…and in my own backyard…Enbridge

by

I found this piece on the deceptive PR by Enbridge.  Sadly, the article doesn’t go far enough and mention the pipeline coming through northern Indiana….just a stone’s throw away from Lake Michigan.

Three years?  Three freaking years to clean up an oil spill?  This alone should be reason enough not to trust Enbridge.  They don’t have the first clue on how to clean up after their many messes.  And they really don’t care….it costs money to clean up and they really don’t care about the environment, much to their protestations.

“We clearly can not accomplish all of that in the remaining weeks of 2013,” says Jason Manshum, an Enbridge spokesman. He blames the company’s difficulty in getting a local permit for a dredge pad near the Morrow Lake delta.   The company wanted to dump sludge from the river on the pad site.    People and businesses near the site fought against it.

~~~~~~~~~

I don’t blame the folks fighting against having the sludge placed nearby.  See…Enbridge doesn’t have a plan in place for what to do when a leak happens.  I say dump the sludge on the properties of the Enbridge execs and let them deal with it.  I have a feeling that if this was the law, Enbridge and all the other energy companies would suddenly change their myopic views.

Last night, the Kalamazoo Board of Commissioners agreed to let Enbridge use part of a county park as part of the company’s plan to dredge a section of the river near Morrow Lake.

~~~~~~~

<sigh>

Yeah…let’s contaminate a park…./snark

Note in the comments that pipelines are not subject to aggressive inspections or inspectors….

 

Sailing the seas

by

You know life is a lot like sailing the seas…it takes some navigation to get through rough waters…..

….and sometimes you go off course, losing your place in the dark….and then the sun comes up and you find your way…

You pass other ships along the way….some are going in the same direction…and others are going in the opposite direction…

Some beckon to you…but they have a full load already….there’s no room for you to come aboard….

Speaking of the Native Tribes

by

Continuing coverage of the Mi’kmaq protests in Canada~

The injunction is explained:

The above journalist was arrested.

His arrest, for the third time (he was not charged in either of the two previous arrests) is unacceptable and it appears to be the state’s preferred strategy for stopping him from getting the word out about protests in Elsipogtog.

~~~~~~~~

I think this is as clear a case as any for harassment.  Howe was not charged in the previous two arrests…so they’re going for a third…?

Here’s the video of his arrest.  Note the officer taking a video of the person who is taking the video of the officers arresting Howe.  Three officers for an unarmed person who is not resisting arrest?  Really?

The update below the video link states Howe has been released and is in good spirits.

Another article on more arrests.  What I don’t understand is that they had left the protest…and then they were arrested.

A note up for a rally tomorrow.

 

 

The Native American holiday

by

Petula Dvorak has this up on the Native Americans and this holiday we celebrate.

The Native Americans I talked to said they’ve all heard of someone who doesn’t celebrate the holiday the way it’s presented in food magazines and Hallmark television specials. But all the people I talked to said they hold on to the original message that the Wampanoag had that day — a harvest feast to give thanks.

“Thanksgiving is like every day for us. Giving thanks is a big part of the native cultures. So the basic message of the holiday, that’s still part of who we are,” said Ben Norman, 32, a member of the Pamunkey tribe in Virginia.

~~~~~~~~~

And that’s what it means to me, too—being thankful for every day and every meal and all that is provided for us.

The Native Americans recognize that all is connected.  What we do over *here* affects something over *there*.  We cannot take and take and take without there being repercussions.  The traditional Native Americans humbly acknowledge that with taking only what they need.

The Europeans described America as a wilderness.  The Native Americans knew better and carefully managed the great ecosystem–you could drink from any river or stream….the fish were plentiful because they weren’t overfished and they didn’t contain mercury and other toxins…you could breathe…

They were portrayed as heathens that needed “saving” by missionaries.  Instead of trying to understand their spirituality, the Europeans sought to force their religion upon them.  Native Americans don’t have Churches where one goes to pray once a week and then forget everything that is taught…rather, they see spirituality in everything they do—everything is connected to the Creator.

I just wanted to acknowledge their culture and all that was lost.

My other posts on Native Americans here, here and here.

 

 

Free Tillikum

by

One million signatures for freeing Tillikum, the Orca stolen from his family at the age of two and held captive ever since….so that Sea World and others could make $$$ off of him and other orcas.  Orcas are members of the dolphin family– are very intelligent and family oriented.  Dolphins in captivity have been known to drown themselves.  It appears that Tillikum isn’t far from that—staying motionless for hours in the tank.

My blog on Blackfish here.

More adventures in gluten free cooking

by

So…there weren’t any gluten free pie crusts at the grocery, and I was going to go without pumpkin pie, my favorite at Thanksgiving.  But I just couldn’t imagine a Thanksgiving without it…

I saw rice flour was available, with a pie crust recipe, and decided to attempt it.  So, I’m following the recipe, and I get to the end, where you roll it out.  Then it says to cut the crust in slices, and put the slice into the pie pan.  I kid you not.  Normally, one just rolls out the crust and put it as a whole piece into the pie pan.  I thought, “well, this will be interesting…”  Some slices were put in place neatly, and others….well…let’s just say the crust looks like a patchwork quilt. Heh.  Oh well, I’m sure it will taste okay. (she says with fingers crossed).

Oh, and to Joe Donnelly–yeah, I will have a Happy Thanksgiving, thanks to my family.

While I’m working in the kitchen,  I have the TV station tuned to the 70s music station.  I hear some familiar notes…but it’s the middle of one of my favorite songs, Dialogue, Parts 1 and 2, by Chicago (Robert Lamm).  In perhaps the last ten years or so, I’ve only heard Dialogue on the radio once….even on the 70s stations.  I have to wonder at the reasons for it after this station cut off the first part of the song, which asks people to examine their consciences.  The song is as relevant today as it was when it was written:

Don’t it make you angry the way war is dragging on?
Well, I hope the President knows what he’s into, I don’t know

Don’t you ever see the starvation in the city where you live
All the needless hunger all the needless pain?

Thank you for the talk, you know you really eased my mind
I was troubled by the shapes of things to come

Well, if you had my outlook your feelings would be numb
You’d always think that everything was fine

~~~~~~~~~~

On to lighter subjects–we got about 3-4 inches of snow last night.  I love it. I think I’m the only person in Indiana who loves snow.  Pookie likes it, too–she’ll put her nose deep into the snow, and come up with a snow “beard”…looks so comical it makes me laugh.  They’ve got warnings for northern Indiana, however, with 7-10 inches expected in the northwest corner (lake effect from Lake Michigan).

Hope everyone has the comfort of food and those you love around you this holiday.

Many Blessings to you…

Suzuki showing support for First Nations

by

David Suzuki is supporting the Elsipogtog protests.  Thank you, David!

Meanwhile, the trucks arrive in convoy. Another pic here.

Harper spies on the peaceful group. Note that their own intelligence says they do not see them as a violent threat….yet, they show up in riot gear and tear gas the peaceful protestors. I’m glad to read that they are also protesting Enbridge, which is in my own backyard.  “We want to keep the people and environment safe…”  bwahaha, that’s rich.  If you really cared about the environment, you wouldn’t be building a pipeline to begin with.

(DN also covered this happening in the U.S. towards nonprofit groups that big business perceives as threats. Big Brother has arrived.)

Lastly, this pic of a smiling female Warrior.

My other blogs on energy and fracking here, here, and here, and here.

 

The War against Teachers

by

Reclaim Reform has this somber post up on the worldwide attack on the teachers, the teacher’s unions, and free speech, as well. The last video (world wide) really got to me–treating these folks like animals!  Take note that World Bank demanded the austerity measures….

The Good Enough Student

by

Assailed Teacher has a great blog up on a student “Tammy” who does okay in school….but is struggling to pass a global test.  She must pass this one test in order to graduate.  Again, the “good enough” mothers analogy of Phyllis Chesler passed into my head…and I thought that “Tammy” is a “good enough” student.  Not perfect, but okay.    What really bothers me about all of this is that they are labeling kids as stupid who are quite all right.  They’re fine.  They understand concepts appropriate for their ages.  And yet, they are being put in categories that are not a true definition of their abilities.

Also, beneath this piece is an “interview” with Arne Duncan that’s pretty funny.  Too bad that it gets a little too close to the truth.