Science contacts intelligent species

(Galaxy Vault) Marine scientists using AI (artificial intelligence) finally decode whale "language" -- and what they've been saying is a surprise. Whale vocalizations? These earthling giants of the ocean have a real language with many dialects and great sophistication? We can now communicate with them? Project CETI (CEtation Translation Initiative), following the model of the SETI program, leads the way.

• Save the Whales: anti-whaling

Why do humans kill off our oceans and blue whale population?

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Little mammals on land kill us with pollution

According to current scientific theories, whales (which are mammals not "fish") evolved from land-living mammals.

They must regularly surface to breathe air, although they can remain underwater for long periods of time. Some species, such as the sperm whale, can stay underwater for up to 90 minutes [2]. They have blowholes (modified nostrils) located on top of their heads, through which fresh air is taken in and expelled.

Not just whales, corvids, too!

(The Insight Archive) AI decodes crow speech: What corvids say about us

They are warm-blooded and have a thick layer of fat, called blubber, under their skin. With streamlined fusiform bodies and two limbs that are modified into flippers, whales can travel at speeds of up to 20 knots, though they are not as flexible or agile as seals. Whales produce a great variety of vocalizations, notably the extended songs of the humpback whale.

All killer whales are dolphins.

Although whales are widespread, most species prefer the colder waters of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and migrate to the equator to give birth. Species such as humpbacks and blue whales are capable of travelling thousands of miles without feeding.

Males typically mate with multiple females every year, but females only mate every two to three years. Calves are typically born in the spring and summer; females bear all the responsibility for raising them. Mothers in some species fast and nurse their young for one to two years. More

• Galaxy Vault; Crystal Q., CC Liu, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

World Oceans Day 2025 (The Beach)

World Oceans Day 2025: Protecting the waters that give this Earth life (Earth.com)

I never really think about the ocean. It's just here.

Someday, maybe on June 8th, it will be World Ocean Day. Then people will begin to realize our whole way of life is made possible by the oceans.

Trees give us so much, and we can see them. The ocean with all its plankton, water cycle, and underwater forests gives us more, but we cannot see it.

Corporations pollute, and we clean it up.

We might live on chlorella, spirulina, Irish moss, and seaweed -- nourished by all the salts (minerals) of the earth without knowing it -- yet never think to thank the seas from the sand at the foot of the oceans.

The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) is halfway through. However, the UN Sustainable Development Goals on life below water (SDG14) remains the most underfunded goal.

• World Oceans Day
• United Nations World Oceans Day
• Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, after US bombed
• UN World Oceans Day 2025 - Oceanic Global
• Action Theme - World Ocean Day

World Ocean Day

• 2025 Social Media Toolkit - World Ocean Day
• Submit an Event – World Ocean Day
• Sponsors and Donors - World Ocean Day
• Blog - World Ocean Day

What a wonder the ocean

What would mermaids say?

This World Oceans Day, join us as we celebrate the ocean's essential wonder -- from all the wonders it consists of to the wonder it ignites. The ocean's wonder is what draws us in and drives our urge to protect it. Wonder is the foundation of scientific knowledge, the allure behind exploration, the curiosity that drives innovation, and the seed of traditional wisdom.

The act of wondering serves to remind us that we are part of something bigger. It wakes us up to our inherent connection to this earth and to each other, expands our understanding of what is possible, empowers innovation, and prioritizes decision-making for collective wellbeing.

While the ocean sustains our planet, wonder sustains our humanity. If the warnings haven't changed us, wonder is what will. More: United Nations World Oceans Day

N. Pacific Ocean Gyre garbage patch of plastic

World Oceans Day (WOD) is an international day that takes place annually on June 8th. The concept was originally proposed in 1992 by Canada's International Centre for Ocean Development (ICOD) and the Ocean Institute of Canada (OIC) at the Earth Summit – UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Ocean Project started global coordination of World Ocean Day... More

What is being done to save the planet?

World Oceans Day

The ocean needs innovative, passionate leaders to drive the sustainable blue economy and ensure a healthy future. Scientists, academics, entrepreneurs, and technology developers are pushing the frontiers of exploration and innovation to monitor ocean health and counter the big challenges facing the ocean, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

Economist Impact’s Ocean Changemakers Challenge showcases leading changemakers working to develop business solutions to ocean-related sustainability challenges. The competition... World Oceans Day | Insight Hour

• Leo Di'o in The Beach in Buddhist Thailand, 2000; World Ocean Day; Crystal Q., CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Hotter than Death Valley: Lut vs. Lake Manly

Badwater Basin: Lake Manly, the 2nd lowest place in western hemisphere, can't compare to the Lut.

Canoeing on Lake Manly in Death Valley's Badwater Basin with Better Call Paul

(Wonderhussy Adventures) Welcome to Wonderhussy Adventure #776. Date of adventure: Feb. 19, 2024. Ancient Lake Manly dried up 10,000 years ago, but thanks to last summer's California monsoons, it has temporarily reappeared. And because of the recent deluge from the atmospheric river, it's now deep enough to kayak in. So Wonderhussy's friend, Paul, invited her to join him as he brought his canoe out to Badwater Basin and attempted to float it on the prehistoric lake.

Website: wonderhussy.com Support: wonderhussy. Help fuel the next trip: paypal.me/wonderhussy or cash.app/$Wonderhussy. Buy dinner: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls...

A visit to the hottest place in the world (where it's 70°C or 159°F)

(I am Ruhi Cenet) April 1, 2024: Is this a joke? Could any place on Earth be hotter than California's Death Valley with Furnace Creek, a disappearing lake Manly, salt everywhere, and what is said to be the lowest land below sea level. But Iran's Lut Desert seems to have Cali beat on every measure. Next, they'll be saying the Grand Canyon isn't the grandest, deepest, biggest canyon in the world. It isn't? Mexico has Copper Valley below it to the south? Learn something new every day. Let's visit the hottest place in the world, where the digital thermometer breaks and sends an error message, but other indicators suggest this place gets to be 70°C (159°F). Shoes melt, tires explode, skin burns, and the air is like a blow dryer. Phones do not work (overheating). And it's not possible to drink enough water.  There's no shade, no trees, no oases, but somehow there is water. There's life -- foxes, snakes, insects, birds, and a few plants. They come out at night.

• Wonderhussy; Ruhi Cenet; Seth Auberon, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

California rains turn Death Valley into lake

Rebecca Robinson, Daily Express US/MSN; Xochitl, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Atmospheric river Feb. 4-7, 2024, Death Valley Nat'l Park (U.S. Nat'l Park Service) (nps.gov)

Californians in disbelief standing by the new Death Valley Lake (© Getty)

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California Island, circa 1650 (J. Vingboons)

Death Valley, California -- the hottest place on earth -- is notorious for its barren, arid landscape and scorching temperatures. But now it is home to a giant lake, thanks to atmospheric river storms.

Recent historic rainstorms that pummeled California have left behind an unexpected spectacle, defying the valley's typical parched image.

Nestled within Badwater Basin, a place known for its expansive salt flats and unforgiving climate, the lake emerged in August following relentless downpours and flash floods triggered by the remnants of Hurricane Hilary, according to park officials.

What began as a temporary consequence of the severe weather has now transformed into a more permanent feature [like California's great Salton Sea, which may actually be a remnant from the time California was an island on verified maps], thanks to the recent atmospheric river storms.

In a statement, park ranger Abby Wines expressed astonishment at its resilience:

"Most of us thought the lake would be gone by October. We were shocked to see it still here after almost six months. More: Stunning photographs show lake formed in scorching Death Valley after California rains

Snow on Los Angeles's Mount Wilson

After the storm, LA has snow and is once again a different kind of beautiful...science (MSN)

There are beaches galore in Los Angeles, from Santa Monica up to Zuma and down to OC

All we do is hike, unless we're so fat that we just sit inside and watch ourselves on TV.

The Hollywood sign is on a hill between LA and its Valley (SFV) with Angeles Forest behind

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The snow above sunny Los Angeles (DTLA)

Snow in Los Angeles? I thought LA was a desert! It is not a desert but rather a Mediterranean climate with nearby deserts. We have snow and surf, sand and suffering. We have it all. And to get TV and radio in the basin, not to mention cell reception, we have Mt. Wilson, the tallest peak around (except for neighboring Mt. Baldy, which is a real mountain full of snow and deadly trails for hikers who want to get lost and maybe rescued in time). We are walking distance from the peak that is lovely Mt. Wilson. It has great views of the ocean and a nifty Mount Wilson Observatory that used to be something before all the light pollution ruined its usefulness. Standing in Pasadena, which is about 5 miles from Downtown Los Angeles (the "city center" as if a 50-square-mile megalopolis could have a center, which it doesn't really), one can see snow, lots of it. Look east from the San Gabriel Valley at that mountain range blanketed in white again. It hasn't been for years. Look north for the dusting of the foothills and a little more east for the bald eagle looking Mt. San Antonio ("Mt. Baldy"). Ski in the morning, surf in the afternoon, come down with a cold by that evening -- all with a tan.

• Weather map shows heavy snowfall to hit several US states early next week

What is Himalayan Pink Salt? (video)

Celtic sea salt vs. Himalayan pink salt: mineral comparison + differences

(Clean Food Living) March 12, 2022. Ever wonder what the differences between Celtic sea salt and Himalayan pink [rock] salt are? This video explores in depth information about the minerals in pink Himalayan salt (an ancient sea salt mined in pristine caves in Pakistan) and the minerals in Celtic sea salt. The hostess compares Celtic sea salt minerals to pink Himalayan salt minerals in a side-by-side chart showing numeric values. Plus this video shows the many similarities and differences (other than mineral content) between the two. With this information we can determine some of the health benefits of each.

• Why is sea salt salty? It's sodium and trace minerals
• What are minerals and who cares?
• Mineral deficiency causes signs of aging
• Minerals are the micronutrients necessary for life
• Most "functional beverages" (sports drinks) suck
• Get all 90 essentials nutrients from criticalhealthnews.com

NOTE: Dear friends, please forgive my mispronunciation of Himalayas (called them Himalayans) and of Celtic. I was phonetically saying "Seltic" (like the basketball team) instead of "Keltic" 😊 Many blessings!

The Island of California: Salton Sea (video)

Xochitl, Pfc. Sandoval, Ashley Wells, Crystal Quintero (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly OPINION

Reflection along Southern California's desert Salton Sea, the remnants of an ocean inlet?

Mapping "mistake"? Was California an island?

California is named after Black Queen Califia (Las sergas de Esplandián)

(Johnny Harris) Sept. 14, 2022. For 200 years map makers drew California as an island. Accident? What did they know? The path to find out why led J. Harris on a wild journey. SOURCES: docs.google.com/document...

Sure looks like an island even today (WQ).

Patreon, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, wife Iz. How it's done: Tom Fox (tfbeats) makes the music, maps made using aescripts plugin. Gear-guide. Courses: language, visual storytelling.

ABOUT: Johnny Harris is a filmmaker and journalist currently is based in Washington, DC, reporting on interesting trends and stories domestically and worldwide. He holds a BA in international relations from Brigham Young University and an MA in international peace and conflict resolution from American University.

California is an island, upper and lower, Alta and Baja, with the Sea of Cortes/z (Gulf of California or Vermillion Sea) behind it, extending up into the Salton Sea or the remnant that remains of it (Wisdom Quarterly).

Our peninsula sure looks like a former island.

It used to be "common knowledge" to explorers and cartographers (travelers and map makers) that the unique land of California was an island. It makes sense!

That's how it got the great abundance and diversity it now enjoys. For instance, the State of California has more plant and animal species than all of the other states in the U.S. combined, by far. There's no comparison. We have the world's tallest tree (hidden up north so people will stop climbing it and trampling the woods around it).

Map shows Gulf of California, Mexico, extending up all the way to wrap around the island.

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Who controls low orbit satellites?

The Salton Sea can hardly be explained as an accident that just happened to linger this long. It's enormous! It's far easier to imagine it's the remnant sea that once wrapped around the Island when water levels were higher. There's a lot of earthquake activity around here that could have changed things, pushed up the plate we're on.

A wide waterway, like the American River in the state capitol, Sacramento, might have been considered part of the Pacific Ocean. More likely, the shape of the state was not as it is today.

In the view of Mexico, particularly under the Spanish Empire, Alta California ("Upper California") extended far beyond its present borders. And there was no need to survey it as it was home to indigenous people, just as Mexico was. But European Spain sure thought it should be mapped, missioned (the first "concentration camps"), and enslaved, with the local population put to work in the service of the Church and Empire.

Going to the Beach in SoCal (video)

Molly Peterson and Scott Sterling (Pacific Swell, KPCC, SCPR.org)

Waves of the US Pacific extend from Hawaii to the west coast of the mainland (loltops.org)

  

The Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission is the lead agency running lagoon restoration.

  

It’s an independent state agency, funded in part by a nonprofit foundation. Members of the commission are appointed from local government and environmental groups.
   

(LINK) Saving the Santa Monica Bay starts on land in Los Angeles County

  

The lagoon sits on land managed by the California State Parks system. One interesting thing is that the state parks website seems to show awareness of the fact that there is opposition: it lists the mainstream environmental groups and people that back it.

  

Commission staffers, the people who work there, are scientists and, in the most neutral sense of the word, bureaucrats. What I mean by that word is that they believe in the process. And over a period of several years, they say, they’ve gone through a lengthy one. Along the way, the public has participated, and regulators and scientists have cast scrutiny on the plans. More

• "Star Wars" characters sell plug-in Prius in Japan
  
• Green party: Happy World Environment Day 2012!
  
• Coastal cities consider backing away from the beach
  
• Court ruling restricts gold mining in the West
  
• Malibu Lagoon supporters anticipate restoration work

Greening the Desert

Permaculture in Action: Greening the Desert.

This brief video introduces Geoff Lawton's groundbreaking implementation of permaculture ("permanent agriculture") principles in the Dead Sea Valley. The video illustrates how simple design techniques can restore a salt ridden and degraded landscape to a flourishing and organically diverse oasis.

• permaculture.org.au