Saturday, January 9, 2010

A Troubled Little Blue Planet


Our little blue planet called Earth is dying. Its atmosphere has more toxins in it today than in its whole history combined. (Disregard natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions, and flying objects from space.) The mighty oceans have as much junk in them as the atmosphere, and our fresh water supplies are dwindling and dirty. Real trouble is within sight for little blue.
What is to blame for the poisoning of this unique little blue planet? Human beings are the culprit that’s who. Everyone of us is to blame for the wonton destruction of our only home in the cosmos and I see very few really care enough to demand change. Some say or think that it matters nothing to them because they’ll be long gone by the time earth is so messed up. Such ignorant foolishness you sometimes can’t believe what you are hearing. May the almighty have mercy on them.

Earth is estimated to be over 4.5 billions years old. “Halfway through its existence according to many scientist” Modern humans have lived on earth 100,000 years, (give or take) If you think about that for a moment figure time length of earths age as a clock with the minute hand going around once, “60 minutes” and call that 4.5 billion years. Human time on the clock would turn out to be a one second tick or less. That’s it! We have not been on this planet all that long when you compare our time here to earths long history.

As a species we have caused more damage than could be imagined in such little amount of time. The majority of damage we have caused started in the beginning of the industrial revolution right to today. What the future holds at the present rate looks something like this. By 2020, or sooner, long gas lines will appear at the pump. Remember the fuel crises back in the 1970’s? You either waited in a line for hours and later had to fuel up on odd - even days determined by the last digit on your license plate. At today’s rate of consumption there will be lines unimaginable. Violence will certainly erupt and fingers will be pointed. Soon greed will take place, riots will begin, and many will certainly die. There will be no end to it until the gasoline eventually runs out or can’t be reached without spending billions for a few barrels.

All the easy to get oil has been tapped, and now it’s harder to produce because the deeper into the earths crust we must go and that’s becoming way too expensive. It’s happening right now as we speak. Water that is now cheap and taken for granted will become expensive and very little of it. People will not have enough clean water to drink. There is not enough to drink now so what’s down the road. Plants to remove salt from sea water are a good idea but costly. Still it would be a worthwhile investment and a reasonable option.

Greenhouse gases are warming the planet and in the next 100 years oceans will rise 4 to 6 feet inundating major coastal cities around the world. Say adios to New York, London, Tokyo, Miami, and hundreds more. It would cost in the trillions to build massive sea walls to save these cities. Hundreds of times more than it would cost to do what must be done today. All this because the glaziers and polar ice caps have melted away thanks to the tons of emissions pumped in our atmosphere everyday from fossil fuels. Drought, famine, and disease, as well as the collapse of governments around the world including the United States Government. We could go on and on with what can happen but you should get the picture.

Not in our neighborhood! That’s the cry you hear from many people when they find out that there’s an idea to build a solar power plant or wind farm in their area. The main excuses are that they are unsightly and take up too much space. Well so to do junkyards, landfills, abandoned neighborhoods in such cities like Detroit but you hear little whining about all that. Attitudes must change and renewable energy must be embraced for the good of us all and our planet. We and all living things on this world are close to going over the edge, and the edge is in sight. We have not given ourselves much of a choice.

We have to put aside our petty differences and get this right and we must move fast. Without a doubt time has nearly run out. Join the cause to help save our planet. Sacrifices must be made but they won’t hurt. Instead of buying the latest fashionable shoes, another bottle of booze, or that long shot lottery ticket, how about donating that few extra bucks once in a while to research and development of renewable energy such as geothermal energy, solar energy, wind power, or biomass fuels.

The human population on Earth today is well over 6 billion people. At the present growth rate by 2050 that figure will reach close to 10 billion. We can not even properly feed the people in the world today so how in gods name are we ever going to feed a near 10 billion in thirty to forty years from now. Population must be checked and it’s growth must be slowed considerably. This little blue planet can not support so many of one species. Incentives must be made throughout the world by governments and churches to encourage families to have fewer children. Programs must be enacted and carried out. Gone should be the days of prosper and multiply. Prosper YES multiply NO.
If the world population is allowed to grow uncontrollably then no matter how much we try to stabilize our environment sickness and starvation will be a fact. There is just not enough room and colonization on another planet like ours is in the long distant future if at all. These are the scenarios seen if we all don’t commit to change. Being an optimist in the faith of human ingenuity, common sense, and gods will, we will clean up this planet, check our population rate, and live healthy, happy, prosperous lives. The sands in the hour glass have nearly run out and we must turn it back over. It all depends on us to save our little blue planet.


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Friday, January 8, 2010

Ice Fishing Contests

Ice fishing contests offer prizes for the largest fish caught within a limited time period, many offer a prize for the biggest fish caught as well. In Michigan, USA, "Tip-Up Town, USA" can bring 40,000 people out onto Houghton Lake for festivities which include ice fishing, snowmobiling, snow sculpting and fireworks. In Wisconsin the Bass Lake Ice Fishing Contest is an annual ice fishing contest held each February with a prize payout of over $50,000 and 100% of the proceeds are donated to charity.
Forest Lake, MN is host to a contest which was once regarded as the largest ice fishing contest in the world. In its heyday, 12,000 anglers would compete for trucks, boats and at one point even $100,000 cash prize. In 2008 Forest Lake's newest contest called Fishapalooza, paid out over $185,000 in cash and prizes and raised over $30,000 for local charities.
The current world's largest contest is held on Gull Lake, north of Brainerd, MN, in January of each year. The contest has over 15,000 anglers and drills over 20,000 holes for the contest.
In Finland, ice fishing contests have been marred by repeated scandals, where both contestants and organizers have been caught cheating. Contestants have smuggled previously caught and frozen fish with them. Organizers have awarded the prizes to shills, not really participating in the competition, to avoid paying prizes.

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Thursday, January 7, 2010

The Beginnings of Skiing

Pre-historic Nordic people and Samis invented skiing to assist hunting, military maneuvers, and as transportation for themselves. The oldest and most accurately documented evidence of skiing origins is found in modern day Norway and Sweden. The earliest primitive carvings circa 5000 B.C. depict a skier with one pole, located in the Nordland region of Norway.
The first anceint ski was found in a peat bog in Hoting, Sweden which dates back to 2500 or 4500 B.C. Joel Berglund reported in 2004 the discovery of a primitive ski, or "85cm long piece of wood", carbon tested by researchers in 1997 while excavating a Norse settlement near Nanortalik, Greenland. The primitive ski dated back to 1010, and is thought to be Greenland's oldest ski brought by Norsemen circa 980 A.D.

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Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Ice Fishing Dangers

Many fishermen will go out with 2.5 inches of good ice for walking, but the recommended is 4 inches, 5–6 inches for Sleds (Snow Machines, Snowmobiles) 7–12 for light cars and 14–16 inches for full sized trucks. Care must be taken, because sometimes ice will not form in areas with swift currents, leaving open areas which freeze with much thinner ice. On the Great Lakes, off-shore winds can break off miles-wide pans of ice stranding large numbers of fishermen. Just such a circumstance occurred in Lake Erie in February '09, with 100 fisherman having to be rescued by helicopters, local authorities and the Coast Guard, and one man who'd fallen into the water dying on the rescue flight.

Late-winter warm spells can destroy the texture of the ice, which, while still of the required thickness, will not adequately support weight. It is called "rotten ice" or soft ice and is exceedingly dangerous. Some ice-fishermen will continue to fish, since even with the bad ice normally 8 inches is more than enough. Fisherman may carry a self-rescue device made of two spiked handles connected by a string to pull themselves out of the water and onto the ice.
Many cars, trucks, SUVs, snowmobiles, and fish houses fall through the ice each year. Current environmental regulations require the speedy recovery of the vehicle or structure in this situation. Divers must be hired, and when the trouble occurs far from shore, helicopters may be employed for hoisting.
Other risks associated with ice fishing include carbon monoxide poisoning from fish house heaters and frostbite due to prolonged exposure to wind and low temperatures, although most new houses are fitted with air exchange systems that allow air flow preventing poisoning. http://wldtky44.com

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Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Modern Ice Fishing Today

Ice fishing methods have changed very much over the past 20 years. The name of the game today is mobility, for today’s ice fishermen. The days of drilling one hole and hoping a fish will swim by, are starting to fade.
With sonar and fast augers the majority fisherman will drill upwards of 100 holes in a single day, in the search for fish. When the fish stop biting, fishermen will move to the next hole check it with their sonar, and if there are no fish they keep moving till more fish are found.
Mobility increases the catch of any ice fishermen because you move to where the fish are. This is the same concept practiced by summer fishermen.


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Monday, January 4, 2010

Madison River Recovered From Whirling Disease

Madison River Recovered From Whirling Disease Montana

Rainbow trout are on the comeback on the Madison River the world-class fishing stream where Montana's first known outbreak of whirling disease happened about 16 years ago, nearly destroying the rainbow trout living in the river.

In the 1990s, whirling disease cut the rainbow trout population by 90 percent compared to levels taken in the 1960's and 1970's. After a series of rebounding years rainbows under 10 inches have pretty well recovered to levels before the outbreak and the population of larger trout is about 60 percent of what it was before the disease, said Dick Vincent former whirling disease coordinator for the Montana Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks.

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Sunday, January 3, 2010

Skiers Did You Know

Most skiers know, scratches and gouges impair maneuverability of skies. You can easily repair a small gouge in the plastic base of a downhill ski by using a polyethylene repair candle and a soldering iron or propane torch. However, if your skies have deep gouges that penetrate the core, have them fixed ar a ski repair shop.

Using a knife or old screw driver, remove all traces of wax and dirt. Then carefully heat the area around the gouge by passing a soft torch flame over it or by holding a soldering iron close to the area.

Once the plastic around the gouge is soft, use a torch or soldering iron to melt a polyethylene repair candle. Fill the gouge with candle drippings while keeping the whole area warm. Slightly overfill the gouge. Let the material cool and harden; use a flexible putty knife to scrape the patch flush with the base.
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Careful on the ice

The ponds are freezing up. Ice fisherman, hockey players, and casual ice skaters are all heading out to enjoy the ice. Before heading out be sure the ice is safe. It is not worth taking chances so if you have the slightest doubt then trust your instincts. Make 2010 a safe year.
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Great North Kingdom, Vermont, United States
Outdoor sportsman and guide. Travelling all over North America to the most beautiful places on earth.

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