Ignore the inevitable for a bit longer and watch President Obama get sworn in for the first time.

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President Obama recently expanded the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument. This area also is known as Papahānaumokuākea. The expansion is 582,578 square miles and now the world’s largest protected area.

“Papahānaumokuākea encompasses 10 islands and atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge, which supports over 7,000 species — a quarter of which are unique to Hawaii,” Grist reports.

Watch the video below to see some of the creatures that reside in the area.

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President Obama and the First Lady have delightful conversations.

One of the more recent ones the couple had was about the Olympics. Watch it below.

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We don’t have a lot of words today. So, we’ll let the president take it.

The shootings that happened in Orlando, Florida, over the weekend were horrible. That much we can say. We’ll leave the rest up to President Obama. Watch the video below to hear his thoughts on the attack.

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President Obama’s opinions about LGBTQ people have evolved a lot over the years. And although he’s changed a lot, it looks like his thoughts are still evolving for the better.

Recently, Obama visited London. During that visit Obama answered a question from a non-binary student during a Q&A about the president’s thoughts on taking non-binary people seriously when it comes to providing them legal protections. Listen to his thoughts below.

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A lot of people besides Obama are pretty happy how the Paris Climate Talks went.

To hear Obama’s thoughts on the talk and this past Saturday’s landmark agreement, watch the video below. While I think it’s safe to say we’re all optimistic about the Paris decision, we all know that big pledges have been made before… and go nowhere. Let’s hold our leaders accountable…

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President Obama presented a speech on climate change on Monday in France at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference.

The President’s speech was filled with the typical facts about how climate change affects us all, but he also used the opportunity to remind the deniers that the changing climate will also affect the food supply, water, and air. Watch the speech below.

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President Obama rejected the Keystone Pipeline, but the fight is far from over.

I mean, when is the fight for environmental justice really over? In the video below, Climate Desk breaks down why the fight against Keystone isn’t quite over.

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President Obama has been killing it lately. The President has been visiting a lot of notable people for interviews over the past few weeks. Most recently, he spoke with David Attenborough.

The video below has a five minute snippet of the duo’s conversation (you can watch the full special from BBC here). During the special, Attenborough and Obama discuss the planet, climate change, and nature.

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There’s a lot of strange stuff happening in Hollywood lately. I can barely wrap my head around all of the debates about free speech, talk about terrorism vs. “cyber vandalism,” and safety. But I’ve tried. While I’m not quite sure what to make of everything that’s happening concerning the cancellation of the release of “The Interview,” I’ve complied a few thoughts that have been bouncing around my head.

1. Free Speech vs. Safety Vs. Money

On December 17, Sony confirmed that it would no longer release “The Interview” on December 25th as scheduled.

Ugh.

OK, I know that people are quite irritated that a company “caved” to the threats of cyber “terrorists,” and that, yes, it is a blow to free speech. But come on. Everyone knows why the company decided to pull the picture – because of money. Many theaters were baulking at the idea of showing the film as planned, so Sony decided to pull the release… for now. I doubt this film is going anywhere and free speech? It certainly isn’t going anywhere, either.

As many people have pointed out, Hollywood isn’t exactly known for its openness and willingness to produce offbeat movies (aka movies that won’t make money). Heck, it’s still somewhat taboo for men to exhibit “full frontal nudity” in films distributed in the United States. Sure, anyone can make a movie and release it, but that doesn’t mean it will get backed. Free speech should be protected, but I seriously doubt the pulling of “The Interview” is going to allow this right to unravel. And as a reminder: There are plenty of people in the United States (and all over the world) being silenced by violence who dare to be black, a female walking alone at night, gay, etc., every day.

2. How in the Heck Will the World Handle this Type of Thing from Now on?

Yup — I have no idea how anyone will handle this in the future. But it’s quite disturbing that this incident has snowballed into a massive, international situation. President Obama even commented on the hack, expressing that he thought Sony made the wrong move by catering to “terrorists.” Sure, Obama needs to respond to this stuff – it is, technically, a matter of national security. But what is the world going to do about this? This probably won’t be the last time a hack like this occurs. How will America respond in the future? How will other countries respond? We all need to start thinking about how to handle Kim Jong-un and similar leaders in other countries who make threats. This type of stuff can get out of control quickly, and when people respond without thought, disaster is inevitable.

So, what do you all think about this mess? Should Sony have cancelled the release? How should America respond? How do we and other countries respond to these types of threats going forward? I’d love to read what you have to say – please comment.

Resource

Sony Hackers Threaten a New September 11

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The post This is a Mess: ‘The Interview,’ Free Speech, Safety and Money appeared first on EcoSalon.