Just as we all die, all species eventually go extinct. However, the rate of extinction varies dramatically, and a new estimate suggests we are currently running at 1000 times the normal rate. This rate of extinction is only seen in the fossil record after incredibly dramatic and unusual occurrences, such as huge asteroid strikes or supervolcano eruptions.
In order to calculate the effect humans are having we need to know two things – how many species are disappearing each year, and how many vanish as part of the normal background.
Estimating the number of current extinctions is hard enough, since some species disappear without us ever knowing they were there in the first place. It has been said we are having trouble even “counting the books while the library burns” . However, finding out what is normal is harder still. The fossil record preserves some species much better than others, and the fact that we can't find a species after a particular point may indicate it disappeared entirely, or just became a fair bit rarer.
Professor Stuart Pimm of Duke University has published a paper in Science in which he and his coauthors, “Document what we know, how it likely differs from what we do not, and how these differences affect biodiversity statistics.” The authors say,
“We start by asking how many species are known and how many remain undescribed. We then consider by how much human actions inflate extinction rates. Much depends on where species are, because different biomes contain different numbers of species of different susceptibilities. Biomes also suffer different levels of damage and have unequal levels of protection. How extinction rates will change depends on how and where threats expand and whether greater protection counters them.”
As the paper notes, the species we are most familiar with are not typical. “The species we know best have large geographical ranges and are often common within them. Most known species have small ranges, however, and such species are typically newer discoveries.”
Pimm's new estimate is that the background rate is 0.1 extinction per million species per year. This is a tenth the figure produced in 1995, in what had been considered the definitive paper on the topic. However, there will be no pushback from the authors of the higher estimate – Pimm was one of the authors of the 1995 paper as well.
The rate today is between 100 and 1000 extinctions per million species per year. In other words our way of life may be 10,000 times more deadly than all the threats faced by animals at other times. Climate change, hunting and invasive species are all playing a part, but Pimm says habitat loss is the largest factor.
The world has experienced five mass extinctions over the last half a billion years. In each of these, most of the animal and plant species on the planet disappeared. The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs is of course the most famous. It wasn't, however, the most destructive mass extinction ever recorded. The Permian-Triassic extinction event occurred approximately 252 million years ago and wiped out an astonishing 96% of all marine species and 70% of all terrestrial vertebrate species. In between these major events there have been smaller spikes in the death rates, often driven by climatic changes. While we have already lost more species than in many of the more minor events, Pimm believes a combination of habitat protection, captive breeding and action on climate change can avoid a sixth mass extinction.
So I have been using the Essence gel liner. I am wondering if I got a dud container because mine is kind of dry and crumbly. I make a complete mess when I put it on and get fall out everywhere. Aside from that, tightlining is not as hard or scary as it looks. I just have to do it first so I can clean up.
In terms of regular eye lining, all my brushes were disasters and created a big mess of fallout on my face. But a month or so ago, I had accidentally purchased the Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush, thinking it was a normal liner brush. It's actually a gel liner brush. It is taking some practice to use, but I think I like it for getting clean lines of gel liner with minimal mess, and cleaning it is a breeze. So there you have it, a new cheap product recommendation. But definitely do not attempt tightlining with it.
Other observations: I got a free sample of a Dior Addict It-Lash mascara. It might be the least clumpy mascara I've ever seen in my life, like it truly separates every single lash. But other than that, it doesn't really create much length or drama, and it's a very soft black - too soft for me.
I think gel liners drying out is a problem throughout all brands. You can fix it by putting some glycerine in it and putting it in the microwave or some nonsense (youtube) or just get a new one. One of the videos I was watching recommended taking chunks out and putting them in sample jars to limit how often you're opening the main jar.
Bobbie Browns' ultra fine eyeliner brush is awesome for gel liners.
I went to MAC this weekend and had them do my make-up and give me some tips. She was able to cover the bruises under my eyes and I thought it was a great tip for those that have been having problems with finding concealer a for dark circles. She used a bright coral lipstick first, then concealer. It was so weird! I have super dark bruises and it completely covered it! She said you have to experiment with the right color to counteract the exact bruise color.
So, my recommendation for people having issues covering dark circles is to go to the MAC counter and have them help with color correction. She really knew her stuff and she just gave me a sample of the lipstick to use until the bruises go away. I'm impressed.
I also purchased a lipstick called All Fired Up and got so many compliments on it while running errands. It is a gorgeous color. I will pip these things later. ;-)
The recommended you use lipstick near your eyes? Please don't listen to that person, that is a terrible idea. The product can move and migrate if your using undereye and lipsticks aren't typically approved for eye use.
Using the color or another crazy color to offset the bruise is totally good advice though. I know you can usually get correctors in colors designed to do this, but if you can't find those I would use a cream eyeshadow instead of lipstick because it's at least safe to use near your eyes
Post by PinkSquirrel on May 31, 2014 8:41:53 GMT -5
I view their cloud storage arm as pretty different from their general website. I don't really care if companies I use take advantage of their server farms. The people working on servers are going to be a few pay grades above warehouse workers, so that isn't as big an issue and their prices and services are good. Basically, they haven't pulled any major shadiness yet, so it's low priority for me. I haven't shopped at Amazon in 6 months and am still just as pleased with that decision.
Post by PinkSquirrel on May 31, 2014 8:19:27 GMT -5
This prompted me to go see what google currently thinks it knows about me. While FB is super sketchy, Google has no problem telling me how it has me categorized for ad purposes. For awhile now google has thought I was a man. DAMN YOU MAKEUP THREAD google now knows I'm a woman.
ETA In case you want to see what google knows about you go here. You can also opt out of interest based ads and block specific ads there
Short version: Birthday is coming, I want to make up shop.
What color NYX Lip cream?
Should I get tea rose or hibiscus stick blush?
Which Sleek contouring palette?
Which Sleek brushes, I need a blush one and maybe an eyeshadow one or two, something compact, possible short for getting eyeshadow in my crease and blended the way MsAllMadeUp does.
Skip the sleek brushes. Hautelook started another Crown Brush sale today. The brushes get great reviews and aside from shedding a hair or two on day one I have only good things to say about them and .... they're cheap. I got an 8 piece super deluxe sintho set or some nonsense, but these look almost the same (just a different case I think) and you can do a whole set for $25 plus like $6 in shipping. Or you can buy them as one offs for cheap if you only want one or two.
I can try to dig some stuff up. I was reading about it awhile ago, but it really boils down to if an animal starts "fading" in your care, you probably shouldn't have it in your care for funsies. I do think they were truly motivated by wanting to do good conservation work, but Great Whites, like Orcas don't belong in captivity and I don't think they should get a free pass because they're generally really well respected.
Don't sweat it, I can also Google but didn't know if you had stuff off the top of your head.
I definitely agree with the bolded, but I do think that a certain amount of sacrifice by one animal can be worth it for a species overall in terms of keeping a few in captivity to hopefully help increase conservation of wild populations. I wouldn't agree with having a Great White or an Orca on display just because they look cool or to make money, but I don't know enough to make the call of where that line falls for me in terms of keeping one temporarily to study it and increase public awareness. I hope that makes sense, I'm a little loopy from hellish travel today
From what I've read that's 100% how the aquarium framed it. I frankly don't believe that this was necessary for public awareness. I see how nuts my FB feed goes during Shark Week, people know about sharks and are pretty interested in them. Putting a Great White in display isn't making anyone more aware of anything.
I do think there's definitely something to be said for having the ability to study Great Whites, but how useful is it when they shark isn't behaving at all normally because you have him in a tank that is teeny tiny compared to the ocean the shark usually lives in. Yes, there are of course some tests and research that can be done, but can't most of that be done in the ocean. I mean maybe not. I don't remember reading any amazing research that came out of it (it is certainly possible) but I believe there was something like a 30% hike in ticket sales at the Aquarium when they started displaying Great Whites. Something about that makes me really uncomfortable
Post by PinkSquirrel on May 30, 2014 12:59:00 GMT -5
There's a lot out there on the reasons Great Whites shouldn't be in captivity. This nature.com article talks about the snouts of the white sharks getting damaged because they ram them into the tank walls. One of the sharks also died right after being put back into the wild. I do believe their intentions were good, but the aquarium made bank showing off those sharks
Also, Guess who the other organization to successfully house a Great White is? Sea World. They released the shark after 16 days and didn't try again. If you're doing stuff even Sea World won't do, it's going to give me serious pause.
While I agree the Monterey Bay Aquarium is far better than Seaworld, they have a pretty disgusting track record when it comes to Great Whites and housing them in captivity. I believe they took a "break" starting last year, but they did not do an adequate job with the sharks when they were out on display.
Do you have more info on this? I have the impression that the've kept Great Whites basically as long as possible before they start "fading" (for lack of a better term) and then release them, with the idea of finding a balance between studying them/letting people learn about them and keeping the animals healthy. I don't know details though, clearly.
I can try to dig some stuff up. I was reading about it awhile ago, but it really boils down to if an animal starts "fading" in your care, you probably shouldn't have it in your care for funsies. I do think they were truly motivated by wanting to do good conservation work, but Great Whites, like Orcas don't belong in captivity and I don't think they should get a free pass because they're generally really well respected.
Post by PinkSquirrel on May 30, 2014 9:58:36 GMT -5
While I agree the Monterey Bay Aquarium is far better than Seaworld, they have a pretty disgusting track record when it comes to Great Whites and housing them in captivity. I believe they took a "break" starting last year, but they did not do an adequate job with the sharks when they were out on display.
Someone on my FB posted they were unhappy because the show will be for-profit?
There's a lot to be said for not having to constantly chase down grants and donations to survive. Being a for profit gives them a bit more stability and leaves them more time to focus on the reading.
Post by PinkSquirrel on May 29, 2014 20:32:53 GMT -5
When I was younger I walked and jumped around on the glass floor at the CN Tower in Toronto. I just looked it up and they had a fun little fact sheet. See, that 2 1/2" thick? That seems a little on the thin side, but when you keep reading and see that ONE OF THOSE INCHES IS AIR .... yeah, no.
Glass Floor The Facts Thickness: 2 ½ "
Size of each panel: 42" by 50"
Layers from the top down:
3/16 " scuff plate (replaced annually)
Two ½ " layers of clear tempered glass, laminated together
A one inch layer of air (for insulation)
Two ¼ " layers of clear tempered glass, laminated together
Load tests are performed annually on each panel to ensure safety
Post by PinkSquirrel on May 29, 2014 13:10:16 GMT -5
I want to do this so badly. It has been at the top of my bucket list for far too long. There's actually a place in CA that does it, which seems a bit more doable in the near future than South Africa or Australia (these are more not doable because we have higher vacation priorities).
Post by PinkSquirrel on May 29, 2014 11:38:30 GMT -5
This is the bronzer brush I've been using and I'm really happy with it. I have been really pleased all around with my Crown brushes and I've gotten really great deals on them through Hautelook. The general consensus on Makeupalley is also generally really positive for Crown brushes
OK now I have a question for contact lens wearers.
I have worn contacts for almost 20 years now. I have worn eyeliner and eye makeup for nearly that long. I have never, ever had this problem before, but for the last 6 months or so, all of the sudden, I keep getting something all over my contacts when I wear makeup. It gets so bad that I literally cannot even see - I have to take my contacts out and rub them with water to clean them. Then 20 minutes later, I have to do it again. It has happened with urban decay eyeshadow primer (which is awesome, except for this problem), tarte amazon clay eyeliner, and a few other products. Sometimes I can't identify what it is that's doing it. It's a huge PITA.
Has anyone ever had this happen? I can't understand why it has suddenly started happening after all these years with no problems at all.
Have you tried looking up the ingredients in the products you know are a problem against a few you know are ok? It may be that an ingredient or lack of ingredient just isn't working on your skin anymore.
secretlyevil, I LOVE that lip combo. But I, too, have no need for $28 lip gloss.
Relatedly, I make all my makeup purchases in store and I think I am missing out on tons of samples that way. Plus Sephora always has such a limited selection of 100 point things.
Ask for samples at Sephora! They'll make samples of anything they can put in their sample jars. Sephora is actually one of the few stores where I feel like it's pretty balanced in store and online (outside of ebates), but a lot of other stores you get more online.