Back to 1969 - a year in the rainforest (thread 69)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/05/AR2006040502150.html?referrer=email&referrer=email

Pressure is being applied across the board, not just at governmental agencies like NASA and NOAA, It isn't over.


".......Their accounts indicate that the ideological battle over climate-change research, which first came to light at NASA, is being fought in other federal science agencies as well.

These scientists -- working nationwide in research centers in such places as Princeton, N.J., and Boulder, Colo. -- say they are required to clear all media requests with administration officials, .....

......Christopher Milly, a hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, said he had problems twice while drafting news releases on scientific papers describing how climate change would affect the nation's water supply.

Once in 2002, Milly said, Interior officials declined to issue a news release on grounds that it would cause "great problems with the department." In November 2005, they agreed to issue a release on a different climate-related paper, Milly said, but "purged key words from the releases, including 'global warming,' 'warming climate' and 'climate change.' ""

.....Tans, whose interviews with the BBC crew were monitored by Laborde, said Laborde has not tried to interfere with the interviews. But Tans said he did not understand why he now needs an official "minder" from Washington to observe his discussions with the media. "It used to be we could say, 'Okay, you're welcome to come in, let's talk,' " he said. "There was never anything of having to ask permission of anybody."

The need for clearance from Washington, several NOAA scientists said, amounts to a "pocket veto" allowing administration officials to block interviews by not giving permission in time for journalists' deadlines.

Ronald Stouffer, a climate research scientist at NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, estimated his media requests have dropped in half because it took so long to get clearance to talk from NOAA headquarters. Thomas Delworth, one of Stouffer's colleagues, said the policy means Americans have only "a partial sense" of what government scientists have learned about climate change."

http://us.f377.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter?MsgId=4986_613646_2372_1512_6339_0_15412_26925_3301898301&Idx=6&YY=27838&inc=100&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b&box=Inbox

From the Union of Concerned Scientists:

"Disregarding and misrepresenting recommendations from their own scientists, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed new air pollution standards that do not sufficiently protect public health. The new rules apply to particulate matter pollution, sources of which include agricultural activity, vehicle exhaust, and emissions from coal-fired power plants. Over 2,000 recent studies have linked particulate matter exposure to heart disease, respiratory ailments, and premature death. "

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12138376/

"Mating march of the penguins slows down
Scientists blame climate change for later nesting, egg laying


Penguins and other Antarctic seabirds are nesting and laying their eggs later than they did 50 years ago, a response, scientists say, to global climate change.

While the effects of climate change on animal behavior have been well documented in the Northern Hemisphere, the effects are less well known south of the equator. In North America and Europe, cold-weather animals are generally shifting northward as the Arctic warms and the ice cap shrinks."

This ought to be cool.

"USGS Introduces Virtual, Interactive Tour of the 1906 Earthquake


The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has created a virtual, interactive tour of the magnitude 7.8 April 18th 1906 earthquake in Northern California. To see the USGS tour, visit

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/virtualtour/.

The virtual tour, using the three-dimensional geographic mapping tool Google Earth™, begins with a view from space and zooms in on the 300-mile rupture of the 1906 earthquake along the San Andreas Fault. Using overlays of ground-shaking intensity, damage, historic photos and first-hand accounts, the 1906 earthquake is revealed in its historic and scientific context. In addition, the user can explore present day earthquake hazards in the Bay Area with maps and other on-line resources."

http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1487

http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060406_ant_diversity.html

"First Flowers Triggered Boom in Ant Diversity
By Bjorn Carey


The emergence of flowering plants 100 million years ago may have led to the explosion in ant diversity that occurred around the same time, scientists say.

The 11,800 known species of modern ants probably arose from a single species millions of years ago, but scientists previously knew little about ants' evolutionary history.

Researchers analyzed fossilized ants trapped in amber and discovered that the ancestors of modern ants first scurried along the ground 140 to 168 million years ago.

These ants, however, were diversifying at a very slow rate. Then flowers, also known as angiosperms, sprouted onto the scene.

"An event happened 100 million years ago and ants started diversifying like crazy," study co-author Corrie Moreau of Harvard University told LiveScience. "This is also the time when we start seeing the first angiosperm forests."

These forests dropped more litter to the ground, creating more niches and complicated habitats for ants to specialize and diversify in. Today the greatest ant diversity is observed in plant debris and just under the soil. Forest canopies also provided interesting new homes for ants, including some that have learned to glide back to their home tree if the fall."

Thanks Sumac.

I think I'll make a routine here.

1. Click in
2. Post nature picture
3. Read article

Amigo, howdy again and beautiful photos, thanks!

sumac, the rosa banks sprouted new buds that i hadn't noticed till yesterday.

More working outdoors today. Sun shining hurray!

all clicked

If people went outside into nature more they would see what the hell is so important to us and should be important to them.

I going to try to introduce more people to camping and make SURE they have a good time.

They would get in touch with what it really means to be human.

Oooo, late clicks today - but, clicks just the same.

Amigo, great photos guy.....!!

Hello all,

Hi Merry Andrew, where ever you are - (that's my Jimmy Durante takeoff) I noticed MA has been clicking lately.

You and your 293 friends have supported 2,321,556.3 square feet!

Marine Wetlands habitat supported: 106,451.4 square feet.
You have supported: (0.0)
Your 293 friends have supported: (106,451.4)

American Prairie habitat supported: 50,328.4 square feet.
You have supported: (12,149.9)
Your 293 friends have supported: (38,178.5)

Rainforest habitat supported: 2,164,776.6 square feet.
You have supported: (169,620.4)
Your 293 friends have supported: (1,995,156.2)

That's 53.29 acres !!!

Great going everyone..................

Weather georgous today, and then..........thunder, lightening, and an awsome hail storm! Cannot believe the amount of rain since! The gardens, walkways, driveways, ect. all spiffy just in time for the new storm. <sigh> Oh well, tomorrows another day.

Change of subject. Interesting articles regarding the new Gospel of Judas transcript find. NG's more in depth with scientific and archeological links.

National Geographic
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/04/0406_060406_judas.html

NYT's Science
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/07/science/07judas.html?ex=1302062400&en=9c496268a513cf18&ei=5089&partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss

Amigo, I agree. The natural world should be viewed with patience, understanding, and most importantly - respect for all its creatures. Recall wonderful camping trips to Eagle Lake, CA with my sibs and family, and excursions to Lassen, the Siskiyous, and my favorite place on the planet - Tahoe.

CA legislators are working to counter the Pompo posse - by introducing new legislation that will keep Californias national parks free of developers - two bills in fact. One called The California Wild Heritage Act < the House for review> and the bill that recently passed both the house and senate - The Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act. Pompo <if you keep up with legislation> is attempting to gut the Endangered Species Act.

Morning all.

I am tense with the excitement of the possibility of showers and thunderstorms - even some moderately severe stuff. But I may haul the hose around anyway, just as insurance.

Will go click.

Amigo
Can't go wrong with that routine. And camping does get people to actually see, hear, and smell.

http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060407_everest_expedition.html


"Everest Expedition Uncovers Exotic Species
By Bjorn Carey
LiveScience Staff Writer



Mount Everest and the Himalaya mountain range conjure images of yaks and Sherpas loaded with heavy packs. But tucked into the cold shadows of the world's tallest mountain are biologically diverse hotspots filled with poorly known plants and animals found nowhere else on the globe.

Scientists from Conservation International and Disney's Animal Kingdom recently launched a two-month scientific expedition into six regions of the Tibetan "Sacred Lands" in the mountains of Southwest China and Nepal.

Today they announced the discovery of a pocket of the world rich in extraordinary flora and fauna.

"The fact that we found so many new species in such a harsh environment, as well as documented several rare and endangered species is good news for these two regions," said Leeanne Alonso, the expedition's lead scientist and vice president of the CI's Rapid Assessment Program.

Here's a sampling of the outlandish critters [Gallery]:

Giant hornets so deadly locals call them "Yak Killers"
Jumping "Yeti" mice
A new grasshopper species in which the males hitch piggy-back rides on the females
Baby blue-faced golden monkeys, the region's largest primates
Hamster-like pikas that eat their own feces
A couple of new frog species, eight new insect species, and ten new species of ants to add the more than 11,000 already known."

Hi. I'm bavk.

And it's about time too.

Not in MY backyard.

"On a clear day, the windmills would be visible from many of the area's resort homes, including the Kennedy family compound in Hyannisport six miles away."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060407/pl_nm/energy_congress_wind_dc

"Congress near blocking Mass. offshore wind farm By Chris Baltimore
Fri Apr 7, 5:08 PM ET



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Opponents of a plan to build the first offshore U.S. wind farm in Nantucket Sound off Massachusetts were a step closer on Friday to blocking the $900 million project.

Negotiators in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate agreed late on Thursday to give Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney the power to block a plan by Cape Wind Associates LLC to put 130 giant wind turbines near the resort islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

Romney, a Republican sometimes touted as a potential presidential candidate, is an outspoken opponent of the plan, and U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, a leading Democrat, also opposes it.

Backers say the project could generate enough electricity for most of Cape Cod and nearby islands. Opponents include wealthy residents with yachts and shorefront property near the proposed site."

Can't resist posting this.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060407/ap_on_re_us/gold_capped_teeth


Feds Try to Seize Gold From Suspects' Teeth



TACOMA, Wash. - Talk about taking a bite out of crime.

Government lawyers tried to confiscate the gold tooth caps known as "grills" from the mouths of two men facing drug charges, saying the dental work qualified as seizable assets. They had them in a vehicle headed to a dental clinic by the time defense attorneys persuaded a judge to halt the procedure.

"I've been doing this for over 30 years and I have never heard of anything like this," said Richard J. Troberman, a past president of the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. "It sounds like Nazi Germany when they were removing the gold teeth from the bodies, but at least then they waited until they were dead."

Prosecutors had a warrant to seize the gold dental work, according to documents and lawyers involved in the case. But they eventually abandoned the effort, saying they mistakenly thought the grills were removable.

Looked into the 'Home Improvement' forum, but they didn't look like they would be interested in this.

This article reviews two DVD's about home building using green philosophy, natural materials, renewable resources, etc. Makes you wish that you could do it too.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/07/AR2006040700809_2.html?referrer=email&referrer=email

"Learning to Build (With Straw) and Power (With Solar) a Home by DVD


In Johnston's discussions about home building, he touches on many aspects of construction that homeowners never think about -- including the waste stream generated by the construction of a new house. A 2,000-square-foot, conventionally built house produces about 13 tons of waste. There is so much reusable material, you can go dumpster diving and build an entire house with it, as Johnston's friend did in Colorado. Despite this amusing anecdote, it's no joke -- nationally, construction waste accounts for about 12 percent of our entire waste stream. But, Johnston says, as much as 60 percent of the construction waste could be recycled if the builder took the time."

Deval Patrick is the only candidate for governor here who is for the Wind farm. It's a mixedbag - no controls on the private enterprise part of it. He will still get my vote in June at the convention.
Amigo - spectacular pictures - thanks!
And Sumac - that bug ain't bad either.
Hi, Merry A.

Ul - not France this time - it has to be a cheap trip - cashed in all my airline miles and will be staying with my beloved sister-in-law in Barcelona. This trip is because of a promise to my 13 year old grandson who is in his second year of Spanish - I hope he likes Barcelona - how could he not. I hope to take non-stop photos of Gaudi's buildings and two other great churches there that I love - Santa Maria de la Mar and the main Gothic Cathedral. Leaving here on the 11th and see you back here on the 20th.