Democracy

    Democracy

      lyrics by Leonard Cohen 

It's coming through a hole in the air,
from those nights in Tiananmen Square.
It's coming from the feel
that this ain't exactly real,
or it's real, but it ain't exactly there.
From the wars against disorder,
from the sirens night and day,
from the fires of the homeless,
from the ashes of the gay:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It's coming through a crack in the wall;
on a visionary flood of alcohol;
from the staggering account
of the Sermon on the Mount
which I don't pretend to understand at all.
It's coming from the silence on the dock of the bay,
from the brave, the bold, the battered heart of Chevrolet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It's coming from the sorrow in the street,
the holy places where the races meet;
from the homicidal bitchin'
that goes down in every kitchen
to determine who will serve and who will eat.
From the wells of disappointment
where the women kneel to pray
for the grace of God in the desert here
and the desert far away:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

Sail on, sail on
O mighty Ship of State!
To the Shores of Need
Past the Reefs of Greed
Through the Squalls of Hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on.

It's coming to America first,
the cradle of the best and of the worst.
It's here they got the range
and the machinery for change
and it's here they got the spiritual thirst.
It's here the family's broken
and it's here the lonely say
that the heart has got to open
in a fundamental way:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It's coming from the women and the men.
O baby, we'll be making love again.
We'll be going down so deep
the river's going to weep,
and the mountain's going to shout Amen!
It's coming like the tidal flood
beneath the lunar sway,
imperial, mysterious,
in amorous array:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

Sail on, sail on ...

I'm sentimental, if you know what I mean
I love the country but I can't stand the scene.
And I'm neither left or right
I'm just staying home tonight,
getting lost in that hopeless little screen.
But I'm stubborn as those garbage bags
that Time cannot decay,
I'm junk but I'm still holding up
this little wild bouquet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

Poetry Sunday: On the Fifth Day by Jane Hirshfield

Searching for a poem to feature this week I came across this one by an award-winning poet that I, frankly, was not familiar with and it felt just perfect for this moment. And now I will definitely be reading more of her poetry.

It seems that the scientists are now forbidden to speak or at least they are not listened to when they do speak. We will pay a price for this. We are already paying a price for this. Perhaps we have already reached the fifth day...

On the Fifth Day

by Jane Hirshfield

On the fifth day
the scientists who studied the rivers
were forbidden to speak

or to study the rivers.

The scientists who studied the air

were told not to speak of the air,

and the ones who worked for the farmers

were silenced,

and the ones who worked for the bees.

Someone, from deep in the Badlands,

began posting facts.

The facts were told not to speak

and were taken away.

The facts, surprised to be taken, were silent.

Now it was only the rivers

that spoke of the rivers,

and only the wind that spoke of its bees,

while the unpausing factual buds of the fruit trees

continued to move toward their fruit.

The silence spoke loudly of silence,

and the rivers kept speaking

of rivers, of boulders and air.

Bound to gravity, earless and tongueless,

the untested rivers kept speaking.

Bus drivers, shelf stockers,

code writers, machinists, accountants,

lab techs, cellists kept speaking.

They spoke, the fifth day,

of silence.

This week in birds - #683

A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment: 

The American Bird Conservancy's featured Bird of the Week is the Galapagos Petrel, a large, slender seabird that is critically endangered and whose population is decreasing. The bird's population declined by up to 80 percent when nonnative plants and animals were introduced to the Galapagos Islands. There is an effort underway to reduce the many threats facing the species. Continued control of introduced predators as well as the minimization of ongoing human impacts are important for the Galapagos Petrel's continued survival.

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Europe has been sweltering under an extreme heat wave this week.

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In Portland, Oregon, there is an effort to hold fossil fuel companies responsible for a heat wave that occurred five years ago. This would establish an interesting precedent.

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The current administration in Washington shut down a climate science website last year. Now former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees have recreated the site.

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The current El Niño could evolve into one of the most powerful ones on record, bringing extreme weather worldwide.

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The Commerce Secretary accuses California of "environmental extremism" and will launch an investigation of the state's powerful Coastal Commission.

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The goblin shark has the well-earned title of the "ugliest shark on the planet."

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The Euphrates River played an important role in the founding of early civilizations. Scientists believe they have now discovered its origins.

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Female dolphins remember males that were aggressive during mating season and may attempt to avoid them in future. 

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Ayahuasca is an Indigenous beverage from Brazil that has psychedelic properties and, unfortunately, it is now in demand outside of the Indigenous community which has increased pressure on the plants used in its concoction.

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A bit of good news from London where deaths linked to air pollution have fallen by 40%.

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Animal migration is becoming more difficult in the changing landscape. Is there anything we can do to help?

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The government is teaming with a private company called Colossal Biosciences to store samples of at-risk animals and plants.

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On Thursday the president issued an executive order aimed at reducing pesticides in the food supply and studying the health risks they pose.

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Sunflower sea stars disappeared from California waters during a heat wave more than a decade ago, but now some have reappeared there.

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Some tropical butterflies can live almost a year, vastly longer than most butterflies. Their diet might be what makes the difference. 

Poetry Sunday: The Summer Day by Mary Oliver

It is the first day of summer and so I'm featuring possibly my favorite poem about the season. 

I always love the poet's confession that "I don’t know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention..." To that I can only say "Amen!" 

So, here's to paying attention and to taking the time to notice the grasshoppers of the world.

The Summer Day

by Mary Oliver

Who made the world? 

Who made the swan, and the black bear? 

Who made the grasshopper? 
This grasshopper, I mean— 
the one who has flung herself out of the grass, 
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand, 
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down— 
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes. 
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face. 
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away. 
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is. 
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down 
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, 
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, 
which is what I have been doing all day. 
Tell me, what else should I have done? 
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon? 
Tell me, what is it you plan to do 
with your one wild and precious life?

This week in birds - #682

 A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment:

The American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week is the Barred Owl. I grew up in a house surrounded by acres of forest and swamp and, as a child, I fell asleep most nights listening to a chorus of Barred Owls, Great Horned Owls, and Screech Owls. Even the occasional Barn Owl. For me it was a lovely, comforting sound. I'm sure it was less so for all the creatures scurrying around in that forest. Barred Owl numbers are actually increasing and their status is considered of least concern.

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El Niño has started up once again and the debate among scientists about whether climate change is intensifying it has started up once again, also. 

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Since the federal government has backed off of "forever chemicals" protections, there is an opportunity for states to step up and some of them are.

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For the first time, solar panels produced more power than coal for the U.S. grid in May.

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Who would have imagined that extreme heat in the climate could affect one's teeth?

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Here are some amazing images of Machu Picchu.

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California's first wildlife crossing is not finished yet, but the mule deer have already discovered it and are using it.

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I've always been fascinated by Venus Flytraps. They are able to snap their traps shut in less than a second and scientists think they have discovered how.

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Salamanders that glow under UV light? Europe's fire salamanders have that ability.

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The National Park Service has acquired 213 acres of land in northern Wisconsin along the edge of Lake Superior and three miles of it will become part of the North Country National Scenic Trail.

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There are efforts to restore and rewild Point Reyes National Seashore in California but how is that best accomplished?

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Sequoyah created a written language for the Cherokee. He is another fascinating individual from Native American history.

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In Australia, male Bowerbirds are collecting human trash to use in their bowers, which they can take months to create.

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Rare deep-sea Goblin Sharks have been observed alive in their natural habitat for the first time.

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A whale graveyard where cetacean remains have been accumulating for five million years has been discovered in the Indian Ocean.

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Turtles and tortoises are being smuggled alive across the Mexico-U.S. border.

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A survey of California's Channel Islands found white abalone living there, the first time they had been seen in five years.

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What happens to rescued pangolins after they are returned to the wild? In Bangladesh, scientists have an opportunity to find out.

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In India, a Black-backed Kingfisher grasps its meal, a small forest lizard or skink in its beak. It will eat well today.

The way it was

Watching the opening today of the Obama Presidential Center was bittersweet. Sweet because it reminded us of the way things once were when we were led by honorable people and were respected in the world; bitter because we could not help but note the contrast with the way things are today when we are led by dishonorable people who are only interested in enriching themselves, the country be damned, and the rest of the world avoids us as much as possible. And who can blame them? 

The thing that galls me the most (just ask my husband) is that we are in this situation because the majority of the voters in the last election JUST COULD NOT BRING THEMSELVES TO VOTE FOR A SUPREMELY QUALIFIED WOMAN!!!

And so here we are - stuck with a criminal leading the country until January 20, 2029. Thirty-one more months unless Nature intervenes. Just think of the damage he can do during that period of time. Truly it boggles the mind...

We can only hope that American voters have learned their lesson and, when given a chance to vote again, will remember this and do their best to choose honorable leaders. But, again, to quote my husband, "People are stupid."

Still, we hope. It is an Obama thing. 

Cats will be cats

As a lover of cats, Shakespeare, and ballet, this news story from Turkey is a winner for me. It was definitely a needed counterpoint to most of the news of the world of the day. And perhaps it was a reminder that if all the world is a stage then cats are going to play their part regardless of who is watching. For that their many fans are grateful. And may their non-fans be tolerant of it all!

Poetry Sunday: The False Friends by Dorothy Parker

Dorothy Parker was a twentieth century American writer of poetry, fiction and literary criticism who was especially known for her caustic wit. There's an example of that wit in this poem. I imagine the subject of the poem as a teenager but it could be an older person, I suppose. At any rate, it is someone who mended from an ended romance rather quickly!

 

The False Friends

by Dorothy Parker

They laid their hands upon my head,

They stroked my cheek and brow;

And time could heal a hurt, they said,
And time could dim a vow.

And they were pitiful and mild
Who whispered to me then,
"The heart that breaks in April, child,
Will mend in May again."

Oh, many a mended heart they knew.
So old they were, and wise.
And little did they have to do
To come to me with lies!

Who flings me silly talk of May
Shall meet a bitter soul;
For June was nearly spent away
Before my heart was whole.

This week in birds - #681

A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment: 

This is the American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week doing what he is known for - skimming. It is the well-named Black Skimmer, a bird found in both North and South America in ocean or freshwater habitats. Its conservation status is of least concern presently although its population trends are unknown.

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There's been no tropical storm threat to the Americas so far but there are some Pacific weather systems currently being tracked that pose a potential threat if they develop. 

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The current administration sees no value in maintaining an ocean monitoring system and has ordered it to be dismantled.

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The nation is a tinderbox, literally, and this wildfire season is worrying wildfire experts.

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As if we didn't have enough to be worried about, flesh-eating screwworms have been detected in the United States 60 years after they were considered to be eradicated here.

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Pigeons are famously able to find their way home when released long distances away from it, but how do they do that? Does it have something to do with their liver?  

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One could argue that California and Florida already have more than enough mosquitoes so why would we want to introduce more?

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Paleontologists have discovered an ancient sea reptile the size of a school bus that they are calling the T. rex of the sea, Tylosaurus rex.

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Researchers are studying how the engineering choices in the building of the Great Pyramid have helped it survive for 4600 years.

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Did an ancient ancestor of humans navigate the world on all fours?

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There is an outbreak of Ebola in Congo and Uganda. Scientists are hoping that some experimental treatments and vaccines might be able to slow its spread.

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The Okefenokee, a blackwater swamp and Georgia wildlife haven, is under consideration for UNESCO World Heritage status.

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Mangrove forests fight climate change but sea level rise is a threat to their continued existence.

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A rare Przewalski’s horse has been born at the Bronx Zoo much to the delight of conservationists. These horses were declared extinct in the wild in the 1960s.

Poetry Sunday: "The world is a beautiful place" by Lawrence Ferlinghhetti

And now for something completely different from the poems I generally post here. A bit of satire by Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

"The world is a beautiful place" 

 by Lawrence Ferlinghetti 

The world is a beautiful place

                                                           to be born into 
if you don’t mind happiness 
                                             not always being 
                                                                        so very much fun 
       if you don’t mind a touch of hell
                                                       now and then
                just when everything is fine
                                                             because even in heaven
                                they don’t sing 
                                                        all the time

             The world is a beautiful place
                                                           to be born into
       if you don’t mind some people dying
                                                                  all the time
                        or maybe only starving
                                                           some of the time
                 which isn’t half so bad
                                                      if it isn’t you

      Oh the world is a beautiful place
                                                          to be born into
               if you don’t much mind
                                                   a few dead minds
                    in the higher places
                                                    or a bomb or two
                            now and then
                                                  in your upturned faces
         or such other improprieties
                                                    as our Name Brand society
                                  is prey to
                                              with its men of distinction
             and its men of extinction
                                                   and its priests
                         and other patrolmen
                                                         and its various segregations
         and congressional investigations
                                                             and other constipations
                        that our fool flesh
                                                     is heir to

Yes the world is the best place of all
                                                           for a lot of such things as
         making the fun scene
                                                and making the love scene
and making the sad scene
                                         and singing low songs of having 
                                                                                      inspirations
and walking around 
                                looking at everything
                                                                  and smelling flowers
and goosing statues
                              and even thinking 
                                                         and kissing people and
     making babies and wearing pants
                                                         and waving hats and
                                     dancing
                                                and going swimming in rivers
                              on picnics
                                       in the middle of the summer
and just generally
                            ‘living it up’

Yes
   but then right in the middle of it
                                                    comes the smiling
                                                                                 mortician

This week in birds - #680

A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment: 

The American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week is the lively little Nashville Warbler, a bird of the forest and of urban and suburban habitats. It breeds in parts of southeastern and western Canada and northeastern and western United States and can be found during migration throughout most of the United States. Its population is decreasing but its current conservation status is not of concern. 

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The Monarch butterfly spring migration has now reached as far as Maine and Nova Scotia.

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Has the risk of global warming been overstated? Scientists are reconsidering.

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Did you ever wonder why many of the huge predatory dinosaurs had such tiny arms? Scientists think they have figured it out. 

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And which one of those predatory dinosaurs was the biggest?

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If you have an orange cat, it is probably a male. Here's why.

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Cities might be thought to be inimical to birds but they can actually prove quite important as stopovers during migration.

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Here are some amazing pictures of giraffes in the wild.

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A new study suggests that daddy longlegs actively hunt frogs in South America.

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How long have humans had a relationship with pigeons? Much longer than previously thought it turns out.

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Here are some of the best wildlife photographs from previous years.

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A centuries-old baobab tree in Madagascar is dying. It is a symbol of something larger.

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Gray whales in the eastern North Pacific are suffering from malnourishment. They are in serious trouble.

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After years of a dwindling population in the Chesapeake Bay, blue crabs saw a dramatic boost in their numbers last winter.

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Sunday night will feature the second full moon of the month, known as a blue moon.

Poetry Sunday: In Perpetual Spring by Amy Gerstler

In my search for a poem to feature this week, I came across this one by a poet I'd never heard of. I still know very little about her but I know I like her poem, especially this last section:

Even the prick of the thistle,   

queen of the weeds, revives   

your secret belief

in perpetual spring,

your faith that for every hurt   

there is a leaf to cure it.

I find that I do indeed believe in perpetual spring, hopeless optimist that I am, and that I have faith that for every hurt there is a leaf to cure it. Enjoy the poem and tell me what you think.

In Perpetual Spring

by Amy Gerstler

Gardens are also good places
to sulk. You pass beds of

spiky voodoo lilies   

and trip over the roots   

of a sweet gum tree,   

in search of medieval   

plants whose leaves,   

when they drop off   

turn into birds

if they fall on land,

and colored carp if they   

plop into water.

 

Suddenly the archetypal   

human desire for peace   

with every other species   

wells up in you. The lion   

and the lamb cuddling up.

The snake and the snail, kissing.

Even the prick of the thistle,   

queen of the weeds, revives   

your secret belief

in perpetual spring,

your faith that for every hurt   

there is a leaf to cure it.