The Environment & The Tsunami

Think before you buy cheap shrimp; you could be contributing to future disasters

If you haven't already, please take a moment to visit the post below to find out how to contribute money to help the survivors of the Boxing Day tsunami, then read on. Tsunamis are rare, especially in the Indian Ocean, and when a 9.0 earthquake hits there is nothing that humans can do to prevent the destruction that follows. Without minimizing the innocence of the victims, the reality of the suffering, or the horror of this massive loss we should pause to consider some of the man made issues that exacerbated the damage and loss of life; intensive coastal development, industrialized shrimp farming, over-population, rising sea levels, destruction of coral reefs, and the logging of mangrove swamps.

Shrimp farming calls for the removal of mangrove forests and the dynamiting of coral reefs while pollution and over fishing kills reefs. Reefs and mangrove swamps have traditionally and ecologically acted as brake parachutes and shock absorbers on tsunamis and flood tides. Without them, there was nothing to mitigate the incoming force of the water. Construction right on the beach further exposed thousands of people to the waves when throughout our existence humanity has recognized the immediate shoreline to be a treacherous place to set up shop (the foolish man built his house upon the sand, as the spiritual puts it).

There are those who will say that this is not the time to examine the environmental force multipliers that made this disaster so much worse, that we should take time to mourn the dead and help the living. It goes without saying that we should be doing both of these things but this should not preclude our seizing this chance to work to mitigate the damage wrought by our species that so cruelly and inadvertently added to the death toll. If the impact of development and human activity is negligible as some will claim, why is it then that northern California and New Zealand (prime tsunami targets) imposed restricted use coastal zones in the most likely affected areas?

You can choose to agree or not, but this article for one makes a moderately compelling case for at least thinking about our interactions with nature's coastal defenses:

From India's The Hindu newspaper:

The mangroves in Pitchavaram and Muthupet region acted like a shield and bore the brunt of the tsunami. The impact was mitigated and lives and property of the communities inhabiting the region were saved.

"When we started the foundation 14 years ago, we initiated the anticipatory research programme — a two-pronged strategy — to meet the eventualities of sea level rise due to global warming. One is to conserve and regenerate coastal mangroves along the eastern coast of the country, and the second is transfer of salt-tolerant genes from the mangroves to selected crops grown in the coastal regions.

It is now found that wherever the mangroves have been regenerated, especially in the Orissa coast, the damage due to tsunami is minimal," he said.

The Hindu : Front Page : 'Mangroves can act as shield against tsunami'

A map showing the overlap between mangrove swamps and major shrimp/prawn fisheries and aquaculture sites on the eastern edge of the area affected by the tsunami

Help The Survivors of The Indian Ocean Tsunami

Currently there is a pressing need for cash donations among the major NGOs and charities heading into the affected areas in the Indian Ocean to aid survivors of the tsunami. Cash, while seemingly impersonal, is best as it allows the experts at these NGOs decide how best to direct the flood of incoming resources in the way that will save as many lives as possible. The case of Ramen noodles you were planning to send for example; better to send that $5 to the Red Cross so that they can buy water purification tablets or cooking pots. You see, without the purification tablets or cooking pots the Ramen you planned to send would be useless as the water to cook it with is full of dysentery causing bugs and all the kitchenware was swept out to sea. You get it I know, but some people act then think, and usually from the best of intentions.

Bust enough me. Here are links to some of the major NGOs that need support. This disaster is going to cost billions of dollars to recover from, and the world's supposed moral authority (aka the USA) seems to only be able to find about $35 million (and then trots out the old canard "its more than anyone else"- so what? We can afford more and its less money than the Atlanta Falcons will pay Michael Vick over the next three years. Disgusting). Funny how we could find billions for discretionary acts of destruction, like knocking the shit out of Iraq so that we could pay Haliburton subsidiaries to rebuild it.. But I digress. These folks will gladly take your money:

The American Red Cross

Doctors Without Borders (Medicins Sans Frontieres)

Christian Aid

Oxfam and Oxfam USA

If our government of compassionate conservatives and godly evangelicals won't help folks out, its up to us to take up the strain.

Return of the (Ginger) Jedi

Christmas truly is a wonderful time, and to prove it this December marks the long-overdue return to the blogosphere of Dave Stelfox.

The Doive is both an old friend of mine and one of the most heralded experts in the realm of underground and caribbean dance music. Mere words cannot do justice to his range and scope and I guarantee that you'll learn something everytime you visit his site. Like with all good educators you won't even notice the knowledge seeping into your cranium, but your world will be mysteriously richer for the reading. Find him here (and in the links bar): Breaking Ranks

Talking of good educators, Listmaker (a friend of a friend down in Brooklyn)is doing his best today to drive away the 10 degree temps here in the northeast and return us to the simpler days of summer and the magic of baseball.

Last but not least, fellow Face Magazine correspondent Jim Baumer had some kind things to say about my various typings and scribblings, and I'm very glad to report that I can return the favor not through obligation but through admiration for his work. Find Jim here: Write For You and here: Finding Words

Toodle pip!

Face Magazine January 05: The Upcoming Year in Pitchers.

I see your future. I see your liver.

As I write, the last sands of 2004 are hissing through Father Time’s hourglass. Good. Frankly, for a peacenik liberal with a taste for sacrilegious humor the past year was not one of the all time greats. Bush won, the situation in Iraq went from bad to worse, prosperity theology triumphed over Christian charity, and the Patriots and the Red Sox dealt a death blow to New England’s image as a region of crusty losers.

However, it does nobody any good to dwell on past disappointment (unless you are Tori Amos or Jonathan Franzen, and then you make millions). I feel it is my duty to look forward to the still fresh 2005. Bearing in mind that the crappy situations mentioned above are unlikely to go away any time soon, I have decided to temper my predictions with drinks suggestions in order to help you face the future unafraid inside a suit of ‘buzz armor’. Happy 2005 and merry oblivion.

JANUARY: GLUHWEIN
Nothing beats the winter chill better than this German après ski concoction of warmed red wine, brandy, lemon, and spices. Also, gluhwein will be perfect for helping forget the ‘magic’ of President Bush’s $70 million second inaugural. If purists freaked out when Pepsi threw a party for the NFL on the national mall, I confidently predict that Gore Vidal’s head will revolve faster Linda Blair’s when he gets a load of the corporate love fest that will mark one of the most solemn ceremonials in the rituals of this republic. Be warned; although heated red wine can lead to a persistent killer hangover, no amount of microwaved Gallo will give you a headache that will distract you for the full second term.

FEBRUARY: THE WHISKY DAISY.
You’ll love this unique combo of scotch and aniseed liquor with the added gag factor of raw egg white. You’ll also love being one of the first to know that Liza Minnelli and Elizabeth Taylor will surrender the idea that the perfect husband is out there and marry in Vancouver on the 17th. Thereafter the happy couple will often be observed in PetCo picking out cuttlefish for Fernando, their Rainbow Macaw.

MARCH: THE JOLLY ROGER.
Oh, the magic of dark rum, Galliano, and apricot brandy! Oh, the less magical experience of realizing that your registration was up in December, you have a bag of weed in the glove box, and that Impala behind you is an unmarked cruiser. That’s going to be your March 8th.

APRIL: FLAMING LAMBORGHINI
Mix kaluha, sambuca, Bailey’s, and blue curacao. Apply a match. Extinguish then drink. Meanwhile in the outside world, confirmation hearings for President Bush’s fifteenth Homeland Security Secretary nominee Ann Coulter founders on the rocks of deviance, shady dealings, and domestic staff issues like the previous fourteen attempts.

MAY: PINK TREASURE
This blast of white rum and cherry brandy will seem somehow appropriate this month as the NRA and ACT UP form a groundbreaking alliance to push for the “Shotgun Wedding Amendment” that will allow gays to marry if the survive a harrowing dash across an open field while under rifle fire from conservatives.

JUNE: DRAMBUIE SHRUB
Scotland the brave meets sorbet in this saucy little number. It’s cooling effects will be welcome as Maine’s air becomes heated with arguments between year-rounders and waitstaff returning from a winter in the sun who innocently start bar conversations with “I’m glad I helped Florida go for Bush.”

JULY: ORANGE CLOUD
Break out the Pernod and OJ and shake as creationists protest Bush’s controversial ‘Stem Seal’ proposal that would involve implanting ailing humans inside marine mammals. Sorry folks; I’ve been testing the cocktails as I write and I’m a little confused.

AUGUST: TANKINI
Hold on; is this a martini variant or a swimsuit? Ahh, here’s the problem: I’m looking at the J Crew catalog, not my Mr. Boston’s.

SEPTEMBER: SECRET SMILE
Champers and the old standby Galliano come together in an experience as surprising as the photograph of Saddam paddling a grim faced George W. at his fraternity hazing that emerges over the Labor Day weekend. Now that explains a lot.

OCTOBER: BRANDY ALEXANDER
A drink that sounds like a porn star is perfect for the month when Bush’s 23rd Homeland Security Secretary nominee Jenna Jameson finally squeaks through Congress after an joint session that’s too hot for C-SPAN.

NOVEMBER: HORSE’S NECK
It’s a brandy and ginger ale thing. It’s also the obscure-no-longer sexual move attempted by the Senior Senator from Massachusetts on the new Homeland Security Secretary that leads to this month’s flurry of resignations and emergency appointments.

DECEMBER: B 52
What better way to celebrate America’s new war? Screw you, Teheran.

© Wisdom Weasel & Face Magazine (Portland, ME) 2004, 2005

"Bobisms"

History Friday will be along a little later, but in the interim, here is a splendid story from a few weeks ago about the Tao of Bob:

MSNBC - N.Y. man's "Bobisms" strike chord in China
"SLINGERLANDS, N.Y. - Gently extolling the virtues of “learning and laughter,” an elderly upstate New York man has become an unlikely advice guru in China, a land he’s never even visited.

The simple, sincere advice of 85-year-old Bob Herman appears in two popular teen magazines in China and his “Bobisms” have inspired a book of columns published in China called “Adventures of the Mind: Wit and Wisdom with Bob.”

“I’ve never been to China, I have no Chinese friends and I don’t speak Chinese,” Herman, a former professor and economics adviser, said at his home in Slingerlands, outside Albany (read on...)

Growing up in the dark shadow of the Thatcher regime in England, Dear Abby held a similar beacon of freedom for us.

Spies Have many Secrets, But....

This man once dressed as a Village Person at an international conference. Where is his Presidential Medal of Freedom?

I'm not going to dwell on the bizarre spectacle of three of the five sub-cabinet level architects of the current Iraq debacle being presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom (I'll let Hardblogger (MSNBC's producer blog: scroll down past the Rumsfeld/McCain story) do that for me)but rather I'm going to share an amazing revelation about George Tenet that The Daily Show picked up last night from President Bush's remarks.

Describing the career of Tenet, Bush said in praise of the former CIA head that:

"He still has a lot of Queens in him."

Isn't the President trying to get a constitutional amendment opposed to that kind of thing? Is this a case of "Love the sinner, hate the sin" or does it signal a policy change?

We have a right to know...

A more traditional news report on the tawdry medal ceremony can be found here, courtesy of Yahoo and the AP

Those Ungrateful Bastards...

The face of a champion

This post is as much the result of irate prodding in the ribs from lifelong Red Sox fan Mrs. Weasel who managed the amazing feat of being both incandesent with rage and sleepy when the following news came over the radiogram.

After visiting all the other New England states with the World Series Trophy, our World Series Champion Boston Red Sox will be coming to Maine this week, visiting the metropolis of Portland, state capital Augusta, Stephen King's home of Bangor, and distant and scary Presque Isle. Fans will be lined up six deep on the streets to welcome Mark Bellhorn, Kevin Youkilis, and Lenny DiNardo.

Jesus. Talk about damned by faint praise. Maine, New England's empty quarter, is rabid Sox territory and while meaning no disrespect to Youkilis and DiNardo, apparently our feral support and obvious excitement warrants only one World Series starter. I guess Johnny Damon is too busy hanging out at Saturday Night Live in New effin' York (just like Bucky Effin' Dent) and touring with Godmack.

I was getting ready to launch into a tirade about how Maine gets no respect from it's southern metrosexual neighbors until I looked at which players visited other parts of New England.

Connecticut: Youkilis, Red Sox president Larry Lucchino, & PR guy Charles Steinberg
Vermont: Bronson Arroyo & PR guy Charles Steinberg
New Hampshire: Alan Embree
Little Rhody: Bronson Arroyo & Larry Lucchino

Humph. If they want to call us Red Sox nation, they might want to do a little more to get the big boys out of Massachusetts ocasionally. Humbug.

And to my Mets chums: get ready for alternating displays of brilliance and mind boggling shellackings as Pedro Martinez heads to Shea.

Latest Piece In Face Magazine

An old Face cover, because I'm too lazy and inept to figure out how to post this month's

Self trumpetry abounds: my latest column for Maine's Face arts and entertainment magazine is up on line here:Face Magazine

For those of you who are looking for brand new material, I have to confess that its an update/reshaping of a blog entry from June about Conservative Punks, but hey!

English as She is Spoked

Although any of us who commit thoughts to paper or blog can be prone to flights of purple prose or loggorhea, hopefully none of us have yet fallen into the trap of excessive legal/corporate bollocks in our personal and working lives.

Working for a non-profit concerned with preventing juvenile deliquency, I am acutely aware that I am in a prime spot for the adoption and regurgitation of byzantine jargon. As a result I think sometimes my report and grant writing trends too far in the opposite direction and I end up with Hemmingway-like akin to this:

"The kid liked to fish. The kid liked to rob his gran. The kid was nuts."

If that kind of overkill keeps me away from the baleful gaze of the Plain English Awards for the most incomprehensible use of the language its worth it. Rumsfeld won last year for "known unknowns" but this year's crop are nearly as good:

BBC NEWS: Come again? The Plain English Awards

To quote from the article: "It's time again for the annual Plain English Awards, when the worst examples of gobbledegook win recognition. So who, err, won?
The annual Foot in Mouth award winner for the most baffling statement by a public figure went to Conservative MP and journalist Boris Johnson for the following nugget of nebulousness:

"I could not fail to disagree with you less.""

More here:
Plain English Awards

Choose The Blue

In concluzerizon ma;am; with a name like Smuckers, it's got to be good.

My good pal Alex clued me into this splendid tip for finding out businesses political affiliations before spending money with them. It came from the Fightin' Words blog of blogstonauts Jim and Jamie:

FIGHTIN' WORDS: Choose The Blue

I was glad to read that the New York Jets give most of their money to Republicans, giving me yet another reason to dislike Wayne Chrebet and to boo the stinkin' Jets when they meet the Pats.

Although some businesses on the list might lead to some anguished choices between principle and pantry ("House of Tsang? Republican? And the gave the GOP $23,000??? Damnit!") it should prove a useful list for helping support those victualers who share your values.

It should also be noted that there appears to be a crying need for a Democrat-inclined producer of trashy convenience store canned chilli, otherwise football Sunday will never be the same.

The 20 Best Neighborhoods in North America

My great chum and cultural guru Richard Sassaman should be hired by e commerce firms as the data miner. This gentleman can find any needle you want in the internet haystack using his seemingly random powers of staying up all night, precussion, teetotalism, and fast typing (also, you should read his fab book Bar Harbor Police Beat).

A couple of days ago he unearthed this frankly baffling nugget from the Project for Public Spaces that lists the best neigborhoods in North America. Somehow the town where I live, Camden Maine, came fourth. The rest of the list is here:
Project for Public Spaces (PPS) - Placemaking for Communities - The 20 Best Neighborhoods in North America

Hmmm. I may be biased due to the poor road maintenance, terrible public spaces, and social class based system of snow plowing, but I spend most of my off hours in Camden figuring out how to get out of Camden into a more congenial town. I guess if you are a retired lawyer for Mass or NY state the houses in Camden must seem like a real bargain even when greedy locals start charging twice what year round folks can afford. To my jaundiced mind this place offers much to the over sixty, yacht owning, in-town SUV driving (real Mainers drive trucks if they want 4WD, yupster) non-ironic wearers of smocks to the farmers' market types only. For the rest of us, its a pretty place to visit but I'd rather live down the road in Rockland.

We have a municipal ski mountain, for christ's sake. No public transport, but a ski mountain. Great priorities.

Camden; fourth maybe but never forget its the real life inspiration for Peyton Place

Gosh! I'm mighty grumpy and negative today, aren't I? Anyway, enjoy the list but remember any survey that finds Camden so high up the chart has to fatally flawed.

Anti-spam screensaver scrapped

Darn it, darn it to heck!

I know in my moral core that spamming spammers does not make the world a better place and that projects like Lycos Europe's Make Love Not Spam screensaver would only result in dramatic handwringing and hyperbolic analogies along the lines of "We had to destroy the village to save it" but wasn't it nice to think that someone was slapping the the smut and scam peddlars repeatedly on the forehead?

BBC NEWS | Technology | Anti-spam screensaver scrapped

"We will provide knowledge and take action to ensure the national security of the United States and the preservation of American life and ideals."

Can we trust the CIA to translate this poster?

Mondale host Alex and I opperate a rather fab lending library of sorts, sharing books with each other that we know will tickle our specific quirks and interests. Alex sent me a book in the last round, Pretty Straight Guys by Nick Cohen, that has put in a very foul mood and has me disgruntled in no small measure with western representative politics. Its an interpretation of Britain's New Labour government's policies since gaining power in 1997 and it is an unrelenting indictment of power seeking over public interest. Uggh. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised but I've always resisted my Dad's highly cynical approach to politics and now I'm finding myself following in his shoes.

Still, the Federation of American Scientists' Secrecy News project emailed this illuminating story to me that has helped distract me from my depression:


CIA YIELDS TO SOUTH KOREA IN SPELLING DISPUTE

Following months of quiet diplomacy as well as public controversy,
the Central Intelligence Agency has yielded to persistent demands
from the Republic of Korea that the Agency change the way it spells
the name of the South Korean president.

Let no one say that the CIA is incapable of reform.

"The Web site of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) corrected the
name of the South Korean president to Roh Moo-hyun from previously
spelled No Mu-hyun," the Yonhap News Agency in Seoul reported this
week, referring to the latest revision of the CIA World Factbook.

(See "South Korea to CIA: It's Roh Not No," Secrecy News, 07/14/04;
and "A Lesson in Korean Linguistics," Secrecy News, 07/19/04).

But no matter how many concessions the CIA makes, there are some
critics who will never be satisfied.

"Many references [in the CIA World Factbook] still remain wrong,"
the Yonhap article stated. "The CIA site spells the name of the
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il as 'Kim Chong-il' and still applies
the McCune-Reischauer system of romanization to spell South Korean
provinces, such as 'Cheju' and 'Cholla,' rather than the
government's official spelling, 'Jeju' and 'Jeolla'."

See "CIA Factbook Corrects Spelling of S. Korean President," Yonhap
News Agency, November 30, 2004:

Secrecy News: The Federation of American Scientists

History Friday: Uplifting Stuff

Not only did this Italian doctor thwart the SS, he did it with a wicked sense of humor. Priceless:
Italian doctor who fooled Nazis

Things to do before you die

Next stop, the dollar bill.

From my friend Montana Mike. Combine them with your New Year's resolutions, perhaps?

Things to do before the Inaugural...

1. Get that abortion you've always wanted.
2. Drink a nice clean glass of water.
3. Cash your Social Security check.
4. See a doctor of your own choosing.
5. Spend quality time with your draft age child/grandchild.
6. Visit Syria, or any foreign country for that matter.
7. Get that gas mask you've been putting off buying.
8. Hoard gasoline.
9. Make jokes about the Bush girls' drinking before that becomes a felony.
10. Borrow books from library before they're banned -- Constitutional law books,
Catcher in the Rye, Harry Potter, Tropic of Cancer, etc.
11. If you have an idea for an art piece involving a crucifix -- do it now.
12. Come out -- then go back in -- HURRY!
13. Jam in all the Alzheimer's stem cell research you can.
14. Stay out late before the curfews start.
15. Go see Bruce Springsteen before he has his "accident."
16. Go see Mount Rushmore before the Reagan addition.
17. Use the phrase -- "You can't do that, this is America."
18. If you're white. marry a black person. If you're black, marry a white person.
19. Take a walk in Yosemite, without being hit by a snowmobile or a base-jumper.
20. Enroll your kid in an accelerated art or music class.
21. Start your school day without a prayer.
22. Pass on the secrets of evolution to future generations.
23. Learn French.
24. Attend a commitment ceremony with your gay friends.
25. Take a factory tour anywhere in the U.S.
26. Try to take photographs of animals on the endangered species list.
27. Visit Florida before the polar ice caps melt.
28. Visit Nevada before it becomes radioactive
29. Visit Alaska before "The Big Spill."
30. Visit Massachusetts while it is still a state.

Anti-spam plan overwhelms sites

From the road to hell is paved with good intentions file:

BBC NEWS | Technology | Anti-spam plan overwhelms sites

The Lycos anti-spam screensaver worked a bit too well, it appears.

Stop Whining And Do Something!

OK, Blue Staters, here's a challenge. As you may already or will soon know, the gubernatorial race in Washington State is closer than Bush/Gore 2000. Details can be found here at The New York Times (Margin Now Just 42 Votes in Washington State Race).

The Democratic contender is trailing her Republican opponent by just 42 votes. The Democrats could conceivably win if they go through with another recount. The only snag is the Dems have to pay at least $750,000 for the recount (it is not covered by state election funds) and they are pretty tapped for cash.

Now, all my Blue buddies who bemoaned the general election result, forwarded "Fuck the South" etc, and have said "what can I do to change this country?" over and over again; it's time to open that wallet and put your money where your mouth is. In fact, here's a note from Democratic candidate Chris Gregoire with handy links for you to make your donation. It doesn't have to be a lot (I could only spare $30, the equivalent of a night on the beer) but think before passing on this. Words have to become deeds somewhere along the line, after all.

From Chris Gregoire:
I need your immediate help. You've probably heard about the extremely close race for governor here in Washington. Only 42 votes separate my opponent and me, and thousands of ballots across the state haven't been counted.

This is by far the closest race in the history of our state, and one of the closest the nation has ever seen. That means we must make sure that every single legitimate ballot has been counted -- and that means a statewide manual recount of every vote.

Washington state law requires the party requesting the recount to pay for it, and it will cost at least $750,000. The Democratic Party is committed to this recount, but they need your immediate donation today to make it happen. Please give today.

www.democrats.org/support

Let me put this race in a little more perspective. Out of nearly 3 million votes cast, only 42 votes separate my Republican opponent and me. That's a difference of 0.0014 percent. The error for voting machines is somewhere between 1 and 2 percent, or 1,000 times as great as the vote difference.

That means that this race is tied, and anything is possible with a manual recount. We must count every vote individually, and we can't do it without you.

www.democrats.org/support

Do not let this election slip through our fingers. We are only 42 votes away from victory in Washington, and we are confident that once all the votes are counted, we will win this race. Please help us reach this urgent goal by making a donation today!

www.democrats.org/support

Sincerely,
Chris Gregoire

From the BBC: Screensaver tackles spam websites

BBC NEWS | Technology | Screensaver tackles spam websites:

More good news courtesy of the BBC:.

"Net users are getting the chance to fight back against spam websites. Internet portal Lycos has made a screensaver that endlessly requests data from sites that sell the goods and services mentioned in spam e-mail.

Lycos hopes it will make the monthly bandwidth bills of spammers soar by keeping their servers running flat out.

The net firm estimates that if enough people sign up and download the tool, spammers could end up paying to send out terabytes of data."

Only problem is that it's not yet available in the US. Maybe we should bombard Lycos with email until they offer it over here (oh, the irony).

The BBC Collective

The young hipsters who work in the bowels of the world's greatest broadcasting entity have put together a rather good tip sheet concerning exciting new arrivals in pop culture. You can get the lowdown here:
BBC - collective - front page

Sidebar: when I worked in radio the company that owned my stations was called the Bridge Broadcast Corporation. I used to grab interviews far beyond the alleged pulling power of the station by amping up my English accent and telling agents that I was "calling from the BBC."