The boys from Brazil

The earth's lungs are dying along with unnumbered natives and countless native species, the earth's rain forest is dying by acres, by yards and by indifference...the kind of indifference that tolerates a death in the forest.

The violent land grab in Brazil claimed another victim this week. Dionisio Julio Ribeiro was killed on Tuesday, ten days after American nun Dorothy Stang met a similar fate. Ribeiro, a 58-year-old retiree, had worked without pay for more than 15 years to prevent the harvesting of palm trees. He was shot in the head at the Tingua federal reserve. story
_____________________
An earth saving alternative to threatened rain forest hardwoods is found in Bamboo, a renewable and highly sustainable resource.

Dead by the side of the road...

and other American tragedies



We caught this on the Wacky Southern Housewife's radar.

Kraft, not the most consumer friendly Corp we know, should take its cue from ex-NJ officials, the ones who caught heat a year ago Christmas with the "Bear Cub Fiasco." Most folks don't take kindly to their kids being exposed to violence.

Citizen soldier, citizen robot

The American army announced this week that it intends to have armed robots in the field, in Baghdad by April this year, machines capable of lethal force.

The Pentagon which has long speculated on the development of robotic warriors has committed to a $127-billion project called 'Future Combat Systems' and plans to deploy small tank like bomb disposal robots capable of discharging offensive fire at the rate of 1000 rounds per minute.

Controlled by humans, these robot warriors are the vanguard of the military's push to field an army of autonomous mechanized soldier specialists in an effort to, "spare human casualties." Military planners say that, in the beginning, robots will take many shapes and perform singular tasks like mine clearing and reconnaissance but, as the technology improves, the robot soldier will evolve to become largely self directed, more problematic and certainly more lethal; the era of the hunter-killer machine will have arrived, perhaps as early as 2035.
read more

Water,water everywhere

We've been thinking about water the last few days; what with the Kyoto Protocol coming due Wednesday, global warming, living and working on the Gulf Coast and well, you know, the whole concept of rising sea levels. We thought we would get out in front of the event and state unequivocally, and for the record that we won't complain until the water reaches our lower lip - and then, well... we're gonna mention it to somebody!

It may not seen critical to most coastal denizens who day into day watch the ebb and flow of tidal morning and eventide with predictable certainty, but global warming has a much more insidious/ominous effect. Fresh water from melting polar caps and high mountain glaciers sinks rapidly to the bottom layers of the world's oceans and in doing so interrupts the powerful energy train that conducts warm waters from the equator to cold northern latitudes thus maintaining the Earth's, our, air conditioned planet.

The atmosphere responds with precision to the dance of the seas and we are plagued by increasing tornadic forces - hurricanes, drought and floods. Kyoto may not represent a final solution, only an accord but it seems critical that some accord is now necessary if we are to survive the coming event.

Mention it to somebody.

Chung Hay Fat Choy

Okay, he's not our favorite vegetarian - in fact he was not even close to being a vegetarian but John Wayne was always kind to animals, orphans and women which earns him, in our opinion, a mention on this Chinese New Year's Day as one of the good guys, Rooster Gogburn, Texas Ranger.

It is the year of the Rooster, the twelfth part of the Chinese zodiac which represents a sense of self confidence and new beginnings. If you are fortunate enough to have been born under the sign of the 'Rooster' you are capable of anything and people will follow; you were born to 'strut and crow' and perhaps, who knows, with this New Year's resolution - become vegetarian.

Happy New Year Rooster.

"No Fur" Policy in Fashion Week Ads

Fashion Week 2005 lands on its feet this week with a strong 'no fur' agenda and plenty of glam. Heading the list of notable anti-fur celebs, vegan Joaquin Phoenix, whose veiw on animals (or should that be animals on Joaquin), lends his support to the cause as PETA's 2005 poster guy.



Notice to SPA guests: attention to Phoenix's sexy, black-and-white poster (shot by photographer Steven Klein) could spare patrons the fate of Sean "Puffy" Combs, who was recently denied (club) entry until he returned his full-length fur to his limo. (The rapper's date, Jennifer Lopez, sporting faux fur, was ushered in immediately.)