Fish for Friday

Edited by Morris Dean

[Anonymous selections from recent correspondence]

Our classmate's son John's new book, The Last Ocean: Antarctica's Ross Sea Project: Saving the Most Pristine Ecosystem on Earth, is now out. John is committed to promoting ocean conservation. The book is full of amazing photographs, all of which are available as fine prints, and wonderful essays, as he is an excellent writer. John also has a website, and his sobering 9-minute film about "the last ocean" can be seen on YouTube:

If you are old enough to remember Gorillas in the Mist—the movie about Dian Fossey's efforts to study and protect mountain gorillas in Congo and Rwanda—you know a little something about Virunga National Park. If you are young enough to still believe well-written letters and emails can produce change, you can actually do something to help save Virunga.
    From the time it was established as Africa's first national park in 1925, to when Fossey was murdered in her camp in 1985, to the recent decades of illegal mining, poaching, and civil war in Congo, Virunga has faced an existence nearly as tenuous as that of the wild creatures that barely cling to life within its incredibly scenic and diverse 3,000 square miles of rare habitat. Even though it has been a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site since 1979, Virunga has faced almost constant pressure from local poachers and international corporations the past three decades. The poachers kill illegally for food and for animal parts to sell on the black market. International corporations encourage illegal mining and habitat destruction so they can obtain cheap minerals and save a few pennies in the manufacture of cell phones and computer games.
    Now Virunga faces its potentially greatest threat: oil exploration by major western corporations. This video captures a bit of Virunga's natural beauty and environmental importance, and outlines the threat posed by big oil: "Anna Friel and Stephen Poliakoff back WWF fight to save Virunga national park—video."
    Speaking as someone who has hiked through Virunga pursuing mountain gorillas armed only with a camera, and who has spent time in the bush armed with a high-power rifle pursuing—and being pursued by—poachers, I can vouch that this video barely scratches the surface of Virgunga's beauty and potential—and its problems. For more about Virunga and what you can do to help protect it, click "Virunga: Africa’s Most Beautiful and Diverse Oil Field?" or "Save Virunga: Stop Oil Exploration in Africa's Oldest National Park."

    For more information on the issue and the forces at work for and against Virunga, click "Virunga National Park Oil Exploration Plans Challenged By World Wildlife Fund" or "Oil exploration could lead to 'devastating consequences' in Virunga Park" or "Congo's rare mountain gorillas could become victims of oil exploration."

While many scientists, and millions of people, are excited about the possibility of using DNA to bring back extinct species ("Scientists want to bring 24 animals back from extinction (Dodos make the list... but dinosaur DNA is so old, Jurassic Park isn't an option)"), many other scientists, and hundreds of millions of people, are ignoring massive amounts of evidence that "humans are the new dinosaurs": "World’s top problem is overpopulation, not climate."
    It is ironic that people who will eagerly put time and effort into bringing "Jurassic Park"to life, if they only could, won't put equal effort into preventing the next great wave of extinction. Especially since the next dominant "dinosaur" species most likely to be wiped out is us. The continued human infatuation with theory over reality continues to amaze.

The UNC Department of Public Safety is investigating a report received Friday, Oct. 11 of a peeping incident occurring earlier today in Connor Residence Hall on the UNC Campus.
    At around 3:00 a.m., a female stated that she saw a male peeping while she was in the shower in Connor Residence Hall. The suspect was described as an Asian male, approximately 5-8 in height, wearing dark-framed glasses, a dark-colored Duke hoodie, and possibly blue jeans. When seen, the suspect quickly fled the building.
    UNC Police are asking anyone with information about this incident to call the UNC Police Department or contact the Chapel Hill-Carrboro-UNC Crime Stoppers. Calls are confidential and anonymous. You can also submit information to Crime Stoppers online.
    Students should take extra precautions: make sure to keep room doors locked at all times, don’t allow strangers to “piggy-back” through entrances to residence halls or any campus buildings, and call 911 immediately to report any and all suspicious activity on or near campus.

Of course, it happened in the South: "Missouri Family Seeks Justice After Alleged Rape." Where else, except for maybe Afghanistan or Pakistan?

Ted Cruz has seemed to think all along that he is the Chosen One—even before this: "So Ted Cruz Was The Chosen One To Run This Koch Brothers Game...." Some seem to be thinking along the lines of another crucifixion....In a Washington restaurant this week we overheard what sounded like "key assassinations in the House"..."get us out of this dilemma...." One of our friends said maybe we should contact Homeland Security. Another said maybe that was Homeland Security operatives we overheard. Or screenwriters putting a story together?
    If anyone called Homeland Security, they haven't told us...But anyway, how DO you contact Homeland Security? Or do you have to do or say something [on the telephone?] to get them to contact YOU?

Another of our classmates says that the end is near for the era of PCI. That stands for "percutaneous coronary intervention," which is commonly known as coronary angioplasty. He thinks there's maybe a glimmer of hope for the emergence of rational health care—"unless the enterprise can build more cancer profit centers." Anyway, he references some pertinent investigative reporting: "Deaths Linked to Cardiac Stents Rise as Overuse Seen" and "Patients at Risk as Cardiac Stent Overuse Persists." And he evaluates the situation in "The End of the Era of Coronary Angioplasty."

A piece of black humor from Banksy. ["Allahu Akbar" is Arabic, meaning "God is the greatest."] Wait for the kid's reaction at the end....

Limerick of the Week:

People who "know" they're right, like Mr. Strong,
can in a jiffy prove that you are wrong:
    Mr. Strong will sound you out
    for something disagreed about—
proving where you're wrong doesn't take him long.

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Copyright © 2013 by Morris Dean

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