racing the wind...

ch-ch...ch-ch...changes!

2009-11-15T16:01:00.005-05:00

Alright, so I've basically had a terrible last six months and I decided a little bit ago to rediscover myself. I've come a long way, made a lot of changes, and wanted an outward reminder to myself to be myself. So I cut off all my hair. WOOO!!!!!

Afghanistan I: the land of drugs and death

2009-09-18T12:20:00.002-04:00

I've been doing some research on Afghanistan, its history, and its current status. It hasn't been a fun time, but it has been an enlightening one.

Afghanistan I: the land of drugs and death

The country of Afghanistan has a long history of internal warfare, as well as consistent invasion by neighbouring (or distant) countries. The geography and climate of Afghanistan has had a strong influence on its war-torn history, often acerbating social and political strife. It is landlocked with a climate that varies sharply throughout its different regions. Each area, from the lush, green pastures in the north, high mountain plateaus, and desolate, windy desert, has been exploited and misused to the determent of the entire country.

Afghanistan is non-coastal, located in southern Asia, and is situated to the east of Iran and both north and west of Pakistan. On the eastern side of the country Afghanistan also shares a very small border with China. The north is predominantly pastoral farmland, with fertile grassy plains, cultivated fields, and rolling hills. It also has central highlands, which are mountainous and dangerous, encompassing the heart, and majority, of the country. Further to the south is desert, dominated by dry winds and unforgiving, harsh weather.

In the north farmers grow wheat, rice, and cotton, while wandering shepherds graze their sheep and goats. Although this sounds like the idyllic homeland of Heidi, the area has all but forgotten peace. There has been severe drought, destroying crops and herds, and land mines are scattered throughout the region, severely restricting grazing flocks. In the past decade much of the farmland once used for wheat has been transformed and is now primarily used for poppy cultivation. The seeds are processed to make opium and heroin, and nintey-two percent of the world’s opium coming from Afghanistan’s northern region alone, the result is a lucrative drug-smuggling business for terrorists like the Taliban.

Afghanistan’s largest region is the central highlands, an area which has played a vital role in the history of the struggle for control of Afghanistan. This area includes a large portion of the Hindu Kush Mountains, a part of the Himalayas. These cover nearly two-thirds of the country, and are so rough and treacherous that their name roughly translates to mean the Killer of Hindus. The ranges are unforgiving and rough, prone to earthquakes and sudden weather changes. This desert-steppe area typically has snow and strong winds due to its high elevation. The deep valleys and high, ragged mountains are a perfect hiding place for anyone who does not wish to be found, as long as such a person knows how to survive in such a harsh climate.

The mostly barren and windswept area of Afghanistan is located in the desert of the southern plateau. This area is close to the borders of both Pakistan and Iran, and is extremely unwelcoming. It is where the Taliban has its strongest foothold, spreading across the desert into Pakistan. The south is mostly infertile desert, with only a few rivers snaking across it, allowing for some fertile soil.

Regardless of region, Afghanistan is a broken country. The climate and geographical conditions are acerbated by warfare, political instability, and bloodthirsty religious fervor. The strengths of each region have been exploited, whether by drug lords or terrorists or both, resulting in a country full of harsh weather, violence, and poverty.

Check out a video about life in Afghanistan here.

Check out my other sources here, here, here, and here.

Next: a (hopefully) brief history of Afghanistan.

one day i rescued a shopping cart

2009-06-23T16:06:00.005-04:00

one day i was walking to the store with a friend and saw this shopping cart. all the other carts were safely tucked into their little corrals, but this one was stranded; smack in the middle of a small lake-of-a-puddle. i was wearing heels, and it was november, but my friend and i decided it needed to be rescued. so i walked out to get it. while i was in the water the shopping cart and i hung out for a bit before heading back to safety. yes, the water was very, very cold, but it was fun.

i love these pictures. they feel very 'me'

Photo credit: topherseto

click the photo for a larger view

moving on...

2009-06-22T21:34:00.004-04:00

For the last seven months I've been back in Canada, helping my parents out and trying to get my life a little more organized. Unfortunately, it's been a lot harder than I thought. I'm easily distracted by, well, pretty much everything. It started to seem like life was just happening and I was coasting along on cruise-control. Shitty job, stuck in the middle of nowhere, no money, very few friends close by (none particularly close), etc... I've been off my game for a (long) while, and I decided to really make an effort to figure a few things out. So, I spent a week with no facebook, no friends, (almost) no internet, no phone calls (except family), no books, no movies, and no tv.

It was a long week.

I spent as much time as possible actually concentrating on who I am and want to be, my relationships, what I believe, my goals, responsibilities, where I want to be in a year or two, my family, and my friends.

Granted, I still went to work and did all my other life-related things (I also went to a wedding on the weekend and spent time with relatives). In the end, it was totally worth it, and I'll probably make it an every-two-months habit (although maybe not for a week every time).

While I don't have everything figured out (who ever does?!), I feel a lot better about myself, my future, and my relationships. I have a more solid idea of what I want and who I am. I needed that, and for anyone out there who is curious, here are a few things I've figured out about myself:

I feel trapped in my parent's house, but I have told them that I will not stay longer than another year. They have that long to figure something out.

I feel useless and boring without money.

I eventually want to live within at least weekend visiting of my parents and sisters.

I want to make a community. get married. have children. have a job. keep learning. volunteer. get involved in projects. travel. not necessarily in that order.

I need a certain level of stability and I feel like I don't have that right now.

I want to save money to travel once and a while around Canada; maybe abroad when I'm more established and stable.

I want to make a community of friends here.

There's more, but I'm not going to share it online. It was a very difficult week. One in which I had to make some very hard choices and face some pretty tough self-criticism. It was worth it though.

Great Water Solutions...

2009-05-25T14:59:00.001-04:00

Self-Healing Concrete

National Geographic

Its not quite as advanced as Terminator technology. But a new concrete that can heal its own wounds may soon bring futuristic protection to bridges and roads.

Um... so this is one of the coolest and most productive inventions I've seen (except cloaking technology... that beats all in coolness)! This concrete will make buildings, roads and bridges, SO much safer! Say goodbye to potholes!

Living at Sea

National Geographic

Championed by California-based competition sponsor the Seasteading Institute, the high-seas homesteading movement is all about creating tiny frontier lands "where those who wish to experiment with building new societies can go to test out their ideas," according to the institute's Web site.

Don't forget to click through all the pictures! I'd LOVE if one of these ideas could be invented! Woot!

toxic waste's toxic waste

2009-05-21T22:02:00.009-04:00

Dirty tricks and toxic waste in Ivory Coast

BBC

"It is the biggest toxic dumping scandal of the 21st century, the type of environmental vandalism that international treaties are supposed to prevent. A giant multinational is being sued in London's High Court by thousands of Africans who claim they were injured as a result of the waste that was illegally tipped on Ivory Coast's biggest city, Abidjan."

The biggest toxic waste scandal, and yet people are still sick, still dying, and yet Trafigura denies the waste is hazardous. They have not been charged, and a lot of the waste is still there. Makes you really confident in humanity, doesn't it?

Speaking of pollution...

Concern over birth defects in China

BBC

"The province of Shanxi in central China is one of the most polluted places in the world and according to government officials, the rate of birth defects in this region is six times higher than the national average."

We often hear about how polluted China is... but are we really paying attention? When I lived in Korea there was a season called "Yellow Dust Season", when sand from the Gobi desert in China blew across to Korea. This is relatively normal, and wouldn't be that bad if it weren't for the fact that the dust blows through Chinese factory smoke stacks first, making it toxic. By the time it hits Korea it's a health hazard and people are warned not to go outside. The air turns yellow, literally. And yet, this is just the stuff picked up and dropped in Korea. This article shows what happens in China. It makes me want to boycott "made in China", although I'm sure there are severe economic repercussions to that too...

Things I fear

2009-04-27T09:14:00.008-04:00

I have many fears, and most are illogical. Water, heights, and speed are the three major ones I have been fighting most of my life.

Water:

Water is my nemesis. It is my oldest and strongest fear, one which had been reinforced as an adult. When I was very young I took swimming lessons and failed 'yellow' because I refused to put my head under water. I was terrified of not being able to breath, and even splashing water on my face resulted in gasping fear. I later made it past 'red', but have always been a very weak swimmer, and to this day am afraid of swimming without holding my head up and out of the water. I still need to hold my nose when I jump in. After a bad scare a few years ago, I was afraid of even venturing into water past my shoulders.

Heights/high speed:

This is a childhood fear. When I was little my sisters and I used to go to a park near our house, and there was a twirling swing. Being the youngest and smallest, when my sister used to spin us around, she held my swing because it was the lightest and easiest with which to run in circles. When she released me, my swing would suddenly soar up higher than all the others until I could almost touch tree branches. In my little imagination I saw my swing breaking and me soaring across the park to my death. It terrified me. Eventually I started refusing to go in twirly swings, and never could enjoy normal swings without that twinge of fear and picture of the chain breaking and me sailing to my death.

The breakdown:

I was fine with avoiding these things until I went to Southeast Asia. While there I REALLY wanted to see the view from the bell tower of a church, however, that would involve climbing up a rope to the roof (no guard rails). The rope climbing was fun because it was in the tower, but once up there I was, literally, on the roof. Scary? YES. But the view was amazing, and I felt like a superhero once my shaky legs were on solid ground again. That was the point in time when I decided to overcome my fear of heights, a little bit at a time. From that I went climbing with Chris in Korea and even jumped on the glass floor of the CN Tower. After every one of these major accomplishments I felt amazing!

My fear of water was enhanced while traveling in the Philippines, and I decided that I could not let it cripple me or I would never enjoy water again. I forced myself to swim with a life jacket while in Malaysia (the water was dead calm). I braved choppy water in Europe (with the help of my friend Allieren and an inflated bed). I decided to face my fear head on. Chris and I decided to go on holiday in Vietnam, and while there we took an open water SCUBA course. I panicked while we practiced in the pool (when you have to go under the water and learn how to breath with the mask), but kept trying. I found that every time I had to go from the surface to underwater, I would freak out inside and have to just allow myself to panic-breath while I held myself face-down. Eventually my breathing would slow down and I would dive. Soon I started to really enjoy myself! Learning to dive showed me that I CAN enjoy being under water. So I decided to boogey-board. I had one paralyzing moment of complete and utter fear when I was under, breathed in some salt water and couldn't find the bottom with my feet, but after crying and shaking for a little bit once I found the surface (which was after the wave had passed) I went back in and enjoyed myself!

Now, I would say that, although I am still wary of heights, as long as I'm on the ground or in a building (no skydiving for me yet!), I'm not afraid. I can finally thoroughly enjoy myself in high-up places. I am still very cautious of choppy water/waves, but I KNOW that if I can calm down, I WILL enjoy myself and even forget my fear for a little while!

All of this is to say that fears don't have to stick with you. I have learned to love climbing to high places, looking out from the CN tower, SCUBA diving, boogey boarding, swimming, and riding on the back of a motorcycle. Six or seven years ago I would have loved none of those things. I still get scared and panic sometimes, but the feeling of accomplishment I have afterward is my driving force. I feel amazing. I feel strong, brave, and ... well... like a hero.

In closing, check out this video. Chris sent it to me and it reinforces how I feel about my fears.

my mom

2009-04-14T07:48:00.003-04:00

This past weekend was the easter holiday, a time of visiting family and over-eating. This weekend was a little different for my family. Saturday was my dad's birthday, so I invited the weekend-visiting family over for a casual dinner to celebrate. Just before everyone arrived, my mom fell while trying to open the porch sliding door. She was obviously in a lot of pain, especially her hip, but everyone arrived right then, so she asked for some pain killers (an indication that something really was wrong) and endured the pain through the evening. By nighttime she was too weak to go to the hospital, so my dad took her the next day to get x-rays. I decided to stay home and clean up the dishes a bit. At about 9:45 my dad called to tell me that she had broken her hip and was going to be sent to Ottawa for surgery. I made phone calls to tell the visiting family members, Rae, and my parent's church. When I went in to visit (and bring my dad some food) the doctors said she'd have to wait another day (Monday) for surgery. My dad took the day off yesterday, and they took her in at about noon and put screws and a plate in to her hip. She's in recovery now, and will most likely be in the hospital for a few weeks, although we're hoping she can be transferred to Almonte, which will be much closer and convenient. She will have to get physiotherapy, and will be on painkillers for a while yet.

I'll keep this blog updated if anything changes.

The Credit Crisis for Dummies (no offense)

2009-04-04T13:38:00.004-04:00

Alright, I got this from my friend Matt, and as a way of explaining the "credit crisis" it was pretty helpful. Let me know what you think, and if you have anything to either dispute, or add to it!

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Acting in Afganistan

2009-03-27T10:42:00.003-04:00

What’s new from the BBC?
Terrifying plight of Afghan actress

“Afghan actress Parwin Mushthal's passion for her job has exacted a heavy toll - resulting in the murder of her husband and forcing her to live in hiding with her two children.”

Mushtal first began acting in highschool, and now has been in more than 20 theatre productions, dozens of films, and has regular television appearances. Her face is well known in Afganistan, but in this country, such popularity can be dangerous. In fact, Mushtal hid her acting career from her husband’s family, and when they came to visit, made sure the television was used only to watch movies.

In a country where the influence of the Taleban is growing stronger, acting is often linked with immorality. Women who act are often accused of prostitution, threatened, and even abused. Mushtal received such threats, and often arrived to work only to find people waiting at the entrance, blocking her path, and telling her she shouldn’t be working. She received threatening phone calls and was abused walking in the streets. People began to recognize her, and once, walking home with her young son, a stranger on a bike violently punched her in the back as he passed. She fell to the ground and injured her leg so badly that she still has pain months later. She thought perhaps the abuse was directed at her due to her clothing, so she began dressing more modestly and began wearing a scarf over her head. It wasn’t until her husband began receiving phone calls asking why he allowed his wife to act that she realized what the problem was. By then, it was too late.

One night in December a man repeatedly called her husband, telling him to come out of the house. He refused. The next night he began calling again, and eventually her husband agreed to meet him. Mushtal became concerned when he didn’t return after dark, and at eight o’clock heard shooting. She was afraid the man would come into the house next, so she locked the door and waited all night. In the morning police found her husband’s body, shot numerous times.

Now Parwin Pashtal is in hiding, wearing a full-length burka so she can't be recognized. She lives in constant fear that someone will recognize her and come after her or her two children. Pashtal’s story is not an anomaly in Afganistan. The Taleban is gaining strength in many cities, and is openly critical of women in the workplace. The result is situations like Pashtal’s, where women are threatened, abused, and even forced into hiding.

I wish this story could end on a happier note, but it can't. I wish I could DO something. Thus far, all I am doing is writing notes reaching very, VERY few people. Spreading information is one thing, but I don't feel like I'm actually helping improve anything. I want to help things CHANGE.

2009-03-24T20:22:00.004-04:00

Exxon Valdez 20 Years Later

You guys remember the Valdex oil spill back in ’89? Well on March 23 an oil tanker stranded and leaked 11 million gallons of crude, making it the worst oil spill in US history. Clean up started immediately after the accident, and continued until 1994, when experts determined that the oil was naturally disintegrating rapidly, and that in a few years it would be completely gone. So, where are we 20 years later?

Not great.

Instead of disappearing, the oil breakdown in areas with irregular water flow has slowed, and according to recently completed research by the WWF, there are still 21,000 gallons of the toxic sludge coating Alaska’s shores and poisoning the wildlife. I’m not going to go into how much damage this spill caused (and is still causing, and will continue to cause), because it’s depressing. Hopefully Australia fares better.

Water Is Not a Human Right

Access to clean water is NOT a human right, according to a the Istanbul Ministerial Statement, which was adopted by ministers and heads of delegations from more than 150 countries. They agreed that clean water is a human need, but not a human right.

Anyone else think that’s bull****?!! I was PISSED when I read this.

And get this, they published it to purposely coincide with the United Nations' World Water Day. How’s that for irony?

Pink Elephant?!

What’s the saying about a white elephant? Well, how about pink? In Botswana a wildlife cameraman managed to catch sight of a pink African elephant calf, which experts believe is most likely an albino. Unlike Asian elephants, who spend a lot of time in jungle areas, African elephants spend a lot of time in the open, unprotected from the burning sun. Although this baby albino has slim chances for survival, his sensitive skin making him particularly vulnerable to a variety of health problems, he seems to have already begun to adapt to his situation. He walks in the shade of his mother, and since the herd was found in an area with water and trees, hopefully the baby will learn to cake himself in mud or take refuge under available trees.

I figure the little guy’s gonna make it. Elephants are smart, and this one already seems to have figured out that the sun can hurt him. Let’s be honest, he’s also pretty cute.

Glaucoma Anybody?

Apparently the drug used to treat glaucoma makes eyelashes grow longer, thicker, and darker. Now it’s being used solely for that purpose. Yes. You can now apply chemicals and drugs to your eyelashes to make them more like Audrey Hepburn’s (which were fake). Can anyone think of a better use for medicinal research funds?

Alaska Volcano!
Great shots of the volcano in Alaska that blasted off this month!

Lion Whisperer?

Wow!

I bet this guy has trouble getting life insurance! Kevin Richardson is an animal behaviorist who plays with lions. He has developed such a relationship with the lions that he rolls around with both males and females. The females even let him pet new cubs, a miracle considering how protective lionesses are. I think he’s an insaniac, but super cool.

Sand Dancer: Peter Donnelly

2009-03-21T11:16:00.007-04:00

Check this out!!

New Zealander Peter Donnelly is the Sand Dancer. He rides his bicycle to the beach immediately after the tide goes out, and using only a stick, a rake, and his imagination, creates astonishingly beautiful works of art in the sand. One of the most amazing things is, since he's on the ground, he can't really see what it looks like until it's finished.

This is unbelievable.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Here are some pictures of his work:

News! News! News!

2009-03-19T10:42:00.002-04:00

Alrighty everyone, it's time for your new updates! I'm obsessed with information (namely news) and so thought I'd share some of this past week's interesting news.

Night Shift Sparks Cancer Pay-out

Wow. Here's something that not enough people know. According to a ruling by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an arm of the UN's World Health Organisation, there is a high chance that night shifts increase the risk of developing cancer. In Denmark 40 women have won compensation after developing cancer from decades of night shifts.

The IARC studies and ranks cancer risks.
Category One risks are known carcinogens such as asbestos. Night working now sits just one rung below that: a probable cause of cancer.

One of the reports, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, showed a 36% greater risk of breast cancer for women who had worked night shifts for more than 30 years, compared with women who had never worked nights. This evidence supports the hypothesis that melatonin production may be impared by changing sleep patterns. Melatonin, in turn, has some beneficial effects in preventing some of the steps leading to cancer.

And if yet another risk of cancer doesn't get you quaking in your boots, night shifts have been blamed for an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, gastro-intestional problems, low birth-weight babies, and, for women, prolonged pregnancies.

All in all, this article interested me because I'd NEVER heard of such connections. If women are being compensated by a GOVERNMENT for their breast cancer due to working nights, I feel like there must be something to the risk.

Islands Disappear in India
Still think global warming is a "joke", "prank", or "unscientific"? Well, try telling the inhabitants of this island in India. Wait, make that ex-inhabitants. Some islands have completely submerged, while others are well on their way. People have become "environmental refugees" as houses and property are swallowed up by the sea and they are forced to move onto someone else's land. Space is limited and these people, as poor island dwellers, have nowhere else to go. The rate of erosion in India is 3.14 mm/year, where as the normal rate is 1.82 mm/year. So far there are no solutions offered (beyond crowding closer on the island and either starving or drowning).

Hippo Sweat Offers Key to Natural Sunscreen

OK, this is REALLY cool. Hippo sweat is red, and is structured at a microscopic level to scatter light. This means that those lovable giants can stand in the sun all day and not burn. Not only that, but scientists have discovered that hippo sweat is also antiseptic and insect repelling! So this summer make sure to visit the local zoo, wrestle with a hippo, and you can stay outside, bug free, all day! (Or you can wait for them to come out with a hippo sweat inspired product that won't smell, well, like hippo).

Sexy Marketing Aims to Boost Toilet Use

OK lets be honest, toilets ARE NOT sexy (well, for most of us anyway). In a lot of cultures talking about, or performing, bodily functions related to toilet use are either tabboo, or considered "dirty". This can be a problem when, according to National Geographic, "2.5 billion people worldwide don't have access to a clean, safe place to do their business." Add that to the reports that "80% of the developing world's illnesses are caused by unsafe water and inadequate sanitation" and you have a whopper of a problem. The solution? Make toilets sexy.
Yes, I agree. How on EARTH can a toilet be sexy? Well, some organizations have found a few ways.

In Kenya there are "toilet malls" where you can use a toilet, shower, get your shoes repaired, shop for food, and make a phone call. Celebrities all over Kenya have been called upon by an organization called Ecotact, to "sell" toilet malls. Famous Kenyan faces, like Miss Kenya and the vice president, have begun frequenting them in an attempt to make them more acceptable. Toilet malls have gained popularity by making a connection with status and privilege.

And then there is Cambodia, where the Resource Development International Cambodia have made romantic karaoke videos about proper sanitation and hygiene, hand washing, bird flu, and sex slavery. They advertise that hand washing is beautiful and make the connection between hygiene and health. These are shown on national television!

Thanks to programs like these, the toilet has become a status symbol. "It's cool to have a toilet. Be the first person on your block to have one!" Although I balk at social programming like this, and resent the ideal behind the marketing scheme, it seems to have worked. Who is really surprised? It's been working on the "West" for decades!

This just goes to prove that anything is marketable, and that using social pressure can make anything sexy, even a toilet.

going crazy

2009-03-17T12:21:00.004-04:00

I strive to love, learn, and live as fully and completely as I can. Unfortunately, my actual life feels about as far from my potential as I am from the moon. I am twisting into tighter and tighter coils of self-absorbed insanity.

living at home

twist

jobless

twist

anti-social

twist

........

must

something.

Life as: Trial and Error

2009-03-09T10:31:00.010-04:00

Bumps. Some are big and some are so small they barely slow you down. Sometimes I come across some bumps in the road that seem huge, and I have a habit of just sitting there, giving up, coming to the conclusion that I just can’t do anything about it.

I hate that.

I’ve been spending a lot of time online, and have found a few things that have helped me face my bumps, so I’ve decided to post them in case they can help someone else.

These are some quotes from Curt Rosengren. I have no idea who he is, I haven’t read his book, and he might actually be a terrible person (or a wonderful one). I love some of what he has to say though.

Our most challenging times are the times we need the support of others the most. Reaching out to others can plant a seed of connection that can grow over time and give you a stronger foundation for moving through challenges in the future as well.

Support is a two-way street. The more you focus on helping others, the more potential there is for that support to come back your direction. And it's not just support in challenging times. Helping others is a way to build relationships, and relationships open doors.

I love helping other people, and I generally encourage people to face their troubles; be bold; have confidence. Somehow, that hasn’t translated into myself. My confidence in myself, my life, and who I am has been shaken a few times lately so I’ve curled my tail close and stuck my nose in the sand.

When you successfully navigate a sea of obstacles, you gain first-hand experience that you really can deal with whatever comes your way. And when you feel confident that you can deal with challenges, you're more willing to take risks and pursue fulfillment in life.

I lived the mantra that “what is… is” but, as the movie “Australia” says, “what is isn’t necessarily what should be.” I have lost self confidence for a variety of reasons, but foremost is my own submissiveness to life’s rough side. In doing this I have lost some of my passion, the energy that comes from bringing more of ME into what I do, for life.

The solution: Find out what happened to the person in the pictures.

"Dirty" Oil: the Tar Sands of Alberta pt. 1

2009-03-03T08:32:00.012-05:00

Canada's greatest buried energy treasure [can] satisfy the world's demand for petroleum for the next century.
- Time Magazine

The Canadian tar sands industry is centered in Alberta, Canada, and more than one million barrels of synthetic oil are produced from these resources per day; a number set to triple by 2020. Currently, tar sands represent about 40% of Canada's oil production, and output is expanding rapidly. Approximately 75% of Canada's oil and oil products are exported to the US, making it difficult for both countries to cut their carbon emissions.

What are they, you ask?

Tar sands are a combination of clay, sand, water, and bitumen (a heavy black oil with the consistency of peanut butter). The sand is mined and processed to extract the oil-rich bitumen, then refined into oil. Extracting oil from tar sands is more complex than conventional oil recovery; usually using strip mining or open pit techniques. Once taken out of the ground, separation systems remove the bitumen from the clay, sand, and water that make up the tar sands. Due to its thick and heavy nature, bitumen also needs additional upgrading before it can be refined, and is diluted with lighter hydrocarbons to make it transportable by pipelines.

After mining, the tar sands are transported to an extraction plant, where a hot water process separates the bitumen from sand, water, and minerals. In this process hot water is added to the sand, and the resulting slurry is piped to the extraction plant. Tiny air bubbles attach to the bitumen released from the oil sand, and floats to the top of the separation vessel, where the bitumen can be skimmed off. Further processing removes residual water and solids. The bitumen is then transported and eventually upgraded into synthetic crude oil.

When we are looking at the tar sands, we are looking at a project that is the largest capital investment project on the face of the planet, the largest industrial project on the planet, and the ecological implications are just as great.
- Mike Hudema, an Edmonton-based campaigner with Greenpeace Canada.

This is the money - it even smells like money.
-Todd Dahlman, manager of Shell's Muskeg River oil sands mine in the Athabasca region of North Alberta in Canada.

There are 175 billion barrels of proven oil reserves here, and at about $131/barrel (as of Feb 2009), that's a lot of incentive to dig. Canada's reserves in Alberta are second only to Saudi Arabia’s 260 billion. The estimate of how many more barrels of oil are buried deeper underground is staggering.

We know there’s much, much more there. The total estimates could be two trillion or even higher. This is a very big resource.
-Clive Mather, Shell's Canada chief.

Environmental Disaster:

The bitumen in tar sands is a low-quality, high-cost alternative to oil and, so far, there have been inadequate environmental safeguards or monitoring of extraction and processing for export to the U.S.

To get the oil out of the ground, trees are cut down, the surface layer is strip-mined, and the underlying mixture is heated with steam in order to make it flow. Two tons of earth and sand are dug out to yield just one barrel of bitumen; that one barrel generates three times as much greenhouse gas (GHG) emission as excavating one barrel of conventional oil.

On average, 500-1000 cubic feet of natural gas is needed to produce a single barrel of crude oil and three to five barrels of fresh water are drawn from the Athabascan river system to process each barrel of bitumen. The water level of the Athabasca River has severely depleted and the fish have been poisoned.

The water leftover from the extraction process, known as tailings, contains arsenic, mercury, napthenic acids and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Most of this water is stored in vast, above-ground contaminated tailings ponds, which leak toxins into the surrounding area. Much of the water is reused, but the industry is producing 1.8m litres of tailings a day which need to be contained in large earthen dams. As of last year, tailings covered over 130 sq km.

To give an idea of the danger, last spring, about 500 ducks alighted on a tailings pond during their yearly migration. Once landing on the water, they were soon entrapped by the slick oil on the surface and drowned in the toxic cocktail.

Should one of the dams fail and release its content of poisonous water, the results will be disastrous. Downstream residents in Fort Chipewyan can no longer safely eat fish from the river because they make them sick. The people themselves have high rates of birth defects and cancers, some in rare forms.

Compounding the health hazard are the massive amounts of nitrogen oxides, sulpher dioxide, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter are being released into the air through the processing process. The tar sands mining procedure releases at least three times the CO2 emissions as regular oil production and is slated to become the single largest industrial contributor in North America to Climate Change.

It is estimated that by 2011, annual greenhouse gas emissions from the tar sands plants alone will be over 80 million tones of CO2 equivalent - a greater quantity of emissions than that produced by all of Canada's passenger cars today.

The oil sands are single-handedly preventing Canada from meeting any of its Kyoto obligations.
-Mike Hudema, an Edmonton-based climate and energy campaigner with Greenpeace Canada.

Under the UN climate agreement, Canada was to have reduced its emissions to 20% below 2006 levels by 2020. The federal government has said it will not even attempt to meet those targets.

The tar sands are already the cause of the second fastest rate of deforestation on the planet behind the Amazon Rainforest Basin. The the Pembina Institute says 420sq km of forest has been 'disturbed' so far. Meanwhile, 2,000sq km of forest is predicted to have been affected. There’s no certainty about reclaiming these thousands of hectares of boreal forest and wetlands ripped up to yield bitumen and, to date, little reclamation has been accomplished.

In short: exploiting the tar sands goes farther than simply using up water, electricity, coal and natural gas. The air is polluted with nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide, water is contaminated with toxic chemicals, and millions of hectares of wilderness are being destroyed.

Can’t argue with it. I mean, there’s no question that they’ve got a mess up there.
-T. Boone Pickens, legendary Texas oil tycoon

Pt. 2 on social repercussions once I get organized

Check out my sources, and feel free to use the comments box.

Oil, Shale and Tar Sands Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement released by the US

Alberta Energy

CBC article and video (skips a little)

BBC article 1 and 2

Greenpeace

Oil Sands Truth article 1, 2, and 3.

CBS article and video

heart and spirit

2009-02-12T21:45:00.000-05:00

Are there differences between the heart and the spirit? I will say yes. Although the two may be in unity for some people, I have found that not only are these very different, they can battle one another viciously. How can someone sacrifice their heart for the sake of spirit? What about the other way around? Is it possible to deny your spirit for the sake of your heart? Can one live without the other? These are the questions I've been asking myself. I may not be a philosopher, but I've been thinking suspiciously philosophical thoughts lately.

Consider the two separate (as I do) from one another. Your lover (your heart) is essentially confined to bed for health reasons, and needs care. This is a long-term situation, and, barring a miraculous event, is not going to change. You love to travel, get out and visit people, and explore what life has to offer (your spirit). To leave the person you love so deeply is to abandon your heart. To stay and care for him or her is to abandon your spirit. Are heart and spirit in opposition? Is there a meeting point? Or are they contradictory and you must choose one or the other? If you choose one, is the other negated? Can you live on spirit alone? What about heart? If your 'spirit' is sacrificed, can you live on 'heart' alone?

I don't have answers to these questions. What I do know is that, while trying not to choose one over the other, you need to be careful not to destroy both.

thoughts

2008-02-18T21:32:00.004-05:00

Community.
I remember escaping SSU sometimes, just getting away and walking along the river, or down some side-street. It felt so stifling sometimes; always having someone there, everywhere. It was better once I had my own room in fourth year, but the need for space was still strong and I often spent time with my door closed against the constant babble of other people sharing my living space.
My how things have changed. If only I could hear those noisy first-years (no insult intended, there were just more of them) calling to one another; Allieren singing in her room (ok, so that was always nice), and brie playing guitar. The meal-time bell and someone screaming because they were being chased by someone else for some reason or another. The musicians in the chapel who always seemed to play when I wanted to sleep or study, and the shower running in the bathroom on the other side of the wall beside my bed.
Where are those noises now? Well, except for the lovely Korean man who sings in the shower between 12 and 2 in the morning; the traffic below my window; or the occasional relationship spat carried out in the hallway, I have no noises other than those I make myself. Out of all of those noises, none of them are community noises (except maybe the shower man, but I don't know him).
Moral: I love you guys; I miss you guys.

podcasts coming out my ying-yang

2009-01-24T08:27:00.005-05:00

Ok friends and foes, lately I've been downloading podcasts to my laptop for nightly perusal before bed, and I have enjoyed them so much I wanted to share them with you. I got ALL of these legally, for free, from iTunes (mostly Berkeley College), CBC, or BBC websites. Although I have not listened to all of them, I lave listened to a LOT. All the Berkeley ones are lectures (the journalism ones are event lectures, not class lectures). C'mon! Who doesn't like learning new and interesting stuff?! Anyway, you can find them from the links provided above, or you can ask me and I can send you whatever specific 'casts you want. Enjoy!

PS> Although I listed all of the podcasts for each of the programs, I did not list all the lectures for each college course, since there are hundreds and this blog is already long enough.

CBC Radio Dispatches: Eyewitness to History

-Stories from Afghanistan; Radio improving farming in Africa; Child soldiers and music.

-Egypt's gambit in Gaza; around the world on a bike; Hungary and radical politics

-Ancient places and humans; wildlife tours in Africa; the Tonie Sap at risk

-Garbage in Mangua; Canada and Colombia; Afghanistanis and the Taliban

- Qat; Sub-Saharan Africa's roadside gardens; angry farmers in India

-Nuclear Renaissance and the quest for alternative energy

BBC Crossing Continents

-Child-Trade in the US and Liberia

Discovery Atlas

-Explore China in 27 episodes

Berkeley English 1175: Shakespeare

BBC Health Check

-Artheritis and pain

Berkeley History 4A: The Ancient Mediterranean

Berkeley History 5: European Civilization from the Renaissance to the Present

Berkeley History 106B: The Roman Empire

Berkeley History 167B: the Rise and Fall of of the Second Reich

Berkeley History 181B: Modern Physics from the Atom to Big Science

Berkeley Integrative Biology 131: General Human Anatomy

Berkeley Integrative Biology General Human Anatomy (Video podcast)

Berkeley International and Area Studies 106

Berkeley International and Area Studies 180: Issues in Foreign Policy after 9/11

iTunes U Grey's Anatomy (the medical text)

Berkeley Journalism and Media: Event Speakers

-A Food Agenda for the Next Administration

-The Death of Environmentalism

-Founding Mothers

-The (Real) State of the Union: Atlantic Monthly Panel

-Molly Ivins: Mario Savio Memorial Lecture

-Mass Destruction: Truth and Consequences

-Professor Michael Pollen, Journalism

-Is the Media Failing in America?

-Being Opinionated in America

-The Consequences of Confidential Sources: Jail?

-The Bush White House: How Covering the Beat has Changed

-The Changing Rules of Journalism

-Chain of Command; The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib

-The Past, Present, and Future of Food

-The View From Abroad: Is America Broken?

BBC Radio Medical Matters

-Learn about ticks, bed bugs, cockroaches, and lice.

PBS Nature (Video)

-Arctic Bears

-The Dragon Chronicles

-The Gorilla King

-Unforgettable Elephants

-Chimpanzees: A Unnatural History

-Murder in the Troop

-The Venom Cure

-The Wolf That Changed America

-American Eagle

-Clever monkeys

-The Cheetah Orphans

-White Falcon, White Wolf

-The Beauty of Ugly

-Supersize Crocs

-The Queen of Trees

-Animals Behaving Worse

-A Mystery in Alaska

-Wisdom of the Wild

-Dolphin Defender

-Horse and Rider

-Encountering Sea Monsters

-Crime Scene Creatures

-Killers in Eden

-Rhinoceros

-Prince of the Alps

-Superfish

-Penguins of the Antarctic

-What Males Will Do

-What Females Want

-Cuba: Wild Island of the Caribbean

-Deep Jungle: The Beast Within

-Deep Jungle: Monsters of the Forest

-Deep Jungle: New Frontiers

-Raptor Force

-Crash: A Tale of Two Species

-Parrots in the Land of Oz

-Desert Lions

-Violent Hawaii

-The Seedy Side of Plants

-Ravens

-From Orphan to King

-In the Valley of the Wolves

-Silence of the Bees

-The Good, The Bad, and the Grizzly

-Life in Death Valley

-Katrina's Animal Rescue

-Shark Mountain

-Cloud's Legacy: The Wild Stallion Returns

-Kalahari: The Flooded Desert

-Kalahari: The Great Thirstland

-A Mystery in Alaska

-Silent Roar: Searching for the Snow Leopard

-Pale Male

-Shadow Over the Sun: A Story of Eagles

-A New King

-Predicting Earthquakes

-Great White Ambush

-Behind the Scenes with Filmmaker Corinna Faith

-Monster Jellies

-An Unforgettable Encounter

-A Mother's Anguish

-Flies Bring a Killer to Justice

-A New Lease on Life

-A Salmon's Journey

-The Peregrine's Stoop

-Measuring up to Crocs

-Tracking the Target

-Charge of the Indian Rhino

-African Queen

-Behind the Scenes with Executive Producer Fred Kaufman

-Poetry in Motion

-Diamond Dust

-Yellowstone Untouched

-Outfoxed

-Silent Sentinels?

-This bird's Got Talent

-Hinduism's Sacred Animal

-Enough is Enough

-Modern-Day Explorer

-Family Reunion

-Behind the Scenes with Filmmaker Allison Argo

-Diamonds

-Hippo Beach

BBC One Planet

-A Drought in Israel

Oxford Biographies

-Flora MacDonald, Jacobite heroine

-Mo Mowlam, politician

-Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, entertainers

-Constance Markievicz, Irish republican and first woman elected to parlaiment

-William Bowler, hatter and feltmaker

-Billy Butlin, fairground proprietor and founder of holiday camps

-Victoria Woodhull, women's rights campaigner and first female presidential candidate

-Edward Harrison, analytical chemist and army officer

-James Murray, lexicographer

-Piltdown Man, archaeological hoax

-Lord Haw-Haw, fascist and propaganda broadcaster

Berkeley Peace and Conflict Studies 164A: Introduction to Non-Violence: Fall 2006

Berkeley Peace and Conflict Studies 164A: Introduction to Non-Violence: Spring 2007

Berkeley Psychology 1: General Psychology

Berkeley Psychology 130: Clinical Psychology

Berkeley 131: Developmental Psychopathology

Berkeley Psychology 140: Developmental Psychology

Berkeley Psychology 156: Human Emotion

Berkeley Psychology 160: Social Psychology

BBC This Week in Africa

-ANC Party President and corruption allegations

-Why is Sudanese opposition leader in detention?

-Fears of a serious maize shortage in Cameroon

National Geographic Walks of a Lifetime: Must-Visit Places

-Santa Fe

-San Antonio

-New Orleans

-Montreal

-Minneapolis

-Barcelona

-Philadelphia

-Vienna

-Los Angeles/ Santa Monica

-Amsterdam

-Charleston

-Savannah

-Sydney

-Boston

-Rome

-Washington, D.C.

-Chicago

-Miami

-Paris

-San Francisco

-Tribeca

-London

National Geographic Wild Chronicles (with Video)

-Pew Krill

-Ocean Census

-Elephant Play

-Polar Palooza

-Mark Lynas

-Fongoli Chimp

-Joseph Lekuton

-Elephant Rehab

-Playpumps

-Japanese Bluefin

-Ndoki Adventure

-Panama Golden Frog

Let me know what you think!

my new discovery: MidEastWeb.org

2009-01-20T01:56:00.004-05:00

I've recently been researching the Palestinian/Israeli conflicts and trying to better understand what is going on. I stumbled across a fantastic website that I would like to share with you all. It's the MidEastWeb, which is a Non-Government Organization (NGO). It was started

by people active in Middle East dialog and peace education efforts. [Their] goal is to weave a world-wide web of Arabs, Jews and others who want to build a new Middle East based on coexistence and neighborly relations. [Their] members and staff include distinguished educators, engineers, Web designers and other professionals experienced in dialog, peace education projects and in promoting dialog and coexistence using the Internet.

There are SO many links, articles, timelines, maps, primary source documents, and more.

According to the website, their goals are to "overcome the effects of decades of conflict, separation and hate propaganda." To do this, there needs to be "cooperation between peoples." They aim to "promote and publicize dialog, people-to-people and educational projects, and to make non-violence, tolerance and rapprochement key values in [their] societies."

After reading a LOT of the information they have available, I have decided to promote this site. My aim is NOT to try to promote one side of the conflict or the other, and I feel that this website is very good at giving solid facts, and as much as possible, avoiding bias and opinions. If any of this information interests you; if you wish you knew more about what is going on in the middle east, MidEastWeb might be a good place to start. Obviously I've not read all of the material MidEastWeb has to available. If there is incorrect information please let me know via a comment (and let the website know too), and I'll look into it.

There is also a MidEastWeb blog, which I have yet to check out. If you decide to see what it has to offer let me know what you think.

goodbye 2008; hello 2009

2009-01-13T03:12:00.004-05:00

Ever notice that you have a lot of pictures? They're like your diary; 1000 words for each shot; capturing the different stages and events of your life. Summer camps, jobs, camping, university, friends, travel, travel, travel. I take pictures with an obsessive compulsion to capture the moment; stop time.

Then, when I look at them again, later in life, I get sad. I miss old days, good times, and friends. My pictures record everything with both clarity and deception. I can't remember what I felt at the moment the shutter clicked, but the picture is so beautiful I imagine my life as nothing but the blissful scenes in front of me. I know my life hasn't all been peaches and rainbows, but when I look back that's all I see. I've glamorized events; no matter what, my lens seems to be rose tinted. I don't want to envy my past self, but to look forward to my uncertain future. Instead, I seem to constantly find myself mired in the sticky memories of days past.

Thus, I can't properly tell you about 2008; or even 2007 for that matter. Instead, I'll show you some of my favorite pictures. The ones that bring the most longing; the ones that draw me into the past; the ones that make my heart ache.

"One foot in front of the other: Going through life with the lens cap off"

2008-03-01T01:21:00.004-05:00

Living life to its fullest isn't about
checking off thrills from a list;
It's about being fearless in following my dreams,
courageous in accepting
that some will go unfulfilled
and taking the time to savor
something as simple
as a cup
of tea

The man who wrote this poem also wrote a blog called "One foot in front of the other: Going through life with the lens cap off" which can be found here. It is a life-changing blog. I came across it accidently late lastish year and have been following it since. In Michael's own words, this is what the blog is about.

This blog was created Nov. 18, 2005.
I want to use it to open a window on my life and my many interests -- chief among them a passion for Japan. I lived there from 1995-98, teaching English in a rural junior high school and immersing myself in the study of Japanese religions and culture. (Visit my Web site, http://www.sliceofjapan.com/)
I also want to share my experience of living with parathyroid cancer, an extremely rare and often incurable disease, and how this constant reminder of my own mortality shapes my life and colors my perspective.

His blog is very interested in Zen buddhism, but also in simply the characteristics of the human spirit.

I have always known

that at last I would take this road, but yesterday

I did not know that it would be today.

--by Ariwara no Norihira

Michael died in January, leaving behind many people who have been touched by his honest search for the meaning of life as his slowly came closer to its end. I was one of them, and I wish to share his blog with you all. It spans from November 2005 to January 2008 and he has written in each of the spanning months.

Some of my favourite blogs thus far, though I have many to read as I am a few years behind in reading them:
Thursday February 28, 2008. "Thinking About My Brother" and "Daiku"
Saturday, November 26, 2005. My Life as a Clock
Tuesday, December 20, 2005. Paving Stones on the Path to Hell

Life pretty much boils down to love, [he] concluded. Love, and compassion.

In short, I highly recommend his blog and, as I read through it, I'm going to share some of his insights as well as make some of my own. I hope you all enjoy them...

differences

2008-02-12T11:02:00.001-05:00

What you do makes a difference,
and you have to decide
what kind of difference
you want to make.

-Jane Goodall

Living the life...

2008-01-18T04:10:00.001-05:00

I'm living the life I have dreamed of for years. I am loved, living in a foreign country, and surrounded by children at all times of the day. I can afford to feed myself and I'm (sortof) paying off loans. I am content; and yet I have a nagging itch, a loneliness, a creeping feeling of discontent. For the past year I have been saying that I want to be in one place, settle a bit, relax and enjoy community, but that isn't what I'm doing. I feel sometimes like I'm stretched thin, my resources fading, and my composure beginning to crack. I want to go home, back to Canada, but internally I know that is no solution because I have no plan for when I return. I feel pushed and bent sometimes, with pressure cracks beginning to show. Maybe I need peace. I'm not used to living in a city, and although I have peaceful hills I can climb near my house, there is no silence from city noises. I'm a country girl stuck in a city of millions all living on top of one another. How do I find peace for myself in a city of chaos, noise, and uncomfortable cultural differences?

I have noticed some of my friends are also acting as though under pressure. Some from loneliness, others from frustration with cultural differences, a few with feeling powerless and impotent, and most with all of the above. How can I help? I want to be there for the people I care about, but I can barely "be there" for myself. I have always found meaning in helping others, but in a place where I feel crippled, my support often feels more like a hindrance. I'm agitated and antsy while also feeling morose and lethargic. I want to do something to help. I need to express myself , but I'm not sure how.

waste not...

2007-12-20T22:45:00.001-05:00

Man oh man, if any of you read Chris' blog about those beautiful mother-of-pearl-inlay wardrobes which he wittnesed distroyed because they couldn't sell second-hand, this blog will give them a little redemption. If you haven't read it, you can do so here. Anyway, my co-worker Ann and I were walking home from work at 10:00 last night and passed the exact same situation: three wardrobes (one double and two smaller) were curbside, with garbage piled around them, waiting for the dooms-day truck to smash them and carry them to the dump. They were even faced inward to one another so passers-by wouldn't be able to see their beauty! Ann and I fawned over them and said how sad it is that they'll be thrown out, when I decided to go to work early this morning and try (with my Korean limited to numbers and sounds, no real words) to rescue them.
Which I did.
I went in and through hand gestures and Konglish (Korean+English slang) managed to make it known that I want them. The woman managed to get my address (it takes a bit for them to understand my verbal instructions because my accent is so terrible), charge $20 (transportation fee) and establish that I do not have a one-room apartment and can actually fit them in my place. She then plopped me down in a comfy chair in front of a tv and handed me her half-empty cup of hot tea to drink while her man put them in the back of the truck. I was elated.
Wait, AM elated!
It JUST HAPPENED!
The man was unsure when we finally got here because they really don't fit well, but he followed directions and I shoved a table or two upstairs to make more space. I'll post the double one online and sell it for the $20 it took to get them here (my co-worker may take the two smaller ones), and that'll be that. Chris is going to take pictures tonight.
Wardrobes saved.
Whew.