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Industry Groups Suing To Reverse Polar Bear Protection
The embattled polar bear is on thinner ice than it's ever been. Five industry groups, including the American Petroleum Institute, filed suit Thursday against Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director H. Dale Hall in an attempt to reverse listing the polar bear as a threatened species.
This give Alaska Gov. (and vice-presidential hopeful) Sarah Palin's administration's own lawsuit opposing the polar bear's listing a boost. On August 4, the state of Alaska argued that the animal's populations are stable and that melting sea ice isn't an immediate threat to their survival.
The petroleum institute was joined in the lawsuit by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Mining Association, the American Iron and Steel Institute, and the National Association of Manufacturers, the last of which recently praised Palin's Republican vice-presidential nomination because of her support of Alaskan oil and gas exploration.
The industry groups' main objection is to what they call the "Alaska Gap," a special rule issued by the federal government meant to prevent the polar bear's protected status from being used to impose greenhouse-gas limits. Because the ruling exempts projects in all states except Alaska from undergoing emissions reviews, NAM vice president Keith McCoy says it unfairly subjects Alaskan industry to greenhouse-gas controls and may open a backdoor for tighter emissions regulations nationwide.
"This could significantly curtail oil and gas exploration," especially on Alaska's North Slope, he's quoted in The Washington Post as saying. "It's discrimination against the state of Alaska. During a time when gas prices are high and we need to look at all options, to issue something that shuts off a viable resource" is ill-advised.
To add insult to injury, Palin chose the grizzly bear over the Arctic resident for the state's commemorative quarter, which was released into circulation last week. The embattled polar bear is on thinner ice than it's ever been. Five industry groups, including the American Petroleum Institute,... more -
It's our World too...from the mouth of babes
13 year old Severm Suzuki, pleads for the future of her generation.
"Even when we have more than enough, we are afraid to share." 13 year old Severm Suzuki, pleads for the future of her generation. ... more -
Earth Healing Initiative: Faith groups face tipping point; learn Native American r...
(Marquette, Michigan) - The new non-profit Earth Healing Initiative, based in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, is honoring faith-based and Native American environmental projects across the Great Lakes.
The interfaith Earth Healing Initiative (EHI) is currently collaborating with the USEPA to promote the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge iacross eight states including providing faith community volunteers and spreading the word in churches and temples.
The EHI is one of several faith-based environment projects created by the non-profit Cedar Tree Institute in Marquette, Michigan.
Rev. Jon Magnuson said it's important for people of faith to protect the environment because the Christian church is at a “tipping point” in its relationship with itself and the Earth.
Quoting nineteenth century theologian Walter Rauschenbusch, Magnuson said “if a man or woman wants to be a Christian - she or he - must stand over and against things as they are and condemn them in the name of a higher conception of life revealed by Jesus.”
“I believe the environmental crisis that we are now involved in is a great tipping point in the church’s own evolution of its self-understanding,” Magnuson.
Roman Catholic theologian Thomas Berry “talks about three rivers converging at this time in human history,” said Magnuson, Cedar Tree Institute/Earth Healing Initiative founder.
“The first river is an avalanche and explosion of scientific knowledge that is pointing to the interconnectedness of everything,” Magnuson said. “The greatest polluter of Lake Superior (is) a major factory in China."
“We have atmospheric loading here where contaminants are carried over by wind currents and then deposited in rainfall,” said Magnuson. “The second stream is the health crisis that is facing us - the CDC (reports) 80 percent of all cancers are environmentally triggered."
“The third river Thomas Berry calls ‘Indigenous wisdom” - wisdom from the native communities around the world that is resurging,” Magnuson said. “For instance, their protection and use of plants both in Latin and South America as well in parts of north America - the protection of sacred sites."
“We realize now these are connected to protection of plants, animals and an ecosystem that holds great medicinal qualities for communities and individuals,” Magnuson explained.
“So these rivers are coming together,” said Magnuson. “It is an historic time - it is a tipping moment, a tipping point - the church needs to be here."
Magnuson recognized the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin that has three projects connected to the Earth Day Challenge and thanked the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and other tribes that participated in Cedar Tree Institute events like the four-year restoration of Upper Peninsula wild rice beds by at-risk teens and tribal elders called the Manoomin Project.
The KBIC participated in the three Earth Keeper Clean Sweeps that saw the public turn in over 370 tons of hazardous waste, pharmaceuticals and electronics across northern Michigan. The annual Earth Day (2005-2007) collections were part of the interfaith Earth Keeper Initiative.
“The Native American community has been a partner with us from the very beginning on everyone of our projects,” Magnuson said. “They sent volunteers (and) provided several trucks to be able to haul polluted materials and hazardous waste.
“So we are thankful to many of the tribes here in northern Michigan for being partners and we look forward to working with tribes in the Earth healing Initiative,” Magnuson said.
The Cedar Tree Institute co-founded the Earth Keepers who work closely with ten faith traditions on environment projects that include college students, at-risk teens, American Indian tribes and others.
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The CTI Earth healing Initiative is developing the same relationship with these faith communities in northern Michigan and others across the Great lakes.
The faith communities: Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist (Marquette, Michigan) - The new non-profit Earth Healing Initiative, based in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, is honoring faith-based and ... more -
'Regional' Nuclear War Would Cause Worldwide Destruction | Wired Science...
Think you might escape the after effects of a limited nuclear war that happens on the other side of the globe from you? Think again.
Ok, I’m here, I’m listening, is there a better outcome from a ‘Regional’ Nuclear War? Will America be able to escape the after effects of a limited nuclear war which happens on the other side of the globe?
Don’t call me a conspiracy-theorists, bring facts. If a ‘Regional’ Nuclear War around the globe would harm us, shouldn’t we get new info? The last thing I remember being told was to purchase duct tape and plastic. Will plastic and duct tape be enough?
This is an article I found today. Is it true or false? http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8...
Petraeus and Presidential politics
Setting the stage for a war with Iran
A US flotilla is in position in the Persian Gulf. Armed with nuclear warheads on their Sidewinder missiles, US submarines slide soundlessly past the straits of Hormuz to take up their positions near the coast of Iran to participate in the planetary equivalent of electroshock therapy. The objective of this series of shocks is not the populace of Iran, nor even the greater Middle East, but the American body politic that appears to have grown bored and troubled over the deepening abyss of war in Iraq..
In his recent top-secret conversations with King Abdulla of Saudi Arabia, Vice President Cheney informed the king of the forthcoming attack on Iran that could produce nuclear fallout across a broad arc of the region. Shortly after Cheney’s departure, the king informed the public of the threat to their national security and ordered immediate preparations against nuclear fallout. The nuclear material can emanate from either the US attack or the explosion of Iranian nuclear sites – or both. Think you might escape the after effects of a limited nuclear war that happens on the other side of the globe from you? Think again. ... more -
Al Gore Rhythm
A music video remix inspired by the prophetic oratory of Al Gore's 2007 Congressional Testimony on Global Warming.
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Will Al Gore help shut the nuke power loophole? - by Harvey Wasserman
Nuclear waste is too dangerous to leave for our children. America already has problems with nuclear waste. No one want's it in their back yards and no one wants it moved through their communities. When you wonder what this administration thinks about our opinion, we already have the answer, "SO". Energy policy should not be decided behind closed doors!We can't afford to gamble with something so destructive. "SO" is not the answer! Energy efficiency and renewable energy can't be outsourced. Together we can work to protect future generations, by making responsible decisions today.
Today Al Gore is unveiling a massive campaign to fight climate chaos.
But the hugely funded atomic power industry has jumped on global warming with the Big Lie that its failed reactors can somehow help. It's a sorry replay of the 1950s promise that atomic power would be "too cheap to meter."
Just before the 2000 election, as senior advisor to the Nuclear Information & Resource Service, I wrote then-Vice President Gore asking that he help delete from the Kyoto Accords any reference to nukes as a possible solution to global warming. On November 3, 2000 (the letter is posted at the NIRS web site) Gore wrote back:
Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding nuclear energy and the Kyoto Protocol. Let me restate for you my long held policy with regard to nuclear energy. I do not support any increased reliance on nuclear energy. Moreover, I have disagreed with those who would classify nuclear energy as clean or renewable. In fact, you will note that the electricity restructuring legislation proposed by the [Clinton] Administration specifically excluded both nuclear and large scale hydro-energy, and instead promoted increased investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy. It is my view that climate change policies should do the same.
Nukes were soon deleted from the Kyoto Accords as a "solution" to global warming Nuclear waste is too dangerous to leave for our children. America already has problems with nuclear waste. No one want's it in ... more -
Interfaith Blessing of the Garden: Native Plants are new lawn for 21st Century in ...
During 2008 a solar fountain will flow - and wild flowers will bloom - in a native plants garden that has replaced the lawn at the Lutheran Campus Ministry "Lothlorien" house for students at Northern Michigan University in Marquette.
An interfaith "Blessing of the Garden" ceremony included chanting, incense and other religious traditions from several faith communities.
Earth Keeper Initiative volunteer media advisor Greg Peterson has the story.
The producers thank Lutheran Campus Ministry student leader Sarah Swanson, NMU sophomore from Rapid River, MI for her videography and photography talents that helped make this video possible
(Marquette, Michigan) - In the spring of 2008 a solar fountain will flow and flowers will bloom in a northern Michigan native plants garden nurtured by university students that was blessed by a Buddhist head priest and a Lutheran pastor
A "Blessing of the Garden" ceremony was held in October 2007 at Lothlorien - the Northern Michigan University Lutheran Campus Ministry house near Lake Superior.
A heavy rain poured the entire day almost causing the ceremony to be moved inside, but the sun came out for 20 minutes and the rain resumed just as the blessing and a tour were completed.
Performing the blessing was Rev. Jon Magnuson, director of Lutheran Campus Ministry (LCM) at Northern Michigan University (NMU) in Marquette, MI; and Rev. Tesshin Paul Lehmberg, head priest of Lake Superior Zendo, a Zen Buddhist temple.
The Lothlorien lawn has been turned into a native plants garden that includes rocks from three of the Great Lakes.
The LCM house name, Lothlorien, comes from the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien.
The garden includes Michigan plants and others from the Boreal border regions of the northern United States including Black Eye Susan, aster, dogbane, bluestem, and Sensitive fern.
Prayers, incense, bells, and chants were part of the ceremony that included a tour of the garden by NMU Student Michael Joko Rotter, a member of Lake Superior Zendo.
"Lothlorien is a magical kingdom part of what Tolkien called Middle-earth - where time passes differently," said Rev. Jon Magnuson, a Lutheran pastor, who founded the NMU EarthKeeper Student Team. Many of the campus ministry students belong to the interfaith NMU EK Student Team.
"Our natural native plants landscaping - our Lothlorien garden - is a sign of a new way of living with the world," Magnuson said. "It honors the indigenous and native plants of our region."
"Lothlorien came into being first as a song," Rev. Magnuson said. "The garden will be a haven for birds and other small creatures."
"The fountain represents the water of Lake Superior and the waters of our baptism," Magnuson said.
The Central Upper Peninsula Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans donated $1,600.
"Students are involved - and we like to support things that young people are going to be enthusiastically involved in like this native plants garden," said Judy Quirk, president of the Thrivent central U.P. chapter.
A fountain in the garden is going to be converted to solar power in the spring of 2008 and the sun will charge a battery allowing the water to flow in cloudy weather.
"We hope this will inspire people to learn the benefits that native plants have, such as requiring a third less water, and no pesticides or fertilizers," said Rotter.
Rotter said the "garden represents the hope of the future."
Cedar Tree Institute:
http://www.cedartreeinstitute.org
Lake Superior Interfaith Communication Network:
http://www.lakesuperiorinterfaith.com
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans:
http://www.thrivent.com During 2008 a solar fountain will flow - and wild flowers will bloom - in a native plants garden that has replaced the lawn at the Lu... more -
Turtle Island Project: Respect for Environment, Native Americans and all Indigenou...
The Turtle Island Project in northern Michigan was founded in August 2007 by two Midwest pastors who believe the future of mankind and world is at a crossroads.
Rev. Dr. Lynn Hubbard and Rev. Dr. George Cairns believe that Christians could learn a lot about nature and the environment by listening to Earth-based cultures like Native Americans, Celts, and other Indigenous peoples.
Rev. Hubbard is a Lutheran pastor, and Rev. Cairns is an ordained United Church of Christ minister.
Both have extensive backgrounds in interfaith and multicultural work.
The Turtle Island Project (TIP), based in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, promotes respect for the environment and Native Americans.
Two Midwest pastors created the TIP to foster a national discussion and debate on a wide variety of issues involving the future of the planet and mankind including encouraging Christians to learn how to appreciate nature like Earth-based religions such as American Indians, Celts and other Indigenous peoples.
Turtle Island Project volunteer media advisor Greg Peterson has more on the founders and their goals.
Time: 9:50
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White Buffalo Calf Woman Society:
http://www.wbcws.org
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Turtle Island Project related websites:
Turtle Island Project main website:
http://www.turtleislandproject.org
Turtle Island TV (blipTV)
http://turtleislandtv.blip.tv/
Turtle Island TV (youtube)
http://www.youtube.com/MunisingWhiteHorse
Turtle Island (myspace)
http://www.myspace.com/TurtleIslandProject
Turtle Island Project websites/Blogs:
http://groups.msn.com/WhisperingTurtle
http://turtleislandproject.wordpress.com/
email:
TurtleIslandProject@charter.net The Turtle Island Project in northern Michigan was founded in August 2007 by two Midwest pastors who believe the future of mankind and... more -
Electric car -- made in the U S A!
If America could get it into production with a price tag average Americans could afford, it would be a step in the right direction. I drive to work alone. If I could afford one, I would buy it. Working toward affordability would be a wonderful goal. If America could get it into production with a price tag average Americans could afford, it would be a step in the right direction. I... more
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Al Gore would have been a Great President! It's hard to give up a dream!
I'm just One Lonely Voice in Cleveland wishing for a better day! Al Gore could have been my 'better day'! The Global Warming issue is a big challenge, which will take years to change. It will be a big challenge for many years. I wish Al Gore would have given me 4, or 8 years. I wouldn't mind if he helped lead us to cleaner air in the process. Many things need improvement. When he won the election, he would have been able to appoint the best people to lead us into the future. The world is ready for innovation. Cleaner air and working to improve the environment is going to take innovation. America is ready for change. Al Gore could have led us into a Environmental Industrial Economy instead of the current Military Industrial Economy. The world could join our Environmental Industrial Economy. It's in the World's best interest, 'to make', 'to buy', 'to use', environmentally friendly products and processes. Life goes on! I'm just One Lonely Voice in Cleveland wishing for a better day! Al Gore could have been my 'better day'! The Global ... more
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The Environment
