When I was a young and idealistic university student of Wildlife Biology at the time when the term "ecology" was just being invented, there were still salmon and swordfish aplenty. Not only could you order either fish at a restaurant and feel no anguish over impacting a population, we didn't even grasp the concept of impacting a population. If there were farmed salmon, I'd never heard of them. If there was a dramatic decrease in the size of swordfish taken in the Atlantic fishery, it hadn't been realized yet.
Fast forward a few years and I still won't order the sword at dinner - although I have given up criticizing those who do. And not only has sportfishing for salmon fallen on hard times, the commercial venture from California to Oregon has all but disappeared. Alaska is feeling it as well and as we all know, there are salmon species that travel the Columbia that are still listed as endangered. So what do you suppose we have learned from our years and years of overfishing and the stunning impact it had on the marine fishery? Apparently nothing.
It seems that somewhere between 200 million and 1 billion (that's with a 'B') frogs are eaten every year. Indonesia leads the export market, so being a frog there makes it a real challenge to live a long and prosperous froggy life. While I am not a particular fan of frog legs and feet, it would seem there are plenty of folks that are. Having eaten them, I can confirm that they taste like chicken - as long as the chicken spent it's life in a pot of water. So it's sort of like eating a wet, fishy chicken.
It might be worth trying to remember the lessons we've learned in the world's oceans. Or maybe our froggie friends really will croak.
For more details on this whole unpleasant amphibian disaster - read this - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28876555/
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
How I spent my weekend...
If I'm to be a true Renaissance Man, I must expose myself to all manner of thought and practice rather than limit myself to the familiar and known. At least that was what I thought as I drove this past Saturday night to attend the CAIR Banquet for the Seattle Chapter. CAIR - Council on American-Islamic Relations - is a group dedicated to the promotion of justice and mutual understanding (I got this from their website). For Muslims of Middle Eastern or African heritage living in the US, this can be a challenge in these times.
A good friend of mine - Yassin Idris, who comes from Eritrea - invited me to join him and his family at this event, thinking I would enjoy learning a bit more about his culture and how it fits - or doesn't - into mainstream America. It was a vastly diverse crowd of perhaps four hundred with more nationalities represented than I could name. There were folks in all manner of traditional dress with beautiful, flowing robes of dramtic colors and lots of beards and hats and women in all manner of hijab - which is a scarf over the head and under the chin. There were also plenty of Anglos like me, but it was still a very unfamiliar setting for me.
The evening was one of speeches and awards, and finally, pleas for financial support since much of the work this organization does is to provide legal support. There is a very diverse world out there that I usually don't consider. It's pretty easy to slip into the groove of my life and get very used to the way things are, forgetting how many different ways there are to view the world.
A good friend of mine - Yassin Idris, who comes from Eritrea - invited me to join him and his family at this event, thinking I would enjoy learning a bit more about his culture and how it fits - or doesn't - into mainstream America. It was a vastly diverse crowd of perhaps four hundred with more nationalities represented than I could name. There were folks in all manner of traditional dress with beautiful, flowing robes of dramtic colors and lots of beards and hats and women in all manner of hijab - which is a scarf over the head and under the chin. There were also plenty of Anglos like me, but it was still a very unfamiliar setting for me.
The evening was one of speeches and awards, and finally, pleas for financial support since much of the work this organization does is to provide legal support. There is a very diverse world out there that I usually don't consider. It's pretty easy to slip into the groove of my life and get very used to the way things are, forgetting how many different ways there are to view the world.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Obama-Mania
I wandered into the lunch room at work this morning just before nine and found nearly eighty people already there, watching tv - riveted to the thing in fact. It was a good speech; stirring; eloquent in a way we haven't heard in - let's see....eight years. I can hardly believe the drought is finally over !!
Clearly I'm not the only one relieved given the reports of something like two million people crowded into (or attemping at least) the Mall to be a part of it all. Not that you'd actually be able to see anything, or hear anything - it's all about connecting with the energy that must emanate from that many humans all thinking something like the same thing at the same time. That's pretty powerful! As for me, given my disinclination to surround myself with crowds, the relatively small group at work was more than sufficient. I must tell you, though, after the President finished his speech, the room broke into spontaneous applause. Like I said, I'm clearly not the only one breathing a sigh of relief.
It's tough to shed the cloak of skepticism that I've packed around for so many years. Not that I don't want to - I do - it's just so very hard after all the things I've seen. But if there were ever a time in my life to have some hope that maybe at last we've reached some new plateau, this must be it. I'll do my best to join in the direction that helps to lead us out of this mess. After all, any thing else - as Denny Crane would say - would be bad for the troops!
I think one of the absolute high points today came from Rev. Joseph Lowery when he delivered the benediction. As he put it -
Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen.
Rock on Obama-Rama. I say "Amen".
Denny
Clearly I'm not the only one relieved given the reports of something like two million people crowded into (or attemping at least) the Mall to be a part of it all. Not that you'd actually be able to see anything, or hear anything - it's all about connecting with the energy that must emanate from that many humans all thinking something like the same thing at the same time. That's pretty powerful! As for me, given my disinclination to surround myself with crowds, the relatively small group at work was more than sufficient. I must tell you, though, after the President finished his speech, the room broke into spontaneous applause. Like I said, I'm clearly not the only one breathing a sigh of relief.
It's tough to shed the cloak of skepticism that I've packed around for so many years. Not that I don't want to - I do - it's just so very hard after all the things I've seen. But if there were ever a time in my life to have some hope that maybe at last we've reached some new plateau, this must be it. I'll do my best to join in the direction that helps to lead us out of this mess. After all, any thing else - as Denny Crane would say - would be bad for the troops!
I think one of the absolute high points today came from Rev. Joseph Lowery when he delivered the benediction. As he put it -
Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen.
Rock on Obama-Rama. I say "Amen".
Denny
Monday, January 19, 2009
End of Hospital Visit-One
Jamie and Suzanne returned home today - at last! They checked in at Harborview in Seattle last Thursday at 7am and have not been outside since. Suzanne stayed next to Jamie the entire time except for maybe three times when she agreed to go to the hospital cafeteria with me to grab some gourmet healthcare grub.
Good progress is reported on the plugging of Ms Jamie's AVM - a process that is pretty much an exact mirror of the work that was recently done on our house to keep the garage from collapsing and heading down the hill. In both processes, a long tube was used (soil nails at the house, a cerebral angiography catheter for Jamie) to inject a liquid-reactive glue (to solidfy and support the soil in the house, to solidify and seal off the larger vessels in the AVM). I've suggested to our building contractor that he might be missing a lucrative opportunity to expand his business.
She has been instructed to lay low for a couple more days before returning to school so I expect we'll have a chance to get things back to bit more near normal here. The next event is scheduled for February 24th. Suzanne's sisters Christine and Audra are flying out from New Jersey and Pennsylvania respectively to offer support during the first few days of that event. For now, we won't spend much time thinking about what comes but enjoy having the girls back in the house.
To all of you who called and emailed and texted during this past week, thank you. Your thoughts and prayers and good wishes are deeply appreciated. It's during times like this that I realize just how blessed I am to have family and friends like you! Thank you.
Denny
Good progress is reported on the plugging of Ms Jamie's AVM - a process that is pretty much an exact mirror of the work that was recently done on our house to keep the garage from collapsing and heading down the hill. In both processes, a long tube was used (soil nails at the house, a cerebral angiography catheter for Jamie) to inject a liquid-reactive glue (to solidfy and support the soil in the house, to solidify and seal off the larger vessels in the AVM). I've suggested to our building contractor that he might be missing a lucrative opportunity to expand his business.
She has been instructed to lay low for a couple more days before returning to school so I expect we'll have a chance to get things back to bit more near normal here. The next event is scheduled for February 24th. Suzanne's sisters Christine and Audra are flying out from New Jersey and Pennsylvania respectively to offer support during the first few days of that event. For now, we won't spend much time thinking about what comes but enjoy having the girls back in the house.
To all of you who called and emailed and texted during this past week, thank you. Your thoughts and prayers and good wishes are deeply appreciated. It's during times like this that I realize just how blessed I am to have family and friends like you! Thank you.
Denny
Obamanomics begin tomorrow
Greetings My Fellow Americans. My Dubya countdown calendar has officially expired. Now we see what happens next. At this point I still have high hopes for an improvement in things in the country, in the world, in our lives. However, I will remain quietly skeptical for the time being, having been through six decades of politicians and have some reason to believe that all is not as it seems. Not that I don't have expectations, it's just that as The Who said, let's hope we don't get fooled again.
I'm unsure why today was the designated holiday and not tomorrow - it would be nice to be able to watch the whole pageant unfold, but unfortunately for most of us, we have to pretend to return to normalcy tomorrow in order to attempt to keep the three-wheeled economy limping down the road. I suppose I'll watch it on tv tomorrow night - even though it won't quite be the same as a rehashed event.
Regardless of how this plays out, I say good for us as a nation to have removed the current collection of fear-mongers and replaced them with someone who at least speaks in the positive - and in complete sentences. But I'll let the complaining about G-Dub end here - I'm tired of it. And besides, we may have misunderestimated him and actually find out he did some good things for us.
Happy New World!
I'm unsure why today was the designated holiday and not tomorrow - it would be nice to be able to watch the whole pageant unfold, but unfortunately for most of us, we have to pretend to return to normalcy tomorrow in order to attempt to keep the three-wheeled economy limping down the road. I suppose I'll watch it on tv tomorrow night - even though it won't quite be the same as a rehashed event.
Regardless of how this plays out, I say good for us as a nation to have removed the current collection of fear-mongers and replaced them with someone who at least speaks in the positive - and in complete sentences. But I'll let the complaining about G-Dub end here - I'm tired of it. And besides, we may have misunderestimated him and actually find out he did some good things for us.
Happy New World!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Why It's January but looks like July
It has been my observation for many years that winter here in the Pacific Northwest includes a period of time in February when the clouds part and the skys clear and the sun comes out. From inside, looking out, one is tempted to grab the shorts and sandals and head for the beach. It's not uncommon for it to be in the fifties during this period, so it actually is warm enough for those of us long enured to the Northwest definiition of "warm weather" to consider swimming or at least a beach fire and hot dogs.
This year, January has not produced the expected endless stretch of clouds and rain - and snow in the mountains - but has instead made a futile attempt to imitate the February weather. The difference now is that we may have clear skies and semi-balmy temperatures, but you need to be about four hundred feet tall to appreciate it. That's about the depth of the layer of air that is trapped beneath an unusual layer of warm air. The classic, and very unpleasant, thermal inversion.
The entire Puget Sound basin has been subjected to a layer of cold air, made even more unpleasant by the fact that with the low clouds and dense fog, there is never a chance for things to warm at all. This mess is expected to continue until Monday night when it appears an inbound impulse with start to flush things out to the east. By Wednesday, if we're lucky, it will be raining. If you had any ideas that I might not be a deeply-died Northwesterner, hear this - I can't wait for it to rain!!!
This year, January has not produced the expected endless stretch of clouds and rain - and snow in the mountains - but has instead made a futile attempt to imitate the February weather. The difference now is that we may have clear skies and semi-balmy temperatures, but you need to be about four hundred feet tall to appreciate it. That's about the depth of the layer of air that is trapped beneath an unusual layer of warm air. The classic, and very unpleasant, thermal inversion.
The entire Puget Sound basin has been subjected to a layer of cold air, made even more unpleasant by the fact that with the low clouds and dense fog, there is never a chance for things to warm at all. This mess is expected to continue until Monday night when it appears an inbound impulse with start to flush things out to the east. By Wednesday, if we're lucky, it will be raining. If you had any ideas that I might not be a deeply-died Northwesterner, hear this - I can't wait for it to rain!!!
It's been a busy week...
I was temporarily disconnected from much of the routine of life over the past week as we've been planted in Harborview Hospital in Seattle for the first of two surguries for Jamie. As the youngest in the clan - at eleven - she's actually found much to enjoy from this multi-day stay since she is now the absolute center of attention for a large group of people. She's now to the point in her recovery where she really enjoys being surrounded by so many people. I suspect, when she returns home on Monday, she'll expect this "Queen Jamie" treatment to continue. And, for a while, I expect it will. We're just very glad that things have turned out so well for her. Part 2 of this is scheduled for the end of February.
Suzanne has refused to budge from the hospital throughout this so I've been relegated to life of bacherlood and zookeeper. This solo existence requires that, among other things, I deal with all the poo generated by the collection of animals at home. I have to say, I was unaware of just how much poo can come from three cats, a dog and a guinea pig. Among other things, this is a reason I'll be happy to have Jamie and Suzanne back home.
To all of you who kept us in your prayers and thoughts the past few days, thank you. I believe it had a large part in how well this has turned out.
Suzanne has refused to budge from the hospital throughout this so I've been relegated to life of bacherlood and zookeeper. This solo existence requires that, among other things, I deal with all the poo generated by the collection of animals at home. I have to say, I was unaware of just how much poo can come from three cats, a dog and a guinea pig. Among other things, this is a reason I'll be happy to have Jamie and Suzanne back home.
To all of you who kept us in your prayers and thoughts the past few days, thank you. I believe it had a large part in how well this has turned out.
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