aqueous transmission

escape (driving to heaven)

16B feat. Morel

mindful walking:

• How bringing meditation techniques into your daily walks can keep you well grounded. [canadianliving.com]

Yoga for beginners:

• How to get started with yoga and meditation [canadianliving.com]

health tips

• Drinks that pack on the pounds [lifestyle/sympatico]
• 10 tips for healthy eating on a budget [lifestyle/sympatico]

a break in the clouds

main mix (james holden)

spellbound

ouwaah kaw

check out these photographs on zoe's blog,

ouwaah news: polar bears

Science Matters column by David Suzuki with Faisal Moola.

Polar bears walking on thin ice

Last week, the U.S. government listed the polar bear as a threatened species under its Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Interior Department made the decision under pressure, including legal petitions, from environmental organizations. Its reluctance to legally protect the species is evident in the caveats it has placed on the listing, most notably limiting the implications for U.S. climate-change policy. Nevertheless, the ruling does give polar bears more protection in the U.S. than in Canada.

Despite similar pressure from conservation groups in Canada, and despite recommendations from the federal government’s own committee of experts on endangered wildlife, little has been done to acknowledge the precarious position of the polar bear in this country. In April, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assessed the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) as a species of "special concern" - which is one step below a "threatened" listing and two steps below "endangered" - but the government has not yet listed it as such under the federal Species at Risk Act. The bear was also assessed as "special concern" in 1991, 1992, and 2002, but in 2005, the federal government referred the issue back to COSEWIC for a reassessment. The lesser designation is to reflect the fact that the species was evaluated as a whole; although the decline of some populations has been well studied, other polar bear populations aren’t yet showing declines.

The bear is protected to some extent under provincial law: Manitoba, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador have all listed it under provincial endangered species acts.

Thirteen of the world’s 19 distinct polar bear populations - or 15,000 of the Arctic’s 20,000 to 25,000 bears - live in Canada, with 12 of those populations living a least partly in Nunavut. Studies have found that numbers for five populations are declining. But the factors in those declines - including melting ice flows caused by global warming, habitat loss, overhunting of some populations, increased shipping traffic and oil and gas exploration, and persistent organic pollutants - may put other populations at risk as well.

Although Canada’s Environment Minister, John Baird, acknowledged the role of global warming in commenting on the U.S decision, both the current government and the previous Liberal government have been dragging their feet on the issues of global warming and polar bear protection.

The U.S. government took pains to ensure the polar bear’s new legal status is not used to address the main cause of the problem. According to the New York Times, U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said it would be "wholly inappropriate" to use the listing to deal with greenhouse gases that cause global warming. That, despite his admission that "the decision was driven by overwhelming scientific evidence that ‘sea ice is vital to polar bears’ survival,’ and all available scientific models show that the rapid loss of ice will continue."

Minister Baird has at least come around to expressing concern about the link. "Let’s be clear that there's no doubt that global warming is a major factor and a major concern in this," Minister Baird told the Vancouver Sun after the U.S. announcement. "It’s not just global warming, but it’s human-induced global warming which is what we need to take action on."

The international community has also flagged global warming as a major threat to the survival of polar bears. On listing the polar bear as a "vulnerable" species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature stated: "Due to their long generation time and the current greater speed of global warming, it seems unlikely that polar bear will be able to adapt to the current warming trend in the Arctic. If climatic trends continue polar bears may become extirpated from most of their range within 100 years."

With global warming opening up northern seaways to more shipping and oil and gas exploration, the federal government must do more to protect polar bear habitat, on land and at sea.

COSEWIC’s recommendation that the polar bear be listed as "special concern" under the Species at Risk Act will go to government in August. Although a listing of "threatened" would lead to better protection, the "special concern" listing would at least require the federal government to prepare a management plan that identifies key threats and the means to address them. Provincial and territorial protection is a patchwork approach; a national vision is needed. Minister Baird must ensure that a management plan does more than outline plans for monitoring and research. It must also addresses the root of the problem by finding more ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Until this occurs, the polar bear will remain on thin ice.

Take David Suzuki's Nature Challenge and learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.

[so why now and not before?]

tides ripperton remix

still luv listening to this track

human tetris

this looks like fun kaw. lol

a part of our heritage

when name calling isn't swearing

update

Haven't posted anything lately, been busy nursing an injury. All is good now. So Springtime is here, almost all of the snow has melted away. Just came from the gym,/ the cardio workout cleared my mind completely so... don't really have anything in mind to blog about.... for the time being.

Peace out, and gonna share a lil' sumthin' sumthin'/

next top model

my random thoughts of the moment

Attaining wisdom through all the filth makes ya wonder why you dived into it in the first place. There's a lesson hidden within every mistake and without acknowledgment of your fuck ups - what's the point of learning and growing?

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Fear is just an emotional obstacle, in which I believe everyone has the ability to overcome and conquer. I'd rather be Fierce than fearful; its the only way to blaze through this BullShit/Darkness and into the Truthful/Light.

dab iiyiyuu diva glam: thigh high boots

Ooo, I found the perfect pair of water-proof thigh high boots aka [kaa'jaa'ji'baaw'ma'jii'ni'tuu'ti'naa'yaa'i'ch] with corrosion-resistant heels that can also double as fish harpoons [just stomp on them trouts & pikes] or ice picker for late-winter ice fishing! Je suis tellement prête pour le 'goose break' !!! I think I am in-luv with this pair, kaw... hypnotic gin&tonic footwear~~~

hot tea sippin'

Spring is just around the corner;
Can't wait to sit by the tiipii/miichuwaap fire,

hot tea sippin' and breathin' in the scent of

freshly laid bouse and roasted geese.

Getting hungry just thinking about it! [lol]

Akuuda bidmaa, Good Night.

fitness quick tip: proper stretching

How to**:

Stretching should be done slowly without bouncing. Stretch to where you feel a slight, easy stretch. Hold this feeling for 5-30 seconds. As you hold it, the sensation of tension should diminish. If it doesn't, just ease off slightly into a more comfortable stretch. It (easy) reduces tension and readies the tissues for the developmental (intermediate) stretch, kaw.

After holding the easy stretch move a fraction on an inch farther into the movement until you feel mild tension should also slightly diminish or stay the same. If the tension increases or becomes painful, you are over-stretching. Ease off a bit to a comfortable position. The developmental stretch reduces tension and will safely increase flexibility. {Remember not to force/rush your body to get to this level (or anything else in your fitness regiment). There is no short cuts to having a healthier bod' + pulled muscles is a painful game and only delays your fitness progress.}

Hold only stretch tensions that feel good to you. The key to stretching is to be relaxed while you concentrate on the area being stretched. Your breathing should be slow, deep and rhythmical. Don't worry about how far you can stretch. Stretch relaxed and limberness will become just one of the many by-products of regular stretching.

**Note: If you've had any recent surgery, muscle or joint problem, please consult your personal health care professional before starting a stretching or exercise program, kaw.

quick quiz: how many times did I type "Stretch"?

one blurry click gone wrong

So as I was attempting to archive the 2006-2007 posts under the influence of... (cough, "juniper-green tea") earlier this week, I deleted the f*&&#$ thing... (ya think I would've learned my lesson from previous experience nah?)

So far, I still have the Cree Word of the Week backups on my newly-revived classic laptop [other Vista Laptop Sux Big Time]. I am going to continue to post new ones, starting next week or so. I think they were also posted somewhere inside bebo istchii. Um, uhh... [lost my thought] Yea! Here's the 2007 collection [.

Akuuda, Wachiya!

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[Yes, that's what the definition of cat stated in the cree dictionary!]