Greenland Is Melting Sign To Paper + Plastick, Give Album Away For Free

Paper + Plastick is proud to announce the addition of Gainesville's folk/bluegrass trio Greenland Is Melting to its growing roster. With the band's P+P debut set for release on vinyl early next year, the label is giving away the new album "Our Hearts are Gold, Our Grass is Blue" for free.

"We are super stoked and honored to be joining the Paper + Plastick roster," says banjo player Karl Seltzer. Though the bands sound is more akin to The Avett Brothers, Mumford & Sons, and Langhorne Slim, they are punks at heart.

"Being from Gainesville, it's hard to not be influenced by the punk music that started here (Against Me!, Hot Water Music) and I would definitely say that our music has a bit of a punk shine to it. Also, P+P has Coffee Project, who are some of the best dudes I know, and they have a heavy folk side to their music as well, so, we're not alone."

The band formed in early 2007 with Seltzer (banjo), Shaun Pereira (acoustic guitar), Will Dueease (upright bass, suitcase kick drum) all sharing vocal duties. After self-releasing a full length in 2008, the band embarked on a number of regional tours and shared the stage with bands such as Look Mexico and Coffee Project before settling down to record "Our Hearts are Gold." Greenland Is Melting recorded the album in their hometown of Gainesville, FL at Goldentone Studios with Rob McGregor (Against Me!, Hot Water Music, Whiskey and Co.). The band is playing a number of Southeast shows this winter before they hit the road early next year to melt more hearts and snow.

Tour dates are as follow:

Dec 11 - Gainesville, FL @ Durty Nelly's
Dec 30 - Orlando, FL @ Stardust
Dec 31 - Tallahassee, FL @ Coolifornia
Jan 2 - Valdosta, GA @ Blue Pub
Jan 3 - Gainesville, FL @ Heck Yeah House
May 14 - Wilmington, NC @ Rad Fest
May 15 - Wilmington, NC @ Rad Fest

Source:pluginmusic.com/

Greenland Losing Glaciers at Increasing Rates

In spite of looking like a giant stretch of ice in the Northern Pacific, Greenland fulfills a number of functions in the region, not the least important of them being the fact that it helps keep the North Pole cool. The way it manages to accomplish that is by being large and white, in the purest of senses. Light coming in from the Sun simply bounces off the large, white glaciers, and is redirected back into the atmosphere, without reaching the ice shelves in the Arctic. But the fact that the glaciers on the island are currently melting at an increasingly faster rate is nothing but bad news.

In addition to keeping the Arctic cool, Greenland's ices also help keep more water out of the ocean. If all the ices on the island melted, then the level of the world's oceans would increase considerably, affecting millions around the world. Such a catastrophe would also ignite a vicious circle, in which the lack of ice would allow more sunlight at the North Pole, accelerating the melting process at that location as well. Already, the situation is tense, because warming water does the same thing. But in a war from two sides – warm water and more sunlight –, floating ice sheets cannot win.

Unlike Antarctica, where huge amounts of land ice rest on a continent larger than Europe, the Arctic has all its ices resting on nothing more than the surface of the ocean. Therefore, if the waters warm, they “attack” from all sides, relentlessly. Current estimates show that, if the current state of affairs persists, then the North Pole could lose all its ices during summertime in as little as 30 years, maybe even less. It therefore stands to reason that a lot hangs on Greenland keeping its ices. But the island appears to be losing them faster every year, the BBC News reports.

“Since 2000, there's clearly been an accelerating loss of mass [from the ice sheet]. But we've had three very warm summers, and that's enhanced the melt considerably. If this is going to continue, I cannot tell – but we do of course expect the climate to become warmer in the future,” Michiel van den Broeke says. He is the lead researcher on a new study detailing the situation of the island's glaciers, and also an expert at the Utrecht University, in the Netherlands. The paper appears in the latest issue of the top journal Science.

“I think it's a very significant paper; the results in it are certainly very significant and new. It does show that the [ice loss] trend has accelerated, and the reported contribution to sea level rise also shows a significant acceleration – so if you multiply these numbers up it puts us well beyond the IPCC estimates for 2100,” University of Colorado in Boulder (UCB) World Data Center for Glaciology Director Roger Barry says. The expert was also an editor on the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on global warming, for the section covering the polar regions.

Source:softpedia.com/

State lawmaker's daughter from Greenland upgraded to fair condition

GREENLAND — Physicians at Boston Children's Hospital upgraded 11-year-old Katie Tucker's status to fair condition Thursday, two days after she was struck by a pickup truck on Post Road.

A hospital spokesperson confirmed late Thursday that the sixth grader remained in the intensive care unit, but had been upgraded from serious to fair condition.

Tucker, the daughter of State Rep. Pamela Tucker, R-Greenland, was seriously injured after being struck by a blue GMC Canyon pickup truck around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Police have said the driver was "very upset" and cooperative following the accident and speed, alcohol or drugs do not appear to have been factors. Authorities say the investigation continues, but they do not expect filing charges against the unidentified driver.

A student at Greenland Central School, Tucker has been in the Boston hospital's intensive care unit since Tuesday evening. Her condition has improved steadily.

Witness reports indicate Tucker was struck by the pickup truck while trying to cross Post Road, also known as Route 151.

Source:fosters.com/

Could global warming solve Greenland's problems?

Melting icecaps could turn Manhattan's streets and avenues into canals someday, but why focus on the negative? This could be a real perk for the 57,000 people who live in Greenland. For now, the Inuit are stuck hunting seals and freezing most of the year. As the permafrost recedes, though -- thoroughly screwing up their environment -- the locals are finding oil and mineral resources. So, the hunting trips are getting more dangerous, literally putting the Inuit on thin ice at times, but at least they can make some real cash!

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, more than 18 billion barrels of oil and natural gas can be found under the sea between Greenland and Canada, with another 31 billion barrels off the coast of Greenland itself. The same situation exists in the North Sea, and Norway hasn't been shy about tapping into it to make a fortune.

For Greenland, which is at best quasi-independent from Denmark, finding some natural resources could help it sever the $680 million-a-year umbilical cord that connects it to the mother ship. But, we're not there yet. So far, no oil has been found in the waters around Greenland, and the optimists don't see that happening for at least another 10 years. It will take time to develop the infrastructure, but that's only part of the problem.

Greenland still has to pierce the ice.



Eighty percent of Greenland is covered by a sheet of ice that can be up to 2 miles thick, effectively preventing oil and mineral exploration. This is where global warming comes into the equation. As we pump out our fossil fuels and change the climate, we're helping Greenland melt that slick coat of ice and access its key to financial independence. Again, the heavily populated coastal cities of the United States may get screwed, but we'll be able to access oil and minerals in Greenland.

In all seriousness, Greenland has struggled with economic growth. Mostly hunters and fishermen, they lack the skilled resources needed to kickstart just about any operation. Alcoa is thinking about building an aluminum smelter and two hydroelectric plants, but it would need to import construction workers from Europe or China, because Greenland lacks the appropriate labor. Engineers would have to come from other countries, as well.

Further, the small population is continually battered by a variety of social problems. It has the world's highest suicide rate, according to the World Health Organization (100 per 100,000 residents). Residents over 15 years of age drink an average of 12 quarts of pure alcohol a year -- a bar in Tasiilaq now sells only beer, since liquor was banned. The ban has helped, according to local officials.

Is global warming really the answer? That might be a stretch, but something has to give.

Source:gadling.com/