June 15th, 2008 at 11:27am
This was originally published in the Island Sand Paper, Issue 381, May 30, 2008. Reprinted here with permission. A real eye-opener!
(FYI: Rupert Heine is a nationally-awarded photographer, twice nominated for The Pulitzer Prize. His Op-Ed pieces and editorials have been published in the Miami Herald, Minneapolis Tribune, and the Madison Capital Times. He has done extensive writing for newspapers and magazines, and worked as a journalist in Miami for over six years.”)
“…sugar was the knife in the hand of the assassin.” Fidel CastroSomeone in Washington owes Fidel Castro a huge apology. In fact there are a number of senior political leaders in the halls of Congress, and the White House, who know - as their predecessors have known - that they owe this nation, and Fidel Castro, a full explanation and apology for distorting the truth about Fidel Castro in order to advance hidden agendas.
Read the rest of “Sugar Coating the Facts” »
May 31st, 2008 at 9:58pm
For those of you who believe that sharks are man-eating monsters of the deep, there is a remarkable film that aims to change that perception and portray these animals as the vital creatures they truly are. ‘Sharkwater’ is the brainchild of director Rob Stewart and the result of a four-year long effort to educate people as to the importance of these top predators of the sea. When Rob set out to make his film, he had no idea of the drama he was about to enter into. A series of life and death situations including pirate boat rammings, attempted murder charges, arrests, espionage and corruption were the last things he expected on his journey.
Read the rest of “Rob Stewart’s ‘Sharkwater’” »
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:23pm
Senator Nelson sent this to us yesterday and we published it in the Sand Paper:
Start drilling.” Put those oil rigs off the protected beaches of Florida and in the preserved wilds of Alaska.In essence, that is what Washington Post writer Robert J. Samuelson urged in his column published in the Post recently.Drilling, right away, in environmentally protected areas was a centerpiece of Samuelson’s solution to rising gasoline prices. To oppose drilling in protected areas, he said, is “sheer stupidity” and “prejudice against oil companies.”
That’s the same thing the oil companies say every time there is a spike in gas prices. They cling to their own long-term remedy that would expose Florida’s entirely beach-and-tourism-driven economy to ruination.
Last week, the oil companies made two new end-runs in the Senate trying to bust the long-standing ban on coastal drilling. Once again their supporters cited the high gasoline prices. Even though we stopped them by a half-dozen votes, they’ll certainly be back - and, soon.
Read the rest of “Sen. Bill Nelson: It’s a delusion to think drilling will help ease current oil crisis” »
May 16th, 2008 at 3:11pm
There is something smelly in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary, and it is becoming an international incident. For the last four years, Captain Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society have plied these frigid waters near Antarctica, risking their lives to stop the illegal hunting of whales by Japanese ships, which have defied the International Whaling Commission and the government of Australia by continuing to kill whales for ‘research purposes’. (The Sand Paper interviewed Captain Watson last year while he was on board his ship ‘Farley Mowat’, Issue 311, January 26, 2007).
The Japanese position is that the IWC regulations permit the taking of whales for scientific research. But the Japanese have killed hundreds of whales each year since 1987 for a total of at least 8,137 animals taken under the guise of research. Just this season alone, The Japanese have granted themselves a permit to kill up to 935 Minke whales and up to 50 Fin whales. Estimates of Fin whale numbers are very sketchy, but according to research in 2001 the Southern ocean populations are currently estimated to be no more than 5,000 individuals and probably only 2-3000. A global moratorium on commercial whaling has existed since 1986 under the auspices of the IWC, but Japan’s “scientific whaling program” is conducted within a loophole of the commission’s rules and allows it to slaughter hundreds of whales each year and sell the meat for consumption to pay the costs of the “research”. In 2006 the Japanese Whaling Fleet was restructured to transfer it from private ownership (susceptible to consumer led boycotts) to Government control through the Japanese Government funded Institute for Cetacean Research.
Read the rest of “There’s Something Smelly in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary” »
May 1st, 2008 at 10:18am
This came from the Environmental News Service. Governor Crist does seem to be commited to helping our state be more green but some of the ideas presented here are not without controversy.
Florida Governor Charlie Crist announced the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change. This is the second such summit convened by the governor, who says that since last year’s summit, Florida’s “green” economy has grown.
“Florida’s businesses continue to demonstrate that there is gold in green, and climate-friendly energy sources - like ethanol and solar energy - are bringing new prospects for our state,” said Governor Crist.
“Encouraging companies to do business the green way as well as building a strong market in renewable energy technologies in the Sunshine State will strengthen our energy and economic future and protect our natural environment for generations to come,” he said.
Read the rest of “Florida Renewables Key to 2008 Summit” »
April 30th, 2008 at 6:24pm
I cobbled this together from several news bulletins today…
The Florida House passage of Senate Bill 542 today effectively extended the Florida Forever Program for 10 years at $300 million annually. SB542 passed unanimously in the House today and unanimously in the Senate April 23.
The pending $65 billion General Appropriations Act allocates $300 million to Florida Forever to come from the sale of bonds. The actual amount of Florida Forever bond authorization spent in any one year is appropriated by the Legislature each year.
Under an agreement reached late Sunday between House and Senate leadership, Everglades Restoration will also be funded. Though the $50 million agreed upon is lower than what Governor Charlie Crist asked for, which was $100 million each for southern and northern Everglades restoration, it is better than the initial agreement between the House and Senate budget chairs which provided no money for restoration.
“In a tough budget year, we are relieved we got $50 million,” said Eric Draper, policy director for Audubon of Florida. “We hope under a different House leadership next year we will be able to restore Everglades spending back to promised levels.”
April 28th, 2008 at 9:38pm
As the Florida drought enters its 3rd blistering year, water restrictions continue to tighten, leaving many folks in fear of seeing all their beautiful plants die and putting lush-lawn aficionados in a positive tizzy. There are things we can do to stay green, however. On Saturday, March 1, 2008, Florida Gulf Coast University held its Southwest Florida Garden and Landscape Conference. I caught up with one of the speakers and he gave me some very helpful advice.
Stephen Brown is a Lee County Horticulture Agent and holds a Masters Degree in Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition. He also coordinates the Master Gardener program and teaches classes in plant identification, landscape maintenance, landscape best management practices and pesticide applicator certifications. His weekly garden column that he writes for the News-Press is widely read.
Read the rest of “How Do We Stay Green in the Drought?” »
April 25th, 2008 at 2:56pm
My father, Roy Hendry, has always been someone I longed to emulate. His strong moral fiber and deep sense of family and compassion are values I’ve yet to see equaled in anyone (probably explains why I’m not married, lol). But the one thing about him that I admire the most, he doesn’t even realize he does - and that’s his consideration for the creatures with whom he shares this planet. When I was a little girl and my parents would take me with them when they went diving off their boat in the Florida Keys, I would watch as my father would float above the reef, taking extra care not to disturb anything - unless it was to pick up some other careless diver’s trash. If he was diving for lobster or fishing, he would take only what our family needed to eat, and then dispatch the critters in the most humane way possible. “We have to take care of the ocean, Keri,” he would say, “And she will take care of us.” All of my life I have watched as my dad would be extra cautious to leave as little a footprint on Mother Nature as possible. The following story illustrates this point clearly:
Last night Dad was a few minutes late meeting me at a restaurant for dinner. When he sat down, he explained his tardiness. “I was leaving the driveway and I saw a chicken snake in the road,” he said. (For those of you who don’t know, chicken snakes are great creatures to have in your yard as they eat bugs) “I didn’t want it to get run over, so I stopped, went back to the garage, and got a hoe. I picked him up with the hoe and set him in the yard.”
At this point, I am beaming at my father, and he has no idea why!
April 25th, 2008 at 12:03pm
I found this on American Forest’s web-site. It’s pretty interesting! : )
Florida ranks second in the nation for most national champion trees within its borders with 86 of the 733 record-holders on the 2008-2009 National Register of Big Trees. Florida slipped from the top spot after more than 90 of its previous title-holders were dropped from the list, the majority of which had died.
The biennial Register, which lists the largest known trees of 826 species, is maintained by American Forests, the nation’s oldest conservation group and sponsored by The Davey Tree Expert Company.
Read the rest of “Florida Ranks 2nd On List of Big Trees” »
April 23rd, 2008 at 8:39pm
This morning I briefly interviewed Lee County Commissoner Ray Judah on the Florida legislature’s tentative agreement to continue to fund the Florida Forever program. While the agreement must be affirmed by the Budget Conference before we are completely out of the woods, Commissioner Judah feels confident that we will receive the funding and he explained to me how important the Florida Forever program is to the citizens of this area.
“I am extremely pleased that the legislature saw the wisdom of granting us funding for this,” Judah said. “Florida Forever is the future of the state of Florida - in terms of acquiring land for use as green spaces and recreation.”
Read the rest of “Lee County Commissioner Ray Judah Talks About the Importance of the Florida Forever Program” »
