Always wanted to design a T-Shirt. I kept this simple and and actually googled “The Sky is Failing” to see if anyone had used this phrase…
Always wanted to design a T-Shirt. I kept this simple and and actually googled “The Sky is Failing” to see if anyone had used this phrase. After a quick look I found it turned up only as a typo. I “plan” on more ambitious images as soon as I can figure them out…
I just won the 1st annual Ecologic! photographic contest! / The contest is sponsored by Fujifilm, Casa Hellmund, Owens-Illinois, Cadena Ca…
I just won the 1st annual Ecologic! photographic contest! / The contest is sponsored by Fujifilm, Casa Hellmund, Owens-Illinois, Cadena Capriles, and National Geographic (I think there are a couple more, but I can’t remember). The focus of the contest is of course the ecology and conservation. / The contest received over 900 entries from more than 400 participants from all over Venezuela. / The sponsors have set up a photographic exhibition with the top 20 entries in San Ignacio Mall in Caracas, Venezuela, adittionaly the top 3 images get published in National Geographic (in spanish) magazine which means the images will be seen in all of latin america and Spain. / Each participant was allowed to enter up to 3 images, and 2 of my 3 images made the exhibition, the first place and another which was in the top 17, so you can imagine how happy I am right now! / Not only do I get to have 2 of my images in an exhibition, but I also get my image printed in National Geographic! I have been reading Nat Geo since I was a kid (about 20 years ago) and I always watched with fascination all those wonderful images printed in that magazine. / This is my winning entry / / __________ Acabo de ganar el 1er concurso annual Ecologic! / El concurso esta patrocinado por Fujifilm, Casa Hellmund, Owen-Illinois, Cadena Capriles y National Geographic (creo que hay mas, pero no estoy seguro). El tema del concurso es la ecologia y la conservacion. / El concurso recibio mas de 900 imagenes de mas de 400 participantes de toda Venezuela. / Los patrocinantes han montado una exposición fotográfica de las 20 mejores imagenes en el concurso. La exposicion esta ubicada en la plaza central del centro comercial San Ignacio en Caracas, Venezuela. Adicionalmente las 3 mejores fotos seran publicadas en la revista National Geographic en español, lo cual significa que las imagenes seran vistas en toda Latinoamerica y España. / Cada participante podia ingresar hasta 3 imagenes, y dos de mis tres lograron estar en la exposición; la ganadora del primer lugar y otra que estaba entre las mejores 17, asi que podran imaginarse lo contento que estoy! / No solamente tengo dos de mis imagenes en exhibicion, sino que una de ellas sera publicada en National Geographic! He leido Nat Geo desde que era un niño (hace unos 20 años) y siempre he quedado maravillado con las hermosas fotografias que son publicadas alli. / Para todos los interesados en ver la foto ganadora (y que no viven en Caracas para ir a la exhibicion), esta es la foto: /
Answering the Challenge for Sustainability and Sustainable Development – Presenting the Evolutionary Living Fractal Model *Sensitive…
Answering the Challenge for Sustainability and Sustainable Development – Presenting the Evolutionary Living Fractal Model Sensitive Dependence on Initial Conditions – The Butterfly Effect The challenge to achieve sustainability is a complex problem demanding responses at every level of socio-culture from the individual through to the national level. While environmental and ecological solutions may appear varied and numerous from one point of view, for example in some media, such solutions are lacking from other viewpoints. Conspicuously lacking thus far is any sense that resource allocation and focus might be tending towards optimization of long-term outcomes. So much of the focus, strategy and effort put into environmental and ecological solutions are affected by short and medium-term necessity and compromise. The result is lost opportunity, stymied vision and wasted effort. In contradistinction the tendency towards optimization of solutions and efficiency of outcomes per input might be termed elegance. What if there was a way to achieve elegant optimization of long-term positive outcomes? It certainly sounds inviting, but how achievable is it in reality? Applying basic Chaos Theory this would require a set of finely tuned distinctions for action and understanding in the immediate and short-term. Chaos Theory posits that vastly different outcomes can occur based on sensitive dependence on initial conditions – also known as The Butterfly Effect. One of the big questions then is to ask ourselves: Just what exactly can be done in the finely-tuned immediate present and short-term future that will harness and play upon the Chaotic butterflies of transformation for the long-term elegant outcomes of sustainable futures? From a Chaos perspective we have now clearly, irrevocably and profoundly entered a global systems phase known as The Edge of Chaos. This is characterized by a global systems domain that produces wild oscillations as now evidenced by all the observable sub-systems such as weather, economic, social and political systems. While this may not be for the faint hearted admittedly, it is the rich and fertile area of opportunity. In Chaos Theory it is understood that precisely the time of Chaos – the Edge of Chaos – is when the heightened possibility window opens. These Possibility Windows are generally referred to as Opportunity Windows (popularly known as windows of opportunity). In games these can be exploited by an opposing team. Self-Organising Elegance The Evolutionary Living Fractal Model indicates how and where elegance might be found; what it is and how it can be identified, applied and cultivated. From a Living Systems viewpoint one key element that will deliver elegant leverage towards sustainability is self-organisation. This is a talent and propensity that human beings display in abundance. There are a number of challenges associated with self-organisation. Firstly from governance point of view is that emergent societal movements and designs are often unpredictable. Compounding this is the fact that one of the well documented human talents in this regard is negative self-organisation. The Gordian knot to be unraveled is that it is the notoriously hard to manage qualities of emergence and self-organisation that will deliver – in synergy with what might be termed quantum effects – seemingly miraculous solutions. These are the kinds of solutions that will be required in future for human survival and moreover abundance; maintenance and evolution of standards and a robust ecology. The other factor to be accounted for with regard to leveraging self-organisation is that according to circumstance it may well depend on strategic factors that if ignored present more or less insurmountable problems. Think of trying to herd a group of cats that want to go (self-organise) instead in the opposite direction – a task not well aspected for success. Working with Nature not Against The Evolutionary Living Fractal (ELF) Model is Biomimetic meaning that it is an approach to a complex and difficult problem that mimics, models and leverages living systems to deliver a breakthrough in our insight, understanding and application – in this case for sustainability. The Evolutionary Living Fractal Model can perhaps best and most easily be understood by referencing the living cell. The living cell presents an optimized and elegant model for sustainability at the micro level. This is the result of at least 3.8 billion years of evolution. If any leap of faith is required to believe that there is a corresponding and optimized sustainability factor at the macro level (given the damaging role of the human agent in evolution) then it may be said that through understanding and application of contemporary theoretical frameworks, specifically Living Systems, Chaos and Quantum Theory the corresponding sustainable macro level may be described, demonstrated and applied. The fundamental principle of the Evolutionary Living Fractal Model is based on observation and research of various types of cellular phenomenon. The basic premise is actually very simple. It is that the living cell being the result of 3.8 billion years of evolution presents an optimized model for sustainability at a microscopic level. Congruent with the microscopic cellular system of sustainability is the observable fact of the sustainable and evolutionary capacity of nature’s system at the macro level. The deep questions being tackled via ongoing research into the Evolutionary Living Fractal Model concern how we might apply this cellular principle to issues of sustainability for human beings particularly at the intersection between human socio-cultural and economic development and the rest of the natural kingdoms – which describes broadly the ecological issues we now face. Many interesting answers and conceptual solution resources have presented from research into the Evolutionary Living Fractal Model. For example the author has registered a non-profit called the TreeLovers Picnic to advance the facilitation, among other things, of an evolved EcoVillage concept. In addition the Evolutionary Living Fractal model has very broad and useful spectrum of application.
Greenpeace has bought a piece of land slap bang in the proposed 3rd runway at London Heathrow Airport. Their plan is to make a compulsory…
Greenpeace has bought a piece of land slap bang in the proposed 3rd runway at London Heathrow Airport. Their plan is to make a compulsory purchase of the land as difficult as possible, and so they are looking for as many names as possible to add to the land deeds. Sign up here
I wrote this little piece of information some 40 years ago it may be slightly outdated but the basic information is still the same . I h…
I wrote this little piece of information some 40 years ago it may be slightly outdated but the basic information is still the same . I hope it may help save a few fishes lives when a beginner takes up this Hobby. / The Auld Yin. TROPICAL FISH AND AQUARIUM ECOLOGY AND MAINTENANCE I first began keeping tropical fish in 1950, which led me to studying about the breeding and ecology of these fish and their life in the aquarium. I was involved in this activity until the age of 18 when I joined the Royal Signals where for 2 years I taught teleprinting. After I left the army I resumed my interest and activities with tropical fish. Between this time and my leaving for Australia in 1969 I have managed one shop and opened up three of my own shops. Here I sold and gave information and advice on aquariums, fish breeding and aquarium ecology. On arriving in Australia I commenced work at Nock & Kirby’s, managing the tropical fish department. I also gave regular advice on a Channel 9 weekly “home” program. I subsequently opened a shop in a western Sydney location. / I RECEIVED THIS ACKNOWLEDGMENT FROM DR HERBERT AXELROD FOR THE WORK I HAVE DONE ON AQUARIUM ECOLOGY AND BREEDING WHILST I LIVED IN SCOTLAND. / / / / / / Dr Axelrod taught the first college course on tropical fish at New York University and is now President of TFH Publications, Inc; a multi-million dollar publishing empire. He has traveled extensively all over the world and has been responsible for the introduction of numerous new fish species, many of which have been named in his honour. / TROPICAL FISH FOR THE HOME / Many people not usually interested in pets keep tropical fish tanks in their homes, shops, professional waiting-rooms, or club-rooms because of their sheer beauty and for their soothing therapeutic qualities. With hundreds of varieties of tropical fish to choose from, the beginner may be tempted to buy too many fish or become fascinated by some rare and exotic fish, hoping to feature it in the aquarium. The reason some tropical fish are rare and expensive is that they are extremely difficult to rear. These should be left to the expert, for in inexperienced hands they are a waste of money and the fish suffer needlessly. In a writing of this size it is impossible to write even a few words about all the various tropical fish available, so I will simply list the most attractive, low priced, and hardy varieties suitable for the beginner.I have the title of a good book on fishes listed below. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TROPICAL FISHES With special emphasis on techniques of breeding / By / Dr Herbert R. Axelrod / And / William Vorderwinkler There are two main groups of “easy to keep” tropical fish; the egg-layers and the live-bearers ie. fish which give birth to live young. / Some specialist aquarists have several different tanks, one tank of community fish ie. varieties which live peacefully together. Not all tropical fish make good community fish, as some of them are bullies and damage or kill / Start stocking your tank with egg-layers. Buy a few carefully selected pairs or several pairs of one variety, add more later, and then add some suitable live-bearers after the egg-layers are fully established. / Do not pick fish at random. / Select several varieties of tropical fish which generally swim in different areas of the tank, so that you get an overall colour picture rather than a crowded patch and empty spaces. For example. Zebras and other Danios, among the egg-layers, keep mainly to the top of the tank, and Tetras usually swim in the bottom third of the aquarium. Live-bearers swim as they please anywhere in the tank, and a couple of Catfish will complete the picture as they inhabit the bottom layer of your tank. / Suitable egg-layers for the community tank include Tetras, ( Neons, Glowlights, Serpae and Pretty Tetras) Barbs, Danios, Rasboras and Catfish. / Within limits, the setting up of a community tank is a matter of personal choice, but a guideline in selection for a nicely balanced 60cm aquarium would be twelve pairs of small varieties, including four to six Neon Tetras, four Zebra Danios, and a pair of Serpae to start with. / About one month later, add selected live-bearers, such as two Wagtail Platies or Moon Platies and a pair of Guppies. The latter will have a considerable number of young every six weeks in a well planted tank that is not over crowded. The male Guppies are brilliantly coloured with red, blue, black, green, and gold markings on their bodies. They usually measure just over 25mm at maturity. The female Guppies are olive or golden coloured with tailfin / Mollies Mollienisias are attractive , velvety black tropicals that grow in excess of 40mm long. They have the added attraction of being largely vegetarian in their diet, with a liking for algae. Mollies should not be kept in the same tank as tetras as they prefer slightly alkaline tank water, which does not suit the Tetras ( though few people take notice of this ). / Labyrinth Fish, so called because they have a cavity in their head with a labyrinth of fine veins for breathing, breathe at the surface for most of their oxygen instead of from the water, and are therefore, excellent community fish. The most popular of these Labyrinth Fish is the Gourami, and the beginner can certainly put a pair of Dwarf Gouramies in the tank once the original stock has settled in. Add four Harlequins to your aquarium and you should have a display of community fish living in ideal conditions; not overcrowded yet filling the tank with colour and activity. Some careful thought should be given before introducing the glamorous Angel Fish into a small tank with other fish. One reason for this is that they grow rather large compared with the average tropical community fish and, being showy, tend to detract from the other fish. / More importantly, there is no guarantee that they will get on with the smaller fish. Putting an Angel Fish into a community tank is rather like introducing a new cat to the house where there is a dog (or a new dog where there is a cat). The animals may get on well together, but they are unlikely to do so unless you buy a baby kittten of baby puppy, which does not arouse the jealousy of the other animal, while a very watchful eye should be kept on both animals in early days. The same rules apply to Angel Fish and other similar fish that are likely to attack the smaller species. If you are determined to have a pair in your community tank, buy them when they are young and relatively small, and watch carefully to see how they get on with the rest of the fish in the tank. At the first sign of trouble, take them out immediately and put them in a different tank. / An unusual and useful tropical fish is the strange looking Catfish, which spends most of its time grubbing along the tank bed searching for bits of food. It has two barbels (see illustration) / / or feelers, below the mouth, and can be had in a range of markings. It is an excellent bottom feeder. (Catfish are not scavengers in the true sense, but eat food generally off the bottom. They can only eat what they can). / As stated earlier, a beginner should stick to the simpler egg-layers and live-bearers, both for his of her sake and for that of the fish. However, once you have successfully kept and bred these fish you may like to try your hand with the fascinating breeding of egg-scatterers and bubble-nest-builders. Study the matter very carefully before moving into this specialized field, for it is difficult, and no one wants to spend money on unsuccessful breeding or to destroy fish needlessly. I would advise anyone who keeps fish as a hobby to join the local aquarium society. For a small annual fee, you can attend meetings to hear interesting lectures and get much valuable advice from the “old hands”. FEEDING FRESHWATER FISH Tropical fish are not as greedy as goldfish, but they need to eat more frequently as they live in warmer water and they should be fed three to five times daily with minute quantities of varied foods. As they mature, two to three meals will suffice, although there is no harm in keeping up the frequency of feeding. (I feed my fish every time I pass the aquarium if they are interested). / The amount fed at one meal should be very limited; you should frop a few grains of food into the tank, wait until it is eaten - usually a matter of seconds - repeat the dose, wait again, and so on, until you think the fish have had enough. Do not overfeed. The stomach of such a small fish is tiny. (Remember any food still in the aquarium after a few seconds will start to be leached by the water of any nourishment. Try to eat a biscuit under water before it dissolves! It’s pretty impossible.//// It is impossible). / Normally, fish do not starve to death unless completely neglected for a very long time. In fact, they can occasionally be left for week without feeding if their conditions are as nearly ideal as humanly possible. / Just pouring food into the tank and leaving the fish to “get on with it” can only lead to rapid overeating, causing constipation in the fish, and to pollution of the water by waste food. / Regular foods should include one of the many reputable commercial staple foods (flake food), conditioning diets, nourishing diets, frozen brine shrimp, frozen tubifex worms, and maybe some of the freeze dried foods. / Some fish are largely vegetarian and these are catered for with prepared vegetable foods available at most pet shops. Mollies, the most popular of vegetarians, should be kept where algae grows freely. They also like finely chopped boiled spinach for a change. / / RULE 1. FISH WILL ONLY EAT WHAT THEY CAN. / RULE 2. FISH WILL EAT AS MANY TIMES AS YOU CAN FEED THEM. / RULE 3. YOU CAN FEED THEM AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT. / RULE 4. ANY FOOD IN EXCESS OF WHAT THEY CAN EAT IMMEDIATELY WILL ADD UP AND FOUL THE AQUARIUM. / RULE 5. IN REAL LIFE, FISH BROWSE ALL DAY DURING DAYLIGHT. TRY TO COPY THIS IF YOU CAN. / RULE 6. FISH WILL THRIVE ON A VARIETY OF LIVE AND DRY FOODS AND WILL ALSO BROWSE ON PLANTS AND ALGAE. / RULE 7. REMEMBER, YOU CAN ALWAYS ADD MORE FOOD TO THE AQUARIUM BUT IT IS DIFFICULT TO EXTRACT FOOD WHEN TOO MUCH IS GIVEN AT THE ONE TIME. / RULE 8. FEED FREQUENTLY AND FISH WILL THRIVE . IF YOU DO NOT THEY WILL ONLY SURVIVE (MAYBE)? / RULE 9. THIS FEEDING ADVICE IS TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH PROPER MAINTENANCE . / RULE 10 AND FINAL RULE. IT IS THE FISH THAT NEED THE NOURISHMENT OUT OF THE FOOD NOT THE AQUARIUM. / / THE INITIAL SET UP WILL TAKE FIVE WEEKS TO ATTAIN THE PROPER NITRATE—NITRITE CYCLE. / SOME OF THE WATER SHOULD BE CHANGED WEEKLY. THE AMOUNT CHANGED SHOULD BE ONE FIFTH OF THE TOTAL VOLUME. THIS AMOUNT SHOULD BE SIPHONED FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE AQUARIUM AGITATING THE GRAVEL LAYER TO ACCESS SURPLUS DEBRIS. THIS AGITATION SHOULD BE DONE AFTER THE FIFTH WEEK AND DONE WITH EACH WATER CHANGE . / THIS AGITATION SHOULD NOT BE DONE IN WELL ESTABLISHED AQUARIUMS AS THE BUILD UP OF GASES MAY BE TOO MUCH TO RELEASE INTO THE AQUARIUM WATER; THAT IS TO SAY IF THIS ESTABLISHED AQUARIUM HAS NOT HAD THE GRAVEL AREA DISTURBED SINCE THE INITIAL SETUP. / This posting is only a small beginning in the proper maintenance of a Home Aquarium. I hope it helps those who require help and encourages others more / experienced to do the same. A little help to beginners goes a long way. / Alex Gardiner aka The Auld Yin.
George Monbiot cares about Planet Earth. He writes about his concerns Here...
George Monbiot cares about Planet Earth. He writes about his concerns Here
Content / My work is inspired by the natural world. Its beauty and its cruelty. Its hostility and its hospitality. Its paradoxes and its c…
Content / My work is inspired by the natural world. Its beauty and its cruelty. Its hostility and its hospitality. Its paradoxes and its contrasts. When looking at nature, one can’t help but see its destruction at the hands of humans. It is virtually impossible to find unspoiled nature. Our planet’s ecological balance has been severely compromised, and phenomena such as global warming and the deterioration of the ozone layer affect every inch of the planet. I feel strongly that each of us must use the tools at our disposal to preserve and restore the natural world. As an artist, I employ visual language to address these issues with the goal of awakening interest and inspiring my audience to action. To learn more about each series’ subject in order to better understand and communicate its essence. Those who cannot be reached by depressing news about the dire state of our world may be reached by images of its beauty (Ansel Adams successfully showed this) and the threat imposed on it. Art has the power to make one see things in a new light. It allows us to develop a love for places and things that we would otherwise not have noticed, or thought of as ugly or boring. It helps us discover the beauty of the ocean floor, the dirt or alluvial mud that is bog, the bark of a tree. / Approach / Rather than re-creating a landscape on a canvas, I aim to express its essence. Obviously, no single work can hope to distill the complex spirit of a landscape, much less the infinitely sophisticated ecology that sustains it. So, in order to capture this richness, I work on a large number of paintings concurrently. This allows me to transport strong elements and effective techniques from one piece to the next. Each multi-layered rendering shares some details with the other works in the series. The overlap of elements enriches each individual expression and deepens the cohesion within the series. Ultimately, each piece captures some fragment of the landscape’s power until the larger body of work coalesces to express its deepest essence.
I have just created my first Red Bubble calendar. It features some of the best images I have produced this year including dragonflies, bu…
I have just created my first Red Bubble calendar. It features some of the best images I have produced this year including dragonflies, butterflies and other natural things. It is designed to soothe the soul and lift the spirits; take a look; I think you’ll like it.
Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more…
Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Copy the instructions into your own note, send it along to how ever many people you like, and be sure to tag the person who tagged you. 1. The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry / 2. I Heard the Owl Call My Name, by Margaret Craven / 3. Hope for the Flowers, by Trina Paulus / 4. The Tao te Ching, by Lao Tzu / 5. The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame / 6. The Violin, by Anne Rice / 7. Steppenwolf, by Herman Hesse / 8. The Edge of the Sea, by Rachel Carson / 9. The Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison / 10. She’s Come Undone, by Wally Lamb / 11. Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn / 12. Guns, Germs, and Steel, by Jared Diamond / 13. Dumbing Us Down, by John Taylor Gatto / 14. Cambodian Odyssey, by Haing S. Ngor / 15. A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini
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