See Lenny Flank's "Daily Bucket: A Bird Fight" diary below the orange squiggle.
Many environmentally related posts appearing at Daily Kos each week don't attract the attention they deserve. To help get more eyeballs, Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The most recent Saturday Spotlight can be seen here. So far, more than 19,625 environmentally oriented diaries have been rescued for inclusion in this weekly collection since 2006. Inclusion of a diary in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
Because of the relatively small number of diaries today (after Wednesday's record of 103), category titles have been removed for this Spotlight only.
As the Globe Warms, So Does the Climate Movement—by
Todd Gitlin: via TomDispatch: "Less than two weeks have passed and yet it isn’t too early to say it: the People’s Climate March changed the social map—many maps, in fact, since hundreds of smaller marches took place in 162 countries. That march in New York City, spectacular as it may have been with its 400,000 participants, joyous as it was, moving as it was (slow-moving, actually, since it filled more than a mile’s worth of wide avenues and countless side streets), was no simple spectacle for a day. It represented the upwelling of something that matters so much more: a genuine global climate movement. When I first heard the term 'climate movement' a year ago, as a latecomer to this developing tale, I suspected the term was extravagant, a product of wishful thinking. I had, after all, seen a few movements in my time (and participated in several). I knew something of what they felt like and looked like—and this, I felt, wasn’t it."
Why Do Stanford's Climate Scientists Hate America?—by
Steven D: "Sadly, there exists a 'fifth column' in our very midst whose sole purpose is to take away our freedom to inhale exhaust fumes. They are promoting an agenda that would forever change the American way of life, and some of them work at Stanford University. Now, Stanford is the home of The Hoover Institution, a proud, right-thinking organization devoted to expanding economic opportunity around the globe for the benefit of us all. Unfortunately, Stanford also seems to have an infestation of anti-American no-gooders, so-called 'climate' and 'earth science' jokers who seem to believe they can act against
Koch Industries our nation's best interest, by promoting the 'silly' idea that 'anthropogenic climate change' is a cause of the current severe drought in California. These traitors hide behind their 'academic credentials' and their 'scientific research' to promote crap 'studies' like this one to fool us into giving away our liberty."
Nature commentary says to ditch the 2°C target—by
ClimateDenierRoundup: "Deniers who have long ignored the studies confirming climate change in Nature are now agreeing with the prestigious journal, because it's published a controversial opinion piece calling for international climate negotiators to get rid of the 2°C warming target. The authors, David Victor and Charles Kennel, argue that we should switch to using a host of other metrics that provide a fuller picture of the global climate because the 2°C goal is impossible and has allowed for politicians to delay action. Along with the Guardian and Reuters, LiveScience covered the piece, including some great quotes from Dr. Mann who said, among other things, that the piece was 'misguided.' Real Climate has a full response that explains the justification for 2°C and points out some errors in the
Nature oped. At Climate Progress, Joe Romm has a more general, audience-focused piece. The bottom line is this: It took 20 years of negotiations to decide on the 2°C limit, and we're finally starting to see some action to achieve that goal. Now these authors want to start over with new metrics, meaning countries would have to negotiate again on what exactly to count, how to go about counting it, and what the limits should be."
You can find more rescued green diaries below the sustainable squiggle.
Climate Chaos
Carbon Capture & Storage, it's here!—by Agathena: "There was a big drive towards carbon capture and storage or CCS ten years ago but it slowed to a crawl. It is very expensive and it is experimental. Many people are suspicious of the storage deep in the earth or in the deep ocean. This is carbon capture:
Here's what some very knowledgable people said about CCS in 2008 for the Pembina Institute, a Canadian environmental consulting site. Five people give their opinion, a politician, an environmental leader, a SunCo CCS spokesperson, Sierra Club spokesperson, a strong advocate of CCS. Basically they all agree that without carbon capture we cannot continue to use coal. But it is really untested on a large scale and no one can guarantee the absolute safety of the storage deep in the earth or in the deep ocean."
Charity Commission finds GWPF "blurring fact"—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "One of the UK's biggest climate denial organizations is Lord Lawson's Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF). The UK's Charity Commission recently ruled that the group is guilty of 'blurring fact and comment on climate change.' Essentially, the Charity Commission found that the group's aim was not educational—as per its mandate—because of its 'promotion of a particular view.' As a result, the group has had to spin off a campaigning arm to continue its political advocacy. While this is good news because it provides strong evidence that climate denial groups the world over shouldn't be considered anything but political campaigners, GWPF's new group will be able to lobby even more now that it's honest about its intent. In fact, the foundation's director claims that, 'We are very happy with this development…It allows us to become a campaigning organisation which we never could be before.'"
Climate Change and Human Rights—by BettytheBoop: "Buffalo based human rights photographer Orin Langelle opens his Allentown gallery today. According to the Buffalo News: 'The ¡Buen Vivir! gallery opens its doors for the first time at 6 p.m. Friday at 148 Elmwood Ave. Its inaugural show is "Climate Change: Faces, Places & Protest: Photos from the Front Lines." It features more than two decades of photographs from five continents, including the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch in Nicaragua and various United Nations climate summits.'"
Climate Action Including People's Climate March
Naomi Klein provides accelerant to the re-ignited Climate Change Movement - a book review—by Dan Riker: "Klein writes about a very frightening topic, but she does it with a style that is personal, warm and gentle, not strident or preachy. She communicates to the reader almost as she would to a close friend, or relative. And she demonstrated that same style in her talk to an overflow, standing room only crowd Wednesday night at a Powell's bookstore in the Portland, Oregon, suburb of Beaverton. She talked as if all the people in the room were friends, or family—reinforcing the message of inclusion in her book—that in trying to save the world, we are all together. But while her style is gentle and friendly, her message is not muted, or ambiguous. 'All non-radical changes are off the table,' she said to the crowd. 'We have to change a system that already has failed...this is the best chance to demand and build a better world.' And the principal part of her message is that the climate change movement can galvanize other reform movements into one major effort to bring about true economic equality and opportunity, and greater freedom. And as a centerpiece of a united movement she proposes that the government guarantee a minimum income to all citizens, something that Switzerland recent has done."
Building Bridges Radio: Exciting Labor Highlights From Peoples Climate March—by buildingbridgesradio: "With our future on the line and the whole world watching, labor and community groups joined forces to take a stand to bend the course of history. And as the people took to the streets to demand that the world we know is within our reach: a world with an economy that works for people and the planet; a world safe from the ravages of climate change; a world with good jobs, clean air and water, and healthy communities, we were there. Building Bridges was there to now bring you labor voices from the Peoples Climate March."
Extreme Weather & Natural Phenomena
Bárðarbunga: Smashing The Pollution Record Yet Again (update x2)—by
Rei: "The first post-eruption SO2 measurements of 600 µg/m³ at Egilsstaðir were 2 1/2 times the previous Icelandic (pre-eruption) pollution record. Then that was crushed when Reyðarfjörður hit 2600 µg/m³—like breathing from a tailpipe. Then that was crushed when Reyðarfjörður hit 4000 µg/m³. Recently I expressed concern when the sensitive ecosystem of Mývatn started getting hit with pollution spikes. Yes, I was concerned then. But that was just just a trifle compared to what they've been getting now. Mývatn, meet 5800 µg/m³. [...] A 5800 µg/m³ 10-minute measurement. Hours spent in the thousands. Just terrible, simply terrible. [...] Formerly-unrusted windshield wipers, likewise corroded in just a month—in cold temperatures and with no salt spray. Umhverfisstofnun (the Icelandic EPA) says that it's probable that what we're seeing is accelerated acid corrosion - not from acid rain, but from the mist itself. This is what's going into peoples' lungs, eyes, etc."
Bárðarbunga: Getting To Know The Neighborhood—by Rei: "English groups many different concepts together into the word 'know,' while Icelandic has many different words for each kind of knowledge. People vita facts. People kunna a skill. Your acquaintances þekkja you, in that they're familiar with your existence, but do they really skilja you? If you wanted to visit them, it's not a question of whether you know the way but whether you rata there. If you've talking about having known hardship, the verb is þola. And I'd rather not get into 'know' in the biblical sense ;) But the type of 'know' we're going to cover today is kynnast—to get to know something. And to þekkja better the lava flow, to skilja what's going to happen in the future, we need to vita more about the area, hopefully so well that you could kunna að rata there. So I hope you'll þola this little linguistics aside as we move on to kynnast the area around the far tip of the lava flow ... the area around Vaðalda."
Energy & Conservation
Really? America's First Environmentally-Friendly Oil Sands Extraction Project!—by ClimateBrad: "I have received one of the best emails all year. The subject line: “EXCLUSIVE INVITE * Witness the Opening of America's First Environmentally-Friendly Oil Sands Extraction Project.” The invite explained that the 'VIP Guests' of the 'special ribbon-cutting ceremony' on October 1 would enjoy a complimentary stay at the Salt Lake City Radisson before boarding a 'luxury bus' to Vernal, Utah, for a tour of the tar-sands plant and its 'proprietary, enviro-friendly technology.' As it turns out, this isn’t a new hoax from the Yes Men, the parodists responsible for the Halliburton SurvivaBall or ExxonMobil Vivoleum, a fuel rendered from global-warming victims. Instead, it’s from MCW Energy, a Canadian company involved in one of the first tar-sands mines in the United States. MCW Energy is also trying to push forward the first tar-sands project on federal lands nearby. The Bureau of Land Management is still deciding whether to approve this; the provisional approval language does not consider the project’s greenhouse footprint, which is consistent with President Barack Obama’s stated self-defeating climate policy. [...] What underlies MCW’s bizarre claim of being 'environmentally safe' and 'friendly'? The company uses a proprietary set of chemical solvents to 'liberate bitumen' from strip-mined tar sands; the solvents are reused and the “cleaned sands” can be replaced at the mining site. Their water-free technology should reduce or eliminate the need for the toxic tailings ponds that are contaminating the lakes and rivers near other tar-sands projects. This is all for the good, but it doesn’t make their tar-sands strip mine on public lands 'environmentally friendly.'"
If a Tar-Sands Project Fails in the Forest…—by Michael Brune: "Back in March, I wrote about the Keystone XL "it's not about the pipe," saying that any rejection of new tar sands pipelines serves the purpose of keeping this dirty oil in the ground. Some good news from last week proves the point that I and others have been making. The Norwegian energy firm Statoil announced that it would pull the plug on a planned multibillion-dollar, 40,000 barrel per day destructive tar sands project in Alberta. What reason did they give? Rising costs and "limited pipeline access which weighs on prices for Alberta oil, squeezing margins and making it difficult for sustainable financial returns." (Translation: We are kicking Keystone's keister.) In fact, Statoil's is actually the third Canadian tar-sands cancellation this year. This latest one, though, is both the largest and the first in-situ project to get the axe. The other two were strip-mining operations, which carry a higher overhead. If you can't make the numbers work for an in-situ tar sands mine, then your business model is in trouble. And if Statoil's project is in trouble, you can bet the whole tar sands industry is looking over its shoulder. They may wish they hadn't, because we're gaining on them."
Release, Dispersion and Fate of Radioactive Strontium From Fukushima in the North Pacific Ocean—by MarineChemist: "The maximum dose rate in the coastal region at Fukushima was 0.66 microSv/yr which is an order of magnitude greater than the maximal dose rate from 90-Sr released through weapons testing in 1959. This maximal dose rate from 90-Sr is three orders of magnitude less than the dose rate from 137-Cs in the most contaminated marine environment off of Fukushima Daiichi. Given mixing and dilution of the contaminated plume of seawater the annual doses owing to 90-Sr from Fukushima are much less significant in model domains distant from the disaster site. The authors considered a worst case scenario where the public only consumed seafood from the Fukushima coast over the course of a year which resulted in a dose rate of 15 microSv/yr which is well below dose rates thought to represent a significant radiological health risk for the public."d
Renewables
'Here Comes the Sun': a solar energy update—by HoundDog: "Whenever I need a burst of feel good energy I google solar or wind energy for a pick-me-up. Here are five short articles of small news that keeps adding up to big changes in our energy generation economy. I hope will charge you up and leave you in a positive frame of mind. The cost of solar power has dropped significantly in recent years. Between 1977 and 2013, Cost of Solar reports, the overall cost associated with solar power fell an amazing 99 percent. [...] Solar panel prices have dropped more than 75 percent since 2008. That has contributed to a dramatic increase in solar panel installations. Last year, installations reached a record 5.1 gigawatts (GW), increasing the national total to nearly 13 GW. That’s enough to power nearly 2.2 million American homes. It is expected that solar panel installations will continue to grow. The U.S Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory predicts that wind and solar could produce 15 percent of U.S. electricity by 2020, 27 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2050."
Fracking
A Fracking Good Letter—by brasch: "The oil and gas industry, faced with being the brunt of a series of near-obscene jokes, dug in and demanded that 'unconventional drilling' or just 'horizontal fracturing' were the 'proper' terms. But, if 'fracking' had to be used in print, the preference was for 'frac’ing' or 'fracing.' Most dictionaries—including the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster—use the word 'fracking'–with the 'k'—as the preferred and acceptable term. In September, the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC), a front group for the oil and gas industry became proactive with a series of newspaper, radio, TV, and YouTube ads. The ads, scheduled to run through the beginning of 2015, were revealed at the annual Shale Insight conference, sponsored by the MSC in Pittsburgh. The fractivists 'tried to hijack that word and paint it as something negative,' David J. Spigelmyer, MSC president, said, pointing out it was the industry’s intention 'to take that word back.' Randy Cleveland, XTO Energy president, told the conference where people said 'frac’ing,' the industry thrived, but where they said ' "fracking," we have difficulty.' The PR and advertising campaign, said Cleveland, is 'to regain the high ground.' Stephen Moore, chief economist for the conservative Heritage Foundation, told the conference, 'The disinformation and propaganda machine against what you do is frightening,' adding that the campaign against fracking 'may have been instigated by outside agitators.' It was a claim echoed by thousands in the industry."
Agriculture, Food & Gardening
Saturday Morning Garden Blog Version 10.32 - Harvest time!—by
Merry Light: "As the sun starts south and the calendar tells us the fall equinox is past, we start looking towards harvest and cleanup for winter. This last week has been very rainy and so I didn't get out in the garden to work much, but at least the cloud cover has kept the frost away until Thursday night. We had a light frost but didn't lose any tomatoes or peppers. I picked all the ripe ones just in case, along with the two small zucchini that grew on my July plant. I had Friday off so I spent some time pulling up morning glories and weeding. Last weekend I froze some quart freezer bags of whole tomatoes for winter stews and soups. I hope to put up pickles this weekend. I tell ya, it's tough finding picklers this year - I can't seem to grow them and there aren't too many available from farmers markets. We can grow tomatoes and hot peppers here, but not cucumbers!"
Some GMO supporters just might be Monsanto shills after all—by edg: "A couple of months ago, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson came under attack for telling those concerned about GMO foods to "chill out". (GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms. The term preferred by the GMO industry is Genetically Engineered.) Dr. Tyson's Facebook page has a blow-by-blow account of the brouhaha that followed. If you need to get caught up, this link to his August 3rd Facebook post is a good place to start. As you can imagine, pro- and anti- GMO forces girded their loins for battle and a series of campaigns were waged in the never-ending Great GMO War. Some combatants even called Dr. Tyson a Monsanto shill, which is ludicrous and outlandish. Meanwhile, here on The Big Orange, we've seen several diaries about the dustup, including this August 1st diary titled Monsanto's Minions, which takes a humorous, even mocking, tone as it discredits Dr. Tyson's critics and goes on to crucify GMO skeptics in general. But what about your title? you may be wondering. You promised us shills!! Well, follow me over the genetically engineered orange squiggle-worm as I poke a stick into the eye of the pro-GMO crowd by revealing that, in fact, some on their side may actually be shills."
The Wonderful World of Pro-GMO Climate Change Deniersd—by edg: "One of the many accusations hurled by GMO proponents at those who are skeptical of corporate genetic manipulation of humanity's food supply is that people who proponents label 'anti-GMO' are also climate change deniers and anti-vaxxers, i.e., people who believe vaccines are dangerous. In other words, anti-GMO = climate denier = anti-vaxxer. I wondered if there was any truth to the accusation. Personally, I support vaccination, believe climate change is happening, and am skeptical about the rapid imposition of GMO technology on our food supply. So, in the eyes of a GMO proponent, I'm only a 33-1/3% nutter. But how about others? Are other GMO skeptics here on Daily Kos full nutters? Two-thirds nutters? Please take the survey below and let us know how just nutty you are. In the meantime, follow me over the orange rDNA strand to learn an actual fact I found out: Support for GMOs is correlated with climate change denialism."
Eco-Related Candidacies, DC & State Politics
"Climate Hawks Vote" Endorses Congressman Mike Honda CA-17—by remembrance: "One of the most important bills introduced in Congress this year is the Global Warming Education Act of 2014 (H.R. 4461) by Mike Honda. County to county, water rationing is now the norm, but for some communities in Northern and Central California, running out of water in just 60 days is a reality. Think about that. In 2 months, communities in our state could be out of water. Are Californians really prepared for this, and do they understand the connection to Climate Change? Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought State of Emergency in January and directed officials to take all necessary steps to prepare for continued water shortages. The Drought Operations Plan was put into effect to protect the state’s economy and environment, and ensure that significant water needs are met in this third consecutive year of severe drought levels. But, we're now entering our fourth year. [...] That's why Congressman Honda introduced 'The Climate Change Education Act.' 'As a former teacher, I understand the importance of imparting knowledge to help people make wise decisions,' Rep. Honda said upon the bill’s introduction, 'By providing people clear information about climate change, in a variety of forms, we can take away the fear and the sense of helplessness, and move people to take action.'"
Eco-Essays and Eco-Philosophy
Deep Ecology: Climate Change & Ebola—by boatsie: "Experts have been aware and addressing the significant impacts climate change is having on global health issues, speaking about anticipated spikes in incidents and locations for outbreaks of malaria, dengue fever, and cholera, as well as a longer season and geographic expansion exacerbating the transmission of vector born diseases. Now they are beginning to highlight the connections between massive deforstation in West African countries and this historic Ebola epidemic. As reports filter out of Sierra Leone detail that Ebola is currently infecting five new people every hour, epidemiologists point to the role of deforestation in West Africa as a significant contributor to the unprecedented magnitude of this most recent outbreak, which WHO reports has claimed close to 3500 lives. Climate change in Western Africa is responsible for increased droughts, warmer temperatures, irregular rainfall patterns, and landslides, all of which have fractured the precious and delicate biodiversity of the Upper Guinean forest, causing a 'spillover' between species. As people move deeper into the rainforests for logging, mining and agriculture, animals are moving out, most particularly bats, primary carriers of the Ebola virus. Additionally, more people in the forests are relying on bushmeat for sustenace, causing species-to-species 'spillover' at a significantly expanded rate than previously experienced."
Oceans, Water & Drought
Ocean Fishermen Say Proposition 1 Would Destroy Salmon Fishery—by Dan Bacher: "If you think that the November election doesn’t have anything to do with salmon and other ocean fishing, please think again. The results of this year’s vote on Proposition 1, Governor Jerry Brown’s water bond that bails out corporate agribusiness interests, has EVERYTHING to do with the future of ocean (and freshwater) fishing! To get this message across, ocean salmon fishermen on Friday, October 3 announced their opposition to Proposition 1, the State Water Bond, at a news conference at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. 'Prop. 1 is one more shovel of dirt on the grave of our salmon, crab and other Pacific fisheries,' said Larry Collins, of the San Francisco Crab Boat Association. 'Building more dams to hold water we don’t have is misplaced spending and harms the businesses, families and communities that depend upon our salmon, crab and other fisheries. The salmon and crab that are essential to our Northern California diet and culture will eventually disappear from our dinner plates if Proposition 1 passes in the November election.'"
Judge rejects agribusiness lawsuit over Trinity River flows—by Dan Bacher: "A federal judge in Fresno Wednesday dismissed almost all claims in a lawsuit brought by a coalition of corporate agribusiness interests seeking to block the protection of salmon in the Trinity and Klamath rivers, but the Yurok Tribe, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA) and Earthjustice disagree with the Hoopa Valley Tribe over the implications of the decision. The Yurok Tribe, PCFFA and Earthjustice issued a joint news release stating that Judge Lawrence O’Neill 'largely upheld' the Bureau of Reclamation’s ability to provide additional flows in the Trinity, the largest tributary of the Klamath, to prevent harm to salmon, but at the same time indicated that "different legal authorities need to be invoked.' 'Straight up, if the Bureau of Reclamation did not make the decision to augment flows on the Klamath, we would be right now cleaning up thousands of salmon carcasses on the river,' said Thomas P. O'Rourke, Sr., Chairman of the Yurok Tribe. 'We applaud Judge O'Neill's decision. We need to do everything possible to ensure in-basin fish needs are met and to prevent another heartbreaking tragedy on the Klamath River.'"
Critters & the Great Outdoors
Rhino—by palantir: "On October 4th people in cities throughout the world will march as one voice to save Elephants and Rhinos. The countdown to their extinction has begun. Unless action is taken now, we will lose these majestic, highly intelligent, and emotionally sentient creatures FOREVER. This is a story that begins in the mists of time. A comedy of life that now, I fear, will end in tragedy. Some 56 million years or so ago the ancestors of today's rhinoceros started their long evolutionary saga. This was the time when the family of perissodactyls (odd-toed ungulates) evolved and diversified with the slow inherent changes of nature into the varied environments to become today's horses (Equidae), tapirs (Tapiridae) and, of course, rhinoceros (Rhinocerotidae). Yet now, after all those long years, they face an environment that is decidedly unnatural."
Global March for Elephants and Rhinos Has Begun—by noweasels: "Fact: One Elephant is killed every 15 minutes. At this rate, none will be roaming wild in 2025. I worry. Fact: More than 1,000 rhinos are killed every year for their horns. The world is dealing with an unprecedented spike in illegal wildlife trade, threatening to overturn decades of conservation gains. Ivory estimated to weigh more than 23 metric tons—a figure that represents 2,500 elephants—was seized in the 13 largest seizures of illegal ivory in 2011. Poaching threatens the last of our wild tigers that number as few as 3,200. Wildlife crime is a big business. Run by dangerous international networks, wildlife and animal parts are trafficked much like illegal drugs and arms. By its very nature, it is almost impossible to obtain reliable figures for the value of illegal wildlife trade. Experts at TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, estimate that it runs into hundreds of millions of dollars."
Between Mountains and Plains—by johnnygunn: "To live at the foot of the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming is to experience a magical boundary between two rich ecosystems. The visitor's eye is often fixed upon the snow-capped peaks; yet, longtime residents delight in the secret and subtle locales nestled between the mountains and the plains. Clear Creek bursts out of the mountain wall into the plains on its journey to the Yellowstone River and, ultimately, the Missouri and Mississippi. Its water is life-giving in the parched prairies, especially at the end of summer. Thus, there is still another ecosystem - the riparian necklace of abundance. Come follow me on a short walk along Clear Creek in early October."
Daily Bucket: A Bird Fight—by Lenny Flank: "A little while ago I was walking along when I happened to hear a commotion in the trees above me, and looked up to see an argument between a Little Blue Heron and two egrets (Cattle Egrets, by the looks of them) who apparently objected to the Heron's presence. There weren't any nests around, so I couldn't see what started it all. The fight was brief, but I managed to get a few shots.
"
Big Cat Rescue, Tampa FL (Photo Diary)—by
Lenny Flank: "Yes, believe it or not, there are stupid people in the US who get lions and tigers and leopards as pets, then decide they can't keep them (duhhhh). Some photos from a recent visit to Big Cat Rescue, in Tampa FL. (It should be noted that Big Cat Rescue in Tampa has been the subject of MUCH controversy, since most of the cats on exhibit for the tour groups are not actually rescues, but were purchased or bred back when the facility operated as an ordinary roadside zoo under the name 'Wildlife on Easy Street.' The areas containing rescued cats are not on public display)."
Daily Bucket: Dolphins!—by Lenny Flank: "Some Dolphins showed up during one of my walks along the St Pete Fl waterfront, hanging around a boat about 50 yards offshore. Wild dolphins are VERY difficult to photograph, since they can hold their breath up to eight minutes and surface anywhere at random. So I set the camera on wide view and managed to get a few shots."
The Daily Bucket - mystery nest (and eggshells)—by
OceanDiver: "Someone who explores the woods more than I do took me out on a walk recently to see a nest she'd found with some bird detritus beneath. Neither one of us can figure out who built the nest. Perhaps you, Dear Reader, will have some thoughts from the clues we found and what you know about birds.
Important! I would never go traipsing around under a nest, especially a large one like this, at any time of year but now: the off-season. Starting in late winter birds begin preparations, and do not complete the breeding season until July or August when the juveniles have dispersed. On the off chance someone might, I'm being deliberately vague about the location of this nest. Another factor nature explorers should be aware of is who owns the land where they are walking, and to respect private property. Our walk on this occasion was on public land. Here's the nest, approximately 50 feet up in a Grand Fir, secured to several branches at that level. The tree trunk is about 1.5' in diameter, so I'd say the nest is maybe 2 feet by 2.5 feet."
Tigers Don't Want Their Forests Liquidated—by Michael Brune: "You shouldn't have to worry that installing a new hardwood floor in your kitchen will rob Siberian tigers of their home. Since 1900, we've had a law in this country, the Lacey Act, that prohibits trade in wildlife, fish, and plants that have been illegally taken, possessed, transported, or sold. And since 2008, that law has also prohibited the importation of illegally sourced wood products. The problem is real: According to a report from the United Nations and Interpol, between 15 and 30 percent of the wood traded in the world comes from illegal logging. That deforestation not only threatens endangered species (like the world's last 450 wild Siberian tigers), it's also a leading driver of climate disruption. According to that same report, 17 percent of all carbon pollution worldwide is caused by deforestation. A law like the Lacey Act is only truly effective, though, if companies know that it will be enforced and that they will be held accountable. Although some companies have taken steps to ensure that their wood products are sourced legally, others may succumb to the temptation of easy profits if they think they can get away with it."
Time to End the Abuse and Exploitation of Animals—by stonehenge: "An article in The New York Times Magazine (July 6) "Zoo Animals And Their Discontents" by Alex Halberstadt, raised this question: do animals think and feel? A number of scientific studies has shown that animals are far closer to us than recently believed. In fact, the Cambridge Declaration of Consciousness in Human and Nonhuman Animals, signed by a group of leading animal researchers, asserts that mammals, birds and other creatures posses consciousness and, in all likelihood, emotions and self-awareness. If we accept that animals are self-aware beings and have emotions, then this raises the question of whether we should keep animals in captivity (zoos), whether we should allow the cruel confinement and treatment of farm animals, and whether we should use animals for experimentation and research. What's wrong with zoos? Zoos evolved at a time when travel for most people was impractical and few people had a chance to see wild animals up close. Today, we can take a plane to Africa, Australia, or Costa Rica for photo safaris or even watch nature documentaries on television or view live Internet videos, which can show animals’ natural behavior that in many cases cannot even be seen in zoos. There is no excuse for keeping intelligent social animals in cages for our amusement. In short, we shouldn't be confining animals to cramped conditions thereby depriving them of everything that is natural and important to them."
☼ sunset spiders ☼—by blueyedace2:
Global Warming Causing Walrus Stampede—by
Richard Lyon: "Have you ever lain awake at night wondering why walruses have tusks? If so, the answer is at hand. They use them lift themselves out of the water on to a floating piece of sea ice so that they can rest. Unlike seals that can remain afloat for indefinite periods, they need a place to crash. Most people except possibly those in deep dish climate denial are aware that the Arctic sea ice is in a serious state of decline. Its absence is creating an ecological crisis for walruses. US reroutes flights around Alaska beach in attempt to avoid walrus stampede:
An estimated 35,000 of the animals were spotted as summer sea ice fell to its sixth lowest in the satellite record. The plight of thousands of walruses forced to crowd on to an Alaska beach because of disappearing sea ice has set off an all-out response from the US government to avoid a catastrophic stampede."
AK Beachfront Property, a NEW Hot Commodity—by jamess: " Pacific walrus that can't find sea ice for resting in Arctic waters are coming ashore in record numbers on a beach in northwest Alaska. An estimated 35,000 walrus were photographed Saturday about 5 miles north of Point Lay, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 35,000—That's a lot of walri waluruses with not an iceflow to stand on."
Trash, Pollution & Hazardous Waste
BP wants "Grossly Negligent" ruling to say they weren't "Grossly Negligent"—by Walter Einenkel: "From Bloomberg news: BP Plc acted with gross negligence in setting off the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, a federal judge ruled, handing down a long-awaited decision that may force the energy company to pay billions of dollars more for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico disaster. BP's defense had always been that they were merely negligent, not grossly so. As such, when the decision came down saying that BP was predominantly responsible, this was considered a big loss for BP [...] We all know what big loss amounts to–money. They are on the hook for lots of money. BP says that they weren't the only ones who cut corners, who acted cavalierly with safety rules and regulations. Now, I don't necessarily disagree that some of the other companies may be getting off more lightly than they should–but let's face it, BP was grossly negligent. [...] The real reason BP is willing to spend mountains of money to appeal numerous aspects of this case is because they don't want to pay the money it costs to be grossly negligent."