“What is a bai?

“Bai” is the generic name that the pygmy people of the Congo Basin give to various types of clearings in the forest. Bais often have seasonal or year-round watercourses running through them, but vary from swamp-like flooded meadows, to mostly dry pans, to something not much more than a widening of a riverbank. There are many bais in the Congo Basin rainforest. Most of them are difficult to access; indeed many have probably never been visited by humans. Some of the larger bais, such as the one in the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park and Special Reserve in the Central African Republic, attract more than 100 elephants at a time, while others may have no more than one or two elephant families at once, or only a solitary bull.

What’s the attraction?

Forest elephants are just one of many visitors to bais. Other mammals include forest buffalo, lowland gorillas, various antelope such as bongos and sitatungas, and red river hogs. The open water also attracts many birds. Flocks of African Gray Parrots are commonly seen. It’s possible that the grazing and browsing of the animals causes the formation of the bais. Forest elephants, feeding along the edges of the clearing and pulling down small trees and digging under their roots, certainly keep the space open and probably enlarge the bai over time.”

Source Cited: www.birds.cornell.edu

The home page for the Elephant Listening Project (ELP), is the place to find reports on their studies of elephant behaviors, environments and ecosystems. If you’re interested in elephants check out more information and some amusing videos by ELP.

Have you come across any interesting words this week? Do tell!

H2Om the water company that quenches your thirst and your spirit

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Good News about Animal Rights in 2009

1.Largest Dog Fighting Operation Rescue

In July a coordinated effort between humane organizations and law enforcement agencies led to the raid and closure of dog fighting operations in four states.  More than 20 people were arrested and nearly 500 dogs were rescued.

The raid was historic on many levels.  It was the largest multi-state raid in U.S. history and it was the first time the temperament of every dog was evaluated by experts to determine which pit bulls could be rehabilitated.  Two-thirds of the former fighting dogs were placed with rescue groups or in foster homes – with the goal of adopting them into new families.

2.Two More States Added Puppy Mill Laws

Both Wisconsin and Pennsylvania were notorious for the large number of puppy mills in their states. Their lack of supervision for commercial breeders led to the suffering of many dogs. But this year both states implemented laws to protect the well-being of the dogs and put restrictions on the owners of puppy mills.  They joined Arizona, Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington which already have laws in place.

3.President Obama Reverses Change to Endangered Species Act

Before leaving office in 2008, President Bush made a last minute change to the Endangered Species Act. It enabled government agencies to decide on their own whether new dams, logging or mining operations posed a threat to endangered animals.  Prior to this amendment new projects had to have a “threat assessment” from government biologists.  President Obama reversed this modification keeping the Endangered Species Act straight on course.

 4.California Bans Declawing

A funny thing happened in the State of California this year when a statewide law was passed that prohibited local municipalities from voting on bans to declaw cats.  Apparently the local cities and counties didn’t like being told what to do by the state, so during the small window of time when the law was passed and when it went into effect, many town boards quickly voted for local ordinances.  This led to an overwhelming number of new laws that will protect cats from the painful surgery – now and in the future.

5.Cockfighting Illegal in all 50 States

When the legislature in Louisiana voted this year to ban cockfighting, it happily brought all 50 states into compliance. Now cockfighting is an illegal activity in every state in the country.

To read the whole article, go to: http://www.care2.com/causes/animal-welfare/blog/favorite-animal-rights-achievements-in-2009/

Please share your good news about the environment, animal rights, human rights or even from your own family. This is the time of year to spread good cheer!

Dear Wordmeisters,
the organization Trees, Water, People (TWP), helps some of the poorest people in our own country, the Native Americans living in poverty and destitution. If you can go to their website to see the work they are doing, perhaps you can help. Or help those in the places nearest to you this cold winter season, knowing you can bring the gift of life to those in direst need.

Letter from the National Director of TWP:
“It has been a cold week in Fort Collins, Colorado – the home base of Trees, Water & People.  There is lots of snow to shovel and frost on our noses! Of course, the weather in the Midwest has made national news and reminds us that cold noses are nothing compared to the real fear and suffering that occurs when severe weather combines with poverty.

Even as you read this email, some of the United States’ poorest residents are experiencing freezing temperatures inside their homes. Expensive heating bills and poorly constructed homes lead some Tribal people on reservations throughout the Great Plains – where 90% of residents live below the poverty line – to endure indoor conditions that threaten their health and their lives.

With our Tribal Lands Renewable Energy Program, TWP is working not only to provide a sustainable source of heat for families on reservations throughout the Great Plains, but also to provide jobs and economic growth to reduce unemployment and hopelessness in these areas. Your gift to TWP will go toward solar heating systems for Lakota families in need and to green energy training for Native Americans at the Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center.

Please visit our tribal lands renewable energy donation page to help us turn this winter season of suffering into a season of change!

With warm wishes,
Richard Fox, National Director
Trees, Water & People
633 Remington Street
Fort Collins, CO 80524

www.treeswaterpeople.org

Have A Hopi Holiday!
by Diane Tegarden

It is true, much time has passed,
a year has flown away.
The season changes colors,
with red, greens and gold,
the festival of lights hold sway.

Yuletide is upon us, time to think of friends,
to be thankful for all of
our lucky happenstance.
To remember good times
in grateful abundance.

I wish you all a Heartfelt Holiday,
no matter what you are calling it, anyway!

Be it a Holy Hanukkah,
a Spiritual Soyal,
a Captivating Christmas,
a Kickin’ Kwanzaa, or
the most wondrous
Winter Solstice!

If you live in Australia,
it’s summer solstice,
the longest day of the year.
If you live in the northern climes
the night is longest here.

But no matter where you are,
whether
planetside
or
star……

All I could wish for you
is
peace
(internally),
and a larger worldwide view!

Author’s Notes on Holidays

Hanukkah is the annual Jewish festival celebrated on eight successive days beginning on the 25th day of Kislev, the third month of the Jewish calendar which corresponds approximately to December in the Gregorian calendar.  Also known as the “Festival of Lights”, the “Feast of Dedication” and the “Feast of the Maccabees”, Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem by Judas Maccabee in 165 B.C. (Source:http://www.history./minisites/Hanukkah).

Soyal is the winter solstice ceremony of the Hopitu Shinumu, which means The Peaceful Ones, also known as the Hopi Indians. Soyal is held on December 21st, the shortest day of the year. The main purpose of the ritual is to ceremonially welcome home the Kachinas, or spirit teachers for the first half of the Wheel of the Year, which begins on Dec 21- June 21st when the Kachinas will return to their ancestral home in the mountains. Pahos, or prayer sticks, are made prior to the Soyal ceremony, to bless all the community, including their homes, animals, and plants. Sacred underground ritual chambers, called kivas, are ritually opened to mark the beginning of the Kachina season. Night Dances for Kachinas are held, a great pageant of men and women in ceremonial dress representing the spirit teachers and guides. (Source: Bahti, Tom. “Southwestern Indian Ceremonials”. KC Publications.1970.p36-40.)

Kwanzaa, which begins on December 26th and goes to January 1st , is the African American tradition of family and principles, created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga to “introduce and reinforce seven basic values of African culture which contribute to building and reinforcing family, community and culture” according to the official Kwanzaa website at: http://www.officialKwanzaawebsite.org.

Winter Solstice or Yule (Dec 21st -22nd) is celebrated in the northern hemisphere as the longest night of the year, the shortest day of the year, and is the turning point in winter, when the temperatures begin to break from freezing and the earth slowly begins to warm up.

MORE end of the year Good News: from Natural Resources Defense Council- polluters will be held responsible

“A federal appeals court has sided with a coalition of states and land preservation trusts, ruling that they can sue five big power companies for the havoc that their global warming pollution is wreaking on the Earth’s climate, including rising sea levels, droughts and hurricanes. Representing the land trusts, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) attorneys successfully argued that big polluters can be held accountable for the damage their pollution causes across state lines. The landmark victory opens the way for federal courts to impose carbon pollution restrictions if Congress delays passing comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation.”

Source Cited: www.nrdc.org

At the end of the year all the environmental conservation societies put out their good news, the findings and progress that was made for the year. I’m sharing some of the announcements with you today to show you that by supporting these organizations, much important work can be done!

The first one is from the Wildlife Conservation Society:

January- Victory for penguins With support from Wildlife Conservation Society(WCS), Argentina declares a new coastal marine park to protect half a million penguins, cormorants, oystercatchers, and other rare seabirds. The region’s Magellanic penguins represent about a quarter of the entire population in Patagonia.

April- Afghanistan’s national park Afghanistan establishes its first national park, with aid from WCS. Band-e-Amir will protect one of the country’s best-known natural areas, renowned for its spectacular series of six deep blue lakes separated by natural dams made of travertine, a mineral deposit.

April- Irrawaddy dolphin discovery WCS marine researchers discover 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins alive and swimming in the Sundarbans mangrove forest and adjacent waters of Bangladesh. Prior to this study, the largest known populations of Irrawaddy dolphins numbered in the low hundreds or fewer.

August- Tiger poachers busted WCS’s Wildlife Crimes Unit plays a key role in the arrests of illegal wildlife traders attempting to sell Sumatran tiger skins in Indonesia. The island’s populations of tigers and other endangered species are under siege by poachers.

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I’ll be posting more good news as the day progresses,

To The Dance of Life!

Found this one in an advertisement………

e·phem·er·on  (ĭ-fěm’ə-rŏn’) noun   (pl. e·phem·er·a or e·phem·er·ons)

A short-lived thing.

***

ephemera- Printed matter of passing interest, like pamphlets, sale tickets, postcards, etc.
From Greek= ephēmeron, mayfly, from neuter of ephēmeros, daily, short-lived; see ephemeral

Source cited: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

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Have you spotted any new words, weird words, funny words lately? Do tell!

Greening your holiday season the easy way

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“Bluefire receives US$ 3.8 million for cellulosic ethanol plant 17.11.2009:

Bluefire Ethanol Fuels Inc. announced that it has received a US$ 3.8 million reimbursement from the US Department of Energy (DOE) for pre-construction activities for its new bioethanol refinery. The refinery will be Bluefire’s second one that can produce bioethanol from cellulosic sources. Currently Bluefire is already under a US$ 40 million DOE grant for the development of the new plant. The plant located in Fulton, Mississippi, will produce approximately 68 million litres of ethanol per year.

The first cellulosic ethanol plant in Lancaster, California, just completed a 20-month licensing process and can produce ethanol from landfill waste.”

-Source Cited: Sun and Wind Energy Magazine

As I’ve been espousing, if we put our minds and money toward renewable energy solutions, we can clean up the planet, still make a dollar and create new jobs for a brighter future.