Mot Juste

Self-Inflicted

Check out this op-ed piece by Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times.

Cancer From The Kitchen 

"What if breast cancer in the United States has less to do with insurance or mammograms and more to do with contaminants in our water or air

-- or in certain plastic containers in our kitchens?"

More here at his blog - Kristof Blog

Red Tailed Wonder

For years I have had this incredible awe of raptors.  There's so many things about these creatures I find fascinating and its almost as if they have superpowers.  Not only can they make aerial dives at 120 MPH and snatch a mouse up in a single talon, they seem to have bionic senses.  Imagine waking up one day and finding you could suddenly see and hear eight to ten times better than any other person you knew. We'd immediately need ear plugs and glasses just to cope - but that's what these flying wonders can do.  Hawks have the greatest density of vision nerve receptors than any other living creature.  Other than detecting small movement a hundred yards away, raptors also have a built in weapons system.  We need tools because humans aren't well designed enough to have something built in to bodies that protect us and help us obtain food.   My  fascination with raptors was further heightened several years ago when our homeschooling group toured the Raptor Rehabilitation Project at the University of Missouri School of Veterinary Medicine.  To see so closely what I had only watched from afar was a wonderful experience.  And who knew vultures were so cool??

Owls happen to be my all time favorite raptor and we've been fortunate enough around our house to enjoy two spotted and a great horned owl living in the woods near by.  They frequently begin "talking" to each other around two to three in the morning.  I've become so accustomed to their conversations, they're almost reassuring on those nights I decide to be a "night owl" myself.  During one of those late nights while the rest of the house slept, I was making tomato sauce and needed more basil.  I strolled out to the herb garden and while I didn't see him nor did I hear him - I felt him.  He swooped in like a stealth, just feet above my head and glided over me in the darkness.  While I was momentarily startled, I felt more reassurance than fright.  My friends were there, out on night watch and all was well in the world.  I have since gained a better awareness of them, and can frequently spot them in the late evenings, looking down on us from the trees.

Tonight Cameron was walking our dog and came upon a large, dead bird in the yard.  She's the wildlife specialist in the family but it was dark and she couldn't make out what it was, so she she came in for a flashlight.  We discovered it was a red-tailed hawk, not long dead, lying next to our vegetable garden.  It had no obvious injuries, no blood - almost as if it had just landed there and laid down to die.  Over the years, I have found many dead song birds and was saddened to do so - but there is something particularly unsettling about finding such a majestic and beautiful creature, dead in your own back yard.  As the daytime counterpart to his nocturnal cousin, it was sad to see this raptor would no longer be soaring the skies.

We put on gloves and brought it to the garage in a cardboard box.  Its wingspan was well over three feet and we were amazed by its talons.  We reverently discussed how both dinosaur and human-like they were, holding them in our gloved hands.  How amazing this animal was - its no wonder they hold a special place in the Native American cultural beliefs.  Because they can fly so high, they represent a special connection to the sun and sky.  Some legends say the hawk is a visionary and messenger and claim if one lands near you, he is bringing a message from the Great Spirit.  According to The Rosemary Tree, it is also "a symbol of illumination and peace. In the Pomo tribe Red Tailed Hawk was a symbol, along with the Great Horned Owl, of protection and a sure defense against enemies both seen and unseen."

After talking with someone from the Raptor Project, we found out that it is not uncommon for them to succumb to West Nile Virus.  Since they are a federally protected species, we may also talk to someone at the Missouri Department Conservation.  Following that, we plan to give it a proper resting place beneath a tall tree, thinking perhpas of Keats - "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever: Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness; but still will keep."

Uncomfortable Truths

In the last week, I've had two male friends make comments with regard to environmental concerns or pesticide use.  One, a farmer, declared that agricultural chemicals were not a real concern because of the low amounts that end up in the food.  I didn't take him to task because I knew my energy would be wasted.  We can debate the pros and cons till his cows come home, but the scientific evidence is more than clear.  That truth might make him more than a tad bit uncomfortable and I have no doubt it is disparaged in the circles he runs in.  The older I get, the more I am amazed at how powerful cognitive dissonance is.  Yet if we are to grow as human beings and as a society, we sometimes have to force ourselves to think outside our present state of knowledge; to go beyond our comfort zones and push ourselves to examine previously held beliefs.

Some of my more conservative friends find comfort in traditional beliefs and the status quo.  I'll be the first to admit that outlook has merit in certain instances.  At the same time, I don't want them to be blindsided and come to full awareness with the illness of a beloved grandchild or be shocked with their first realization and outrage while watching the suffering of a friend.

“every day, 610,000 children ages one through five eat a dose of neurotoxic organophosphate insecticides (OPs) that the government deems unsafe. Some 6,000 of these children exceed the government’s safe daily dose of these pesticides by a factor of ten or more.

In an article for Healthy Child, Jane Shepard writes -

"The fruits and vegetables that are so crucial to health are compromised by ongoing pesticide contamination. If you eat conventional food you are eating combinations of pesticides known or suspected to cause brain and nervous system damage, cancer, and disruption of the endocrine and immune systems. The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit research organization, analyzed government pesticide records and food consumption data and reported that “every day, 610,000 children ages one through five eat a dose of neurotoxic organophosphate insecticides (OPs) that the government deems unsafe. Some 6,000 of these children exceed the government’s safe daily dose of these pesticides by a factor of ten or more. More than half of the 610,000 children exposed to an unsafe dose of OP insecticides each day, get that dose by eating an apple, apple sauce or apple juice. Some apples are so toxic that just one bite can deliver an unsafe dose of OPs to a child under five.” Another analysis showed that every day, more than a quarter million American children ages one through five eat a combination of 20 different pesticides. More than one million children ages one through five eat at least 15 pesticides on any given day.13 "