# 68 Wildclickers arranging a ball

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/11/AR2006031101258_pf.html

"China Risks Environmental Collapse, State Official Warns

Associated Press
Sunday, March 12, 2006; A20



BEIJING, March 11 -- China must sharply improve environmental protection or it could face disaster following two decades of breakneck growth that have poisoned its air, water and soil, the country's top environmental official warned Saturday.

The director of the State Environmental Protection Administration said that more than half of China's 21,000 chemical companies are near the Yangtze and Yellow rivers, which provide drinking water for tens of millions of people, and accidents could lead to "disastrous consequences."

"Facts have proved that prosperity at the expense of the environment is very superficial and very weak," Zhou Shengxian said at a news conference during the annual meeting of China's parliament. "It's only delaying disaster."

China's cities are among the world's smoggiest, and the government says its major rivers are badly polluted, leaving hundreds of millions of people without clean drinking water.

Protests have erupted throughout the country over farmers' complaints that uncontrolled factory discharges are ruining crops and poisoning water.

Environmental protection took on new urgency for Chinese leaders after a Nov. 13 chemical spill in a northeastern river forced a city to shut down its water supply and sent pollutants flowing into Russia."

sumac, thanks for the new articles!

Sitting by my office window viewing a lovely quiet snowfall.

Nature is truly amazing.

all clicked

snow

I'm envious

I've got a backyard full of slush and mud. Doesn't matter how many towels there are at the back door - the dogs just jump on over with their muddy little paws

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You and your 290 friends have supported 2,277,937.0 square feet!

Marine Wetlands habitat supported: 102,611.6 square feet.
You have supported: (0.0)
Your 290 friends have supported: (102,611.6)

American Prairie habitat supported: 48,853.3 square feet.
You have supported: (11,751.8)
Your 290 friends have supported: (37,101.5)

Rainforest habitat supported: 2,126,472.1 square feet.
You have supported: (169,105.3)
Your 290 friends have supported: (1,957,366.9)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2277937.0 square feet is equal to 52.29 acres

Good Sunday to all.

Did my clicking.

ehBeth, please don't be envious! I've been home three days <today's the fourth> and can't get out of my driveway for work!

Although the landscapes quite beautiful, the roads are not drivable, not even with four wheel drive - and its snowing again!

I live on a hill, and slid out of the driveway sideways last week - then gingerly navigated the skiing Chevy for two more hilly roads to the main road. I've lived here for almost five years, and haven't even seen snow that stayed on the ground for more than a few hours. Snowlevels at 1000 ft. very unusual for California - even at 2100 ft., so i guess i'll just sit here and hope i can get out tomorrow. The herd will get mighty cranky when their foods gone.

Hi all,

Great pics and lots of good reading. All in all a very good Sunday.

all clicked

Say hello to your Patti for us, danon.

Thanks Amigo for the great photos!

From the Pacific Northwest ~

Sad news regarding Luna, the Killer Whale who had captured the hearts of Canadians, tourists, and wildclickers. Matrix posted so many wonderful stories regarding Luna.

Yesterday, BBC News reported the death of Luna.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4796106.stm

Great photos, Stradee. Loved the owl and black squirrel.

Did my clickin' for the day. Our temps should drop 20 degrees tomorrow - back down to normal. Whew. Don't want summer to start this early.

Meanwhile, on the avian flu front.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-03-13T112019Z_01_N12232814_RTRUKOC_0_US-BIRDFLU.xml&archived=False


"Bird flu spreads to Myanmar, likely in Afghanistan
Mon Mar 13, 2006 6:20 AM ET



By Darren Schuettler

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Myanmar has reported what is believed to be the secretive country's first case of bird flu, while Afghanistan was checking on Monday to see if it is the latest country to be infected by the deadly disease.

Underscoring bird flu's rapid spread around the globe, Cameroon became the fourth African country to report an outbreak of bird flu on Sunday, joining Nigeria, Egypt and Niger, which have reported cases of the H5N1 flu virus in poultry.

In a matter of weeks, H5N1 has spread deep into Europe, taken hold in Africa and flared anew in Asia."

Hi all,

Nice photos Stradee.

Not good news re the Orca........ I lived on beachproperty at Gig Harbor, WA on the Puget Sound and would each year watch the Orcas go past.

all clicked --- -- - ---- - -- - --- -- - - - -- -- ---
((that's morse code for - "saved a tree"))

Saw my first butterflies yesterday - yellow, and yellow/black. Unfortunately, also mud wasps, one of which nailed me good last year.

Yur welcome ya all

Squirrels are just so darned cute! One heavy snowfall day, the weather had cleard a bit, i'd just opened the garage door and there was the neighborhood gray squirrel saying howdy. Now i love animals, but wasn't too keen on the critter spending a few days in the garage, so we chatted <yep, i speak fluent squirrel> and sent him on his merrry way. They really are an interesting group of animals - and today i'll set a few bowls of peanuts near the porch as a surprise for our gray friend.

Owls are neat animals too. There are quite a few of the critters that can be heard whoooin' during the spring and summer - they sit way up in the taller pines surveying the landscape. The Sierra Owls are a brownish color though - I believe the owl photo was taken in Washington.

Luna was quite the emmisary for all Orcas, wasn't he? What a neat place to have lived, Dan! Migrating Orcas a sight to see.

sumac, owie! Please be careful of wasps! Those critters serious! And again, thanks for the interesting articles.

All clicked and gettin' ready for work. Driveways clear! Hurray!

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/orl-exoticcritter1306mar13,0,3193083.story?track=rss

"It's a jungle out there
Exotic species make themselves at home in Central Florida

Kevin Spear
Sentinel Staff Writer

March 13, 2006

From creepy to cute to the scariest predators on the planet, non-native wildlife of all descriptions have been conquering Florida for a century or more.

Some, including armadillos, have been at home in woodlands for so long they are considered "naturalized" residents of the state's critter nation.

Yet out-of-state wildlife, or "exotics," have continued the conquest, arriving and thriving in large part because of urban and suburban growth........

..."These are invading animals that have evolved to live on the edge," Hardin said. "There's a whole lot of evidence that points to that." "

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/world/14084797.htm?source=rss&channel=kansascity_world

"Nations at odds over drilling into buried Antarctic lake
By ROBERT S. BOYDKnight Ridder Newspapers

.....At issue is the Russians' plan to continue drilling a hole they began in 1998 until it pokes through the ice into a large, long-buried lake known as Vostok. They already have drilled 2.2 miles, stopping about 100 yards from the lake, and have declared their intention to go the rest of the way next year.

Scientists worldwide are eager to explore Lake Vostok, but they worry that the Russians are plunging ahead without taking adequate precautions to avoid contaminating the hidden waters with their drilling equipment.

Researchers think the lake, which is about the size of Lake Ontario and more than a half-mile deep, has been sealed off from the rest of the world for more than 10 million years, far longer than humans have existed. They want to find out whether living organisms are growing down there and see how they may have evolved differently from life on the surface. The findings could also tell a lot about the possibility of life on the icy moons of Jupiter or on planets beyond our solar system."

Aha, finally back from the "trip"..... My Patti went to a new Doctor in Tyler, TX ((100 miles one way)) today for more tests. It now appears she may NOT have MS !!! We are keeping fingers crossed - but - are wondering what the problem is. More tests are being scheduled as we speak.