And then there are nights, like tonight, where you just don't care to sleep and you find yourself pouring a cup of coffee at thirty after midnight. The caffeine's not good for you. you're too old to not be affected by it, it's not like you're twenty any more and can shrug the stuff off and collapse into sleep regardless. It's also not as if you can stay up til four or five, sleep for two hours, and be fine. You won't be fine at all. you'll feel like shit. You might even feel physically ill from it.

So why do I do it? Why does the old man not learn? I don't know. But it was just one of those nights for midnight coffee. It makes me think of the episode of West Wing where they are flying back to Washington at 3 in the morning, having meetings and what not on the plane and someone asks why they couldn't just go back in the morning. Martin Sheen replies along the line that there's just something about meeting at 3am that allows you to speak your dreams. Then admits that it's simply because there isa meeting in the morning that he can't postpone or something.

While I don't have a meeting in the morning, maybe tonight is the night to speak dreams.

I hope so. The writing is going slowly. If anyone looks they will see a massive gap between posts here. I sit down and start writing something here or anywhere and it just dies. I have stuff in my head but it just doesn't want to budge right now, I guess. This isn't to say that I haven't pushed a few things across the finish line. A few short stories or prose pieces have gotten done but the larger projects have just gone to pot. I almost feel like putting them aside and working on something else entirely. Nothing like spreading yourself too thin that gives you the illusion of work and progress while actually standing still.

Even with these longer projects I have the ideas in my head, I know what I want to say but I can't bridge the gap to knowing how to say it. It's like we're on opposing sides of a canyon and I keep trying to shout them across but they're not making it. They just reveberate off the walls of the canyon below, crashing into itself and creating a garbled mess.

Everytime I sit down to work on Green, it feels like a garbled mess. I might be worrying too much about the fact of the history rather than creating a history of facts. It's largely biographical and I think that's hanging me up. That and I'm not trusting the narrative that I am establishing. it's very loose and roaming. It just sort of meanders from connection to connection, time to time. It's fun in a way but it's also...odd. It's almost like walking down a street and every time you bump into someone you follow them for a bit until you bump into someone else. Except after awhile I'll just be bumping into the same people over and over again and wandering around a clustered group of interrelated stories.

Which could be really cool, if I can get it moving and pull it off. I've considered doing an outline. Nothing too exact but just a loose listing of points to hit and places to go. The problem is that every time I have done an outline I haven't followed it and for a brief moment I end up filled with anxiety over not following it. I feel like I am deviating too much and that I am destined to crash but I always right the ship and keep moving and the worries prove unwarranted.

On a late night side note, I share a birthday not only with Earth Day but with Vladimir Nabokov as well. Go Vladdy Go

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Step 1: Head Across Arizona to the New Mexico border then to Sandia Peak for the first sign of New Mexico Fall Colors.

Step 2: Work your way north to Denver, making sure to see the Colorado Rockies Fall colors and Colorado Fall Foliage in the Front Range by mid-September. Head to Upstate New York. It gets easier after this.

Step 3: The Adirondack Fall Foliage, is the first to change, head east for Vermont Fall Foliage by the end of September. Keep on going east and hop on a local ferry for Maine Coast Fall Foliage.

Step 4: Work your way down to Boston, New York and finally DC. Take your time and travel as the leaves change. Try to make it to DC by late October. Along the way - Massachusetts Fall Foliage near Concord, New York City Fall Foliage in Central Park or along the Hudson, Pennsylvania Fall Foliage near Lancaster and Philadelphia and then hike along the Potomac for Maryland Fall Foliage.

Step 5: End the trip in early November in the Smoky Mountains. Along the way (Skyline / Blue Ridge) enjoy the tail end of the Virginia Fall Foliage season.

Its November and back home to vote. Unless home is Florida then its back home to partially punch out some confusing form which will be trucked back and forth across the state while the Supreme Court picks the next president.

Side trips from NY - Catskills Fall Foliage -ride in an open WWI-era biplane and Long Island Fall Foliage, with any luck, in a family members neighborhood.

If anyone actually does this (with proof) - I will dedicate the blog in his honor.

20 years with no warming and now the same dumb fucks at the BBC say it's getting warmer all the time .

Give it up. Here's a video from 1958 warning of global warming. I'm still waiting.

Global Warming Video 1958

1922 the ice melted - and then it froze again!

Getting Warm; Seals Vanish and Icebergs Melt. November 2nd, 1922. Arctic Ocean

This whole game is so they can introduce a Carbon Tax. Period!

It's time the world stood together and told these thieves to get their hands out of our pockets.

Want the truth - read the Green Agenda

Ice cores indicated that temperatures now are unusually high

A new study by climate scientists behind the controversial 1998 "hockey stick" graph suggests their earlier analysis was broadly correct.

Ten years on from the study that provoked all the ire, Michael Mann's conclusion is that far from being broken, "the hockey stick is alive and well".

But, the Penn State University researcher added: "If we want to understand things like El Nino and how it relates to climate change, it's not enough to know just how anomalously warm the climate is today.

Full load of Bullshit at the BBC

To read this article click on the following link:
Zaagkii KBIC newsletter (scroll down to page 4)

Michelle Obama, a lovely woman, is a better speaker than her husband. She is almost too much for him to keep up with. Can we tag them as MO-BO?

Chelsea Clinton has grown up to be quite a doll but was rather stoic when introducing her mom. Bill was beaming while applauding with the rest of the crowd as Hillary came out and gave her a hug. He isn't quite good enough of an actor to hide that.  Hillary's speech worked for her as it did during her campaign, she tows the Democratic party line more so than the others did. She doesn't mince words and puts that right out for you every time.
Some commented that she might have bowed to OBAMA more than she did but the fact remains she is the tough gal that was kicking his ass up to where he is now. Why should she not mention the fact she was campaigning for the presidency? She will do so again in four years and will probably win unless some Superman with the ultimate plan appears from out of nowhere. There is little chance of that happening.
Bill was quite pleased with her speech throughout and makes me wonder what their private life is like these days.
I very much want to hear Bill speak tonight for what can roll off of his tongue. He could always speak to anyone in any crowd about anything and I doubt he will be a letdown on this stage.

The Republican Convention is going to be a must to watch just to watch those stooges trip themselves to the point of falling off the stage. When Bush lends his witless two cents MCCAIN can hang his head and cry.
I can't wait for that burlesque show.

Monarch Photos by Author Lynn Rosenblatt

Other photos by Greg Peterson

The Zaagkii Wings and Seeds Project is the latest youth environment project founded by the non-profit Cedar Tree Institute in Marquette, Michigan in cooperation with the Marquette County Juvenile Court, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) and the United States Forest Service (USFS).

The teens spent the summer building butterfly houses that offer protection, rest and an egg laying environment to Monarchs and other butterflies. The white cedar butterfly houses are lined with bark with slits that allow entry and are slimmer and longer than birdhouses.

The teens potted 26,000 native plant seeds at the Hiawatha National Forest greenhouse that will be transplanted across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula including 2.5 miles along Sand Point, a Lake Superior beach that was the first Native American Brownfield site in the Midwest after being contaminated 90 years ago by a copper refinery.

Monarch Photo by Author Lynn Rosenblatt

Other photos by Greg Peterson

---

This was the first summer of a four-year project that will include numerous efforts to protect pollinators. Called Colony Collapse Disorder, honey bees are dying by the billions across the world and experts say feral and commercial bee colonies have declined by 70 to 90 percent in the past 25 years.

Over the centuries, bees have faced challenges including deadly mites but what alarms experts is how quickly the hives are collapsing. Possible reasons include climate change, stress and pesticides.

Monarch Female photo (bottom left) from Wikipedia by Ken Harrelson

Monarch Butterfly Male photo (bottom right) from Wikipedia by Derek Ramsey

Wikipedia Honeybee Photos by Björn Appel, Wikipedia (Username Warden) and by Waugsberg

---

“The mystery of the dying bees” by COSMOS Magazine:

http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/1087

The Zaagkii Project contributors and sponsors include the Marquette Community Foundation, the Negaunee Community Fund, the Negaunee Community Youth Fund, the M.E. Davenport Foundation, the Kaufman Foundation, the Phyllis and Max Reynolds Foundation, the Upper Peninsula Children's Museum in Marquette, Mich. and the Borealis Seed Company in Big Bay, Mich.

---

Contacts and Links related to the Zaagkii Project, the Cedar Tree Institute and related topics:

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) Contacts:

KBIC Tribal Chair Warren C. “Chris” Swartz Jr.
906-353-6623 ext. 4104
---
KBIC Vice Chair Susan LaFernier
906-353-6623
---
KBIC Natural Resource Department (NRD)

Todd Warner, Director of KBIC Natural Resource Department
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community
Ph: (906) 524-5757 ext. 13
---
Evelyn Ravindran, KBIC NRD Natural Resources Specialist
906-524-5757 ext. 11
---
KBIC NRD Staffers interviewed:
Katie Kruse, NRD Environment specialist
Char Beesley. Environment Specialist
Kit Laux, NRD Water Quality Specialist
(906) 524-5757
---
Kim Klopstein, one of the summer youth supervisors for the KBIC Summer Youth Program
906-201-0020
---
United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) oversees United States Forest Service (USFS)
USDA USFS
Forest Service Eastern Region
626 E. Wisconsin Ave.
Suite 700
Milwaukee, Wis.
53202
---
Jan Schultz, Botany & Non-native Invasive Species Program Leader
USFS Milwaukee
(414) 297-1189 (wk)
(414) 944-3963 (fax)
jschultz@fs.fed.us
---
Jane Cliff, USFS Public Relations in Milwaukee
(414) 297-3664
jcliff@fs.fed.us
---
Angie Lucas, contractor, Hiawatha National Forest Greenhouse Manager
(906) 228-8491
---
Terry Miller, forest botanist
Hiawatha National Forest Office
Escanaba, Mich.
(906) 789-3319
---
Deb LeBlanc, West Side Plant Ecologist
Hiawatha National Forest
Munising, Mich. Office
Does Monarch Workshops
(906) 387-2512 ext. 19
-------
Beekeeper Jim Hayward (Marquette Dentist by trade)
103 Buffalo Road.
Negaunee, Michigan
49866

(906) 475-7582
----
Carole Touchinski, Marquette & Negaunee community foundations
(906) 226-7666
http://www.mqt-cf.org
---
Rev. Jon Magnuson, Zaagkii Wings and Seeds founder & Executive Director of non-profit Cedar Tree Institute (CTI)
(906) 228-5494 (hm)
(906) 360-5072 (cell)
(906) 226-5072 (alt. home phone)
---
Links:
---
United State Forest Service (USFS) celebrating wildflowers website:

http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/index.shtml

http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/index.shtml
---
Cedar Tree Institute - non-profit in Marquette, Michigan:
http://www.cedartreeinstitute.org
---
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community:
http://www.kbic-nsn.gov
---
Marquette County Juvenile Court:
http://www.co.marquette.mi.us/probate.htm
http://www.co.marquette.mi.us/courts.htm
---
Marquette County Juvenile Coutr & Project WEAVE:
http://www.reclaimingfutures.org/?q=locations_marquette
---
Borealis Seed Company
Big Bay, Michigan
Run by mother-daughter team of Judy Keast and Suzanne Rabitaille cultivating about 5 acres of a 20-acre spread three miles south of Big Bay, Michigan.
http://www.ltbbodawa-nsn.gov/index.html
---
Upper Peninsula Children's Museum
http://www.upcmkids.org/
---
Monarch Watch::
http://monarchwatch.org/

Monarch Author Lynn M. Rosenblatt
http://www.monarchbutterflyusa.com/Magic.htm

Numerous Monarch related links:
http://www.kidsgardening.com/pollinator/curriculum/resources.php
http://www.insecta-inspecta.com/butterflies/monarch/index.html
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/monarch.htm
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch
---
Wikipedia on Monarchs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_Butterfly
Female Monarch photo:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/63/Monarch_In_May.jpg
Wiki May 2007 Photograph of a Monarch Butterfly by Kenneth Dwain Harrelson

Male Monarch Photo by Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man) at the Tyler Arboretum
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Monarch_Butterfly_Danaus_plexippus_Male_2664px.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Ram-Man
---
Bees disappearing around the world:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollinator_decline
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bees_and_toxic_chemicals
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_Collapse_Disorder
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticide_toxicity_to_bees
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imidacloprid_effects_on_bee_population
http://www.burtsbees.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentView?contentPageId=531&catalogId=10051&storeId=10001&langId=-1
http://www.polinator.org/
http://www.vanishingbees.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diseases_of_the_honey_bee
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endangered_arthropod

Wikipedia Honeybee Photos by Björn Appel, Wikipedia Username Warden.
Edit by Waugsberg (cropped)
A honeybee on an apiary, cooling by flapping its wings in Tübingen-Hagelloch.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Honeybee-cooling_cropped.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Honeybee-cooling.jpg

Wiki Bee photos by Waugsberg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Biene_88a.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Biene_88a.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Bienen_im_Flug_52e.jpg
---
Keweenaw Peninsula: Michigan's Copper Country:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_mining_in_Michigan
http://www.unr.edu/sb204/geology/westernh.html
---
West Virginia White Butterfly & killer Garlic Mustard Seed plants:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Virginia_White
http://www.cbgarden.org/blog/index.php/tag/west-virginia-white-butterfly/
http://leapbio.org/west_virginia_white.php
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5a/3402_white_WV_ws.jpg

West Virginia White, Pieris virginiensis on wild mustard Photo by Randy L Emmitt
http://www.rlephoto.com/butterflies/white_wv01.htm
---
Butterflies/Moths:
The Butterfly Site:
http://www.thebutterflysite.com/
Children's butterfly links:
http://www.monarchbutterflyusa.com/Links.htm
Butterfly Encounters:
http://www.butterflyencounters.com/
Butterflys and Moths of North America:
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org
Opler, Paul A., Harry Pavulaan, Ray E. Stanford, Michael Pogue, coordinators. 2006. Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: NBII Mountain Prairie Information Node. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org
---
Deciduous forests:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deciduous
---
Viceroys:
Viceroy Butterfly mimics Monarchs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viceroy_butterfly
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Viceroy_Butterfly.jpg
Wikipedia Viceroy photo by Piccolo “Pic” Namek
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:PiccoloNamek

Viceroy:
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/viceroy.htm
Photo by William T. Hark
---
Butterfly & endangered species hibernacula:
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/Endangered/lists/michigan-cty.html
http://www.naturenorth.com/summer/bgarden/bttgrdF.html
http://entweb.clemson.edu/museum/buttrfly/local/bfly12.htm
http://actazool.nhmus.hu/48/konvicka.pdf
http://earthcaretaker.com/naturalization/llamb.html
---
Mourning Cloaks aka Morning Cloaks:
http://www.sierrapotomac.org/W_Needham/MourningCloak_060319.htm
http://www.bentler.us/eastern-washington/insects/mourning-cloak.aspx
http://www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4th/kkhp/1insects/mourningcloak.html
http://www.naturenorth.com/spring/bug/mcloak/Fmcloak.html
---
Mason bees - bee houses in wood:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_bee
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Osmia_rufa_couple_(aka).jpg
Photo of an Red Mason Bee couple (osmia rufa) by André Karwath of German Wikipedia also known as AKA (André Karwath):
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Aka

Mason Bees:
http://www.farminfo.org/bees/mason-bees.htm

http://www.everythingabout.net/articles/biology/animals/arthropods/insects/bees/mason_bee/
Photo by Kim Taylor of Bruce Coleman Inc.

http://www.masonbeehomes.com/bee_houses.php
http://www.pollinator.com/mason_homes.htm
http://www.insectpix.net/Homes_for_bees.htm
---
Brownfield sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownfields
http://ncrs.fs.fed.us/4902/focus/restoration/brownfield/
---
Mass Mill - copper processing waste (stamp sands) cleanup:
(Search for KBIC in following document)
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/tribalgov/ImprovingPartnerships.pdf
http://www.uprcd.org/projects.asp
http://www.upea.com/filesfordownloading/Baragadraft.pdf
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/tribalgov/ImprovingPartnerships.pdf
---
Dave Anthony & Northern Michigan University Center for Native American studies:
http://webb.nmu.edu/Centers/NativeAmericanStudies/SiteSections/Calendar/IEDSHighlights.shtml
http://webb.nmu.edu/Centers/NativeAmericanStudies/SiteSections/AboutUs/AboutUs.shtml
---
Manoomin Project:
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096416108
http://www.cedartreeinstitute.org/wildrice2007.html
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,215966.%20shtml
http://blog.americanfeast.com/indigenous_food
http://www.goodnewsdaily.com/show_story.php?ID=3500

Manoomin Project Videos:
http://blip.tv/file/549632
http://blip.tv/file/341528/
---
Dreamcatcher:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamcatcher_(Native_American)
http://www.dreamcatcher.com/home.php
---
Northern white cedar:
http://forestry.about.com/library/tree/blntwh.htm
---
Honeybee decline:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollinator_decline
http://www.masterbeekeeper.org/pdf/pollination.pdf

The Value of Honey Bees As Pollinators of U.S. Crops in 2000 by Drs. Roger Morse and Nicholas Calderone of Cornell University (2000) :

Colony Collapse Disorder (or CCD) is a poorly understood phenomenon in which worker bees from a beehive or Western honey bee colony abruptly disappear. While such disappearances have occurred throughout the history of apiculture, the term Colony Collapse Disorder was first applied to a drastic rise in the number of disappearances of Western honey bee colonies in North America in late 2006.
European beekeepers observed a similar phenomenon in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, and initial reports have also come in from Switzerland and Germany, albeit to a lesser degree. Possible cases of CCD have also been reported in Taiwan since April 2007.
---

There is no doubt that green is “in,” and veteran environmentalists hope that this is one warming trend that continues. But first, what does “Green is the new black” mean? Most ladies and fashion hipsters know the phrase, “______ is the new black.” It means the object of the phrase is the new basic—the black dress, the go-with-everything shoes, jeans, etc.—the thing that is a foundation to fashionable living. The phrase has been co-opted for non-fashion arenas, and I use it here to talk about environmentalism in balance.

While every day is a green day, Earth Day is solemnity in the secular liturgy of environmentalism. There appeared both government and grassroots efforts and celebrations across the globe, with people of all ages from ordinary folks to politicians to A-list celebrities. It was all quiet on the family planning front, though.

While some environmentalists grow caustic over the hip-factor of caring for our planet because it’s something they’ve been at for a long time, I say let’s take advantage of the green fervor to bring to light something many greenies haven’t thought twice about: Natural Family Planning, or NFP.

Doesn’t it seem interesting that we’ll go to great lengths to ensure our meat, dairy and other grocery products are “all natural” and hormone free, but then we’ll turn around and ingest, poke or patch our bodies with all sorts of synthetic hormones, the ramifications of which we’re still discovering?

The National Catholic Register wrote last July about the serious effects we’re seeing in the environment because of the residual effects of drugs, or what biologists call “endocrine disruptors”–particularly chemical contraceptives. Now, if the human side effects of hormonal contraception don’t catch your attention, perhaps non-mating intersex fish will hook you. Colorado biologist John Woodling, speaking to the Denver Post in 2005 said, It’s “the first thing that I’ve seen as a scientist that really scared me.” We’re not talking one freak fish here; it’s a significant problem, a problem so significant that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the American Pharmacists Association have a major public-awareness campaign regarding this contamination called “Smar_xt Disposal.”

Years before the green trend train got going, Pope John Paul II said in 1990 that we have "a grave responsibility to preserve [the earth's] order for the well-being of future generations." Pope Benedict, dubbed as “The Green Pope,” further emphasizes the need to “focus on the needs of sustainable development.” However, he reminds us that there must be a balance between the environment and people reminding us that humans are "the only one of all creatures on this earth that can establish a free and conscious relationship with his creator."

With Pope Benedict, I urge my brothers and sisters in Christ and all people of good will to steward the earth’s treasures, but also to remember that we must value human life above all. “Population control” programs treat the humans as disposable carbon consumers, rather than unrepeatable and irreplaceable gifts from God, not to mention potential problem solvers to the world’s social and climate conundrums.

The contraceptive mentality of today’s culture sees fertility as disease and babies as burdens, but we forget that children are a blessing, and within each child is a God-given mission to be great and to do great things. Al Gore and Davis Guggenheim teamed up to make the 2006 Oscar award winning An Inconvenient Truth, their documentary on the global warming crisis. It was groundbreaking moment for filmmaking as well as the Green movement, but it would not have been possible without their conceptions and births.

NFP is of inestimable value for the world for more than just the environmental credibility. It also fosters fertility appreciation, love of children and has marital and psychological benefits. It is shared system of family planning that fosters communication, builds prudence and self-control and decreases sexual objectification. As I’ve said before, NFP doesn’t just have natural benefits; it has supernatural benefits. Gore and Guggenheim co-created a film that won an Oscar, but couples who cooperate with God’s plan for marriage and sex experience a personal & spiritual vitality that not only nourishes communication and mutual self respect, but it makes them icons of the Most Holy Trinity. That’s not a red carpet line, but a heavenly promise.

(C) 2008 The Catholic Herald, Madison, WI.

A big hello from Mariam and Fatima!
 
Teachers all around the world would agree that bulletin boards are a reflection of a teacher's work in class... of the effort she/he puts in experiences the learning taking place in students. They are also a means of acknowledging the work and achievements of children in school.
No doubt, bulletin boards reflect the teacher, teaching style, learners and the learning that takes place.
 
So, in this post we announce the inclusion of a new page on our blog, 'Bulletin Board Ideas' for teachers and parents to see. Of course, these are not the best bulletin boards and... there is great scope for creativity when it comes to showing off our kid's works.
 
Have a nice time as we dig into our photographs folders to find some more boards to add on to these ones.
 
Take Care,
Mariam and Fatima

Here is the article title: "Trash soils Bush pledge to protect islands" - AP - by Dina Cappiello
"To date, more than $12 million has been spent and 646 tons of marine debris have been removed."

Surprise. Surprise.  It hasn't kept pace on the pick-up or the money back it up.   I bet it stinks.  The science is already there showing how it is affecting everything! The oceans - the animals (water or land) and yet - it is not maintained.

"Debris removal, meanwhile, has fallen to 35 tons a year since the islands became a monument, about a third of the 102 tons that boats and divers collected on average before that, including junk that was already there."

That is a lot of trash.  What happened to recycle?  Pick up after yourselfs, dang namb it!  Look there are already toilets that flush for you because of the laziness of a person!  Down right out lazy! Heck - I can't wait for the machine to be developed to wipe off the seat once someone has peed all over it, but that is neither here nor there.

The oceans people - have dead spots.  Where and why do you think they are there?  If you huff and guff at this - I dare you to not listen to the warning and beach signs saying closed due to contamination.  If it is not safe for you - why is it safe for anything else??

Recycle - Don't throw your trash overboard!

What more can you ask for in a commercial? They manage to better the worlds environment with a naked business exec and security officer? The planet green channel delivers, all for the love of the planet!

Truly,
Mr. Echo

“Sacrilegious though this may sound, democracy is no longer
well suited for the tasks ahead. The complexity and the technical
nature of many of today’s problems do not always allow elected
representatives to make competent decisions at the right time.”
Club of Rome

When
I searched for links between these men, who keep appearing in nearly
every area of global environmental politics, I discovered that they
were all members of the Club of Rome. Now extraordinary claims, like
a global conspiracy, demand extraordinary proof. But this conspiracy
is hidden in plain
sight.
They make very little attempt to hide their real agenda. On this
website I try to use quotes and excerpts as much as possible and let
the reader reach their own conclusions.

So, what exactly is
the Club of Rome and who are its members? Founded in 1968, the CoR
describes itself as "a group of world
citizens, sharing a common concern for the future of humanity."
It consists of current and former Heads of State, high-level
politicians and government officials, diplomats, scientists,
economists, and business leaders from around the globe.

The Club of Rome subsequently founded
two sibling organizations, the
Club
of Budapest
and the Club
of Madrid.
The former is focused on social and cultural aspects of their
agenda, while the latter concentrates on the political aspects. All
three of these 'Clubs' share many common members and hold joint
meetings and
conferences.
As explained in other articles on this website it is abundantly clear
that these are three heads of the same beast. The CoR has also
established a network of 28 National
Associations.

Some
Current Members of the Club of Rome triad:

Al
Gore
– former VP of the USA, leading climate change campaigner,
Nobel Peace Prize winner, Academy Award winner, Emmy winner, lead the
US delegations to the Rio Earth Summit and Kyoto Climate Change
conference, largest shareholder in the Chicago Climate Exchange.

Javier
Solana
– Secretary General of the Council of the European Union, High
Representative for EU Foreign Policy.

Maurice
Strong
– former Head of the UN Environment
Programme, Chief Policy Advisor to Kofi Annan, Secretary General of
the Rio Earth Summit, co-author (with Gorbachev) of the Earth
Charter, co-author of the Kyoto Protocol, founder of the Earth
Council, devout Baha’i.

Mikhail
Gorbachev
– CoR
executive
member, former President of the Soviet
Union, founder of Green Cross International and the Gorbachev
Foundation, Nobel Peace Prize winner, co-founder
(with Hidalgo) of the Club of Madrid, co-author (with Strong)
of the Earth Charter.

Diego
Hidalgo
– CoR executive
member, co-founder (with Gorbachev) of the Club of
Madrid, founder and President of the European Council on Foreign
Relations.

Ervin
Laszlo
– founding member of the CoR, founder and President of the Club
of Budapest, founder
and Chairman of the World Wisdom Council.

Hassan
bin Talal
–
President of the CoR, President of the Arab
Thought Forum, founder of the World
Future Council,
recently named as the United Nations 'Champion
of the Earth'.

Sir
Crispin Tickell
– former British Permanent Representative to the United Nations
and Permanent Representative on the Security Council, Chairman of the
‘Gaia Society’, Chairman of the Board of the Climate
Institute, leading British climate change campaigner.

Kofi
Annan
– former Secretary General of the United Nations. Nobel
Peace Prize Laureate.

Javier
Perez de Cuellar
– former Secretary General of the
United Nations. .

Robert
Muller –
former Assistant Secretary General of the United
Nations, founder and Chancellor of the UN
University of Peace.

David
Rockefeller
– CoR
executive
member, former Chairman of Chase
Manhattan Bank, founder of the Trilateral Commission, executive
member of the World Economic Forum, donated land on which the United
Nations stands.

Stephen
Schneider
– Stanford Professor of Biology and Global Change.
Professor Schneider was among the earliest and most vocal proponents
of man-made global warming and a lead author of many IPCC
reports.

Bill
Clinton
– former President of the United States,
founder of the Clinton Global Iniative.

Jimmy
Carter
– former President of the United States, Nobel Peace Prize
Laureate.

Bill
Gates
– founder of Microsoft, philanthropist

Other
current influential members:
(these
can be found on the Club
of Rome, Club
of Budapest,
Club
of Madrid
and/or
CoR
National Association
membership
pages)

Ted
Turner – American media mogul, philanthropist, founder of
CNN
George Soros – multibillionare, major
donor to the UN
Tony Blair – former Prime
Minister of the United Kingdom
Deepak Chopra – New
Age Guru
Desmond Tutu – South African Bishop and
activist, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
Timothy
Wirth – President of the United
Nations Foundation
Henry
Kissinger – former US Secretary of State
Barbara Marx
Hubbard – President of the Foundation
for Conscious Evolution
Betty
Williams – Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Marianne
Williamson – New Age 'Spiritual Activist'
Robert
Thurman – assistant to the Dalai Lama
Jane Goodall
– Primatologist and Evolutionary Biologist
Juan
Carlos I – King of Spain
Prince Philippe of
Belgium
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
Dona Sophia
– Queen of Spain
Karan Singh – Chairman of the
Temple
of Understanding
Daisaku
Ikeda – founder of the Soka
Gakkai cult
Eduard
Shevardnadze – former Soviet foreign minister and President
of Georgia
Richard von Weizsacker – former
President of Germany
Martin Lees – CoR
Secretary General, Rector of the UN University of Peace
Ernesto
Zedillo – Director of The
Yale Center for the Study of Globalization

Frithjof Finkbeiner – Coordinator of the Global
Marshall Plan
Vaclav
Havel – former President of the Czech Republic
Hans
Kung – Founder of the Global
Ethic Foundation
Ruud
Lubbers – United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees
Mary Robinson
– United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights
Jerome Binde – Director of
Foresight, UNESCO
Federico Mayor – Director
General of UNESCO
Tapio Kanninen – Director
of Policy and Planning, United Nations
Konrad
Osterwalder – Under-Secretary-General of the United
Nations
Peter Johnston – Director
General of European Commission
Thomas Homer-Dixon –
Director of Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Toronto
Emeka
Anyaoku – former Commonwealth
Secretary General, current President of the WWF
Wangari
Maathai – Nobel Peace Prize Laureate,
founder of the Green
Belt Movement
and
many more….

Visit The Green Agenda

by Sarah Lane at ProgressiveKid

Ritual is good for all families. Researchers tell us that family rituals make people happier (S. Harrar 2003, p. 28) for one thing. And they find in family routines experienced by kids of four years of age predictors of academic achievement at age nine (Barbara Fiese 2000). But some of the rituals a lot of us grew up with don't mesh with the values and goals of the green movement, or they seem alien or even devoid of meaning to people with an awakening sense of concern for the planet. For example, the unsustainable practice of giving or receiving oodles of Christmas gifts can make us feel heavy and unhappy. The Fourth of July emphasis on explosions feels uncomfortable in an age of climate change, forest fires, and dwindling wildlife.

So what's a green family to do? Here are some rituals that greenies can agree on and use as the foundation for more personalized adaptations based on individual belief and culture:

1. Eat dinner together. National polls in the United States indicate that between the late 1970s and the late 1990s, compared to earlier periods, families were eating fewer meals together and spending less time hanging out, just talking (Robert Putnam 2000). But family dinner time is a highly important ritual for family health. The Importance of Family Dinners IV, a report issued in 2007 by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, concluded that "Frequent family dining is associated with lower rates of teen smoking, drinking, illegal drug use and prescription drug abuse." Joseph Califano Jr., CASA's Chairman and President, writes, "one factor that does more to reduce teens' substance abuse risk than almost any other is parental engagement, and one of the simplest and most effective ways for parents to be engaged in teens' lives is by having frequent family dinners."

And over the course of five years, researcher Dianne Neumark-Sztainer and her colleagues at the University of Minnesota studied more than 2500 adolescents at 31 Minnesota schools. They found that adolescent girls who frequently ate meals with their families were less likely to be using extreme measures to control their weight five years later [Project Eating Among Teens (Project EAT)].

Dinner time is the best time to gather and reflect on the day, catch up, reconnect, and plan for tomorrow. Use it to focus on the most important people in your life.

2. Honor the big moments. (And recognize the differences among family members in terms of the perception of what is big.) Acknowledge birthdays and anniversaries, graduations, accomplishments, firsts and lasts. The acknowledgment doesn't have to involve a crystal cascading champagne fountain and 200 guests. It can be something as simple as a note, the time to take a photograph, or completing a page in a scrapbook. What it must include is awareness on the part of one individual of the significance of the event for the other.

3. Create a thankfulness ritual. The work of researchers Robert A. Emmons (University of California at Davis) and Michael E. McCullough (University of Miami) on the health benefits of gratitude underscores the importance of gratitude rituals. They found that even simple gratitude rituals were associated with increased levels of optimism, happiness, goal attainment, alertness, energy, connectedness, quality of sleep, and health.

There are many options for gratitude rituals ranging from making lists to a full-blown Thanksgiving dinner. One simple gratitude ritual is to keep a bowl and three stones by your bed. Every night before sleeping, put each stone in the bowl, thinking of one thing you're thankful for to correspond with each stone. This is simple enough for young children to do and so makes a great family ritual.

4. Create a negativity-releasing ritual. It can't be news to you that lowering stress levels has important health benefits. Just to confirm what we already know, a recent study of more than 2800 adults published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found lower levels of cortisol, the “stress" hormone, in people with positive affect. As you probably know, long-term high cortisol levels can increase blood pressure, lower immunity, increase abdominal fat, and impair thinking. The study found especially significant results for women in whom positive affect was associated with lower levels of interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein, which are inflammatory substances associated with risk for heart attack, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

All family members can benefit from the conscious practice of ridding one's self of negativity and stress. But this is not to say that certain stressors shouldn't be brought home. On the contrary, home is where many such things can be dealt with best. But there is a difference between actively working through a negative event and bathing in it. You can help your children learn to be proactive about stress, finding effective ways to talk through and work through problems and then let them go. Yoga, meditation, and exercise are great ways to do this, but these are not always ideal strategies for young children.

You might consider installing a touch stone or touch branch outside your front door. Whenever anyone comes home, they touch the stone or branch and remind themselves that they are entering a sacred space. The idea is to leave negativity outside and to bring inside the intention to work through real problems, turning to other family members for guidance and support and not to use them as receptors of negative emotions.

5. Celebrate and honor the cycles of life. There are six key annual calendar events that green families can mark with ritual.

a. Sping Equinox (March). Celebrate rebirth after winter. The perfect ritual is to plant a tree or flowers.

b. Earth Day (April 22). Honor your planet, the animals, the trees, the water, the air. Do something for your planet and spend time outside. Liberate trees from ivy. Help restore a salmon stream. Work on trail restoration. Set up rain barrels in your yard. Put up a bird feeder. Volunteer at an animal shelter.

c. Summer Solstice (June). Celebrate the sunlight. Celebrate vitality, energy, joy. A family picnic, a special late evening walk, a camping weekend, a visit to a planetarium, or a meal of seasonal food are great ways to ritualize this event.

d. Autumnal Equinox (September). This is the celebration of the harvest, a time to be thankful for what the earth has given you. A ritual visit to a farm, carving pumpkins, canning, or making apple cider help remind us of the impending winter and of the goodness of summer. We remember that all good things end and we share our hope for the future.

e. Day of the Dead (November 2). Honor the ones you have lost. In our home, we make an altar every November 2. On the altar we place images of the people and animals we miss. We include talismans, things that represent our emotions and the loved ones. We light candles and keep them burning all evening long in memory.

d. Winter Solstice (December). During the winter when life is dormant remind yourself of the key reasons to be joyful: friends and family. This should be a celebration of light, of hope in future awakening from cold and sleep. Lighting candles, gathering for a meal, singing, or doing something for others who are hungry and cold are perfect rituals for this event.

We green, free thinkers who dream of a radically transformed society sometimes feel a little like we're blazing trails in the dark. Ongoing rituals that are full of meaning for people who care about life and the planet can sustain us during difficult times and during times of doubt and fear. Teach your children that ritual is a life tool, a way to mark the passing of time, a means to increase awareness, gratitude, and hope, and a strategy for coping effectively with hardship and loss. It may be one of the most important strategies we have for dealing with the complications of an ailing planet.

Now, back to Fall Color in New York City - there is plenty of it - and in each borough's parks. Get Medieval at the Cloisters. But you may want to get out of the city to the Catskills or Hudson Valley Fall Foliage Trips - under 2 hours from Manhattan. Or go west to the Poconos and ride antique trains and admire the bright reds and oranges of Pennsylvania fall foliage.

Visiting relatives on the Island? Check out the Fall Colors on Long Island while touring one of the historic mansions. Leave the Tank of Gas at home - take the LIRR and a bike.

And if you have a hybrid and want to include some of America's best wineries in your long weekend - don't miss Fall Foliage in the Finger Lakes. If you pick the right weekend, you will probably get a harvest festival or two to boot.

For this weekend, its a bit early to catch the fall colors just about anywhere in New England. You would enjoy the Colorado Fall Foliage or even New Mexico Fall Foliage at the high elevations of the rockies.

Now, back to Boston Fall Foliage. By early October, the historic town and scenic roads around Concord put on a good display of Massachusetts fall foliage.

A tank of gas will certainly get you far up the Maine Coast (and back). Fall Foliage Cruises in Maine offer a unique view of New England Fall Foliage - from the water. Local ferries provide a "cruise" for a very reasonable price.  Mt. Battie, near Camden, Maine has great panoramic views of the Maine Fall Foliage.

Its going to be hard to reach the northern areas of New Hampshire and Vermont on a tank of gas, so we suggest the following:

For New Hampshire Fall Foliage - 100 miles gets you to Lake Winnipesaukee,  where foliage lovers view the countryside from a hot air balloon.

For Vermont Fall Foliage - Bromley, Stratton and Mt. Snow all run their lifts at full capacity bringing in the early October leaf peepers. At 350 miles round trip - it can be done on one tank. Just leave the Hummer at home.

Indie Winemakers business model is to reduce inefficiencies of the current 3-tier distribution model by offering wines direct from the producer.  With this model, we eliminate the need to consolidate wines and store them in multiple warehouses, transporting the wine multiple times until it finally reaches the retail shop.  We minimize greenhouse gases by offering the most efficient distribution model!  However, our winery partners are unable to use this distribution model for many states.  That's because individual states may still determine whether or not you may receive wine shipments to your home or place of business.

This distribution system is an outgrowth of the 21^st Amendment, which ended Prohibition. To more effectively regulate alcohol sales after the repeal, most states decided to place an independent intermediary, the wholesaler, between producers and retailers. The result is our current distribution model where each state has created a patchwork of liquor laws nationwide.  In many cases, we have left it up to the wholesalers and distributors to determine how your wine gets to your state.  

Yes, that's right we are still paying for the effect Prohibition had on our country 75 years ago! 

Even more interesting is the fact that many internet retailers are selling wine that they have purchased and moved to a central storage area! I'll call that the 2 1/2 tier distribution solution.  These internet sales site are buying at wholesale prices from the wineries and moving the wine to their own warehouse where they then store the wine until you purchase it from them.  Consider the impact of moving the wine twice and storing it in two locations before it is shiped to you.

Before you purchase wine over the internet, make sure you understand the company's business model.  Buy winery direct - reduce greenhouse gases!

Once again Ireland shows it's intelligence. First they voted down the Lisbon Treaty and now Environment Minister Sammy Wilson has come out against the fraud of man made global warming. Proud to have a bit of the Irish flowing in my veins.

Sammy Wilson's view on climate change has angered environmentalists

The Environment Minister Sammy Wilson has angered green campaigners by describing their view on climate change as a "hysterical psuedo-religion".

In an article in the News Letter, Mr Wilson said he believed it occurred naturally and was not man-made.

"Resources should be used to adapt to the consequences of climate change, rather than King Canute-style vainly trying to stop it," said the minister.

Peter Doran of the Green Party said it was a "deeply irresponsible message."

Mr Wilson said he refused to "blindly accept" the need to make significant changes to the economy to stop climate change.

"The tactic used by the "green gang" is to label anyone who dares disagree with their view of climate change as some kind of nutcase who denies scientific fact," he said.

The minister said he accepted climate change can occur, but does not believe the cause has been identified.

"Reasoned debate must replace the scaremongering of the green climate alarmists."

From the BBC

yeah, the negativity and stress is still lingering in the corners of my mind, but for the first time in a long time, i'm actively working through the mire. i'm getting out into the world, doing things i love, spending time with people i love (and who love me), and making plans to be happy. there are always going to be things in my life that are difficult and unpleasant, but i'm working really hard at not letting them overshadow all the good things.

shitty things: being broke, not doing well in school, remnants of crappy feelings to do with J., being overweight, not having my own place, having 2+ years left in my degree

great things: Ani tomorrow!, new art supplies, sunshine, soon-to-be pet bunny, having the apartment to myself for three weeks, Earth Day @ Jericho Beach next weekend, visiting with Mom last week and Dad in a few days, more time spent with friends, pretty decent work for the summer, not having to move home for the summer, re-reading my favourite books, Juno on DVD, new music, free wine & chocolate in exchange for cat-sitting, Shambhala in less than 4 months!!, making time to appreciate the world and my place in it :D.

man, self-(re)discovery is SWEET!

location: home
mood: cheerful
music: yael naim - new soul