Friday, September 29, 2006

Call to Eco-Action

Last night, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke in Strong Auditorium at the University of Rochester. His hour-long speech was delivered with passion and covered a broad range of topics from political science, economics, environmental science, religion, and the Bush administration.

Kennedy did not pull punches, which I admired a lot. He quickly went on the critique of George W. Bush, declaring that he has systematically instituted the worst environmental decisions of any president in our history. But he didn’t stop there, he listed all the political appointments Bush has made in the EPA, and all our regulatory bodies. He has put in charge of these divisions former corporate lobbyists, which have acted not to protect the environment, but to roll back decades of environmental legislation including the Clean Air and Water acts. Kennedy made it clear that the money of corporations were now running the show, not the welfare of our children.

Kennedy spoke quickly, sometimes digressing to topics, all of which were informative and interesting. Kennedy suffers from spasmodic dysphonia, a disorder the makes his voice “quavery”, but this quickly was dismissed by the listener, as they were captivated by his impassioned dialog. One digression was on the importance of wilderness. He lost some of the college crowed when he began discussing the importance of wilderness on religion, and how all the great religious prophets found God in wilderness. However, he earned my respect for speaking to his values.

He stressed that the preservation of our air and water was not just for the fishes and the animals, but for our children’s health. He pointed out that the mercury in his body was twice the recommended level. He noted that if he was a women, he would be in danger of giving birth to a child with birth disorders, like autism, which he has written several articles on. He said that you can have your mercury levels tested too, by sending a piece of your hair in to the Waterkeepers Alliance. I’m glad Laura doesn’t like fish.

Kennedy also made excellent economic points on oil. He pointed out that if petroleum companies were held to the true costs of production, and if we did not subsidize these companies, our gas too would be like Europe, However, that would force us to demand more fuel efficient cars, which would burn less gas, and create less demand, and more supply, thus driving the price down. Did I mention my next car way definitely going to be a hybrid.

Kennedy’s speech reminded me very much of listening to Ralph Nader ten years ago when I heard him speak also at the University of Rochester. Both stressed that the first thing we needed to do was to get corporate money out of the political process, and to get free and open press on our airwaves. I recall listening also to Michael Moore on campus, echoing this same themes, and having Arianna Huffington step up to the microphone to ask Moore a few questions. When will be start paying attention to what these people are saying? When do we start thinking about ten, twenty, fifty years down the road, and not what is going to make us the quick buck now?

I talked to a friend after the show. I told her how I had heard all this when I was in college. She went to school in the seventies I think, and she said it was the same talk when she was in college, only they were told things were getting better. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could tell our children that we MADE it better.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Attack of the Babies

Well, people always ask me, "how was your weekend?" I never know if they want the long or short answer. The long answer for this weekend will take awhile.

On Friday Laura and I hung out with our friends, Julie, Rick, Lauren, and Sara. Lauren and Sara are 10 and 8. They are sooo funny, and it has been a real honor to be their firends and watch them grow.

Then on Saturday, Dom and I went to the Rochester Museum and Science Center and had some grown-up conversations about the ice age, mastodon extinction theories, et. al.

After that, I got to see some "old" friends from UR. I affectionately call them the fun bunch...Jen, Christina, Mo, and Erin. They lived with Laura and I in Tiernan during our freshman year in college, and we have been friends ever since. Anyway, I'm not sure why I'm writing all this, they are the ones reading this and they know this already. So anyway, I got to meet all the husbands and babies too! We played with the babies, and ate lots of food, and looked at old photo albums from college. Man have we got old.

Jay and his wife and baby came too. I know Jay indirectly through everyone else, it was good to see his family again. Dave, Chris, Dom, and I played some cards after the girls went out for a "girl's night." I was devastated I couldn't go (just kiddin' Mo...that was for you).

Sunday I did a little letterboxing with Laura, catching up on boxes we have been putting off. We also cleaned the house. Bored yet. Then we went out to dinner with Eric and Melissia to talk hockey and discuss the finer points of our Yahoo Fantasy Hockey league. So, that was the long weekend. Moral of the story....we have great friends, and we are really lucky they still want to hang out with us. Thanks guys!

Now for your viewing enjoyment....the babies...






Wednesday, September 20, 2006

The Big Sit!

After doing the Montezuma Muckrace, I have really been inspired to do more organized birding. I like setting aside a special day, especially during migration, to take the time and pay attention to our avian wonders. I have decided that on October 8th, I am going to participate in an international Big Sit day. The Big Sit, as created by the New Haven Bird Club, is hosted by Bird Watchers Digest magazine. It is open to anyone and everyone, in any city, state, or country. It costs nothing.

So what is it? It is like a bird-a-thon of sorts. You pick a spot somewhere on the planet, and plot out a 17 foot diameter circle around this spot. This is your base for the next 24 hours. You then record every bird species you see or hear. You can leave the cicle if you see a bird that you need to get a closer look to identify, but all birds have to be seen from the circle, more or less. You then report your birds online. My team name is the Ballou Jays. Simple, right?

So where am I sitting? I have a spot picked out up at Durand Eastman park on the shore of Lake Ontario. I will be just west of parking lot "D", just North of Eastman "Lake". Its a nice spot that has views of the lake, the pond, nice trees with berries and fruit, a couple of grills. I have already seen herons, ducks, gulls, and terns from this point, and hope that I'll see even more. If the weather stinks, I may have to cancel, as this is a pretty exposed spot. Another drawback is there is a fair amount of traffic along Lakeshore Dr., but early on a Sunday morning, I expect it will be quieter then the times I have been there. I plan to be there from sunrise to a little after sunset. I think the cops would kick me out if I was there for 24 hours.

I would really like some visitors! The spot is very easy to get to by everyone, so I hope you consider coming out to say hi, or to sit for a little while and watch birds with me (or bring me food or give me a ride down the road to the port-o-potty). It is actually designed to be a team event, so if you would like to participate with me, I would love your company. Just bring a chair, and a pair of binoculars if you got one (I have an extra pair too). I'm also looking to buy, rent, borrow, steal a spotting scope for the day, as there are many birds out on the lake to see if I can get a closer look. If you know of anyone who has one, please let me know.

Well, hope to see you there...wish me luck!

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Good Time, Old Toads

Well, Eric and Julie got married this weekend. What a great ceremony and reception they had. I think everyone really had a good time. We killed the hour or so between the wedding and the reception by going to the Old Toad. Here we have from left to right, Larry, Mary, Dom, Allan, Michelle, and Laura. Baby Alexander is there too, but you can't see him. Larry spent the weekend with us, and it was great catching up with him and hearing all his news. Weddings always give us all a good excuse to put everything else aside for a little while and get back together and remember why we all became friends in the first place.

Mottled Mucks


At last, a team photo of the Mottled Mucks. Thanks to Jillian Liner for sending this one along. From left to right its John, Mary, Dom, Dick, Chris, and Amy. We are cramming pizza in our faces after a long day, and waiting for the awards presentations.

Next we have a dozen shots that our team photographer Dick took! We start out with the now infamous snapping turtle, and one of the many pictures of us coming to his rescue (that he probably never wanted in the first place). And yes, my scars have now healed up.












Energy drink give Big Boy power!!!

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Grin to Win

So, here are some pics of our Muckrace team. First we have the Birdman demonstrating our team motto, "Grin to Win." We are the self-proclaimed team of FUN. I believe this hat that Dom made is what actually gives Chris his birding powers.
Next we have a shot of our team shirts, expertly done by Amy. I do believe the name was also her suggestion. In fact, I don't think we could have pulled the Muckrace off without Amy...thanks Amy (I had to say this or she said she would throw knives at me).

Lastly for now just a half group shot of Dom, Amy, and Chris "mottling" our team shirts. I was just reading a bird book tonight and it said not to wear white while birding. It was after Labor Day, so this is double taboo I guess.

I will post some more pics after I get them from Dick. We had a great time, again that you to all our sponsors, and for the record we had 70 bird species spotted. We beat one of the youth teams, but not the other. Hey, we did see 50% of the birds the winning team saw...does that sound any better?

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Triple Crown Victors

I will try to be humble. We kicked the crap out of Eric and Gerry! Just kidding, in reality it was a close match-up, and we had a great time reviving this time honored tradition. The Triple Crown is a bar league type of competition we devised in college. It involves three "sports", bowling, billiards, and darts. The best two out of three wins. We started with bowling. We bowled two games and used combined score to determine winners. Dom and I took and early lead. Gerry and Eric just couldn't bown enough "9's". Then we moved on to pool, eight ball. I choked HUGE! We played best out of five games, I think it only took 3 games, I scratched on the eight ball once. I was very slow to get going. Then we played darts, soft-tip. Best two out of three in cricket. Dom and I quickly racked up points, and swept in two games. We found a trophy in Eric's basement, and how have a travelling trophy for the winners to "rub it in" about for a long time. Good times guys!