Leonard Cohen sings Hallelujah
Rain sheets in the Texas wind
Dark clouds fly across a cerulean sky
Christmas with all my family
Author: Juliana Lightle
Top predators like wolves, bears, lions and tigers have declined dramatically around the world over the past century
Some parts of Eastern Europe have worked at figuring out how to balance saving predators and protecting farmers and herders. Spain has programs to reimburse herders.
Conservationists widen toolkit for predator management
Source:Berkeley News
By Brett Israel, 12/13/16
Top predators like wolves, bears, lions and tigers have declined dramatically around the world over the past century. One major driver of these declines is retaliatory killing by people following predator attacks on domestic livestock. This lethal approach to predator management is increasingly controversial not only because of ethical concerns, but also the role predators can play in healthy ecosystems. A new UC Berkeley study shows that many non-lethal methods of predator control can be highly effective in protecting livestock from predators and in turn, saving predators from people.
A tiger drags a cow at Jennie Miller’s study site in India
The Berkeley study examined 66 published, peer-reviewed research papers that measured how four categories of lethal and non-lethal mitigation techniques — preventive livestock husbandry, predator deterrents, predator removal, and indirect management of land or wild prey…
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Winter Sunset
wind stills, an unusual calm settles
geese fly so low, the whir of wings floats earthward
two hoot owls call, haunting echoes in the canyon
cerise, vermillion, amber encompass the land
a chill creeps slowly through ancient junipers
Overweight and Poorer
Today I planned to post a lovely poem. However, I was so engrossed by an article on the Internet that I decided to discuss that topic instead. Why are so many people in this country overweight? Why do people complain about being poorer?
The article in question, which I could not download and post here, claims that the biggest item on which people in the United States overspend is eating out at restaurants. It is also a major cause of obesity. On average when a person eats in a restaurant they eat 200 calories more than if he or she ate at home. If that person eats out three times a week, that adds up to more than 30,000 extra calories a year. Even if he or she eats fast food, which probably adds even more calories, the extra expenditure at even a low 8.00 per meal, would add to nearly 1300 dollars per year. If it is a family, multiply that by the number of people in the family. For 8 dollars, they could go to the grocery here in Texas and buy a delicious already roasted chicken that would feed at least four.
Personally, I find few restaurants that can actually create a meal better than one I can cook myself. Others say who wants to cook for oneself. I live alone and I cook for myself all but a couple of times a month. Being a bit of a health nut and not much of a meat eater (I eat quite a lot of fish, usually cod or salmon), that 8 dollars would turn into much bigger amounts. Plus I do not want to waste the time eating out. I can create a much healthier meal, cheaper, quicker at home. Restaurant food tends to be much saltier with fewer herbs and spices than I prefer as well.
I am curious to find out why others eat out all the time. It mystifies me.
PS. Curious as to what sorts of foods I create, what spices I use? I have posted lots of recipes here on my blog. Take a look.
An Open Letter to President Obama about the Dakota Access Pipeline by Elizabeth Cunningham
Since the election results, I have become increasingly concerned not only about the plight of Standing Rock, but also about water safety throughout the USA. President-elect Trump has major interests in the company building the pipeline. North Dakota seems determined to go to extreme policing to make sure their fracking results get into this pipeline. This state has a long history of mistreatment of its native people.
I wrote this letter to President Obama on November 18, the morning after I returned from a few days at Standing Rock. I am not an activist by temperament. I went to Standing Rock to support a friend who felt strongly called to go, as well as, to support the cause. I did not participate in direct action, because I did not fully grasp till I was there the preparations I would need to make in terms of clearing my calendar for jail time and a return to North Dakota for a trial. Gratitude and respect for those who are taking this risk and dedicating their lives to this cause.
One thing this letter below does not address is how to donate to the Water Protectors at Standing Rock. Given the overwhelming donations of food and clothing that are still pouring in, financial donation is more practical now. Here’s a…
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Cougar Stories
As a person more than a bit obsessed with pumas, I just had to share this with others.
Posted on November 24, 2016 by Leslie
I’ve become fascinated by cougars. Maybe because they are elusive, secretive, more akin to a ghost than an animal of flesh and blood. Which of course, begs the question: How do you get people to care about and protect an animal that they never see, nor probably will never see in their lifetime?
Mom and six month old kitten
Visitors to Yellowstone National Park can be almost guaranteed, if they are persistent and patient, to view wolves and bears, elk, bison, and bighorn sheep. But only the rare individual will have the opportunity to see a cougar in the Park. They’ve been spotted at Calcite Springs, hanging on the basalt walls and occasionally through a scope from the Hellroaring overlook. Usually the Park sightings are called in by wolf watchers. Once radioed around, tourists hear about it through the airwaves, then flock to those locations. Sometimes the cat might be hanging…
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Gratitude
Thanksgiving brings so many thoughts, including thoughts about the divisive political discourse in the country now. However, it seems more productive and in keeping with the day to focus on gratitude. As I write this I think of both personal and broader things for which I am grateful, one of which is that I live in a country where divisive political discourse can actually and legally occur. Now to the more personal (even though I think the personal is political, I will not focus on that)–here is my starter list:
-my family–daugher, son, and grandson; daughter and grandson will join me shortly to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
-my mother’s pumpkin pie recipe which my grandson will help me prepare when he arrives; he says it is the only pumpkin pie he really likes.
-my job which I truly love–teaching public high school; my students frequently make my day.
-where I live in beauty truly on the Rim of Wonder.
-my health
-my friends
-my ability to travel to all sorts of fascinating places
-a life I love
Currently: Eagerly Anticipating #Akefest16 in Abeokuta
For those who want to explore movies, musicians, and writers many of you may never have heard of, here is a lengthy list with photos.
It’s 1pm and I’m planning my trip to Abeokuta – I leave on Wednesday. Yessss, the 2016 edition of Ake Arts and Book Festival is loading…. I’m so excited, I have butterflies, the pit of my stomach is always warm because
That is me up there, scheduled to host a book chat with NoViolet Bulawayo and Jennifer Makumbi! Ms. Makumbi is the author of Kintu, which qualifies as the most recent addition to my all time list of favorite African fiction ever. I’m so stoked.😆😆😆.
I will also moderate this:
Laila Lalami, fellow book lovers!
Finally, I’m also on this:
It’s all very glorious!
#AkeFest16 comprises 12 panel discussions, including:
(I get to meet Sarah Ladipo Manyika (InDependence) finally…
9 Book chats such as:
Also on the schedule are film screenings, a play and a concert:
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o will headline. In boxing parlance, he is the…
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Learn Something New
After grading 45 essays this weekend, it remains a wonder that I learned anything new. I did, sadly, once again find a few plagiarizers, but I also read some good essays on which students had obviously spent time.
As a person extremely interested environmental issues, I belong to several environmental organizations and read a lot about related issues. Here are some of the things I have learned either recently or in the last few days:
-June and July were the warmest June and July on record and the 14th and 15th straight months in which such records have been set.
-Thawing permafrost near the Alaskan Highway has caused it to sink in places.
-In Siberia the same thawing has caused the release of deadly bacteria–anthrax to be specific.
-This past summer, toxic algae affected waterways in states as diverse as California and Utah. It does not smell all that wonderful either.
-In Alaska so many wolves have been killed that naturalists can no longer research them in their natural state.
-The Republican Platform claims coal is a clean source of energy.
-Hot summers have caused Douglas fir trees to quit growing.
Catrinas
In 1913, Mexican print maker Jose Guadalupe Posada sketched the original Catrina, an elegant, upper class skeleton woman in a ball gown to symbolize the emptiness of the upper classes. Subsequently, Catrinas have come to be a part of El Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead. None of this has anything to do with Halloween, absolutely nothing. People sometimes associate the two erroneously, but only because of the dates when they occur.
This evening I was privileged to be one of the judges of a Catrina contest. Before the contest occurred, the evening began with some traditional Mexican dancing.
There were also several traditional El Dia de los Muertos family displays to honor deceased ancestors. The following was the most elaborate.
Finally, the Cartrinas were ready. Ten young women competed. The following photo shows the top three, judged for originality, costume, and makeup.
The young woman on the left never smiled. The top makeup impressed everyone. The skeletal bones you see on the young woman on the right were all painted on and a backbone, etc. was painted on her back as well. The young lady in the center won the costume portion–a bride in a black veil, elegant, empty.
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