Native Americans are opposed to the 1,179-mile (1,897km) Keystone XL project – a system to transport tar sands oil from Canada and the northern United States to refineries in Texas – for various reasons, including potential irreversible damage to sacred sites, pollution, and water contamination.

Although the planned pipeline would not pass directly through any Native American reservation, tribes in proximity to the proposed system say it will violate their traditional lands and that the environmental risks of the project are simply too great.

Russ Girling, CEO of TransCanada, the company that hopes to build the pipeline, has promised in the past that Keystone XL will be “the safest pipeline ever built.”

The Indian groups, as well as other activist organizations, doubt the claim, saying the risks involved in the project are too high.

In an effort to ease their concerns, officials from the Department of State agreed to meet with tribal leaders on Thursday in the Hilton Garden Inn in Rapid City, Michigan.

Before the talks could begin, however, tribal leaders walked out, angered that the government had sent what they considered low-level representatives.

In a press conference following the walkout, tribal leaders took turns criticizing the project, as well as the Obama administration.

“I will only meet with President Obama,” Bryan Brewer, president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, told the Rapid City Journal.

Others mentioned environmental concerns with the proposed pipeline, which echo the concern of environmental groups across the country.

Casey Camp-Horinek, an elder with the Southern Ponca Tribe based in Oklahoma, compared the pipeline and other environmental damage to the historical events that had decimated her people during European colonization.

“We find ourselves victims of another form of genocide, and it’s environmental genocide, and it’s caused by the extractive industries,” she said.

Charles LoneChief, vice president of the Pawnee Business Council, headquartered in Oklahoma, said the public was misinformed about the pipeline’s environmental risks.

Unlike a traditional crude oil pipeline, Keystone XL will pump oil that is collected from tar sands. To turn this substance into a transportable liquid, oil companies must add chemicals that environmental groups warn are highly toxic.

“That gets into our waterways, our water tables, our aquifers, then we have problems,” LoneChief said.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated that the Keystone XL pipeline will increase annual US carbon pollution emissions by up to 27.6 million metric tons – the impact of adding nearly 6 million cars on the road, according to the Environment News Service.

Robin LeBeau, a council representative for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe based in South Dakota, pledged to protest against any construction, even if that meant standing in front of bulldozers.

“What the State Department, what President Obama needs to hear from us, is that we are going to be taking direct action,” she said.

I believe this is going to be one of the biggest battles we are ever going to have, LeBeau added.

This is not the first time that Native American groups have spoken out on the project.

Leaders from ten Canadian and US indigenous groups gathered in Ottawa, Ontario in March to protest the construction of pipelines.

“Tar sands pipelines will not pass through [our] collective territories under any conditions or circumstances,” the tribes said at a press conference.

From Russia Today

Posted by The NON-Conformist

Memsaab Restuarant introduced by Celebrity Chef Anil Kumar and his wife Reshmi Kumar is a modern man’s delight that offers diners an exquisite dining experience. The cuisine of Memsaab reflects a diversity of taste and culture of India. The restaurant managed by a team of skilled chefs, produces flavoursome and artistic dishes from the finest /fresh produce.

From June 1st – 5th Memsaab will observe World Environment & International Children Day. Memsaab supports sustainable food campaign with its no Hammour and Kingfish policy to prevent over fishing. Together with not cooking endangered species, Memsaab will continue to observe minimum waste at the restaurant and educate its customer on trying other alternatives.

In addition, Memsaab will take the opportunity to educate today’s young mind on the importance of conserving the environment. The restaurant will offer a free surprise or vouchers to all kids below the age of 12; who show their creativity on saving the planet. All entries (sketch, poem, video, etc.) can be submitted on www.facebook.com/memsaafood .

The piece above is my answer to the question ‘What does home mean to me?’. My mum is home. Without her support, encouragement and unwavering devotion towards creating a safe environment regardless of any dreadful situation, I wouldn’t have a home nor a reason to call it so. To show this I stripped mundane household objects of their colour and therefore their importance or worth. Through washing out the definition of such items as electrical appliances and decorative possessions they became no more than a canvas for something much more significant. Projecting a painting of my mum in warming, glowing colours on top of the unnecessary, overcompensated immaterial created the final piece.

A Bottlenose Dolphin in Florida

Those of you who live in Florida may be familiar with Winter, a Dolphin at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium who was given a helping hand by some very kind humans and a new tail to replace the one that she lost due to a fishing line disaster.

If you don’t live here, there is a really good movie about her life,  ” Dolphin Tale  ” that is quite well done and details her painful tribulations, rehabilitation and eventual recovery.

Today on our local news, there was a “ good news animal story, ” there are so few it seems, so this was a joy to see, about how Winter is now giving back.

A little local girl recently lost both of her feet in a freak accident and Winter is now showing her how to adapt and relearn some basic motor skills.

These are the same kinds of things that Winter had to learn after her  ” accident. “

What you may not know, how could you, I have not shared this, my oldest son is a paraplegic from birth and has always been in a wheelchair.

So, Winter’s beautiful story and her struggles to deal with her injury, really hit home hard for me personally, as did  this new one today about how an animal who was nearly killed by us,  is now giving back to the Humans that helped her so much during her time of need.

I highly recommend the movie, for all ages, it is a lesson in determination, perseverance, love and patience.

Couldn’t we all use a big dose of that?

Nominated by

Dear Kitty, Some Blog

Dear Kitty, Some Blog

http://dearkitty1.wordpress.com

Thank you Dear Kitty! 

Blogging on animals, peace and war, science, social justice, women’s issues, arts, and much more…

***

The rules of this award are:
•    Thank the Super Sweet Blogger that nominated you.
•    Answer five Super Sweet questions.
•    Include the Super Sweet Blogging award image in your blog post.
•    Nominate a baker’s dozen (12) other bloggers. These are my best three today!
•    Notify your nominees on their blog.

***

The 5 Super Sweet Questions: 
1.    Cookies or Cake? ‘COOKIES’, wish I had one now!
2.    Chocolate or Vanilla?   Chocolate
3.    Favourite Sweet Treat? Anything with lemon.
4.    When do you crave sweet things the most? When there is not a treat to be found.
5.    Sweet Nick Name? Sweet Heart

Best reads today:

Martin Lack: Lack of Environment http://lackofenvironment.wordpress.com/

Buffalohair Gazette International http://buffalohair.wordpress.com/

Stop Making Sense  http://stopmakingsense.org/ Stop Making Sense is a British based news gathering operation

Related articles

• A Nomination for the Interesting Blog Award! (jackiewriting.wordpress.com)
• Best Moment Award, with cordial thanks to DearKitty1 (jemmyfarmer.wordpress.com)
• The Thank You Award… A Million Thanks! (moonlightenedshelves.wordpress.com)
• The Sunshine Award (theobamacrat.com)
• Reblog-Dear Kitty. Some blog (dishingitoutwithclarissa.com)
• More Awards (judysp.wordpress.com)
• Super Sweet Blogger Award (sunshinefactor.wordpress.com)
• Nominated for The Super Sweet Blogger Award & Dragon Loyalty Award!!!!! (soadhachami.wordpress.com)
• Sweet! A Super Sweet Blogger Award! (barefairy.wordpress.com)
• Super Sweet Blogging Award – 3 Nominations (ajaytao2010.wordpress.com)

“I know Canada has a target, but I also know that you’re really not on track to meet that target,” Connie Hedegaard said in an interview on the Global News program The West Block with Tom Clark, days after meeting with Environment Minister Peter Kent in Brussels.

“In Europe, we are very much on track to meet that target.”

Hedegaard wouldn’t comment specifically on the European view of Canada’s environmental track record, but drew a line between either country’s approach to combating climate change.

“In Europe, we actually made a pledge back from the beginning … We made a pledge and we are very sincere in delivering on this and we’re on track to do that. But you cannot do that if you, sector after sector, you say, ‘Oh no, here we cannot touch this and this, that will also be a bit inconvenient,’” she said, criticizing the Conservative’s drawn out sector-by-sector regulatory approach.

Kent’s office did not return a request for comment.

The federal government has for months been trying to hammer out a plan with provinces and officials from the oil and gas industry — some of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions growth — to help curb emissions, but has yet to ink a deal.

Hedegaard’s admonition comes as Canada and the EU continue negotiations on a trade deal, and straight on the heels of Prime Minister Stephen Harper ‘s trip to New York last week, where he was hawking Canadian energy, making the case for the Keystone XL pipeline and rebutting assertions that Alberta’s oil sands are an environmental menace.

But the sales pitch didn’t seem to sway the EU.

European officials, in an effort to tackle climate change, have been focusing on the transport sectors, Hedegaard said.

“We’re doing that in many different ways, and one of the ways, of course, will be to look at fuels,” she said. “We are trying to make each fuel account as much as we can from the knowledge we have, from the science we have for the real (carbon dioxide) value it has”

That policy, she explained, draws a line between conventional fuels (those extracted through conventional methods such as wells) and unconventional fuels (those extracted through unconventional methods such as oil shale and tar sands).

“And that’s where this debate started, because science tells us a there is a difference,” Hedegaard said. That difference, she said, lies in the tar sands emitting more carbon dioxide than conventional oil.

“The only thing we’re saying in Europe is, therefore it should be accounted for in the right manner. We’re not prohibiting the import of oil from Canada. Of course we are not. We’re just saying it must account for its true value.”

There has been a constant parade of federal ministers, as well as from Alberta, Premier Alison Redford and her ministers, heading to the United States to pitch Canada’s energy.

Harper and the other conservative politicians tied closely to the oil sands have, time and again, underscored the country’s environmental record — one they describe as desirable — and the benefits of Alberta’s tar sands.

Moreover, the Harper government says the country is already halfway toward meeting its 2020 greenhouse gas emissions target. Whether Canada can make up the other half in the next seven years remains a lingering question.

The target in question is hooked to the Copenhagen Accord, under which Canada pledged to cut its emissions by 17 per cent from 2005 levels by 2020.

The government is hanging its successes on a report Environment Canada released last year that suggested Canada was halfway to its target.

Critics, however, accused the Conservatives of exaggerating the successes. They instead suggest that milestone was achieved more through the actions of provincial governments, increasingly efficient technologies and a new international agreement that provides Canada with credits for its dense and sprawling forests — and that reaching the 2020 goal could require a national carbon-pricing strategy.

Although the potential harmfulness of Canada’s tar sands has some foreign governments looking at them carefully with a discerning eye, there is no discrimination against Canada, at least from the EU’s standpoint, Hedegaard said.

“I do not know how many times I have heard different Canadian politicians claim as if we are stigmatizing, in particular, Canada,” she said. “Can you imagine any good reason why Europe should do that or would do that? Of course that’s no what is at stake.”

By Suspicious0bservers

How to Watch the Sun
http://youtu.be/ld5ecZuHECA

TODAY’s New LINKS:
“Black Hole” Jets: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imageg…
Hawaii Volcano: http://www.delawareonline.com/VideoNe…
Etna Volcano: http://news.cincinnati.com/VideoNetwo…

Radio Anomaly: http://iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu/maproo…
US TEC: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ustec/images…
US Windmap http://hint.fm/wind/
US Severe Weather: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-c…
UK/EU MET Office: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/e…
NOAA: http://www.weather.gov/forecastmaps
EU Weather Alerts: http://www.meteoalarm.eu
US Weather Warnings: http://www.weather.gov
India: http://202.54.31.51/nowcast/ http://www.imd.gov.in/section/nhac/dy… http://www.imd.gov.in/section/satmet/…

The REAL Climate Changer: http://youtu.be/_yy3YJBOw_o
Ice Age Soon? http://youtu.be/UuYTcnN7TQk
An Unlikely but Relevant Risk – The Solar Killshot: http://youtu.be/X0KJ_dxp170

REPEAT LINKS:

WORLD WEATHER:
NDBC Buoys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/
Tropical Storms: http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/
HurricaneZone Satellite Images: http://www.hurricanezone.net/westpaci…
Weather Channel: http://www.weather.com/
NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/Default.php
Pressure Maps: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-bin/expe…
Satellite Maps: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-app/sate…
Forecast Maps: http://www.woweather.com/weather/maps…
EL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/…
TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-t… [Tornado Forecast for the day]
HURRICANE TRACKER: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurric…

US WEATHER:
Precipitation Totals: http://www.cocorahs.org/ViewData/List…
GOES Satellites: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/
THE WINDMAP: http://hint.fm/wind/
Severe Weather Threats: http://www.weather.com/news/weather-s…
Canada Weather Office Satellite Composites: http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/satell…
Temperature Delta: http://www.intellicast.com/National/T…
Records/Extremes: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/rec…

SPACEWEATHER:
Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com
SOHO Solar Wind: http://umtof.umd.edu/pm/
HAARP Data Meters: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/dat…
Planetary Orbital Diagram – Ceres1 JPL: http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr…
SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/
Helioviewer: http://www.helioviewer.org/
SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-b…
Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/i…
SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/
iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html
NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSy…
NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/
GOES Xray: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/sxi/goes15/i…
Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/
BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spac…
ISWA: http://iswa.ccmc.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/I…
NOAA Sunspot Classifications: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/lates…
GONG: http://gong2.nso.edu/dailyimages/
GONG Magnetic Maps: http://gong.nso.edu/data/magmap/ondem…

MISC Links:
JAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/
RADIATION Network: http://radiationnetwork.com/
LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring…
QUAKES LIST FULL: http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/s…
RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]
Moon: http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/pac…

Related articles

• CME To Hit Earth May 19th (thesurvivalplaceblog.com)
• Solar Activity Surges: Multiple X-Class Flares Reported: NOAA Says More To Come: “Powerful” (thesurvivalplaceblog.com)

mnemonic here: http://urlet.com/taxation.mitchell

Huge tunnel collapse imperils Mendocino County Skunk Train

By Sean Scully

Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Published: Sunday, May. 19, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

FORT BRAGG – Train tunnel No. 1 on the old California Western Railroad has endured a lot of punishment since it was hacked out of the serpentine and metasandstone rock east of Fort Bragg by Chinese and Italian laborers a century ago.

Sometime overnight between April 12 and 13, a 40-foot length of the tunnel collapsed for reasons still unexplained, dumping thousands of tons of rock onto the track, rubble that Skunk Train officials say they cannot afford to remove.

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/19/5431665/huge-tunnel-collapse-imperils.html

Reblogged from misebogland:

• 

Reliable sources in Washington D.C. have informed the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) that Monsanto has begun secretly lobbying its Congressional allies to attach one or more “Monsanto Riders” or amendments to the 2013 Farm Bill that would preempt or prohibit states from requiring labels on genetically engineered (GE) foods.

In response to this blatant violation of states’ rights to legislate, and consumers’ right to know, the OCA and a nationwide alliance have launched a petition to put every member of Congress on notice: If you support any Farm Bill amendment that would nullify states’ rights to label genetically modified organisms (

Read more… 1,888 more words

காஞ்சியில் ஒரு கோவிலில் பெரியவா எல்லாருக்கும் தர்சனம் குடுத்துக் கொண்டிருந்தார். அப்போது உணர்ச்சிப் பெருக்கை உடலால் சமாளிக்க முடியாமல் ஒரு தம்பதி தங்கள் பெண் குழந்தையுடன் வந்து பெரியவாளை நமஸ்கரித்தனர்.

”ஆந்த்ரப்ரபா” பத்திரிகையின் ஆசிரியரும், காந்திஜியின் நெருக்கமான தோழருமான நீலம் ராஜு வேங்கடஸேஷைய்யாவின; புதல்விதான் அந்த அம்மா. பெரியவா அவர்களுடைய க்ஷேம லாபங்களை விஜாரித்தார். அவர்கள் கண்களில் கண்ணீர் வழிந்தோட கூறியதை கேட்டு, சுற்றி நின்று கொண்டிருந்த அத்தனை பேருக்கும் மயிர்க்கூச்சல் எடுத்தது..
“இன்னிக்கு பெரியவாளோட க்ருபையாலதான் இங்க வந்திருக்கோம்…நாஙக லண்டன்ல இருக்கோம். கொஞ்ச நாளைக்கு முன்னால [ஏதோ ஒரு தேசத்தின் பெயரைக் கூறி] அந்த country க்கு flight ல போய்ண்டிருந்தோம். திடீர்னு இஞ்சின்ல ஏதோ பெரிய கோளாறு. அதுனால safe landing கூட முடியாது..ங்கற மாதிரி பைலட் எல்லாருக்கும் ரெட் சிக்னல் குடுத்தார். விமானத்துக்குள்ள இருந்த அத்தனை பேரோட மனநிலையும் சொல்லக் கூட முடியாது!

ஆனா, உயிரே போகப்போறது..ங்கற நிலைமைல எங்களால பெரியவாளைத் தவிர வேற எதையுமே நினைக்கத் தோணலை! பெரியவாளோட சரணங்களை மானசீகமா கெட்டியா பிடிச்சிண்டோம்! எங்களோட பயம் பயமாத் தெரியலை! எங்களோட டிராவல் பண்ணிக் கொண்டிருந்த அத்தனை வெளிநாட்டுக்காராளயும் தைரியமா இருக்கச் சொல்லி, “Sage of Kanchi ” ன்னு பெரியவாளை நாங்க தெய்வமாவே வர்ணிச்சு, ஆபத்பாந்தவர் அவரை வேண்டிண்டா, எந்த பெரிய விபத்தும் ஓடிப் போய்டும்ன்னு சொன்னதும், ப்ராணாபத்து வந்தா, பொழைக்கறதுக்கு எதைத்தான் பிடிச்சுக்க மாட்டா? அன்னிக்கி அந்த முழு விமானமும் பெரியவாளை த்யானிக்கற, பெரியவாளோட திருவடில தஞ்சமடையற த்யானகூடமாயிடுத்த

கொஞ்ச நேரத்துல பைலட்டுகளுக்கு cooperate பண்ணாத முக்யமான இஞ்சின்கள், கருவிகள் எல்லாமே ஏதோ அதிசயமா “miracle “ன்னு அத்தனை பேரும் [பைலட்டுகள் உட்பட] ஆச்சர்யப்படும்படி ரொம்ப லகுவா வேலை செய்ய ஆரம்பிச்சுடுத்து! சாவோட விளிம்புலேர்ந்து எங்க எல்லாரையும் பெரியவா காப்பாத்திட்டா! விமானம் கீழ இறங்கினதும், பைலட்டுலேர்ந்து அத்தனை பேரும் எங்களை சூழ்ந்துண்டு, Kanchi Sage க்கு லெட்டர் எழுதினாலோ, அவரை பார்த்தாலோ, எங்க எல்லாரோட இதயபூர்வமான நன்றியையும், நமஸ்காரத்தையும் கட்டாயம் அவருக்கு தெரிவிக்கணும்ன்னு ரொம்ப கேட்டுண்டா….எங்களு கோ ஒடனே இந்தியாவுக்கு வந்து பெரியவாளை தர்சனம் பண்ணி, அவருக்கு பாதபூஜை பண்ணனும்னு ரொம்ப தவியா தவிச்சு, நேரே இங்க வந்துட்டோம்…” என்று விம்மல்களுக்கிடைய சொல்லி முடித்தனர்.

ஆனால் பெரியவாளோ எப்போதும்போல் தனக்கும் இதற்கும் சம்பந்தமே இல்லாத மாதிரி, தனக்கு அவர்கள் சொல்லித்தான் எதுவுமே தெரிந்தா மாதிரி மலர்ந்து சிரித்துக் கொண்டே கேட்டுக் கொண்டிருந்தார். பாரிஷதரிடம் பாதுகைகளை கொண்டு வரச் சொல்லிவிட்டு, அவர்களுடைய சின்னப் பெண் குழந்தையை அருகில் அழைத்து, பெற்றோர் கொண்டுவந்திருந்த ஸ்வர்ணபுஷ்பங்கள், வாஸனை புஷ்பங்கள் எல்லாவற்றையும் அதன் குட்டி பூ போன்ற கைகளால் அள்ளி அள்ளி போடச் சொன்னார். அதுவும் அழகாக அர்ச்சனையாகவே பாதுகைக்கு புஷ்பங்களைப் போட்டது.

பெரியவா அந்த தம்பதியிடம் “நீங்க ரெண்டு பேரும் சேந்துதான் இந்தக் கொழந்தை. இது பண்ற பூஜை, நீங்களே பண்ணறதுதான்! அதோட ஒங்க கையால பண்றதை விட, இது குட்டிக் கையால பண்ணறச்சே நெறைய அர்ச்சனை, நெறைய நாழி நடக்கும்!” என்று தெலுங்கில் கூறினார். அன்று அங்கு எல்லோருமே அந்த ஆனந்தத்தை அனுபவித்தனர்.

அவதார புருஷர்களிடம் உண்மையான பக்தி கொண்டவர்கள், எங்கிருந்தாலும் எந்த ஆபத்திலிருந்தும் நிச்சயம் காப்பாற்றப் படுவார்கள்.

SRI KANCHI MAHA PERIVA THIRUVADIGAL CHARANAM

Read more: http://periva.proboards.com/thread/4348/avathara-purushar-kanchi-maha-periva/#ixzz2TkXfRKHM

Natarajan

 

Piranhas were a surprise. Some varieties are large and they come in different colours: Red-Bellied, Black, Gold, Silver. They are tasty too, as can be seen in the photo of visitors to my home.

They were either caught by rod fishing or, the large ones, harpooned with a homemade spear. Fishermen also used small nets. In areas where fish gathered it was an easy way to capture breakfast.

If we were very lucky we got a large fish like the Golden Dorado. The meat on a fish that large is similar to a piece of cod. It’s white and thick and delicious. With a squeeze of lemon from the plantation. Hmm, a real treat.

There were downsides to fishing though. If the catch was small in size, Monduco would put the fish altogether in a pot and boil them. Their eyes would stare out at me, glossy and blank. I could only eat the fish if Monduco beheaded them first, so I didn’t eat if they were boiled. The smell was horrendous and would hang around the kitchen for ages.

If Monduco caught a good haul of fish, too many to eat in one sitting, he would put them on a prepared wooden platform for days to dry in the sun. Again the smell was awful and attracted flies. I, wisely I think, didn’t eat the fish prepared in this way.

Two fishy tales:

One evening on returning to the lodge, as we turned the boat to go towards the forest, Something suddenly hit me in the face. I jumped and yelled and then saw it was one of hundreds of silver fish flying through the air either landing in the boat with a thud or splashing back into the water.
There was no explanation to me about the flying fish, but maybe they were being chased by grey Bottle-nosed or pink Boto dolphins and flew from the water in panic. Or maybe it was the mating season for these fish. Some fish,like the Characins, can fly for short distances on winglike fins.

Another anomaly I saw was during the dry season. As the water levels decreased, leaving only shallow pools, noxious gases we’re released from the rotting vegetation/organic matter on the river bed, causing the death of fish which floated to the surface. The fishermen for a few days only had to wade through the mud to collect their daily meals.

RUK, Pakistan — Resplendent in his gleaming white uniform and peaked cap, jacket buttons tugging his plump girth, the stationmaster stood at the platform, waiting for a train that would never come. “Cutbacks,” Nisar Ahmed Abro said with a resigned shrug.

Ruk Station, in the center of Pakistan, is a dollhouse-pretty building, ringed by palm trees and rice paddies. Once, it stood at the junction of two great Pakistani rail lines: the Kandahar State Railway, which raced north through the desert to the Afghan border; and another that swept east to west, chaining cities from the Hindu Kush mountains to the Arabian Sea…

Andrea Bruce for The New York Times
Trying to fix the tracks near Lahore. Pakistan’s railways, which once linked a fractious young nation, have been neglected.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/world/asia/pakistans-railroads-sum-up-nations-woes.html?pagewanted=all

In this case, because I had plants in the ground on a certain day last year, and they didn’t  freeze, I wanted to meet that marker again. Waiting any longer seemed unnecessary, and maybe more than that,  I needed to see new things growing to really feel like spring had arrived. Now, there are tulips blossoming and  our lilac bush-shrub-tree is awash in a milky violet, but these are just small enough to feel, well, not as significant as I need to find happiness in the change of seasons and believe it is really here.  I don’t think it’s a control thing– I don’t need to “create” or bring forth life–I think what I need is a touch of the uncertainty that comes with being responsible for something.  In this case, the lilac shrub was here before me, and it blooms on its own.  It will continue to do that with little help or even notice from me.  But my garden is like a choose-your-own adventure story. I’ve picked the veggies  I want, I’ve fertilized them (or not), and now  I must make more choices as time goes on to determine whether or not the plants will produce anything.   This very act pulls me into the process more, and I love that. I’m no longer just a passive bystander, forced by the seasons to take the hits that come (Yes, if we get a hailstorm and it decimates my crop I will be at the climate’s mercy, I know). I am also able to kind of have my own say on how I react to and appreciate the seasons here.

In my life away from the garden I guess I can see a similar pattern. I need times of stability and routine, but those moments of chaos and excitement also fuel me.  For instance, by week 3 of a new semester  I fall into the groove of routine and new classes.  By week 9, I’m bogged down by things to do, looking toward the next semester, and ready for the current one to  end.  Relax and tighten.  That’s how it goes.

Yesterday I sunk leftovers from last year’s potato crop into the ground, planted rhubarb (from the same couple who loaned me their cultivator) and onions, thus filling just about all the space I have.  On Monday I’ll plant the final  plants (cantaloupe and squash), and be done with the planting.  As with grading, or writing, I seem to work best in batches, getting geared up for things, doing them, then stepping back from my work and letting the roots grow. It’s certainly like that in writing– I get all excited for an idea, dash into it, then leave it alone for a while to see what’s come of it.  It usually needs tending, weeding and fertilizing  in the weak spots, but eventually, eventually it does yield something beautiful and fulfilling.

Aside from practicing the 3R’s I have been exposed to using organic products. I came across Human Nature beauty products one day as I was checking my Facebook account. I found out that Human Nature products are proudly Philippine-made. Their products are sourced from our own land and in turn the company helps the farmers in the different provinces in the country. Not only are the products proudly Pinoy but they are natural and organic products too. They don’t add chemicals to their products so the consumers are less  exposed or not exposed at all to harmful chemicals and of course, help preserve the environment as well. 

After using just one product, the Human Nature Balancing Face Toner particularly the Elemi and Orange variant, I was hooked. First thing I noticed about the product is that when I applied it to my face, I did not feel any stinging or noticed any redness. It did not cool my face because it has no alcohol. My face felt really fresh, clean and bright!

I was convinced after the first cotton ball touched my very sensitive face. I started purchasing other products as well. I tried their Kids’ Shampoo which my kids loved so much and they use it also as a body wash. Recently I got hold of the dishwashing liquid and the laundry detergent. Never did I realize how important it is really to READ THE LABEL of any product I buy not only for myself but for my family as well. I did not know I was already harming them unconsciously because of the ingredients that are being used. I am thankful to Human Nature for letting me see the importance of reading the labels. Now I know grocery shopping would take a much longer time. 

There is also the business side to it Once you decide to become a member or a dealer, you get a huge discount from 15% to 25% depending on your purchases, which I know can go higher. You can use the products personally or sell them. In fact, I know of a dealer who almost gets her products for free because of the discounts she gets… but then again, she works hard as well to encourage others to use the products. 

Human Nature has from body care, skin care, products for kids and babies, home care and yes even for dogs! They recently launced their Dog Shampoo which I have yet to try for my father’s labrador

I am not paid by anyone from Human Nature to write this blog but I am just so happy to be not only a user of almost all their products but a member too. Being a member entitles me to a 15% discount on all my purchases, huge savings! 

Do check out their website http://www.humanheartnature.com to view all their products. 

Human Nature from head to toe, Shampoo and conditioner, facial wash, cleansing soap and feminine wash…100% al natural products!

I just love the lotion, not only does it smell good but it’s light on the skin even during the summer months

Reblogged from NaturalistNotebook:

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The morning after i arrived I went for a long walk in the woods and meadows near the lake. Almost the first animal I saw was a Red Squirrel. I think it's the ear-tufts combined with a rather big nose which makes this animal adorable and one of my favorites.

The flowers are wonderful in Ireland in the springtime. In May and June the wild Yellow iris come out and ring the lake with a yellow collar.

Read more… 89 more words

This video from Greece says about itself:

April 28, 2013

SOS Halkidiki!

REACHING OUT to all citizens of Canada and the world.

A video with information about the gold mining project of the Canadian mining company Eldorado Gold Corp. and the social resistance movement against destructive mining activities in Halkidiki, Greece.

Related articles

• Nine injured in Greece gold mine protest (bigpondnews.com)
• Eldorado Gold’s big Greek mining problem (oxtapus.wordpress.com)
• Contre la mine d’or : affrontements à Χαλκιδική Halkidiki – 12 mai 2013 (berthoalain.com)
• Greece: Police station attacked in gold protest (thestate.com)
• Protests against gold mine in Greece receive international attention (greenfudge.org)
• Greece: Chalkidiki transmits S.O.S. (energment.wordpress.com)
• Another Protest Against Gold Mine Project (greece.greekreporter.com)
• Skouries exposed: Gold Mining FB campaign ends in disaster with fake “Likes” (keeptalkinggreece.com)
• Thousands Protest in Greece against Canadian goldmine project (earthfirstnews.wordpress.com)

Prints I have seen in concrete:

Dog

Cat

Shoe

Bicycle

Tire

Hand

Leaf

Names

Dates

But, this is the first time I have ever seen duck prints.

A big lesson that everyone, including me; needs to learn is that it’s okay to offend people and it’s better to look at criticism and not be offended by it. Not all criticism is
constructive, some of it is just plain spiteful. But having the ability to pick out parts that benefit your thought or work process is always a good thing. The ability to
take all sorts of criticism constructively.

The difference between a wannabe and a professional is that the wannabe waits around for inspiration and the professional gets to work knowing that inspiration will come
if he does his part and works hard enough. Right now I’m working on eliminating distractions and fighting resistance in all it’s forms. The problem is, I am still not
strong enough, I am stronger than what I was before but that still is a long – long way off from where I would like to see myself.

Getting out of my head, conveying thoughts, ideas, expressing myself has always been a tough task for me. I am not a good orator, not yet. But I want to be better. Alcohol
emboldens the meek but the real objective is to bring about that state of being without the influence of spirits or drugs.

Does suffering alone make us stronger? Is confiding in someone considered a weakness? Do our plans weaken if they are shared with another?

Silly superstitions made real by the untrained mind. The unsure mind. Like a blind man fumbling around for his fallen cane on a crowded railway station. His reality ignored
by the hundreds passing by. Blind to a blind man’s plight. Blinded by their ability to see. And now I’ve used the word blind too much. Where was I going with this?

Oh, yes. Such irony is in the foundation of everything.

Coincidences turned into miracles by the uninitiated masses. Some questions take longer than a life span to be answered. For such quests to be continued we need to train
the youth to see as we see so that maybe someday they will see more than we ever did, to ensure that these questions do not go unanswered.
The anomaly that created life may not have occured on Earth itself. We ‘inhabitants’ most likely arrived here on a meteor in the form of bacteria. The abundance of water
awakening the bacteria. And eventually leading up to the 21st century where we debate our own existence. These debates are trivial yet important.

Adenosine-5′-triphosphate is what we still have in common with our single celled ancestors. And now after 3.6 billion years we humans walk the surface of the Earth
flaunting or hiding each varying personality and it’s purpose. Our senses with which we observe, legs so we can travel and experience different things and hands and a
mind with which we imagine and create wings to fly and experience even more awe. We overcome our inadequacies.

With our imagination we reverse engineer evolution, 3 billion years of it – into a scene in a movie where millions of nanobots work together – flow together like a liquid and form a humanoid figure.
Each bot sharing a consciousness with the other on account of its impeccable programming not unlike the behaviour of fire ants.

And we imagine further into the future everyday and recreate more of the universes ‘miracles’ in our labs. There is a limit to how far into the future we can see. And with
each generation this limit increases but so do the uncertainties.

Who knows truly of what the future brings us? Surely not our desires. What will we have after 6 billion years of evolution and since evolutionary pathways are chosen
according to the organisms environment, what will we choose for ourselves now that we manufacture our own environment. Will we travel to the stars and make new discoveries?
Will we be so enthralled by the prospects of War and Conquest that we keep squabbling with each other over what little land we might have remaining after the polar ice caps
have completely melted away or maybe a nice long ice age where we regrow fur on our bodies and survive like nomads because of circumstances unforeseen. Or will humanity leave
Earth for the vast unknown we call space to the species that survives it’s onslaught.

Who will dominate Earth under a red sun? My bets are on an insectoid species. They are far tougher and harmonious then we humans are. And the mammals if any remain will be reduced
to rotting cancerous beings made even more sinister by the red sun’s dying glow. Their lives short, fast and treacherous. A demonic race.

I will never know, for I can only imagine. But we will, when the time comes.