farlane.blog

Sorry to be so boring. Been hanging with my friend, Busy Backson. You might like to listen to a track from Greg Brown’s new CD Yellow Dog that I set to photos. You might also want to see the terrible things that the “Pure” Michigan government is railroading in through the Upper Peninsula (don’t worry downstate folks, we’ll get some of that pretty orange water too!)

Whatever you do, I hope you get Mother Moon or some other CD from Daisy May & Seth Bernard.

GONE OUT
BACKSON

GThomas, one of two behind the creation of the web site My 1 Hope, posted a comment asking the Online Community to give 30 seconds of their life and write something that might help someone else.

So please go do that OK?

The photo, 079 Hug, was taken by Mãhi Teshneh. Her name means Thirsty Fish, she’s Iranian (I can’t remember if that’s in Eastasia or Eurasia) and she has some pretty cool photos.

Well, an educator decided to make something to get teachers to really think about what their students are going to need to be successful in the 21st century. In my opinion, he was pretty successful. Check it out. (here or here if that fails!)

This photo by sarahwoo is simultaneously the least “interesting” photo on Flickr for the tag “didyouknow” and the most appropriate of the lot.

…is more duckies loving their fellow duckies.

Hope your Valentines Day … or love life … or love of life is ducktacular!

This photo is Duckie Love by suesue2. Her photos aregreat - go and check them out!

I’ll leave off my regularly scheduled rant to bring you this goofiness from Empire, Michigan’s annual Winterfest Polar Bear Dip.

There was a time when Empire was the largest town in Leelanau County … I don’t think it will be any great surprise if I tell you that is no longer the case.

The time for power moves has apparently arrived (defined).

“Like the Norns in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, we are at the end of our tether, and the rope, whose weave defines our fate, is about to break.”
-James Lovelock, The Revenge of Gaia

Yesterday the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change released its much anticipated and unsurprising report on what used to be called global warming. According to the Christian Science Monitor, the report states in unequivocal terms that the climate has warmed globally and that human activity is very likely to be driving the change.

The Bush Administration (also unsurprisingly) acted quickly to urge “global discussion” which I believe is doublespeak for “stick our heads deeper in the sand and try to make a few more bucks before the whole thing craps out on us”. The Administration also voiced concern that we can’t do anything without endangering our economy (perhaps its not as robust as billed?).

Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman warned against “unintended consequences” - including job losses - that he said might result if the government requires economy-wide caps on carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels.

“There is a concern within this administration, which I support, that the imposition of a carbon cap in this country would - may - lead to the transfer of jobs and industry abroad (to nations) that do not have such a carbon cap,” Bodman said. (Denver Post)

So, in conclusion, the US plans to do nothing until everyone else does. Or until we melt. Brilliant.

I found the above photo by Nuno Leitao in the Global Climate Change Pool on Flickr. It is titled The Revenge of Gaia and the photographer is trying to use it to raise awareness on this issue, so click over and get aware. In addition to the above quotation and a bunch of great links and information on climate warming (hey, I kind of like that phrasing), there is this telling passage:

Ominous clouds sit and wait over our future, and we must all act now before it is too late. We don’t need to go back to the middle ages to change the pace of climate change, we simply have to make conscientious decisions on our daily lives and vote with our wallets. No one will make these decisions for us.

I think this post is part one of two…