MNLY: The Manly Blog, Sydney Sustainability

Still there

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 02:59:00 +0000

Still there

https://twitter.com/MnlyBeach

https://aus.social/@MnlyBeach

G o n e R e a d i n g

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 08:36:00 +0000

Check out Manly Blog on regular twitter update

Vandals of the Commons

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 04:42:00 +0000

Roads soaked in fossil fuel leaks, toxic surface runoff and throwaway junk will now become safe from young criminals that vandalise the hot cooking bitumen and footpaths with their chalk.

Since the 17th century children who 'go and play outside' have been engaging together with equals in the game of 'scotch-hop'.

Proposed new anti-graffiti laws in New South Wales will make it an offence to intentionally mark any premises...That means it will technically outlaw things like chalk hopscotch squares or handball courts drawn on footpaths or bitumen...Unless the kids get the consent of the local council they're committing an offence" abc.

Obese and attention deficient young people have to navigate a visual cacophony of solid state spam (advertising) on walls or all the other surfaces in their ever shrinking public spaces.

Are they really the 'criminal vandals' that deprive all living beings of a habitable planet?
Their guardians would do well to provide Intergenerational Justice and Intergenerational Equity for their offspring or the writing will be on the wall...

Related:
Investing in public art and young people in Manly 2007
Power and Attention Hogs in Social Spaces, 2008

Manly Cemetery Doubles Up as a Dog Loo

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Sat, 14 Sep 2013 04:36:00 +0000

There are few cultures in the world where a public space such as a cemetery doubles up as a dog loo.

There appears to be no land-use conflict between the "sleeping place" of dead people and pet owners liberating their canines off leash into the Manly Cemetery Heritage.

Mourners probably do not want to linger amongst the tree-less and unkept burial grounds full of dog poop.

Maybe it is a new cultural convention of pet society where dog deities as protectors of the deceased fertilise the public green space with their feces and urine. Once locals have emptied their pets they get chauffeured back into the manicured back gardens with the help of a lot of fossil fuel.

On the connection of the living and the dead

Egyptian dog-headed god Anubis attending the deceased.

The Ocean - Manly Beach Blog Tweets

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 10:10:00 +0000

Tweets from @MnlyBeach 01.2013
OCEAN, BEACH & SHORES
"Everyone gets this preconception that the ocean and beaches are backyard swimming pools"
via @BeachwatchNSW marine wildlife habitat ocean @MnlyBeach, source

Of tidy pools, chlorine, algicide and dead marine life Sydney toxins pesticide ocean @MnlyBeach, source

Immersing in foam of sewage and toxins on Australia's eastern beaches? ocean eutrophication @MnlyBeach, source

Turf wars for the seashore: Sprawling people, their fossil fuel vessels and dogs OR marine wildlife RT @WHALES_org #habitat,@MnlyBeach, source

INDUSTRIALISING THE OCEAN
New maps detail excessive shipping noise in Puget Sound, BC #whales @MnlyBeach ,source

Particles emitted by ships on the Pacific #Ocean CO2 fossil fuel exhaust marine habitat clouds @MnlyBeach, source

Warship ran aground on the world heritage Tubbataha Reef, Philippines. UNESCO World Heritage ocean @MnlyBeach, source

Giant sperm whale checking out its newly industrialised landscape. habitat ocean clutter ROV tethered underwater vehicle @MnlyBeach, source

Offshore oil and gas structures in marine habitat #ocean clutter wildlife @MnlyBeach, source

When will Australia's coast look like this? ocean habitat wildlife oil/gas infrastructure Pacific industrialisation @MnlyBeach, source

Record high radiation level found in fish Fukushima radioactive contamination #ocean atmosphere @MnlyBeach, source

Bob Pressey @jcu explains why Australia's new marine parks network won't work @MnlyBeach, source

OCEAN AS A TIP - THE PLASTIC LIFE STYLE
The #ocean as tip for #plastic garbage toxins legacy toys consuming beach wildlife food @MnlyBeach, source

Fish have a gutful of plastic food marine debris throw-away culture synthetic polymers microplastics @MnlyBeach, source

Plastics Suck Up Other Toxins: Double Whammy for Marine Life, Gross for Seafood RT ‏@MotherJones, source

Unilever bans plastic microbeads from facial scrubs RT @Earth_News, source

Australian Darter at Manly Wharf

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:34:00 +0000

Australasian Darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae) at Manly Wharf. Dobroyd Head (Sydney Harbour National Park) in the background

Report illegal fishing at Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve, Manly

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 03:13:00 +0000

Illegal fishing, take & chuck Watch Phone Line at Cabbage Tree Bay ‘No-Take’ Aquatic Reserve
Unlawful fishing activities can be reported 24/7 on the hotline

Pacific Black Ducks

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 09:10:00 +0000

Pacific Black Ducks Anas superciliosa in Manly

Fossil Fuel Beach Rake and Beach Vegetation

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:43:00 +0000

Fossil fuel machinery ensuring no beach stabilising vegetation takes hold of the eroding beach. The tractor-drawn beach rake destroys the endemic flora/habitat, but leaves most of the plastic and cement rubble behind. A tidy event space!Carpobrotus glaucescens, (Pigface)
See also
Anxious settlers awaiting tool supplies brought in by ships from the motherland 0611

World Oceans Day at Manly Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 04:05:00 +0000

Fossil fuel footprint on Manly Beach. More CO2 vessels on the horizon, large polluting ships going for the harbour
Plastic debris left by careless people to kill marine life

Sooty Oystercatcher

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Tue, 31 May 2011 06:03:00 +0000

A rare visit from a Sooty Oystercatcher at Shelly Beach headland Off leash dog got rid of shorebird. 31052011

Four Sooty Oystercatchers foraging at Manly Beach today http://tinyurl.com/3ne9de2 birds shorebirds habitat Haematopus No-Take zones Rain wild, rising ocean 01062011

Long-nosed Bandicoots of North Head Manly

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Wed, 11 May 2011 09:11:00 +0000

2010 8 killed, May 2011 7 known bandicoots killed
Vehicles rush in 'to get a view' on North Head 'Scenic Drive'. They park for free or take their dogs for walks. Pet rabbits are also being 'freed' and mingle with the giant rabbit population denuding the National Park. Free range pets, motor vehicles and urban intensification contribute to the declining populations of this endangered species.

Ban Fishing on Crowded Urban Beaches - Marine Reserves

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 11:05:00 +0000

Each year there are fewer Crested Terns visiting Manly Beach.

More and more fishermen line up along the urban beach. Booze-free zone. Stinking garbage, dead fish, dangerous hooks and plastic junk are left behind.
A Crested Tern mother had a chick which she hid amongst the Seagulls. Returning from her feeding trip, she was in distress, trying unsuccessfully to regurgitate - a fishing hook and nylon string. Various phone calls were made to volunteer organisations with long waiting loops. Had it been a precious dog, there would have been a swift service. It is unknown if the dependent chick or the mother survived. But then it's all about beach as a tidy and profitable playground for humans. Wildlife, especially shorebirds, are not granted a habitat.

More birds killed by fishing hooks and fishing lines at Manly Beach

Ban fishing on urban beaches. Make Manly beach and the Northern beaches a marine park.

Tweets on sharing the planet with other species

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 04:16:00 +0000

Biodiversity or kicking others off the planet:
#Endangered #orchid - #Habitat loss due to #clearing for more highway for more cars http://tinyurl.com/2dtqf2u #biodiversity #NSW Bulahdelah 05222010 2

'#Biodiversity summit won't stop anyone trashing the #planet' http://tinyurl.com/2e2e6p6 #CBD #convention #diversity TEEB monetize #nature 04112010

'A mobile command centre for maiming #wildlife' http://tinyurl.com/26ufxhf combat #biodiversity aussie utes #militarization_of_civil_society 05112010

Thing happen where #hunting & #fishing enthusiasts #encroach on #wildlife #habitat http://tinyurl.com/265btjt #poaching #National #Park meat 03112010

It is spineless to kick many of the world's vertebrates off the planet http://tinyurl.com/2fjyjlo #biodiversity #monoculture species #legacy 27102010

'More species slide to #extinction' BBC 2010: http://tinyurl.com/2fsgr49 2006: http://tinyurl.com/2blorrl #biodiversity habitat #change poss 27102010

"Habitat loss overexploitation pollution disease & human induced climate change are the factors driving extinctions" http://tinyurl.com/2d6hwro 21102010

Mass #extinction as a strategy Obliteration of the planet's species at a rate at least 1,000 x faster than normal http://tinyurl.com/2csybv4 10202010

From failure to #failure #Copenhagen here, #biodiversity (#CBD) there http://tinyurl.com/3yfllaz stop #extinction stop #habitat grab dysfctn 19102010

The Nagoya Access & Benefit Sharing Protocol PDF http://tinyurl.com/2b3d3ur #biodiversity share cake #biopiracy #CBD #COP10 #ABS North-South 19102010

"We are about to reach a threshold beyond which #biodiversity loss will become irreversible” http ://tinyurl.com/32oztpk mortgaging kids future 18102010

Wildlife Human Interface
Ranger rescues #crocodile from people http://tinyurl.com/2b2h3uo Sanctuary Lakes Palmerston #biodiversity baby freshie #wildlife crime au 19102010

#North Head #wildlife without a billboard for #roadkill: Squashed by #motorists today: 1 Ringtail Possum & 1 Bearded Dragon SydneyHarbNatPrk 05222010 2

Birds
Rainbow #Lorikeets feeding on red Callistemons, Sulphur-crested #Cockatoos feeding on the seeds of Brush Box #birds urban #trees #Manly 28102010

Nice to hear the #koel overpower the roaring #traffic for a while audio: http://tinyurl.com/388a665 #birds #pollution #Manly Eudynamys 27102010

Sub-Antarctic #birds killed with #brodifacoum on #Macquarie Island http://tinyurl.com/2d6aja t do no harm #restoration human-introd predators 23102010

On the use of #poison to eradicate #pests: 400 native #birds killed, #Macquarie Island http://tinyurl.com/2awbxke oops #invasive sp Tas #Nps 23102010

#Shelly Beach tide is blooming red #HABs Four #mutton #birds dying on #Manly Beach - out of habitat in long #migratory journey 22102010

The many dead black #birds on #NSW beaches? Think about their lack of #habitat in their transequatorial #migration short-tailed #shearwaters 22102010

#Pelican swallowed three fishing hooks & got entangled in #fishing #debris http://tinyurl.com/29bxqx9 Ban fishing TAKE @ urban coasts #birds 10201020 3

The Butcherbird's song http://tinyurl.com/2fg6msw is drowned out by the ubiquitous debris blowers of Manly http://tinyurl.com/29fftlu #noise 19102010

Manly Penguins
Nice image of a #Little #Penguin #swimming Hope no fossil fuel vessel will shred it apart http://tinyurl.com/2equq6t #Manly #boats #habitat 28102010

Forests - Habitat
Debt ? Just flog off the national ancient #forests http://tinyurl.com/349xz4j #privatisation #climate change #co2 #habitat #wildlife 25102010

Clearing the tropical #rain #forests, destroying the GBR #reef produces the BIG DRY http://tinyurl.com/2453xut RT @mongabay #Australia diy desert 16102010

Bio-diversity vs Mono-culture: Wildlife or exotic companions? Pets
Will Australians invest in #biodiversity or a mono-culture of dogs & cats? http://tinyurl.com/3733upu Extinction http://tinyurl.com/35asr2q 28102010

#Dogs - from #meat to status symbol http://tinyurl.com/2auffju #consuming #pet_owners #feces city #energy #dog_run #wildlife out #pets in 25102010

Invasive species
The #rabbits on #North #Head #NPs look like #pet bunnies & behave like lost family members #erosion #invasive #species #degraded vegetation 03112010 2

Conservation - Do no harm
Sub-Antarctic #birds killed with #brodifacoum on #Macquarie Island http://tinyurl.com/2d6ajat do no harm #restoration human-introd predators 23102010

On the use of #poison to eradicate #pests: 400 native #birds killed, #Macquarie Island http://tinyurl.com/2awbxke oops #invasive sp Tas #Nps 23102010

Only about 2% of the Kimberley state waters will be protected while 98% is still open to mining & fishing http://tinyurl.com/27vqt3n #marine 22102010

Palau can afford its waters to be a #marine mammal #sanctuary for the protection of #whales, #dolphins & #dugongs http://tinyurl.com/2d2l6eb 26102010

"The number of #marine protected areas fall far short of what’s needed 2 save the world’s #oceans" http://tinyurl.com/2uv4u9f CBD marine prk 20102010

Habitat for Flora & Fauna or rec area National Parks
1. they open up NSW #National Prks to bikes, then to hopping mountain bikes, next it'll be the landscape shredder http://tinyurl.com/2fgmyls 18102010

Vandalising the Enviroment - Crimes
"Many #environmental #crimes are dealt with by warning letters or infringement notices." http://tinyurl.com/26wepcu NSW Australia #wildlife 23102010

Images: Shark finning industry, Coffs Harbour, NSW
Healthy gulls with fresh filtered water at Manly

>>More
Tweets on the ocean marine ecosystem

Manly Beach Time Zones

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 01:38:00 +0000

Manly Beach currently has 3 time zones - South Steyne, North Steyne and Queenscliff. Please adjust your watches as you proceed along the beach. The most reliable chronometer is at the North Steyne pavillion. It tells the correct time twice a day. To set your watch/mobile, please check the time there at 10.20 am or pm on any day. If you are not sure if it is 10.20, just ask someone at the beach. For summer time add one hour.

It is recommended that you pay careful attention to the time zones as beaches are only patrolled at certain exactly defined times. Note that Queenscliff time is usually one hour later than South Steyne time and North Steyne time is identical to South Steyne time and Queenscliff time twice a day respectively at 10.20 am or pm.
If you are unsure which time zone you are in, check for the lines on the sand or ask a local official or resident.

“Manly Beach 1000 miles from care, 3 time zones.”

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? Chicago

Water on MNLY Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 02:51:00 +0000

A compilation of posts on water. Ways of utilising water. As a tip: a cost-effective dump, as 'unintentional' 'run off' or as general human-caused eutrophication of water bodies. Taking risks with public health by polluting the elixir of wet for all life.

Water & public health:
On the use of water and on the creation of dead zones 28082007
The water bodies of the Earth are being used as a cost-effective way to dump the unwanted.

Drinking water and healthy water bodies Pt II 04090207
Sydney's drinking water, we are being told 'is no public health risk'. Some areas of Australian coasts are so polluted, that it “can cause selective inhibition of phytoplankton species”

Drinking water security sewage and emerging bugs Pt III 10092007
"Growing population centres and the inefficient use of water is “the greatest threat to waterways”. Urbanisation, norovirus, disease history

Drinking water, food & health:
Drinking water security, Sydney belly: Cryptosporidiosis, Giardia 17102007
Reducing risks when eating out 21092007
More on Sydney water, Health and Pollution 27092007
Manly restaurants and eateries - a wishlist 13112008

Draining Sub-urbia, 'run off' Eutrophication:
Water chemical mashup over suburbia 23082007
Shelly Beach palm gully creek 20102007

Impervious surfaces, spaces for cars and running toxins in urban heat islands:
The world as a car park - hot and oozing toxins running into our water streams 13092007

Lawns - water guzzling & toxic
Lawn transplants costing the Earth - Manly style 09082007
A mono-culture of petrol and water intensive regime of foreign grasses (lawn), noise, air and soil pollution.
Coastal lawns golf and pesticides 04082005

'Run-off' to Manly Beach, dog feces and chemical cocktails:
Water quality at the beach 09082007
Careless urban sprawl in coastal areas is devouring wetlands and other natural buffers such as dunes and beach grass that would otherwise help filter out dangerous pollution.“ Local beaches are ranked here for both faecal coliforms and enterococci. Some of the waterborne illnesses like gastroenteritis, dysentery, hepatitis, respiratory ailments etc. probably hit people 'out of the blue'. Toxic waste such as heavy metals etc also show their effects only after some time.

Suburbs draining toxins into Manly Beach and Lagoon 16012006
Suburbs drain toxins and feces to Manly beach and Manly lagoon as a way of disposing of these unwanted substances cheaply. All the everyday actions of the everyday people are then drained into the non 'my space'. Socialise externalities" Mr Galloway found that concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, copper, lead and zinc in Manly's stormwater exceed ANZECC guidelines for pollutant concentrations in waterways by between two and 168 times."

Draining Manly suburbs pipe at the beach 20102005

Can Manly afford not to share North Head with Penguins? 19102008

Red Tides in the making...
Preventing red tides at Shelly beach, Manly 06102008

Proud to waste water
Wasting water as a life-style 25032007

Desalination mega projects - Water as a commodity
Water and Desalination Factories by M. Barlow 08102008
Privatising water, offshore factories sludge in the ocean
Desalination - A mega project or water conservation and whales 13082008

Mnly tag: water

Blog Action Day 2010 Water, Twitter: blogactionday, #BAD2010

Images: 1. Water sculpture for gathering clouds by the Eora people of the Sydney sandstone region. 2. Ancient drinking trough (for horses ?) in a town square, Lake Constance

Tweets on the Ocean - The Marine Ecosystem

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 07:41:00 +0000

Ocean industrialisation
16,000 tonnes of #high-risk waste will be on the #ocean from #Sydney to Denmark http://tinyurl.com/2wywb6h #hexachlorobenzene #plastic risk 03112010

Ecological #footprint of factory farming #oceans http://tinyurl.com/22s4za5 unsustainable #fish #marine #seafood #aquaculture #GAPI #slow 28102010

Have #marinas - have #spills http://tinyurl.com/2atsotv #coast #boats #eutrophication #ocean as #fossil fuel #parking #shore line #habitat 25102010

563 km of offshore #wind factories http://tinyurl.com/2572o9o #coast #ocean #habitat #noise #migratory routes #wildlife energy visual impact 20102010

Industrialising the #ocean, shipping lanes & industrial parks. How much #noise can marine mammals take? tinyurl.com/22qwvmm co2 #whale 14102010

6,000 tonnes of solvent off France's #Atlantic #coast. Colliding #ships http://tinyurl.com/29d2nq6 #toxins #ocean neurotoxin #pollution 08102010

Marine Mammals
140 years old #whale stranded, no place to die in peace http://tinyurl.com/2byjxdn bystanders Vejlefjord Copenhagen #marine #mammal #habitat 03112010

Motor #boats shooting in the migratory paths of the #Humpback #whales at #Manly #Beach #habitat #marine #mammals #fossil_fuel 'recreation' 29102010

Where the #boats slowing down & keeping their distance for the #humpback #whales at #North Head ? http://tinyurl.com/25rvyx3 #habitat Manly 28102010

#Whales and #dolphins at the horizon of #Manly Beach. Beach vegetation not run over by terraforming machinery in flower. pigface scaevola 21102010

#Fishing gear traps baby #whale http://tinyurl.com/25xg5aj #humpback #entanglement #ocean junkspace #habitat #marine mammals RT @WhaleLikeMe 10202010

War games in #dugong & #dolphin #habitat http://tinyurl.com/27htec8 #marine mammals #Shoalwater Bay #Great Barrier Reef Marine Park #GBR au 19102010

Two #Humpback #whales slowly passing #Manly beach, threshing their flippers - and no one notices. #marine mammals 18102010

The #Humpback #whale' s #migratory journey is the longest documented movement by a mammal http://tinyurl.com/2dfjrtw #habitat #ocean clutter 19102010

A record number of #humpback #whales have been found dead on the Brazilian coast in 2010 alone http://tinyurl.com/26rafgt #ocean #habitat 15102010

Glue webcam on #seals and let them fetch data in the deep-sea tinyurl.com/28mz7uz Australian invasive #marine science gas oil #ocean 14102010

Ocean clutter and the marine mammals' habitat
Are #ocean vessels, #drilling rigs, desal factories & ROVs cluttering up the #Humpbacks #migratory routes? tinyurl.com/2f2od3e #whales 13102010

#Dugongs out of a habitat Marinas, #boats, fishing entanglement poaching hunting & pollution http://tinyurl.com/2dxv6r2 UNEP/CMS #Australia 09102010

Accelerated fossil fuel traffic in #whale #habitat does not mix tinyurl.com/2epv9xo #Marine Sanctuary #boats wildlife RT @WhaleLikeMe 12102010

The #ocean as a tip #Whale starving stuffed with our junk in it's stomach http://tinyurl.com/348molu junkspace plastic mammal RT @Earth_News about 050120 10

Preview of what an #offshore #wind turbine factory looks like on the horizon.. http://tinyurl.com/3akpuqe #ocean clutter #birds #noise coast 29042010

'Design Flaw Causes Hundreds of Offshore #Wind Turbines to Slide on Their Foundation' http://tinyurl.com/3x8fsnj ocean clutter RT @TreeHugger 29042010

Ocean as a cost-effective dump
In a world of the private motor car train carriages are being #dumped into the #Pacific #Moreton Bay http://tinyurl.com/24ujt5g #ocean #reef Orient Express 16102010

The #ocean as a tip #Whale starving stuffed with our junk in it's stomach http://tinyurl.com/348molu junkspace plastic mammal RT @Earth_News 05052010

Washed Up Whale Found with Gallons of Our Garbage In Its Gut http://bit.ly/csQsdv 21042010 RT @Tree Hugger

Ocean TAKE & dump
Stop trashing the #ocean http://tinyurl.com/386mssv #marine mammals #fishing #junkspace #plastic #Manly #run_off party PR #balloons #boats 06112010

Only about 2% of the Kimberley state waters will be protected while 98% is still open to mining & fishing http://tinyurl.com/27vqt3n #marin conservation rec fishing 22102010

Even when it is declared an #Aquatic #Reserve it still gets #plundered http://tinyurl.com/ybl2edn RT @bondimermaids #CabbageTreeBay #Manly rec take 22102010

#Pelican swallowed three fishing hooks & got entangled in #fishing #debris http://tinyurl.com/29bxqx9 Ban fishing TAKE @ urban coasts #birds 10201020

#Fishing gear traps baby #whale http://tinyurl.com/25xg5aj #humpback #entanglement #ocean junkspace #habitat #marine mammals RT @WhaleLikeMe 10202010

Spills & Toxic Disasters Deepwater drilling
#Deep-sea mineral #mining of hydrothermal vents, Papua New Guinea http://tinyurl.com/35u4d6s #marine #ocean #ecology #PNG #peak #rare-earth 22102010

Spraying #toxins (chemical #dispersants) on #oil spilled into the #oceans? http://tinyurl.com/2a8acsq wildlife aquatic ecosystems PAH GBR au 04052010

Coastal "refuges": Delta Nat. Wildlife Refuge http://www.fws.gov/delta/ & Breton National #Wildlife Refuge http://www.fws.gov/breton/ #spill 30042010

Stop offshore #oil #drilling! http://tinyurl.com/2c4uacq #ocean #clutter #spill #eutrophication #wildlife risks #deepwater #habitat #co2 30042010

Nagging doubt: Should there be a full ban on #off-shore #drilling? http://tinyurl.com/38fhmyu #deepwater #oil rig coast risks ocean ecology 29042010

3rd leak, 5 x as much oil as previously thought gushing into Gulf of Mexico http://tinyurl.com/2adn484 #deepwater #eutrophication #oil rig 29042010

Oil in deep water and safety rules http://tinyurl.com/2924rh3 #offshore drilling #spill #regulation OHS #ocean eutrophication au habitat 28042010

42,000 gallons of #oil per day are polluting the ocean & sloshing towards the wildlife refuge http://tinyurl.com/2uptosm #offshore rig spill 27042010

The deepest oil well in history on fire http://tinyurl.com/33o5kho #oil rig #energy #ocean #eutrophication risk society offshore Australia 240402010

"We have to look honestly at the hidden costs of our oil economy." http://tinyurl.com/2fvs3wy #BPoildisaster #offshore drilling #spill #cars 06052010

Telling infographics Oil #spill #disaster http://tinyurl.com/3xoy3gh #eutrophication STOP #oil rig risks #deepwater #wildlife RT @TreeHugger 01052010

"Outstanding drilling operations" and top safety award for Transocean, Deepwater Horizon Operator http://tinyurl.com/3yqfd8e #BPoildisaster 06052110

#Oil #spill in Gulf of Mexico will be ignited http://tinyurl.com/3ygtzsy #coast #drilling rig #deepwater wildlife #pollution #DrillBabydrill 29042010

Wildlife still exposed to crude oil spill disaster after 20 years http://tinyurl.com/y3g5u26 Exxon Valdez Australia reef toxin contamination 21042010

Ocean Pollution
#Shelly Beach tide is blooming red #HABs Four #mutton #birds dying on #Manly Beach - out of habitat in long #migratory journey 22102010

Looks as if there could be a #bioluminescent display at #Manly beach tonight - again http://tinyurl.com/27cq7dm #eutrophication runoff HABs 20102010

Ocean 'sci'
Glue webcam on #seals and let them fetch data in the deep-sea tinyurl.com/28mz7uz Australian invasive #marine science gas oil #ocean 14102010

Marine Conservation
Blue #gropers & #wobbegong sharks tracking http://tinyurl.com/24qnm9r #tagging #Cabbage Tree Aquatic Reserve NoTake BBQ RT @bondibluegroper 08102010

Coastal Marine Reserves Conservation Marine Parks
Palau can afford its waters to be a #marine mammal #sanctuary for the protection of #whales, #dolphins & #dugongs http://tinyurl.com/2d2l6eb 26102010

More #marine parks, no #offshore #drilling, #no-take #sanctuary zones http://tinyurl.com/288z8dw #ocean #conservation WA #humpback #whale 22102010

Dear Eastern Subs #Coastal #Marine Reserve, Wish you can get a NO Take, No boat-parking area soon #habitat #conservation RT @bondibluegroper 12102010

More>>
Tweets on sharing the planet with other species Biodiversity or kicking others off the planet

The Story of Cap & Trade or COP15 & ETS

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:29:00 +0000

The animated Story of Cap & Trade is looking at the current climate debate at Copenhagen COP15. "Annie Leonard introduces the energy traders and Wall Street financiers at the heart of this scheme and reveals the "devils in the details" in current cap and trade proposals: free permits to big polluters, fake offsets and distraction from what’s really required to tackle the climate crisis."

From 'trashing the planet' to making profit from polluting with CO2 (giveaways to polluters), pulping the rainforest for consumer products to sinking island neighbours - it is all there. A fossil- fuel addicted society insisting on unrestricted consuming and BAU: business as usual. After explaining how businesses trade with permits to pollute (ETS) she proposes alternatives: solid caps, strong laws, citizens' actions, carbon fees and climate justice. and a clean energy economy.

Do take the 10 minutes, gather your household members, stop consuming and watch it.

The previous 'The Story of Stuff' (tweets) is about 'our consumer driven culture'. Annie Leonard authors the texts, Free Range Studios produces real web-based films. There are also many other collaborative climate justice advocates involved. Looking forward to the story of bottled water and electronics..

The Story of Cap & Trade from Story of Stuff Project on Vimeo.

Dust Storms, Turbulent Climate and Survival

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:33:00 +0000

While the life-supporting fabric of planet Earth is being undone, a turbulent 21 century is rushing towards us. Self-inflicted 'intertwined global-scale challenges' are unleashed leading to uncertainty. Climate disruption, decimation of biodiversity and rapid depletion of materials and energy are some the achievements of the anthropocene. The overheated Earth is being pulverised in the human stampede. Human-generated aerosols, sediments from parched river beds, mining and anthropogenic (toxic) junk space combine into 'dust'. Vigorous storms distribute the ambient particulate matter into their breathing organs which did not evolve to be vacuum cleaners. They choke.

Dense orange pollution cloaked south eastern Australia. "But despite this obvious sensory input, people... seemed to be essentially oblivious to the poor air quality and went about" business as usual. First things, first: The oversized suvs had to be freed from particles with a lot of water. Simply "defending national ideals". As "the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitter per capita" there has to be some pride in standards. "Sleepwalking into an environmental disaster" is not on for the sporty nation - driving, or racing with the aid of 3629 kg might be.

But now you can ensure the survival of your family. Just like your suv, this is "a self-contained living system a gated community for one". Whatever the disaster will be, "at least you can weather all (dust) storms". Buy now SurvivaBall Model X7

Video via survivaball, You Tube Channel

Emission Intensive Events at Manly Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 02:13:00 +0000

Events in Manly are announced via a BIG CO2 footprint. At the beach front/Corso plastic banners are hung into the pines to announce an event. The banners and plastic strings weighing a few grams are being put up and taken down with a maximum of petrol usage and noise pollution.

Also a huge section of the public pedestrian space is taken up by parking a suv, a trailer and a crane in it. With the machinery running, the worker extracts the bit of plastic.

It is especially ironic that 'green events' are being advertised in this emission rich manner. Digital channels do exist. It seems incompatible with the council's 'Sustainability Strategy for Future Generations'.

The 'green family fun' event at Manly Lagoon also degraded the sound scape for the waterbirds/wildlife and adjoining residents. Amplified noise or anthropogenic noise pollution are not beneficial for wildlife. A high impact event.

NB In image 2 note the plane trails of high emission in the blue sky celebrating the aerial combustion engine as well. Families were fascinated with the pollution and the disappearing atmosphere for their off spring.

Perfumed Endemic Flora of Manly

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:08:00 +0000

Perfume from endemic coastal flora:
Woollsia pungens, Snow wreath
Ricinocarpos pinifolius, Wedding bush image
Actinotus helianthi, Flannel flower
Pittosporum undulatum

In flower:
Xylomelum pyriforme, A tall Woody pear - stunning!
Styphelia triflora
Grevillea speciosa, Red spider flower
Eriostemon ssp
Xanthorrhoea, resinifera? Grass trees
Isopogon anethifolius
Caladenia alba and Caladenia carnea
Erythrorchis cassythoides unfurling

The Paper - an iconic culture that needs your help

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 04:46:00 +0000

The dead tree media is dying. Yes, they are still being delivered daily to many doorsteps via petrol in sub-urbia. Lovingly wrapped in plastic, thrown on the manicured lawn at 6 am. In cafes they still get into THE paper rage to do the crosswords first. On Saturday, fight over the glossy sections to be in the know what the latest 'must have' should be. Sometimes the paper is just blowing about on Manly Beach.

But now YOU can support the struggling industry. There are also many more examples how you can use the paper: When retreating from the coast, pack all your stuff in it. Start the next BBQ with it or just do clean up that dog§*+" from the walkway.

Video via Slate videos

Manly Wharf - Depriving the Public of Access?

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 10:25:00 +0000

There are attempts to grab some of the public pedestrian space by private enterprise on Manly Wharf.
The wharf is in the middle of Manly Cove, which is framed by green National parks with the odd whale or dolphins visiting Sydney Harbour. It is also the gateway for people arriving in Manly by public transport. Some 6 million commuters pass through this point for work of leisure. The options are to walk through the enclosed middle in the inside, which is crowded and full of cooking fumes. Alternative paths are walks to the right and left on the open air, along pubs and eateries on one side and a natural habitat on the other. The actual Cove and the infrastructure under the wharf are a dense biotope for local wildlife. Unique Manly Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor) have their habitat in various locations. Walking along the wharf the lucky resident or visitor can catch a glimpse of what makes Manly unique.The plan to privatise some of the Wharf's walking paths on the West Esplanade side to monetize the "spectacular waterfront positions" for a few paying customers is myopic. Bursting suburbia is thirsty for public spaces, which are fast disappearing in Manly. Visitors come to be "seven miles from Sydney, and a thousand miles from care" and not to be 'in it' again. Encroaching with intensified commercial operations would not be beneficial for the wildlife.

The human footprint seeking constantly to enlarge in delicate environments, can trample an area. Already there are signs of visible pollution in the Cove water: dumped bikes, chucked shopping trolleys etc. With intensification the noise pollution would negatively impact on human and wildlife habitat.

Boat parking is proliferating and also a danger to swimmers and wildlife. Some just come to 'get tanked' in private racing boats, unload their dogs, have some alcohol, clutter up the cove and then race off again. A trend to be encouraged?Do not deprive the public of access to the Manly Wharf walkways
Do not accelerate rapid development and hence human disturbance to penguins and other wildlife.
Do not forget why people come here to live or visit

"Sprawling from land right out into the ocean as we clamber for more of its resources" Ocean Sprawl on Planet Green 0809

Update:
- Manly penguin wardens "will protest against what they say is the possible encroachment on penguin habitats by Hugo’s restaurant." Penguins already have lost habitat to the School of Artillery at North Head and "People living near the beach want to build pools on top of penguin nests". There will be a protest on September 13 via Manly Daily 180809

- Little Penguins, climate change, ongoing coastal development and habitat degradation. PDF

Image: 1 and 3 Google Maps

Humpback Whales Passing Manly Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 05:15:00 +0000

Whales are passing by. Today two Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) swam slowly along Manly Beach. It appeared like mother and calf logging, in close contact. After Shelly Beach they slowly drifted along the shore in the shallow water. Their habitat was free of polluting motors in the air and in the ocean, which is rare.A bit further north in a more protected terrestial area, there are rock engravings by the Eora of a Humpback mother and her calf. The 14 m long petrography depicts them overlapping in close body contact. An engraved person nearby is watching with views of the Pacific. Today the aquatic territory is littered in motorboats. Like measles they clutter up the shorelines. Noise and chemical pollution emanating from their presence interferes today with the large marine mammals pursuing their ancient migratory routes.The place is framed by the Eora shield, lovers and various symbols etched onto the sandstone.

With the unregulated access of mountain bikes these memes from 25000 years ago could disappear from the rocks and human memory. The whales too have to battle a degraded habitat with many human-made dangers.
More on whales and bikes in NPs.

Manly Beach Drift 'wood' - August

noreply@blogger.com (Rita and collaborative authors) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:05:00 +0000

A monthly summary of what has washed onto the shore or beach through the winds, tides, waves or human action. Marine debris, flora and fauna, dead or alive:

Crested Terns are back. Unusual footprints of a large shorebird. Unfortunately beach-nesting or just visiting Manly Beach for Australian birds is not on. We only share the beach with dogs. D aily, there are dogs ON the beach illegally. Today a large pony-like thing and a shrunken dwarf.

There were unusual shells along the beach.

Old wood-based media blowing along the beach.
Rich in glass chips, probably the remains of causing 'facial injuries' in Manly's nightlife, just washed down to the beach to glass beach users as well.
Three helicopters swooping in on the beach/surfers, adding noise pollution.
At the Queenscliff end of the beach one wonders about getting into contact with the toxic Manly Lagoon mouth. Is it safe to swim there? Too poor to decontaminate?
The southern end still has eroded stairs and is fenced off.

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Erosion: The large stairs at the southern end are still undermined and various debris is scattered at that end of the beach.
Noise: Ear-bursting building sites all along the beach front.
Glass, but a relative absence of the usual fast food packaging.
Daily illegal dogs: one white fluffy thing at Queenscliff and a large one on Manly Beach. A lot of council staff with a focus on parking revenue. Pity, they do not take advantage of collecting from dog owners that do not abide by the law.

060809
A small pod of dark do lphin s swimming orderly behind the surfline. A large juvenile Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator) diving for fish.
The horizon cluttered with boats and ships, but free of that brown haze from yesterday.
The beach is free of visible pollution, shells and sand.
Along the beach a cacophony of building sites and road building/cleaning machinery. Noise pollution.

07080
A few plastic bits appearing again. Surfers Against Sewage just return the plastic garbage to the offender/sponsor. Better would be to charge for the removal of the anti-product from beaches. The ocean is to dear to be treated like a cheap tip.

A lot of large ships hovering for days on the horizon now. Tinnies whizzing, doing their best to scare any marine mammal away.

Noise pollution all along South and North Steyne, building sites, road building and the usual gas-guzzling vehicles. Manly on permanent beta.

Impervious Surfaces and Coastal Water Quality
A mobile factory has settled in at around 135 Steyne with various large machines along the beach. The asphalt truck/ machinery indicates, that they are 'paving a bit more of paradise'. Most sealcoating of roads/pavements contains toxic PAH which finally finds its way into the stormwater runoff or is blown away in the form of dust particles. PAH is toxic to mammals and the aquatic ecological system, it is also accumulative.

100809
Two Humpback Whales swimming slowly and in constant touch along Manly Beach. Following the curve of Manly and then Shelly Beach, they leave, hugging the coastline. Mother and calf loggin g? There was an unusual absence of combustion engines in the air and aqua-space.

The post-weekend beach-scape: A black plastic bag full of untreated dog feces ON the beach.

Plastic toys, balloons and polystyrene chips.

110809
With post rain and that tsunami feeling many birds behaved in unusual patterns:
Some Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, (Cacatua galerita),(audio) flew very high along the beach.
A Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) left the lagoon end to head north.
A Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae), (audio) was chased by a smart Australian Raven ( Corvus coronoides )(audio).
Welcome Swallows (Hirundo neoxena) surfed the sand dunes
Willie Wagtails (Rhipidura leucophrys), (audio) investigated the beach
Magpie-larks (Grallina cyanoleuca) pierced the air with their 'pee-wee' (audio)
Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles) joined in (audio)
In the pines a faint Red Wattlebird (Anthochaera carnunculata), (audio)
High in the sky: Rainbow Lorikeets (Trichoglossus haematodus), (audio)

The surf had a thick greenish foam, that lingered and stained the beach sand in a slimy, bubbly green.

Strange media attention to people hassling aquatic wildlife at Shelly Beach Aquatic Reserve and killing a Wobbegong shark. One person's conservation efforts to save the Spotted Wobbegong (Orectolobus maculatus) are another's 'sports trophy' in spear fishing.

"The day you fail to find sharks cruis ing your favourite beach is the day you should really start to worry."

120809
An epidemic of 'convenient' 'one-mouthful-wrappers' and take-away & chuck coffee plastic garbage. There are definitely waves of usage, bound to fashion,'must do', 'must have'. Before it was the plastic water bottle one carries around jogging to look cool. Now it is the cup. Either way, the absence of mindful food and drink does not entice social responsibility. It is incorporated in the product/consumer mind: quick, convenient stuff for me, I, myself - the rest, the anti-product belongs to the public sphere. Chuck!

More green slime and frothy foam.
Garden clippings, mostly sawn wood washed onto the beach. Beach as cheap tip?

130809
A whale swam slowly along Manly beach towards Shelly beach. (Video) Both marine mammals and internal combustion vehicles take, unfortunately the same path along the shore. Boats usually 'park' ON Cabbage Tree Aquatic Reserve and then race off. The whales hug the shoreline going south now.

A very noisy chopper hovered over Manly Beach, vibrating all living beings. Deafening for all mammals, terrestial or aquatic. So much for acoustic comfort.
Along the Esplanade, pneumatic drills undoing the last jobs. Audible at the beach.

More of the convenient one-mouthful plastic wrappers left along the beach.

The daily illegal dog ON the beach.

At Queenscliff beach front the garages to house the CO2 intensive life-saving gear are apparently doubled. More habitat for combustion engines, less green space, more impervious surface and a new building on the sand dunes in times of 'planned retreat'.

180809
F o u r illegal dogs AND their owners ON Manly beach today. Two dogs at Queenscliff were allowed to freely urinate all over the sand. Think about it next time you roll on it, play with it or even eat it. Approaching the offending dog owners leads to verbal assaults and often physical threats. Emotional beasts defying the human law. Together with the feces draining from the walkway on to Manly Beach it poses a serious health hazard. There seems to be no enforcement of the law and an absence of a concerned community.

200809
Just like in August 2007, the 'green slime' (120809, above) of the day turns in to glowing waves of bioluminescence at night. (Video)

210809
Two school girls walking two rats on a leash ON the beach and around the pool. Doing their best to mingle with the wild rodent populations, facilitating a pathogen ecology for salmonella and typhus.
But why not, if cats are walked around Manly town to harrass the endemic bird population and dogs do IT ON the beach, then anything seems to go lacking effective regulation.

Divine swimmers doing the Queenscliff to Shelly Beach loop. Jet ski speeding further off. Incompatible ocean activities.

More plastic turning up as it gets warmer. All the plastic in the ocean and on the beach decompose, releasing hazardous chemicals (toxic bisphenol A (BPA) and PS oligomer ) to ALL life. Treating the beach or the Pacific as a cheap tip/externality will reveal itself as a toxic legacy for all to come.

Glass on the beach.

With great confidence they are building more at the low-lying 'sanddune/path' at Queenscliff. It appears to be doubling built habitat for CO2 gear (garages). Rising sea levels denial? No retreat, no deserting coastal strips.

Retrograde amnesia forgot the eroded volleyball posts just a short time ago. A new turf is quickly staked out and 'pay & play' can continue. Privatisation of the beach? Only the ocean and the sky pose a limit.

240809
Jelly stingers are back at Manly Beach with 11 degrees above average today. The cycle starts again: nutrient enriched hot ocean, glowing at night with bioluminescent dinoflagellates , then jelly fish and algea bloom. The ocean and atmosphere as a tip are being 'cooked up'.

Flies are also back after the weekend stampede. 900 million people are presently sprawling around the globe, 'seeking to get away from it all'. Fast food anti-products all along the beach.

An extra large oil tanker hovering at the horizon. The white sand could contain more than green slime and dog poo...

Toddlers baking at the beach in full sun for hours.

250809
Washed up right in front of the Corso a Rakali (Hydromys chrysogaster). The endemic 'water-rat' lives on Manly's rocky foreshore. It has a dense, water-repelling fur, partly webbed hind feet and a tapering tail with a white tip. It lives on aquatic invertebrates which it dissects with its specialised molars, it is a good swimmer. "It is reported to leave bigger ones out in the sun. As the bivalve heats up and dies, its valves gape, allowing the rat access to the interior." In mythology it features as a spouse of Moon.
As the unrestrained dogs and cats are allowed to freely enter its habitat it can be assumed, that this Australian local will soon vanish, just like the little Penguins. People choose to exchange rich biodiversity, which makes this place unique, for an impoverished monoculture.

A lot of post-event garbage and glass along the beach. The junkspace left behind these events should be a cost factor to the organisers.

At the Queenscliff end the diesel fumes from various buidling sites were so dense, that the beach could not be utilised.

The eroded large stairs at the southern end still have their foundations exposed. Rusty iron jarring amongst the rock and various mysterious mats are sloshed in the surf.

There was a large array of small shells.

260809
A very large pod of dolphins swimming along Manly Beach today. When they came closer to the shallow waters a yellow kayak raced too close to them, interfering with their route. A swooping helicopter finally put an end to the marine mammals visiting the beach.

Junkspace:
Noisy polluting sand-moving equipment at the Queenscliff end, 'doing the lagoon'.
At the horizon, an oil tanker emitting black plumes of pollution.
A lot of 'one mouthful' wrappers, a lot of sharp broken glass

Light pollution IN the ocean at Cabbage tree aquatic reserve & the Bower. A hassle for nocturnal marine life. Looks like the aquatic peeping and grabbing industry needs regulation.

On the Esplanade: Dog owners allow their beasts on extra long leashes to chase the Sulphur-crested Cockatoos which are picking up the pine seeds of the ground. The lawn is littered in dog turds. The leashes of careless dog-owners seem to get ever longer to the extend that even people get entangled in them now.

270809
Around the Queenscliff Rock Pool, many black flippers in the ocean close to the beach. Unfortunately they were not marine mammals, but many humans with lethal weapons. The scale of the operation was more akin to a professional Take and Go. The weapons seemed taller than the guys and a safety hazard for swimmers and walkers at Manly Beach. Armed 'sports' activities are not appropriate at a busy urban beach. It is just a matter of time before an 'accident' happens.

Where is the Manly Beach Watch, monitoring violations and pollution and collecting data on species?

Junkspace:
An unusual amount of very sharp glass all along the beach. Post event by-product. Soon signs should be erected: 'Danger! Do not go barefoot on Manly Beach. You carry all risks, ok! ' The usual amount of take-away garbage, left there by beach users. It is actually relatively rare that garbage gets washed in. Busy boat-days can lead to float-in junk. Unusual weather conditions bring minced plastic from the BIG Pacific tip.

Unusual large dead fish at the beach.

At the North Steyne Beach Club, the toilets on the beach side are being renovated. Could that be white paint tossed on to the beach sand?

Oil tanker at the horizon. The same as the days before? The uncluttered horizon will be a historical phenomenon.

At the Esplanade:
Large Red Wattlebirds (Anthochaera carnunculata) in pairs are very daring in the pines. They even clean the many garbage bins of insects.

Walking along the parade people devoting their lives tending to live-stock (dogs). Driven (CO2) to the beach, often three in harness, to empty all the 'meat' (CO2) at Manly Beach. How are these people prepared for emergency evacuations? Three 'calves' in the hummer and off to greener pastures?
Others in the stay at home nation, prefer to push multiples of their own species along, drowning out the screems with digital gear.

What a giant footprint!

280809
Three illegal dogs on Manly Beach today within a short time span. One dogowner allowed their two white inbred bull terriers to freely roam along the beach. This bully-behaviour had obvious effects on other beach users that felt uncomfortable. Potentially a dangerous situation

At North Steyne Beach, a dog owner sun-baking with a dog. As the beach seems to be a law-free arena, 'accidents' are about to happen. Will tourists really want to come to Manly to 'discover packs of dogs' and be harangued defenceless at the beach?

At this stage some risk factors at Manly Beach are dogs, glass, weapons (spearguns), fishing junk, kites and speeding vessels in the ocean.

Driftwood: July, June, May, April, March, February, January, 2009