Pesticide toxicity and the Precautionary Principle

I was interested in knowing more about the type of pesticide that was noted in the news stories today about 4 children killed in a Texas home.
http://www.newschannel10.com/…/developing-4-confirmed-dead-…

I found that "Aluminum Phosphide" is the chemical with an "Acute Hazard Warning Label of '1 Danger'" that reacts with water to form a toxic gas. Below is a pesticideinfo.org site that identifies several active U.S. Pesticide Products that contain pellets, tablets or fumigant bags containing aluminum phosphate and is used for many different types of pest and crop control purposes. One example is Killz-all 60 tablets and the screen shot below displays summary toxicity information for the product.

 http://www.pesticideinfo.org/List_Products.jsp?Rec_Id=PC34851&Chem_Name=Aluminum%20phosphide&PC_Code=066501

 Investigating a little more about what the ? marks mean in the screen shot there is a link to a "Weight-of-the evidence" assessment that explains some of the obstacles to an objective and timely evaluation of chemicals before they are made available for public use. Scrolling up on the same page reveals a lot more detail about the "Limitations of Available Human Toxicity Data." http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Docs/ref_toxicity1.html#WeightofEvidence

Precautionary Principle:

 In my opinion we should demand that the "Precautionary Principle" be applied as a guide to making wiser decisions in the face of uncertainty about new products or actions. Below is a link to a "Science & Environmental Health Network" site that explains the principle. "When an activity raises threats of harm to the environment or human health, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically." "The principle applies to human health and the environment. The ethical assumption behind the precautionary principle is that humans are responsible to protect, preserve, and restore the global ecosystems on which all life, including our own, depends."  http://www.sehn.org/ppfaqs.html

Before, During and After Total Solar Eclipse 2017 / A windfall environmental discussion opportunity

THE ECLIPSE IS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO COME TOGETHER AND LEARN ABOUT SCIENCE AND THE WORKINGS OF THE UNIVERSE.

I can imagine brighter days in the near future when Americans start to get smarter about science and more personally involved in environmental and ecosystem issues before, during and and after the sun comes out from behind the moon at the Total Solar Eclipse next August 21, 2017.

Earth Day 2017 was celebrated on April 22. The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970 activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement.   This year, 2017,  national and global "Marches For Science" were held on April 22.  The Earth Day Network is suggesting that the Scientific "Teach-in" concept deployed in the first Earth Day be used again now. These teach-ins could help jump start community discussions about the environment before, during and after the Total Eclipse of the Sun on August 21, 2017.

Below is an temporal outline of the scenario I envision.  ( Online I have written more about each of the following topics and will amplify each in more detail in the the near future)

1.  I am starting the creation a collaborative/interactive Google map to identify grassroots opportunities to learn about and take positive actions on environmental and ecosystem issues. List of topics include:  Native Wildlife, Native Flora,
Native Americans, Wilderness, Ecosystems, Endangered species, Public Lands and Rivers, and Air -Water-Climate.  


https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_HwGgiyKc4E0PDw-Rtmz1aabpH4&usp=sharing 

2. The "dark days"related to nature and the environment in America have been around us for many generations known most dramatically by Native Americans. 

3.  Crazy Horse of the Oglala Lakota in 1877, prophesized that in 7 Generations... the whole earth would become a circle again.  We are living in that time now and many tribes are coming together to address land, water and animal treaty rights.

4.  1960's and 70's Environmental Movement.  (public trust doctrine)
      Wilderness, Clean Air, Clean Water, Wild and Scenic Rivers, Endangered Species Acts

5.  The Northwest 1979 Total Eclipse of the Sun - Moonshadow 79'. 
https://www.facebook.com/501785396/posts/10151123892770397/

5.  1980's to the present time and the recent Trump presidential election.
     Reagan election and the influence of conservative think tanks

6.  Cities in the 2017 eclipse path are promoting economic windfall opportunities.  Grassroot environmental groups can also us the  eclipse for educational and activism opportunities before, during and after the eclipse date.  I hope the Collaborative/ Interactive Google map will aid in this effort.

6.  7 Generations into the future.  The Nez Perce and other Native American tribes are cooperating  with the 7 Generation fund to focus on supporting grassroots development through Native community empowerment and action.  http://www.7genfund.org

7. The Our Children's Trust project is very current and obvious  example of the potential for actions to protect the environment for future generations. Imagine the results of an election a few years from now when these youths and others in their age group who might better understand their responsibilities as citizens to protect the broader environment issues are able to vote!  (Public Trust doctrine)
https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org

8.  Imagine that the 7 Generation Native American vision for the future can become synonymous with all Americans.  See the Nez Perce NIMIIPUU Protecting the Environment non profit Facebook page as an example.
https://www.facebook.com/NimiipuuProtectingTheEnvironment/

9. Overview of Gary O, Grimm Background related to outoor and wilderness community networking.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_oK57isCk3yM0V1V3A1SlBZY2M/view

Hey Bear -GOAL & Grizzly Times

At the Speak For Wolves 2016 meeting in West Yellowstone in July I recorded video of presentations given by Hey Bear - Goal and Grizzly Times about the history and future of Grizzly Bear management. 

Below are a few of my own grizzly photos and links to these important organizations.

After the meeting a few days later I was eye to eye with a "Great Grizzly Bear" through a telephoto lens.

Hey Bear - GOAL Tribal Coalition

"Grizzly Bears are sacred endangered animals and GOAL is a coalition of nearly 50 tribes dedicated to stopping delisting & "senseless trophy hunting."

Facebook Page:

Web Site:

This female Grizzly bear and cub are in danger if delisting is allowed.

This article in Grizzly Times, by David Mattson is titled:

"Disserving the Public Trust:  The despotic future of grizzly bear management"

'In brief, wildlife management by the states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana is a corrupt and despotic system enslaved through culture and financial dependencies to serving the interests of those who have a worldview that features violence, iconizes weapons, makes fetishes of sexual organs, and instrumentalizes animals. Moreover, state wildlife managers have a history of demonizing carnivores in defiance of the best available science as part of a narrative that features killing predators to purportedly boost sport-hunting opportunities for “customers.”'

Namby-Pamby

"Namby-Pamby"

Years ago Doug Newman at the University of Oregon Outdoor Program used the term to describe easy, laid back, no commitment, Common Adventure, day hikes. I have just seen the term used again by Jim Hightower related to the Bernie Sanders populist insurgency. "—It yanked the national debate out of the hands of the Washington and corporate elites: both devoted for more than 30 years to rigging all the rules to further enrich the 1 percenters at the expense of everyone else — and proved that future success requires Democrats to abandon their effete namby-pambyism and embrace the vision, message, and issues of unabashed populism."  

http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/08/03/populist-insurgency-ratcheting

"Commoning as a transformational social paradigm"

I found this interesting article that explores the meaning of the word "Commons" and how it relates to Economics, Ecosystem Stewardship and transitional system change from the bottom up.

"Commoning as a transformational social paradigm" by David Bollier, The Next System Project.

http://www.thenextsystem.org/commoning-as-a-transformative-social-paradigm/?mc_cid=1abc0d562f&mc_eid=cce9d4cff0

Speciesism, The Myth of Human Superiority, Barry Lopez, E.O. Wilson, Wolves, Grizzly Bears, etc.

Attempts to rationalize the killing of wild wolves, grizzly bears, bison, coyotes  because of human attitudes and behavior does not adequately consider how we are systematically practicing "predator speciesism," an important ecological term rarely discussed in our contemporary media.  The term speciesism can also be applied to human recent contributions to the catastrophic earth wide extinction of other animals and plant species.

These topics are of great concern to me and I am trying to reconcile how to engage productively in discussions and actions that will affect changes that I really believe are needed. 

I recently read this article about Barry Lopez talking about his work dedicated to inspiring a sense of community between humanity and the natural world. 

http://www.thestylus.net/news/view.php/1019842/Barry-Lopez-speaks-on-the-need-for-commu

Clearly, Lopez's concerns can be related to the this important issue discussed in  "The Myth of Human Supremacy," a book by Derrik Jensen. 

http://www.derrickjensen.org/work/books-dvds-cds/#myth-of-human-supremacy

Furthermore, E.O. Wilson is promoting the idea of "Half-Earth, devoting half of the surface of earth to nature" and also notes that politicians are not talking about the extinction catastrophe and asks the question - "In a logical living ecosystem do all flora and fauna, including humans, have equal rights to life? 

https://aeon.co/essays/half-of-the-earth-must-be-preserved-for-nature-conservation
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/can-world-really-set-aside-half-planet-wildlife-180952379/

Surpise - Republican Focus Group finds Bernie Sanders has highest favorability rating.

Bernie Sanders is seen by voters as being honest, trustworthy, authentic and genuine.  People are not voting on policy but on persona or personality which matters most. To Republican strategist Frank Luntz's surprise the  focus group had a consensus that Bernie Sanders could be the "third party candidate" who could beat Trump, Clinton and others still in the race.  Bernie Sander's integrity is galvanizing the base of both democrats and republicans and national polls indicate that he has the most favorable rating.  

Watch the YouTube interview below.

Holy Moly! - A political revolution and a new "Peoples Party."

Robert Reich speculates on the emergence of a new "Peoples Party."

And Holy Moly -  In Boise,  Bernie Sanders on March 21, 2016 talked about "A Future to Believe In"  and asked us to be involved in a "Political Revolution."   Bernie has listened to women, young people, latinos, African, and Native Americans.  Saying what politicians hardly ever admit -  "First Americans have been lied to, cheated, treaties broken, yet we owe so much to First Americans.  They have taught us respect for environment and that we as people got to live as a part of nature - not destroy nature."  "Climate change is caused by human activity and it is real.  The future is bleak if we do not have the guts to tell the fossil fuel industry that their short term profits are not more important than the future of this planet."

"Everybody here knows that real change has never taken place from the top on down, it has always taken place from the bottom on up!  Please don't expect the status quo as being something that has to go on forever -  We can make change if we have a vision of where we want this country to go.  If we stand together as black and white and latino and asian American and native Americans and gay and straight, as men and women, if we stand together there is nothing we cannot accomplish."  Don't tell Bernie that we can' t solve our current health care, economic, environmental and other big problems.

I intend to post here as well as, or instead of on Facebook.

I have fallen into the practice of responding, sharing and posting my thoughts on Facebook, and sometimes on Google Plus, Twitter, etc.

However, I am not interested in the way Facebook handles my incoming feeds or my outgoing posts.

As time permits, I intend to repost some of my most personal posts from Facebook in the past over to this blog.  I also have numerous notes that I have archived for posting over the past few years that I will try to prepare for posting here.

The next post here will be about my Facebook post today regarding Robert Reich's idea for a new "Peoples Party" and Bernie Sanders promotion of a "political revolution."

Rugged Individualism and Government Subsidies

In this good article, posted in The Wildlife News on January 7, 2016  George Wuerthner points out government subsidy dollars ranchers and the rest of us benefit from that should be obvious to any curious person. The problem may be that many are not open to discussing the pros and cons of these subsidies, especially as they relate to the past, current and future degradation of local, regional and global ecosystems.

Regarding the "past" and "current" times it is also sobering to read about the U.S. Government, land speculators, ranchers, towns, etc., history of  greed for land and power that decimated the Native American tribes as the United States was being developed from the time of the first European settlements and also via the concept of "Manifest Destiny" and Western expansion and interventionism in the 19th century.

I try to imagine what America and our world would be like if the Native American cultures and attitudes about land and wildlife, had been recognized as equal to the early European "invaders."  Personally, I believe future generations will condemn this embarrassing history.

 I found an "Indian Country Today Media Network site with this animated map that illustrates the amount of land still recognized as being "Indian Lands" in 1784 and how that land was lost progressively through the 1800's to the present time.  It should be noted that the original cultures of the Native Americans today has been almost totally destroyed even if tribes still have rights to small reservation lands.  In partnership with Indians, we might have learned valuable lessons about how to treat the land, wildlife, plants and our fellow humans.
________________________________________________________________
The same Indian Country Today page noted above also provides the two maps below:

What the U.S. Indian Lands looked like before European Contact:

______________________________________________________________________________

What the U.S. Indian Lands look like today.

'Carbon Fee and Dividend' to mediate Human Caused Climate Change

Dr. James Hansen and others have advocated since 2008 for a "Carbon Fee and  Dividend" as a viable way to mediate human caused climate change. In my opinion Americans and global citizens should be made more aware of this concept, that it should be discussed widely and implemented as soon as possible.

Photo above by 350.org honoring Dr. Hansen for his leadership.

Dr. Hanson is writing a two part essay on this topic November 28 and 29, 2015, just before the Climate Talks in Paris starting December 1.  Here is a link to the first one on November 28.

"...fossil fuels appear cheapest to the consumer only because they do not incorporate their costs to society, including the effects of air pollution, water pollution and climate change. Economies are more efficient if energy prices are honest, including external costs in the price."

"A consequence of this fundamental truth is that climate change can be addressed at no net cost, indeed with economic gain, provided that true costs are added into the price gradually. A simple transparent way to do this is to collect an across-the-board (oil, gas, coal) carbon fee at domestic mines and ports of entry."

"If the funds collected are given in equal amount to all legal residents, the fee is revenue neutral and spurs the economy. This is a conservative approach, because it allows the market to assist change and it does not provide a dime to make government bigger."

Another article By Dr. Hansen provides a shorter summary on this topic titled:  "Environment and Development Challenges: The Imperative of a Carbon Fee and Dividend"

"This chapter discusses the importance of a carbon fee and dividend in minimizing the impacts of climate change on humanity and nature. Before outlining the policies needed to produce a rapid phase-out of fossil fuel emissions, it enumerates the fundamental flaws of the Kyoto Protocol from the standpoint of climate science... Specifically, it proposes a flat (across-the-board) rising fee (tax) on carbon emissions. It also explains how such an approach may be implemented both nationally and internationally."
   

The Internet Provides Networked Scientific Research Publishing.

I have been impressed by the Scientific Method for many years and now watch the Internet for information about scientific studies that are reputable, repeatable and peer reviewed.

This is an interesting article by Oliver Dumon with the title "

How the Internet Changed Science Research and Academic Publishing, Creating the New Research Economy

Dumon notes that "A more significant advancement in the past five years has been the emergence of "networked science" -- the concept that scientific content cannot, and should not, exist in a vacuum. Articles by different authors are now linked to banks of data sets, reference books, videos, presentations and audio tracks. Scientists and engineers representing a wide variety of cross-disciplines can debate research findings in online forums, and society will ultimately benefit from the resulting scientific discourse that will open up limitless new avenues for search and discovery."

Clearly transparency of data and fact checking is important, as some people try to negate important scientific evidence with studies that are not reputable, repeatable and peer reviewed.

Many important ecosystem issues I am deeply concerned about are subject to this negativistic effort to downgrade repeatable scientific evidence.  Human caused global warming is one example and there are many others.

How important is it for citizens to know "What Science Is -- and How and Why It Works."

My final paper for my Master's Degree at Idaho State University contained an examination of a historical survey of "Operationism" and I found a definition as follows:

"Only those propositions based upon operations which are public and repeatable are admitted to the body of science." (Stevens, Theories in Contemporary Psychology, op.cit., p. 74.)

Neil deGrasse Tyson, a contemporary scientist, educator and entertainer reminds us of "What Science Is --and How and Why It Works" in this recent article in the Huffington Post.  The first sentence is " If you cherry-pick scientific truths to serve cultural, economic, religious or political objectives, you undermine the foundations of an informed democracy."

He notes that the scientific "approach to knowing did not take root until early in the 17th century when the astronomer Galileo and philosopher Sir Francis Bacon agreed: conduct experiments to test your hypothesis and allocate your confidence in proportion to the strength of your evidence. Since then, we would further learn not to claim knowledge of a newly discovered truth until multiple researchers, and ultimately the majority of researchers, obtain results consistent with one another."

And he ends the article identifying respected scientific agencies like NASA, NIST, DOE, and NOAA that we all depend on for reputable non-biased information in our contemporary world.  "These centers of research, as well as other trusted sources of published science, can empower politicians in ways that lead to enlightened and informed governance. But this won't happen until the people in charge, and the people who vote for them, come to understand how and why science works.

I found the following graphic on a 6th Grade Science Course in Greeley Colorado

Yellowstone Park Bison are culled to prevent them from following historic winter migration

I read an article on NPR.org that "Yellowstone Park Proposes Cull of 1,000 Bison This Winter." 

As in past years bison killed to prevent them from trespassing on traditional migration lands north of Yellowstone.  The report noted that "last year, park officials planned to kill up to 900 animals and actually removed 737.

This past summer I attended the Speak for Wolves meeting in West Yellowstone where the Buffalo Field Campaign presented graphic visual information about the continued hazing and senseless slaughter of wild bison in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Watch the video they produced below titled "Ten Miles of Hell"

Buffalo Field Campaign: Working to Stop the Yellowstone Bison Slaughter

In early November, 2015 I read  "Sheldon Wolin and Inverted Totalitarianism" by  Chris Hedges in Common Dreams.

"Sheldon Wolin, our most important contemporary political theorist, died Oct. 21 at the age of 93. In his books “Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism” and “Politics and Vision,” a massive survey of Western political thought that his former student Cornel West calls “magisterial,” Wolin lays bare the realities of our bankrupt democracy, the causes behind the decline of American empire and the rise of a new and terrifying configuration of corporate power he calls “inverted totalitarianism.”

 People in the comments section of the article point to historical issues related to this topic.

A portion of student debt accumulates when a University mandates an athletic fee.

Today there is an interesting article by the Huffington Post and the Chronicle of Higher Education about "The Student Sports Scam."  A part of a student's debt can accumulate when Public Universities mandate an athletic fee, even if the student does not attend games.  The "scorecard" on this site posts some detailed information about how athletic departments are subsidized across the US and in Idaho, including Boise State.

http://projects.huffingtonpost.com/ncaa/sports-at-any-cost

Do you agree with Bernie Sanders view of Democratic Socialism?

In the nearby Nextdoor neighborhood network where I live there are now over 1600 members. When anything political gets posted some people want to stop the conversation. I just posted a "POLL" that attempts to get open minded people to read Bernie Sanders remarks, and answer simple poll questions without getting into flaming personal remarks to people's answers. Below is the notice I posted on Nextdoor for our nearby neighborhoods in Boise.

Do you agree with Bernie Sanders view of Democratic Socialism?

A summary of Bernie Sander's speech yesterday, November 19, 2015, provides the 12 Best Reasons for being a Democratic Socialist. This summary was provided by Steven Rosenfield/Alternet.
http://www.alternet.org/…/bernie-sanders-12-best-reasons-be…

I am posting this as a poll with simple "yes" " no" or "undecided" answers hoping open minded neighbors will read the two articles linked here and eventually make their own choices for the next presidential election but not get into a flaming political discussion here on the Nextdoor neighborhood network. 

Below is a link directly to Bernie Sanders remarks on Democratic Socialism in the United States.
https://berniesanders.com/democratic-socialism-in-the-unit…/

YES
NO
UNDECIDED

Bernie Sanders' 12 Best Reasons for Being a Democratic Socialist

Sanders stands beside the New Deal, Great Society and civil rights movement.

ALTERNET.ORG

Pulp Fiction - Burning wood to replace coal is carbon neutral

This 3 Part Oct. 20, 2015 report by John Upton, in ClimateCentral.org explains the current practice of subsidizing wood burning, as if it is carbon neutral - i.e., releases no carbon dioxide -  to replace coal burning for energy production.

Included are these three interactive 360 degree panoramas of the Drax Power Station - Western Europe's largest coal-power plant that is transitioning to wood-power and is big and powerful as many nuclear stations.

Part 2 of this report is titled "The American Trees That Are Electrifying Europe"

Part 2 also includes two interactive panoramas of the Enviva Pellet Mill near Franklin, Va.

Part 3 of the report is titled "Wood Burning May Play Big Role in EPA's New Rules" Included is an examination of the State of Oregon's debate about this issue.

Draft Boise River Enhancement Plan / Article and Online site

Katy Flanagan and I (Mountain Visions) created the on On Line / All the Time community communication networking site for this project in 2012 and the expectations are that the networking will continue into the future.

Boise Weekly published an new article about the Draft Boise River Enhancement Plan being developed by the Boise River Enhancement Network.

The Boise River Enhancement Network (BREN) is online and provides a public record of events, discussions, and group activities starting in 2011, including a google map describing past enhancement projects in the watershed and a monthly newsletter. People interested in the Boise River Enhancement Plan and other watershed issues are invited to join and participate in ongoing On Line / All the Time discussions at the BREN site link below:
 http://boiseriverenhancement.net

http://boiseriverenhancement.net

June 2, 2015 / Today people who live in the Boise River Watershed are invited to attend a community workshop to discuss the development of a new and comprehensive Boise River Enhancement plan. The draft plan is online now and is really impressive with lots of photos, maps and infographics. 

Ongoing opportunities for reviewing the draft plan and for public input and discussion will remain available online for the next few months as this plan is further refined, and on into the future via people who join the Boise River Enhancement Network (BREN).

More details on the workshop are available at the following URL. 

http://boiseriverenhancement.net/page/river-plan