June 8, 2011

Happy World Ocean Day


Weedy sea dragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. Credit: Richard Ling, Rling via Wikimedia Commons.Weedy sea dragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. Credit: Richard Ling, Rling via Wikimedia Commons.

 

In case in the middle of an ordinary dry Wednesday you’ve forgotten how extraordinary is our ocean planet, here are a few watery reminders.

 


The Blue Ocean in RED from Howard Hall on Vimeo.

  

Squid, possibly the bigfin reef squid, Sepioteuthis lessoniana. Credit: Nhobgood at Wikimedia Commons.Squid, possibly the bigfin reef squid, Sepioteuthis lessoniana. Credit: Nhobgood at Wikimedia Commons.

 



MAYO / MAY from Rafa Herrero Massieu on Vimeo.

  Giant anemone, Condylactis gigantea. Credit: Nhobgood via Wikimedia Commons.Giant anemone, Condylactis gigantea. Credit: Nhobgood via Wikimedia Commons.

 


Antarctica from Darek Sepiolo on Vimeo.

  Kelp. Credit: FASTILY via Wikimedia Commons.Kelp. Credit: FASTILY via Wikimedia Commons.

 

 

This new product released by Google Earth and developed by oceanographers at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory promises a dynamic look through darkness to the seafloor. I confess, the extinct filmmaker in me wants to get my hands on this video and edit in some heft. But you can see how cool the perspectives are—how the new layers make Google Earth more oceanlike.

 

Great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias. Credit: Pterantula via Wikimedia Commons.Great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias. Credit: Pterantula via Wikimedia Commons.

 

WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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