Polar Bear SOS

The message below urges concerned Americans to come to the rescue of the polar bear, which faces extinction as a result of global warming. You can send a copy of this letter to your friends by visiting www.polarbearsos.org.

Dear Friend,

By speaking out today, you could help save polar bears from extinction.

The Bush Administration has proposed listing the polar bear as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act because its Arctic sea ice habitat is rapidly melting from global warming. This proposed protection comes after successful legal action by NRDC and its partners to protect the imperiled bear.

However, this proposal won’t become reality without a huge outpouring of public support.

Please send a message to the Bush Administration today by going to: www.polarbearsos.org/takeaction0607

Polar bears live only in the Arctic and are completely dependent on sea ice for survival. But 80 percent of their summer ice could be gone in 20 years and all of it by 2040. They are already suffering the effects: birth rates are falling, fewer cubs are surviving, and more bears are drowning.

Time is running out. Without protection, polar bears could become the first mammal to lose 100 percent of its habitat to global warming.

Please speak out now.

Thank you for speaking out at this critical time.

Sincerely,
Frances Beinecke
President, Natural Resources Defense Council

Brief time in the sun

“After sleeping through a hundred million centuries we have finally opened our eyes on a sumptuous planet, sparkling with color, bountiful with life. Within decades we must close our eyes again. Isn’t it a noble, an enlightened way of spending our brief time in the sun, to work at understanding the universe and how we have come to wake up in it? This is how I answer when I am asked—as I am surprisingly often—why I bother to get up in the mornings.”

-Richard Dawkins

From the heart

Thanks for stopping by. Rather than candy or greeting cards this Valentine’s Day, I offer you the beauty of this patch of living blooms and a heartfelt wish that you will enjoy many moments of genuine kindness and love, not just today, but always.

Not by bread alone

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”

-John Muir

The Monday Melee

The Monday Melee is a Fracas project. You’re invited to participate. Get details and see the participant list here.

Yes, I realize today is not Monday. But I’m jumping in late.

The Misanthropic: Name something you absolutely hate.
Discrimination of all types: racial, religious, age, gender, sexual orientation.

The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent, or bogus.
Proponents of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge claim that it is necessary in order to reduce dependence on foreign oil. In truth, we cannot drill our way to independence; there is not enough oil in ANWR to make a noticeable dent. It’s a futile and pointless waste of a pristine wilderness area. I strongly believe we need to concentrate on finding alternative solutions for clean, renewable energy.

The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.
The weather. It’s winter. Blech.

The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.
My kids have been doing a better job of taking care of their responsibilities without being reminded.

The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.
I am fit and healthy.

The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.
A world at peace and in harmony with nature.

Frozen solid mocha

It’s five degrees: F not C. And I do mean F. As in, damn effing cold! As in, WTF kind of weather is this? If I wanted permafrost, I’d have chosen to live in Siberia. I hope this record-setting cold ends soon. Sheesh!

New year blue

I’m back from holiday and starting the new year in a funk. A day of mourning, indeed. While I dodged the malaria bullet, it seems I’ve contracted a serious case of ‘the grass is greener and it’s a heckuva lot warmer in the tropics’. Here I am, chilled to the bone (despite many layers of clothing) thinking nonstop about the absolute necessity of moving to a much warmer climate. But I’m finding it difficult to concentrate and make plans with my teeth chattering…

The year in green

It has been a busy year for environmental issues. Visit the Sierra Club online to review a collection of ‘green’ stories from 2006 and cast your vote for the most significant.

What a flake

This is my snowflake.

It’s a bit rough. This was, after all,
my first experience with virtual scissors.
It’s harder than it sounds.

You can make one, too. Visit Make-a-Flake.

 

 

Know-it-alls

There are two very interesting articles on Reuters today that proved an enjoyable reminder that we (contemporary human society):
a) aren’t the only ‘intelligent’ life on Earth
b) didn’t develop advanced thinking in just the last century, and
c) haven’t even come close to unravelling every mystery

Humpback whales have “human” brain cells

Ancient calculator was 1,000 yrs ahead of its time

Humility: it’s refreshing!