Ecophagy is a term coined by Robert Freitas that means the literal consumption of an ecosystem. It derives from the Greek “οικος” (oikos) or Late Latin “oeco-“, which refers to a “house” or “household”, and Greek φᾰγεῖν phagein “to eat”

Freitas used the term to describe a scenario involving molecular nanotechnology gone awry. In this situation (called the grey goo scenario) out-of-control self-replicating nanorobots consume entire ecosystems, resulting in global ecophagy.
However, the word “ecophagy” is now applied more generally in reference to any event^{[dubious – discuss]} — nuclear war, the spread of monoculture, massive species extinctions — that might fundamentally alter the planet. Scholars suggest that these events might result in ecocide in that they would undermine the capacity of the Earth’s biological population to repair itself. Others suggest that more mundane and less spectacular events — the unrelenting growth of the human population, the steady transformation of the natural world by human beings — will eventually result in a planet that is considerably less vibrant, and one that is, apart from humans, essentially lifeless. These people believe that the current human trajectory puts us on a path that will eventually lead to ecophagy. In the paper in which Freitas coined the term he wrote:^[1]

Perhaps the earliest-recognized and best-known danger of molecular nanotechnology is the risk that self-replicating nanorobots capable of functioning autonomously in the natural environment could quickly convert that natural environment (e.g., “biomass”) into replicas of themselves (e.g., “nanomass”) on a global basis, a scenario usually referred to as the “grey goo problem” but perhaps more properly termed “global ecophagy”.

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History is a set of lies agreed upon.  Napoleon

“Know thyself and thou shalt know all the mysteries of the gods and of the universe” — Inscription on the Greek temple at Delphi

“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” ~ C.G. Jung

First, some good news….

“Our Water, Our Future”: Voters in Oregon Defeat Nestlé’s Attempt to Privatize Their Water

In Hood River County, Oregon, voters recently passed a precedent-setting ballot initiative that will protect the community’s water from industrial bottling operations. Organizers say they built a bipartisan campaign, resulting in nearly 70 percent of voters supporting the ban on commercial bottling in the county. Blue yard signs bearing the words “Yes on 14-55: Our Water, Our Future” dotted lawns throughout Hood River County, Oregon, in the run-up to the primary election held on May 17. Just as many of these signs appeared to share a lawn with a Cruz or Trump yard sign as with a Clinton or Sanders sign. The issue that brought conservatives and progressives together in this way was clear-cut: keeping Nestlé Waters North America from building a water bottling plant and extracting over 118 million gallons annually from a spring in a small, rural community 45 miles east of Portland.

See Related:

Mendocino County, CA. Makes History and Passes Law Establishing Local Self-Governance

College Students Win $10,000 Prize for Gloves that Translate Sign Language

Dagga Flower: “Wild Cannabis” of the East

Schisandra Vines

Schisandra is being used by western herbalists as an overall tonic and restorative herb for various deficient and weak conditions in the body. It can be used in combination with other herbs for chronic stress, chronic fatigue, insomnia, poor memory, depression, night sweats and involuntary sweating. The berries help regulate blood sugar levels and improve overall stamina and endurance. They are helpful when used with milk thistle seed and turmeric root for preventing or treating liver damage caused by industrial solvents, pharmaceutical medications, recreational drugs, alcohol, and some viruses, including hepatitis B.

Some clinical studies done by Chinese researchers have shown that the berries improve brain efficiency while at the same time calming the central nervous system. When taken over several weeks as an adaptogen (a substance that helps the body adapt to stresses), Schisandra helps improve energy levels, reduces tiredness, and improves the immune system’s response, making it a valuable tonic for many people, particularly those coming into their 40s, 50s and sixties.

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CDC says 157 pregnant women in U.S. test positive for Zika

Some 157 pregnant women in the United States and another 122 in U.S. territories have tested positive for infection with the Zika virus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.

HERE COME DA ZIKA VIRUS HYPE B.S…OH, AND A FLAT EARTH REFERENCE TO BOOT!  wtf???

Yes, GMOs Are Safe (Another Major Study Confirms)

Record Heat Wave Set In India:  124 Degrees

The CFR Celebrity Globalist, Angelina Jolie appointed as professor at the London School of Economics

She is an Oscar winning actress, a political campaigner and now Angelina Jolie Pitt can add academic to her list of roles. The Hollywood star has been appointed a visiting professor at the London School of Economics (LSE), one of Britain’s most prestigious universitie

World Famous Yale Ethics Professor Accused Of Sexual Harassment

Actor Elijah Wood Blows the Whistle on Massive Hollywood Pedophile Scandal

Bill Cosby Admits to Sex with Teenagers, Paying Off Alleged Victims in

Judge finds officer not guilty on all charges related to Freddie Gray death

A judge delivered a not guilty verdict in the trial of a Baltimore, Maryland police officer for crimes related to the death of black arrestee Freddie Gray last year. Gray’s death triggered demonstrations and riots in the majority-black city. The verdict was delivered on Monday morning by Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Barry Williams.

U.S. Suicide Rate Surges to a 30-Year High

Suicide in the United States has surged to the highest levels in nearly 30 years, a federal data analysis has found, with increases in every age group except older adults. The rise was particularly steep for women. It was also substantial among middle-aged Americans, sending a signal of deep anguish from a group whose suicide rates had been stable or falling since the 1950s. The suicide rate for middle-aged women, ages 45 to 64, jumped by 63 percent over the period of the study, while it rose by 43 percent for men in that age range, the sharpest increase for males of any age. The overall suicide rate rose by 24 percent from 1999 to 2014, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, which released the study on Friday.

Two-Thirds of U.S. Would Struggle to Cover $1,000 Crisis

Two-thirds of Americans would have difficulty coming up with the money to cover a $1,000 emergency, according to an exclusive poll released Thursday, a signal that despite years of recovery from the Great Recession, Americans’ financial conditions remain precarious as ever.

These financial difficulties span all income levels, according to the poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Seventy-five percent of people in households making less than $50,000 a year would have difficulty coming up with $1,000 to cover an unexpected bill. But when income rose to between $50,000 and $100,000, the difficulty decreased only modestly to 67 percent.

Even for the country’s wealthiest 20 percent — households making more than $100,000 a year — 38 percent say they would have at least some difficulty coming up with $1,000.

“The more we learn about the balance sheets of Americans, it becomes quite alarming,” said Caroline Ratcliffe, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute focusing on poverty and emergency savings issues.

The US War Machine’s Annual Budget Could Buy Every Homeless American a $1 Million Home

In 2015, the United States spent more on its war machine than the next six countries combined, with a total of $596 billion spent on military expenditures. This week the U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), with roughly $602 billion slated to be spent on military programs and armaments in the 2017 budget. To put this amount in perspective, the U.S. spent more on its military than the next six nations combined, with China coming in second at $215 billion, followed by Saudi Arabia at $87 billion, Russia at $66 billion, with the United Kingdom, India and France spending roughly $50 billion each on defense expenses.

And a new term is born

ELECTILE DYSFUNCTION:
the inability to become aroused over any of the choices for President, put forth by either party in the 2016 election year.

Techitis: Constantly Using Smartphones Causing Widespread Health Problems

Our relationships with our smartphones: for some, it’s attachment, for others, it’s addiction. Several new studies show how the devices might be impacting our health. Terms like ‘text-neck’ and ‘screen-sightedness’ didn’t exist several years ago. But, the lingo is becoming more commonplace among medical professionals.

How Technology Hijacks People’s Minds – from a Magician and Google’s Design Ethicist

Western Culture is built around ideals of individual choice and freedom. Millions of us fiercely defend our right to make “free” choices, while we ignore how we’re manipulated upstream by limited menus we didn’t choose.

This is exactly what magicians do. They give people the illusion of free choice while architecting the menu so that they win, no matter what you choose. I can’t emphasize how deep this insight is.

Microsoft Creates Smart Mirror That Reads Your Emotions, Shows the Weather

Microsoft has recently presented the company’s latest smart product, a mirror that can read your emotions and display content from the web, including the weather forecast and news

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A Commencement Address For The Most Indebted Class Ever

A Third of Cash Is Owned by 5 U.S. Companies

The rising cash holdings of U.S. corporations is increasingly in the hands of a few U.S. companies, with just five tech firms having grabbed a third of it. And nearly three-quarters of cash held by non-financial U.S. companies is stashed overseas, outside the long arm of Uncle Sam.

Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Alphabet (GOOGL), Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Oracle (ORCL) are sitting on $504 billion, or 30%, of the $1.7 trillion in cash and cash equivalents held by U.S. non-financial companies in 2015, according to an analysis released Friday by ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service. That’s even more cash concentration than in previous years, as these five companies held 27% of cash in 2014 and 25% in 2013. Apple alone is holding more cash and investments than eight of the 10 entire industry sectors.