Category: Climate

TMI 03/29/2024 – Examining the Real Factors of the Key Bridge Disaster, Argentina Confronts Historic Crimes Against Trans Women, How AI May Doom Efforts to Abate the Climate Crisis, more

Post author By Aldous Tyler, Admin
Post date March 29, 2024
No Comments on TMI 03/29/2024 – Examining the Real Factors of the Key Bridge Disaster, Argentina Confronts Historic Crimes Against Trans Women, How AI May Doom Efforts to Abate the Climate Crisis, more

Today on TMI, we look at the tragedy of the Francis Scott Key Bridge Disaster that happened on Tuesday, reporting the facts that combat the conspiracy theories that immediately cropped up to confound our understanding of this horrible event. We go beyond the initial reports that crowded our airwaves and explore the underlying factors that contributed to the collision that toppled a mighty bridge, killed six people and closed a highly significant seaport.

Then, we shift gears to Argentina, focusing on the nation’s troubled history with regards to the military dictatorship’s violence against trans women. Despite years of accountability for the 30,000 “disappearances” that happened during the brutal military dictatorship there, this is the first time trans women have been heard from in the courtroom. Finally, we reveal how, in the face of 2023 being the hottest year in human history, it has been made clear that the ramping up of AI will consume obscene amounts of power, hamstringing any efforts made to combat climate change. All this and more on TMI for Friday, March 29, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

The first song break was “Frozen Roses” by PINHDAR. Check them out here.

Big Oil Christian Nationalism Climate Crime Rate Democratic Party Episode Fascism FBI Joe Biden LNG SACR Society for American Civic Renewal WSUM

TMI 03/22/2024 – Fossil Fuel Dems Try to Stop Biden’s LNG Pause, FBI’s Crime Rate Stats Show Decline, Meet the Society for American Civic Renewal: the Vanguard of Christian Nationalist Fascism, more

In this episode, we expose the treachery of “Fossil Fuel Democrats” as they brazenly join the efforts of GOP lawmakers to halt President Biden’s pause on the expansion of liquid natural gas (LNG) projects. Beholden to the interests of big oil and gas corporations, these Dems tout themselves as champions of not only fossil-fuel based jobs, but even the climate, all while fighting the effort their own constituents are asking for to combat climate change.

Then, we see a glimmer of hope as recent FBI crime rate statistics reveal a continued downtrend in criminal activities across the nation. This might surprise you if you follow the news (or the claims made by many politicians, especially on the campaign trail), as the overwhelming majority of Americans seem to not realize it. Finally, we reveal a chilling specter — the rise of the Society for American Civic Renewal (SACR), a menacing force espousing Christian nationalist fascism. As we peel back the innocuous-looking layers of this extremist organization, we discover the true nature of intolerance, bigotry, and authoritarianism, and its designs on the foundations of our democracy. All this and more on TMI for Friday, March 22, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

Artery Plaque Climate Episode Freshwater Cycle Microplastics Women's History Month WSUM

TMI 03/15/2024 – Women’s History Month’s Own History is Important Women’s History, Microplastics Present in Every Human Placenta, Global Freshwater Cycle Overwhelmed, February 2024 Sets Record, more

Women’s History Month isn’t merely a month to increase awareness of women’s historical accomplishments – it in itself IS a piece of women’s history, being pioneered BY women. We give these brave historians their due and in so doing point towards the continuing struggle to have women’s role in academia fully appreciated. Then, we discuss how microplastics have infiltrated the most intimate spaces of human biology, including every human placenta in a recent study. This, along with how microplastics have shown up in increasing frequency in human artery plaque, serves as a stark reminder of the pervasive impact of plastic pollution on our health and well-being.

Next, we explore the intricate dance of Earth’s freshwater cycle, as a recent study illuminated the overwhelming strain it has been put under by human activity since the mid-20th century. Finally, we confront how February 2024 marked the ninth consecutive month of setting all-time record high temperatures. All this and more on TMI for Friday, March 15, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

Alexei Navalny Antarctica Anthropocene Astrolabe Climate disinformation Electric Vehicles Episode Glaciers Islamic Golden Age Mitch McConnell Science Wall Street Journal WSUM

TMI 03/08/2024 – WSJ Op-Ed Lies About Electric Cars Polluting Worse Than Gasoline-powered Cars, New Speed Record Broken in Glacial Fracturing in Antarctica, New Anthropocene Epoch Fails Vote and more

A recent Wall Street Journal op-ed falsely claims that electric cars pollute worse than their gasoline-powered counterparts, comparing incomparable metrics to come with their their supposed data. Meanwhile, amidst the frozen expanses of Antarctica, a chilling new speed record is set in glacial fracturing, highlighting the alarming pace of climate change. This harrowing event serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for global action to address environmental degradation and preserve our planet’s delicate ecosystems.

Keeping focus on the realm of geology and human impact, we return to the ambitious effort to classify a new Anthropocene Epoch, only to find unexpected obstacles when the initiative faces a vote. Despite mounting evidence of humanity’s profound influence on Earth’s geological processes, the classification effort stalls, thanks to the complexities of scientific consensus. Then, Mike McCabe provides insight into the contrasting displays of courage exhibited by political figures like Mitch McConnell and Alexei Navalny, underscoring the moral imperatives within political leadership.

Finally, we wrap up with a fascinating historical discovery, uncovering a thousand-year-old astrolabe that reveals evidence of knowledge exchange between Muslim and Jewish scientists, offering a glimpse into the enduring legacy of intellectual collaboration across cultural boundaries. All this and more on TMI for Friday, March 08, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

Climate Conformity Diversity Episode Gerrymandering Mexico City Mike McCabe Water Shortage Wisconsin Wisconsin Supreme Court WSUM Zero Day

TMI 03/01/2024 – Mexico City Faces a “Day Zero” Water Crisis, Wisconsin’s Horrific Gerrymandering Ends with New Maps, Mike McCabe on How the Conformist Backlash to DEI is Fundamentally Un-American

At 22 million people, situated on what was once a mighty lake roughly 700 years ago well over a mile above sea level, Mexico City has a lot going against it when it comes to keeping its citizens’ water supplies well-stocked. Add to that a long climate-crisis exacerbated drought, and there is no small chance that by June there may come a day when most of the city has no running water – a “day zero”. We discuss.

Next, we look at the improvements made to the horrific gerrymandering that Wisconsin had been suffering under for all state legislature elections since 2012, and the difference it makes in having the lines moved. Finally, we look at Mike McCabe’s post discussing how the people who are pressing for conformity in their fellow American citizens aren’t just wrong headed – they are acting un-American! All this and more on TMI for Friday, March 01, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

Climate Corporate Malfeasance Disenfranchisement Episode Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Memo Racism Voting Rights Act WSUM

TMI 02/16/2024 – Four Key Ways That the Voting Rights Act Will Be Under Attack in 2024, Presidential Memo from the 1960s Shows How Long the Climate Has Been in Crisis and more

The Voting Rights Act has been the bane of racists in the United States since its inception, helping drive the Dixiecrats into the Republican Party some 60 years ago. It’s no surprise, then, that the GOP and its allies have been attacking it relentlessly at every opportunity, and looking at the 2024 judicial calendar, we shine a light on four key ways that the VRA is in jeopardy this year.

Then, we go over how a Presidential memo just uncovered from the 1960s clearly outlines how long the highest office in the land has known about the dangers facing the world’s climate. We look at all of this and more TMI for Friday, February 16, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez AOC Big Oil Climate Climate Lawsuits Congress DAPL Dunn & Crutcher Episode Green New Deal WSUM

BEST OF TMI 01/19/2024 – How AOC’s Championing the Green New Deal in Congress Soured Her on Activist Support, Why a “Free Speech Specialist” Law Firm is Fighting Climate Activists’ Free Speech and more

(This is a rebroadcast of the 1/12/2024 episode)

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went to Washington hot to make change in a place devoted to preserving the capitalist status quo, often at the expense of everyone not rich enough to buy congressional influence. We look at how the combination of her rebuke from the powers that be and the fickleness of the more particular forces she wanted to represent pushed her away from continuing to fight for the ideals of the Green New Deal, even as it took flight internationally.

Then, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is famous for fighting for First Amendment protected political speech… so long as you’re wealthy enough to pay for it. That means that Big Oil has been quite successful in twisting that firm’s speciality into a weapon against environmental protest. All this and more on TMI for Friday, January 19, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez AOC Big Oil Climate Climate Lawsuits Congress DAPL Dunn & Crutcher Episode Green New Deal WSUM

TMI 01/12/2024 – How AOC’s Championing the Green New Deal in Congress Soured Her on Activist Support, Why a “Free Speech Specialist” Law Firm is Fighting Climate Activists’ Free Speech and more

Then, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is famous for fighting for First Amendment protected political speech… so long as you’re wealthy enough to pay for it. That means that Big Oil has been quite successful in twisting that firm’s speciality into a weapon against environmental protest. All this and more on TMI for Friday, January 12, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

Bill McKibben BLM Civil RIghts Climate COP28 DFL Episode Greta Thunberg James Webb Space Telescope JWST Labor Nellie Stone Johnson union Uranus WSUM

TMI 12/22/2023 – Why You Need to Know About Nellie Stone Johnson, Thunberg and Others Call COP28 a “Cop Out”, the James Webb Space Telescope Targets Uranus and more

If you live in Minnesota, you stand a decent chance of having heard of Nellie Stone Johnson, but otherwise this pioneering black woman, born in 1905, is likely a complete mystery to you. We’ll correct that injustice as much as we are able, as Ms. Johnson was one of the most important figures in labor and civil rights – mostly as she saw no reason the two causes should ever be taken on separately.

Then, with the 28th UN Conference of the Parties (COP28) finished, we’ll check in to see how climate activists from Greta Thunberg to Bill McKibben feel how it went:. Spoiler warning: they were NOT impressed. Finally, we get to the bottom of how the James Webb Space Telescope has been used to dive into Uranus, spreading open our understanding of this place that gets so misunderstood. All this and more on TMI for Friday, December 22, 2023 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

Climate Donald Trump Electric Vehicles Eli Pariser Episode Facebook Filter Bubble Google Joe Biden PNAS Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Project 2025 Social Media Sociology WSUM

TMI 12/15/2023 – Is the Filter Bubble the Wrong Mechanism to Explain Social Media Toxicity?, How Trump’s Project 2025 is a Next Level Disaster for the Climate and more

We’ve reported here on TMI on Eli Pariser’s “Filter Bubble” concept since its debut in 2010 at his Ted talk: the idea that Google was selectively feeding results back to the user that the user agreed with, making it so that one person’s search results were often vastly different than another’s. Mr Pariser pointed out that by putting us all in these Filter Bubbles, we couldn’t agree on what was even factual. A new article published in the PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) journal, however, says that is all wrong when applied to social media giants like Facebook, where they aim to increase your focus and time spent there by enhancing the chance of you getting made angry by what you see. We examine these competing concepts.

Then, we go over how the media is gleefully playing up any and all minutiae of Trump’s intentions for his second term except for one key part: how the Project 2025 plan that he’s assimilated is catastrophic for any chance we have to keep the environment from completely collapsing.

Finally, we present an update to a story we went over a few weeks back, putting a spotlight on how the EV infrastructure promised by Biden’s funding in 2021 is FINALLY starting to come to fruition. All this and more on TMI for Friday, December 15, 2023 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!