species all over the world that are essentially the walking dead," Ehrlich said.

The study called for "rapid, greatly intensified efforts to conserve already threatened species, and to alleviate pressures on their populations -- notably habitat loss, over-exploitation for economic gain and climate change."

Yeah, I recall reading about that not too long ago. A damn good reason as to why they need to get money out of politics. We have tech people here, we don't need to bring more in from India.

Could be worse. My grandfather was 95 when he tried to get out of his wheelchair to take a swing at me. For the high crime of not damning my youngest brother to hell when he came out of the closet.

Could be worse. My grandfather was 95 when he tried to get out of his wheelchair to take a swing at me. For the high crime of not damning my youngest brother to hell when he came out of the closet.

After Charleston shooting of course Obama is calling for tougher gun laws.

This is actually an illegal use of the H-1B visa.

Also, after the negative publicity Disney backed down.

I implore my NRA allies to push forward the 'arm every brown person' in America initiative. Long has this untapped resource been left to sit while politicians in Washington sit on their hands. Think of the money that could be made. The message that could be sent to every scumbag in this fair nation if those most at risk of being shot were armed.

I envision an America where kids and parents are side by side hitting targets on a Sunday afternoon, practicing tactical rolls and shooting cardboard cutouts of psychopaths with shotguns. To defend themselves and their liberties the only solution is to arm up and take on this evil head on.

It's strange that other countries with mentally ill people don't have mass shootings several times a year if access to guns isn't a factor... Unless you want to live in an Orwellian police state just so you can own an unnecessary arsenal, gun laws need attention.

Quite the opposite really, hence why I would like to keep mine.

I'm not going to get into this discussion though, as it's entirely fruitless.

Just in your premise we don't agree, several times.

unnecessary arsenal

umm.. wasn't this guy and the sandy hook guy already on mental illness drugs?


Hahaha.

umm.. wasn't this guy and the sandy hook guy already on mental illness drugs?


Hahaha.

Please explain why it's necessary to own dozens of guns. If like to hear a rational reason, because you don't need dozens to defend your home or self and nothing will make an impact against the US military.

I'd like to hear your irrational reasons to not own dozens of guns anything. Because that what they are irrational.

How would you propose to better identify and treat the mentally ill than massive surveillance, then?

I'll happily ignore the gun portion, I'm curious how you would deal with the mental illness and violent behavior.