Jellyfish Outbreaks a Sign of Nature Out of Sync

I knew that we were in trouble when fish prices started going up years ago, and we had to start making fish farms to try and repopulate Salmon and other fish. Now almost 20 years latter the jellyfish are letting us know that there is a real problem not just in Canada but world wide. Over fishing has changed the population of the seas and now jellyfish are taking over. This is not a good thing. I don't know what we are going to be able to do, it is not like we can even replace the number of fish we are already taking out and we are still fishing.


The dramatic proliferation of jellyfish in oceans around the world, driven by overfishing and climate change, is a sure sign of ecosystems out of kilter, warn experts. There is a very good article on this called Jellyfish Outbreaks a Sign of Nature Out of Sync.

For years over fishing has been causing problems in the ecosystem but now that the jellyfish are moving in and causing problems for tourism suddenly we notice.

Rare albino crows spotted in East Vancouver

It is a baby white albino crow. Very odd. Strange things are going on when crows are pure white. There are two baby crows that appear to have a rare genetic mutation that makes them albino. I found the story on the two crows on CBC web site. I guess it is not just wales showing up as albinos these days. I wonder if this is normal or if we have messed up the ecosystem up so badly things are just going haywire?

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Mysterious Rings Found In Canadian Forests

Only seen from the sky, hug rings or circles in the trees. Thousands of large, perfectly round circles. Space ships landed here or are these the same as crop circles only in trees?

No it is believed that the strange circles are being caused by "giant, natural electrochemical cells — big centres of negative charges called reduced chimneys — that are frequently situated over metal or mineral deposits, or methane." It seems finding the circles gives clues that there something worth digging for, possible metal, minerals or more important alternative fuel in the form of methane. With the cost of oil going up alternative fuels are going to be even more valuable resources so I guess it is a good thing someone figured out that the rings may mean dig here. I found the article on the Mysterious Rings Found In Canadian Forests on the CBC web site. It is interesting but I pulled some of the pictures and info for a quick overview. The article is still worth reading though.

An Ontario Geological Survey map of documented forest rings in Northern Ontario. Note that the size of the rings on the map is to show the distribution of different-sized rings, they are not proportional to the map scale. (Courtesy Ontario Geological Survey)



Rings in farmer's fields in Southern Ontario's Essex County, a few kilometres from the Michigan border, formed by oil deposits. (Courtesy Ontario MNR)

The Cheecka Ring is a ring measuring about 1 kilometre in diameter, located 20 km east of Hearst, Ont. Scientists believe it was formed by a natural gas deposit. (Courtesy S. Hamilton, OGS)

The R2 Ring is a 300-metre wide ring located about 40 kilometres south of Hearst, Ont. The geological source of the ring is unknown, but its shape can be clearly seen in this aerial photograph of the forest. (Courtesy S. Hamilton, OGS)

Reduce your water usage now before it become a necessity

Everyone knows that clean water is becoming harder to find. Droughts and pollution are having their effects on our water supply. Soon good clean water that is safe to drink will become a valuable commodity easily competing with oil as one of the more sought after natural resource. As it is in some places we have to pay for the water we use, and can expect the price to increase as water becomes more valuable. I found this wonderful list of “53 easy tips to use less water”, by Alisa Miller. I think it is dead on and worth sharing. It is all common sense but just because it makes sense does not mean we think to do it. I hope this helps reduce the water you use and your water bill. We might as well start now and get use to preserving water before it becomes a necessity. Please take the time to read her very useful list of “53 easy tips to use less water”.

The cost of food is going up, up, and away and there is no end in sight

It is going to get harder and harder to be able to buy food as prices increase. This is a somewhat forgotten side affect of the increase in oil prices. Sure people are saying it is the cost to ship food that is increasing prices. However people are forgetting that most farms these days use a lot of energy and fuel just to run. The price increases in oil, gas, and subsequently everything else must be just about killing the small and large farms. It is not like days long ago when you needed a horse to plant and harvest, and you milked the cows by hand. Everything is pretty much automated or requires specialized heavy-duty equipment. So now it just costs more to grow or raise food, so the end cost of our food goes up a little here.

Then we ship it all over to wholesalers, factories and stores. The shipping has increased in price so the cost of food goes up a little more there. If it needs to be processed or even just sorted the price will go up even more. Sorting and processing is usually done by equipment that uses energy. Very little is done by hand anymore. Even if it was done by hand the cost just to light a sorting or processing area has gone up and the cost gets tacked onto food. I don’t want to even think about the large factories that are full of equipment and machines all designed to reduce the labor force, increase productivity and sucks back energy.

Then things finally make it to the store. Well the store is facing higher costs in shipping and running the store. So food prices go up. To cut some costs they could reduce the air conditioner and lower lights but they will still have an electric bill to deal with. The increase cost has to be covered by increasing the price of food. In the end we are going to be paying more for our food.

Some people might argue that electricity should not be affected by the cost of oil, but it is. Think about just the cost to mine and transport coal, the cheapest source of energy right now. That is going to go up because they use gas. So it is going to be even harder to buy food. You have to spend more on electricity, oil, gas and any retail items. Then with what is left you have to stretch to buy food, which costs more. This is going to hit the poor so badly that the already over stretched food banks may not be able to handle the need.

Tribute to soldiers- Is my Daddy coming home??

This video made me cry. We see solders going to war but we just don’t think about them not coming back. This video made me think about all the people that have left their loved ones to fight. I don’t care what side they are on; I want them all to be able to come home for their families. Maybe it is time we started telling our Governments that enough is enough, lets get our people home, to their families, now. I guess I see things differently then some. Fighting to keep control of oil in someone else’s country is too expensive both in lives, time lost and money. Lets put that money into developing other energy sources and improving the lives of those in our own country, and bring our people home. It is one thing to protect our home and country it is another to be spending all our time, money and lives in a country that does not even want us there.

Why can we not have these soldiers home in time for Fathers Day?

Buy a car get a free gun in Missouri

At first I thought someone had sent me a joke link but no this car dealer is giving away a free gun if you buy a car. Ok, so it is actually a gift certificate for $250.00 at the local gun shop but it is still kind of an odd promotion. Then I realised that this guy knows his market. This was a great incentive for the people to buy the car now instead of latter. This worked for his dealership. His sales increased, he was happy, his customers were happy and so was the gun shop owner. It worked for him.

I cannot say that it would be a marketing strategy I would have thought off, but then I live in Canada and as the article said everyone but and old guy and a Canadian took the gun. They took the gift certicicate for gas. I have to take my hat off for this guy, he did his homework and did a very unique marketing campaign that not only paid off locally but also got his dealership international attention. You cannot pay for advertising like that.

Link to story.