November 2021- January 2022
Salar de Uyuni to Existentialism
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| Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia |
You know how Windows 10 and 11 delivers a new picture from somewhere around the world to your sign on screen every time and then ask if you like the picture. Just one more way to collect personal data points I'm sure. However, I do like them and if I have time to click on the picture and see what its all about, I enjoy learning something new about planet Earth. Usually I spend just a couple minutes reading about the image but a while ago a picture came up that fascinated me and I spent nearly an hour enjoying looking at images and reading about the Salar de Uyuni, Uyuni Salt Flats. Open a new window right now and Google "Salar de Uyuni". Click on "Images" at the top and just take a moment to peruse the incredible pictures. Then take a moment to read an article about the area. If there was not a pandemic occurring, I definitely would like to visit this magical spot on our planet, there is clearly a strong spiritual aura that makes this place the most visited spot in Bolivia.
Salar de Uyuni (or "Salar de Tunupa")[1] is the world's largest salt flat, or playa, at over 10,000 square kilometres (3,900 sq mi) in area.[2] It is in the Daniel Campos Province in Potosí in southwest Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes at an elevation of 3,656 m (11,995 ft) above sea level.[3]
The Salar was formed as a result of transformations between several prehistoric lakes that existed around forty thousand years ago but had all evaporated over time.[2] It is now covered by a few meters of salt crust, which has an extraordinary flatness with the average elevation variations within one meter over the entire area of the Salar. The crust serves as a source of salt and covers a pool of brine, which is exceptionally rich in lithium. The large area, clear skies, and exceptional flatness of the surface make the Salar ideal for calibrating the altimeters of Earth observation satellites.[4][5][6][7][8] Following rain, a thin layer of dead calm water transforms the flat into the world's largest mirror, 129 km (80 mi) across see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salar_de_Uyuni
If you read enough you will see that the Lithium is now in big demand due to the increasing use of batteries for EV's electric vehicles. Bolivia has mined the salt for years but every country that is producing EV's wants the Lithium. Possibly destroying yet another natural resource in the name of serving humanity may or may not be worth it. Just as the Amazon Forest has been pillaged, which is actually contributing to climate warming, other natural resources will be mined in the name of saving us all from disaster.
Each year Mother Nature makes a louder statement than the year before. Enough humans are yet to notice that the hardships created by climate change has increased significantly in just the last 10 years. Many of the recent climate accords hope to reach their goals of Zero emissions by 2050. However Scientist are saying different:
Why are countries aiming to keep global temperature rise below 1.5°C?
Scientists have warned for years of catastrophic environmental consequences if global temperature continues to rise at the current pace. The Earth’s average temperature has already increased approximately 1.1°C above preindustrial levels, according to a 2021 assessment [PDF] by the IPCC. The report, drafted by more than two hundred scientists from over sixty countries, predicts that the world will reach or exceed 1.5°C of warming within the next two decades even if nations drastically cut emissions immediately. see https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/paris-global-climate-change-agreement
Everything about climate change has progressed much faster than the scientist predictions so the predictions for the next two decades could progress much faster than the current climate accords expect to mitigate. Consider the fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, winter storms, and sea levels of 2021, much more severe than ever before. We can expect the increasing intensity and increasing destruction from severe climate to continue for at least the next 10-15 years (in my opinion), and we can only pray that it is not a more exponential increase. No one has ever experienced this so there is no true yardstick to measure by. Who really wants to see the kind of weather extremes that we are certain to see in just the next 10 years? The time for immediate and severe cuts to green house emissions is right now. Corona virus is a cake walk compared to what we will see in our weather systems 5-10 years from now if we (everyone on planet Earth) do not act now.
Then my son Graeme called last night and said " You have to see this movie right now, "Don't Look Up" made in 2021 starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Blanchet, and Meryl Strep. So we found it on Netflix and stayed up late to watch the movie said to be a satirical comedy. Yes we laughed at parts, but perhaps Tragic Comedy is a better description since it so closely parallels the many issues we face in the new millennium. Severe political divisions, severe economic disparity, immigration crises across the globe, and then of course the real words: Global Warming. I strongly recommend this increasingly popular movie to all adult humans. The satire is all to real so that's why I feel Tragic Comedy is a better descriptor. Be sure to follow viewing the movie by reading at least three or four different reviews online. Others perspective will round out your experience for sure. Here are a few I read:
Now it is Quiz Time,
Choose the correct answer:
Which of the following pose a existential threat to the entire human race on planet Earth?
a) Corona Virus
b) Nations divided by politics, I.e. highly polarized politics.
c) The Korean dude Kim shooting missiles into the ocean.
d) The Russian dude Putin who is stuck in the 1980's cold war and wants to take over Ukraine. (who would want to take over Ukraine?)
e) Climate Change I.e. Global Warming.
f) The 10 countries currently experiencing war, famine or both see: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/war-torn-countries
f) The immigration crises around the world. ( the reason is obvious, I think, why there are 2 f. Choices.
I will know if you failed the quiz! So will God and their Mother Nature
Now Back to Austin, Texas where we are trying to determine what the new normal will be and when will it arrive:
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| Our second Grandaughter found a 1887 Nickel! |
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| Lots of volunteer plants came up in our fall garden like this gourd, some pumpkins and tomato plants. |
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| The Monarch love the milkweed and we still had monarchs and their caterpillars all the way through December. |
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| The Jalapeno Stand was our Garden Christmas tree |
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| a Christmas flower from Sister Gin Gin |
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| I have two friends that had knee replacements recently |
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| Walking in our sons neighborhood left us looking for a special bird. |
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| Facetime ain't what it used to be, sharing Christmas presents, story telling, creating on Scratch, folding paper airplanes, well, there is no limit with these two. |
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| Clara loves creating a story to act out with her stuffed animals, mice, cats etc. |
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| Checked out the Mennonite Garden on one of my daily neighborhood walks. |
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| lots of individual raised beds growing some tasty greens. |
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| We tried a walk around Mueller Lake, nice but to busy. we like walking less crowded neighborhood streets more. |
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| We found out there is a fox family that lives in nearby Bartholomew Park |
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| We took a drive out FM 969 to see how one of our old neighborhoods has changed, it was risky business, tons of growth and 969 is still a two lane farm to market road. The Old Turner Dairy farm is gone and replaced with Hay production. They also have a new building that sells Propane. |
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| No More dairy cows here, just round bails of Hay. |
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| There was one field of Alfalfa though. |
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| This is a large commercial cattle field, the only cattle we saw on our drive, no more small farms with cattle. |
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| Webberville Travis County Park |
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| Colorado River |
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| So many fields that once raised maize or corn now produce hay. |
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| Liv and Ella together in New York for the Holidays, So proud of both, Liv will Graduate High School Spring of 2022 and Ella Graduate’s College! |
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I have spent the last year studying the Blues on guitar and most recently learned some Robert Johnson and Son House licks. They are not pictured here with these guys but they were two of the significant Masters of the era. Check out Son House with a very young Buddy Guy:
https://youtu.be/b4QamCLNnmE
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| Amen |
