Possible New Sonar Rules to Protect Marine Life

The use of sonar is controversial because of its harmful effects on marine life such as whales. The Navy has been able to get away with using it for "national security" reasons. But there may be rules on their way to help mitigate the damage, at least in the Pacific Northwest.

From the Seattle P-I (yep, the online newspaper!)...

A new set of rules might be in the works for the U.S. Navy's use of sonar off the Washington and Oregon coasts. The goal is to decrease the harm that sonar does to marine mammals.

The National Marine Fisheries Service and Navy expect to make a joint decision on such measures by the end of the year, NMFS spokesman Peter Fischel said.

If approved, those measures would be in effect from 2010 to 2015 for the Navy's training area in the Pacific Ocean off the Washington, Oregon and Northern California coasts.

On the negative side...

Meanwhile, the Navy is also asking NMFS to allow incidental harm and fatalities to marine mammals from training exercises in a 122,400-square-mile section of the Pacific Ocean off the Northwest coast.

To Be Fair: An Argument in Support of Vick

I do not like Michael Vick and would pay to see him in a ring tied to a stake with some hungry bears inside. But, to be fair, I do want to highlight this very thoughtful piece by Raina Kelley at Newsweek. She doesn't defend what he did, but she makes an eloquent argument for second chances.

It's not good enough to sway me...but I admire the level of consideration and sincerity in her appeal.

Stupid Seattle Seahawks Fans Would Take "Sick Vick"

Sometimes I can't believe the stupidity and callousness of people. An informal poll shows that 51 percent of Seattle Seahawks fans would actually welcome Vick to the team.

Talk about desperation to win something at any cost. What a pathetic bunch.

"Sick Vick" About to be Signed

"Sick Vick" is on his way to a new team. Who will it be?

Early rumors swirled around the Patriots or the Steelers. If it's the Seattle Seahawks, I may have to move.

Owly is Awesome!

I recently got one of the Google Owly cartoon themes on Igoogle. It reminded me of what an awesome comic it is. It's done by Andy Runton, and is done with no words. The only way Owly communicates with his little friends is through little pictures in the word balloons. It works brilliantly. And, while I suppose they are aimed at children, they have a certain zen quality that will appeal to adults.

You can read some of them here. Click on the ones that say "Read It". We bought a couple a few years ago, and I'll probably get some more soon.

Quote of the Week

"What do they know - all these scholars, all these philosophers, all the leaders of the world? They have convinced themselves that man, the worst transgressor of all the species, is the crown of creation. All other creatures were created merely to provide him with food, pelts, to be tormented, exterminated. In relation to them, all people are Nazis; for the animals it is an eternal Treblinka."

Isaac Bashevis Singer, 1978 Nobel Prize Winner

Legal Efforts to Dismiss the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act

I found this on the Twin Cities Indy Media blog....

On July 13th, defense attorneys for Joseph Buddenberg, Maryam Khajavi, Nathan Pope and Adriana Stumpo (the AETA 4) presented oral arguments on their motion to dismiss the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. The defense demanded that the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) be struck down as unconstitutional before Judge Ronald Whyte of the United States District Court, Northern District of California in San Jose.

Here's a summary.

Patriots and Steelers Eye "Sick Vick" for Signing

Well, I know two teams I may not be rooting for next season. (Of course, I've disliked the Patriots ever since their coach was caught with filming other teams. And the Steelers? Not since they were handed the Super Bowl over the Seahawks. Worst officiating EVER!)

Plus, I personally have no room for forgiveness for Sick Vick. Others may, but I don't.

What do you all think about his upcoming work for the Humane Society? Pretty savvy on HSUS' part? Or are they trying to get publicity?

Palin: We'll Always Have The Laughter

My laughter, not hers. Bill Shatner reading Palin isn't really critter related, but since we've been covering her since before Tina Fey knew who she was, I think this deserves a posting.

The funniest part about her is that conservatives think that we "hate" her. I hate what she did as far as wolf hunting and a few other things. But as far as her national campaign, I'm her biggest fan. Hell, I'd contribute to her campaign if I knew she wouldn't blow it on something with rhinestones or PBR for the Toddster.

Listen and laugh.

Vick is Back

You can read about it here. He'll get to play in 2 preseason games and then will probably get to play after the 5th regular season again. I wonder which team will be desperate enough to pick him up...

Seattle People Helping Protect Seal Pups

The group is called Seal Sitters and they protect baby seals who have been left on the each while their moms fish.

It's a nice story to offset the cruelty of the dead baby tiger in Hanoi.

Baby Tiger Victim of Wildlife Trade

Sometimes I'm just embarrassed to be human...

From EcoWorldly...

...the frozen carcass of a baby tiger was found in the trunk of a taxi cab on its way to a buyer in Hanoi.

It was reported that two men were arrested for attempting to transport the baby tiger carcass - along with the bones of at least two tigers - and that the “case showed the possibility of larger-scale tiger trafficking in the country.” The baby tiger was between four and five months old.

UK Records Increase in Animal Testing

Bad news from the Guardian....

Nearly 3.7m experiments were performed on animals last year, a rise of 454,000 or 14% on the previous year, the Home Office said. The increase marks the greatest leap in animal use in medical research since 1986, when the government introduced new auditing procedures.

The growth in animal experiments reflects an expansion in biomedical research in Britain and is driven by advances in genetics and the development of new drugs that must be tested rigorously in monkeys before they are allowed to be given to humans. The experiments range from small procedures such as taking blood and tissue samples to invasive brain surgery and inducing incurable diseases such as Parkinson's and cancer. Substantial numbers of animals are used to test the safety of new drugs before they are allowed to be used in human trials.

Palin's Last Day: Good Riddance

Title says it all. And, unlike Nixon, I doubt we'll have this knucklehead to kick around any more. Laugh at possibly, but that's about it.

Always Question a Scientist

...and an accountant and an economist and any other "expert" that uses their field to claim a moral authority.

This statement is mainly motivated by a recent conversation with someone who has a science degree (I think it's biology), but who actually works for a clinical testing company. She's a salesperson not an actual scientist, but she likes to claim she is one and people tend to cede authority to her. (She's always talking about Darwin and DNA testing.)

This exchange was part of a larger group discussion about Collapse by Jared Diamond. It's a book about societal collapses resulting from poor decisions about the environment, resource-use, etc. One of the issues raised by a member was that we need to listen to "science" more and that science will save us. I raised the point that science does not solve everything. Look at diseases that develop immunity to drugs already proven to defeat them. And someone did say that we really shouldn't and can't fight against nature. But I still felt like I lost the battle.

We as a society cede authority to scientists, accountants (I'm one!), economists, etc. because we don't understand what they do or what they talk about. And they know it. In fact, they love to use their technical language to establish authority. I don't understand how a cell splits or mutates, or how DNA functions or how chemicals react with each other and it's easy to feel intimidated by those that do.

This is one of the reasons why we are still on the losing end of the battle with animal researchers. We don't speak their language as well as they do and society at large tends to listen to those who sound like they are "experts." But we need to get past this and keep speaking out.

Science does not solve everything. Science itself is made of up of facts, but it is practiced and interpreted by scientists. And those scientists are humans with the same motivations and agendas as any other human.

Science is only as useful as the hands in which it lies. Are those hands good or evil? And who is making that subjective decision? Just because you can tell me that a cell mutates does not mean that you have the moral authority to tell me what kind of society I should live in. It doesn't mean that you have the moral authority to tell me that I must support animal testing because you know better.

Science is not democratic and it loves it that way. They bemoan the fact that they've been underground for all of the Bush years and, yes, there is a lot of good science out there, but we need to question these people. Especially if they claim to be acting in our best interests.