We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Toxic algae bloom might be largest ever

Click here to access article by Sandi Doughton from The Seattle Times.

Here in the Pacific Northwest we are seeing symptoms of global warming.
Scientists suspect this year’s unseasonably high temperatures are playing a role, along with “the blob” — a vast pool of unusually warm water that blossomed in the northeastern Pacific late last year. The blob has morphed since then, but offshore waters are still about two degrees warmer than normal, said University of Washington climate scientist Nick Bond, who coined the blob nickname.
Also the Oregonian out of Portland, Oregon is reporting on the same algae bloom in this article entitled "Biggest-ever toxic algal bloom hits West Coast, shutting down shellfish industries". 

And I've found other articles indicating that this is happening in many parts of the world. For example, see this from southeast Pacific island of Tonga.