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What A Week It Was: Apocadocuments from
View By Scenario:
Species Collapse:(7)
Plague/Virus:(2)
Climate Chaos:(11)
Resource Depletion: (6)
Biology Breach:(4)
Recovery:(16)
This Week's Top Ten Very Scary Tags:
efficiency increase  ~ alternative energy  ~ ecosystem interrelationships  ~ overfishing  ~ smart policy  ~ corporate malfeasance  ~ technological innovation  ~ unintended consequences  ~ contamination  ~ faster than expected  ~ ocean warming  



ApocaDocuments (16) for the "Recovery" scenario from this week
[see full week] ~ [see full Recovery scenario and stories]
Sun, Jul 26, 2009
from Infection Control Today:
Antimicrobial Effectiveness Of Medical-Grade Honey in Topical Wound Care
According to a recent paper published in the European Journal of Clinical Microbiological Infectious Diseases, a certain kind of honey can be an effective agent in topical wound care, particularly where antibiotic resistance is an issue. The irony is that this most exciting new treatment has been around since the dawn of history -- honey was first used as a first aid treatment 4,000 years ago in Egypt. The paper, "The unusual antibacterial activity of medical-grade Leptospermum honey: antibacterial spectrum, resistance and transcriptome analysis," describes the palliative effects of Leptospermum honey, a particular kind of honey indigenous to New Zealand and Australia. Leptospermum honey has been shown to possess unique plant derived components that make it an ideal wound dressing, including novel antimicrobial and immune-modulatory compounds. In addition, the honey has several properties that also aid in wound healing. ...


Sweet! This kind of story is likely to start a buzz.

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Sat, Jul 25, 2009
from TED talk, 2009:
Seth Godin: The Tribes We Lead, and Leading Tribes
We almost didn't view this TED video -- 'Doc Michael was talking about online "tribes" back in 1996 (http://www.nap.edu/staff/mjensen/tech6.htm), but we clicked anyway. As a consequence, we were illuminated: he is talking about operationalizing the tribe for a purpose. We were inspired. Because that is what, ideally, we ApocaDocs can do.

Internally, we are setting our goals for 2012. Either society will have woken up and begun radically shifting gears, or it's Road Warrior time, ahead. 2009 through 2010 need to be the holyshit period -- the time when we as a society grapple with what we've been doing to ourselves. 2011 needs to be the "why the hell aren't we fixing it faster era. And finally, 2012 needs to be the breakthrough year. We don't know what that breakthrough will be, but we need to do all we can to build to breakthrough.

The ApocaDocs, in three days, will have reached 3,000 stories identified, considered, recorded, and be-quipped, from the last 18 months. We have the data to help scare the hell out of people, in the next 18 months, if we have your help.

We are beginning to Twitter our stories (twitter.com/apocadocs), and have had fits and starts with Facebook. The problem is, we both have more-than-fulltime jobs. We want to get the ideas out into the world as fast as we can, to catalyze the change that is required to have a livable world for our grandchildren.

Over the next six months, we'll apply more tools for community, for outreach, for participation. But for now, if you're as panicked as we are, please follow us on Twitter and ReTweet or Facebook as much as you can, to your own networks. Add your own stories, and lead your tribe, so others can ReTweet and expand the tribe who understands what's going on.

As you probably know, most everything is happening faster than expected. We need to react just as fast. ...


Tribe? That sounds so primative.
Oh, it's actually fundamental?

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Sat, Jul 25, 2009
from TED talk, 2009:
Ray Kurzweil: Exponential solar
Our favorite part of this TED talk (which is worth watching in its entirety), is the exponential photovoltaic efficiency increase (starting around 5:43), "eight doublings away from providing 100 percent of our energy needs." Currently PV is doubling in efficiency:price every two years; now that nanotechnology is being applied, doubling could increase dramatically, he implies. Would it not be fabulous if this is true? We could then have the energy to de-carbonize and de-methanize our atmosphere and possibly de-acidify the ocean with floating solar-powered smartboats. Eight to sixteen years? If, as Kurzweil posits, the other developments in computing, nanotechnology, information interpretation, and general progress grows exponentially..., then in eight years, a radically different world awaits. And how will we make it? ...


And what will be left?

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Fri, Jul 24, 2009
from via Guardian (UK):
One (video) Minute to Save the World
A short film competition on climate change, open to the world and for the world to watch. The story of climate change will be told by the people it is affecting -- you. We hope that your shared perspectives and creative responses will help us all understand, adapt and take action in response to a rapidly changing world. We want the world to see your 1 minute film.... We're asking you to use whatever means you have to film your short and use your minute to speak up and make the world listen. It's time to get personal and we need your help! We hope you will feel inspired to add your creative voice to this global climate campaign. ...


Isn't this perilously close to mobilization?

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Thu, Jul 23, 2009
from CleanTechnica:
Giant Solar-Powered Flowers Sprout in U.S. Cities, Provide Wi-Fi
Solar-powered "flower stations" are appearing across major U.S. cities providing free Wi-Fi and electricity for charging laptops, cell phones and other devices. The flowers are part of Toyota's national marketing campaign for the third generation Prius launch in 2010. Aside from providing clean electricity and a dandy place to rest, the flowers are also adorned with "leaves" which showcase advertisements and short informationals about the new Prius. They are designed to represent the Prius theme of "Harmony between Man, Nature, and Machine." Standing at a height of 18 feet, solar panels on the backs of the petals power 110-volt outlets found on the benches, which can seat up to 10 people.... Currently, the flower-power stations can be found in Boston, but they will also be making rounds in New York, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. ...


Now that's marketing I can plug into!

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Thu, Jul 23, 2009
from Fast Company:
Why the Microgrid Could Be the Answer to Our Energy Crisis
...if many of us see this moment as a defining one, a key opportunity to reassess how we create and use energy across the country, the federal government seems content to leave the owners of the old energy world in charge of designing the new one. Big utilities are pushing hard to do what they do best -- getting the government to subsidize construction of multi-billion-dollar, far-flung, supersize solar and wind farms covering millions of acres, all connected via outsize transmission lines.... The evidence is growing that privately owned, consumer-driven, small-scale, geographically distributed renewables could deliver a 100 percent green-energy future faster and cheaper than big power projects alone. Companies like GE and IBM are talking in terms of up to half of American homes generating their own electricity, renewably, within a decade. But distributed power -- call it the "microgrid" -- poses an existential threat to the business model the utilities have happily depended on for more than a century. No wonder so many of them are fighting the microgrid every step of the way. ...


Microgrids give them nausea.

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Thu, Jul 23, 2009
from CBC (Canada):
Cod expert: Don't boost harvest yet
Newfoundland and Labrador's leading expert on cod said Tuesday that while there are strong signs northern cod is starting to make a comeback, fishermen should still leave it alone. Inshore fishermen have noticed an increase in the number of cod, and say there should be an increase in the amount they're allowed catch. George Rose, a former federal fisheries scientist and the research chair in fisheries science at Memorial University, said there has been a big turnaround recently in the fish's population -- a big change from even three or four years ago. "Nowhere near back to what they were historically, but they're starting to look better and better each year. So there's been some amazing changes in the last couple of years," he said. Rose linked some of the change to the recent reappearance of caplin, the main food for cod at this time of the year. However when it comes to increased catch allowances, Rose argued that if ever there was a time for caution, it's now. "We are at a critical time, and we're not at all certain that with an increase [in] the fishery that's substantial, we couldn't knock this back down," he said. ...


That crazy not fishing idea -- it just might work!

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Wed, Jul 22, 2009
from Socialist Worker Online:
Windpower Manufacturer Vestas workers occupy: 'A fight for jobs and the planet'
Workers at Vestas, the UK's only wind turbine manufacturer, occupied their factory in Newport, Isle of Wight on Monday evening against plans to close it. Dave is one of the ­occupying workers: "We’ve occupied our factory to save our jobs -- and to save the planet. Six hundred people work here. That many jobs going will have a devastating effect. But there's even more to it than that. We need renewable energy if we're going to stop global warming. When the government says it wants green energy and green jobs, it's criminal that it's closing Vestas. I've worked here for a year and a half but some people have worked here for eight or nine years. We had a meeting on Monday where we talked about what to do. We decided we were going to go for it. People thought, "It's now or never". We went in as two teams, from both sides of the factory. All of the doors were locked -- apart from the front door! ... ...


Someone's closing? A wind power plant?
What planet is this?

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Wed, Jul 22, 2009
from EnergyBoom.com, via HuffPost:
New Technology Produces Hydrogen from Urine
Until now, producing, storing and transporting hydrogen has been a costly process. Urea, a major component of urine, contains four hydrogen atoms per molecule, which are bonded to two atoms of nitrogen. The new technology uses electrolysis to break down the molecule using 0.37 volts which is applied across the cell. In comparison, extracting hydrogen from water uses large amounts of electricity; specifically, 1.23V is needed to split H20 molecules. Botte's method uses less energy than it takes to extract hydrogen from water. Simply put: by placing the inexpensive electrode into urine and applying current, hydrogen is released. Tests were performed using both synthetic urine, made from dissolved urea, and human urine. The device is also small enough to be used in vehicles. Botte estimates a fuel cell urine-powered vehicle could potentially travel up to 90 miles per gallon. The current prototype, which measures about 3 x 3 x 1 inches, can produce up to 500 milliwatts of power. The team is working on creating larger scale versions of the electrolyzer. The report was published in the Royal Society of Chemistry Chemical Communications. ...


I'd love to pee-power my Prius!

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Wed, Jul 22, 2009
from University of British Columbia, via EurekAlert:
Modest fisheries reduction could protect vast coastal ecosystems: UBC research
A reduction of as little as five per cent in fisheries catch could result in as much as 30 per cent of the British Columbia coastal ecosystems being protected from overfishing, according to a new study from the UBC Fisheries Centre.... Using B.C.'s coastal waters as a test case, the study affirms that small cuts in fishing -- if they happen in the right places -- could result in very large unfished areas. For example, a two per cent cut could result in unfished areas covering 20 per cent of the B.C. coast, offered real conservation gains.... "With the current rates of progress, there is no chance of meeting our 2012 targets," says Ban. "Given that fishers recognize the problem of overfishing but often regard marine protected areas as serving only to constrain them, another approach must be found. That's why we undertook this study." ...


Presuming, of course, that there are fish left to catch....

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Wed, Jul 22, 2009
from SouthCoast Today:
NOAA's chief poses 'grand' ocean challenge
"In our fisheries, the rich biodiversity of life swimming in and flying above the oceans, and our own well being all depend upon the actions we take this year and this decade," said Lubchenco, a marine ecologist who taught at Oregon State University before President Barack Obama appointed her as head of NOAA. "Too much is at stake to continue on our present path," she said. "Too much is at risk if we ignore either oceans or climate change."... Changes in ocean temperature could cause fish species to migrate northward and could throw current predator-prey relationships out of balance. Ocean acidification related to the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could make it difficult for scallops, oysters, mussels, clams, lobsters and other shellfish to produce and maintain hard shells or skeletons. "This is a relatively recently uncovered problem," she said. "And we don't yet know how every single species will respond. But for most species it will be increasingly challenging for them." ...


You're saying "our present path" is unsustainable? Haven't you heard that "the American way of life is non-negotiable"?

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Tue, Jul 21, 2009
from IRIN News (UN):
IPCC to help prepare for short-term climate extremes
In a significant move, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an international body of climate change experts, is set to produce a "how to" manual for policy-makers and disaster officials on managing the risks of extreme weather events and bolstering resilience, to promote adaptation to global warming.... The panel has now acknowledged that measures and policies identified as adaptation in their previous reports had not taken into account the full range of activities that need to be undertaken to reduce the risks of extreme events and disasters. The special IPCC report, Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation, will provide methods and tools to manage climate risks.... The report is expected to be released in 2011. ...


"Adaptation" may translate into "doing squat-all about the underlying causes."

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Tue, Jul 21, 2009
from London Guardian:
Food products should carry 'water footprint' information, says report
Food and drink products should carry a new label to give consumers more information about their "water footprint" -- the hidden amount of water used in the manufacturing process -- two health and food lobby groups will recommend this week. More transparency is needed about the huge volumes of water used to produce food, which most consumers are unaware of, said the joint report by the Food Ethics Council (FEC) and the health and food group Sustain. It is calling for the proposed new label to reflect good practice, by taking into account the extent to which some companies and manufacturers are already working to use water in ways that are fair and environmentally sustainable. ...


Who's gonna wanna drink that water once your foot's been in it?!

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Want more context?
Try reading our book FREE online:
Humoring the Horror of the Converging Emergencies!
More fun than a barrel of jellyfish!
Mon, Jul 20, 2009
from YouTube, et al.:
'Doc Michael lets loose the dogs of fear
In June of 2009, I gave what I consider my most important speech to date, at the Association of American University Presses' annual meeting. It was the last presentation in the last Plenary session of the meeting, and allowed me to talk about the two issues that matter most to me: saving scholarly publishing, and saving civilization. In 16 minutes. My friend Paul Murphy, of RAND Publishing, took guerrilla video footage of most of the speech, and then edited my Powerpoint in, bless his heart. It is available below, via YouTube. (Thanks, Paul!)... "But CO2 does something much worse. While we bicker with global-warming deniers, the ocean is getting more acidic. Excess CO2 plus ocean produces carbonic acid. Ocean acidification is a clear and present danger. A slight rise in acidity dramatically affects calcium-carbonate-based lifeforms, like most plankton, shellfish, and coral, the cornerstones of the ocean biosphere.... If, over the next decade, humans continue doing what we have done for the last fifty years, then we will construct our own hell, and our grandchildren will curse our names." ...


Does a speech count as news, even from the heart, if it happens at a conference? Of scholarly publishers?

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Mon, Jul 20, 2009
from USDA/Agricultural Research Service via ScienceDaily:
Controlling Kudzu With Naturally Occurring Fungus
Kudzu, "The Vine that Ate the South," could meet its match in a naturally occurring fungus that Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have formulated as a biologically based herbicide.... ARS plant pathologist Doug Boyette and colleagues are testing a fungus named Myrothecium verrucaria, which infects kudzu with an astonishing speed of its own. In fact, the fungus works so quickly that kudzu plants sprayed with it in the morning start showing signs of damage by mid-afternoon... ...


And by evening, the kudzu has mutated again!

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Mon, Jul 20, 2009
from London Financial Times:
How to end America's deadly coal addiction
Converting rapidly from coal-generated energy to gas is President Barack Obama's most obvious first step towards saving our planet and jump-starting our economy. A revolution in natural gas production over the past two years has left America awash with natural gas and has made it possible to eliminate most of our dependence on deadly, destructive coal practically overnight -- and without the expense of building new power plants... By changing the dispatch rule nationally to require that whenever coal and gas plants are competing head-to-head, gas generation must be utilised first, we could quickly reduce coal generation and achieve massive emissions reductions. In an instant, this simple change could eliminate three-quarters of America's coal-burning generators and save a fortune in energy costs. Around 920 US coal plants -- 78 per cent of the total -- are small (generating less than half a gigawatt), antiquated and horrendously inefficient. Their average age is 45 years, with many over 75. They tend to be located amidst dense populations and in poor neighbourhoods to lethal effect. ...


Something tells me this idea is gonna get the coal industry steaming.

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