Greetings Earthlings. Sooooo, wasn't THAT a fun year! What will 2011 bring us? More of the same? We do some reflecting and projecting with our favorite roving troubadour, Tom Neilson as well as announce our brand new Enviro Show public service effort: the "Don't Move Politicians More than 50 Miles" campaign! We delve into some of our usual segments like The Enviro Show Echo Chamber, Fool on the Hill, Meet the New Boss and such, but first it’s time for.....Revenge of the Critters! It’s a polar bear-he-go-round!
In our Fool on the Hill segment we have another two-fer: First we learn that "Republicans in the House as a whole want to get rid of the EPA." That's what newly elected Republican Representative Bill Flores said last week on Tea Party Internet Radio. Gosh, those teabaggers must be using an old script. Haven't we been here before? Then we learn the new Repugnican chair of the House Science and Technology Committee, Rep. Ralph Hall of (where else!) Texas sees the BP explosion that killed 11 men, injured dozens, and led to the despoilment of the Gulf of Mexico as a tremendous blossoming flower of energy. Whoa! Flowers! Who knew!!
Our Meet the New Boss segment finds Obama in bed with Bush on the long suffering polar bear. More same old/same old! Barry…err…Barrack’s Dept. of Interior claimed the polar bear did not qualify as “endangered” because it was not “on the brink” of extinction — a standard that is not contained in the Endangered Species Act. Then Sarah Palin’s Alaska got into the act by filing a legal notice to strike down the federal government's designation of a 120-million-acre polar bear reserve along Alaska's northern coast. Does any of this have anything to do with oil? Noooo, where would we get such an idea!
In our E-Valley-uation segment it’s the "Don't Move Politicians More than 50 Miles" campaign! Another Enviro Show first! You may have heard the PSAs about not moving firewood more than 50 miles due to infestation by invasive pests that kill trees, like the Asian Longhorned beetles, yes? But hey! It’s still OK to clearcut forests and ship them off to some far-off biomass incinerator, right? Is there some sort of double standard here? Has our political atmosphere become infested by an alien species? Yes it has, and we’ve got the answer: Don't Move Politicians More than 50 Miles from their Home! Think how much less damage they’ll do if they stay close to home! Think how much more…umm…accessible they will be! And this most excellent continuum: Shut it Down Affinity Group gets busted for the New Year!. Yes, they'll never give up 'til the Vermont Yankee nuke is laid to rest. Excellent way to start the New Year, go Shut it Downers!
In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber here's one of the worst ideas for 2011: wandering biomess robots(and you thought robots run amok was so 20th century). Good news: we find the House and the Senate passed the Shark Conservation Act. This means that shark finning is illegal in the US. AND that Congress actually CAN do its job…now and then. Also this: On Christmas Eve, Whole Foods Market recalled gingerbread houses it sold in 23 states for possible contamination with Staphylococcus aureus. Whoa! Talk about a housing crisis! Just one more reason to shop at your local co-op. Our Enviro Show Blog Bonus? Why it's the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2020! Here's a bad omen to start the New Year: Birds fall from sky in Arkansas. Finally this sad note: Judy Bonds died. Here's an excerpt from Jeff Biggers piece on Huff Po: "She was a tireless, funny, and inspiring orator, and a savvy and brilliant community organizer. She was fearless in the face of threats. As the godmother of the anti-mountaintop removal movement, she gave birth to a new generation of clean energy and human rights activists across the nation. In a year of mining disasters and climate change set backs, she challenged activists to redouble their efforts." Of course,actions down in coal country continue.
"Coal" by The Shovel takes us to our Bus Stop Billboard:
January 3 - 24. Climate Ground Zero's second Winter Action Camp! CGZ is now accepting applications for the camp, scheduled to be held in the coal fields of southern West Virginia. The camp will involve multiple intensive training tracks, such as action team, action media, legal support, and other skills relevant for this campaign and its future actions, as well as for your campaigns back home. Contact: january@climategroundzero.org or 304-854-1937
Saturday, January 8, 10:30am to 2pm. Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A., Turners Falls. Join us the second Saturday of every month for a day of children's activities. Daily activities may include crafts, games, investigations, or outdoor adventures. Call ahead for current program details at (413) 863-3221.
Now until January 6, 9am to 5pm, Exhibit: Glimpses of the Pre-Quabbin Swift River Valley and the Quabbin Reservoir of Today. UMass Science Library, Floor 2, Lederle Lowrise.. For full hours and parking information, call 413-545-1370
Wednesdays January 12 and January 26, 7:30 pm. THE GREEN ZONE: THE ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS OF MILITARISM. Book discussion group in preparation for author Barry Sanders' February 9th Smith College Lecture. Let's discuss this extensively-documented expose on the price our earth is paying for the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. APJ War & Environment Committee. Bodman Lounge, Helen Hills Hills Chapel, Smith College. Contact: martygjf@comcast.net
Saturday, January 15, 7:30 pm. Spook Handy, creator of songs of peace, hope and survival, will perform at the Echo Lake in the town hall, 9 Montague Rd., Leverett, Admittance is $10-$12. For more info: 413-548-9394 or go to www.echolakecoffeehouse.org
Thursday, January 20, 7 – 8:30pm. Celebrate the Arctic National Wildlife refuge’s 50th anniversary. Linda Hickman, will present a program on her guided trip through Alaska, highlighting memorable and noteworthy natural and cultural resources and interesting information. Great Falls Discovery Center. 2 Avenue A., Turners Falls, Ph 413-863-3221
January 28-30. People's Music Winter Gathering 2011. Hartford, Connecticut. The People's Music Network for Songs of Freedom And Struggle, See registration page for additional information at: http://www.peoplesmusic.org
Good ways to start a new year, yes? Next time it's Michael Kellett from the group Restore the North Woods. Until then remember.......listen to your Mother!
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