Endangered Spaces blog

Take A Deep Breath of ROUNDUP?!?

2012-01-30T22:47:00.000-06:00

As recently as 2004, glyphosate was revealed to exhibit
endocrine-disruptive and embryotoxic effects,
indicating that it may contribute to birth defects
and abnormal fetal development.

The herbicide Roundup, which contains the active ingredient glyphosate, was found in 41 percent of 140 groundwater samples in a study conducted in Catalonia Spain. The levels of glyphosate were beyond measurement (Annals of Bioanalytical Chemistry, 2011 Nov 20. Epub 2011 Nov 20. PMID: 22101424). So, despite the claims of the manufacturer Monsanto, Roundup does not degrade in the environment, but rather accumulates there.

. . . glyphosate is considered by the EPA as a Class III toxic substance, fatal to an adult at 30 grams, and has been linked to over 20 adverse health effects in the peer-reviewed, biomedical literature (Are You Eating, Drinking & Breathing Monsanto's New Agent Orange? http://goo.gl/X1BdL).

When will we learn? When a large manufacturer assures EPA that their substance is safe, the statement should be tested and not accepted as truth.

Is the Very Air Poisoned?

Another study, conducted in March 2011, measured ambient levels of glyphosate and its major byproduct, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), in 60-100 percent of all air and rain samples tested, indicating that glyphosate pollution and exposure is now omnipresent in the US (http://goo.gl/X1BdL).

Should we be worried? This is not Monsanto's first foray into the field of fire for its products. Monsanto admitted to manufacturing of Agent Orange from 1965 to 1969.

GMOs are Everywhere, so Herbicides are Too

Agent Orange is a powerful herbicide and defoliant that partially breaks down into dioxin, a toxin that caused serious health problems for American soldiers who fought in Vietnam. These health problems include cancer and genetic damage causing birth defects in offspring. My husband, a medic in Vietnam, was exposed to Agent Orange. He has an enlarged heart, elevated liver enzymes and diabetes. He is 100 percent disabled due to these health problems.

Agent Orange was a 50-50 mix of two common herbicides, 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, which had been used domestically since the late 1940s without incident . . . Since the Vietnam War, both scientific and public concern has arisen over the dioxin compound 2,3,7,8-TCDD, a byproduct of the manufacturing process used to produce 2,4,5-T . . . (Agent Orange: Background on Monsanto's Involvement http://goo.gl/J7Ye2).

What to do? Monsanto is the leading purveyor of genetically modified organism in corn and soy products. The GMOs are immune to Roundup, so it is used without caution on modified food crops.

We breathe, eat and drink Roundup. If we sit on the ground, we are enveloped by Roundup. If we stand in the rain, we are soaked with Roundup. Roundup is in the ecosystem, a closed system that supports our life. We will continue to see developmental problems in our young, miscarriages in healthy women, birth defects in our infants and . . . DEATH.

Stop Monsanto

We are Losing the Whooping Cranes

2012-01-21T04:12:00.000-06:00

Only 3 Whooping Cranes Came to Aransas Wildlife Reserve this Year

Whooping Cranes Endangered by Drought

If you have ever had the opportunity to see the whooping cranes at their normal wintering grounds in and around Aransas National Wildlife Refuge north of Rockport, you are aware that you viewed something special.

Whooper Facts

Type: Bird
Diet: Omnivore
Average life span in the wild: 22 to 24 years
Size: Body, 4.9 ft; wingspan, 7.5 ft
Weight: 13.3 to 17.2 lbs
Protection status: Endangered

Whooper Migration

The natural breeding ground of the whooping cranes is Wood Buffalo National Park, in Canada's Northwest Territories and Alberta. Here the cranes perform elaborate running, leaping, wing-flapping dances to choose mates. When summer ends, these migratory birds set out with their chicks for the Gulf Coast of Texas, where they winter at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.

Texas Drought Interrupts Migration

The whoopers come to the Texas Gulf Coast to fatten up on crabs and berries before taking the long long flight back to Canada to nest. The 2011 drought in Texas has made estuaries and marshlands too salty for blue crabs to live and destroyed most of the wolf berries. To top it off, the red tide, a toxic algae that blooms in salty water, make it dangerous for whoopers to eat clams.

Texas suffered a severe drought in 2009. It is estimated that 23 whooping cranes died between November and March. They died of disease and starvation. So far this year, we lost one whooping crane. The problem is that the cranes mate for life; lose a spouse, lose a breeding pair.

Detour: Granger Lake

Six whooping cranes, two family groups, have established a winter home around Granger Lake northeast of Austin. While strange, other whoopers have set up home around Austin before. As the flock grows, there is less food and the cranes become more territorial. Hopefully, the 200 are spread out and eating and not dying of starvation on the flight path.

Fly Straight On Through

When they return to Canada, they fly straight on through. No stopping to eat while flying back north. If the whooping cranes do not get enough protein during the winter months in Texas, more of them could die on the 2,500-mile journey back to their summer nesting grounds,

Losing Our Freedoms, One by One

2012-01-17T17:40:00.000-06:00

Stealing our rights in the name of freedom.

Crushing our protesters in the name of national security.

Where will it end?

Source: covertress.blogspot.com

Losing the Freedom of the Internet

The Congress and the House of Representatives have come up two separate bills to further curtail our freedoms. I guess it is just too hard for the poor peeps to tackle something important, like sending jobs overseas, corruption on capitol hill, the environmental dangers posed by fracking and the XL pipeline, climate change, the disappearing middle class, etc.

Oh, but they have time to write the bills that will take away the few pleasures left to the public that is struggling to work, live and pay taxes.

Congress is about to pass Internet censorship, even though the vast majority of Americans are opposed to it. We need to kill the bills - PIPA in the Senate and SOPA in the House - to protect our rights to free speech, privacy, and prosperity.

S.968 - PROTECT IP Act of 2011

PIPA - Establishes process by which a website is taken down because the Justice Department (DoJ) says the site is conducting infringing activities. The DoJ or the copyright owner would begin legal action and the DoJ could demand that search engines, social networking sites and domain name services block access to the targeted site.This could all be done without anyone being heard by a judge.

Stop Protect IP Adresses (PIPA) - Read the bill here.

H.R.3261 - Stop Online Piracy Act

SOPA - Basically the same as PIPA, with some additions: . . . against any site they deem to have "only limited purpose or use other than infringement," . . . It would also make unauthorized web streaming of copyrighted content a felony with a possible penalty up to five years in prison. This bill combines two separate Senate bills -- S.968 and S.978.

Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) - Read the bill here.

People are saying these bills will break the Internet. In protest many of the large websites, like Wikipedia are "blacking out" their websites tomorrow 1/18. I have decided I will add this post to all my blogs as a public service announcement,

Click the infographic below to take action.

Do it today.

He Went to the Promised Land

2012-01-15T15:40:00.000-06:00

Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was a wonderful orator with the booming voice of a minister. He gave mesmerizing speeches that touched the heart and minds of all Americans. A proponent of civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance, King made even diehard racists look again at their beliefs.

His last speech in Memphis on April 3, 1968 was his famous, "I have a Dream speech." Read the passage below and see if you think he had a premonition of his own death.

. . . And I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land. So I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man.

Even if he did suspect his time was near, he would not take additional precautions. He was used to the bombs, telephone calls and death threats that plagued his last years on Earth. He was a man of the people and he wanted to be where they were. He was shot and died among his followers on April 4.

January is Thyroid Awareness Month

2012-01-07T06:49:00.001-06:00

Eileen Trainor, Thyroid Disease Survivor

This paragraph will surprise some viewers and enlighten others:

. . . 59 million Americans have thyroid problems, and the majority of these thyroid sufferers remain undiagnosed and untreated, in part because patients and their doctors are unaware of the many different risk factors, signs and symptoms of a thyroid condition (http://thyroidawarenessmonth.com).

Hypothyroidism

hypothyroidism - slow, fatigued, fat

I have hypothyroidism, the most common thyroid problem. My thyroid gland produces insufficient thyroid hormone. Hypothyroidism causes the metabolism to slow down. Some of the side effects are fatigue, depression, weight gain, hair loss, infertility, low sex drive, memory and concentration problems.

I had another complication. I had a connection between my thyroid and my throat that never closed when I was a baby. This enabled a large cyst to form in one lobe of my thyroid. It was huge. I finally decided I should have that lobe of my thyroid surgically removed (lobectomy) because I was sick of people asking, "Do you know you have a huge . . ?"

Surgery

I did not want surgery. I am the epitome of Murphy's Law. If something can go wrong, it will. Surprisingly, I made it through surgery with no problems. I was gorked on pain medication, so I did not really know what was going on. I felt the bandage and knew the incision was small, so I was happy.

Then I started to feel pressure around my throat; the pressure turned to pain. The doctor checked my incision, felt around my neck and then moved faster than any doctor I know. I was bleeding internally. Thanks, Murphy!

When we entered the OR, the anesthesiologist told me that he would be taking short cuts to sedate me before I bled out. This meant he stopped my breathing before he could intubate me and give me oxygen or anesthesia. I remember mouthing, "I can't breathe!" with what little air I had. If that was not scary enough, I had a tube rammed down my throat (again) without any pain medicine.

This time when I awoke, I felt terrible. I had been intubated twice, under anesthesia twice, operated on twice, and I was in PAIN. One of the lobes of my Thyroid was gone, along with the cyst. In its place, I had a gash in my neck that looked like I fell on a knife and rolled over. Below that I had a hole with what I called my garden hose attached. Luckily, I had a duster (dress with snaps down the front and two huge pockets). I put the tube inside my duster, cut a hole for the bag in the pocket and almost looked human.

Thyroid Disease Runs in Families

I was the bellwether in my family. When my mother started feeling fatigued, she got tested and sure enough, she had hypothyroidism. Then my older sister was diagnosed, then my younger sister. A few years ago, my niece started looking fatigued and depressed. We carted her off to the doctor. Guess what it was? Hypothyroidism.

Your dog can have thyroid problems. As they age, they are exposed to all the pollutants we are, so it is not surprising they develop thyroid problems, usually hypothyroidism. If you pet is losing hair, fatigued and gaining weight, ask the vct to test the animal's blood.

~~~~~~~~ Believe it or Not ~~~~~~~~

Many doctors, predominantly male, never diagnose thyroid problems in women. In fact, in the early 1980s, a doctor had the audacity to tell a friend of mine that she just needed to get married and her symptoms would vanish.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hyperthyroidism

hyperthyroidism - fast, anxious, thin

Men are just as susceptible to thyroid disease. A coworker of mine had hyperthyroidism. His thyroid produced too much thyroid hormone. This led to stress and high blood pressure. Hyperthyroidism may lead to anxiety and/or panic attacks, tremors, diarrhea, muscle weakness, eye problems, insomnia, and rapid, debilitating weight loss.

He was treated by radioactive iodine that gradually shrunk his thyroid gland, eventually destroying it. This therapy is safer than it sounds; in fact, it is the most commonly used hyperthyroid treatment in the US. Unlike anti-thyroid medications, radioactive iodine is a permanent and more reliable cure for hyperthyroidism. However, you then have to take thyroid hormone replacement therapy, just like someone with hypothyroidism.

Some types of hyperthyroidism, like solitary toxic adenoma,requires surgery to remove half of your thyroid gland (known as a lobectomy) with the adenoma. For nearly all other types of hyperthyroidism, including Graves' disease, the surgery is a nearly total thyroidectomy.

~~~~~~~~ Believe it or Not ~~~~~~~~

I think the increase in thyroid disease is a symptom of a sick Earth. Mercury, cadmium, lead, aluminum, nickel, and other heavy metals can all cause thyroid damage. These heavy metals are released by mining for copper and gold and processing for coal, natural gas and oil.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Learn the symptoms of hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, Graves Disease, and the appearance of goiters and nodules so that you can spot them in friends, family and children. Thyroid cancer is, unfortunately, one of the fastest growing cancers in the United States.

Visit the website, thyroidawarenessmonth.com.

Dirtiest River on Earth

2011-12-31T23:52:00.000-06:00

The Citarum River

Once upon a time, the Citarum River was rich in fish and wildlife. Local villagers caught fish and used river water to irrigate rice paddies and vegetable plots. They bathed, cooked and drank the river water.

In the 1980s, textile factories started operations. Now, more than 500 factories line the banks of the 200-mile river, many of them leaking chemicals into the water.

Polluted Beyond Belief

The Citarum River in West Java in Indonesia is a living (or dying) example of how much damage humans seem to be willing to cause to their environment.

Beneath the Trash is the Citarum River

The river remains as the sole source of both drinking and irrigation water for millions of people, including those living along the river. There are three hydroelectric power plants with dams along this river. The river is also a garbage dump, sewer system and industrial waste disposal facility for the region.

Villager in boat collects recyclable items from Citarum River

(AP Photo/Kusumadireza)

Today the Citarum River has the reputation of being one of the most polluted river in the world! Villagers who can no longer catch fish in it, pick through the pollution that carpets it, to try to earn a living by recycling materials pulled from the river.

This is what happens when nine million people throw their trash and corporations dump hazardous waste in a river. The Citarum River in West Java. Indonesia is choked with plastic, loaded with chemicals and human waste.

Dead fish, poisoned by mercury, unable to survive in the polluted water.

The water from Citarum River is treated for human consumption in the larger town and cities. In small villages, they may wrap a towel or sock around the waterspout. The villagers use this water to bathe, wash and cook. Luckily, the villagers will boil the water before drinking it. Boiling will take care of bacteria, but boiling is useless against heavy metals and toxic chemicals.

River Clean Up Possible

In December 2008, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) granted a US$500 million loan to the government for clean-up operations. Over a 15-year period, the ADB money should allow the government to rehabilitate the entire river basin.

However, the People’s Alliance for Citarum (ARUM), an NGO, is concerned about corruption in the allocation of the ABD funding, and the project’s effectiveness.As well they should be concerned: Java is known for its corruption.

Until consensus on how the money will be spent is reached, the river of garbage will continue to flow and the people will continue to suffer the consequences.

Climate Change is Already Affecting Birds

2011-12-15T00:49:00.001-06:00

A 2009 report from the Audubon Society analyzed decades of Christmas Bird Count (CBC) data and determined that 58 percent of bird species had shifted their winter ranges northward. More than 60 species were found to be nesting 100 miles north of their historical range.

The problem becomes more dramatic when you take into account high altitude nesters, such as Bicknell's Thrush. If the tree line moves up and conifers no longer grow, the thrush will have no place to nest. Luckily, the thrush does range to Canada, so will survive for a few more years.

The study conducted by ecologist Dr. Nicholas Rodenhouse of Wellesley College, looked at the Bicknell's Thrush and observed the Black-throated Blue Warbler, a small songbird that nests in northeastern US and southeastern Canada. While not as fragile as to changes in the nesting environment, the warbler thrives in a mix of hardwords with understory shrubs in which natural prey live.

A warmer climate spells disaster for all birds as there would be a serious reduction in habitat.

Dr. Peter Marra, of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, stated:

. . .if you want to understand how climate change might influence birds in the future, you need to understand their exposure throughout the annual cycle. . .

Both the Bicknell's Thrush and Black-throated Blue Warbler winter primarily in the Caribbean. What is happening there is drought, which may extend for 30-50 years. Birds suffering from dehydration and malnutrition due to the drought, may have difficulty in the breeding cycle.

Climate change threatens in unexpected ways. The Gray Jay, a bird of the boreal forests of North America, caches food in the winter and depends on that food in the spring. In warmer temperatures the food might rot, which means the jay may be less successful in the spring breeding cycle.

Common Loons have always left the freshwater lakes before they molt, which leaves them without flight. As temperatures rise, the loon may stay too late and have to overwinter in harsh unfamiliar habitats.

Sources:

National Audubon Society
http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/087/articles/introduction

Sherry, T.W., and R.T. Holmes. 1995. Summer versus winter limitation of populations: conceptual issues and evidence. Pp. 85-120 in Ecology and management of Neotropical migratory birds: a synthesis and review of critical issues (T. Martin and D. Finch, Eds.). Oxford University Press, New York.

The Birds of Norther America Online http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/087/articles/introduction

Stop the Canadian Oil Sand Madness Now

2011-12-09T01:02:00.000-06:00

Historically, surface mining has been used to extract tar sands and this method has produced at much CO₂ as all the cars in Canada.
The tailings, what are left when the bitumin has been extracted, are being stored in ponds. In the tailings pond, the sand, clay and water separate out. The water is sent back to the plant to be reused. Even so, the huge amounts of water needed threatens the world's third largest watershed.

Mining is the oldest technique for removing the bitumin from oil sands. Today, 80% of the bitumin is recovered in situ, which means the operators drill from oil pads to access the bitumen before bringing into surface. They drill two horizontal safety wells called steam-assisted gravity drainage well. Steam in injected into the top layer, liquifying the bitumen so that it may flow and be processed.

Between the ever increasing air pollution and the poisons and heavy metals built up in the tailing ponds that may now been seen from space, there has been a rise in certain cancers and syndromes since oil sand production ramped up in 2005.

They Are Eating My Friend Flicka

2011-11-28T21:44:00.020-06:00

Horse Rendering is a Foul and Cruel Occupation

In one of the worst moves a president could make, Mr. Obama signed into law a bill that legalized horse slaughter for human consumption in the USA.

And--in the midst of the worst recession since the Depression--America will subsidize foreign-owned industries that export horse meat. Horse meat is a delicacy in some European countries.

Despite what anyone says, no one wants to work in a horse rendering plant. It is a low-paid, low-prestige job that requires cruelty to horses. Ask the people who used to work in the plants in Texas.

What Meats Will Be Next?

Will the USA slaughter and export cat and dog meat to China? Maybe this is the way to solve the problem of global warming and the wolf, bear, buffalo and seal populations.

Next, will be the slaughter and export of poor people when they hit 65. That would take care of the whole, "What do we do with the boomers?" crisis.
This story calls to mind a movie of early 1970s called Soylent Green:

A tale of Earth in despair in 2022. Natural food like fruits, vegetables, and meat among others are now extinct. . . The only way they survive is with water rations and eating a mysterious food called Soylent.

Can you guess the secret ingredient of Soylent?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The thought of sick, wormy, abused, undernourished horses being killed and butchered in our nation, makes me ill. The Bureau of Land Management used to hold auctions and adoptions when there was a population problem with wild horses and burros. I guess it is easy to kill them.

Spirit Bear Coast Endangered by Pipeline

2011-11-19T14:13:00.001-06:00

Click Here to Save the Spirit Bear

Lake Michigan is Coal Ash Disposal Site

2011-11-11T12:46:00.001-06:00

In December 2008, a coal ash containment pond in Tennessee ruptured, flooding the local community with a billion gallons of toxic sludge, destroying homes and fouling 300 acres of river and residential property. Remember?

Three years later, benefactors of the coal industry have introduced legislation that will undermine the EPA’s ability to set federally enforceable standards for coal ash disposal.

Last week, a coal ash disposal site above Lake Michigan collapsed. This sent 2,500 tons of toxic material into the source of drinking water for 40 million people.

Coal-fired power plants across the country generate 140 million tons of toxic ash every year—but Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have failed to protect our health by regulating its disposal.

Coal ash is toxic. Living near unlined coal ash ponds puts communities at a 1 in 50 risk of developing cancer—that’s 2,000 times greater than average. Yet the disposal of your household trash is more closely regulated than the disposal of coal ash.

So next time you see the clean coal advertisement on TV, just remember that it could be your drinking water next time. Though, I guess it does not matter to anyone but us, because the government does not seem to care about the water or the cancer.

Remembrance Day

2011-11-11T05:20:00.001-06:00

Usually there are a few days separating Remembrance Day and Veteran's Day. This year they fall on the same day. Whether you are in the USA celebrating Veteran's Day or in Canada, UK, Australia of other parts of the world where they celebrate Remembrance Day, just do not forget the price others have paid for your freedom.

John McCrae, a Canadian doctor trying to save life in the middle of this Hell, lost a good friend. His grief prompted him to write "In Flanders Fields."

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Many of the deadliest battles of World War I were in northern France and southwest Belgium, also known as Flanders and Picardy. The British were determined to hold the Germans and to keep them from Flanders and the Ypres river valley, thus from reaching the port of Calais.

The destruction from the battles in this area reached beyond the battlefield to the towns and roads of the area, and led to the demolition of buildings, roads, and all plant life, leaving only mud. Into this sea of mud, the fallen soldiers were interred. In the spring of 1915, red poppies flourished in the fields of the Ypres, covering the newly dug graves.

Remembrance Day - A Reason I Blog for Peace - Dona Nobis Pacem

Dona Nobis Pacem (Grant Us Peace)

2011-11-03T02:30:00.064-05:00

My Blog Blast for Peace for this blog is a little heavy. This blog deals with what we are doing to Mother Earth and each other in our merciless search for fuel for our vehicles. I thought if we saw the true cost, we might forgo the extra trip to the supermarket, or ride a bike to school, or something . . .

I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. MLK, Jr

If you can, watch the videos below. The lyrics are below the videos.

Brothers in Arms by Dire Straights

Video by Platt 73

Brothers in Arms by Dire Straights

Video by Platt 73

These mist covered mountains
Are a home now for me
But my home is the lowlands
And always will be

Someday you'll return to
Your valleys and your farms
And you'll no longer burn to be
Brothers in arms

Through these fields of destruction
Baptisms of fire
I've witnessed your suffering
As the battle raged higher

And though they did hurt me so bad
In the fear and alarm
You did not desert me
My brothers in arms

There's so many different worlds
So many different suns
And we have just one world
But we live in different ones

Now the sun's gone to hell and
The moon's riding high
Let me bid you farewell
Every man has to die

But it's written in the starlight
And every line in your palm
We are fools to make war
On our brothers in arms
---
"Brothers in Arms"
written by Mark Knopfler

The lyrics talk of a soldier who is dying and realizes he will never go home again. He is thinking of his brothers in arms (fellow soldiers) who have stuck by him. His last thoughts are that all men are brothers in arms and should not fight each other. Then he dies.

War is the opposite of peace and is an ugly, demonic, soul-sucking machine. How many generations of young men and women will we sacrifice to the guns. When will the peace be forever?

Do Not Lose Your Head on Halloween

2011-10-28T00:42:00.001-05:00

Headless Horseman by Jurei Chan

What fearful shapes and shadows beset his path,

amidst the dim and ghastly glare of a snowy night!

With what wistful look did he eye every trembling ray of

light streaming across the waste fields from some distant window!

How often was he appalled by some shrub covered with snow,

which, like a sheeted spectre, beset his very path!

How often did he shrink with curdling awe

at the sound of his own steps on the
frosty crust beneath his feet;

and dread to look over his shoulder,

lest he should behold some uncouth being
tramping close behind him! and how often was
he thrown into complete dismay by some rushing blast,
howling among the trees, in the idea that it was
the Galloping Hessian on one of his nightly scourings!

Washington Irving
The Legend of Sleep Hollow

Toxic Algae Turning Florida Rivers Green

2011-10-18T23:36:00.000-05:00

Think of Florida and what comes to mind? White sand, blue water and temperate climate. However, many of the crystal blue waters of rivers, springs and Gulf that make Florida such a tourist attraction are becoming green and choked with toxic algae.

Microcystis bloom on Goodby's Creek, Jacksonville, FL.

Pollution--caused by inadequately treated nitrogen and phosphorus in sewage, manure and fertilizer-- is the cause of this change to the waterways. This type of pollution is preventable.

Do not drink, swim, fish or even breathe around this algae.

The algae, which kills fish, makes the water bright green and smell like raw sewage is highly toxic. Health authorities say you should not touch, drink it or swim in it. The algae in the water can give you rashes, respiratory problems, and even kill you.

Dona Nobis Pacem (Grant Us Peace)

2011-10-16T05:15:00.000-05:00

Greater minds than mine have grappled with the concept of peace and what it means to us. Now, we are finding ourselves at war the same countries over and over.

Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount.
General Omar N. Bradley (1893-1981), American military leader.

Please visit with peacebloggers on FaceBook, Twitter, Mimi Writes and many of sites around the world. By 11/4, I will have a different peace globe on each of my blogs.

I am a peacenik from way back. I have been promoting peace for 30 years and blogging for peace for 5 years. I love to make the globes. It is great fun and Mimi (peace lady) keeps the globes on line for everyone to enjoy.

Why do I blog for peace? If I can cause one mind to doubt, to study further, to ask questions, then I have done something that would not have been done if I had not tried. Try, won't you?

Find everything you need to know: http://mimiwrites.blogspot.com/p/blogblast-for-peace-2011-how-to-get.html

Tags: blog blast for peace, peace bloggers, peace globes, mimiwrites, november 4

Hallowmas : Samhain : All Saints Day

2011-10-09T12:16:00.002-05:00

Celtic Woman by Hastings

The holiday we call Halloween is actually three celebrations: eve of All Saints, All Saints Day and All Souls Day.

Over 2,000 years ago, the Celtics (Druids) believed that Samhain (October 31), marked the end of the summer harvest and and the beginning of the dark, cold winter. On Samhain, Druids built huge bonfires and wore costumes of animal heads and skins to keep the dead away. Soothsaying and sacrifices were the main activities of this night. When the morning of November 1 dawned, the villagers lit their hearth fires from the central bonfire to celebrate the beginning of a new year.

Under Roman rule two celebrations–Feralia, commemorating the passing of the dead, and Pomona, for the Roman goddess of fruit and trees–were added to the celebration of Samhain.

In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 as All Saints Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-Hallowmas. Samhain began to be known as All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.

In 1000 A.D., the church declared November 2 as All Souls Day, a day to honor the dead. The three celebrations–the eve of All Saints, All Saints Day and All Souls Day–became known as Hallowmas.

While the origin of Halloween is surrounded in myth and legend, Halloween remains, at least in the USA, a time of carnivals, trick or treat, costumes, pumpkins and mischief. Trick or Treat!!

Tags: Samhain, Celtic celebration, Feralia, Pomona, eve of All Saints Day, Halloween

No Such Thing as Clean Coal

2011-10-07T22:02:00.000-05:00

Clean coal does not jive with what I know about mines: safety issues, mountaintop removal, acid rain, black lung, lung cancer, asthma, mercury contamination, and, of course, global warming. And yet the phrase clean coal now routinely turns up in political discourse, almost as if it were a reality.

See E360 for detailed information bu Richard Conniff,

Action Needed: Save the Delaware River

2011-10-06T02:16:00.000-05:00

The Delaware River is an icon of American history and the source of drinking water for 15,600,000 people.

Currently, there is a moratorium on drilling and fracking in the Delaware River Basin. On October 21 at 8 am, that could all change. The Delaware River Basin Commission, meeting in Trenton, NJ, will decide to end or continue the moratorium.

Meanwhile, gas companies have bought up 200,000 acres of land on either side of the Delaware River. Their plan is to add 20,000 gas wells in the Delaware River Basin.

Action needed: Please call the governors of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania and President Obama and tell them, "No fracking or drilling in the Delaware River Basin."

Below are the numbers to call. Please, do it today.

It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.
~ Ansel Adams

Just When You Thought It was Safe to Go Back in the Water . . .

2011-09-30T14:00:00.000-05:00

The Chaos Of Clean-Up consists of a review of scientific research on each of 57 chemical ingredients that are found in dispersants, like those used during the Deepwater Horizon disaster (2010).

The ingredients and formulas for various dispersants on the market typically are not available, and it is not fully known which chemical ingredients among the 57 are found in which dispersant.

However, the research shows that some of the ingredients in oil dispersants are hazardous to our health and the health of the organisms living in the Gulf of Mexico.

Of the 57 chemicals researched:

5 chemicals are associated with cancer
33 chemicals are associated with skin irritation, from rashes to burns
33 chemicals are linked to eye irritation
11 chemicals are suspected or potential respiratory toxins or irritants
10 chemicals are suspected kidney toxins
8 chemicals are suspected or known to be toxic to aquatic organisms
5 chemicals are suspected to have a moderate acute toxicity to fish

While revealing some of the potential hazards of dispersants, the extent of our current lack of knowledge about dispersants and their impacts is made evident.

From the executive summary:

These findings call for more research, greater disclosure of the information that is known, comprehensive toxicity testing, the establishment of safety criteria for dispersants, and careful selection of the least toxic dispersants for application in oil spill response.

Download Complete Report: The Chaos Of Clean-Up (PDF)

I shared the information below in the post, Oil Companies are Ruinging Our Environment (9/2/11), but I think it is worth repeating:

According to Dr. Michael Robichaux, a physician in Raceland, Louisiana, Gulf residents continue to suffer health effects related to the disaster clean-up:

. . . the main problems at this time are a loss of memory, seizure type problems, severe abdominal pain, fatigue, irritability and other neurological and endocrine manifestations (AlterNet, 8/29/2011).

I would feel negligent if I did not warn you to stay off the beaches and out of the water in the Gulf. People have been reporting rashes and other symptoms that may be caused by the oil, gases or dispersants unleashed in the Gulf in 2010.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water . . . don't.

New Nature Conservancy PSA

2011-09-26T12:56:00.000-05:00

USA Ten Most Endangered Rivers 2011

2011-09-22T00:31:00.000-05:00

Ten Endangered Rivers in USA Selected

American Rivers has published the America's Ten Most Endangered Rivers list for this year. Below you may locate these 10 rivers on the map of the USA.

2011 Ten Most Endangered Rivers

Below us a summary of what is endangering each river. One river given special mention is the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River has the third largest drainage basin in the world, after the watersheds of the Amazon and Congo Rivers. It drains 41 percent of the 48 contiguous states of the United States. The basin covers more than 1,245,000 square miles, includes all or parts of 31 states and two Canadian provinces (US Army Corp of Engineers-New Orleans District).

Note that of the ten most endangered rivers for 2011, two are endangered by gas extraction and four are endangered by mining (uranium and coal). For an economy supposedly going GREEN, why are we endangering rivers to process substances that will add more CO2 to the air and toxins to the water?

Take Action for the Rivers

Contact the local policymakers directly about these rivers.

1. Susquehanna River
Learn More | Act Now

2. Bristol Bay Rivers
Learn More | Act Now

3. Roanoke River
Learn More | Act Now

4. Chicago River
Learn More | Act Now

5. Yuba River
Learn More | Act Now

6. Green River
Learn More | Act Now

7. Hoback River
Learn More | Act Now

8. Black Warrior River
Learn More | Act Now

9. St. Croix River
Learn More | Act Now

10. Ozark National Scenic Riverways
Learn More | Act Now

Make Your Home Defensible Against FIRE

2011-09-12T03:13:00.028-05:00

It is no secret that Texas is burning.

Record drought and record temperatures have made tinder out of most of Texas. The latest fire occurred in the Lost Pines area of Bastrop. The fire destroyed 1,554 homes and 17 people are missing. Check out status of this and other wildfires in Texas at the Texas Forest Service website.

What Happened?

Texas is one of the few states that rely primarily on volunteer fire departments to protect rural areas from wildfires. About 330 firefighters with the forest service traditionally serve as a second tier of defense when such fires get larger than the local department can handle.

Funds to volunteer fire departments were cut 75 percent and funding for Texas Forest Service were cut 35 percent this biennium by the Texas Legislature.

Also, Texas Guard members, who normally help fight fires are fighting for their lives on foreign shores, so Texas burns . . .

What Can You Do?

Do not expect volunteer firefighters with aging trucks and equipment to be able to save your neighborhood. Take steps NOW to protect your home from wildfires. California Fire Alliance publishes a tip sheet that has many good ideas on how to build, site and landscape your home to give it a better chance of surviving a fire. If your home is surrounded by a defensible space, it is more likely to survive.

The Defensible Home

Firefighters and emergency professionals do all they can to stop wildfires, but they have to be smart and they will look for homes and buildings that are easier to protect. Homes with defensible space are the homes that firefighters look for, because they are safer to go near and easier to save.

Download the PDF fact sheet here (right click on link and select "save as" and save it to your computer. This fact sheet is two pages that just might save your home.

Tips From a Texan

I have lived in Texas my entire life. Fire is a natural occurrence, set by lightening, sparking equipment, cigarettes thrown from cars, campfires left untended, burning yard waste under a burn ban, dumb people . . .

Here are a few money-saving tips if you are in the market for these items:

When my house needed new siding, I paid to have the outside covered in HardiPlank, a mixture of cement and fibers that is mostly fireproof.
When my roof was punctured by hail and taken off by a tornado, I looked for the best shingle I could buy. I found a shingle that was hail-resistant, fire-resistant and wind-resistant to 130 mpg. No roofing company had heard of these shingles, let alone had any in stock. I had to call the manufacturer and they shipped the shingles to me.
Other improvements were to knock down a wooden shed and replace it with a metal building.

Not only is the outside of my home fire resistant, I received a hefty discount from my insurance company and some of the improvements qualified for energy tax credits.

Water Catchment Systems

Rock Drains
On the back side of my home, the ground and grass came up to the bottom of the siding. This was a place for rot, ants and moisture to invade my home. I had a five foot wide and twelve inch deep trench dug around the back and side of my home and filled it with river rock. We included a perforated PVC pipe to water the foundation. The trench acts as a drain in rain and can be filled with water to buffer my home in time of fire.

Rain Barrels and Rain Walls
I have rain barrels for catching what rain we do have. With the drought, the water pressure at my house is basically a thin stream. With rain barrels, I have some gravity-fed water on hand to wet down the area around my home. I plan to buy rain wall, which is modular, with each section holding 350 gallons of water.

Grey Water
I water my lawn with grey water. This is water from my washing machine. Some grey water systems will use every drop of water that does not come from the toilets. I use ecologically sound detergent, so I am not adding anything but water and some organic compound to my lawn.

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I hope this post has given you some ideas about how you can improve the chance your home will survive the next fire. Download the PDF file and read it. Make changes, as you have time. Clean out the chimney, cut back brush, install a rain harvesting system, trim the lower branches of your trees, buy some new hoses. Keep fire in mind when you replace siding, roofing and outbuildings.

May God grant us rain soon..

Remembering Twin Towers Ten Years Later

2011-09-10T23:00:00.026-05:00

September 11, 2001

Even after ten years, this video bring the memories vividly to mind. We never had a disaster in the USA caught on camera by so many people. It reminded me of the day President John F. Kennedy died. We watched the one black and white video over and over, hoping that the ending would be different.

Petermann Glacier Disappearing at Alarming Rate

2011-09-03T05:43:00.000-05:00

Between August 3 and 5, 2010, an area four times the size of Manhattan Island (106.2 square miles) broke away from the front the Petermann Glacier. Located in northwest Greenland, the Petermann Glacier is one of a few remaining floating glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere and among the largest.

When ice is lost from the glacier front, there is less flow resistance and acceleration follows. This is important because Petermann is a glacier that flows through bedrock trenches that extend inland to the thickest parts of the ice sheet.

With assistance from Greenpeace, Dr. Alun Hubbard, a glaciologist with the Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth University, placed time lapse cameras and GPS sensors during July and August of 2009. The instruments were placed on the Petermann Glacier in anticipation of a large ice area detachment that occurred between August 3-5, 2010.

With support from the US National Science Foundation and the UK Natural Environment Research Council, Dr. Hubbard returned to Greenland in July 2011 to retrieve the data from the cameras and sensors.

On his return from collecting the data, Dr. Hubbard said:

Although I knew what to expect in terms of ice loss from satellite imagery. . . [it was like] looking into the Grand Canyon full of ice and coming back two years later to find it’s full of water (Glacier Demise).

While the data is being analyzed, the photographs below tell the story. View more photographs at the Byrd Polar Research Centre.