Anybody use "Kindle First"?

Amazon has "The Fracking King" for free this month. Looks interesting

200 tons of illegally caught Atlantic bluefin tuna show how we’re driving these fish to extinction

By Gwynn Guilford

Atlantic bluefin tuna is tasty. So tasty, in fact, that the fish is also endangered. There are now only half the number of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the sea that there were in 1970. That’s despite rules set by governments around the world that have restricted tuna fishing, with the goal of leaving enough of them in the sea to reproduce faster than they’re being caught.



But the Atlantic bluefin tuna population refuses to bounce back—and it may be continuing to dwindle. Here’s one clue as to why: In the last year, authorities have seized at least 186 tonnes (205 tons) of illegally caught bluefin tuna in Italy, Spain and Tunisia, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts and MedReAct.org, a Mediterranean-focused conservation group.

In other words, fishermen are catching way more tuna than they’re supposed to. That’s making it near-impossible for regulators to revive the Atlantic bluefin tuna population, which is bad news for conservationists and also threatens the legal fishing business, says Pew’s Amanda Nickson.

So valuable is this fish—it’s the optimal species for the prized delicacy of fatty tuna sushi (a.k.a. toro or maguro)—that fishermen will go to great lengths to catch them, the report reveals. For instance, one operation that Italian authorities busted in March was smuggling nearly 38 tonnes of illegal tuna (link in Italian), worth €300,000 ($402,000).

more (graphic image of fish butchering)

http://qz.com/215118/200-tons-of-illegally-caught-atlantic-bluefin-tuna-show-how-were-driving-these-fish-to-extinction/

In Norfolk, evidence of climate change is in the streets at high tide

NORFOLK — At high tide on the small inlet next to Norfolk’s most prestigious art museum, the water lapped at the very top of the concrete sea wall that has held it back for 100 years. It seeped up through storm drains, puddled on the promenade and spread, half a foot deep, across the street, where a sign read, “Road Closed.”

The sun was shining, but all around the inlet people were bracing for more serious flooding. The Chrysler Museum of Art had just completed a $24 million renovation that emptied the basement, now accessible only by ladder, and lifted the heating and air-conditioning systems to the top floor. A local accounting firm stood behind a homemade barricade of stanchions and detachable flaps rigged to keep the water out. And the congregation of the Unitarian Church of Norfolk was looking to evacuate.

“We don’t like being the poster child for climate change,” said the Rev. Jennifer Slade, who added that the building, with its carved-wood sanctuary and soaring flood-insurance rates, would soon be on the market for the first time in four decades. “I don’t know many churches that have to put the tide chart on their Web site” so people know whether they can get to church.

On May 6, the Obama administration released the third National Climate Assessment, and President Obama proclaimed climate change no longer a theory; its effects, he said, are already here. This came as no surprise in Norfolk, where normal tides have risen 11 / 2 feet over the past century and the sea is rising faster than anywhere else on the East Coast.

more
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/in-norfolk-evidence-of-climate-change-is-in-the-streets-at-high-tide/2014/05/31/fe3ae860-e71f-11e3-8f90-73e071f3d637_story.html

Savage capitalism is back – and it will not tame itself

by
David Graeber

Back in the 90s, I used to get into arguments with Russian friends about capitalism. This was a time when most young eastern European intellectuals were avidly embracing everything associated with that particular economic system, even as the proletarian masses of their countries remained deeply suspicious. Whenever I'd remark on some criminal excess of the oligarchs and crooked politicians who were privatising their countries into their own pockets, they would simply shrug.

"If you look at America, there were all sorts of scams like that back in the 19th century with railroads and the like," I remember one cheerful, bespectacled Russian twentysomething explaining to me. "We are still in the savage stage. It always takes a generation or two for capitalism to civilise itself."

"And you actually think capitalism will do that all by itself?"

"Look at history! In America you had your robber barons, then – 50 years later – the New Deal. In Europe, you had the social welfare state … "

"But, Sergei," I protested (I forget his actual name), "that didn't happen because capitalists just decided to be nice. That happened because they were all afraid of you."

more
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/30/savage-capitalism-back-radical-challenge

Sam Brownback’s tax cuts now full-blown disaster for Kansans

BY YAEL T. ABOUHALKAH
The Kansas City Star

Even in the make-believe world of Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and other tax-cut advocates who like to ignore reality, Friday’s news about plunging state revenues was an utter disaster.

It was a disaster for several million Kansans who depend on tax revenues to pay for public services such as schools and roads.

And it was a disaster for Brownback as he gets ready to run for re-election.

The state said it collected $217 million less in taxes than it expected.

That came on top of being $93 million short of estimates in April.

In short, the state is bringing in less money because of lower taxes. Seems pretty simple to figure out.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2014/05/30/5056283/brownbacks-tax-cuts-now-full-blown.html

Sunday's Non Sequitur- One Sick Puppy