Is This Thing On?

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Wow. It has been a while. I’m not even sure I remember how to do this.

Not only have we not posted in an age; we haven’t even had an accessible web presence for the past six months. Somehow we were hacked. Somehow I failed to fix it. Somehow our site was taken off-line. Either way, it’s back—thank you database backups. Perhaps not better than ever; all of our images our gone, our custom theme is gone; hell, even the other Babelers are gone. But that’s OK, our content is back and it will continue to live on. Who knows, they may even be more activity in our future.

At the very least, we are all pleased to have our internet contributions back where they belong.

Which Tree Are You Eating Your Meals Off?

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You often sit down at it 3 or more times every day (or more than 1000 times a year), you throw your coat on it, rest your cups on it, play games on it. . . and maybe do lots more on it. But how often do you actually consider where the wood came from to make your dining table, and what affect that had on the planet? My bet is not very often. . . and that is part of the problem. We are so used to our tables, chairs, and all other pieces of furniture for that matter, being available for us to buy nicely designed and ready-made for us, that it rarely enters our consciousness just how and where the materials were sourced.

HDR photograph of a Chip Mill.

If you had to catch a chicken, kill it, pluck it, gut it and cut it up before cooking it, chances are you would look at your meals a little differently, as opposed to when you just pick up a couple of chicken breast fillets from the shop. The same should be true for the furniture you buy, and whilst it’s unlikely you are going to fell your own tree, cut it up, then craft and carve your own furniture from it, I hope this post will just make you think a little about where your beautiful furniture comes from.

The sad fact is that most wooden furniture is made from non-ethically sourced timber, that is to say the trees felled to cut the wood have not been replaced for like. Bear in mind that just planting an infant tree to replace a fully grown one is not ethical logging, as it might take hundreds of years for that young tree to grow to the same size. Roughly speaking, for every tree cut down, the same amount or more must be re-generated within 10 years (on previously deforested land) for the practice to be classed as sustainable. This means that often logging companies need to plant a lot more trees than they cut down.

With demand for hardwood increasing by 25 times in the last 40 years, it isn’t surprising that commercial logging companies would prefer to just take without having to give back, but this is very short sighted indeed. Many countries are thankfully starting to crack down on illegal logging, meaning that exploitable rainforest is harder to come by, and this is forcing timber prices up. If these same logging companies invested in replanting programmes, they might pay more in the short term, but in the long run they would save millions by having access to stable resources. As it is, approx 150,000 sq kilometres of rainforest is still being destroyed each year (that’s nearly the size of the UK), and only a comparative fraction of this is being replaced.

It’s important to understand that logging companies are not the only ones to blame for this dangerous trend. Furniture retailers should be doing more to source their materials from sustainable woodlands and forests. This white bedroom furniture company for example selects suppliers that source their timber ethically, and they choose woods that are not endangered. However, the commercial cycle is fueled by supply and demand, and so it is consumers who have the most power to enforce change. It might take you a little longer to get the furniture you want, but if you spend some time researching the companies you buy from and checking out their green credentials, you really can do you bit to save some of the world’s most naturally diverse habitats.

Tim Sutton is an environmental writer who represents a UK producer of white chest of drawers and other white furniture pieces. He is passionate about ensuring our natural environment is maintained for future generations.

Image Credit

Chip Mill image courtesy of Flickr user Robert S. Donovan published under the CC license.

Books Matter

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Technology drives society. It creates. It innovates. It matures and it dies, falling victim to newer iterations that continue our evolution in an inevitable cycle. It is an unavoidable fate. However, there are some technologies that are so close to perfection that their existence persists in spite of this fate. Books exemplify this.

The codex transformed the world. With the help of movable type it conquered the scroll and spread information equitably among the literate. Once a status symbol of the rich, books made their way into the hands of the People spawning an entire age of enlightenment. It was profound.

It was in this history that books married themselves to the human condition. As the vehicle to learning and development, and, more importantly, personal freedom. It is hardly hyperbole to proclaim books as a key to technology.

Yet now, in our digital age, technology has wrought a formidable alternative to the codex; digital readers that can house an entire library in a single, well designed package. More so than just storing our books, it gives us access to search for, purchase, archive and scan the written word in a limitless on demand fashion. In most respects, these eReaders are magic books, ready to fill a blank page with an endless supply of words.

The Book is dead. Long live the Book.

While its dominance will erode to convenience, the physical artifact will be forever treasured by many—call us purists if you’d like. There is not a digital reader in this world that can compete with the subtle experience of buying a book, opening it, and smelling its fresh pages as you curiously thumb through them for the first time. It will not supplant the wonderment of admiring its binding, reading through the prologue and being touched by the dedication. The eReader will never look quite right stashed on a nightstand or held in a lap. And finally, the accomplishment will be cheapened by never ‘reaching’ that last page; by never placing the book proudly upon your shelf where it can take its place of personal prominence among your growing cache of previous exploits—a very real reminder of the progress in us all.

History is inextricably tied to books and it is history that will keep books inextricably tied to us.

Is Green Travel Really That Hard?

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I would like to think that we live in age of environmental concern. That is not to say we are an age of environmentally friendly people, but instead that we are more conscious about ecological issues than previous generations. They say that knowledge is power and I’m pleased to say that I am seeing more and more ‘green’ products and schemes popping up all the time as a result of better knowledge surrounding the subject. One area however that seems to be dragging its feet when it comes to being environmentally friendly is ‘travel’.

A photograph of an old row boat in HDR.

Yes you can offset your carbon emissions when you fly (although I’ve never met an individual who does this), but I struggle to think of any other green initiatives that are making a difference and preserving not only the environment, but culture with it. When I talk to people about this issue I classically get the response that green travel is “too expensive”, “too limiting” or “unpractical”. This is of course rubbish as green travel simply requires using your brain a bit more. Yes if you wait for a travel agent to compile a green travel package it’s going to cost more than their standard options, but this is simply because they are likely inexperienced in this area and sadly don’t have much demand. If you want to travel green, all you need to do is conduct a little research and be more considerate.

To give you an example of this I was traveling around Spain and northern Africa last year and needed to cross the Strait of Gibraltar. I had been staying in one of the villas in Costa Del Sol and was due to book into a hotel in Ceuta, Morocco. I had booked on one of the larger ferries, but when I turned up at the port I noticed that there was a local boat run by a Spanish family who were taking people across. As a keen traveller and ‘eco warrior’ I’m well aware of the damage that large ferries and especially cruise liners can do, not only to the immediate ecosystem, but also by burning huge amounts of fuel. I thus decided to take the much smaller local boat. As a result of this considered decision, a number of things happened.

  1. My money went a lot further. Not only did it cost me less, but the money went to a local business man, not a ferry conglomerate.
  2. I spent time with many more locals than I would have done on the ferry and even learnt a little more Spanish.
  3. I did far less damage to the environment and used less fuel.
  4. Whilst on the boat I made friends with a Moroccan man and ended up staying with his family in Ceuta for a couple of days. I offered to pay for all the food for the family and still saved a ton of money.

You might argue that the ferry would have sailed anyway and so I didn’t save the environment at all, but the key to this story is supply and demand. If other people considered their travel choices in the same way, there would be less demand for the more damaging forms of travel and these would be reduced over time.

By stopping to consider how I could make my travel arrangements a little more environmentally and social friendly, I ended up having a much better experience, saving money, and doing my bit for the planet. This is just one example of many possibilities, and I urge you to try and find others…it’s really not that hard.

BIO: Duncan is an experienced traveler, writing for a Cottages in Cornwall business. He likes to share his green knowledge and hopes to keep learning also.

Image Credit

Boat at lake Bohinj (#2) photograph courtesy of Flickr user bslmmrs published under the CC license.

Republicans on America Speaking Out Miss the Big Picture

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Screen shot of America Speaking Out website

Republicans launched a new website at the end of May called America Speaking Out. This website was meant to be a forum for common citizens to voice their opinions, submit ideas, vote, and comment on others’ ideas in order to create a better dialogue between politicians and their constituents. I think this is an excellent idea, but the implementation has been lacking in several key areas. Aside from that, I received a particularly troublesome e-mail from Congressman Kevin McCarthy regarding the America Speaking Out website, the full text of which is below:

You’re Speaking Out And We’re Listening

America Speaking Out Community:

First – thank you and congratulations for being a part of a ground-breaking project that is changing the way Washington works. In just three weeks, 300,000 Americans have visited AmericaSpeakingOut.com to submit their ideas for a new governing agenda, casting close to 350,000 votes.

Even in this early stage, it’s clear that issues of spending and debt are weighing heavy on the minds of many Americans. The top user-submitted idea in the Fiscal Accountability – Spending category comes from user darby, who says:

“I very much want to see a strong Balanced Budget Amendment…We need this desperately.”

Developing and sticking to a budget is one of the most fundamental tasks for families and small businesses alike. Unfortunately, it’s become clear that for the first time in over 30 years, Speaker Pelosi and Democratic leaders in Congress aren’t even bothering with a budget. So the runaway spending continues, increasing our debt and deficit to record levels, without any apparent end in sight.

But your ideas are being heard.

Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) has submitted a plan to cut spending on America Speaking Out. In a video on the America Speaking Out homepage, he outlines the same frustrations we’ve heard from so many of you: Washington’s fiscal failures are unacceptable. We need to know where you stand on fiscal accountability and spending. Tell us how you feel by voting on and debating this idea or submitting your own.

Vote on Rep. Ryan’s idea or submit your own now.

Keep speaking out,

Congressman Kevin McCarthy

This e-mail was laden with so many inaccuracies in such a short amount of text that I was compelled to respond. Below is my e-mail response to Congressman McCarthy:

Congressman McCathy,

I want to thank you and your party for developing a website that allows average Americans to voice their opinions and provide an open dialogue with your constituents. However, I do take exception to some of your assertions, particularly in this e-mail.

You assert that it is the Democratic Party’s fault for exorbitant spending seen in government leading to citizens’ frustration. Your comment regarding the Democratic lack of adherence to a budget insinuates that they are responsible for all of the deficit spending that has put our country into a position where we have the highest public debt level of all time. This is factually inaccurate, and I am prepared to support that statement.

During the period of 1981 to 2008, Ronald Reagan accumulated $1.26 trillion in deficits, Bush Sr $934 billion in deficits, Clinton $324 billion in deficits, and W Bush racked up $1.98 trillion. This amounts to a total of just about $4.5 trillion in deficit spending BEFORE the current administration even took office. I acknowledge that the Fiscal 2009 and 2010 budgets have only added, and significantly, to this accumulated deficit figure. But it is quite simply unfair to burden the Democratic Party today with a statement like, “Unfortunately, it’s become clear that for the first time in over 30 years, Speaker Pelosi and Democratic leaders in Congress aren’t even bothering with a budget” – when the budget numbers offered by the CBO does not support that statement at all. It appears to be another incidence of partisan rhetoric meant to incite the public in order to win House and Senate seats in the fall. For your constituents, such as myself, who are interested and educated enough to fact check your statements, the statements you made below are merely examples of reasons not to trust you or your party. Please refer to the information contained at this link for supporting facts and documentation.

I would also like to make a few other points pertaining to the technicalities of economics and US government spending, which do not support your message.

Firstly, government spending is one of four main components of our GDP. Simply cutting government spending without shifting the goods/services produced to a private entity directly reduces GDP, and therefore, our economy. It is not as simple as “spend less” – because that short-sighted notion would have us in recession territory even if all other GDP components were held equal. Not all of the citizens in this country understand how the economy works, and they are therefore not qualified to remark on how cutting government spending effects our economy. So it is great for a politician to get the crowd all fired up on spending reduction platforms, etc., but those who know understand the reality is far more complex and can lead to destructive consequences if not implemented properly.

Secondly, Defense, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid represent over 60% of the 2009 US Federal Budget. Where I am going with this point is that reducing spending in other areas is admirable, and most likely very necessary for under performing programs, however it does not address the core of the problem. Almost none of the ideas submitted in the Fiscal Accountability addressed these major budget burdening programs. They focus on small-dollar, low-impact budget items that are great for stroking the ego and making each other feel good, but do absolutely nothing of a material nature to change the status quo. Until Washington is ready to admit that Social Security, Defense spending, and Medicare and Medicaid are the true reasons for our “runaway spending”, then nothing will change. You will assuredly fool most of citizens, but not all of us. Those of us who are actually engaged, doing research, and trying to be informed about their government are well-versed in the knowledge of what levers are truly driving deficit spending.

I appreciate your time and efforts for listening to the people. I am an accounting professional who is very interested in fiscal accountability and responsibility, but I do not think that the ideas you are receiving on America Speaking Out are going to get to the root of the matter. I also do not believe that making false assertions about a rival political party is appropriate or helpful in moving our country forward to a better, more balanced, budget.

Best Regards,

Jason Morgan

I don’t want to seem ungrateful for their attempt at creating a better relationship between politicians and their constituents, but I do wish that we could move past the finger-pointing phase and get down and dirty with some real solutions.

Threats of the Internet

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The Internet Mapping ProjectThe advent of the internet has brought many opportunities and challenges over the last twenty years or so. The internet has allowed the world to become continuously connected, enabling information to seamlessly flow from point A to point B. Acting like an artificial organism, the internet has evolved and developed into a data flow system, where everybody in the civilized world uses it. Businesses and individuals rely on the internet to process financial transactions, research, store their data, communicate, etc. Due to the overwhelming amount of data flowing freely in the internet, people find it attractive to steal or manipulate numbers for their own benefit. Nevertheless, with the evolution of the internet, it has become harder and harder for individuals and businesses alike to protect against theft and/or manipulation.

Technology has not only made it easier for information to flow, as well as the internet to grow, but it has also enabled hackers and software designers to create little computer bugs that invade your computer. These little bugs, ‘botnets’, serve as a burrowing type of insect that infiltrates your computer and then executes certain actions which could range from crashing a system to stealing money from it. This is fascinating for no longer is hacking and identity theft a personal issue; instead it is mass produced from the same technology it is infiltrating. Hackers and ‘botnets’ pose a very real threat to businesses’ and individuals’ security. Therefore, it is imperative that every company allow full disclosure and discretion when dealing with the risks associated with being on the internet. Businesses should integrate standard protocols to prevent against internal sabotage or financial theft. They should stress the importance of not connecting to unfamiliar sites or even opening emails from unknown senders. The same could also be said for individuals, whose varying degree of interests poses different security risks.

Individuals can be reckless at times with their internet usage by sharing all sorts of information over the web. The realization of Web 2.0 has allowed the world to be connected at all times with everyone through social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and even MySpace. Web 2.0 is very real and rumor is that Web 3.0 is on the horizon. Web 2.0 has allowed for information to be immediately available. An illustration of this could be seen when the first report to tell us that a plane landed in the Hudson River due to bird attacks came from a bystander with a camera phone and a Twitter account. Twitter has become so large and integrated, those celebrities, politicians, physicists, and even common folk are connected to it. However, Facebook is the giant of this Web 2.0 revolution having the most people connected to a single website in the world. To put this in perspective, if Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest country in the world behind China and India (400 million).

It is clear that more and more people are connected to the internet through social networking sites. It is clear that businesses are becoming globalized and must share information over the internet to properly operate outside of its headquarters. It is also, unfortunately clear that people use the internet to steal money through hacking or simply performing corporate espionage born out of bitter feelings or financial gain. These same hackers have also developed the tools to invade the privacy of your home and shovel out information, ranging from bank statements or social security numbers in a particular direction. The threats are real and present. Both businesses and individuals would be wise to diversify their data infrastructure, purchase top of the line computer protection software, and use excellent discretion.

Image Used in Post

Organic growth image is courtesy of Flickr user jurvetson published under the CC license.

Babeled On: Favorite Childhood Cartoons

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I don’t know about you guys, but I think that cartoons just ain’t as cool as they were back when we were youts.  When we were growing up, during the 80′s, we had some awesome Saturday cartoons that would most likely be considered too adult-like and too destructive in today’s politically correct society.  Nowadays, kids get to watch Teletubbies, Bob the Builder, and if they’re lucky Spongebob Squarepants. Whoopdyfriggindoo! Not to brag, but these cartoons fall way short in comparison to the Saturday morning cartoons that were aired in the 80′s.

One thing is for certain, cartoons have some form of impact on the children that watch them.  I would argue that the quality cartoons that I watched as a kid, like Voltron, Thundercats, He-Man, and G.I. Joe helped mold me into the man I am today (No wonder I constantly want to save the world). Out of curiosity, I asked the founding Babelers what their favorite childhood cartoons were. Here are their responses . . .

Jason Morgan

I’m not sure whether nostalgia clouds my perception or whether it is really true, but I feel that the cartoons I watched growing up in the 80′s were far superior to those today. This makes it difficult to decide which cartoon really was my favorite, but I would have to say that Transformers was a cut above the rest.

Transformers was a great cartoon with an awesome good versus evil plot line. Nothing beats intergalactic robot wars. The premise of shape-changing robots also made for phenomenal toys to go along with the show.

My runners-up for awesome childhood cartoons are Thundercats, GI Joe, Voltron, and Scooby Doo.

Jack Gamble

Transformers, hands down. There are still some unanswered questions though. Like when Optimus Prime transformed into the truck on Cybertron his trailer suddenly showed up even though he was in robot form when he came across the Space Bridge. Also, was the Optimus trailer ever hit by a tornado and were there red necks inside that went on the news to describe what the “tor-nader” sounded like?

Also, how did Omega Supreme’s base show up when he landed on another planet? The robot transformed into a rocket and a launch pad, yet somehow the launch pad made the trip?

Let’s not even talk about how Soundwave violated the law of conservation of matter and energy when he transformed. I also think the size of Devastator, or any of the combiners for that matter, was disproportionate to the sum mass of the individual Constructicons.

Not all was bad, at the very least there wasn’t a lame cube in the cartoon that easily explains the Transformers existence. I prefer the Terminator scenario personally.

Greg Molyneux

Wow. Too many to count really. In the interest of being decisive I am going to go with ThunderCats. Quality storyline, moral accountability, bad ass tech, and some outstanding characters. Let’s face it Mumm-Ra held it down as an all time bad guy, Panthro layed the smack down, Cheetara was smokin’, and Tygra was a tool—completely.

“Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight.”

Jeff Ruemeli

My mom told me that my favorite cartoon as a small child was Scooby Doo. This was before I made my own cartoon choices. What follows is a Cartoonaholics confession. This is a compilation of any and all (probably more like just some) cartoons that I regularly watched as my favorite. In no particular order.

  • Loony Toons
  • Animaniacs
  • Batman
  • Super Friends
  • Herculoids
  • Simpsons
  • Liquid Television
  • Rescue Rangers
  • Duck Tales (a woo ooo)
  • Laugh Olympics
  • TaleSpin
  • South Park
  • Undergrads
  • Muppet Babies
  • Spider-man
  • Ironman
  • X-Men
  • Transformers
  • He-Man

An Economic Crime Against Humanity

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Not so fast your greedy bastards.Believe it or not, there was an article, Wall Street’s Economic Crimes Against Humanity, circulating about a year ago that believes the hate crimes committed by the Nazi’s and those by Wall Street are similar in nature. At first, I felt that a comparison between what the businesses did in the subprime mortgage industry and what the Nazi’s did was outrageous.  However, after a closer reading, a comparison is not that ridiculous at all.

Crime Against Humanity

The Nazi’s performed atrocious hate crimes, or as Shoshana Zuboff states “crimes against humanity” through mass genocide.  Many Nazi’s of the time did not commit these hate crimes and genocide independently.  Instead, they were wrapped up in a psychological whirlwind whereas they performed their horrible crimes because they were too scared to stand up and do the right thing.  They performed their crimes without thinking about the consequences of their actions because their entire nation was committed toward the same thing.  As strange as it is to compare Nazi’s to the subprime mortgage industry, they both understandably committed immoral acts through a common goal of domination, or profit maximization.

The Economic Crime

The subprime mortgage industry is indeed guilty of performing “crimes against humanity” for through their actions they neglected or ignored to make sure they were doing the right thing for everyone.  Sure, in our capitalistic structure of an economy, it is always a company’s goal to make more money.  However, the people involved in this industry simply made money by being socially irresponsible.  They made their money at the cost of millions of people losing their lifetime investments, their houses, and more importantly their livelihood.  Just as the Nazi’s were too scared to be the “whistleblower” and do the right thing; the people and companies involved in the subprime mortgage industry were too scared as well.  Either out of fear or sheer greed, these companies did the wrong thing.  They simply focused on making a lot of money and while one could say focusing on money and committing mass genocide are completely different things, I would, like the author, argue that they are not so dissimilar.

[ad#babeled-ad-medium-square]The key to understanding this comparison is not focusing on the actual acts that were performed by either party, for killing and maximizing profits are indeed different.  The key is focusing on the inactions of both the Nazi’s and the subprime mortgage industry.  There were investors and companies involved in the subprime mortgage industry that at some point had to have realized that what they were doing could have major economic repercussions.  However, due to fear or greed, they simply kept their defunct industry going.  Afterall, the entire industry was making a ton of money off this idea and if it’s good for everyone else, it is surely good for them.  They, like most humans, followed the flock without thinking for themselves.  Once they got involved and saw their profits rise, it became too difficult for them to exit.  They became addicted to the money, like everyone else in their industry, and due to this greed they kept pushing the subprime mortgage industry further and further until it eventually crashed.

The Nazi’s Crime

In Nazi Germany, the citizens out of fear or nationalistic pride (greed) followed the flock as well.  Once the Nazi’s came into power under Hitler, Germany was the most profitable it had ever been in its history.  Just as in the subprime mortgage industry, the Nazi’s were enjoying the value that was added to their nation.  Due to this addiction to value maximization, both parties, through inaction, did the wrong thing.  Regardless, if their inactions were based on fear or greed or pure ignorance, they both committed “crimes against humanity”.  The Nazi’s directly killed millions of people, while the inactions destroyed peoples’ lives.  The effects of the subprime mortgage industry could have indirectly killed people through suicide or heart attacks.  The subprime mortgage industry destroyed the infrastructure of the U.S. economy, as well as destroyed the trust of the public regarding businesses.  Both the Nazi’s and businesses, at large, acted without regard for the consequences that could follow.

Change Is In Order

Companies, more specifically people, need to change.  People shouldn’t be afraid of thinking for themselves and standing up to do the right thing.  If you think that what you or your company is doing is immoral, then you should be the “whistleblower” and act with moral confidence, regardless if you lose your job or profits.  For far too long, companies and people alike have ignored moral principles in the business world and created an environment where people are brainwashed into falling into line.  It seems that companies have only one thing in mind and that is profit maximization.  While I agree that profit maximization should be the goal of every organization, companies put unnecessary pressure on their employees to ensure that this is realized at any cost.  While these companies are surely to blame for their negligent actions, I believe that these crimes can be further generalized into how a company is valued.Wall Street and the business world generally judge and value based off financial statements, i.e. the income statement.

Companies are truly a victim of circumstance for they want to be the best and for them to be the best they have to show they have the most money.  Due to Wall Street using financial statements to value a company, companies in general will do whatever they can to ensure they are the best, at any cost.   Companies need to practice moral principles when dealing with making money.  However, for companies to change and act with moral fiber, Wall Street (the business world) needs to change their valuation methods.   Wall Street should give more credence to the value that the companies are adding to benefit people and the world.  Of course, they should still use the financial statements in valuing, but they need to look at more variables and intangibles for what they are promoting is possibly destroying.

Image Used In This Post

Not So Fast You Greedy Bastards image courtesy of Flickr user cogito ergo imago published under the CC license.

Americans are the Smartest People in the World

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Americans: do you know how much your elected officials love you? Well, it’s a lot. Check out this political montage from the Daily Show. John Stewart says exactly what I was thinking during the political clips.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
American Apparently
www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Yes, indeed we are stupid-if we want all that but don’t want to pay for it. Nobody ever said “the American People are excellent economists.” It’s one or the other folks…I’m just sayin’.

Mount St Helens Eruption 30th Anniversary

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Mount St Helens pre-eruption in 1978

Growing up in the 1980′s and 90′s, I was unaware of just how new most of our knowledge of geology, plate tectonics, and volcanoes is relative to other sciences. On the heels of this realization I read about a pair of geologists that were the first to identify Mount St Helens as a volcano in 1978, and how their conclusion was mostly dismissed by area residents.

For a little over a month preceding the 5.1 magnitude earthquake at 8:32 AM on May 18th, 1980, the area surrounding Mount St Helens had been experiencing greatly increased seismic activity. Geologists flocked to the area, setting up an array of measuring devices, outposts, and monitoring stations to record as much data as possible. It was found that the north face of the mountain was beginning to bulge outward by around five feet, which was an indicator of the massive landslide to come.

Mount St Helens After Eruption in HDR

The significance of the 1980 Mount St Helens eruption is far-reaching. It was the first opportunity modern scientists had to examine this type of volcanic eruption in-progress, allowing for the collection of vast amounts of scientific data. This eruption was impressive in terms of scale.

  • Released 24 megatons of thermal energy
  • Horizontal pyroclastic flows leveled 230 square miles of forest
  • Ash plume that went 15 miles into the atmosphere and covered parts of ten states
  • Released 1.5 million metric tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere
  • Epic landslide with about 2.9 cubic kilometers of debris from the collapse of the north face
  • Killed 57 people, including a scientist with the US Geological Survey, David Johnston

[ad#babeled-ad-medium-square]The volcano in Iceland that disrupted air travel for several weeks has brought volcanoes, and their deadly consequences, back into the public view. The immense power associated with the forces held within our Earth’s bowels is easily forgotten on the tranquil surface we call home. Volcanic eruptions like the one in Iceland and Mount St Helens are reminders of how big and powerful the world we live in is, and how insignificant we are in the face of these massive forces.

I now live within 50 miles of Mount St Helens, and on every clear day when I am driving home from work I can see it in the distance, looming peacefully. It is hard to imagine seeing and hearing the eruption that happened 30 years ago today. However, as evidenced by the apparent increase in geological activity all over the world, we should never let our guard down when living in the shadow of that mountain.

Image Credit

Mount St. Helens 1978 – before the eruption courtesy of Flickr user Derek K. Miller under the CC license

Mt_St_Helens_HDR_2 courtesy of Flickr user brianholsclaw under the CC license