Archive for the ‘Earth’ Category
Thursday, February 14th, 2008
“We were in fully open ocean, dozens of miles from the ice pack, in a sort of half-fog at what passes for dusk around here, when a 10 foot wide chunk of ice flowed past. It was visible for maybe 15 seconds - the only ice we’d seen for days. On it: a polar bear, just drifting wherever the ocean wanted to take him” http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2008/2008-02-11-01.asp.
I quoted that to say this. As the polar bear waits to get on the Endangered Species List, a decision that comes from the Department of the Interior, the polar bear’s habitat continues to disintegrate. It is practically wide-open seas according to the same article, and “the polar ice cap has reached its lowest extent in recorded history.” The summer Arctic may be ice-free as soon as 2040 and polar bear populations will decrease by two thirds. Out of an estimated 22,000 bears, that means over 14,500 polar bears will die. The one that floated by the Coast Guard Cutter is just one example that they won’t be afforded a quick death.
Many animals are at the mercy of the Department of the Interior lately, the wolves, and now the polar bears. The polar bear’s biggest and most volatile habitat is in the Chukchi Sea. Despite an outcry from native Eskimos, environmental groups, animal welfare organizations, a lawsuit, and citizens from around the world, the Chukchi Oil leases are going through as per the Dept. of the Interior. Royal Dutch Shell, and Conoco Phillips, you know the oil company that is supposedly investing in a green future like BP, plan to bid on the leases.
According to a Wall Street Journal Article Conoco Phillips said that “listing the polar bear as threatened ‘is not warranted’ based on the bears’ current population numbers. Listing them as threatened ‘will have an adverse impact on the oil and gas industry and people that live in the Arctic.’ Well I feel real sorry for the oil and gas industry, don’t you? Exxon Mobil netted $75000 per minute in 2006 and we should feel for the oil and gas industry and the heck with the polar bears? We’ll be on that soon-to-be extinct list too if ignoring ethics in favor of money, money, money keeps up.
The idea here is prevention. There are 22,000 bears, the Arctic is already open water so bear numbers will soon be declining rapidly without frozen land to walk and hunt. The Dept. of the Interior should put the bear on the list immediately to stop a catastrophic loss of most of that population, but waits instead using the bear’s current numbers to validate the delay. Meanwhile, the Dept. of Interior rushes to OK the auction of some 30 million acres in one the most pristine parts of the sea, a major polar bear habitat, for oil drilling?
I’m sorry but in a business situation the Department of the Interior’s single authority in both the protection of a clearly endangered species of animal like the polar bear and the very lucrative sale of the polar bear’s habitat for the purpose of drilling for oil presents a conflict of interest. And the delay in adding the polar bear to the Endangered List is an obvious morally unethical decision by a dubious Secy. of Interior, Dirk Kempthorne.
For Kempthorne, Conoco Phillips, and anyone else like President Bush that doesn’t appear to understand the English language, the word endangered means: exposed to danger, in peril. ENDANGERED DOES NOT MEAN ALREADY DEAD! The polar bear is in danger, and definitely in peril with a ruthless administration like this one.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120208255421639257.html?mod=googlenews_wsj.
http://world-wire.com/news/0802060002.html
Posted in Alaska, Alternative Energy, Animals and Extinction, Animals in Peril, Arctic Oil Drilling, BP, Bush Administration, Climate, Conoco Phillips, Conservation, Dept. of the Interior, Earth, Endangered Species, Energy, Environmental Legislation, Environmental News Service, Environmental Spin, Environmentalism, Exxon-Mobil, Federal Government, Fossil Fuel, Global Warming, Global Warming Policy, Industry, Legislators, Morality, Nature, Oil Drilling, Oil Industry, Oil Lobby, Oil Spills, Polar Bears, Polar Ice Melt, Politics, Pollution, Protesting Pollution, Secy. Kempthorne, Shell, The Denial Machine, WWF, Weather/Climate, Wildlife | 1 Comment »
Friday, January 18th, 2008
I don’t know if any other people interested in moving forward with all types of alternative energy have noticed the purposeful placement of the word “foreign” in many of the presidential contenders, Bush/Cheney, and legislator’s speeches. When a politician says they will make sure to fund research for new technologies to get us away from “foreign” oil dependence, they are probably talking money for a new type of oil drilling process. Technically, they won’t be lying, just misleading, if you tend to disregard that tricky little word “foreign.”
Granted, it’s been said that we do not have alternative technology available yet to take up the brunt of our oil demand, but it seems we keep looking to only one, and not a combination of alternative sources. What about a combination of alternative energy sources? I hear this idea floating around, but no gelling. The Sierra Club of Michigan has a very good presentation that shows a combination of energy sources, wind, solar, geothermal, etc., plus conservation programs like reclaiming wastewater, and recycling may meet all of our energy demands in Michigan. But we’re not advancing toward a future that will no longer be reliant on one big massive conglomerate like the oil cartel is to us right now. It seems we work toward monopolies in this country. Then we’re upset when we’re stuck with them without a choice. We should be looking to all venues to move forward for our energy future, not reinforcing the idea of fossil fuel again, like it’s all right because it belongs to us.
I see the big push to get away from “foreign” oil as the big ruse to drill in the Arctic circle, the polar bear habitat, Utah, even Livonia, MI for Pete’s sake, and anywhere a slant oil drill can legitimately be utilized to “not’ enter our protected National Parks. They do so anyway at an angle right under protected habitat, while doing a great deal of damage with all the accompanying paraphernalia like roads, pipeline, trucks, heavy equipment, and trash. Ditto for coal mining. Using coal is getting away from “foreign” oil, all oil, but is still perpetuating the use of filthy fossil fuel that will eventually run out. Sure it might be thousands of years before it does, but at what price, gutting the countryside, ruining the earth trying?
So beware of that tricky little “foreign” word that comes before oil. It’s not a detail that should go unnoticed, because it doesn’t make any difference. It does, or they wouldn’t be slipping it in there. It makes all the difference in our lives, our environment, and our world whether our future continues to poke around the earth and the oceans below for oil or coal that is “OURS.” Our oil and coal burn just as filthy as the “foreign” stuff.
Posted in Alternative Energy, Alternative Energy Sources, Arctic Oil Drilling, AuSable River, Bottled Water, Bush Administration, CO2 Emissions, Coal, Coal Mining, Coalburners, Conservation, Earth, Energy, Energy Infrastructure, Environmental Legislation, Environmental Spin, Environmentalism, Federal Government, Fossil Fuel, Funding for Green Business, Geothermal Power, Industry, Legislators, Michigan Energy Legislation, Michigan Environmental Policy, Michigan Pollution, Michigan Sierra Club, Michigan/Great Lakes, Morality, National Parks and Forests, Ocean Pollution, Oil Drilling, Oil Industry, Oil Lobby, Oil Spills, Petroleum By-Products, Politics, Pollution, Public Lands, Reclaimed Wastewater, Recycling, Refineries, Science, Solar Energy, The Denial Machine, The Sierra Club, U.S. Dept. of Energy, Wind Power, Yellowstone Park | No Comments »
Thursday, December 27th, 2007
Just got an e-mail from Defenders of Wildlife. It appears Bush/Cheney spent their holidays plotting with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to just go ahead and start slaughtering hundreds of wolves by helicopters and planes in what should be their sanctuaries, our national parks, particularly Yellowstone.
Wolves haven’t been taken off the federally protected, threatened and endangered list. Threatened by Bush/Cheney that is. Human beings are still the most heartless hunters and some of the decisions out of this administration show lack of empathy for any living thing. What is the difference between a canned hunt, Internet hunting, and the aerial chase and kill that is proposed for wolves especially in Idaho and Wyoming? The animals are trapped. They cannot possibly outrun the planes, helicopters and technology.
We citizens wrote letters, voiced opinion, and literally raised hell over the dog fighting indictment against Michael Vick and we’re going to allow this to happen? Wolves mate for life, raise their young with care, and are not the enemy of man. When are we going to stop listening to the propaganda of this administration?
Wolves are an important part of the entire ecosystem of this country that is systematically being destroyed by a handful of people in power and that power is out of control. Thousands of people have protested the aerial hunting of wolves in Alaska for years. It never stops and is spreading? It’s evident no one in this administration has any regard for the opinion of its people. We are such a poor example to the rest of the world as far as the environment and wildlife, that to ask Japan to quit heartlessly killing dolphins and whales will fall on deaf ears. And our neighbors to the North will keep clubbing innocent baby seals to death as long as we keep setting stellar examples like this.
Between canned hunts, internet hunting, aerial hunting and every other kind of extremely non-sporting and bloodthirsty hunts that have come up since you know who is in office, why do we put up with it? Our world and everything in it, and our reputation as a nation of moral, decent citizens is in jeopardy over whom we’ve elected. While Christians everywhere were given a message to embrace environmentalism over the holidays, a very amoral group in Washington plotted to eradicate an entire species of animal in at least two states without ever taking them off the protected and endangered list.
According to Defenders, “Just last week, Congressman Nick Rahall (D-WV), Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), George Miller (D-CA), Jim Saxton (R-NJ) and Norm Dicks (D-WA) warned in a letter to Secretary Kempthorne that de-listing wolves in the Northern Rockies now is a mistake.”
Evidently, this administration doesn’t listen to the elected officials that represent us either. I say if they would do this to an innocent animal, they would do as much to us without batting an eye. So much for trust hey? And Bush made the most admired list in a recent gallop poll? If that’s the truth than America’s average IQ of 98 just dropped a notch.
Email Dirk Kempthorne Secy. of Interior formerly governor of Idaho that helped get grizzlies and wolves under jurisdiction of the individual states and in a position for slaughter. Looks like he’s been plotting for quite awhile—almost 2 terms as governor and only a year in this position and he’s on his way. Let him know what you think of his bloodthirsty, unsporting proposal: webteam@ios.doi.gov
Posted in Alaska, Animals and Extinction, Bush Administration, Canada's Seal Hunt, Conservation, Defenders of Wildlife, Dept. of the Interior, Dolphins, Earth, Endangered Species, Environmental Legislation, Environmentalism, Federal Government, Forest Service, Governor Otter, Idaho, Illegal Hunting, Illegal Use of Animals, Legislators, Morality, National Forest, National Parks and Forests, Nature, Politics, Public Lands, Secy. Kempthorne, State Gov't., Whales, Wildlife, Wolves, Wyoming, Yellowstone Park | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 26th, 2007
I just got through reading some current worldwide environmental news and have to say, we don’t seem to have a clear-cut view of anything. What we profess, what we say, and what we actually do is all contrary. First, I saw the Pope give his blessing and speak on behalf of peace and the environment over the Christmas season to over one billion Catholics. And the World Council of Churches that represents 560 million Christians worldwide is calling concerns over global warming a matter of faith. The WCC has had a program about climate change since 1992 and books about ecotheology (I’m interested). Dr. Samuel Kobia the Secy. General of the WCC stipulates that Christians are well aware that dominion over all living things was given to us. He said that meant, “We were entrusted with the care of the rest of God’s creation.” The emphasis is on the word “CARE” here.
Care doesn’t come under savagely taking a machete to an orangutan trying to defend it’s young, or hooking a live dolphin in the side and sending it to be stripped of skin before it’s even dead, while the resulting meat is basically poison from ingesting too many pollutants, or shooting 6 elephants dead for stepping into a coffee field that is supposed to be their sanctuary. We should actively try to get this stopped, but our demands for things like lumber and coffee encourage it. Oh and don’t forget about native animals and the latest Internet hunting websites that have yet to be banned in over 20 states.
There was the news about a zoo tiger that got loose and killed one man, and maimed two others before it was shot dead. The media wanted to know and put this question out to the public if it is wise to keep caged and wild animals? 145,000,000 people visit zoos every year without incident. If we didn’t have zoos the likelihood of seeing a live polar bear, tiger, elephant, orangutan, gorilla, condor, panda…etc., would more than likely be nil. I have to wonder about the media here. Do they operate with any type of perspective about things, or just pounce on a bit of fantastic news with so much fervor it gets skewed out of proportion and normalcy? People are maimed in cars every day and no one says: “Gee, should we really be driving?”
We’ve heard about individual states taking their own course of action for the environment with many implementing their own environmental laws especially since the Supreme Court decided that the EPA is supposed to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases according to the Clean Air Act but has not done so. So what do I read? The Bush administration: “Thursday announced that it will block efforts by California, Maryland, and 15 other states to cut emissions of global warming gases from cars and trucks.” Now that is an example of talking out of two sides of one’s mouth isn’t it? Aren’t we supposed to be forging ahead with alternative energy anyway?
This administration got elected based on a big moral majority. Do we or do we not celebrate animals? I hope we understand the world is in our care. We simply can’t keep spreading and demanding, taking up room where other things live. We end up killing the very same animals we ooh and ah over at the zoo. We love cartoon movies with animals, little talking pigs, Flipper, the Lion King. We are supposed to teach our children to be kinds to animals. But when animals act out in their normal manner we talk about dispensing with them right away, like the zoo issue. We sacrifice living breathing creatures in our own species chain over things we need for our big houses or our big lifestyle. And we elect our president/vice president based on morality when this latest threat to block states trying to do right by the environment proves the opposite. So where do we stand between what we believe, what we say, and what we actually do about our world and everything in it because I can’t tell?
By the way, a current gallop poll has President Bush as the number one pick among the most admired men and women of 2007. Is that not the icing on the cookie for contradictions as far as you’ve read them here?
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/dec2007/2007-12-24-01.asp.
Posted in Alternative Energy Sources, Animals and Extinction, Arctic Oil Drilling, CO2 Emissions, Canada's Seal Hunt, Clean Air Act, Climate, Coal Mining, Coalburners, Coffee, Conservation, Diesel Fuel Pollution, Dolphins, EPA, Earth, Elephants, Endangered Species, Environmental Legislation, Environmental Spin, Environmentalism, Farm Animals, Federal Government, Forest Service, Fossil Fuel, Geothermal Power, Global Warming, Global Warming Policy, Global Warming Reports, Illegal Hunting, Illegal Use of Animals, Jet Fuel Pollution, Legislators, Logging, Marine Life, Michigan Environmental News, Michigan Environmental Policy, Monroe Pollution, Morality, National Forest, National Parks and Forests, Ocean Pollution, Oil Drilling, Oil Industry, Oil Lobby, Oil Spills, Polar Bears, Politics, Pollution, Primates, Protecting Wetlands, Protesting Pollution, Rhinos, Supreme Court, The Denial Machine, The Media, Tigers, Urban Sprawl, Weather, Whales, White House Council on Environmental Quality, Wildlife, Wind Power, Wolves, Yellowstone Park | No Comments »
Monday, December 24th, 2007

On Christmas Eve I think it’s important to remember where the Christ Child was born, AMONG THE ANIMALS in a manger. Every nativity scene is one with animals. A manger in those days was: “a feed trough found in a stable. In Bible times mangers were made from clay mixed with straw or from stones held together with mud; sometimes they were carved in natural outcroppings of rock,”
http://www.padfield.com/1999/manger.html. There is an actual picture taken of a manger at Megiddo used in the stables of King Ahab on the linked website.
So the King of Kings was placed in the feed trough of the animals of a stable. This is a quite a statement about the beasts of the earth, that they were worthy of such an event. This Christmas take the time to reflect not only on mankind, but peace for the earth and all of the living things that are in jeopardy of extinction. The “beasts” as in animals of the earth are written about in the old and new testament over 200 times. Their importance is undeniable. We weren’t meant to live in a world without animals, especially those that have been here for centuries that are now in danger.
PEACE
Posted in Animals and Extinction, Birds, CAFO's, Climate, Cloned Meat, Conservation, Cosmetic Industry, Dolphins, Drought, Earth, Elephants, Endangered Species, Environmentalism, Farm Animals, Farm Bill, Fishing, Floods, Forest Service, Global Warming, Holidays, Illegal Hunting, Illegal Use of Animals, Jack Hanna, Marine Life, Meatpacking Industry, Morality, National Forest, Nature, Ocean Pollution, Polar Bears, Polar Ice Melt, Politics, Pollution, Primates, Protecting Wetlands, Protesting Pollution, Rhinos, Tigers, Urban Sprawl, Wetlands, Whales, Wildlife, Wolves, Yellowstone Park | 3 Comments »
Monday, December 10th, 2007
I was looking on the Internet for websites to find out how our political candidates stand on the environment. Fortunately, I received my League of Conservation Voters newsletter in the mail today. The LCV has a new Presidential Candidate Profiles Website. It has the most comprehensive analysis of the candidate’s positions on global warming, energy, and how they’ve voted in the past. It also has Operation: Spotlight. Real interesting. The objective of the LCV is to target 14 states with a total of 159 electoral votes to elect environmentally friendly legislators in those states.
Unfortunately, Michigan is on the list of the 14 states that need a change in order to be environmentally up-to-par. I say unfortunately because we are surrounded by the world’s 2nd largest freshwater supply, and we can clearly see the fight for freshwater is in America’s future after this summer’s droughts. While our current legislators work to get a multi-state compact signed to keep our water here where it belongs, we have a Republican Senate that is not too terribly friendly to the environment. So we fight to keep freshwater here, and then do nothing to stop the industry pollution that threatens it? No sense to it at all. I know we have the Great Lakes Legacy cleanup thing going. You know where they dumped all the dredged up toxic sludge from the first project? Right near my house near Pt. Mouille game reserve, various protected wetlands, and another DNR game reserve all on the banks of Lake Erie again. It’s all just getting moved around.
As far as our federal congress, a small group of Republican Senators has already blocked the House’s new energy bill. The LCV sites Senator Sununu for standing “with a minority in the Senate that sided with big oil and big coal to block a measure that is good for jobs, good for the economy, good for national security, good for consumers and good for the planet.” The power behind the lobby of big polluters is a force to be reckoned with. The LCV website is very informative as to who and who isn’t being bought by big energy, oil, lumber, coal, etc. According to the LCV, among the top candidates who are up for re-election or looking to move to the senate and receiving massive contributions by polluters to stop any progress forward to protect our earth, our health, and the lives of everything on the planet:
- Heather Wilson (NM) 835,512
- James Inhofe (OK) 636,965
- Pete Domenici (NM) 567,928
- Steve Pearce (NM) 547,415
- Arlen Specter (PA) 546,303
What’s up with New Mexico? I know it has plenty of open land. It’s a shame its legislators are being backed by dirty money, by that the LCV means polluter’s money, because New Mexico has a lot of open space. It could be an ideal place for solar or possibly geothermal energy. And it is one of 5 states fed by one river threatened by global warming. Three people on that list will vote against the environment. Where’s the sense? If New Mexico runs out of water, watch them eyeball Michigan. It’s irresponsible. Add up that column above and it totals $3,134,123.00 to keep polluting. And it’s very early yet. Imagine the contribution total by November, 2008. It’s a sad statement considering the same money could be invested in alternative energy sources creating a win win situation no matter how the future progesses.
Check out more of “Operation: Spotlight, exposing the influence of dirty money in Congress” on the LCV website. This is valuable info. Politicians have scorecards for their voting history for specific environmental bills year by year. If you’re concerned about the environment, it is essential to know the candidates. This is a must see checklist for doing your homework before elections: http://www.lcv.org/
http://www.lcv.org/OperationSpotlight/home.html
Posted in Alternative Energy Sources, CO2 Emissions, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Coalburners, Conservation, Drought, Earth, Environment and Jobs, Environmental Legislation, Environmental Spin, Environmentalism, Federal Government, Fossil Fuel, Geothermal Power, Global Warming, Great Lakes, Great Lakes Pollution, Great Lakes Water, League of Conservation Voters, Legislators, Mercury, Michigan Clean Water, Michigan Energy Legislation, Michigan Environmental Policy, Michigan Pollution, Oil Industry, Oil Lobby, Politics, Pollution, Solar Energy, State Gov't., The Denial Machine, U.S. Dept. of Energy | 5 Comments »
Thursday, December 6th, 2007

(The photos are from Defenders of Wildlife, defenders.org.)
Todays Detroit Free Press had a huge article about global warming wreaking havoc on thousands of animals. It said 3000 flying foxes dropped dead falling out of trees in Australia, butterflies that lived in high altitudes of our continent have vanished, and many more species will disappear in our lifetimes due to global warming. Knowing I’m part of the human population that has created this makes me ashamed. Yet we have state’s governors working themselves into a frenzy to obliterate every last wolf if they have their way.
There has been a campaign for quite some time to stop the aerial killing of wolves. It started and continues in Alaska. Many Alaskans want it stopped, and people all over the country have petitioned Alaska to stop it. Alaska has a new governor and it’s become even worse for wolves there. The issue has finally made it to Alaska’s ballot to stop aerial hunting once and for all.
Defenders of Wildlife disclosed that Alaskan officials earmarked $400,000 in public, or taxpayers dollars, to launch a campaign of lies trying to defend its aerial hunting policy. It’s the wilderness for God’s sake. Where are these animals supposed to live? They serve a purpose, a very important purpose.
The Discovery Channel aired a special from Yellowstone Park. A ranger took the TV cameras to watch wolves. The park is thriving due to their return. The ranger showed rows of different types of brush and trees that were being eaten down by animals the wolves feed on. He pointed out how the wolves helped balance the park in many ways. They are a good thing and welcome there.
As far as livestock, there was a special on the National Geographic channel not long ago that chronicled researcher, Shaun Ellis, who has literally given his life to the study of wolves. He has proven that wolves are family oriented, stick together, and have their own territory. Wolves that might attack rancher’s cattle were deterred by simply broadcasting the howl of another family of wolves. The new invading wolves stayed away for good not wanting to disrupt the territory claimed by the other wolves. I think human beings could benefit greatly from studying wolves. They “RESPECT” one another, yet we shoot them from planes and helicopters.
There is another serious viewpoint to the politics of these wolf hunts. This inhumane hunting practice undermines the efforts of others. Our own Senator Carl Levin created a bill to stop the clubbing of baby seals in Arctic Canada. Why would Canada listen to us about seals when like barbarians, we hunt wolves this way? It isn’t about the hunters or hunting. It’s about the politics of being a horrible example to the rest of the world, and where our credibility takes another bite. America does this all the time. We point out wrongdoing elsewhere and have garbage in our own back yard to clean up, including wars, and threats of wars. Who will listen to a people who allow these things to happen? All we’ve done to exact change in this country in the past 7 years is to vote. When we do see demonstrations against politicians anymore, we are looking at other countries, not America.
This wolf witch hunt hit me and hopefully many others at a time when I am just fed up with killing. I’m already disheartened that so many animals we grew up with, that have been around for our lifetimes may just disappear. As humans we have done enough damage to the earth and everything in it. Yet we pursue more killing and once again it’s coming again from our leadership. It’s a leadership that is so out of touch with citizens that it pays no attention to petitions and outcries from the public. Isn’t this thirst for blood getting a little stale? In retrospect, the wolf commercials from the last election certainly depicted the wrong villains.
And there are worse than Sarah Palin, Gov. of Alaska, Idaho’s Gov. Butch Otter has worked his gun toting constituency into a frenzy against wolves. That state launched a ballot initiative to remove ALL wolves. What type of intelligence is this? And it comes from a governor of a state? It’s a lynch mob who uses technology to try to wipe out an entire species of animal. They obviously haven’t bothered to learn about or care enough to explore all venues for control, if control is even needed. It looks like sport hunting to me. Wyoming wants to follow this mob. The Bush/Cheney administration is pushing to hunt them in our, “OUR” national parks too.
It’s easy to see our states are no longer united. When federal legislation that was put in place by us and preceding presidents for protection of these animals is repealed by this determined, uncaring machine of a government, then the states will each have their way. This is just an example of how divided our states are already and will become even more so in the future if we keep dismantling the federal government like extreme right wing ideologists would like and have pretty much done.
I don’t like the face of this so-called moral, but militant, hostile America. I like the old vision of open plains, majestic mountains, clean water and air, animals in their natural habitat and citizens that actually act like moral beings. The message that we, “will know them by their deeds” has been neglected for far too long. The proposed deeds of this handful of governors without conscience and the Bush administration says much about their inability to have empathy, or concern for living in harmony with nature, a basic sin for this country from the beginning.
Representative George Miller of California has introduced the PROTECT AMERICA’S WILDLIFE bill, (PAW) Act HR 3663. Write, e-mail, or call your reps and tell them you want this bill supported. It will ban the use of airplanes and helicopters to kill wolves nationwide.
http://www.rallycongress.com/letter2congress/698/?gclid=CNmHspeIlJACFQdfgQodXEeO5w.
http://www.yellowstone-natl-park.com/wolf.htm
www.defenders.org/
http://www.blogsmonroe.com/world/?p=52
Posted in Alaska, Animals and Extinction, Arctic Council, Australia, Bush Administration, Canada's Seal Hunt, Climate, Conservation, Defenders of Wildlife, Discovery Channel, Earth, Endangered Species, Environmentalism, Extreme Weather in U.S., Federal Government, Forest Service, Global Warming, Governor Otter, Governor Palin, Idaho, Illegal Use of Animals, Morality, National Forest, National Geographic Channel, National Parks and Forests, Polar Ice Melt, Politics, Pollution, Protecting Wetlands, Protesting Pollution, Public Lands, Rep. Dingell, Science, Senator Levin, Soaring Temperatures, State Gov't., The Denial Machine, U.S. Weather Patterns, Urban Sprawl, Weather, Wildlife, Wolves, Wyoming, Yellowstone Park | 8 Comments »
Friday, August 10th, 2007
When we think of the Olympics, we think about human beings exerting their best performance humanly possible in a given sport. In order for the athletes to perform to their best ability, their bodies must be at their strongest, and therefore, healthiest. The two things just go together. So is China a healthy example to be holding the Olympics in Beijing? China likes to put on a facade. They like to present themselves as strong, modern, but it’s the same old communist regime. The change in China’s behavior toward the environment has shown no significant improvement despite the environmentalists that were displayed in a documentary I watched.
The documentary was 90 minutes of eye-opener. China’s lakes, streams, and rivers are all polluted. The air quality is so poor, some Chinese wear facemasks on the streets. The Chinese have stripped the land bare of trees in many places, so the ground is scorching at a faster rate. The Gobi desert is 100 miles outside the city of Beijing and encroaching. Beijing is the 16th most polluted city on earth, city not country. To rank 16th among that many cities is bad. I’m curious. Who is number one?
CNN reported last night that China is having a heck of a time cleaning up for the Olympics. The outdoor arena where some of the events take place has very poor air quality. Some of the worst air in the city is nearby. According to the World Bank 400,000 people die each year because of the air. The bad air near where the athletes will compete may cause some of the events to be canceled because of poor air quality. There is fear that so many steroids in the food may trigger poor responses for athletes and drug testing. Everyone going to China is warned not to drink the tap water.
China is hardly the model of health and purity, which is a significant part of any athlete’s regime. It is a communist regime that has also decimated a peaceful Tibet, advanced on Taiwan again, exported food and merchandise that is harmful to human beings, and warned us more than a few times “Do not interfere.” The latest warning over not accepting their exported goods is to ruin us economically. They hold $407 billion in U.S. bonds and threaten to dump them if we stop importing their stuff. Isn’t that extortion? We should never have become indebted to a communist regime country. There are over a billion Chinese people. They are dying from their environment. How long will they stay in place? Think about it. If you’re forced to move somewhere, and someone owes you big time, of course you’re moving near that someone, or in on that someone.
Posted in CNN, Coalburners, Conservation, Earth, Environmentalism, Food, Food Supply Contamination, Global Warming, Health, Hormones in Food, Industry, Olympics, PBS | No Comments »
Thursday, July 12th, 2007
There’s no shortage of honeybees around my house, at least since my neighbor got interested in tending honeybees. My neighbor visits his father-in-laws property in Hillsdale called what else “the farm,” where there is a neighbor that raises Italian honeybees. He used to have 1000 hives or more. The bees create the honeycomb inside of bee boxes which are the equivalent of a hive. My neighbor brought a box of bees home.
My husband saw the bees first and told me they were Italian bees. I didn’t think much of it, what could one hive do? My husband told me, our neighbor told him, that those bunch of bees will pollinate a mile square. Well now, this can be nothing but good for our fruit trees, flowers, and vegetable garden. I didn’t get around to looking at the bees and forgot. About two days later I stuck my head outside the sliding door one morning, looked at my flowers, and there were two honey bees busy working. Everyone but me was at work. I thought I’d take a look see at the honey bee box. I’m used to nature and don’t even think about being scared, which usually works in my favor because critters and creatures sense fear. It’s also pretty stupid.
I walked up on the bee hive where I could see them well without my glasses; about 6 or 7 feet away. I could hear them buzzing around. Then I realized I probably shouldn’t be that close, but I still didn’t back up. It didn’t take long that I was noticed a few bees, “scouts,” shot out at me. When I think of bees I think of them zig zagging like a drunk, but these bees shot out at me, one at a time in perfectly straight trajectory and fast. When they got about my ear they shot around the back of me, and back to the hive in the same straight course. It was like the bee was riding an invisible track from an amusement ride that started at the hive whipped around the back of my head and straight back to the starting point.
I soon realized they were sizing me up. They were actually like little pets; accustomed to greeting their bee keepers. I have to say it was an enchanting moment. Since then I see honey bees everywhere. We can no longer go barefooted without really watching because the bees are on the clover in the lawn. I looked up dummies.com about bees before I wrote this. The website was pretty informative relative to the value of bees. It stated that it’s long been thought by beekeepers that tending the hives has a calming affect. One encounter and I can see that.
When I read on about bee pollination helping the fruit, vegetables, and flowers to grow bigger, I realized our disappearing honey bee populations have been dwindling for awhile. It coincides with my fruit trees having smaller harvests and smaller fruit than before, even though we tend to the trees quite well. When I read that it’s not out of the question for one colony to produce 100 pounds plus of honey, I really became interested. I live in the country. It benefits my yard to have bees. Maybe I’ll become a backyard beekeeper myself. I can’t explain the experience, but it makes me wonder when I see that connection from tiny bee to human, that we really shouldn’t mess with nature other than to be kind and accommodating. Creatures small and large can sense the kindness and connect with us based on that kindness. Want wild critters? Threaten them or their young, and you have mean, threatening critters back atcha.
I would honestly like to become a beekeeper. If you want to know more about bee keeping read: http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-1794.html. It can’t bee too difficult. There is a book called Beekeeping for Dummies also. Dummy books are pretty entertaining while being informative. If you have any experiences with beekeeping, let me know before I venture into this hobby. By the way, where do bees go in the winter? I’ve a lot to learn about the little honey bee.
Posted in Earth, Environmentalism, Farms/Farming, Food, Health, Nature | No Comments »
Friday, July 6th, 2007
Watch Live Earth all day tomorrow, July 7th, on MSN. Over a 100 bands on 7 continents will perform to raise awareness about global warming and the state of our world.
MSN will stream the entire concert all day.
NBC Detroit will broadcast some of the concerts from 8:00 - 11:00 pm.
Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, Sundance, and Uni HD will broadcast the concerts.
WCSX 94.7 FM will play the entire concert all day on the radio as well as WQKL FM on cable.
This is a great way to bring people together for an important cause and have a good time too. Happy viewing and listening.
Posted in Artists for the Environment, Earth, Environmentalism, Global Warming, Morality | No Comments »