Lord, here comes the flood We'll say goodbye to flesh and blood If again the seas are silent in any still alive It'll be those who gave their island to survive Drink up, dreamers, you're running dry.
In our 'hood - Its been a comin' down - at one point for over 40 days and nights - but then we had some sun. Yippee ... but then it started again this week ... Maybe, it is time to build ...
Lots of the enviro's like me think Peter Gabriel's "Here Come The Flood" is prophecy made of vinyl. As so eloquently stated on Everything2 ...
When it was as re-recorded for Robert Fripp's 1979 album Exposure. The later version also appears on Gabriel's 'best of' compilation Shaking the Tree. On Exposure, it segues from a tape of J.G. Bennett (whose International Academy for Continuous Education Fripp attended at Sherbourne House) theorizing about climate change:
From the scientist's study it seems likely that we should soon begin to have a discreet change in the earth's climate so people will not be able to live where they have, and the oceans will rise, and many cities will be flooded, like London, and Calcutta, and so on. These things, they say, will happen, according to scientific theories, in about forty years at the most, but maybe even quicker.
Now, for that Fripp version ...
But Peter, the ever deeper water kinda guy wasn't so literal - as water people tend to be - had a different, more metaphoric idea - from the book 'Peter Gabriel' by Armando Gallo, Omnibus Press, 1986 ...
When I wrote this song [Here Comes The Flood] I had an obsession with short-wave radio and I was always amazed at the way in which the radio signals would become stronger as daylight faded. I felt as if psychic energy levels would also increase in the night. I had had an apocalyptic dream in which the psychic barriers which normally prevent us from seeing into each others' thoughts had been completely eroded producing a mental flood. Those that had been used to having their innermost thoughts exposed would handle this torrent and those inclined to concealment would drown in it.
As we end Shark Week - we gotta remember some sharks are really different. Take for instance, Lenny from the film Shark Tale.
In this clip, when pressed to eat a shrimp, Lenny, played by comedian Jack Black, refuses to eat the shrimp his father attempts to force him to eat. Lenny turns out to be a vegetarian. Lenny's father is played by famed actor Robert DeNiro.
Lenny is happy being a veggie. He is standing for his uniqueness in his underwater world.
Yeah, yeah, its the Discovery Channel's Shark Week - but maybe sharks get a bad rap? Maybe not.
So before you go all crazy over the scary side of sharks - you know the blood, the floating body parts, the shreaking ... remember not all sharks are alike.
Take for instance, Bruce the Shark - from finding Nemo - a totally different kind of shark - a twelve step shark. FYI, the character Bruce got his name from the three mechanical sharks from "Jaws".
Now all, just recite the Bruce Pledge -
I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change this image I must first change myself. Fish are friends not food.
For some more charcter development, here is this blurb from Wikipedia ...
Bruce is a great white shark, and is part of a self-help support group with two other sharks to change their image by pledging off eating fish. Bruce encounters Dory and Marlin on their quest, and invites them as part of step five of the group's twelve-step program: "Bring a Fish Friend."
Maybe its time to transform our relationships to sharks ... maybe ...
NRDC's annual survey of water quality and public notification at U.S. beaches finds that pollution caused the number of beach closings and advisories to hit their fourth-highest level in the 19-year history of the report. The number of 2008 closing and advisory days at ocean, bay and Great Lakes beaches topped 20,000 for the fourth consecutive year, confirming that our nation's beaches continue to suffer from serious water pollution that puts swimmers at risk.
Aging and poorly designed sewage and stormwater systems hold much of the blame for beachwater pollution. Even in the relatively dry 2008 beach season, stormwater runoff contributed to two-thirds of the closing/advisory days in which a contamination source was reported. Unknown sources of pollution caused nearly 13,000 closing and advisory days.
NRDC's cleanest five star beaches of 2009 include:
Gulf Shores Public Beach, AL
Laguna Beach, Main Beach, CA
Bolsa Chica State Beach, Huntington Beach, CA,
Newport Beach, CA
Ocean City, MD
Park Point, Community Club Beach, Duluth, MN
Hampton Beach State Park in Hampton, NH
Beware the NRDC's lowest ranking one star beaches:
There you will find some of the healthiest, tastiest water in the area, collected by locals and weekenders alike - water connossieurs of the area, and beyond, come by from hither and dale to grab a jug or more of the wet stuff.
With the recent passing of Michael Jackson, I did not want to jump on the bandwagon of sorrow.
Now that a few weeks have past, we should look beyond Thriller, beyond the White Glove and his Moonwalk ... to arguably his best water related work "Will You Be There" - for the film Free Willy which was based on a true story of the captured Orca Keiko.
Michael Jackson produced and performed "Will You Be There", the theme for the film, which can be heard during the film's credits. The song won the MTV Movie Award for "Best Song in a Movie" in 1994. It was also included in the album All Time Greatest Movie Songs, released by Sony in 1999. Jackson also performed songs for the film's two sequels.
While you are here check out my friends at the Orca Network - where you can help free another Orca named Lolita.
It certainly beats watching a lonely goldfish swimming round its tiny bowl. This is one of the world's biggest fish tanks - so big that it's even been named the Kuroshio Sea. Located in the Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan.
The 'Kuroshio Sea' is the world's second largest aquarium tank, holding 7,500-cubic meters (1,981,290 gallons) of water and features the world's second largest acrylic glass panel, measuring 8.2 meters by 22.5 meters with a thickness of 60 centimeters. Whale sharks and manta rays are kept amongst many other fish species in the main tank.
Hat tip to our videographer friend, Jon Rawlinson who shot the vid.
FYI, for you ocean trivia buffs, Kuroshio is also the name of a large current - called, yes, the Kuroshio Current. It is a large marine ecosystem that extends from the Phillipines to the Japanese archipelago. From the Encyclopedia of Earth ...
The Kuroshio Current Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) extends from the Philippines to the Japanese archipelago. The Kuroshio (Black Current) is a warm (average sea surface temperature, 24°C) current flowing in a northeasterly direction along Japan’s east coast. It is about 100 kilometers (km) wide, and it has an average speed of 3 to 4 knots. The Tsushima Current branches off towards the Sea of Japan. The LME’s huge latitudinal expanse provides it with a rich variety of marine habitats. The region has a generally mild, temperate climate. The underwater topography includes the Japan Trench, the Shatsky Rise, the Ryukyu Trench and the Okinawa Trough. Natural hazards in this region are active volcanoes, numerous seismic occurrences, tsunamis and typhoons.
Making home-brewed Kombucha Tea is a lot easier than one may think. Certainly much cheaper than the health food store price of $4 per bottle.
And guess what the main ingredient is ... Water ... Yippee.
I have spent hours researching different Kombucha Tea internet sites. The recipe I have created combines the most common ingredients and processes to create this uber-easy Home-Brewed Kombucha Tea. My recipe is useful if you already possess a "Mother", or Kombucha "Mushroom." I was fortunate enough to have a friend share her mushroom with me. If you dont have a starter mushroom, or culture to work with, check out the links at the bottom and watch the video. The processes are equally simple. Here is my how to ...
Darlene's (aka, Lady DeAgua) Uber-Easy Home-Brewed Kombucha Tea
Supplies needed:
Teapot or large saucepan to boil water
Large glass bowl or jar
Clean, breathable fabric (I use a dishtowel)
Wooden spoon
Measuring cup
Ingredients needed:
1/2 Gallon Distilled or Ultra Filtered or Pure Spring Water - Do Not Use Chlorinated Tap water
8-12 Black Tea Teabags Depending on how
1 cup white granulated sugar
1 Starter "mushroom"
Process:
Boil water in teapot or sauce pot.
Once water boils, turn off heat.
Add teabags(8-12, depending on how strong you like it.
Let tea steep for atleast 10-15 minutes.
Remove teabags
Add 1 cup of white sugar, stirring until all sugar is dissolved.
Let cool to room temperature.
Pour tea into glass bowl or large jar.
Place "mushroom" on top of liquid in glass container.
Cover tightly with breathable fabric.
Let container sit UNDISTURBED for atleast 10 days. (I wait about 2 weeks)
After the wait time, check to make sure that a new mushroom has formed on top of the container. It kinda looks like a pancake, and kinda icky. You now have your very own fresh batch of home-made Kombucha tea.
You now also have an additional "culture" or "mushroom." Make sure to share with your Kombucha loving buddies!!!!
Help us improve access to clean water and sanitation for the world's poorest people by asking your senators to cosponsor the Durbin-Corker Water for the World Act of 2009 (S. 624) aka The Paul Simon Water for the World Act. This important legislation is stuck in the Committee on Foreign Relations, and it needs at least 20 cosponsors in order to get the attention of Senate leaders.
A little factoid for all you water lovers and ice cream lovers ...
Europeans spend $11 billion a year on ice cream - $2 billion more than the estimated annual total needed to provide clean water and safe sewers for the world's population.
It has been raining at our Hillsdale, NY headquarters for days and days and days - with a few minutes of occasional sunshine.
Now we know how our friends in Seattle feel.
BTW, "Here Comes The Rain Again" by The Eurythmics - Annie Lennox and David Stewart are fantastic in this video - equating falling rain with love.
Here is what the wikipedia page says ...
Here Comes the Rain Again" is a song by British pop duo Eurythmics. It was written by group members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart and produced by Stewart. The song was released as the third single in the UK from the album Touch and in the United States as the first single. It became Eurythmics' second Top 10 U.S. hit, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. "Here Comes the Rain Again" hit number eight in the UK singles chart, becoming their fifth consecutive Top 10 single in that country.
