Provocations

The Perseid Meteor Shower is back

The annual Perseid meteor shower is already showing in northern hemisphere skies. It will peak on the 12th. NASA says "it should be a good show . . There should be plenty of meteors - perhaps one or two every minute", and recommends watching "during the dark hours before dawn on Tuesday, August 12th."

Summer Solstice 2008

For Earth Day 2008

EARTH DAY: APRIL 22, 2008

Dolphin Rescues Two Beached Whales in New Zealand

I learned so much from and was inspired so much by our (recently deceased) cat, that my awareness of how much animals can teach us has greatly expanded. Here's an inspiring little incident, via the BBC:

A dolphin has come to the rescue of two whales which had become stranded on a beach in New Zealand.

Conservation officer Malcolm Smith told the BBC that he and a group of other people had tried in vain for an hour and a half to get the whales to sea.

The pygmy sperm whales had repeatedly beached, and both they and the humans were tired and set to give up, he said.

Read on

Wildlife needs dead trees

From Wildlife & Trees in British Columbia:

It is important to remember that, under natural conditions, a tree remains part of the forest ecosystem long after its death. It's rate of decay varies according to the species, cause of death, climate and other factors. If left undisturbed by humans, a dead tree may remain standing in the forest for up to half the time it stood while alive. A tree's ecological importance continues as it breaks apart and falls to the ground or after it topples, and eventually all its nutrients are cycled back into the soil to be taken up by new plants.

Canada weakens pesticide standards to avoid irritating U.S.

To me, this is symptomatic of Canada's dysfunctional trading relationship with the US.  I post the reference and link here to give it a little more exposure than it will otherwise get.

Pesticide standards ease under free trade
Canadian limits rising to U.S. levels to avoid 'irritant'

Think those grapes look suspiciously dusty? Better break out the veggie-scrubbers: Canada is set to raise its limits on pesticide residues on fruit and vegetables for hundreds of products.

Read on

For Earth Day 2007

As the birds come north . . .

. . . celebrating the day, the birds and the air we breathe.

Photo: April 21. Birds over central British Columbia.  Photo Jeffrey Newman.

More British Columbia birds

Evidence that cell-phone / mobile phone radiation might be killing bees and harming people.

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) occurs when a hive's inhabitants suddenly disappear, leaving only queens, eggs and a few immature workers, like so many apian Mary Celestes. The vanished bees are never found, but thought to die singly far from home. The parasites, wildlife and other bees that normally raid the honey and pollen left behind when a colony dies, refuse to go anywhere near the abandoned hives.  - The Independent

There's been a lot of debate about whether cell phones harm people. Now, evidence is gathering that the major disappearance/loss of bees in North America might be caused by cell-phone radiation. Of course this renews concern for people too.

For more on this:  Are mobile phones wiping out our bees?  - The Independent

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June 2007: The above theory has faded in credibility.  Update.

Total Lunar Eclipse March 3

Current

The first total lunar eclipse of the year will be visible at moonrise in the Americas; completely in Europe and Africa; and at moonset in Australasia.
Details

BBC: Eclipse set to be 'best in years'

Gregory Colbert: Animal Copyright Foundation

Beyond Ashes and Snow - the exhibition, a beautiful presentation - and an important initiative:

See also: African Elephant