“Pence wants to see ‘Boots on the Moon'” – BBC News

The BBC’s Science Correspondent, Jonathan Amos, recently filed this report under the front page headline on the BBC website:  “Pence wants to see ‘Boots on the Moon'”

By Jonathan Amos BBC Science Correspondent

US Vice-President Mike Pence has expressed the intention for America to send humans back to the Moon’s surface.

Speaking to the National Space Council, the VP said Earth’s satellite would be a “stepping stone” to the wider exploration of the Solar System.

“We will return astronauts to the Moon – not only to leave behind footprints and flags, but to build the foundation we need to send Americans to Mars and Beyond,” he stated.

The statement drew loud applause.

Mr Pence said something similar when he visited the Kennedy Space Center in July, but he was less specific then about boots on the lunar soil.

It may give stronger hints to the direction of thinking that will be pursued when the Trump White House finally gets its nomination in place for Nasa Administrator.

Representative Jim Bridenstine, a Republican from Oklahoma, is the Trump pick to take the job but has yet to be confirmed by the Senate.

…(read more).

What you need to know about Twitter, Facebook and election interference

This week Twitter announced it removed more than a 200 accounts that violated its policies. – Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images

Congress is taking a closer look at how different technology platforms like Google, Twitter and Facebook were used by foreign actors during the 2016 presidential election. On Thursday, Twitter officials found themselves in the hot seat as they testified on Capitol Hill about the company’s findings on its role in facilitating Russian influence in the election.

What did Twitter find?

In a blog post on its website, the company said that its internal investigation revealed:

• 22 Twitter accounts corresponding to fake Facebook accounts, all of which had been subsequently suspended
• 179 accounts in violation of company’s rules, none of which were registered as advertisers on Twitter.
• Twitter also analyzed ads purchased by three accounts associated with Russian Today, a government-funded Russian television network that has been accused of interfering with the 2016 election. The three accounts — @RT_com, @RT_America, and @ActualidadRT — spent $274,100 in U.S. ads in 2016. They promoted 1,823 Tweets “that definitely or potentially targeted the U.S. market.”

This news comes weeks after Facebook revealed the results of a similar internal investigation.

…(read more).

Noam Chomsky (Oct 06, 2017) – Lawrence Krauss SPECIAL Dialogue

Noam Chomsky
Published on Oct 5, 2017

The Devastating Effects of Pollution in China (Part 1/2)

VICE
Published on Dec 13, 2012

We went to the single most polluted place on earth, the coal-mining town of Linfen in Shanxi Province, China, where kids play in dirty rivers and the sun sets early behind a thick curtain of smog. Watch part 2 here: http://bit.ly/Toxic-China-2 Check out “Toxic: America’s Water Crisis” here: http://bit.ly/Water-Crisis-1

VICE

Published on Dec 16, 2012

We went to the single most polluted place on earth, the coal-mining town of Linfen, China. In part 2, we check out illegal coal mines and find out what what makes China the world’s leading polluter.

How China’s Pollution Became a National Emergency

Journeyman Pictures

Published on Jun 6, 2012

Cancer Villages: The shocking extent of Chinese pollution For downloads and more information visit: http://www.journeyman.tv/?lid=63641 The Chinese government claims it’s making serious efforts to clean up pollution. But as this horrifying report shows, much of their ‘success’ has involved simply moving their toxic industries out of sight. “It’s risky, but we have no other choice: We only have this river,” Wu Zhuliang tell us from his remote farm in South Western China. For Wu and his family their reliance on the river, which runs yellow with pollution, has had terrible consequences. They buried his son just over a month ago. He had been diagnosed with two types of cancer, Leukaemia and Thymoma, and had been in so much pain he said to his mother, “open the window and I’ll jump out”. The water from Wu’s river was found to have levels of chromium, a known carcinogen, “200 times higher than the national standard”. Ma Tianjie from Greenpeace tells us it’s so toxic that, “simply touching the water, it could make your skin itchy. It’s a very, very serious problem.” All across rural China the same stories abound. The government is cleaning up the cities, but often the most toxic industries are simply moved to rural areas where regulations are lax. Chinese farmers are now four times more likely to die from liver cancer than the global average. “The government is trying to find a way to get rid of this huge pile of historically accumulated waste but they are struggling.” SBS Dateline – Ref. 5527

20 Signs China’s Pollution Has Reached Apocalyptic Levels | China Uncensored

China Uncensored
Published on Feb 4, 2015

9 out 10 cities in China have failed government pollution standards according to China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection. A quarter of million Chinese die every year from pollution, rivers turn blood red, and by 2030, China will be COMPLETELY OUT OF WATER! These are just a few of the signs that China’s pollution has reached apocalyptic levels, and it’s having a global effect on climate change. To find out the rest, watch this episode of China Uncensored.

China’s toxic smog – BBC News

BBC News

Published on Jan 8, 2017

For much of the past month, a huge swathe of northern China has been shrouded in a thick layer of toxic smog. Pollution has reached such high levels that Beijing’s met office this week issued a warning against venturing out into the snow because of fears it’s dangerously contaminated. With pollution now thought to be the cause of more than a million premature deaths a year, our correspondent John Sudworth travelled to China’s most polluted city

MADE IN CHINA

Gabbee
Published on Sep 22, 2012

http://amzn.to/2aumTYI THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CAPITALISM SUBSCRIBE https://goo.gl/OXghgH Support My Channel By Shopping on Amazon! http://amzn.to/2atadUZ https://www.facebook.com/deejay.gabri… This a short clip from a four part series on China hosted by Ted Koppel. The series is called The People’s Republic of Capitalism. The common complaint that the Chinese are taking jobs away from American workers is in many cases true. China has lifted 300 million people out of poverty in less than a generation That’s a population, pretty much the size of the United States. The name of the game now is to bring the remaining billion out of poverty and they are going to be our competitors for oil, they are going to be our competitors for water. http://www.amazon.com/The-Peoples-Rep… All credits to: Ted Koppel, Athena

Bob Tansey on China’s air pollution

CGTN America
Published on May 18, 2017

For more on China’s efforts to curb air pollution, CGTN’s Elaine Reyes spoke to Bob Tansey, Senior Advisor for Northeast Asia and Greater China. at The Nature Conservancy.

Bob Tansey of the Nature Conservancy discusses China’s plans for a national park system by 2020

CGTN America
Published on Oct 5, 2017

CGTN’s Elaine Reyes spoke with Bob Tansey, senior advisor at The Nature Conservancy, about China’s plans for a national park network by 2020.