SUMMARY:The Thwaites Glacier is the largest, most menacing source of rising sea levels all over the world, and it is melting at an alarming rate. For years, scientists have warily watched it from afar, but in November, a team set out on a perilous journey to investigate what is happening below. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien reports on what they discovered.
SUMMARY: Antarctica is virtually uninhabited by people. There are no roads, no cities, no government. But thanks to a remarkable Cold War diplomatic breakthrough, the last continent ever discovered remains a place devoted almost exclusively to science. William Brangham reports on how humans first found Antarctica, and how it proves that occasionally, even rivals can become partners.
Personal comment on effects of tourism. My late sister and brotherinlaw were big motor homers, and one of the first trips they took was to the Grand Canyon, which they re-visited many times. The commented that the first time they went they just drove up, found a motor home parking and stayed for 3 days. Later they found out that you had to make reservations, motor home or hotel, weeks in advance and traffic could be stop-and-go in the park. The last visit they had to make reservations 3 months in advance. With prosperity comes more people who could afford vacations to big attractions, which means more people crowding venues like the Grand Canyon.
Excerpt
SUMMARY: Antarctica was the last of the seven continents to be discovered, and it wasn’t until the late 1950s that commercial tourism began there. But now, Antarctica has become a popular travel destination, amid growing concerns about the effect that increasing numbers of people could have on its pristine environment. William Brangham reports from Antarctica.
I am Retired U.S. Navy (22yrs) and a Vietnam Veteran. After my Navy retirement I was in the computer related industry, now retired. In 2000 I was a registered Republican and voted for George W. Bush. Six months of having Bush in the Whitehouse forced me to re-evaluate my political stance. I had always thought of myself as a Moderate Republican, but was a Republican by "default" NOT because of close examination of the GOP. Due to what has happened in America since 2000, I now consider myself a progressive, and registered as a Non-Affiliated voter.
*Anti-First Amendment policies that attempt to turn America into a theocracy by enshrining ANY religious belief as law.
* Any attempt to suppress human or Constitutional rights.
* Any law or policy that supports discrimination based on religion, ethnicity, race/color, gender, sexual orientation, or any law that does NOT support Equal Treatment under the law.
*Any law or policy that attempts to suppress Freedom of the Press or Free Speech.
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