Environmental Outlook: Intelligence Under the Sea | The Diane Rehm Show from WAMU and NPR

Environmental Outlook: Intelligence Under the Sea The Diane Rehm Show from WAMU and NPR

We've come a long way. I began working on my degree in zoology in 1969. At that time ethology, the study of animal behavior, was in its infancy. There were very few women in the biological sciences. Jane Goodall had recently been sent to Gombe by Dr. Louis B. Leakey to study chimpanzees in their natural habitat. The male scientists of that time were appalled that a young, untrained woman was sent to "do a man's job" and she was doing the unthinkable, in fact something blasphemous - she was NAMING the "objects" of her study. The breakthroughs she made both during her time in Gombe and afterwards have served to change the face of science and how we view the other animals with whom we share this planet. This is no better illustrated than by this incredible interview from The Diane Rehm show. Four women scientists, specialists in the study of cetaceans (dolphins and whales) talk about these marine mammals, touching on behavior, interaction within the species, as well as strong statements against keeping these amazing intelligent beings in captivity. Listen to the show.

Old music is the best music

I grew up in the 50s & 60s.  I think most people always appreciate the music that first touched their lives, no matter how much music changes over time.  Each generation has their own type of music and mine are those of the 50s & 60s. 

Today on NPR's The Changing World the story is The Greatest Songs of The World.  The first they covered was Stand By Me, by Ben E. King.  The story itself is incredible.  You can listen to the show here:
The Greatest Songs of the World

I was surprised to learn that John Lennon covered Stand by Me.  Here's the official video from You Tube: John Lennon's version   And here is Ben E. King singing Stand by Me:  Ben E. King

And this version, which I saw on Bill Moyers' Journal is also on You Tube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM

The next song covered is The Lion Sleeps Tonight.  Here is a video of The Tokens singing this song:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LBmUwi6mEo

Of course now whenever I hear this song I think of Brian Orser, the incredible Canadian ice skater, doing a routine to this song.  I must say it's my favorite of all of his performances.  The one time I preferred him over Brian Boitano. 

Hope these songs make you feel as good as they make me feel. 

FOCUS

I’ve been experiencing an increased difficulty in focusing lately. I don’t know if it’s an age thing, the time of year or the excess of sensory input. My professional life requires me to handle a bit of everything – I often feel like Mikey from the old Life commercials. For those of you over 30 you may remember: the older brothers say “give it to Mikey, he’ll eat anything.” I often feel like, “give it to Connie, she’ll handle anything.” I wish that was true. I feel like I am fumbling “the ball” more often than running for the goal line and making that touchdown.

So this year has seen the death of two of my cats, the illness of another two, with a third pending. Add to that my getting involved with street cats/kittens again. I had “retired” from that part of my life because I had exceeded my limit……….too many critters to care for and an inability to say no. While dropping off a darling girl kitten for spay, I stuck my nose into a situation where 3 kittens were going back to the street after their surgeries. I am adamantly opposed to releasing kittens back on the street when there is the slightest chance they can be socialized and then get adopted. A side note here, expect a multi-part blog on why Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is not only a good thing, but critically important. The little girl kitten was adopted by a nice young man who lives in the mobile home park. Her brother is being fostered by a wonderful young woman who works with me. And those 3 wild boy kittens are in my miniscule, single bathroom awaiting taming. And Sweets (the sweetest of the 3, hence the name) PURRED for me tonight. In my world, pretty much everything can be made alright by purrs. So, one of three is on his way to lap catdom. Two to go. It’s simply CATASTIC.

See what I mean about focus? I was listing the overload of incoming distractions/concerns I’ve been exposed to and went off track and expanded upon the kitten issue. Along with cat stuff, there has been the Deepwater Horizon oil well explosion and spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico, not to mention the use of the toxin Corexit to disperse the oil. That has consumed me since April, much the same as the aftermath of Katrina did in 2005.

I want to green up my life and eliminate, as much as is humanly possible, plastics from my life. Rather difficult in what has become a plastic world. I’ve wanted to start growing some of my own organic produce, although I have TWO black thumbs. Botany was never my forte; plants seem to like me even less than I like them, although I seem to have a really green thumb when it comes to weeds. I’m sure I could make weeds grow just about anywhere. Tomorrow (this morning actually) I’m attending an Organic Gardening class. Keep your fingers crossed that I don’t cause root rot in all the plants in the nursery where the class will be held.

And, primarily due to our wonderful summer rains, I’ve been in an extraordinary amount of pain lately. Arthritis from car accidents and my own clumsiness flairs up when low pressure systems are approaching. The pain clouds my brain and makes everyday tasks nearly impossible to accomplish. And there was the hospital stay at the beginning of the year. I stepped on one of my cats, in the dark, and she – naturally – bit me. That resulted in an infection, causing an elevated concern because of my diabetes, which led to several days in the hospital.

Add to all of this, financial concerns. I am struggling to not use my credit cards. There was a time, a few years ago when I thought nothing of pulling out that plastic and purchasing whatever stuff I wanted. Digging out from under credit card debt is difficult at best and worse during these horrible economic times. And, I’m so tired of all of the stuff - most of it seemingly useless and unnecessary – surrounding me wherever I turn. I want, desperately, to simplify my life and unburden myself of things I don’t use, don’t need and no longer want. However, I don’t want to add to the overburdened landfills. Finding the energy, time, motivation and room to pull the stuff together for a yard sale has been impossible for me to accomplish.

So, with so much on my mind and in my life, I’ve opted for inertia. Where to start, how to start become the questions instead of just getting started, no matter where or what I choose. Just make a choice and do it. Instead, I sit here, at my computer and write about it at 3 in the morning. Sleep? What’s that? Maybe I should just start the laundry (and figure out how to get a clothesline put up in the backyard) and clean some litterboxes, load the dishwasher, rinse out the cat & dog food cans for recycling or even try going back to sleep for a few hours. I need to organize my brain and my life! FOCUS, I ain’t got it.

The Coming Collapse of the Middle Class

In January, 2008 Elizabeth Warren lectured on the coming collapse of the middle class.  Unfortunately those in power either weren't listening or simply didn't care about the people whose continued financial stability was critical for the health of our economy.  Ms. Warren was well aware of the warning signs of the pending collapse, while so many others were only focused on personal profits.  She is a brilliant champion of regular working people.  Support her appointment to the Consumer Protection Agency.  Tell President Obama that she is the person for this critical position.  And you can sign a petition for her appointment at this link:  http://act.boldprogressives.org/cms/sign/petition_warren/?source=auto-fb&referring_akid=.661617.GkR-BR

What if?

Amidst all of the criticism for the President and the government’s handling of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, a question popped into my head. Before I get to that, however, realize that I’m not saying this unbelievably devastating disaster has been handled well………….by anyone. I’m left with “if only THEY had listened”, but that isn’t an option. It is what it is. It’s a waste of time to discuss just how this horrendous tragedy could have been avoided, except to make sure it doesn’t happen again. That’s another post.

So, on to the question. Up until Congressman Barton’s apology for the mistreatment of BP by the President, nearly every person – left, right & center – was criticizing the Administration for doing it wrong. So, I wondered the following: what would be different if the election had a different outcome? Would things be better if John McCain and Sarah Palin had been the folks in charge? I know what I think, what about you? Think about it:

• Would the state of affairs at the Mineral Management Services been altered in any way, for the better, leading up to the disaster?

• Would any fewer permits, without necessary oversights in place, been approved?

• Would more people have been deployed to the area?

• Would the Unified Command actually have been unified?

• Would the government have taken charge immediately, or would McCain/Palin have relied upon the expertise of BP?

• Would the “leak” streaming from the ocean floor been visible to everyone sooner?

• Would the press have had better access to what was happening?

• Would any of those responsible for this calamity have been called before Congress for questioning and castigation?

• Would the folks – and the wildlife – along the Gulf Coast have fared better?

• Would the efforts to stop the flow have worked?

• Would efforts to prevent oil intrusion along the coast have been stepped up?

• Would they have worked?

You can probably guess my answers to those questions. A resounding NO! If these two had answers and solutions, wouldn’t it be in the best interest of the people and wildlife of the Gulf and the planet to share those with the world? It’s too damn easy to criticize and much harder to work toward a solution. So, patriots, be patriotic and step up to the plate and make this all better NOW! Let’s stop kicking ass and roll up our sleeves and get to work and help.

The Spill, The Scandal and the President | Rolling Stone Politics

The Spill, The Scandal and the President Rolling Stone Politics

Aaron Sorkin, I love you!

Once upon a time, many, many years ago my movie buddy (who was mad crazy for Tom Cruise because of Top Gun) talked me into to seeing A Few Good Men. I wasn’t vaguely interested in seeing it because I wasn’t much of a Cruise fan and I couldn’t stand Jack Nicholson. But, I LOVED the movie. The writing, the dialogue, the wit just blew me away. Unfortunately, I don’t remember taking particular note of the screenwriter’s name.  Years later I discovered that Aaron Sorkin first wrote the play (his sister is/was a JAG lawyer) and then the film script.  He also penned The American President.

Several years later, although not a fan of sports or ESPN, I started watching Sports Night on TV. I immediately fell in love with the show. So smart, so funny, and just wonderful. And, thus, I discovered the amazingly talented Aaron Sorkin. His words flow from the actors’ lips, much as a ballerina or ice skater flows across their stage or the ice. His words were musical, poetic and moving. Shortly before the demise of this terrific television series, Aaron began scripting The West Wing. Politics, the White House, oh my. Be still my heart.

For those of you who haven’t seen The West Wing, this is what television COULD be and so rarely is. So much of what is on the small screen speaks to the basest, most juvenile, uneducated and/or disconnected natures of the human beast. Some of the most popular shows elicit either rage, promote violence or are just plain stupid humor. In most cases you can turn on the TV and disengage your brain. Not so with anything that Aaron Sorkin scripts. That’s not to say that Aaron’s work doesn’t inspire emotional responses, it most certainly does. His humor is wry, sometimes sarcastic, other times subtle and occasionally slapstick. His words can elicit righteous anger and the deepest, most profound sorrow. Most notably, he can take you on an emotional rollercoaster, moving through each of these emotions, in the span of less than an hour.

His follow up to The West Wing was the short lived Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Unfortunately, it debuted the same year as 30 Rock. Both series are backstage looks at a Saturday Night Live type television show.  Critics loved 30 Rock, but not so much Studio 60 (the far superior show, IMHO). Studio 60 paired Matthew Perry (of Friends) and Bradley Whitford (of The West Wing), a match made in …….a perfect match! I recently watched the entire series on http://www.hulu.com/ and enjoyed the show even more the second time around. Absolutely brilliant writing, character development, touching storylines and laugh out loud scenes. So sad that so few watched this wonderful series and that it didn’t get a chance to reach more viewers.  BTW, it is available on Netflix, so rent it.  You will love it.

On vacation this past Friday, I watched 2 episodes of The West Wing on Bravo. The spark was rekindled. Oh, Aaron, I could listen to your words 24/7. Your talent at creating a world I want to live in, populated by people I want to know blows me away. For a moment in time I am transported into that world and I relish each and every visit there. Amazon offered the complete series at a ridiculously low price that very same day, and although I really couldn’t afford to spend the extra money, I ordered it. I cannot imagine a time when I wouldn’t want to watch, rewatch and then watch over and over again this incredible series, with marvelous actors and delicious dialogue. Who needs chocolate when you have Aaron Sorkin?  The box set is on its way to me and I can’t wait for it to arrive.

Thank you Mr. Sorkin for enriching my life, making me laugh, making me cry and breaking my heart. I really do love you!