At first I thought the whole "Green is Universal" campaign was brilliant. But then today I was watching The Today Show, as they televised from a helicopter the truck bringing the 84 foot tree to Rockefeller Center, an annual tradition. In my opinion NBC and Universal blew it. This being the 75th anniversary of the tree, Universal could have made a real statement. They could have said and probably should have said no tree. Or they could have made a huge display of living trees that could show how to celebrate an environmentally aware Christmas. Then after Christmas planted those trees in some of the burned out forests of California or elsewhere.
The reporters said the Rockefeller Center tree was cut down in an environmentally sound way, they used an ax instead of a chainsaw. Also, they planned to use LED lights instead of incandescent lights. So all is environmentally good. Amazing!
Instead of capping off a great week of environmental awareness with a statement, they capped it with a big environmental blunder! Thanks NBC and Universal.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Catch Limits for Sharks
See the full article here.
Ocean Conservancy calls for action on sharks:
Ocean Conservancy has urged the US government to present a shark conservation proposal at the upcoming annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) in Turkey. Our requests included an anti-finning requirement that sharks be landed with their fins attached and the establishment of catch limits on North Atlantic mako and porbeagle sharks. "This November, the member countries of ICCAT have an opportunity to
adopt the world's first international catch limits for sharks," said Sonja Fordham, Ocean Conservancy's Shark Conservation Program Director who will serve on the US delegation to the ICCAT meeting. "The porbeagle shark, in particular, as one of the Atlantic's most endangered fish, deserves full and immediate protection." Members can help by contacting their government representatives and requesting a high priority for shark conservation at ICCAT.
For more on sharks, visit: www.oceanconservancy.org/sharks
Ocean Conservancy calls for action on sharks:
Ocean Conservancy has urged the US government to present a shark conservation proposal at the upcoming annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) in Turkey. Our requests included an anti-finning requirement that sharks be landed with their fins attached and the establishment of catch limits on North Atlantic mako and porbeagle sharks. "This November, the member countries of ICCAT have an opportunity to
adopt the world's first international catch limits for sharks," said Sonja Fordham, Ocean Conservancy's Shark Conservation Program Director who will serve on the US delegation to the ICCAT meeting. "The porbeagle shark, in particular, as one of the Atlantic's most endangered fish, deserves full and immediate protection." Members can help by contacting their government representatives and requesting a high priority for shark conservation at ICCAT.
For more on sharks, visit: www.oceanconservancy.org/sharks
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Save the Tata's
My wife's aunt sent this to me. Sign the petition here.
From a nurse:
I'll never forget the look in my patients' eyes when I had to tell them they had to go home with the drains, new exercises and no breast. I remember begging the doctors to keep these women in the hospital longer, only to hear that they would, but their hands were tied by the insurance companies. So there I sat with my patients, giving them the instructions they needed to take care of themselves, knowing full well they didn't grasp half of what I was saying, because the glazed, hopeless, frightened look spoke louder than the quiet 'Thank You," they muttered.
A mastectomy is when a woman's breast is removed in order to remove cancerous breast cells/tissue. If you know anyone who has had a Mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards. Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure. Let's give women the chance to recover properly in the hospital for 2 days after surgery.
It takes 2 seconds to do this and is very important. Please take the time and do it quickly! Then please send this to everyone in your address book. If there was ever a time when our voices and choices should be heard, this is one of those times. If you're receiving this, it's because I think you will take the 30 seconds to go to vote on this issue and send it on to others you know who will do the same.
There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the 'drive-through mastectomy' where women are forced to go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.
Lifetime Television has put this bill on their web page with a petition drive to show your support. Last year over half the House signed on.
PLEASE!! Sign the petition by clicking on the web site below. You need not give more than your name and zip code number.
http://www.lifetime tv.com/breastcan cer/petition/signpetition.php
This takes about 2 seconds. PLEASE PASS THIS ON to your friends and family, and on behalf of all women, THANKS.
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter..."
From a nurse:
I'll never forget the look in my patients' eyes when I had to tell them they had to go home with the drains, new exercises and no breast. I remember begging the doctors to keep these women in the hospital longer, only to hear that they would, but their hands were tied by the insurance companies. So there I sat with my patients, giving them the instructions they needed to take care of themselves, knowing full well they didn't grasp half of what I was saying, because the glazed, hopeless, frightened look spoke louder than the quiet 'Thank You," they muttered.
A mastectomy is when a woman's breast is removed in order to remove cancerous breast cells/tissue. If you know anyone who has had a Mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards. Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure. Let's give women the chance to recover properly in the hospital for 2 days after surgery.
It takes 2 seconds to do this and is very important. Please take the time and do it quickly! Then please send this to everyone in your address book. If there was ever a time when our voices and choices should be heard, this is one of those times. If you're receiving this, it's because I think you will take the 30 seconds to go to vote on this issue and send it on to others you know who will do the same.
There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the 'drive-through mastectomy' where women are forced to go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.
Lifetime Television has put this bill on their web page with a petition drive to show your support. Last year over half the House signed on.
PLEASE!! Sign the petition by clicking on the web site below. You need not give more than your name and zip code number.
http://www.lifetime tv.com/breastcan cer/petition/signpetition.php
This takes about 2 seconds. PLEASE PASS THIS ON to your friends and family, and on behalf of all women, THANKS.
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter..."
Protecting Sharks
Oceana.org and WildAid.org have release a report on the factors affecting shark survival. The report can be found here. Some of the background information includes solutions;
"Five Things You Can Do to Help Save Sharks
Sharks are being caught at unsustainable levels due to the high demand for their fins, liver oil, and meat. Shark populations globally are in trouble but there are things you can do to help.
Some may ask, what is sustainably caught seafood and how do I know what I am getting. First download the Seafood Watch Pocket Guide from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. While you are at it join the aquarium, if for no other reason than to help fund the work the marine biologists are doing to better understand sharks. For instance did you know that most larger shark species do not become sexually mature until they 25 years old? We need to know more.
Join the Fight
If you can not make it the Monterey Bay Aquarium, join an aquarium in your area, or join an environmental awareness organization, or do all of the above!
Write Letters
You can also write your politicians. Vote for only environmentally aware politicians. Decisions made today may not affect you. But if you have kids, those decisions will affect them.
Hug a "Tree-Hugger"
This reminds me of a line in the movie "The American President", where the President finally fights back and defends his girl-friend's membership in the ACLU. The line is something along the line of "... this is an organization that defends our civil liberties. The question is not why is she a member? But rather why aren't you!" Why are ALL not Tree-Huggers?
"Tree-huggers" get a lot of flack. But the question is why are we all not tree huggers. Is the planet really not that important to you? Do you know your carbon footprint is? Mine is 22,308. The average person in the US is 19,000 obviously I have some work to do. World wide this number is 4,000. But this is a topic for another post.
"Five Things You Can Do to Help Save Sharks
Sharks are being caught at unsustainable levels due to the high demand for their fins, liver oil, and meat. Shark populations globally are in trouble but there are things you can do to help.
- Do not eat shark fin soup.
- Only eat sustainably caught seafood.
- Do not purchase cosmetic products if they have the ingredient squalene or squalane from sharks.
- Write to your congressman to ask them to help protect sharks.
- Help correct people's misconceptions about sharks-sharks don't hunt humans!
Some may ask, what is sustainably caught seafood and how do I know what I am getting. First download the Seafood Watch Pocket Guide from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. While you are at it join the aquarium, if for no other reason than to help fund the work the marine biologists are doing to better understand sharks. For instance did you know that most larger shark species do not become sexually mature until they 25 years old? We need to know more.
Join the Fight
If you can not make it the Monterey Bay Aquarium, join an aquarium in your area, or join an environmental awareness organization, or do all of the above!
Write Letters
You can also write your politicians. Vote for only environmentally aware politicians. Decisions made today may not affect you. But if you have kids, those decisions will affect them.
Hug a "Tree-Hugger"
This reminds me of a line in the movie "The American President", where the President finally fights back and defends his girl-friend's membership in the ACLU. The line is something along the line of "... this is an organization that defends our civil liberties. The question is not why is she a member? But rather why aren't you!" Why are ALL not Tree-Huggers?
"Tree-huggers" get a lot of flack. But the question is why are we all not tree huggers. Is the planet really not that important to you? Do you know your carbon footprint is? Mine is 22,308. The average person in the US is 19,000 obviously I have some work to do. World wide this number is 4,000. But this is a topic for another post.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Sharkwater
I went to see this documentary on the slaughter of one of the oceans top predators. Traveling to Costa Rica's Cocos Island and the Galapagos Islands, the Sharkwater crew show the public disgraceful acts of shark finning, including illegal pooching. Turns out the Taiwanese mafia are behind the finning in Costa Rica.
Shark fin soup is a delicacy in Asia and is said to promote health even cure cancer. The Shark Fin industry is quit large, in the billions of dollars. They even have their own trading or brokerage to promote the sale of shark fins. This simple search on Alibaba.com found numerous suppliers of shark fins.
Sharks are vital to the ecosystem. Did you know that 70% of the worlds oxygen is supplied by phytoplankton? What does this have to do with sharks? If the sharks do not keep the consumers of the phytoplankton in check, the phytoplankton will die off - become extinct. How many trees would we have to plant to replace 70% of the worlds oxygen supply?
Thousands of sharks are being caught, fins cut off (some still alive) and pushed over-board to die. My wife asked me why they have not figured out how to use the entire shark. The sad fact is that the fisherman make more money for the fin than for the shark, so the more fins they collect the more money the collect - the rest of the shark would simply consume vital storage space aboard the boat.
Coconuts kill more people per year than sharks.
Vending Machines Deadlier than Sharks.
Number of human deaths per year due to sharks: 5
Number of people per year killed by a vending machine falling on them: 13
Number of human deaths per year due to choking on a ballpoint pen: 100
Number of people killed because of starvation: 8,000,000
Number of sharks killed: 26-76 Million or as high as 100 million
(numbers are yearly averages)
Shark fin soup is a delicacy in Asia and is said to promote health even cure cancer. The Shark Fin industry is quit large, in the billions of dollars. They even have their own trading or brokerage to promote the sale of shark fins. This simple search on Alibaba.com found numerous suppliers of shark fins.
Sharks are vital to the ecosystem. Did you know that 70% of the worlds oxygen is supplied by phytoplankton? What does this have to do with sharks? If the sharks do not keep the consumers of the phytoplankton in check, the phytoplankton will die off - become extinct. How many trees would we have to plant to replace 70% of the worlds oxygen supply?
Thousands of sharks are being caught, fins cut off (some still alive) and pushed over-board to die. My wife asked me why they have not figured out how to use the entire shark. The sad fact is that the fisherman make more money for the fin than for the shark, so the more fins they collect the more money the collect - the rest of the shark would simply consume vital storage space aboard the boat.
Coconuts kill more people per year than sharks.
Vending Machines Deadlier than Sharks.
Number of human deaths per year due to sharks: 5
Number of people per year killed by a vending machine falling on them: 13
Number of human deaths per year due to choking on a ballpoint pen: 100
Number of people killed because of starvation: 8,000,000
Number of sharks killed: 26-76 Million or as high as 100 million
(numbers are yearly averages)
Shark finning needs to stop. Want to help stop this?
Visit Saving Sharks, Project AWARE, Shark Trust, Sea Shepard
Monday, November 05, 2007
Mackenzie Homecoming 2007
Mackenzie went to Homecoming this past Friday. Homecoming is not what it used to be, she bought her ticket at the dance and went stag. The dance itself was only 2 1/2 hours long.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Favorite Picture of Ashley
This was my favorite pose for Ashley from the professional pictures we had done. I like black and white photo's so I turned this into a nice B&W pictures.
Ashley Gymnastic Photos
Ashley's gymnastics team had professional pictures taken, here are the results of some of those for Ashley.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Fire Update
The according to base command the Horno fire is 80% contained as of this morning. The Santiago Canyon fire is still ragging, however it is moving away from us and into the Cleavland National Forrest.
This morning there was quit a bit of smoke do to a light marine layer. The marine layer has since burned off and the skies are clearing. The kids our out of school for a second day, however word is school will resume on Monday.
I took some time this morning to begin the clean up process by rinsing the concreate areas and watering down the plants. My hope is this will reduce the dust.
More Information at:
San Diego Emergency Homepage
Santiago Canyon Fire Information
This morning there was quit a bit of smoke do to a light marine layer. The marine layer has since burned off and the skies are clearing. The kids our out of school for a second day, however word is school will resume on Monday.
I took some time this morning to begin the clean up process by rinsing the concreate areas and watering down the plants. My hope is this will reduce the dust.
More Information at:
San Diego Emergency Homepage
Santiago Canyon Fire Information
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Fire Update
Many have been asking about how we are doing with the fires. Our house has not been, nor do I believe we will be, in any immediate danger from the fires. We have two fire systems to worry about, the fires on Camp Pendleton and the fires up off the the 241 toll road (Santiago Canyon).
Monday we woke to a combination of sand and ash in the air. As the Sun rose, debris filtered the rays of lights and the Sun glowed white. I sent the girls to school with surgical masks in hopes that when outside they would wear them, they did! Later that day I headed to San Diego for a business meeting with my friend Todd Lass. On the way down I ran into a smoke plume that ran from Oceanside to Mira Mesa with the thickest smoke in the Del Mar area. After my meeting and lunch I headed home, with all the evacuees. It took almost three hours to get from Kearney Mesa in San Diego to my house in San Clemente, this normally takes 45-50 minutes. I did make one stop at Tip Top Meats in Carlsbad to use the restroom and pick up some of their fine meats and baked goods, oh and some beer for later. On the way home I heard that Scripps Ranch was being evacuated and called my friend Todd to offer him and his family a place to stay, he was home packing up and headed to his in-laws home. My parents were waiting for the evacuation call, but never got it.
Tuesday we woke to fairly clear skies. Later that afternoon we noticed the fire plumes on the marine base. Tuesday night was the most concern for us. I went on our roof about 11:00pm and the fires had crest the hill tops on the marine base. I would estimate that the fires were about 5 miles away from us and the wind was pushing them our way. Nicole and the girls packed bags just in case we got a reverse 911.
Wednesday morning the air was thick. Kids went to school with respirator masks I got from my dad when I was in San Diego. We kept a tab on the news and I went back to work, somewhat! Fires at Camp Pendleton headed away from us during the night, but as I said the air was solid. All of the kids activities were canceled and school was canceled for me. So I was able to watch Game 1 of the World Series! We heard from the Capo USD that all CUSD schools would be closed Thursday due to proximity of the fires and health concerns.
It is Thursday morning. Nicole is home from work. The kids are home from school. The air outside is still very smoky and thick! And the news is full of positive information. Fires are being contained.
Monday we woke to a combination of sand and ash in the air. As the Sun rose, debris filtered the rays of lights and the Sun glowed white. I sent the girls to school with surgical masks in hopes that when outside they would wear them, they did! Later that day I headed to San Diego for a business meeting with my friend Todd Lass. On the way down I ran into a smoke plume that ran from Oceanside to Mira Mesa with the thickest smoke in the Del Mar area. After my meeting and lunch I headed home, with all the evacuees. It took almost three hours to get from Kearney Mesa in San Diego to my house in San Clemente, this normally takes 45-50 minutes. I did make one stop at Tip Top Meats in Carlsbad to use the restroom and pick up some of their fine meats and baked goods, oh and some beer for later. On the way home I heard that Scripps Ranch was being evacuated and called my friend Todd to offer him and his family a place to stay, he was home packing up and headed to his in-laws home. My parents were waiting for the evacuation call, but never got it.
Tuesday we woke to fairly clear skies. Later that afternoon we noticed the fire plumes on the marine base. Tuesday night was the most concern for us. I went on our roof about 11:00pm and the fires had crest the hill tops on the marine base. I would estimate that the fires were about 5 miles away from us and the wind was pushing them our way. Nicole and the girls packed bags just in case we got a reverse 911.
Wednesday morning the air was thick. Kids went to school with respirator masks I got from my dad when I was in San Diego. We kept a tab on the news and I went back to work, somewhat! Fires at Camp Pendleton headed away from us during the night, but as I said the air was solid. All of the kids activities were canceled and school was canceled for me. So I was able to watch Game 1 of the World Series! We heard from the Capo USD that all CUSD schools would be closed Thursday due to proximity of the fires and health concerns.
It is Thursday morning. Nicole is home from work. The kids are home from school. The air outside is still very smoky and thick! And the news is full of positive information. Fires are being contained.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Grandma Rita turns 85
This past Monday (10/22/2007) Grandma Nelson, Rita, turned 85 years old. On Sunday we celebrated by taking her out to breakfast. Afterwards we took pictures - of course.
Grandma Nelson and her 4 Great-Grandchildren
Grandma Nelson and her 4 Great-GrandchildrenWednesday, October 03, 2007
Cameron and Papa
Here is a picture I found (my sister, Johanna, took it) of Cameron and my dad. Cam was about 2 and a half months old at the time.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
New Picture of Cameron
Picture I took with the built-in iSight camera on my Apple Laptop. Cameron now has 3 teeth with a fourth one on its way in. He chews on everything.Lobster Season Opens this Saturday
For those of you interested, Lobster season opens in California this Saturday at Midnight. Conditions look really good. If you are diving, make sure you check your gear - maybe do a night dive prior to opening night.
Hawaii 2007
Mama's Fish House is by far the best place to eat on the island. Expensive, but well worth it. Fresh fish caught daily, the menu includes the name of the boat that caught the fish as well as its owners name. Mama's has a great selection of appetizers and drink selections, including a very tasty Mai Ta'i. Above is Mama's ride.
Picture of the kids in the court yard (or is it a front-yard?) at Mama's.
Dave with the kids; Mackenzie, Ashley, Devin, and Cameron at Mama's
Jenny & Devin at Mama's
Ken & Nicole at Mama's
Nelson Family portrait at Mama's
Kids in an Outrigger at Mama's
Sea Turtle on second dive to Molokini Crater. Actually the dive was near shore. This guy came up and bumped our divemaster, who was busy showing us some cleaner shrimp. After bumping into the DM, he came over and bit my fin and gave it a tug. Side note, Molokini is only 4 miles from Maui. On the way from Molokini to the second dive spot, we saw a 6-7 foot tiger shark looking for food at the surface. Luckily it did not appear that the shark followed us.
Mackenzie on dive #2.
I forgot to add this picture from the Maui Ocean Institute. This is Cameron with his face pressed up against 13 inches of plexi-glass looking at me inside the shark tank. What a joy it was to have Nicole and the kids there to see me dive with the sharks.
Waterfall on the Road to Hana. Hana itself is not the destination, it is the journey that makes this all day trip and adventure. I recommend going to Haleakala one day ($10 for a park entrance fee) to see the sunrise - you should do this the first full day there. The next day do the trip to Hana. Past Hana you will find the Seven Pools which is in the same state park, just down at the beach. Your park pass will get you in.
Another waterfall on the Road to Hana.
Ashley at the waterfall.
Mackenzie at the waterfall.
Nicole at the waterfall.
Me and Cameron at the waterfall.
Maui sunset over Lan'i.
More sunset.
Aloha! And Mahalo!Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Shark Dive
On Monday I got to dive the 750,000 gallon shark tank at the Maui Ocean Center. What a truly amazing experience. I was allowed to feed a Spotted Eagle Ray and swim with 6 species of sharks. This includes a 6 1/2 foot male tiger shark. My dive was about 50 minutes long and I even found a sharks tooth on the floor of the aquarium.
Cameron giving dad a high-five and a kiss
26 sharks, 6 different species, one happy diver
Dive is over
Feeding the Spotted Eagle Ray
Feeding the Spotted Eagle Ray
Cameron giving dad a high-five and a kiss
26 sharks, 6 different species, one happy diver
Dive is over
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