flyingrose/environment

WOW - low impact woodland home. Great photos. From the page: "You are looking at pictures of our family home in Wales. It was built by myself and my father in law with help from passers by and visiting friends. 4 months after starting we were moved in and cosy. I estimate 1000-1500 man hours and £3000 put in to this point. Not really so much in house buying terms (roughly £60/sq m excluding labour).

The house was built with maximum regard for the environment and by reciprocation gives us a unique opportunity to live close to nature. Being your own (have a go) architect is a lot of fun and allows you to create and enjoy something which is part of yourself and the land rather than, at worst, a mass produced box designed for maximum profit and convenience of the construction industry. Building from natural materials does away with producers profits and the cocktail of carcinogenic poisons that fill most modern buildings."

[Note: There are laws and hoops to jump through many places so choose your location carefully. If you know of any place there aren't a zillion laws let me know.]

Interesting discussion about whether Global Warming is or is not actually happening.

From the page: "I am totally perplexed by this. The media seems to pit anti-Global Warming people against people who believe in Global Warming. But, aside from perhaps a little too much research money being spent on this--which argument is easily bested--why does the Anti-Global Warming side even give a shit?

Here's my point: whether or not it happens, the result of global warming so far has seemed to be: increased funding of research into alternative energy, reducing global dependence on oil, reducing carbon emissions which helps us all breath easier, getting people aware of the environment and our impact on it, and, well, generally helping our environment overall.

What the hell do people who don't buy into global warming have to gain by arguing against it? I mean, beyond stupid "What's right is right" arguments, what do they give a shit if the government funds alt. energy research or people buy Priuses? Why do they bother arguing?

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I speak only for myself, rather than for the "Anti-Global Warming side", but I think the accuracy of the global warming position is a point worth arguing.

First, even if the short term effects of a misguided policy are positive (greater investment in alternative energy) the long term backlash of a "boy who cried wolf" scenario could be devastating for the environmental movement (which I support). People convinced to give up their pleasant lifestyle to 'save the environment' may react badly if it turns out that such privation was unnecessary.

Second, even if some of the effects trying to avert global warming are positive, not all of them will be. Money spent on coping with global warming is money not spent on health care, education, or public works. While the Western world may be rich enough to cope with this alright, the developing third world may really struggle. The real cost of making global warming our primary concern comes from all the other concerns we are forced to ignore.

Third, I don't think the "what's right is right" argument is stupid. As an article of faith I believe that letting the ends justify the means will produce negative results in the long term. I believe there is such a thing as truth, and that in the end that truth will become apparent. I think we will make greater progress by aligning ourselves with that truth now rather than pretending it does not matter.

If the truth is that we must take drastic action to avoid catastrophic global warming, then we should do so. If the truth is that we don't know, but the costs of inaction are greater than the cost of prevention, then we should admit uncertainty but act preventively. But if the truth is we don't yet understand the costs and risks, I think we should start by figuring out the truth rather than reacting reflexively based on a false sense of certainty."

Thirty-eight scientists have signed a consensus statement on the dangers of BPA. Another scientist has linked BPA to genetic changes, cancer, and obesity.

Another group of famous scientists affiliated with corporations then came out attempting to refute the findings of the first group. This makes it clear that we cannot rely on someone being a scientist or their level of fame; we must learn to identify who has the strongest logic and cognitive skills.

To err on the side of caution, parents would be well-advised to avoid plastic in items used for babies. I switched to Corningware and glass for cooking, drinking, and storing food and real silver implements for eating and serving long ago.

If you know someone with a new baby or expecting one, consider giving them non-plastic gifts such as silver-plated implements and children's items.

From the page: "in a consensus statement also to appear in Reproductive Toxicology, 38 leading BPA research scientists from around the world agree that the range of exposures that most Americans experience are higher than those that cause a wide range of adverse health effects in animals.

The journal will publish simultaneously a new study which reveals that BPA is functionally similar to diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic estrogen banned long ago for use by pregnant women for causing reproductive tract problems. This experimental animal study, led by Retha Newbold, is the first to link developmental exposure to bisphenol A to diseases such as uterine fibroids and precancerous changes in the reproductive tract as well as cystic ovaries, problems commonly diagnosed in middle-aged women. Some of these changes in experimental animals have been previously found in the daughters of mothers who took DES during their pregnancies."

This sure beats slathering or spraying poisons on yourself or the environment. I've got to get my new horse blog going so I can update the mosquito information (and tons more).

Note that one stumbler can hear the high frequency tones this device emits and so it is not a good solution for him. Each of us can hear and not hear difference frequencies so it may or may be a drawback for you. (And at $8 USD it wouldn't be a major risk - you could always give it to someone else.)

We have nowsourcing.stumbleupon.com [nowsourcing.stumbleupon.com] to thank for my knowing about this awesome post and blog worth visiting.

Excerpts from the page: "...The aim of Western economics is to maximize "standard of living" by the amount of annual consumption, with more being better.

The aim of Buddhist economics is to maximize well-being while minimizing consumption.

Doesn't that comparison speak volumes? Which seems to be the higher form of economics to you?..."

From the page: "It is unlikely that we will ever give up being consumers, in fact, it's probably impossible for most not to be consumers in one way or another. So perhaps we can apply the same mindfulness to our consumerism that Buddhists apply to eating and other aspects of their lives. In choosing to buy a product, we could make the choice to be acutely aware and conscious of what we are consuming, considering the resources and energy required to make the product, and the people who worked to bring it to us. Instead of thinking that taking time out from shopping may harm the economy, let's review what our needs are, and consider how our purchases may harm those who are making the cheap goods that we so readily consume."

Here is someone who is a bee expert and he, like everyone else, is looking for primary causes and missing the "big picture".

It is clear to me that the nutritional status and immune system of the bees has been compromised by intentional human actions.

From the page: "Walter Haefeker is a man who is used to painting grim scenarios. He sits on the board of directors of the German Beekeepers Association (DBIB) and is vice president of the European Professional Beekeepers Association. And because griping is part of a lobbyist's trade, it is practically his professional duty to warn that "the very existence of beekeeping is at stake."

The problem, says Haefeker, has a number of causes, one being the varroa mite, introduced from Asia, and another is the widespread practice in agriculture of spraying wildflowers with herbicides and practicing monoculture. Another possible cause, according to Haefeker, is the controversial and growing use of genetic engineering in agriculture."

That anyone seriously thought cell phones were the cause proves how lacking in logical discernment most people are. There are so many more obvious causes that cell phones near bee hives is a non-starter.

How many cell phones or cell phone towers are there out where the bees live? Anyone who prefers living rurally is aware that cell phones don't work everywhere. That commercial "can you hear me know" is b.s.

Everything we do affects everything else. Electrical and magnetic fields DO affect us all. But we simply must learn to stop latching onto symptoms and turning them into first causes.

We have got to find a way for all of us who can see what I see to comment on, provide evidence of, and reinforce the truths that are so obvious to us and so invisible to the majority.

Please come out of the woodwork and CONTACT ME. I already know how to make that happen and know the people who can provide the means. When I ask for input here the silence is deafening. I KNOW you're here and you're reading this. PLEASE contact me - you KNOW how important it is.

From the page: " Bees Dying of Unknown Disorder Dubbed "Colony Collapse"
Newspaper current event by Brandon on 16 March 2007, tagged as ecology

Honey bees in twenty-two states are dying in the fields of an unknown disorder investigators have dubbed "colony collapse." The disorder is believed to be tied to the bees' immune systems. Apparently, they flee their hive, become disoriented, and die from the cold. Theories as to the cause range from issues with imported bee strains from Israel and Egypt, the cumulative effect of long-term exposure to pesticides, and changes brought about by genetically modified plant pollen, to viruses and fungus.

Bees play a critical role in the pollination of one-third of all crops. Jamie Ellis, an assistant entomology professor at the University of Florida's honeybee research lab, said, "The agriculture industry is built on the backs of honeybees." Not only are food crops such as almonds, apples, strawberries, and apricots dependent on the bee, but bees pollinate alfalfa and other crops fed to livestock, widening the potential disruption to the entire food supply."

If anyone is in a position to get these insights about what is killing the bees to someone who is researching it or has the ability to influence those who do or make decisions regarding what is killing them PLEASE FORWARD THIS. You may be able to point at the date and time of this post and copy the link that comes directly to this post.

ALL ISSUES that affect humans, animals, plants, and insects - including bees - involve enormous numbers of variables. I am amazed that researchers continually try to pinpoint ONE cause when it is totally obvious that there are MANY causes.

It does not take RESEARCH - it takes the ability to see the big picture, list the variables involved, and what affects each of them. It is clear by what humans have introduced into our environment and food supply that those making decisions do not possess what might be referred to as "common sense".

This special is so full of common human logic flaws that I hope to find a text version so I can point them all out. For starters, they've named it "CCD" as though it is a DISEASE and some countries are insisting it hasn't "SPREAD" there.

That proves they are going "down the garden path" and have no idea what the actual issues are. This is NOT a disease! No one pathogen - whether one that has been around for decades or longer or is newly discovered - is the cause! Looking for it is a waste of time and resources.

Here are some examples of what humans have done that are affecting the bees (and us) and some thoughts on other affects of these actions:

1. Intentionally killing off non-crop plants such as sunflowers that bees favor in an attempt to artificially increase production. {What if the plant you just killed provided important nutrients or micro-nutrients required to keep them healthy that your crop does not provide?)

2. Feeding the bees man-made food seriously deficient in nutrients. (If it isn't obvious how unwise this action is, simply look at the health and condition of most Americans eating overly-refined diets.)

3. Intentionally splicing poisons into the seeds growing our plants. How can we not realize that the bees, animals, and humans who then eat this food are also consuming these toxins? Arguing that the levels of poisons are not sufficient to kill humans is invalid because toxins are CUMULATIVE and our bodies eliminate them at different rates and sometimes very poorly and we are being exposed to hundreds of different chemicals at the same time.

4. The widespread use of pesticides is not only dangerous because it is toxic to plants, animals, and humans but also because it is continually damaging the careful balance of nature in ways humans clearly fail to understand or accurately predict. Humans have repeatedly killed off and introduced non-native species to "fix" one problem and created something worse. We are simply NOT as wise as "Mother Nature", do not know every variable and probably never will and have GOT to stop letting our egos dictate actions that are endangering our very existence.

5. Any time we name a condition, then set out to find a "cure" and then a "vaccine" we are already following the wrong path. Bacteria, germs, and pathogens have ALWAYS existed and always will. If they were truly the cause of disease, those who work with them and attend those supposedly ill from them would be dying in large numbers. How many nurses and doctors do you know personally who have died from treating patients? I challenge anyone to show me the statistics on THAT.

Healthy immune systems are what protect bees and every other living organism from toxins and pathogens and healthy immune systems depend on OPTIMUM nutrition from HEALTHY, unrefined whole LIVE foods.