Out of the spur of the moment upon finishing my previous blog detailing forests, I remembered Prop. 48. The proponents of Prop. 48 are to build a 2,000 acre casino outside established reservations such as North Fork tribe.

▪" The compact will start a run on “reservation shopping” – tribes building casinos away from their land – and there are enough casinos in California."

And I couldn't have said it better myself!

 "We have a historical connection to the Madera site," said Tribal Chairwoman Elaine Bethel-Fink. "That's not 'reservation shopping.' That's 'reservation restoration,' with the full cooperation and agreement of local, state and federal partners." -Tribal Chairwoman Elaine Bethel-Fink

more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/election/article3026510.html#storylink=cpy

Critical Ecosystems

There are actually a lot of endangered forests around the world, even to ones I was not aware about.
So I'll list a few of them, their origins and what's at stake.

1. Eastern Afromontane

Geologically created by volcanic mountains, a remarkable 617 species are found in this forest. Unfortunately there are 11% of the habitat that remains.


2. Indian Ocean Islands

The devastation of logging on trees and only 10% of unique habitat is left. Logging and mining are big threats for it destroys ecosystems.











3. California Floristic Province
Dun dun dun. Yes, even in our beautiful golden state we suffer the same fate as others. Home to the most outstanding sequoias and redwoods suffers from pollution, road construction and urban areas.

4. Atlantic Forest 

Running all the way through Brazil's Atlantic coast to Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, there are 20,000 plant species left and over two dozen critically endangered species (lion tamarins, sugar and coffee plantations) 

5. Indo-Burma

With floodplains and rivers, it is essential for birds and fish. However, it is being destroyed by draining for wet rice cultivation. The rivers have been dammed in able to generate electricity making aquatic ecosystems at large risk. 

Remember that animal you loved when you were little, and perhaps you still do, well you can adopt your favorite animal!

From polar bears to tigers to elephants! And of course many more to choose from.
The adoptions range from $20-250 and your contribution will help your animal, whether they are on the verge of extinction or to receive proper care with protection.

I think it is awesome! Who wouldn't be proud to say you adopted a bald eagle or monarch butterfly!
You can even adopt a baby animal too!

I might just adopt a Emperor penguin or a panda


To adopt or to just browse, the link is provided below :)
http://www.shopnwf.org/Adoption-Center/index.cat

Leo is the Man

The ever so gorgeous Leonardo DiCaprio is not only an amazing actor but an activist.

DiCaprio in his documentary film, "The 11th Hour",
features solutions on how to restore Earth's ecosystem. 

I first came about being aware of all the wonderful things Leonardo has done and supports when he and Al Gore made a brief speech during the Academy Awards on global warming. The following is his speech that he addressed on September 23rd about climate change. It look like a lot of reading but trust me, this man is brilliant and is passionate about our dearest Mother Earth. Read for yourself:

"As an actor, I pretend for a living. I play fictitious characters often solving fictitious problems.

I believe humankind has looked at climate change in that same way: as if it were a fiction, happening to someone else’s planet, as if pretending that climate change wasn’t real would somehow make it go away.

But I think we know better than that. Every week, we’re seeing new and undeniable climate events, evidence that accelerated climate change is here now. We know that droughts are intensifying; our oceans are warming and acidifying, with methane plumes rising up from beneath the ocean floor. We are seeing extreme weather events, increased temperatures, and the west Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets melting at unprecedented rates, decades ahead of scientific projections.

None of this is rhetoric, and none of it is hysteria. It is fact. The scientific community knows it, industry and governments know it, even the United States military knows it. The chief of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Locklear, recently said that climate change is our single greatest security threat.

My friends, this body — perhaps more than any other gathering in human history — now faces that difficult task. You can make history…or be vilified by it.

To be clear, this is not about just telling people to change their light bulbs or to buy a hybrid car. This disaster has grown beyond the choices that individuals make. This is now about our industries and governments around the world taking decisive, large-scale action.

I am not a scientist, but I don’t need to be. Because the world’s scientific community has spoken, and they have given us our prognosis: If we do not act together, we will surely perish.

Now is our moment for action.

We need to put a price tag on carbon emissions and eliminate government subsidies for coal, gas, and oil companies. We need to end the free ride that industrial polluters have been given in the name of a free-market economy. They don’t deserve our tax dollars — they deserve our scrutiny. For the economy itself will die if our ecosystems collapse.

The good news is that renewable energy is not only achievable but good economic policy. New research shows that by 2050, clean, renewable energy could supply 100 percent of the world’s energy needs using existing technologies, and it would create millions of jobs.

This is not a partisan debate; it is a human one. Clean air and water and a livable climate are inalienable human rights. And solving this crisis is not a question of politics. It is our moral obligation — if, admittedly, a daunting one…

We only get one planet. Humankind must become accountable on a massive scale for the wanton destruction of our collective home. Protecting our future on this planet depends on the conscious evolution of our species.

This is the most urgent of times, and the most urgent of messages.

Honored delegates, leaders of the world, I pretend for a living.

But you do not. The people made their voices heard on Sunday around the world, and the momentum will not stop. And now it’s your turn. The time to answer the greatest challenge of our existence on this planet…is now.

I beg you to face it with courage. And honesty. Thank you."

Transcript from the 2014 U.N. Climate Summit, September 23, 2014.



This just makes me more appreciative. Not a lot of actors intend to do any type of charity organizations, yet he is very passionate about it, even has his own foundation. http://leonardodicaprio.com/~birkleo/index.php?option=com_webcontent&view=article&layout=item&cid=3&Itemid=138

And this is the home page:

DiCaprio is an advocate for climate change as well as helping endangered species. I follow him on instagram (@leonardodicaprio for those that want to follow) and his profile is consisted of giving awareness of either wildlife or simply reposts from National Geographic, which I think is really cool!

The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has donated $1 million dollars to protect wild elephants from current ivory poaching, something that has been increasing over the decades.

from his website http://leonardodicaprio.com/~birkleo/index.php?option=com_webcontent&view=article&layout=item&cid=3&Itemid=138#363

If you thought that was humane enough, DiCaprio plans to also commit to $3 million dollars to protect sharks and marine mammals.

DiCaprio advocates to protect tigers from extinction, save rain forests, and protect Antarctica. 

To be a full time actor and still devote to helping the planet is so fascinating. So kudos to you Leonardo DiCaprio. Saving the world one step at a time. 

DiCaprio during 2014 UN Climate Speech
http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/oct/08/afflect-dicaprio-white-male-celebrity-activist

Sign petitions to protect wildlife on his website!

Captivity in a Pool

You applaud at amazement at the tricks and huge splashes as it is being fed a small treat for its obedience and retrieves back to it's kiddy pool only to be squished with no opened space.  An orca is held hostage in captivity for amusement with no guarantee of ever being freed back to the ocean and we are to blame for this. Is your 30 minutes of entertainment worth an orca's life?
Orcas belong in the wild. Period. Humanity sucks. I came across the documentary Blackfish after I saw the media wanting to boycott theme parks like SeaWorld to set the creatures free so I was intrigued right away. For those that have not seen the psychological film, *Spoiler Alert* shows the scary truth of negligence towards the orcas and ultimately the revenge with mankind. The film stretches a history of captivity with these mammals of 39 years following with the story of SeaWorld trainer, Dawn Brancheau, who was killed by the 12,000 lb orca, Tilikum.

To apply this to a spectrum:

A killer whale's life span is 30-60 years and for those in captivity it is an astonishing nine years.

Then there's the collapse dorsal fin. During the film, SeaWorld trainers claimed that this condition is common, however, in the wild it has not happened. The collapsed dorsal fin can be due to unlikely having any room to swim and/or an unhealthy diet.

mommyhoodtohollywood.com

Let's not get started with the tanks. I can't stress this enough but to a killer whale, they are living in a bathtub. There is not enough room.

  "I think 12 feet [3.7 meters] is the minimum depth requirement [for the pools]. Tilikum [the whale featured in Blackfish that killed Dawn Brancheau] is 22 feet [6.7 meters] long. Kai was pushing 20 feet [6.1 meters]. They need more space." says former SeaWorld trainer, Bridgette Pirtle. 

http://www.earthintransition.org/2013/02/a-tale-of-two-tanks//

Orcas are social animals and have strong family bonds which make them work collaboratively as a team and swim in pods. In captivity, there hardly are none due to members constantly being departed and transferred to other marine parks. Since they are forced to live with other units, they may not speak the same language, causing anxiety and tension. Not to mention the poor dental and dietary they face. 

"Captive orcas routinely show damaged dentition, primarily broken and worn teeth with the pulp exposed. This is in contrast to wild orcas: many show little or no tooth wear, while those who do tend to specialize in prey with abrasive morphology. Broken teeth in wild orcas are rare." says David Neiwert.

Now for my two cents; relatively speaking on Tilikum, it is already too late for him. Tilikum, if freed, won't be able to adapt let alone survive in the wild for he was taken at the age of two, there is no experience on hunting and no family for him to roam about with. Tilikum shows unnatural behavior. Not being able to have any interaction with others, Tilikum hardly ever moves in his pool and sometimes is captured motionless floating on the water.  

This behavior is a sign of mental illness as some marine mammal scientist depict. Captive orcas are essentially couch potatoes which is inequivalent to those in the wild that are very active. I'm hoping that we have the opportunity to boycott SeaWorld and other marine parks that capture and destroy the lives of these beautiful creatures. Though it is essential to free them, many won't be able to adapt well in the wild, like Tilikum. Unfortunately, Tilikum is there to stay but will set a primarily example of the consequences of captivity and essentially the killings of trainers. We set this upon ourselves. 

There has not been a report of a killer whale killing a human in the wild, they're actually friendly and curious :)

So the main concept of this blog entry is one: go see Blackfish if you haven't already. And two: do not encourage an orca's captivity by seeing them at any marine theme park.

I'm planning to see them but in the wild, I believe the view is a lot more better. 

Wacky Weather

For those keeping up with the northeast, there has been a blizzard! It was reported to be biggest snow storm for the record books.

The storm is cause hazardous travel within the areas of Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and across southern New England.

Photo credit: Jim Young
A man walks around Lake Michigan February 2, 2015

It is the second storm that the northeast has to face in less than a week, forcing to delay a parade celebration in Boston for the Superbowl win, and left more than a foot of snow.
The National Weather Service warned residents to stay indoors and avoid the dangerous wind chills.

Now I've been to New York on its coldest and windiest days and it was unbearable, it even snowed on my last day of the trip. Picturing Times Square plummeted with snow that its streets and billboards are hardly visible is daunting.

New York City covered in a white blanket of snow

I would have loved to have been there to take breathtaking photos as did some photojournalists throughout the storm and will continue their coverage for the next upcoming blizzard. 

Now to talk about a storm hitting home: Pineapple Express

"California drought: Big storm on the way for Northern California"

as titled in the San Jose Mercury News by Paul Rogers, seems very intimidating (at least for me, it definitely caught my attention) now many can recall the first storm, or as meteorologist refer as the "Pineapple Express" due to the storm coming off the coast of Hawaii where pineapples grow. But in seriousness, it brings southwest winds to the Pacific Northwest with warm, moisture air. This produces extensive days of heavy rain, flooding, and very wet people.

What to expect:

• Storm to hit Thursday evening 
• expected to be 1 to 3 inches of rain
• heaviest in Santa Cruz mountains
• flooding

Source: San Jose Mercury News

I'm actually very excited for this storm, I'm always intrigued for what Mother Nature can bring, especially since California needs as much water as it can get!
So for those able to read this post prior to Thursday, stay dry!