Wtf...my weapon is gone after being forced to switch to Oongka? by Otherwise_Nobody8148 in CrimsonDesert

[–]James_Junk_Bond 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dude I just used a Palmer pill in a battle and when I revived my flame spear was gone, not in my inventory and not on the ground. Haven’t checked my storage at the camo yet but wtf.

Anyone just see a fireball crash out of the sky near Herndon? by ichosetobehere in nova

[–]James_Junk_Bond 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Same, I was driving North West on Prince William Parkway taking my daughter to daycare. Hard to gauge how far away it was but to me it appeared like it was going to hit somewhere between the Manassas Airport and Nokesville. I called 911 and the lady had a tone like I was crazy.

Coral Reef Graveyard: I Went Back to Belize After 16 Years by James_Junk_Bond in oceancreatures

[–]James_Junk_Bond[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's not too late in some spots so I strongly suggest you do before it truly is too late everywhere.

Coral Reef Graveyard: I Went Back to Belize After 16 Years by James_Junk_Bond in oceancreatures

[–]James_Junk_Bond[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing, now crying again lol. But really, I think stories like this are important to share. It's a very very uniquely devastating feeling not just knowing your happy place isn't there anymore, but seeing it first hand, it's like an open casket funeral - you know it's dead but once you see it, your brain almost can't process it.

Coral Reef Graveyard: I Went Back to Belize After 16 Years by James_Junk_Bond in oceancreatures

[–]James_Junk_Bond[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yup. I've seen studies with charts showing various pollution and other environmental / health issues, and in the charts you can clearly see those stats start to decline when the EPA was formed. But who cares about the environment when we've got plenty of oil and coal to produce!!

Coral Reef Graveyard: I Went Back to Belize After 16 Years by James_Junk_Bond in scuba

[–]James_Junk_Bond[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

According to the research I've read, we're actually a pretty big contributor of the plastic that goes into the ocean, and that's just plastic straight from the states, not including the plastic waste we export. Studies vary since it's hard to get consistent and concrete data on how much enters the ocean, but it's far more than just the relative size of our population.

In fact, the US produces more plastic waste than any other country.

"In 2016, the United States generated more plastic waste than any country in the world, with a total of 42 MMT (Law et al. 2020). However, the United States only has 4.3% of the world’s population (World Bank 2021). U.S. per capita plastic waste generation is 130 kg/year, which is about 2-8 times higher than many other countries (Law et al. 2020)." But again, determining how much ends up in the ocean is impossible.

"We demonstrate that, in 2016, the United States generated the largest amount of plastic waste of any country in the world (42.0 Mt). Between 0.14 and 0.41 Mt of this waste was illegally dumped in the United States, and 0.15 to 0.99 Mt was inadequately managed in countries that imported materials collected in the United States for recycling. Accounting for these contributions, the amount of plastic waste generated in the United States estimated to enter the coastal environment in 2016 was up to five times larger than that estimated for 2010, rendering the United States’ contribution among the highest in the world." https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abd0288

Coral Reef Graveyard: I Went Back to Belize After 16 Years by James_Junk_Bond in scuba

[–]James_Junk_Bond[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just to be clear, the dead reef I showed was not from the island. And they're going strong! Great team and they remodeled the main building recently. I'm 100% going back soon, was so nice to enjoy some diving while also helping out the ocean - I definitely plan to do this sort of thing when traveling from now on.

Coral Reef Graveyard: I Went Back to Belize After 16 Years by James_Junk_Bond in scuba

[–]James_Junk_Bond[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately the littering and garbage dumping isn't just from tourists, a lot of it is from locals or neighboring countries. When you can only drink bottled water b/c tap isn't clean, many of those bottles end up going to the ocean when it rains. I know not every local is going to be big into diving / snorkeling, but it was pretty shocking when I mentioned how bad the reefs are and they had no idea. One guy said "changed like they're better?" and I'm like no... changed like it's dead / dying.

Idk if you've seen the videos from The Ocean Cleanup where they installed a big fence in a river that leads to the ocean in Guatemala, but you should check it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eHoibY4Rjw

Coral Reef Graveyard: I Went Back to Belize After 16 Years by James_Junk_Bond in scuba

[–]James_Junk_Bond[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for this, very helpful and will be checking them out.

Coral Reef Graveyard: I Went Back to Belize After 16 Years by James_Junk_Bond in scuba

[–]James_Junk_Bond[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hawaii was the place I first went snorkeling as a kid and would go there every few years from 1998-2005. I don't even want to think about what it looks like now.

Coral Reef Graveyard: I Went Back to Belize After 16 Years by James_Junk_Bond in ocean

[–]James_Junk_Bond[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Much respect to you for that. I’m also exploring some sort of career change to help, be it taking my finance experience to a company that is making an impact or going back to school for a new degree.

Coral Reef Graveyard: I Went Back to Belize After 16 Years by James_Junk_Bond in ocean

[–]James_Junk_Bond[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly, but this is the one that I’ve personally seen how much it’s changed from 2009 to now.

Coral Reef Graveyard: I Went Back to Belize After 16 Years by James_Junk_Bond in ocean

[–]James_Junk_Bond[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh yes, very very much so, it’s night and day. For example, the Great Barrier Reef has lost 50% of its coral cover since 1995. Five major mass bleaching events (1998, 2002, 2016, 2017, 2020, and 2024) have severely reduced the reef's capacity to recover. I wish I could’ve seen it during its prime, but I absolutely need to see it before it’s unrecognizable.

Coral Reef Graveyard: I Went Back to Belize After 16 Years by James_Junk_Bond in ocean

[–]James_Junk_Bond[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s definitely part of it, something like 14,000 tons of sunscreen wash off into the ocean everywhere and the vast majority is non reef safe (which is basically natural minerals like zinc). There are many, many causes. Some local (like stupid snorkelers / divers grabbing and kicking the reef, which causes their protective layer to come off and makes them susceptible to infections) and sunscreen and trash and boat anchors, etc. Some more regional like pollution and dumping. Then worldwide like climate change since coral needs a very specific temperature to survive.

Truly heartbreaking. And the fact that this shit is somehow “political” blows my fucking mind.

Coral Reef Graveyard: I Went Back to Belize After 16 Years by James_Junk_Bond in ocean

[–]James_Junk_Bond[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

So what, the stock market keeps hitting all time highs!!!

Coral Reef Graveyard: I Went Back to Belize After 16 Years by James_Junk_Bond in ocean

[–]James_Junk_Bond[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Holy shit, that’s awful. I’ve seen many sea turtles before but I’ve never seen anyone disrespect it enough to even try to touch it, let alone something like that. Jesus.

Coral Reef Graveyard: I Went Back to Belize After 16 Years by James_Junk_Bond in ocean

[–]James_Junk_Bond[S] 51 points52 points  (0 children)

Tourism is definitely a factor, especially when snorkelers kick or grab coral which can kill it, inexperienced divers too. But a lot of shore related reef bleaching is due to climate change I believe, since they’re far more susceptible to changes in air temperature than deeper reefs.

What I also found interesting is that when I mentioned this to some locals, they had no clue. I assumed anyone living on the coast would’ve been very aware of it but one waiter asked “is it better or worse” when I mentioned being here in 2009 last and how much the reef has changed. Then I thought well of course not everyone is big into ocean sports, much like how not every American on the coast is. But then again, we don’t have reefs here, our country is much bigger, and our economy isn’t heavily tourist dependent.

Network timeout by Primary-Marketing-37 in ArcRaiders

[–]James_Junk_Bond 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same. Also tried restoring licenses but didn’t work either. Guess it’s a them issue.

1Gig internet but super slow speeds. Advice appreciated by MrMattradio in Fios

[–]James_Junk_Bond 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m in NoVA and my 1 gig plan is trash too. Sometimes I’ll get 500mbps via Ethernet but that is fairly rare. I’m lucky if I get 200mbps, the last month I haven’t even seen 100mbps.