Mountain Toping Waste

In my previous posting I mentioned just how impressive the new administration looks from over here in Britain. The review of Guantanamo, the unblocking of Californian state law requiring lower emission cars, even the financial stimulus package that is set to create green jobs.
Almost every day I am hearing what appears to be good news regarding the environment, human rights and creating a truly fair society. Then today I heard more good news that threw out one of the last ditch executive orders from Bush. This allowed the waste from the foul practice of mounting topping to be dumped into water courses.

As coal is the major source of Lead and Mercury pollution, allowing this waste to pollute the water was just beyond belief, as this would destroy the water supply for the immediate communities around the extraction operation, but also all the communities downstream. That could in time seriously impact major cities miles from the source of this pollution. While mountain topping may be the most cost effective way of extracting coal, the damage it does to the physical environment is incredibly damaging. Also, the impacts on the communities are something that would be shocking in a developing country, but in a sophisticated developed economy like America just beggars belief.

As the people who advocate this destructive practice always say, well it creates jobs. Well jobs at any cost are never the way to go. At least with the new president also capping Wall Street pay on the banks that have accepted taxpayer’s money shows that he understands this, also allowing people to make money with no regard for other people, communities or the environment, looks less likely to happen with president Obama.

Now all we need in Britain is a coloured leader, I don’t mean a Black leader, I don’t care what colour the skin of our leaders is, as long as they are Green.

Not In My Name follow up

Due to the comments made, I am making this follow up posting. Firstly, I am more than aware the President Obama has only been in office for seventeen days, and thus far they have been an impressive seventeen. Therefore, it may well be that in time his administration may tackle this shameful period in American history. Equally I firmly believe that the British government was and has been a willing partner in the breaking of international laws on torture.

While I do worry about the state of democracy in Britain, I am at least grateful that I do live in a democratic nation where there is a free judiciary that can speak out and expose when our government does breech the law. I personally cannot ever see the justification for torture. Apart from any other reason, it simply does not work. Any information gained from torture will always be tainted and the victim will often say what they think the torturer wants to hear to stop the punishment and pain. However, more importantly we debase ourselves by practicing or condoning it.

As the terrorist threat is based upon a difference in Ideology, the real way of defeating terrorism is by showing the rest of the world that we are better than the terrorists. That we have higher moral standards and will not debase our ethics, that way we stop our actions acting as a recruiting sergeant for warped standards of the terrorist.

I have no doubt that if the secret documents were released, they would as damaging for the current British Government as they would be for the previous American one.

The only way to detain and punish terrorists is by using the law and courts. By treating anyone suspected of terrorism in a way that is unfair and unjust, harms our freedoms more than any action the terrorists could take.

Not In My Name

When I heard the news this evening I was shocked, the report was saying that America had threatened to stop sharing intelligence if details of Torture and details became known in a court case here in Britain. It was the comments by a very senior judge that had triggered the story.
While I realise that this is the legacy of the previous president, it is still shocking that the US could and would threaten to leave Britain vulnerable to terrorist activity by excluding us from the loop. All to stop the political embarrassment of a former president that is an embarrassment.

While I understand that following 9/11 people wanted revenge and that there was a need to try and stop further attacks. But it should not have been at any cost. Under Bush America risked becoming the unprincipled bully that it was being accused of being. Extraordinary Rendition (Kidnapping), Water Boarding (Torture), and other unlawful practices only serve to aid the warped minds that are capable of mass murder in the name of their Ideology.

I don’t know if the US will change their decision now there is a new president, regarding the disclosure of secret documents. But that the former US Government could or would threaten such a close friend is the sign of a bully.

To my American friends and readers I say, I think that the US needs to be open and honest about what it has done in your Name. Not that I think that Britain is clean and untainted, as I am sure that we are culpable and guilty of doing unlawful things. To my government I say Not In My Name!

A link to the News Story

Birds in Snow

You will not have failed to notice that there has been some snow. Around the world Britain must have looked like a bunch of wimps with no busses at all running in London, thousands of schools closed. Even though the south of Britain was hit hard, locally in the North East and in my village, people just got on with life. Even the horticultural staff from the local authority was part of the effort, and a John Deer Tractor was used to clear paths in the side streets and back lanes in the village.

Personally my biggest concern was the birds, as on Monday the snow just kept on falling. I put more seed out, scattering seeds on the snow, and keeping the water available. It paid off as while I did not see many birds, I saw a couple, but there were signs that the birds were taking advantage judging but the prints in the snow.

When the snow stopped, it was then that the birds started really coming in. Every time I looked out of the window, I would see at least one bird. I don’t know if it was the lack of camouflage that the snow provides, but the birds were much more nervous than normal. That said I did get some great footage of a sparrow shelling a sunflower seed, in glorious close up. Once I can afford to buy the Video editing software...

Personally, I went into hibernation, and only did what I had to do and avoided the problems the snow caused. But today, I had to go into Consett. As it’s at a higher elevation, the snow had been deeper and it was like walking on sheets of Ice in places. That said again people were coping.

Following doing what I had to, I stopped for a coffee and toast. In the Cafe was a gentleman from my village that I will often see out for a walk. He is in his late seventies, and even though he struggles to walk, he needs a stick and has to shuffle at times, every day he goes for a walk in the Forest. So I sat and talked to him in the cafe.

Even with the snow, he had still been out for his daily walk. He had been a miner, and he needs to do this otherwise the poor health he now suffers as a result of his former occupation would have an even greater effect on him. I hope that if ever I reach his age I can do as much as he can and have the same determination.

While talking the question came up regarding coal. As a retired miner he would be entitled to a coal allowance as part of his pension. As the village has only in recent years been connected to the gas network, which was essential for many of the former miners that still live in the village. But now most homes are heated by gas so the miners get cash payment in lieu of the coal. However, it was the winter of 1963 that dominated the conversation. I could not add much to the discussion as that was the year I was born so I was stuck in my cot. During that winter the snow drifts were so deep that they covered the bus stop, and people had to dig tunnels through the snow to get out of their own front doors. People just did it, coped and more importantly helped each other.

However, it was one aspect that interested me most. The folks in retired miner’s cottages got together so that they could save coal. Three or four would collect in one cottage share the warmth and cook for each other and generally help ensure that everyone was safe, warm and fed.

When that 1963 winter ended, there was a group that continued doing this. This had the general added benefit that these pensioners saved money. Not just as each burnt less coal, but by sharing meals and the cooking, they made saving there too. I know that there is still that sprit in the village among many. I think we can all benefit from that sprit today.

Corruption and ID Cards

No political system is perfect and we all need to be vigilant against corruption. Our political leaders and politicians also need to be aware of what they do and who they associate with will come under scrutiny. Therefore, when the Sunday Times exposed that members of the House of Lords (the UK Senate equivalent) were working in the pay of business, and willing to take payments to change legislation, should not be that surprising. As there will always be a few that is the words of one of these rouges, bend the rules.

In Britain though, a local councillor has more scrutiny than do the lords. As simply the Piers of the realm were assumed to be honourable people not tainted by avarice. Well considering that there was the scandal of people buying their peerages, although not proven, well they have to make their money back in some way. There was also the example of this in the US where the Governor was trying to sell the senate seat of the New President. The difference though between the two systems is quite striking. In the US the Governor has been removed. Here there are no punishments available for these corrupt lords. Well I suppose that they could be stopped from sleeping in the House? Or have no one listen to them when they try and speak? While that may sound like a joke, it really is only sanctions like that that are possible.

However, as disgusting as this corruption is there was an aspect of the story that none of the mainstream media have picked up on. One of the Lords, who works for the Credit Reference agency Experian, was able to amend legislation in the companies favour regarding cross referencing personal data. Now as under Data Protection legislation companies and even the government cannot use data collected for one purpose for another. However, Experian is the business that is contracted to deliver the National ID cards in this country.

Therefore, this business has a unique exemption from data protection laws, and thus privacy laws and via this the government has gained access to information on all of us that no government should ever have.

I don’t understand why any democratic government needs access to all this information on us? This is the sort of state activity that repressive governments do. The same states that we rightly criticise. Also no company or business should ever have an exemption to the laws that all of us have to follow.

The trouble is if governments give themselves excessive powers, they are always reluctant to relinquish them. In the US the people do have a written constitution that protects citizens from its government. Here in Britain we are subjects not citizens, and while we do not seem to have a government that appears to repressing our freedoms or rights, we all need to remain vigilant.

One last aspect of this situation that the public needs to be aware of, Experian the Credit Reference agency are offering a free credit report. Here this is something you normally have to pay a fee to see. Even when I first saw that they were doing this I wondered how or why they would do this as it would be costing them money. Now I understand why they are doing this, as by applying for these Credit Reports we are all giving this company and by default the government, the data needed to make the ID cards work. It was for this that exemption to the Data Protection Act was needed.

Shopping and Spiders

Today I had to go into Consett for the greengrocers and the butchers. In the greengrocers I reinforced my reputation as being distinctly odd as when I was paying for my purchases I spotted a rather attractive spider that fell out of the fresh rosemary that I had bought. It was not that I spotted it, nor that I commented on it, but that I took out a collecting pot from my pocket and was able to secure the critter. Even though I explained that I intended to film and identify it, I got some distinctly odd looks from other customers. I think the shops owners were just amused and bemused by me.

Well they will remember me as just before that, I had made sure they were charging me the correct price for the celeriac that I had bought. The woman serving me was not sure of the price and was going to charge me 75p for it, when I thought it was £1.20. I was correct and they were genuinely shocked at my honesty. But as I explained if that happened too often, they would go out of business. Then where would I get my fresh Vegetables from?

As I left I heard someone say that I was a bloody fool, I think it was another customer. I don’t know if it was because of me hurting my pocket or collecting the spider, but that’s me, the eccentric mouse.

I also went to the Butchers, as I said in yesterdays posting I wanted so stewing or braising steak for a casserole, and I was correct it was about a third cheaper and the quality excellent. As I type here, I can smell the Beef Bourgeoning cooking slowly on the stove.

Also I bought a half shoulder of pork. That is in the freezer and I will cook that in the next week or so. It is one of the cheaper cuts and I will buy these cuts out of choice. Not only are they cheaper, but I am also aware that it is often these cheaper cuts that go to waste. Just last night was another programme in the British food season that has been running on television, looking at Pork. This was in part the inspiration for buying this joint. By buying these cheaper cuts can make all the difference to the farmers and to the small local retailers, as there is no point just eating half of an animal that has been slaughtered for our plates.

Also as I was posting just yesterday, in Britain we do have some of the highest welfare standards in Europe, and by supporting those farmers, I am supporting animal welfare. When I got home, on the radio while I was putting my shopping away was a piece about deceptive labelling on meat.

As had been shown on television last night the majority of consumers cannot tell that packs of meat is reared on the continent, and to lower welfare standards. Even when trying to choose British Pork, the majority were deceived.

For years the major retailers have argued that the British public don’t want to pay for higher welfare standards. But these major retailers are misleading us all, as by deceiving the public into thinking they are buying British, the reality is that people are trying to support the higher welfare standards of British Farming. The only winner out of this is the retailers with increased profits.

In the last ten years the national pig heard has halved. That is thousands of farmers that have been put out of business by the major retailers.

I wonder if any of the shareholders in these major companies would have owned up to paying more for an item that someone was going to undercharge for. Not many I suspect. I have often gone on about Fair trade; fair trade is about honesty, integrity and morality. It is clear that the major retailers fail on all counts.

On the edge of extinction

There were two items of news that I heard recently relating to conservation. The first was the News that in Rwanda and DR Congo, there has been ten newly born Mountain Gorillas. While on the face of it that sounds like good news, I know that in many natural systems that is unusual. Also having been a big fan of the work that Dian Fossy did, and the project, I also knew that in Gorilla troops such a spike in numbers of births seems to be triggered by a fall in numbers. As the Mountain Gorilla is limited to the territory of the mountain, a greater abundance of food could not be the reason.

So I looked a little deeper. While the war(s) have prevented some of the poaching, the troops or fighters have been killing gorillas for bush meat. So while this boost in numbers is welcome news, the boost to the numbers may just be to raise the numbers to previous levels.

The other item of news was regarding the Emperor Penguin. This was rather an alarmist piece as it was reporting that the Emperor Penguin could be extinct by the end of this century. This is based upon the fact that breeding numbers at the main breeding site has fallen from three thousand pairs to four hundred pairs. However while that sound really bad, it appears that at least some of the birds may have relocated as a result of the melting ice shelves. The picture is not as clear as the reports would have us believe.

Both are endangered, but looking beyond the reports the picture is much more complex. It is the way the media seems to think that everything has to be reported in simplistic terms. That may be the lack of understanding by the reporter, but often it seems that the media just want to cut complex stories or issues down, to make them not simple but simplistic. However what is significant about both species is that they are endangered and are further endangered by Climate Change.

As I was writing this last night I had to stop as a thought crossed my mind regarding climate change, and it struck me that it has been the medias attempt to over simplify the issue of Climate Change. Even today, the papers are full of the news that in Britain we are due to have a cold snap that makes this the coldest winter for thirteen years. While they were not explicitly saying so, there was the implication that it proves that Climate Change is not happening.

Even with a stable climate there would be variations in the weather from one year to another. Therefore, having one cold spell does not mean that CC is a myth. What makes this so dangerous is that people are influenced by these press reports, and unless everyone is willing to help solve the problem then tackling the dangerous climate change that is happening will be even more difficult than it needs to be.

I wish I knew the solution to all this, but I do not. I am most sorry for the future generations that will not see the many species that will be lost in the coming century.

Deceptive Food Labels

As I posted previously, the supermarket Tesco, received some criticism via a television documentary about the poor standards welfare standards of the poultry it sells. Because of my village location, I have very little choice about which supermarkets I shop at, thus I do used Tesco myself.

When I went into the store today I noticed their new public relations campaign called nurture. This is an attempt to add spin to their food sales, claiming to support animal welfare and support British farmers. While this campaign may fool some people, as the retailer has not changed its standards at all, the majority of customers will see it for what it is, that of a PR stunt.

Then whilst going around the store, I started looking carefully at the labels on the meat. Partly this was because I was interesting in purchasing some for a dish that I was going to cook. Because I had learnt how to spot the meat that is produced overseas and legally sold as British produce, I looked carefully beyond the labels that said it was British. The difficulty that the public have is that these packs carry a union flag (the correct name for the British Flag, the Union Jack is only its name when flown from a Royal Navy ship) and look as though they are British produce. This deception is the result of a loophole in the law that was intended to enable manufacturers to label their product with the country of origin. Meat packers discovered that by slaughtering livestock and brought in from overseas, and then cut in the carcase up there would then be classed as produced in a country where this slaughtering took place.

So while the supermarkets are not to blame for this practice, the supermarkets take full advantage of it. Nor is Tesco the only retailer to do this, all of them do. If this meat was marked by the country that the animal was raised in than I am sure that the majority of the public The Consumer would reject buying these products, as the British consumer knows that in the UK we have higher welfare standards than occur on continental Europe. In fact some of the pork meat sold here as British is raised in a way that is illegal for British farmers.

This deception also means that consumers do not know that they have potentially contaminated meat. When there was a scare in the Irish pork, I myself was fooled into believing that the metre I had in my freezer was a safe. It was only later that I discovered that the British labelled Pork had originated in the Irish Republic. While the danger in that instance was very small, only by honest labelling can the Consumer be sure that their food is safe.

What always amazes me about these practices is that the owners of the businesses failed to think the consequences of this deception. All it will take is something beyond the control of the supermarkets, or the meat processing companies, which causes a major food scare. Where the supermarket is forced to own up to this deception and the public, their customers will leave them in droves. No matter how good the PR machine is within the business, any business had been forced to own up to deception, will be damaged. Therefore I would have thought it best business practice not to deceive the consumer, the customer in the first place.

In the end I decided not to buy any meat there and will support my local butcher instead where for the same price Tesco was charging for Stewing Steak, I will get a third more and better quality too.

BBC Refuse to show Humanitarian Appeal

Occasionally when we hear something on the news our instinctive reaction is that this is wrong. That knee jerk reaction was my feeling towards the news that the BBC, were not going to show an appeal by the disasters emergency committee DEC on behalf of the people of Gaza.

However, they tried to look at the situation objectively so that I could understand why the BBC had taken this decision. The BBC as a news service is highly respected around the world therefore I could see some merit in this decision taken by the BBC. But their merits was only skin deep, as the objections to showing the film and the appeal on behalf of the DEC, was not consistent. In the past the BBC have shown appeals for the conflict in Darfur and for the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both politically contentious conflicts, yet these appeals were for humanitarian reasons, not for political ones.

Therefore, the decision not to show the appeal, started to look political. Whatever the rights or wrongs of the conflict in Gaza, no one can ignore the suffering of the people living there. This Appeal was for a humanitarian aid, the only justification for not showing the appeal was a political one that tarred all Palestinians with the same terrorist brush.

Part of the justification that the BBC gave for not showing at the appeal, was that their news service was seeing all had across the Middle East. Personally, I think of the BBC has shot itself in the foot well and truly, as this decision will only go to reinforce the perception that the west is pro Israel and anti Arab. By not airing this humanitarian appeal on behalf of suffering people, particularly Muslims, only adds to this perception.

I'm really disappointed by the BBC taking this action, not least because it undervalues the intelligence of its viewers and listeners. The organisation seems to think that the public cannot distinguish between journalism and an appeal made on behalf of thirteen major charities, for humanitarian aid that it’s intended to relieve the suffering of women and children there were caught up in a conflict not of them making.

Had there been such an appeal system in place at the beginning of the Second World War, and the BBC had failed to air an appeal on behalf of the Jewish people that were suffering, the BBC would have been accused of anti Semitism. While I do not believe that the BBC is being anti Muslim, this is the way it will seem across the Middle East. One of the most important ways of dealing with terrorism is to win hearts and minds and to change the attitudes of people who believe that the west is against their people, their way of life and their religion.

The problem now is, even if the BBC were to show the film, the damage has already been done to its reputation across the world and particularly within Muslim nations.

Nature Painting the Landscape

I have seen a couple of extraordinary natural events. On either Saturday or Sunday, I saw a group, a flock of gulls circling. It was not the behaviour that caught my attention but the numbers, there were at least three hundred Lesser Black Backed Gulls, Herring Gulls and Black Headed Gulls, they were circling in a way that mirrored a bait ball. I have seen similar behaviour when over a food source. Therefore, I can only presume that on the field was something that was a food for them. I was too far away to see also my vision of the field was obscured by obstacles. I went back and was trying to get the camera set up, I had it on charge, when I saw a raptor swoop in and take one of the gulls. I could not identify the bird as I was too distant and when I looked through the binoculars all I could be sure of was that it was a large raptor.

I also missed filming the bait ball of Gulls as that rapidly dispersed. Away today I was just going to sit down with a cup of tea when I saw a large Bird sitting atop the Chestnut Tree that I can see from my front window. Regularly Jackdaws perch there between foraging flights and I could have dismissed it as one in the tree, but the size was too large. I picked up the Binoculars and was able to see a Buzzard take to the Air from its perch. It had a bird in its talons but I could not see what its lunch was.

Was it the same bird that had taken the gull? I lack the observation evidence to say for sure, but I would guess that it was. So I will keep my eyes open as this Young Male Common Buzzard seems to be operating in the same general area.

The second observation was seeing a weather event occurring. I was waiting for a bus to travel into Newcastle and from the villages elevated position I could see fog rolling in across the bottom of the river valley. Had I not had an appointment to keep I would have gone home grabbed the camera and filmed it. Had I done so I would have missed the other aspect of this event, as on the bus I was able to observe the fog rolling across the fields to the north, the river valley was to the south of my position.

Seeing the leading edge of weather as it coats the land is something remarkable to observe.

Chicken Welfare, Supermarkets and Food security.

Last year I posted regarding a television campaign by a “Celebrity” chef regarding the poor welfare standards of the standard chicken.

I became a vegetarian back in the late 1970s as a direct response to the fact that with the poor welfare standards of industrialised factory farming along with the hidden practices that looked dumb. By dumb I mean feeding cattle animal protein from dead diseased sheep. While hindsight is a wonderful thing and we now all know that caused “Mad Cow Disease”, but then no one believed me when I spoke of it. I had one memorable conversation where I was having the urine extracted from me without the use of a catheter, I was told that I knew nothing and that Cows were only fed on Grass.

It shows how little people really know about our food and where it comes from. I remained a Vegetarian for twenty five years, but as the situation changed and there were farmers that were avoiding these nasty practices, the only way that they can be supported is via buying meat from these businesses. After all unless these farmers get sales for these quality products, they will not be able to maintain these standards. Even now, l still personally choose a diet that is strongly a vegetarian one. When I buy a chicken it is free range as I do with my eggs. I used to keep chickens myself and there is a real difference in taste from an intensively reared bird to one that is free range.

Anyway, last night was a follow up programme on that campaign and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall attempted to get the largest supermarket, Tesco, to commit to improving the welfare standards for intensively reared birds. Almost all the other major food retailers have already made that commitment, and some have already stopped selling chickens that are reared to the minimum legal standard. The higher welfare standard is based upon standards set by the RSPCA, an Animal welfare Charity, freedom foods. These are still intensively reared birds but are a marked improvement on the basic standard. There is an extra cost and this improved system ads less than one pound to the retail cost in the supermarket.

While I personally would prefer that all chickens were free range, I am also realistic and understand that some people are so poor that they cannot afford free range. But I would argue that paying an extra pound, making the cost four pounds for a chicken instead of three, a price worth paying.

This is simply because the supermarkets have used their power to force farmers in the UK to produce food at the price that it can be produced in the developing world. When farmers are told that if they cannot produce a chicken that sells for three pounds, it was a penny under two pounds for a while, they will buy them from China or other parts of Asia. The farmer, who has all of their business riding on these contracts, is forced to drop the standards to the lowest legal minimum. I strongly suspect that when farmers have been found to be breaking the law and keeping their livestock below the legal minimum, it has been where the farmer has been forced to cut costs via this pressure. After all, the farmer only makes one penny per bird in this Faustian deal.

This drive by the supermarkets for cheap food at all costs actually endangers our health and will lead to higher food prices and more importantly place at risk our food security. If UK farmers cannot make a living, they will eventually leave farming. Then if we have to rely on produce from overseas, we risk all sorts of poor practice. With domestic production the rules restrict the use of anti biotics. While the rules are different in other countries and controls are outside of our hands, we could find our food has residues that impact on our health. We only need to look at the scandal of the melamine in the milk in China to see that we could end up with a crisis when we rely upon overseas suppliers. Also if we no longer have poultry farming if there were a sudden shortage or a sudden increase in shipping costs, then in Britain we would find that we are paying much more for chicken. While the price of oil has fallen from its high last year, it had the effect of doubling the price of basic foods in various parts of the world.

While I do not want to see a command and control economic model, such as occurred in Communist states like the Soviet Union, it ruins economies you only have to look at North Korea to see that. But unrestrained Free Trade only benefits the largest players and is unfair trade. With food in particular there has to be some degree of national protectionism. Each country needs to have an agricultural industry that feeds its nations people first. It then earns foreign currency by selling it surplice. While I know that in the real world it is more complex than that, but those need to be the basic principles that govern the food trade.

The way that the supermarkets like Tesco, the third largest retailer in the world, are operating is extremely short sighted. While their corporate spin says that they are committed to animal welfare standards, in reality they are committed to the lowest standards that will make them a profit. Nor do they care about the farmers that supply them. Continuing on this track they will find that they are demolishing the farming industries that it relies on. Also, while people are feeling the effect of the economic downturn, when the economy picks up Tesco, in particular, are likely to see people reject them and their claims.

The supermarkets have never been that cheep, a good Greengrocer is normally cheaper, as is a local butcher. I think that one of the effects of this economic down turn will be that people will look at the way they shop. Supermarkets are convenient and often people have gone there because of their location rather than any other reason.

In the years to come there will be a shift towards smaller local suppliers, if the supermarkets don’t start really improving quality and standards then they will never get bailed out the way the banking system has. Government also needs to bare some of the blame as for years Food standards and nutrition has been abdicated to the major retailers, and look what’s happened we have an obesity crisis.

Just like the banks, lending money to people that cannot repay, selling crap food and driving down standards is never a long lasting or good business model. Tesco needs to start trading ethically and fairly. If they don’t they will be left behind as the green economic revolution has already started.

Six Thousand New Green Jobs

There appears to be something in the air as there are two news stories that link across the Atlantic. As I have mentioned in previous postings, here in the North East of England there is a wind energy research facility at a town called Blyth. Significant to me as Father was born near there in a mining village, only a couple of miles away. Further, when the UK government announced that there would be a major expansion in off shore wind farms, I predicted that this would create jobs.

Well the plans are now in place, and if the private investment and orders are found then there will be six thousand jobs created in, what were the former shipyards, building these turbines. When there is so much economic gloom something like this is good news. It is all part of the greening of the Economy that I have spoken about before, Creating real jobs, real wages, and real opportunities.

This is not going to happen overnight, nor has this just happened by chance as the all started ten years ago, with a vision of what wind energy could provide and the engineering skills to develop turbines that will be five times larger than those on the land. The skills were and already here from the Tyne Shipyards building ships then oil platforms and now these turbines.

However the good news doesn’t end there as in the News I also heard that the US President (Plays Hail to the Chief in my head) had sought a review of the blocking of the Californian legislation by the federal authorities. That particular bit of legislation will force the car manufacturers to build cars that emit thirty percent fewer emissions.

Now the contrast here is quite stark. Here in Britain we have developed a technology that we are just on the verge of manufacturing and selling to the rest of the world that will create green jobs. And Industry is backing this, as an old fashioned making thing is commerce that we can all understand. But in America, the car industry has fought tooth and claw to continue doing what it always has. Fighting legislation and refusing to research and develop products that could have stopped them from having to borrow federal funds just to keep afloat. Now I know that there may be a reader or three that cries Credit Crunch, but the reality is the big three did not innovate as they stuck to the same old technologies that drank petrol. Had the automotive industry in the US made that investment instead of paying high dividends to share holders, then the effects of the credit crunch would been greatly lessoned as the US automotive industry gas would have developed Hybrids, or Hydrogen powered or supplemented cars.

In Stanley a town twenty miles from my village, is a manufacturer of Electric vans that is working at full capacity, even with the economic downturn. That could have been parts of the US automotive industry had they looked to the future and not had their collective heads berried in the trough of corporate greed, while ignoring global warming.

The US President always spoke of creating green jobs, as well as doing articulately, he meant it. By forcing manufactures to innovate, new jobs and new industries will be created. If the US and us here in Britain want to break the monopoly hold the oil producers have on our metaphorical balls, it is by developing things that we cannot even guess at.

So the news locally and internationally had a green tinge to its aura. As a footnote though, when I had my Boiler serviced I was talking to my Plumber and he told me of one of his colleagues that had paid to go on a course to learn to fit solar panels. These are Solar Thermal ones that help heat the hot water. Well Last week I spotted him and he was helping this friend as he had such a demand for this skill that he was struggling to meet the demand and orders he is getting. So while green jobs may look like normal jobs they help the environment and the economy.

Water and Pollution

While out for a walk yesterday morning I saw where someone had dumped some rubbish into the river. While on the way back home I saw three Red Kites and that always lifts my mood, I could not get out of my mind that problem of pollution. What I had seen was dumped oil containers, and while unsightly themselves, it will be the residue of oil that will cause the greatest problem.

In Britain the rivers have been transformed and are much cleaner than they ever were. Industry is just not allowed to dump waste into the water courses in the way that used to happen. While there are still industries that are allowed to do this, the most damaging legal examples of pollution are now consigned to history. The greatest risks to water courses are now mainly industrial farming; Effluents, Nitrates and Pesticide run off from this industry. Therefore, much of the pollution that does occur arises from accidents or the deliberate unthinking actions of a few.

Even with the accidents, normally it is a lack of a well thought out environmental protection plan or cutting corners, normally by cost cutting, that lead to these incidents. Therefore accidents are normally the result of carelessness. When it comes to deliberate dumping, well I just cannot understand the mentality. As all forms of rubbish dumping like fly tipping is despoiling the environment for the people dumping the rubbish, as it is for the rest of us.

However, when I started thinking about the problem as well as thinking about posting on the matter, two matters struck me. The first was that while many activities legally require an environmental assessment before they are allowed, I have yet to see or read one that does not accept some measure of environmental degradation. While often these reports are primarily aimed at trying to reduce the environmental impact of human activity, and often they make people adjust or stop the most damaging activities, they hardly ever stop an activity from going ahead.

The other aspect relates to the amount of water that humans use. On Planet Earth only one percent of the water on the globe is available as drinking water. That is why frequently you will hear the prediction that the next wars will be over Water. Also in places like Africa, people only have ten litres of water to use each day. That is for all their needs, washing, cooking and drinking.

When I was at University, I offered accommodation to an African chap as he was caught between having to leave on place and the start of moving into a house share. One aspect that was an eye opener for me was that he used a glass of water to Wash his hands, brush his teeth, and then drank the remaining water. Even with the abundance of water available to him, he was too well schooled in conserving water to waste any.

Yet most normal toilet cisterns will use nine litres of water per flush. So perhaps those predictions will come to fruition. Even now, in Spain last year water had to be shipped in by tankers, billions of litres because of drought there. One of the little understood aspects of the Gaza conflict is that Israel takes disproportionately more water for their settlements and this is an important aspect of why the Palestinian people are so aggrieved. It’s not the whole story but it is a factor that cannot be ignored. So I would argue that this is already happening.

But the real point is water is in fact really precious, yet we fail to understand that at our peril. In Britain while it may seem that we can afford to pollute our water sources, in reality we cannot as we are polluting our own drinking water. Therefore, sooner or later we will have to start looking at ways to seriously stop people fouling our water and that we start regarding water to as precious as oil.

Rivers and Brooks

While I am pleased with my new computer, it has caused me a couple of problems. Not least were details and data on about thirty projects that I was working on when I lost the old one. Also was the replacement cost. While I was already saving for other items, so had the money to replace my computer, I also had to pay for my glasses so it has all made finances tight. Therefore I have had to be very careful about what I could spend. Fortunately I got my calculations correct and just had the money to cover the bills.

Also I had a well stocked larder so I was able to reduce my food bills by relying on my existing stocks. I keep the cupboards well stocked as a buffer against bad weather preventing me from going shopping. Therefore, once I was sure that my rent was paid, I had some spare cash to go shopping today.

On the route to the supermarket there are some road works, repairs to a bridge that spans a brook that tumbles down the hillside. This means that there is a traffic control system in place. Anyway, on the way to the shop the bus was forced to halt at the temporary traffic lights. When the bus moved off it was moving much slower as we crossed this brook and I got the opportunity to see it properly. It is a place of beauty I will have to return to take a better look. Then on the way back I spotted two otters in the river as we crossed the bridge at Blackhall Mill. One had a trout in its paws and mouth, struggling with it swimming for the bank. The fish appeared to be nearly the same size as the Otters body. An all too brief sighting but delightful none the less.

While replacing the computer has created problems, it has also provided benefits. My old one was running XP, while the new one has Vista. While I am no fan of Microsoft, I think I actually like this operating system. It has one major disadvantage though as most of my software will not run on vista, most annoyingly my video editing software. I will have to wait to replace this as I cannot afford to replace this just yet.

Another programme that I was disappointed that will not work is my dictation software. But while I don’t use it all the time, it can be really useful as I am a search and pick typist. I can manage two hundred words per hour. However, I find that vista has this built in. While I am happy about that, I also dislike that, as yet again Microsoft are stamping on competition by including this.

With having to rework various projects, I have been reviewing some of my source material. This includes some of the podcasts that I listen to, and on one from a US radio show, there was an advert aimed at folks that have outstanding taxes. Where these taxes are called delinquent, over here in Britain delinquent is normally used to describe wayward children. I just had this vision of these taxes having to do punishments like community service or being sent to juvenile detention. Does that say something about the way Americans use English, or the way my mind works?

I am also playing catch up on the news. While I was fully aware of the headlines and the substantive detail of many of the main stories, I have often found that by looking and checking detail I can discover more than the headlines say and I can get beyond the bias and prejudice of the mainstream media. By doing this I can often find little gems that are hidden in the news. While the announcement that the third runway at Heathrow has been given approval by the government, was this detail. There were reports that protestors dressed in Edwardian costume to protest about the runway. Personally I don’t think it was a protest at all, it had just taken that long for British Airways to find their baggage. While the government has approved this third runway, I personally do not think it will actually happen. Partly that the decision is based upon old style economic thinking and is flawed as that old system is broken, but also before any construction work ever starts, we will see dramatic effects from our damaging of the climate. This will force changes to be made to the way we treat the environment. My personal expectation is that this will happen by 2012/13 and I still think that it will be the loss of sea Ice and a sudden increase in sea levels that will be central to this. Although, I was looking at data that suggested that it could be a heat wave in 2012 that would be the trigger. But I now lack the data to be sure.

While on serious topics I have been tempted to make some comment on Gaza, but I doubt that I would be saying anything new or insightful. So while the Mouse has not roared on this topic yet, just as I will stand up against all injustice, I will add my voice when I can say something meaningful.

Sasquatch

Because of an incident that has injured a friend’s foot, I am trying to think healing thoughts, and I was trying to think of ways to cheer her up. This has led me to start thinking of her as Big Foot, the mythical Sasquatch.

I genuinely do have an open mind about such matters, but prefer to rely on science to provide evidence than rely purely on folk tales. It is like many of the so called sightings of UFOs, from some points of view in poor light an airliner can look like the classic UFO shape. Equally, a brief glimce of a bear in the woods can transform into something different in the observers eye. I know that occasionally I have seen a bird and have been mistaken about the species until I could see more detail.

Therefore, as most of the sightings of Sasquatch have been by people that are not experienced observers, they may not have recorded, mentally, what they are really seeing. Also an adrenalin rush may add to the distortion of those observations. By that I mean that people unconsciously add detail to what they have seen. In addition people are not that good at estimating size and distance. Therefore it has to be said that the evidence of Bigfoot is far from strong.

Now looking at the other side of this coin, is the legend. It comes from Native American tradition, and with all folk tales there is a grain of truth in the story. But what that is has been lost to the past. It could be that there is a humanoid animal in the woods that is living away and afraid of humans. While rare there are still new discoveries of mammals in isolated locations with a population that is barely sustainable.

So keeping an open mind, if such a population does exist, it could be avoiding human contact perhaps because these creatures have not fared well at previous meetings. In the mad world of conspiracy theories, it is claimed that the US Government does know of and have proof of the existence of Bigfoot. While I seriously doubt that, I do however suspect that the federal authorities would not be keen to go searching to resolve the issue one way or the other. If they found nothing there would be people saying what a waste of tax dollars, and the conspiracy theories would say that it was all a cover up, get Mulder on the case. But equally if the federal authorities were to find Sasquatch, as a rare and endangered species then the law would require that protection was put in place. As I know from talking to people here, even when there is good evidence of a rare bird or amphibian or some other rare and protected creature being in a state, the US Fish and Game service are not keen to acknowledge the fauna’s presence.

I really do not know if Sasquatch exists, or if it ever existed. The romantic it me would like to think so and I love the idea that they are avoiding human contact, but until I see some real and compelling evidence then for me Sasquatch will remain a myth.

People choosing environmentally sustainable farming

Even with all the rather gloomy economic news, I have heard some reassuring news regarding organic and environmentally sustainable farming. In Germany there has been very little fall in the demand for organic food. On the whole it looks as though the demand remains for organic produce.

Also on Farming Today, the BBC were reporting that while they were finding some difficulties for growers and farmers, on the whole, consumers were still buying produce that is produced in an environmentally sustainable way.

When the economic down turn started, the media were quick to start saying that people would abandon buying Organic food. While I know that there would have been some people that would do that, I also believe that the majority of people that decide to opt for quality and sustainability would not abandon principles that quickly.

While I know that the higher food costs that filtered through last year did cause everyone to look at the costs of their shopping basket. However people that understand that environmentally and sustainably produced food is also better quality, will not stop buying quality food. They may buy less, but they will not switch to the low quality that forms the majority of the market. In fact in my supermarket when packets of pasta made from non organic ingredients went to over one pound sterling, the organic alternative remained at less than one pound. I think the reason for that was simply that the organic was bought by the supermarket before the price of wheat shot up, and that people assumed that the organic had to be more expensive. The non organic price has now fallen back now and the organic is only five pence higher, so I will continue to buy the organic.

Now I doubt that I was the only person that spotted that one, and I had many of folks in the village buying organic for the first time just by pointing that anomaly out. However, I know that locally I am very much in the minority of wanting quality food. Often I see people that live off the “supposedly” cheap ready meals. Further, most people will buy on price rather than quality.

That said, there are some good food shops in Consett, the closest town to my village, such as the butchers and the green grocers. But there is not any outlets that sell whole foods so organic requires a lot more effort to find. Thus it is often the extra travel costs and the inconvenience that makes buying sustainably produced items far more difficult and expensive to obtain. I would sign up to an organic box scheme, but none will deliver to my village as I would be the only customer.

In the village the quality of the food available has fallen and the range of items has fallen. Thus, if it were not for the local public transport links I personally would be seriously impaired from getting food of any quality. Additionally, some items are exorbitantly high in price. Bread for a wholemeal loaf is forty percent more expensive, and a French baguette is nearly double the price.

I strongly suspect that many shops are using the economic down turn to push up prices and reduce quality, blaming the economic situation. When in reality it really is just profiteering. After all I am not likely to pay a four pound return fare just to save fifty pence on the price of a loaf. Nor will most people.

Therefore while there are problems for environmentally sustainable food, I am finding and seeing that many of the difficulties are the result of doom layered hype. While the economic climate is difficult and ordinary people can only afford to buy what they can afford, I feel that people will increasingly switch to opting for good quality sustainable food rather than the poor quality expensive rubbish we are so often offered. This can be seen in the latest sales figures for Eggs. The sales for organic eggs remain at six percent of total UK sales, the sales of free range eggs are up by over ten percent. So in this small way, people are choosing to opt for ethical and environmental choices. While one swallow does not make a summer, it is a detail that encourages me that people do care about the planet.

Sparrows

Today in the local area the RSPB opened its newest reserve. While it is not exactly on my doorstep, it is close enough that I should be able to visit it on a regular basis. It is close to the national reserve at Tees Mouth so it will provide an important location for migrating birds. I am looking forward to going for a visit myself.

I had wanted to go and visit one of the local reserves today, but I had other chores to do and had to get them done first. Now it looks as though the weather will be against me for the next few days. So I will have to see if it is just too wet to get out. At the very least I can watch the birds in my back yard.

It was funny but in a street near my hovel, there is an old chap that I frequently talk to. Often about wildlife, and he was asking if I had seen any sparrows. I had as I have them regularly in my yard and they were here today too. But, his asking shows that even ordinary folks are noticing the loss of these once common birds. This is something that the RSPB are investigating and loss of habitat, lack of food because of climate change, are part of the reasons plus there are other as yet undetermined factors.

It is funny but I had someone tell me that I was wasting my time feeding the birds if the majority of my avian visitors were sparrows. But if I had not been feeding them I would not have the delight of seeing them. Nor would I have my regular Blackbird or Robin too. Talking of my Blackbird, the other day I was filming him when a young rival came into his territory. My regular Blackbird saw him off but it was amusing to see the young bird trying to court it mate.

Also talking of the bird visitors, I also have regular visits from a pair of Collard Doves that visit to feed. However, they stopped coming for a while, but have returned. One looks in fine new fresh plumage, but the other looks tatty. At first I thought it had suffered from nearly being caught by a predator. Then by looking carefully I saw that it was just moulting. It seems that one had moulted and re-feathered then the other was going through the moult. Now, I don’t know if this is common but it is amazing that they should re-feather in sequence like this. Perhaps it helps the pair stay feed so that one can feed the other? I just don’t know. It just shows that there is always more to learn.

A New Environmental Order

While setting up my new computer has not been that difficult or time consuming, as I subscribe to a number of podcasts that look at and inform about the environment, this had been the aspect that has taken the most time. That is because while it was easy to re-subscribe to the ones I regularly listen to or watch, but in looking for them I discovered a whole load more that could be interesting and or very informative. Often I find that looking at topics or stories from different perspectives can aid my understanding, so while I don’t always agree with the way stories are covered, having that other point of view aids my thinking.

One of the benefits for me regarding using these podcasts is that I often discover stories or issues that are just not covered in or by the mainstream media. Or when they do finally play catch up, I already have a fairly good understanding of the subject or issue.

Also, by listening to podcasts from around the globe, my perspective is not restricted to my isolation on a small island. As while I do think, that many environmental solutions can be found locally to meet local needs, I also feel that we are a global community, thus we also need to find solutions that aid the globe too.

While I personally find many aspects of the way that global trade has been implemented, I also feel that finding a way to trade in a fair way will provide solutions to many political, social and environmental problems that the world faces. The collapse of the “Greed is Good” capitalism that prevailed previously, while painful for many, could actually provide the opportunity to find other ways of carrying out commerce that is fairer and really sustainable.

Part of the obstruction to that happening is that of political leadership. Here in Britain we have our government providing further financial support to the banks, with the aim of trying to get the banks lending again. Now while I agree that it would be economic suicide to allow the banks and the banking system to collapse, I find it highly distasteful that the tax payer should support the idiots that made these stupid decisions in the first place. But most of all is that the solution that our leadership is offering is more of the same. The same borrowing and spending that caused the problems in the first place. To give an example, what perplexed me regarding the way that the media kept of talking about the problems people were having remortgaging? To keep on boosting the price of housing, the lenders came up with mortgage loans that meant that you only ever paid off a small portion of the interest and none of the capital. These discount mortgages only made sense in a market where property prices are rising. As only by selling the property on in a few years could the mortgage ever be paid off.

I do not blame ordinary people for getting caught up in this, but it has to be said that this was dumb. As would be trying to return to anything similar to support the economy.

However, even with all the problems that there are around the world, there is hope. In America a new president takes office today and while he does face all the usual vested interests trying to block the change that he will bring, this could be the day that the world really does change for the better.

Red Kite Behaviour

Overnight there was a dusting of snow and while it was very windy during the night, the sky this morning was clear blue and bright. I was looking out over the back of the house and just wondering if I would see one of the Red Kites when I spotted one in the distance. So far this year there have only been two days when I have not seen them. It is a real measure of just how successful the reintroduction of these magnificent birds has been that I can expect to see at least one of the Kites every day.

Yesterday, as I am still busy getting the new computer configured, I was in my office (a posh word for my back bedroom), and looked out to see a Kite gliding just over the roof tops. I was so intent on watching this one that I nearly failed to spot the second that was being mobbed by Jackdaws.

As it is at this time of the year that young birds pair up, it is possible that they are or will become a breeding pair. I don’t think that Kites pair for life, but they will stay as a pair if they were successful in previous years. So they are likely to be a pair. This seems to be the case as they showed some remarkable cooperative behaviour.

The first bird I had seen was unaffected by the harrying Jackdaws so was free to hunt. Once it had found food, it flew to the other Kite and allowed the Jackdaws to hassle it, thus allowing the other Red Kite to go off hunting. I cannot report if the second bird was able to find food, as I lost sight of them. But I would guess that it was. The whole piece of behaviour was quite stunning to see.

Missing Girl, Could this have been prevented?

Now I don’t know if the fifteen year old girl that has gone missing was using the same site or group of websites that I contacted the police about, but this news story caught my ear on the radio news.

The News Story

I am not suggesting that had the police reacted intelligently regarding my complaint that her disappearance would have been prevented, but who knows. What I do know is that the group of sites that the company I complained about, were clearly allowing underage children on the site. While I personally made repeated complaints directly to the company they were ignored. Therefore, while the site may try to claim that they tried to keep children off the site, which in reality is BS.

Also because of the way the sites are designed and that membership fees can be paid (I am deliberately not giving details), enabled children to access these sites. In fact I would say that it was designed to enable and encourage children to access them.
While I doubt that even if the police had taken my complaint seriously, that this underage girl would have been stopped from meeting and going off with this forty nine year old man, but who knows? Would the police and social services have been able to discover their plans? How many other children are at risk? My own investigations highlighted thirty or forty, with as many as just over one hundred children at risk on the site.

I just hope that eventually the police officers that I dealt with are made to realise just what a serious mistake they made. I don’t want them sacked, as people may assume, but to learn from this, as their mistakes will have kept children at serious risk, but they should learn from this.

I genuinely hope that this girl is found safe and well. It may well be that she is in love with this man, but his actions are, or appear to be, irresponsible at the least. However, as this man uses other names, I doubt that I would lose any bet that he is just using this child for sex.

When I reported the crimes I had discovered, this was exactly the type of event that I was trying to stop. This has only hit the media because of the search for this girl, and I dare say even the police would prefer to keep this all in the shadows. But with all the failures in child protection that are appearing in the media, societies leaders, the authorities and the government have some hard questions to answer.