Blargh

There are a plethora of topic ideas floating through my head. Amazing vegan recipes I've tried or created, ethno-ornithology "stuff," sustainability and million general thoughts about humans and the state of the world. Of the nature of the time we live in. I often feel so completely disconnected from the humans around me. So caught up in famous people, reality tv and technology. So removed from the natural world.

It doesn't help that I haven't blogged in over a year. Haven't really recorded my thoughts, or researched and blathered about them enough to get them out of my head. I'm not sure why I stopped. Or where the last year and a half went. I got busy. Caught up in life. I needed to sort things out. In my efforts I have become placid. In becoming placid I have stopped researching things that upset me. I haven't quite put my head in the sand, but I certainly have tried to avoid "confrontation." The concern, heart and frustration linger. I cannot pretend to be dispassionate. I still worry about how people live. About nature, wildlife, minorities and the poor. About environmental injustice. I still enjoy research, analysis and debate. Fighting for what I believe in. How do I balance all of this with my gentle, peaceful and centered side? How do I become the peaceful warrior?

Maybe I don't need to be a warrior at all. But I don't know how to care about revolution and change without being a warrior.

Irony

The irony of my life never fails to escape me. Tonight I read that my x believes I have given up on my interest in ethno-ornithology and research. Nothing says she doesn't know or understant me quite like that. I haven't given up on myself or my dreams. I am trying to better define them. To seek the way to better the world for the largest number of beings. To truly make a difference (aren't we all?). I miss blogging. Miss randomly researching things of interest. I miss telling stories about birds. About how we interact with birds. If I get into the M.S. program I've applied to that is exactly what I will be studying.

Why does any of this matter? Why do I care what someone who proved more than once that they just don't get me? I suppose I don't care. I suppose I am irked by the cavalier way she proclaims my days doing research over. Irked by her claiming to pick up the thread where I left off. Irked by her need to catagorize, analyze, process...me, but only in terms of...her. That isn't how it works. I do not only have value in terms of her reflections of me. I do not only succeed in the ways that she mandated that I succeed.

So...the irony of all of this is that I have come to the realization of late that I want to teach at a university or community college. I want to do research, but on my own terms. I don't want to be tied to some university's idea of success or achievement. I don't only want to research what people will fund or ask me to research. The biggest difference I can make is being true to myself. Teaching at a university or community college, pursuing my birding and ethno-ornithological interests and reaching out to public as often and in as many ways as possible. These are the things that I can do. That I can bring to the world. Even if it is just to my small corner of it.

Cell phones

A few days ago I watched a Sundance Channel series called "EcoTrip". It is a fantastic series and I applaud NBC productions for producing it. One of the episodes deals with cell phones. I've contemplated getting rid of my phone for personal reasons many times (I dislike feeling like I HAVE to answer my phone or be contactable at all times). But...the ability to stay in touch with family, friends, etc greatly outweighs the inconvenience. After watching this episode though I am once again contemplating my phone.

The inner workings of a cell phone are made of many toxic materials. According to Clean Calgary Association (CCA) most of the toxins found in cell phones are also found in our bodies. These toxins include carcinogens, hormone distruptors, respiratory toxins, reproductive/developmental toxins and neurotoxins. Some of these toxins include arsenic, zinc, antimony, beryllium, colton, copper, cadmium, lead and mercury. Additionally cell phones are often treated with flame retardant which has been proven to be toxic to humans and the environment for many years.

Additionally, since 1996 the mountain gorilla population in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been declining precipitously. This decline is as a result of increased mining for colton (a mineral used in creating cell phone and portable electronic capacitors). According to CCA "colton is legitimately mined in Canada and Australia, 80% of the know reserves are found within the borders of the DRC; and because colton is not regulated under the Global Metals Treaty rebel groups have used profits from the illegal mining of colton to fund their war efforts. It is estimated that 4 to 10 million civilians have been slaughtered since 1996 when the war began, with a great deal of non-human lives lost in the crossfire" (http://cleancalgary.org/index.php/highlights/single/cell_phone_recycling/).

Potential health risks include brain tumors from the radio waves, acoustic neuroma (a tumor on the nerve that connects the ear to the brain), reproductive problems, nervous system problems, a weakened immune system, to name a few.

Environmental risks include the pollution of groundwater and the air when persistant bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs) are released from cell phones. The above mentioned toxins fall into this category. What this means is that these toxins commonly find their way into the ecosystem, then into the food chain and then into our bodies (thus we are potentially being assailed from two directions...our food and our phones). Radiowaves are another source of potential environmental pollution. I think the jury is still out on whether evidence proves conclusively that radio waves kill birds and bees but the possibility is out there. Also, farmers who graze their cattle near cell phone towers claim that their cows are more likely to suffer from spontaneous abortions, have still births or suffer from developmental or behavioral problems (http://environment.about.com/od/environment/a/cell_phones.htm).

So, what am I, an eco-conscious girl striving to be as sustainable as possible to do? I don't have a land line (well, I do but I am currently living at my parents' house and it is inconvenient for us all to depend on the same phone). In my quest for eco-answers I found EarthTones. They are a cell phone company that donates 100% of their profits to grassroots environmental organizations. Groovy. I don't see any of the handful of environmentally "friendly" phones but they do a good thing with their money. Nokia, Samsung and Sprint all have created phones that are "more" environmentally friendly, but in ways that could (and should) easily be applied to all cell phones. Thus, I have come to the decision that if I need a new phone it will be one with only one LCD screen (that is where many of the toxins are), low specific absorption rate (SAR) (go to CNET reviews to see cell phone radiation reviews) and hopefully will be made with some level of recycled or bioplastics and come in less packaging. Ultimately just using the phone less and using my phone for as long as possible is the "greenest" action I can take.

You can peruse "eco-friendly" cell phones here, it is a short list.

Damascene

verb: damascened, damascening
to ornament (metal) with inlaid gold or silver or with a wavy design.

noun: (damascene) the ornament itself, (Damascene) an inhabitant of Damascus
adjective: (damascene)of or like such ornament, (Damascene) of or pertaining to the city of Damascus

Old blog/New blog

Alas I have been filled with great sadness...I cannot remember the log-in information for my old blog "Something Clever." It was a good blog, but I suppose a fresh start is never a bad thing. I have missed the random research having a blog compelled me to do. Now I have an outlet for my musings. Huzzah!

I have decided I want to start increasing my vocabulary.
Today's word: Insouciant (in-SOO-see-uhnt), adjective-
marked by lighthearted unconcern or indifference; carefree; nonchalant.

Rather than doing her homework, the insouciant girl skipped through the woods.

I dig this word.