Kamala's Nectar

Washing produce doesn’t remove chemicals and toxins:

Peel Those Apples: Washing Produce Doesn’t Remove Pesticides, Study Finds - Organic Consumers August 08, 2024 | Source: The Guardian | by Carey Gillam A new scientific report lends weight to consumer concerns about pesticide residues on food, presenting fresh evidence that washing fruit before eating does not remove various toxic chemicals commonly used in agriculture. The paper, published o...

The lawsuit filed against Swami Satchidananda and Yogaville:

https://wina.com/news/064460-courteney-stuart-reports-lawsuit-alleging-sexual-abuse-by-guru-filed-against-yogaville/?fbclid=IwAR1LKtBp_Sau2KbDc4wWifMAwTIAUibf5SCYD9rq58drqIhG0XHS8NfJCpg_aem_AZvhEBfvulWsjLk67ZidV2V1wulNLTTUMK8mUzVWrzia-cuk4B3RGpr87mY2ae3vwmY

Courteney Stuart Reports: Lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by guru filed against Yogaville | NewsRadio WINA News Courteney Stuart Reports: Lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by guru filed against Yogaville 2 days ago in Local, Surrounding Counties Photo: WINA Two women who claim they were sexually abused by the guru who founded Yogaville in Buckingham County, VA have filed a lawsuit alleging negligence. The s...

The USDA reveals updated plant heartiness zones!

USDA Unveils Updated Plant Hardiness Zone Map : USDA ARS Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

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Migration Alert! Tonight thru Saturday, expect over 300 MILLION birds to be in the air each night, guided by the moon and stars. Sadly, bright lights can confuse and disorient them, leading to collisions with buildings and windows. It's time for us to step up and make a difference! Turn off non-essential lighting at night. You can make glass safer for birds by day, too with simple window treatments. To learn more tap the link in our bio and select today's image.

Here's our Top 4 Lights Out tips:
1. Turn off unnecessary outdoor lights: Every light that's not needed can be switched off to create a more natural, darker environment for these travelers.
2. Use motion sensors or timers: If you need outdoor lighting for safety, try motion sensors or timers to ensure lights are on only when needed.
3. Close curtains and blinds to prevent indoor light from spilling outside.
4. Spread the word: Share this message with your friends and, neighbors. The more people who know, the bigger our impact!

[Image description: a map of the United States Lower 48 showing predicted areas of high bird migration. Text on image: Migration Alert: Thursday Night 327 million birds predicted. Friday Night 326 million birds predicted. Saturday Night 355 million birds predicted.]

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❗️🐾 WE ARE BACK 🐾❗️ (We need YOU to JOIN US) - July 31, 2023, Pacheedaht Territory: A group of Forest Defenders have set up a camp to prevent the logging of old growth forests on Ed are inburgh Mountain near Port Renfrew BC. They are using a massive effigy of a screech owl, sculpted out of recovered wood to block the road at a bridge over the Gordon River, and hope to prevent logging in the largest section of old growth remaining in the watershed, which is home to the threatened owl. The camp was set up on Saturday, July 30 and prevents access to cut blocks 7265 and 7263 above the famous Eden Grove on Edinburgh Mountain were logging was active as early as last week.

Elder Bill Jones of the Pacheedaht Nation has called for the protection of all of the old growth on his territory, and supports this latest action.

“Because Fairy Creek itself has been deferred, people are under the impression that old-growth logging is simply no longer happening, and that couldn't be further from the truth. We're here demonstrating to highlight the fact that old-growth logging is continuing, despite the provincial governments promises.” Said Flow, one of the demonstrators blocking the logging. According to the provincial government 38,300 hectares of old growth were cut in 2021.
❗️JOIN THE BLOCKADE ❗️
The camp is calling all allies and members of the public who wish to participate in the blockade to come join them, the camp is located at 48.69659, -124.41573

Anyone who wishes to participate does not need to go through a pre-arrival induction process, instead u will be met at the camp and will go thru an induction process on the ground.

CAMP RULES
-no drugs or alcohol of any kind
-no weapons of any kind
-be respectful

MEADA CONTACTS:
Raven: 256–909–8835
Reception is touch and go, so for interviews please drive to camp which is located at 48.69659, -124.41573 or contact [email protected]

CAMP LOCATION:
The camp is located just behind the intersection of Gordon Main and the north end of Braden Main where the road crosses the Gordon river at 48.69659, -124.41573

Tell David Eby to
250-387-1715
[email protected]

Excerpts of a letter Rudolf Nureyev wrote, to the dance community about his own life as a dancer, while dying of AIDS:

“It was the smell of my skin changing, it was getting ready before class, it was running away from school and after working in the fields with my dad because we were ten brothers, walking those two kilometers to dance school.

I would never have been a dancer, I couldn't afford this dream, but I was there, with my shoes worn on my feet, with my body opening to music, with the breath making me above the clouds. It was the sense I gave to my being, it was standing there and making my muscles words and poetry, it was the wind in my arms, it was the other guys like me that were there and maybe wouldn't be dancers, but we swapped the sweat, silences, barely.

For thirteen years I studied and worked, no auditions, nothing, because I needed my arms to work in the fields. But I didn't care: I learned to dance and dance because it was impossible for me not to do it, it was impossible for me to think I was elsewhere, not to feel the earth transforming under my feet plants, impossible not to get lost in music, impossible not not to get lost in music using my eyes to look in the mirror, to try new steps.

Everyday I woke up thinking about the moment I would put my feet inside my slippers and do everything by tasting that moment. And when I was there, with the smell of camphor, wood, tights, I was an eagle on the rooftop of the world, I was the poet among poets, I was everywhere and I was everything.
I remember a ballerina Elèna Vadislowa, rich family, well taken care of, beautiful. She wanted to dance as much as I did, but later I realized it wasn't like that. She danced for all the auditions, for the end of the course show, for the teachers watching her, to pay tribute to her beauty.

Two years prepared for the Djenko contest. The expectations were all about her. Two years she sacrificed part of his life. She didn't win the contest. She stopped dancing, forever. She didn't resist. That was the difference between me and her.
I used to dance because it was my creed, my need, my words that I didn't speak, my struggle, my poverty, my crying. I used to dance because only there my being broke the limits of my social condition, my shyness, my shame. I used to dance and I was with the universe on my hands, and while I was at school, I was studying, arraising the fields at six am, my mind endured because it was drunk with my body capturing the air.

I was poor, and they paraded in front of me guys performing for pageants, they had new clothes, they made trips. I didn't suffer from it, my suffering would have been stopping me from entering the hall and feeling my sweat coming out of the pores of my face. My suffering would have been not being there, not being there, surrounded by that poetry that only the sublimation of art can give. I was a painter, poet, sculptor.

The first dancer of the year-end show got hurt. I was the only one who knew every move because I sucked, quietly every step. They made me wear his new, shiny clothes and dictated me after thirteen years, the responsibility to demonstrate. Nothing was different in those moments I danced on stage, I was like in the hall with my clothes off. I was and I used to perform, but it was dancing that I cared.

The applause reached me far away. Behind the scenes, all I wanted was to take off the uncomfortable tights, but everyone's compliments and I had to wait. My sleep wasn't different from other nights. I had danced and whoever was watching me was just a cloud far away on the horizon.

From that moment my life changed, but not my passion and need to dance. I kept helping my dad in the fields even though my name was on everyone's mouth. I became one of the brightest stars in dance.
Now I know I'm going to die, because this disease doesn't forgive, and my body is trapped in a pram, blood doesn't circulate, I lose weight. But the only thing that goes with me is my dance my freedom to be.

I'm here, but I dance with my mind, fly beyond my words and my pain. I dance my being with the wealth I know I have and will follow me everywhere: that I have given myself the chance to exist above effort and have learned that if you experience tiredness and effort dancing, what if you dance sits for effort, if we pity our bleeding feet, if we chase only the aim and don't understand the full and unique pleasure of moving, we don't understand the deep essence of life, where the meaning is in its becoming and not in appearing.

Every man should dance, for life. Not being a dancer, but dancing.

Who will never know the pleasure of walking into a hall with wooden bars and mirrors, who stops because they don't get results, who always needs stimulus to love or live, hasn't entered the depths of life, and will abandon every time life won't give him what he wants.

It's the law of love: you love because you feel the need to do it, not to get something or to be reciprocated, otherwise you're destined for unhappiness.

I'm dying, and I thank God for giving me a body to dance so that I wouldn't waste a moment of the wonderful gift of life.”

✨

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Today is the 25th anniversary of The Rome Statute of The International Criminal Court.

Imagine what ecological disasters could have been averted had been included when the statute was signed 25 years ago.

But! Unbelievable progress is being made right now!

Criminlaising ecocide already has broad support in many regional and global contexts (European Parliament, Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security & Cooperation in Europe, Inter-Parliamentary Union) and legislation has been proposed, progressing or is already in force in numerous countries, including Belgium, Brazil, France, and Ukraine.

YOU can help us in our work to secure international recognition of ecocide.

Sign up to become an Earth Protector TODAY and take a concrete step towards making this real-world practical solution to the climate and ecological catastrophe a reality:

https://www.stopecocide.earth/become-an-earth-protector- (link-in-bio)

Very sad to learn we’ve been duped by agriculture regulators once again. This time it’s regarding the product called Sluggo. I’ve been using it for many years to address an excess of snails and slugs in my garden. I believed the marketing hype that it doesn’t harm animals. Plz learn more here:

https://www.loghouseplants.com/blogs/greengardening/2015/11/we-need-safer-slug-baits/ #:~:text=Commercial%20Brands%20Are%20Toxic%20After%20All&text=Ironically%2C%20I've%20recently%20learned,birds%20and%20other%20critters%20ill.

We Need Safer Slug Baits Commercial Brands Are Toxic After All Slugs are the Northwestern gardener’s worst pest, followed distantly by aphids. For years, I’ve promoted the use of Sluggo and other iron phosphate-based slug …

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According to one professor, we could stop global warming if we used new super-duper white paint

The challenge is that we would need to paint at least 1% of the earth's surface. Purdue University researchers revealed in 2021 that they had invented the whitest paint on the planet. The colour is so white that it reflects more than 98% of the light.

According to Jeremy Munday, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Davis who studies clean technology, if a material like Purdue's paint covered 1-2% of the Earth's surface, the amount of heat absorbed by the planet would be reduced enough to stabilise global temperatures. In other words, stop climate change.

Eight new examples of how octopus are intelligent, compassionate and make life-long friendships.

Octopuses keep surprising us - here are eight examples how Three hearts and blue blood aren't even the most unusual things about octopuses!

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As we flock to the Oregon Coast for summertime fun, we can't forget about the vulnerable resident birds who're nesting and raising fragile chicks while facing threats from wildlife disturbances.

Wildlife disturbances are actions that intentionally or unintentionally keep birds away from their nests or chicks. You can help coastal birds like Snowy Plovers during their breeding season by doing the following:

⚠️ Obey signage and posted rules.
Active nest areas, like at river inlets or wide and flat spots on beaches, will be marked with signs by Oregon Parks and Recreation Department that restrict human recreation to hiking or horseback riding on wet sand where birds like Snowy Plovers won't nest.

🐶 Leash your dog.
To birds, dogs mimic coyotes and scare adults. They can sniff out camouflaged eggs and chicks. Other wildlife benefits from leashed dogs, too: creatures in tidepools and on the tideline, loafing seals, and flocks of migratory shorebirds.

🐦❗️ Pay attention to birds' signals.
If a bird is running or flying around you while peeping, you might be right next to a nest or chick. If you see this behavior, try to back away carefully and give them up to 100 feet of space.

🗑 Take trash with you.
Trash left by people attracts predatory birds such as crows, ravens, and gulls. Trash on beaches attracts these predators and results in a disturbance response.

We can still have fun while making sure we share the shore responsibly! To learn more about the threats coastal birds face and how they affect them, read our latest blog by our Coastal Community Science Biologist Allison Anholt via the link in bio.

[Image Description: A photo capturing a Snowy Plover adult flying away from two off-leash dogs approaching their nesting area. A graphic circle contains an enlarged version of the Snowy Plover to show just how camouflaged and small they are.]

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Follow us on for more eco posts!
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The audacity to ask us what we’re doing to reduce emissions when you rank in the top 10 of the 100 companies responsible for 71% of all global emissions…
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_______________________
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👉 🌱
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👉 🌱
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👉 🌱
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📸 via Twitter

In my book, this guy is a hero!
🗑️🚮🗑️
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Not my gross, decaying smoothie, but I picked it up and threw it away anyway. This was very easy to do.

Gene editing is an attempt to introduce second generation GMO’s by the industrial agriculture lobby. Agritech giants’ primary motive is to exempt new breeding techniques (NBT’s) from previous GMO regulations to avoid testing, labelling, and monitoring. Legally, they are looking to DEREGULATE gene edited crops, livestock, etc.

The agritech giants claim that gene editing is sustainable, climate and environment friendly. Nothing could be further from the truth; gene editing pest resistant crops is leading to the development of pest resistance and super weeds. Potentially laying out the path for more chemical intensive agriculture systems. Gene contamination by cross pollination from gene edited crops is a very serious cause for concern. This has the potential to erode native ecological diversity.

There are concerns about the ethical implications of manipulating the genetic makeup of living organisms.

It's important to carefully consider the potential risks and benefits of gene editing technology, as gene editing is a dangerous tool that could have unpredictable and irreversible consequences on the environment and human health.

Gene editing threatens biological diversity, farmer’s right over their indigenous seeds and rights of the consumers to know what they are eating.

Let us focus on ecological and regenerative farming practices instead of relying on technology and biotechnology to solve our food and environmental problems.


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NEWS —

This week, a coalition of conservation groups challenged .s.forestservice plans to clearcut more than 5,500 acres of pine forests just outside National Park, in the Custer Gallatin National Forest.

The plan is moving forward despite Biden’s pledge to protect old-growth and mature forests and trees.

The plan also calls for logging across an additional 9,000 acres and bulldozing up to 56 miles of roads in the area, including through old-growth forests.

In their objection to the South Plateau project, the , , & said the logging project will destroy habitat for , , and other . It will bulldoze through and remove thousands of acres of mature pine trees.

READ MORE in our at:

https://wildearthguardians.org/press-releases/forest-service-clearcutting-plan-next-to-yellowstone-national-park-threatens-grizzlies-and-old-growth-trees/

Or by clicking the LinkTree link in our bio and then "Press Releases".






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These photographs depicting the old-growth forests of Vancouver Island are profoundly disturbing.

Captured just months apart, these images evoke a deep sense of shock as they reveal the stark contrast between the breathtaking beauty and grandeur of ancient trees and the devastating aftermath of large-scale clear-cutting by industrial activities. Photographer TJ Watt's () work is a poignant reminder of the harsh reality faced by these pristine forests.

As Watt retraces his steps through the once-thriving old-growth forests, he is filled with anguish as he witnesses the remains of the trees he once knew so well. However, he believes that exposing the destruction these forests continue to endure is necessary to raise awareness and prompt action. These photographs serve as a haunting visual representation of the urgent need to address the destructive practices threatening our natural heritage. The visual impact of these images is a powerful call to action, urging us to take responsibility and protect these ancient forests before it's too late.
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Balloons are in the top three most harmful waste items to wildlife. Birds and turtles not only ingest balloons, they actively select them as food. This is because a burst balloon often resembles a jellyfish, the natural food sources of many marine species like turtles.

Ingesting balloons and the clips and strings attached to them can cause intestinal blockages and results in a slow, painful death through starvation. Marine animals don’t have the gastrointestinal pH levels to break down a balloon, and for turtles, it may also cause floating syndrome. Trapped gases in the gut can cause a turtle to become buoyant, unable to dive for food—making them vulnerable to boat strikes and leading to starvation and severe dehydration.

Wildlife, both terrestrial and marine, can also become entangled in balloon ribbons or strings, causing injury or death through drowning, suffocation, or an inability to feed and avoid predators.

Even if balloons are disposed of "safely" they go to landfill where it may take up to 1,000 years to decompose, leaching potentially toxic substances into the soil and water. Even if these balloons are biodegradable, it's greenwash. Natural latex may be biodegradable, but after adding chemicals, plasticizers, and artificial dyes, how natural could it be? It may degrade after several years, but it’s surely not “biodegradable.”


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Talking about kitchen bin liners... What are your options? What do you use?


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The man who presided over Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse is headed for his $3.1 million Hawaiian hideaway.⁠
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Former CEO of SVB, Gregory Becker, has been pictured sauntering through the streets of Lahaina, a beachside resort, where he owns a condo. Wearing shorts, sunglasses and flip-flops, Becker’s image is at odds with the scene back in California.⁠
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SVB imploded this time last week after depositors tried to withdraw $42 billion from the institution. Becker, who has served as CEO of SVB for 12 years, has been among a raft of individuals blamed for the bank’s collapse.⁠
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Becker has also caught the attention of the authorities after he sold shares in SVB worth nearly $30 million over the past two years—with deals going through in the days before the bank disclosed a $1.8 billion loss on a portfolio sold to Goldman Sachs.⁠
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🔗 Click the link in the bio to read more.
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Under cover of darkness 2 nights ago Plymouth City Council felled 110 trees, ripping the green heart out of the city. These trees were planted after WWII, when Plymouth was heavily bombed, as a symbol of the city's renewal. Now they're sawdust & brash. Only the 1am arrival of an injunction prevented every tree from being felled. This shameful, indefensible action by the council forms a pattern with other recent actions: fellings happening by night, without due notification, with insufficient community consultation (or the pretence of it) & the heavy use of private security firms. Photo 4 in the set here shows the fortress of scaffolding being erected this week around a plane tree by Haringey Council, manned by 8-12 security guards; what the activist-lawyer Paul Powlesland well calls a kind of escalating "urban warfare against nature".
The Plymouth chainsaw massacre comes, astonishingly, only days after the exceptionally critical 227-page inquiry report into the so-called "Sheffield Tree Wars" of 2012-2018, which was published by Sir Mark Lowcock on 6 March. It described the behaviour of Sheffield council (which entered into a 25-yr contract with Amey to 'remove and replace' 17500 street trees in the city) as "deluded", "dishonest" and "amounting to a serious and sustained failure of strategic leadership." But it seems no lessons have been learned! The only good news is that the surge in this kind of council action is matched by a surge in the number of people willing to organise & resist. I became involved with the Sheffield conflict between 2015 & 2018, & wrote the protest-poem 'Heartwood' for the Sheffield protestors. You can see it in the images here, first as a linocut broadsheet by then ’s tree-ring' charm, hung protectively around the trunk of a Huntingdon Elm in Sheffield (which was indeed saved). For what it's worth, Heartwood is free to use without any permission or credit for anyone who wants to protest unnecessary/unjust ree-felling anywhere in the world.
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Appalling that and have approved ConocoPhillips Willow project which is a slap in the face to climate justice and future generations. Deeply disappointing on so many levels— from frontline communities speaking out and millions of people calling to

As we experience first hand climate impacts in New Mexico from the extreme wildfires, a drying Rio Grande— this is a betrayal on climate action.
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Tennessee’s Republican Lt. Gov. ​​Randy McNally—who has supported state lawmakers’ efforts to enact several pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, including a first-of-its-kind bill severely restricting drag performances—has been caught making flirtatious remarks on a gay man's provocative social media posts.

Some of the comments McNally left—using his verified, public Instagram account—included remarks like, ‘You can turn a rainy day into rainbows and sunshine!’ and ‘Way to go Finn!!! You light up the world!!‘ alongside numerous heart, clapping, and fire emoji. The man behind the posts McNally commented on is a 20-year-old named Franklin McClure. According to NBC, McNally had commented more than 80 times on photos of McClure, dating back to June 2020.

As the state’s lieutenant governor, McNally also serves as speaker in the GOP-controlled Tennessee state Senate. According to the ACLU, Tennessee is among the states leading the country in anti-LGBTQ+ bills this session, with more than 20 under consideration in its legislature and two already passed into law, including the anti-drag bill McNally expressed support for. McClure told The Tennessean that he believes McNally is hypocritical for championing legislation that targets the LGBTQ+ community while simultaneously making flirtatious passes at him on social media.

Adam Kleinheider, a spokesperson for McNally, said in a March 8 statement that the 79-year-old ‘takes great pains to view every post he can and frequently posts encouraging things to many of his followers. Does he always use the proper emoji at the proper time? Maybe not. But he enjoys interacting with constituents and Tennesseans of all religions, backgrounds and orientations on social media. He has no intention of stopping.’

‘I try to encourage people on my posts. I try to support people,’ McNally said. ‘I have friends that are gay, I have friends with relatives who are gay. I don't feel any animosity towards gay people. I think that's fairly clear.’


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Elephants may be known for their size and strength, but tourists who ride on their backs can still do great harm, as this photo shared by a wildlife rescue group in Thailand shows.

The picture provided by the Wildlife Friends Foundation in Thailand depicts Pai Lin, a 71-year-old female whose spine has become disfigured after 25 years of working in the tourism industry, where she was forced to carry up to six tourists at a time.

🔗 Tap the link in our bio to read more.

📷 Amy Jones/Moving Animals/WFFT
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100%!

Posted • Please avoid using this synthetic webbing to decorate your house for Halloween.

Native birds are nesting at the moment, and many species such as the beautiful White Plumed Honeyeater below will use (real) spiderwebs as a downy padding for their nests. Unsurprisingly, the parent birds cannot tell the difference between real and plastic spiderwebs, and when used for nesting, this material can result in fledgling birds becoming snared in their own nests. You can see the poor little bird in the attached image has a foot that is entirely bound up, and needed to be "cut out" of its nest.

The material can also trap bats, larger birds and insects, generally resulting in a slow, painful death.

Let's do better for all the wonderful wildlife we have! 🌿🐦🦉

Pictures and text by: Ryan Christopherson

Plz be mindful.

Posted • A study published on October 13 in the journal Scientific Reports has linked listening to birds singing with lower depression, paranoia, and anxiety. The study had 295 participants listening to singing birds with high- and low-traffic noises or birdsong soundscapes. It found that listening to traffic led to an increase in depression, but listening to a high diversity of bird sounds caused depression to decrease. Birdsong, regardless of diversity, also led to a decrease in paranoia and anxiety, though nothing led to a change in cognitive abilities.

The researchers hope that their results will lead to further studies to determine how soundscapes can be used in settings like psychiatric wards.

Posted • Fall migration is underway and 5.1 million birds will be passing through Oregon skies tonight and tomorrow night! Please consider going to help them on their journey.

Why ? Light Pollution drowns out the stars that migrating birds use to navigate and lures them into cities where they are at risk of colliding with windows.

Across the US, nearly 1 billion birds die every year as a result of hitting a window. By going lights out, you help reduce sky glow and help birds on their migratory path. If you’d like to learn more about how light pollution adversely impacts both wildlife and humans, ➡️ tap on the link in our bio to get to the Lights Out page on our website.

📷: aeroecolab.com/oregon