Hope does have feathers!

"Hope" is the thing with feathers, was the title of a piece i wrote here back on June 11, 2008..... it has blown my mind to say the least and today i'm revisiting that topic for Hope has dropped in on my life and she has feathers.

Researchers determined in the 1990's that the Delmarva Peninsula in Virginia was an important fueling stop for Whimbrel's during their seasonal migration. The area has an abundance of fiddler crabs that the birds would use to build up reserves to get them to their arctic breeding grounds. Scientists wanted to track the migration because Whimbrels have been experiencing dramatic declines in their populations for decades. The focus of this research was to identify the traditional summer breeding areas in the arctic.

The first Whimbrels released with satellite transmitters in Virgina left in 2008. After tracking those original Whimbrels last year, scientists realized their understanding of Atlantic Whimbrels breeding in the south and west sides of the Hudson Bay and Pacific Whimbrels breeding in Alaska and the Northwest Territories had to be revised. Winnie, who was released in 2008, was a western bird taking an eastern route, which no one expected. Hope is also a western bird taking an eastern route.

May 19, 2009.......... Hope was released in Virginia after having been outfitted with a satellite transmitter that is powered by the sun...... by the 28th of May she was detected in Canada heading north. By late June she had already skirted along the southern shore of the Hudson Bay across Northern Canada(Northwest Territories) and over to the edge of the Beaufort sea on the border between Alaska and Canada. It appears she was around Mackenzie Bay. Here she turned around followed almost the same track back across the Northwest Territories but made a northern turn and ended up on the island of Southampton in the Hudson Bay. It looks like she may have spent a few days around Southampton before flying straight south across the Hudson Bay and into James Bay. Here she hit land and went across towards Montreal and Quebec where she popped back out along the Atlantic somewhere in Maine.

From here she went back out to sea on the 10th of August and made an incredible journey over the Atlantic to the West Indies where she landed on St. Croix around the 15th of August. We found her August 21st at Great Pond and to say the least felt like we had won the birder's lottery.
http://www.ccb-wm.org/programs/migration/Whimbrel/whimbrel.htm

Map of travel

i think Hope dropped in here for more than one reason. Hope came to establish the migratory pattern of these birds and to reinforce the need for all of us on St. Croix to work towards protecting the migratory habitat of these world travelers. We are part and parcel of a pathway that supplies traveling birds with the fuel they need to carry them on their journeys to their winter grounds. St. Croix serve's as a stop over(staging area) after traveling thousands of miles across the Atlantic. They need area's that can supply them with nourishment and if we continue to degrade their habitats they will become extinct. Great Pond, where Hope has been for the past 8 days, is one of the largest and most important wetlands in the US Virgin Islands, many shorebirds and warblers aside from Whimbrels stop in here on their migrations. Unfortunately, Great Pond is not receiving adequate protection.
Hope, is by far more potent than many of the evils Pandora let out of the box. When Pandora revisited that box after releasing lying, slander, vanity, greed, pinning and envy she released Hope to give individuals freedom to change the social circumstances of their lives and others.

Fighting to realize those challenges is what i'm doing here, whether the topic is violence, how to get along, habitat protection or health care, Hope the bird has dropped in to remind me to revisit an important theme.


i think Hope impacted my life in order to reinforce the need for social change. Nature and man go together but we argue over it. We need to provide for both. There is more than simple synchronicity or coincidence going on here. How in the world did i know i would actually meet a bird called Hope, a bird that has traveled far and wide, when i wrote about the topic of hope a year ago and titled it " Hope is the thing with feathers?"

Jesus spread his word while also impacting the citizenry of his time through healing. i've looked over the list of miracles. i list them here so you can review them.

* Turning water into wine (John 2:1-11)
* Healing of a nobleman's son (John 4:46-54)
* Delivering a man in the synagogue from demonic spirits (Mark 1:21-28; Luke 4:31-37)
* Healing Peter's mother-in-law (Mark 1:29-31; Luke 4:38-39; Matthew 8:14-15)
* The first of two nets of fish and the calling of His first disciples (Luke 5:1-11)
* Cleansing a leper (Mark 1:40-45; Matthew 8:1-4)
* Healing a paralytic (Mark 2:1-12; Matthew 9:2-8; Luke 5:17-26)
* Healing of the man at Bethesda (John 5:1-15)
* Healing a man with a withered hand (Luke 6:6-11; Matthew 12:9-13; Mark 3:1-5)
* Healing the Centurion's servant (Luke 7: 1-10; Matthew 8:5-13)
* Raising the widow's son (Luke 7:11-16)
* Casting out a dumb and blind spirit (Luke 11:14-26; Matthew 12:22-32; Mark 3:22-30)
* Calming a storm (Mark 4:35-41; Matthew 8:18-27; Luke 8:22-25)
* Healing a man possessed by demons at Gadara (Mark 5:1-20; Matthew 8:28; Luke 8:26)
* Healing a woman with an issue of blood (Mark 5:25-34; Matthew 9:18-26; Luke 8:40-56)
* Raising Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:21-43)
* Healing of two blind men (Matthew 9:27-31
* Casting out a spirit (Matthew 9:32-34)
* Feeding 5,000 with five loaves and two fish (John 6:1-14; Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:32-44; Luke 9:10-17)
* Walking on water (Matthew 14:22-33; John 6:15-21; Mark 6:45-52)
* Delivering the Syrophoenician's daughter (Matthew 15:21-28)
* Healing a deaf and dumb man (Mark 7:31-37)
* Feeding another 4,000-plus (Mark 8:1-10; Matthew 15:32)
* Healing the blind man of Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26)
* Casting demons out of a lunatic boy (Mark 9:14-29; Matthew 17:14-21; Luke 9:37-42)
* Pulling a coin from the mouth of a fish (Matthew 17:24-27)
* Healing a man born blind (John 9:1-41)
* Healing a woman with an 18-year infirmity (Luke 13:10-17)
* Healing a man with dropsy (or edema) (Luke 14:1-6)
* Raising Lazarus (John 11:1-46)
* Cleansing of ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19)
* Healing blind Bartimeaus (Mark 10:46-52)
* Cursing the fig tree (Mark 11:12-26)
* Healing of Malchus' ear (Luke 22:49-51)
* A second net of fish (John 21:1-12)

Out of 35 miracles 24 revolved around healing the sick. That is a lot of miracles for healing! Jesus had compassion which is more than many so called "Conservative's" have today. Doesn't he teach us to care for the sick in his place?

Some will say, "Why don't you ask how your neighbors are doing and offer to help them?" Well, we ask how they are doing and they tell us, "Fine". American culture at this point is not conducive to helping your neighbors. We don't even know what's really going on with them. Let alone be able to supply them with enough money to get an operation.

This antiquated notion that government helps the most by getting out of the way of progress is an insult to fair-minded people everywhere. Is this great nation called the USA unable and unwilling to act humanely towards humans or nature? We can spend more money on our military than any other nation, in fact more than all the other nations in the world combined, money for weapons and war but health care must be self supported and self supporting?

How about we kick every single government-hating republican out of government! Because, at the end of the day, if you hate government enough to declare that it is ineffective and useless...perhaps you shouldn't be trying to steer the damn ship, seeing as you'd rather sink it! Imagine.......just really try to imagine a business hiring an employee that was out to destroy it?

Just a thought.

We claim to be a Christian Nation first.........what better way to move Jesus' work forward in the USA than by creating an environment where all resident human beings have equal access to affordable health care? It's the nation's deeds, not their words that broadcast our humanity and set the stage for others to emulate. Government can work for all if it is supported by people that believe in it.

Do your part for Jesus if nothing else and support an American Health Plan, one that includes an American public option. Hope is here...she has stopped in and she wants us to fight for what is right for nature and for man.

Think about it!

i have a great set of cards that was given to me as a gift years ago. They are 2.5x4.5 about the size of a deck of Tarot cards. They come in a box with a small book. It is called the "Observation Deck" and was put together by Naomi Epel.

The idea behind this deck of cards is to shuffle them up and pick one. i don't think i have looked at this set of cards for about 3 or 4 years. i move it around the house, dusting it off, putting it away in the book shelf, but never opening it up to use. It was given to me by a great friend that thought it could help on days i couldn't think of anything to write. Until today i've never actually used it to inspire me.

But this was a different day and i was having trouble thinking about what to write so i Googled "Writer's Block." i quickly realized i wasn't having writer's block in its pure sense as i had been writing earlier on a different subject. What i was needing was inspiration.

i left the computer, sat down on the couch, looked across at the bookshelf and it glared back at me, screaming....... pick a card....pick any card....just do it!

i got up, got the deck of cards and sat back down. i opened up the box, took out the cards, shuffled them up and picked one that was sticking out farther than any of the others. When i read what was on it i gasped. This, could not be for me i immediately thought and almost shuffled up the deck to draw another card.

Instead, after contemplating the two words i had in my hand, i got out the little book that comes with it....turned to page 88 and read the instructions.

"Sometimes we get so overwhelmed by the things we think we need to accomplish that we become frantic and get nothing done at all. Today, instead of speeding up, slow yourself down. Don't think about all the things you have to do, just focus on what you are doing at this very moment."

i read the rest of it....two pages worth concerning how to slow down...and realized it was time to linger.

Slow down it said. Isn't it something we all need to practice in order to accomplish those goals we set for ourselves? Slowing down and focusing on one thing instead of multi-tasking and doing a mediocre job with all of them. We get so caught up trying to do too much that none of it gets done properly. If we slow down and concentrate we actually do a much better job.

So slow down....linger here.......look at the pictures.......read some of the other posts you haven't read....stroll through the archives.........take an extra minute to really observe in all parts of your life. Slow down and listen to that co-worker, slow down and listen to your friend, your wife, your husband. Slow down, sit in your car before you go tearing off to that next thing that just has to get done and take a minute. Look around, savor things, slow down.

Today just try to slow one thing down.


Update on the Century Plant!
As you can see it is still going strong. One year has passed since it sent out the big C and almost to the day it started sending out a new shoot. If you want to see the original...look back in the 2008 August and September archives.

Now a typical century plant is not supposed to send out a shoot except once in its lifetime, but this is not your typical plant. This new shoot also has curves but not as spectacular as the original.
i continue to be mesmerized by its growth and resilience.

Update on the underwater growth

Update on the Cyanobacteria. i had a lot of responses to last weeks piece that went to my e-mail address not on the blog. One poster here had an alarming comment that would be true if what we collected had been the stuff referenced, it wasn't.

Many people from all over helped out by directing me to links that may have had the answer. One picture that was closest to our sample material may be it but we still aren't sure. The explanation details a defensive mechanism by the coral. Apparently corals can secret a mucous that is used to clean debris and sediment off the coral. In other words the coral creates this substance to clean itself. Quite an ingenious method and would explain why it came off so easily. It doesn't explain why it felt so spongy. Unfortunately this answer is also one which can be an indicator of stress and a precursor to more coral bleaching.

As i said last week, the material disappeared in two days. Very, very odd and we are still keeping our eye out for more. Fish and Wildlife is taking the dead black piece i still have...they may be able to glean something from it. Thank you all for the great links and responses.

Next up is the Peace Index, the total number of countries covered is 144, encompassing almost 99% of the world's population and over 87% of the planet's land mass. So often all we focus on is conflict, agonizing about localities around the world that remain dangerous. One thing overlooked is that even those dangerous places have large pockets of stability.

Last year(2008) Iceland topped the list in the number one(1) spot with Denmark a close second(2), Canada placed eleventh(11), the US placed Ninety-Seventh(97), Israel came in One Hundred and Thirty Sixth(136) and Iraq was last at One Hundred and Forty(140). Iraq is still last but four more countries were added so Iraq is now One Hundred and Forty Four(144). Israel is One Hundred and Forty One (141), Canada moved up and is now eight (8), New Zealand is first(1) Denmark is still second(2) and zooming right up the ladder the US has moved to Eight Third place(83) Whew!

Political Anger

1992-1999. Years of the "Angry White Man." Anger: GOOD Thing!!

2002-2008: Years of the "Angry Left" denounced in chorus by the so called "responsible" mainstream voices; EVIL AND NASTY, UNPATRIOTIC!!

2009. Year of the "Angry White Man. Anger:" GOOD Thing!


Buzz words to make you FEARFUL about health insurance reform.
communism
socialism
Marxism
Nazis
euthanasia
death panel
rationing
government take over
government doesn't work

Writers that use those words in their pieces don't want you to think about the real issues. They want to cloud your mind with visions of takeover and evil.
Skip those.

A Public Option Insurance Plan

A public plan could offer the same benefits as a private plan at less cost because it would not have the high administrative costs—which include sales, marketing, and underwriting expenses—associated with most private plans. It would not be under constant pressure from Wall Street to reward shareholders by constantly keeping an eye on the medical loss ratio and earnings per share, and it would not have to make a profit.

We should be comparing what insurers, drug companies, and organized medicine said during earlier reform efforts, and then report on how well they've delivered on those promises. The evidence shows they haven't delivered. Insurance companies would rather fight you in court and pay a fine than follow the regulations. So why believe any reform has a chance with out a public option?

THERE IS NO EVIDENCE FREE MARKET HEALTH CARE HAS WORKED FOR THE PATIENT, there is lots of evidence to show it works for insurance companies.

Personally, i think some things in this world should not be controlled by profits, illness is one of them.

And finally, i have been thinking about religion mixing with politics in the United States:

Some immature people use religion to destroy each others freedom, create bondage and make church's holding pens for intolerance. Mature people, that don't use religion as a crutch, can help each other create more accepting environments, they can help each other to reduce violence and destroy the bondage, they can create a world where the flow of information is not controlled by fear. When love flows with freedom there is beauty. When love flows with dependence there is ugliness.

Some immature people also use religion to excuse bad behavior. They make decisions in favor of bad behavior, knowing they will be forgiven. Mature people, that don't use religion as a crutch, do not make decisions expecting to be excused or forgiven in some afterlife, they understand they need the integrity to stand alone here today in this life and be judged today for what they have done.

Cyanobacteria?

Another water piece that takes place at Cane Bay, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. Two days ago, while swimming, we noticed this stuff attached to the coral. At first look i thought it was a shredded white plastic bag billowing in the water. It was too far down to retrieve so i kept swimming.

A few strokes later i saw some more of it looking more stringy and wondered what it was. i stopped for a longer look but again thought it was more plastic and kept going. The other swimmers had noticed it by now too and when we reached the first buoy we had seen so much of the stuff that when our heads came out of the water we all said "What iiisssss that stuff?"

Remember, we have been swimming out here three times a week for years. We have watched all sorts of changes and have a real feel for anything out of the ordinary. In 2005 we noticed the brain coral turning this lovely lavender color and then watched in horror as coral bleaching turned the floor of the ocean into a white bone yard. We didn't understand at the time that the beautiful shade of lavender was the corals last gasp.
So that day, when we started discussing it, we were in about 40-50 feet of water. We tried studying this new oddity from the surface. We floated around, looking down, looking up, talking about it. We determined that the material looked completely alien and was definitely not plastic. The more we looked the more we saw.

We couldn't dive down that far so the rest of the swim was spent noting how much of it there was and the area it took up over the live coral. On the way back to shore we agreed one of us needed to go down and get some because it was just too mysterious. We had to wait until we were in about 15 feet of water so we would have enough air to actually scope it out while underwater and collect some.

Two of us dove down and grabbed it off the coral, it came off pretty easily. We brought the samples up to the surface in our fists. It was like nothing we had ever felt before. Rubbery and spongy, stringy and globular and two different colors. One batch was pale pink and the other was pale yellow.

Each of us stuck the stuff between our cap and mask on the backs of our heads so we could swim in without really having to handle it too much. We had no idea if it was harmful so we tried to be cautious.

It was agreed that i would take the stuff home, photograph it and send it off. i did that and soon responses started coming in. Cyanobacteria seemed to be the prevailing answer except the pictures i was sent to look at didn't look like what i had. One scientist said it could possibly be a precursor to more coral bleaching which put me in a terrible mood. i sure hope not...we don't have much coral left.

i left the stuff outside and by mid afternoon it had turned a dark ugly black mess.

Now two days later, after notifying the dive shop and Fish and Wildlife, the stuff is gone. Completely gone, not a bit of it is around. The coral is clear except for the usual algae. We searched everywhere and are completely mystified as to how this unusual growth could have vanished so quickly.

My friend says i should keep the sample i have just in case someone wants to do a chemical analysis. i'm thinking it is too far gone but i've stored it outside just in case.

i'm putting the pictures up on line so if anyone can identify it conclusively let me know. If you double click on the images you will get a larger view.

It is definitely one of those mysteries of nature that we would like to have more answers about.