Have you ever wondered how McDonald's restaurants keep the palates of people happy the world over? In Taiwan there is the "Rice Burger" which is shown above. Go here to see how the Big Mac adapts to local appetites.Image Found Here
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The political ecology of Burma
Mangroves would have protected villagers... ..."mangrove forests around Myanmar's Irrawady Delta had degraded because of "overexploitation" and the conversion of land for rice fields — promoted by the government as a way to ensure self-sufficiency in food production...." "'If you look at the path of the one that hit Myanmar, it hit exactly where it was going to do the most damage, and it's doing the most damage because much of the protective vegetation was cleared,' [Jeff NcNeely, chief scientist for the International Union for Conservation of Nature] said. 'You just wonder why governments don't get on this'...."
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Thursday, May 15, 2008
FOOD: Beyond 'Royale with Cheese'
Have you ever wondered how McDonald's restaurants keep the palates of people happy the world over? In Taiwan there is the "Rice Burger" which is shown above. Go here to see how the Big Mac adapts to local appetites.Image Found Here
WTF?: Holy cow!
Chilli a giant Friesian steer may be the United Kingdom’s tallest bovine and certainly one of the tallest in the world. Go here or click the image for more information.
OFF TOPIC: Keith Olbermann to Bush: "This War Is Not About You...Shut The Hell Up!"
When asked about the blunders of the Iraq War President Bush is quick to pass the buck or responsibility to other folks. What this President and many of his cronies fear most is the American people electing a Democratic President such as Barack Obama this fall and a succeeding investigation for the truth. There has already been a laundry list of scams, shams and swindling.
President Bush to our country’s detriment probably practices impositionalism more than any other American president has before him. This management style is why many compare him to a dictator or quasi-dictator if you think dictator is too strong of a word.
Anyhow, I am proud that I did not vote for this man twice. I did not vote for him just because I am a democrat but he looked like damaged goods from the beginning. Furthermore, I am proud not to have supported the invasion of Iraq. Amazingly, all the evidence that the antiwar protesters cited turned out to be the truth. I was ridiculed by some of my fellow Americans for my hard stance against invading Iraq and was even called a terrorist and unpatriotic. Bulling is behavior that the Bush presidency feeds from and thrives. Nonetheless as the famed idiom states: you reap what you sow.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND SCIENCE: Is McCain practicing campaign trail greenwashing?
Is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain (Ariz.) a steward of the environment? According to the League of Conservation Voters, his conservation or environmental scorecard is lacking for 2007. In fact, for 2007 Senator John McCain has a score of zero. However, democratic presidential candidates, Senators Obama and Clinton have fairly solid environmental scorecards that demonstrate much more activity than McCain for the year of 2007.The party leaders' average score for democrats in the United States Senate was 91 but Senate republican leaders
could only muster a 7. For the United States House of Representatives the party leaders' average score was 97 for the democrats and a mere 2 for the Republican Party leaders. Green conservatism does not seem to be fostering much passion to protect the environment.Granted McCain has been vocal on climate change issues and has traveled the world to observe climate change evidence but his voting record illustrates somewhat of a paradox. Additionally, McCain does have a proposal to cut greenhouse gas emissions but it does not go as far as proposals brought forth by Senators Obama or Clinton.
Monday, May 12, 2008
NATURAL DISASTERS: Is it God's fault or our fault?
I would argue it is our fault since avoiding expedient, cheap, poor construction and planning in addition to halfhearted environmental and urban policy would avoid many deaths from natural disasters. Certainly, family planning and adequate emergency action plans are needed too.Natural disasters will continue to become worse as governments and people ignorantly change the environment, do not become more serious about mitigating climate change, continue to build along the coastline or governments and people continue to build on ground that is susceptible to natural disasters like flooding and wildfires. Unadapted, populated areas are at high risk from natural disasters. The denser the population the more deaths that are likely to occur. It is an inescapable observable fact.
WIND POWER could replace nuclear power
Wind power could match power supplied by nuclear sources in two decades according to a U.S. Energy Department report. Nonetheless, emotions still run high regarding some wind projects. Last month the Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service said it received more than an extraordinary 40,000 comments regarding the future of Cape Wind. A final decision on Cape Wind is due around the end of this year or the beginning of 2009. In other wind news, Friends of the Earth Cymru recently released "a report tackling the myths that are blocking the development of wind power in Wales." The wind power myths that Friends of the Earth Cymru tackle include:MYTH 1: Wind energy produces little powerREAD THE REPORT!!!
MYTH 2: Wind turbines consume more energy than they generate
MYTH 3: Wind is intermittent and requires backup from polluting power station
MYTH 4: Wind energy is inefficient
MYTH 5: When the wind stops blowing the lights will go out
MYTH 6: Installing wind farms will not shut down conventional power stations
MYTH 7: Wind is being promoted at the expense of other renewable
MYTH 8: Wind power is expensive
MYTH 9: Wind turbines are taking over the countryside
MYTH 10: Wind farms are unpopular
MYTH 11: Wind farms deter tourists
MYTH 12: Wind turbines are noisy
MYTH 13: Wind turbines kill birds
MYTH 14: Wind energy is heavily subsidised
MYTH 15: We oppose wind but other renewable are fine
MYTH 16: Wind turbines can harm humans by catching fire or exploding
MYTH 17: Wind farms harm property prices
MYTH 18: Wind farms harm radio and tv reception
MYTH 19: Wind energy has failed in Denmark and Germany
MYTH 20: We need more energy conservation not wind energy
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Photo source for attribution. The author or licensor of this image does not endorse me or my work and their image is protected under an attribution license.
REAL BIG FISH: Potential record breaking and world-famous largemouth bass found dead
IMAGE: Mac Weakley with his 25.1-pound Floridian strain largemouth bass caught in Dixon Lake, California.Dottie was a 25.1-pound monster largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) that did not make the record books because back in 2006 Mike Weakly the angler who hooked her did not hook her in the mouth. As a result, he released her back into Dixon Lake, which is a southern California reservoir amongst other southern California impoundments that are known for monster largemouth bass.
After her capture and release, Dottie proved a sensation and the Dixon Lake turned into a prime fishing attraction. Some anglers traveled from other countries for the chance to catch the freshwater beast and as a result make the record books. However, the chance to hook the monster has passed since she was recently found dead on the morning of May 9, 2008. Dottie was named after a "distinctive birthmark spot below her jawline" which helped in identifying the dead largemouth bass.
Largemouth bass are prized for their fight and the resulting excitement they produce when hooked, so hooking a 25-pounder would be sheer ecstasy or euphoria and certainly evoke a lifetime of nirvana. To give an idea of what catching a 25.1-pound largemouth bass would be like – I know anglers including myself that would be excited to hook anything over 7, 8 or 9-pounds. Any largemouth bass approaching just 15-pounds is uncommon especially on the east coast.
According to an ESPN article dated March 28, 2006, out of the top 25 largemouth bass hooked in Dixon Lake at the time, there had been “a 19.44-pounder, at No. 15; a 20.75-pounder (No. 9); and a 21.69-pounder (No. 4).” The monster status of the largemouth bass swimming in Dixon lake has been attributed to the stocking of rainbow trout which the bass fatten from, the voluntary practice of catch and release and fishing pressure which seems to be sustainable at the moment. A current and more in depth story can be found at the San Diego Union Tribune:
The fish with a worldwide reputation as the largest bass ever hooked was found floating yesterday morning on Escondido's Dixon Lake.NOTE: The current official world record largemouth bass is from 1932 and still stands. Images regarding the current official world record largemouth bass can be seen here.
The Florida-strain largemouth bass, nicknamed Dottie for a distinctive birthmark spot below her jawline, had been dead about a day.
She measured 29½ inches long and weighed about 19 pounds. That was a far cry from the world-record 25 pounds, 1 ounce she weighed when caught – and then released – by Carlsbad angler Mac Weakley on March 20, 2006. Then she was bulging with eggs; this time she apparently died shortly after spawning.
Image Found Here
OFF TOPIC: Bill O'Reilly meltdown resurfaces
See more funny videos at CollegeHumor
Sunday, May 11, 2008
MARINE MAMMALS: Rare events involving marine mammals have been in the news recently
IMAGES: The image at right shows a female North Atlantic right whale giving birth. The bottom right image shows the mother lifting her calf out of the ocean to help it get its first breath. Photographs showing a critically endangered North Atlantic right whale giving birth to her calf have been released. New England Aquarium researcher Monica Zani took the first ever photographs.
The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) remains threatened from ship strikes and commercial fishing gear. Documents have recently revealed that the White House was instrumental in delaying the protection of the critically endangered whales. According to the Boston Globe "efforts to protect the endangered right whale from being killed by commercial ships have languished for more than a year in part because of White House objections [and] documents show Vice President Dick Cheney's office and White House economists have questioned the conclusions of marine scientists." Too bad the Bush Administration nor their economists understand that natural resources must be conserved in order to maintain a sustainable world economy. Where is the conservative in conservatism? Liberals have grasped what it means to be conservative when protecting the environment better than the Bush Administration and many other conservatives have.In New Zealand, scientists had the opportunity to dissect a pygmy right whale after it was found dead and stranded “at Spirit's Bay in the country's far north.” The opportunity to conduct a necropsy of the specimen drew excitement amongst the marine mammal community since this is only the second specimen to be examined. As a result, little is known of the species and data is badly needed.
Pygmy right whales are the smallest of the baleen whales and are considered oddities. For example, asymmetry is rare in nature but this species exhibits asymmetry. According to Joy Reidenberg, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York "the larynx has a sac on it, like all baleen whales, but the sac is off to one side, and that raises a couple of very interesting functional and evolutionary questions, such as how they generate sounds." The pygmy right whale has little in common with larger species of right whales but may be more closely related to other whales.Image Found Here
Saturday, May 10, 2008
E-WASTE: ASL GREENetwork expands e-waste dropoff collection locations
ASL Recycling Brings E-waste Recycling to More Cities
90 free and convenient GREENspot e-waste drop-off locations: most Bay Area residents need drive no more than 5 miles to safely dispose of their old TVs and other electronics
SAN JOSE, Calif.—May 6, 2008—ASL Recycling’s GREENetwork continued to grow during April with the addition of 19 GREENspot e-waste drop-off locations, bringing the total number in Northern California to 90. Now most residents can find a free place to dispose of their obsolete electronics close to their home—in most cases within five miles. As consumer awareness of these free and convenient neighborhood locations builds—especially since the GREENetwork’s Earth Day campaign to encourage people to find their GREENspot location last month—hundreds of residents are visiting a neighborhood GREENspot location, resulting in almost four million pounds of e-waste being diverted away from local landfills so far, this year.
Unlike other recyclable waste, there is no ‘blue bin’ equivalent for curbside collection of e-waste, and so, until recently, most people didn’t know what to do with it. ASL Recycling is changing that by establishing a statewide network of GREENspot e-waste drop-off locations, and by orchestrating locally focused public awareness campaigns. Californians can visit www.aslgreenspot.com to find a nearby e-waste drop-off location.
“We want to make it as easy to recycle an old gadget as it is to buy a new one,” said Carey Levine, vice president of sales and marketing at ASL Recycling. “What we hear from consumers is that they want to do the right thing and dispose of their e-waste responsibly, but they’re concerned about their personal data or how the e-waste is being recycled. When you select a GREENspot you can be sure that you’re working with a reputable e-waste collector.”
19 new GREENspot e-waste drop-off locations opened in April; total now at 90
This month, 19 new GREENspot e-waste drop-off locations were established in Northern California, bringing the total to 91 statewide. The new locations added to the GREENetwork in April are:
| Envirohaul | 1252 Diamond Way | Concord |
| Data Doctors | 109 Town and Country Drive | Danville |
| Grandmothers Who Help | 1037 B Street | Hayward |
| RJR Recycling | 1771 San Felipe Road | Hollister |
| Cartridge World | 2265 Las Positas Road | Livermore |
| Murillo Electronics | 113 South Lake Street | Madera |
| Cartridge World | 80 Ranch Drive (McCarthy Ranch) | Milpitas |
| Recycling for Mother Earth | 770 Garner Street | Modesto |
| Turner Moving and Storage | 765 Skyport Court | Napa |
| Santa Rosa Moving and Storage | 5650 State Farm Drive | Rohnert Park |
| Modern Pacific | 219 Lawrence Avenue | S. San Francisco |
| Elk Grove Waste Management | 7451 Reese Road | Sacramento |
| HOPE Services | 546 Burnken Avenue | Salinas |
| Breathe California | 1469 Park Avenue | San Jose |
| CityTeam Ministries Family Services | 1297 North 13th Street | San Jose |
| Peninsula Debris Box | 1724 Leslie Street | San Mateo |
| HOPE Services | 1663 Catalina Street | Sand City |
| Computer Zone | 314 Laurel Street | Santa Cruz |
| Computer Zone | 1329 Mission Street | Santa Cruz |
What to recycle, and why
E-waste accepted at GREENspot drop-off locations includes TVs, cell phones, audio-video components, computer equipment, microwave ovens, electronic equipment from offices and labs, and more. These items are potentially toxic to the environment and by choosing to recycle them, Californians can help divert e-waste from landfills. All GREENspot drop-off locations feed their e-waste to ASL Recycling's state-approved plants, which use an environmentally friendly e-waste recycling process .
Where to recycle e-waste
A complete list of ASL GREENspot drop-off locations is available here . E-waste and the law
E-waste, which includes TVs, monitors, computers, cell phones, and other old electronics, is the fastest-growing category of solid waste in the United States. California is leading the nation with its Electronic Waste Recycling Act, the state's e-waste recycling legislation. The state's Department of Toxic Substance Control has stated that video display devices are hazardous waste and are covered by the Electronic Waste Recycling Act. This means it is illegal to discard the following devices in household and business trash:
- Cathode ray tube (CRT) devices (including televisions and computer monitors)
- LCD desktop monitors
- Laptop computers with LCD displays
- LCD televisions
- Plasma televisions
- Portable DVD players with LCD displays
- Gaming Devices and consoles
Many other electronic devices, though not covered by the Electronic Waste Recycling Act, could be considered hazardous waste and should not be discarded in the regular trash.
About ASL Recycling and the GREENetwork
ASL Recycling is dedicated to providing consumers and businesses with the easiest, most accessible, and most trusted e-waste recycling program in the country. Every month, ASL Recycling prevents hundreds of tons of e-waste from being dumped into local landfills by collecting old electronics and preparing it for recycling. All material received at ASL's state-of-the-art plant is dismantled: hard drives are crushed, materials are sorted and then sent to smelters that transform e-waste into salable goods. To become part of the GREENetwork, visit http://www.aslgreenetwork.com .
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Media contact: Tim Cox | ZingPR -- 650-369-7784 -- tim@zingpr.com
FUEL SPILL: Images from the Exxon Valdez oil spill
“Oil spill”
“Exxon Valdez”
“Pictures of the Exxon Valdez oil spill”
“Exxon Valdez oil spill effects”
I have had very few images from Exxon Valdez but I have written about the subject here. To help these folks researching the Exxon Valdez oil spill I have provided the following images from www.photolib.noaa.gov:
The Exxon Valdez oil spill:
Image ID: line1526, NOAA's America's Coastlines CollectionLocation: Prince William Sound area, Alaska
Credit: EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Trustee Council
The Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup:
Image ID: line1527, NOAA's America's Coastlines CollectionLocation: Prince William Sound area, Alaska
Credit: EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Trustee Council
The Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup:
Image ID: line1529, NOAA's America's Coastlines CollectionLocation: Prince William Sound area, Alaska
Credit: EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Trustee Council
The Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup:
Image ID: line1532, NOAA's America's Coastlines CollectionLocation: Prince William Sound area, Alaska
Credit: EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Trustee Council
The Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup:
Image ID: line1533, NOAA's America's Coastlines CollectionLocation: Prince William Sound area, Alaska
Credit: EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Trustee Council
The Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup:
Image ID: line1535, NOAA's America's Coastlines CollectionLocation: Prince William Sound area, Alaska
Credit: EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Trustee Council
Given the date of the Exxon Valdez oil spill (March 24, 1989) these harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) are probably immature or female ducks and not male ducks that acquired eclipse plumage:
Image ID: line1537, NOAA's America's Coastlines CollectionLocation: Prince William Sound area, Alaska
Credit: EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Trustee Council
A Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) being checked:
Image ID: line1538, NOAA's America's Coastlines CollectionLocation: Prince William Sound area, Alaska
Credit: EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Trustee Council
Harbor seal(?) coated with oil:
Image ID: line1540, NOAA's America's Coastlines CollectionLocation: Prince William Sound area, Alaska
Credit: EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Trustee Council
Given the bill shape I believe these are loons of some type and not guillemots but I could be wrong because they seem too small to be loons. They are definitely not ducks or cormorants:
Photo courtesy of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee CouncilOn the Net: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Could It Happen Again?
On the Net: Habitat Assessment: Lingering Exxon Valdez Oil
On the Net: Habitat Assessment: Pacific Herring and Oil
On the Net: Habitat Assessment: Differing Perspectives on Effects of Oil Spill
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