TED TALKS: Extreme Ice Loss In Time-Lapse
4.5 Minutes With Some Frustrated Scientists
As a followup to the previous blog about the imperiling impact of CO2 emissions on our oceans I invite you to spend a mere 4 minutes and 37 seconds with some frustrated scientists. It won't hurt. They're nice people.
One of the scientists says something that I think sums up the dynamic saying that the vast ecosytem of the oceans is the life-support system for the planet. That's the deal. It's a beautiful thing.
I'll be suggesting positive actions to take in future posts. If you have ideas, add them in the comment sections of this series of blog posts. Thanks in advance.
The Kitchen Sink
Unless you've been cherry picking research data in support of ramping up tar sands development, you are probably worried sick about the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere. You might even be ready to charge our Prime Minister with treason against living and yet-to-be-born humanity. Understandable. I feel your pain, or something. But are you ready for worse news?
Of course you know that it is not the forests that produce most of the world's oxygen. You know that it is the oceans that do this. The ecosystems of the oceans support land-based life. You know all this. Are you sitting down? The buildup of atmospheric CO2 is having a deleterious impact upon the oceans and devastatingly so. It's a process that has a name. You'll be hearing more about this I am sure. The name is "Ocean Acidification".
Watch this short video for an introduction. I'll followup with more information, or why not get busy researching the topic yourself. It looks as if we have an urgent situation. Our leaders must be brought up to speed. The Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change begins December 7th. I've got three words for you: write, email, phone.
My country, Canada, is one of the largest per capita producers of CO2 in the world and it's not because we need to thaw our buns and heat our homes in a chilly climate. It is because of the failure of industry and government to attend to the carbon emmisions problem and to invest in renewable, clean energy. It's lame excuses, pandering to corporate wants and piss on the generations that follow. Jeez, the embarrassment. The shame of it.
.
I thought that climate change was the worst of the news. But now, even the kitchen sink. Even the damn kitchen sink.
It's got to be a call to action. For our grandchildren. Damn the torpitudes!
World's First Shark Sanctuary!
Finally, a nation of humans is stepping forward to stand in the way of shark extinction. Palau is exhibiting behaviour that is exemplary and enlightened. It is a role model for all other nations with ocean shores.
Sharks are at the top of the foodchain and have been in that critical role for millions of years during which they have remained unchanged. That in itself is remarkable. One can deduce that they are perfect and perfectly suited for their job as a major control agent for the entire marine ecosystem. Without sharks, the oceanic web of life is expected to spin into disarray and imbalance. The decimation of the world's shark populations is severe and poses a true emergency.
Why not send an email of gratitude to the Government of the Republic of Palau? HERE IS THE ADDRESS.
Think about taking a stand with Palau.
Make your home shark free. Preparation H, many cosmetics and some
health supplements contain shark products. Check them out and stop
using those products. Educate those around you. Ask your government
to create shark sanctuaries and legislate against shark products
and shark hunting. There are many shark conservation organizations
-- a web search will lead you to them. Watch the movie "Sharkwater"
if you haven't done so already. Ask restaurants serving shark fin
soup or shark meat to stop doing so. Boycotting is a good
idea.
Suddenly there is a ray of hope. Palau, thanks for that too.
The Rakish Angles - CD Released
click this album to buy it from the
ITunes Store
It's a beautiful, high-end production
by Bearwood
Music of Gibson BC — recorded and mixed by Ray Fulber at
Strait Sound on the
Sunshine Coast and mastered by Graemme Brown at Zen Mastering.
click this ablum to buy it from
Bearwood Music
The two Juno Award-nominee guest
artists on the CD are Celso Machado, the Afro-Brazillian
percussionist/guitarist, doing some tasty percussion and the
Steve
Dawson displaying his usual virtuosity on dobro. Sweet. I
should say that this four piece band is packed with virtuosos who
have somehow managed to play as a well-honed unit. They are pretty
nice people in person. That just might be the ticket.
Boyd Norman is my brother-of-another-mother. He provides the
completely dazzling accoustic bass soundscapes. Other members are:
Dan Richter on pristine, flatpicked accoustic guitar (which he
made!), Serena Eades on high flying jazzed up violin, and Sim
Hocking on impeccably picked mandolins and electric guitar.
The last time they played in this city, Boyd, Dan and Serena stayed
in our home. We partied like crazy until dawn. Okay okay, the last
sentence is a complete lie. Truth is, they gave every joule of
energy at their disposal to the performance and it was a quiet,
comfortable post-performance get together before complete collapse.
They are perfect guests.
The music: All of it is original. It's melodic, inventive,
tastfully arranged. It's fast and rambuncious, slow and soulful and
it's musical music, if you know what I mean. The billblog gives
this album a whole bunch of stars. Lost count. I'm tossing stars
their way as I type.
Global Porn Capital Fears Darwin
Read all about this latest absurdity HERE.
The Scopes Monkey Trial took place 83 years ago. Scientists of the USA are world-class, even if some of them are corrupted by big business (Monsanto et al). And yet a movie about one of the greats of science cannot find a distributor in the USA, even though the movie is getting enthusiastic reviews.
Weird and weirder.
The billblog is at a loss for words, guessing that it must boil down to money somehow. Or morbid fear of Christians. Or something.
I love the way you wear your stars.
NATO, NATO. What shall we do with you?
How do their family members feel about you? How do their neighbours, friends and compatriots feel about you?
Do you wonder if you are creating new enemies? If someone bombed your family to smithereens, would you forgive them or would you join a resistance movement?
NATO, NATO. You are so damned stupid.
Bombardiers de l'OTAN ont de nouveau bombardé la vie à des innocents en Afghanistan. Et puis il ya ceux qui sont vivants, bien qu'ils aient été brûlés, critiqué et cassé. Innocents.
Comment les membres de leur famille se sentent à votre sujet? Comment leurs voisins, amis et compatriotes pensent de vous?
Vous demandez-vous si vous créez de nouveaux ennemis? Si quelqu'un a bombardé votre famille en miettes, voulez-vous leur pardonner ou voulez-vous joindre à un mouvement de résistance?
L'OTAN, l'OTAN. Vous êtes si damnés stupide.
بمب افکن
ناتو
را بار دیگر
بمباران
زندگی
را از مردم
بیگناه
در افغانستان
است. و سپس به آنهایی
که زنده
هستند
اگر
چه آنها
سوزانده
شده
اند
وجود
ندارد
، slammed و شکسته.
بی.
چگونه
اعضای
خانواده
خود
را در مورد
شما
احساس
می کنید؟
چگونه
همسایگان
خود
، دوستان
و هم میهنان
در مورد
شما
احساس
می کنید؟
آیا جای تعجب
اگر
شما
ایجاد
دشمنان
جدید
می باشد؟
اگر
کسی
را بمباران
خانواده
شما
به قطعات
، از آنها
می خواهد
شما
را ببخشد
و یا جنبش
مقاومت
به شما بپیوندم؟
ناتو
، ناتو
است. شما در حال چنان
سر در گم احمق.
[If you can translate more accurately, leave your
translation as a comment. Thanks.]
Presenting The Mackenzie Jones Band
Back in the olden days, Adam and my son, Samuel, hung out at UBC, played music together and probably did a lot of shit that I don't know about. Ten bucks says that if I knew, I'd wish I was there.
Some of Adam Jones's superbly crafted offerings will be making an audio appearance as "The Featured Music Track" in the sidebar of the billblog over the next period of time. Just cast a glance to the sidebar to the right and click on the music player. First off the mark is "Kneel Before The Gunt King", a bold, inventive big band tune. It rocks.
Check back regularly for more, or visit the Mackenzie Jones Band website HERE.
Return to Vietnam
Ric grew up in the San Francisco Bay area just in time to be eligible for the Vietnam War. Ric didn't want to go to war. It was something that he ended up doing for a multitude of reasons — just like so many other young fellows back then. He survived, came home and carried on with his life, in Canada. That's a story in itself. Maybe Ric will share it with you over coffee one day.
After many years Ric decided to return to Vietnam as part of an inner healing process. I suppose you could say he was pulled back to Vietnam — by the heart.
Ric says that a war isn't over when soldiers leave the field. Its victims remain. Ric is anti-war. All war.
When he returned, Ric saw Vietnam, its natural beauty and its people through new eyes. He saw also the after effects of the War. Too many Vietnamese people were missing limbs because of land mines. Land mines continue to maim to this day. He saw poverty. He saw children born with disfiguring birth defects. The local people insist that the prevalence of birth defects began with Agent Orange being sprayed on their fields, homes, villages and their bodies.
Ric bought Vietnamese tricycles for those without legs. These hand-powered tricycles allow people to live at the same height as everyone else. They offer autonomy and "face" and they free family members who have been assigned to care for them, so that they can go to school or do work. "These tricycles transform lives," says Ric. He bought rice. He arranged for medical supplies to be donated. And more.
Ric talked to anyone who would listen.
The first time I sat down for coffee with Ric I gave him a twenty
dollar bill. He told me exactly how much rice that would buy. 100%
of donations given to Ric go to direct aid. Other people gave Ric
money for tricycles. He'd bring back photos of people riding them.
That's got to be a rush — like, you hand some cash over to
some guy who flies at his own expense to the other side of the
planet, buys a tricycle for a guy without legs, flies back and
shows you a photo of the other guy.
After a while lots more people became interested in what Ric was
doing. One such person was John Dumesnil of Kamloops BC. He helped
establish the non-profit charity, the "Canadian Friends of Vietnam
Society" and did a lot more as well. Another interested person who
jumped in with both feet and a smile was Bruce Churchill of
NRI
Distribution in Kamloops. "He's been supporting me from the
get-go." say Ric.
In Vietnam on one of his trips, Ric met Mai. They are married. I
met Mai when they visited here a few months ago. We all hiked up to
the top of Mount Douglas for the 360 degree panoramic view. That
day we talked about a website.
And for the past couple or so months I've been working on a website
for the Canadian Friends of Vietnam Society.
Often Ric and I sat, he in Kamloops and me in Saanich, deep in
discussion and problem-solving via iChat video-conference, working
on the kazillion little details for the site. Daryl Jones at NRI
set up the webspace and troubleshot some namesever issues. Daryl
provides ongoing tech support. NRI provided the webspace. This
website is a community effort. It's information, photos and slide
shows will startle, amaze and touch you.
Today this site is officially launched. Take a look at it
RIGHT HERE.
We hope you love visting this site and check back regularly as it
grows. We hope you'll find lots to think about, to talk about and
that you share it with your friends.
And finally, Ric, thanks Man. Big time. It's an honour to hang with
you.
Fish Farms Destroying BC Wild Salmon
The following has been re-printed from the
Sea Shepherd
website,
specifically from
THIS PAGE.
If you feel compelled, motivated or inclined to write to the DFO,
Gail Shea or your MP that would be grand.
*******
Fish Farming in British
Columbia- Destroying the Wild Salmon
Rafe Mair is the
former Environment and Health Minister for the Province of British
Columbia. He is now an outspoken conservationist and the Sea
Shepherd Conservation Society is proud to have him as a member of
our Advisory Board.
From Rafe Mair:
It's not often one gets the chance to read a classical presentation
but here is one. If you never read another word on fish farms
please read this from two of the most eminent fish biologists in
the nation, both of whom relate what has happened to our salmon
fishery under the care of our governments, especially the federal
department of fisheries and oceans. The behavior or Minister Gail
Shea in Oslo cuddling up to the fish farmers as documented by
my colleague Damien Gillis, is the catalyst for this letter, but I
can tell you from long association and immense admiration for Dr.
Gordon Hartman and his brave colleagues in the DFO of yesteryear,
you are about to read the real story, the lamentable story of the
pacific salmon at the mercy of our governments, most especially the
federal government. Please, please, please pass this on as widely
as you can:
August 31, 2009,
1217 Rose Ann Drive,
Nanaimo, B.C., V9T 3Z4
The Hon. Gail Shea,
Minister, Fisheries and Oceans,
Parliament Buildings,
Ottawa, Canada.
Dear Ms. Shea,
Re: DFO’s
poor record for wild salmon protection as opposed to
un-restrained support for salmon farming in
B.C.
This is the perspective of two of us who have a combined experience
of over 85 years in biology and oceanography – most of this
time with DFO. We mention this experience because we believe that
it qualifies us, quite well, to comment. We are not alone in the
views we hold about the following:
A)
DFO – Abandoned
Mandate
Historically, we recall times when DFO stood out clearly on
environmental issues. These included effective input in hearings on
marine oil exploration, research and management initiatives on
estuarine fish habitat, research and results application in
connection with coastal logging, and strong involvement in the Site
C dam proposal.
As opposed to this, DFO’s performance during the past 25
years or so, is lamentable. Considering Pacific salmon
protection the following record is particularly
disappointing:
1. ‘Rolling over and playing dead’ in connection with
the Alcan and Nechako situation
2. Sitting quietly by while fish-bearing streams are pre-empted for
private power development in run-of-the-river projects,
3. Condoning massive gravel removal in salmon habitat in the lower
Fraser River, and
4. Playing hand-maiden to the aquaculture industry.
In regard to aquaculture in coastal B.C., we are deeply concerned
about the policy direction and the inadequacy of federal government
science. We are concerned not only because the high profile
conflict in the Broughton Archipelago area is unresolved, but
because the industry apparently wishes to expand beyond where it
now extensively operates.
Many knowledgeable people in universities and the public have
written extensively about this issue. However, after having seen
pictures of DFO’s aquaculture booth at a trade show in
Norway, and after hearing your comments to Damien Gillis, we feel
obliged to try to help those who would protect wild salmon.
We may not understand what has caused the near collapse of
the Fraser River sockeye salmon run this year. However, the specter
of you at a aquaculture trade show booth in Norway while the Fraser
River sockeye run ‘melts down’, has symbolism of
DFO’s priority and policy that troubles us.
B)
Policy
Direction
The behavior of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada, (DFO) is at odds with
the department’s own precautionary principle. The department
behaves more like an aquaculture promotion organization than a
responsibly involved fisheries research and management
agency.
Several years ago the Government of Canada established the
“precautionary principle” in: A Framework for the
Application of Precaution in Science-based Decision Making
About Risk. (Date modified: 2003-07-25). In the case of the
salmon aquaculture business, this policy seems to be ‘far
back in the shadows’. In the salmon net-pen farming
industry, particularly in areas such as the Broughton Archipelago,
risks and impacts have been documented by research workers outside
of DFO. In this situation they show that a “credible case
that a risk of serious or irreversible harm exists” .
We have copies of six refereed publications that support such
concern. Notwithstanding the precautionary policy aspect and
independent, published/refereed research that indicates risk, DFO
supports expansion of the industry. Your department is failing in
its mandate in three ways:
1. It does not meet the requirements of its own
‘precautionary principle’
2. It straddles two objectives:
a) Managing and protecting wild salmon and,
b) Supporting aquaculture. By the way they are being met, these
objectives are in conflict.
3. While being quick to criticize outside research, DFO’s own
research provides a weak and fragmentary foundation for management
of aquaculture in B.C. (See “Sustainable Aquaculture Research
in BC: DFO Publications Related to Fish health and Salmon
Aquaculture) .
This failure is even more worrisome given that the aquaculture
industry is demanding that it be allowed to move further north
along the B.C. coast. If it is not allowed to ‘go
north’ then it calls for permission to ‘grow
bigger’ where it is. Who calls the tune here?
C)
Inadequacy of DFO Science
The DFO has not carried out adequate research to permit a
scientifically legitimate management role in the salmon farming
industry (see “Sustainable Aquaculture
Research….. Publications … 2003 -2007).”
above) This list may not be up to date, however, it covers the time
period in, or before which, research, relevant to aquaculture
impacts and policy formulation, should have been carried out.
The list of publications includes very few papers that bear
directly on the impacts, or potential impacts, of Atlantic salmon
net-pens culture on juvenile pink salmon in critical areas such as
the Broughton Archipelago. Of 53 titles listed, only five appear to
be directly, or partly, relevant to impacts on juvenile pink salmon
in the Broughton Archipelago. We are aware that there is more
government and non-government research, being planned or carried
out now. This is desirable. However, it is unfortunate that this
increased effort was not made before the industry expansion was
allowed to occur. With the history of land use conflicts that
lies behind us, it is most unfortunate that we still ‘turn
business loose’, and then after the fact, try to understand
impacts and clean up the problems.
If the Government of Canada, through DFO, continues to require a
better assessment of connection between salmon farms impacts and
wild salmon population responses in areas such as the Broughton
Archipelago, they must engage in ecosystem-scale research that
meets or exceeds the standards that they require of others, and
that:
1. Extends over a period of time that would permit analysis of the
environmental variables that are considered to confound the effects
of sea lice,
2. Is enough in control of the experimental situation to permit
operation and closure of net pens to provide sound experimental
design, and
3. That has funding and people that are independent of political or
corporate control.
D)
Wild Salmon – Gift of
Nature
Salmon culture may now out-produce wild fish catches if simply
measured in tons. However, these ‘tons’ come with a
spectrum of environmental costs. Furthermore there are important
elements beyond such ‘tonnage counting’ in the salmon
farming debate.
Culture of farmed fish requires energy, fish food originating in
other parts of the world, and it takes space that is useful for
other sectors of society. Salmon farms in some locations produce
layers of rotting waste below them. We know someone very well who
has worked in the salmon farming business – this individual
has seen this first hand. Most of the public has not seen it. If
the jobs that salmon farming creates are, in the end, offset by
loss of jobs involving wild salmon fisheries, their value may be a
bitter illusion.
Production of wild salmon does not require all of the ‘front
end’ costs associated with food production, energy
consumption, freshwater diversion, … etc; that occur in
salmon farming. It does, however, require two things: first that we
protect their environments, and second that we have the good sense
to avoid over-exploiting them. There is an additional benefit to
doing these things. The efforts that we make to sustain wild salmon
and their habitats also help to support an array of other wildlife.
This, plus the environment itself, constitute a positive legacy,
beyond the fish, for future generations. Bays full of net-pen farms
with material rotting on the sea floor and “Keep Out”
signs do not provide such a legacy.
It is clear that wild salmon face a daunting array of man-made
environmental challenges, including: other land uses, climate
change, forest loss, water abstraction, and ocean condition changes
that we do not understand well. This given, your government should
protect them as well as possible for as long as possible. This can
be done. However, it requires a more sincere concern for wild fish
than is evident to date on the part of DFO. In the long term, it
requires a vision on the part of elected people and senior
bureaucrats that goes beyond winning 2-4 year electoral popularity
contests and serving the apparently biggest “business”
on the block.
In a long term ecological context, both society and governments
must soon come to the realization that human populations and
activities must come into some environmentally sensible balance
with the limited space and resources of the land. Humanity
will not get to this state of realization and behavior with
growth-driven business as its moral and intellectual
flagship.
The salmon farming industry and how it is managed is an important
part of our future. In this regard, the public is justified in
expecting better than has been given. If nothing else, we would ask
that your department carry out research that is independent, and
that it begin to honor, fully, its responsibility for wild salmon
protection in a manner that is above politics and short-term
gain.
Sincerely yours,
G. Hartman Ph.D.
C. McAllister Ph.D.
lice on fry