RE-AFFORESTATION the SCOTTISH ISLES, European BEAVERS, George's Guantanomo Concentration Camp, and Ephesian Bedouins. Nukes, Gay Marriage and the KKK
Sometime in my lifetime, I'd actually love to go up north
of Scotland to the Shetland and Orkney islands and do some
"re-afforestation" there. Golly you like a challenge eh Catherine, I hear
you say. I don't know anyone up that way, but some of Dad's rellies came from up that way, like 100+ years ago. And Mum used to tell us tales of her early childhood in the Scottish Hills (later moving to London, in time for WW2) Yes I know the islands'd be windswept and cold, but from what I've seen on
tv the life for inhabitants there could be very much improved. (This segment Added later....some folks are already working on it, full details at the very end of this posting but here's a link, you need to scroll about halfway down the l-o-n-g page ORKNEY NATIVE TREES )
The
southern areas of NZ although milder in some ways even than Cornwall UK, are
swept by winds that come unfettered across the sea direct from Antarctica,
as such, farmers and horticulturists in NZ well know the benefit of
windbreaks
I'm sure some perrenial hardy bushes and small trees can be found which
would grow well up north of Scotland. I'm not an expert in cold climate
plants but there's undoubtedly many little known....in the Northern
Hemisphere anyway, varieties from Southern NZ and Southern Australia, Tasmania and
VIC-NSW alpine areas. Plus plants from Canada and Alaska, if the natives of
Scotland and "neighbouring" Norway can't cope. Once even a small
windbreak of bushes is established, then taller bushes and trees can be
grown within that partly sheltered areas. Grazing area, lost to farmers by
land and fencing taken up for the windbreak-hedge can be more than
compensated for by the increased grazing within the sheltered area, and
less stock losses due to bad weather. OK I've waffled enough on that. Obviously preserving what little still exists of the original native tree, shrub and groundcovers, but often imported plants can be used to great advantage, BECAUSE they "grow like weeds". Although my "studies" have been informal, I have spent many years growing, what in many cases are considered "weed" species, as a first step to planting in difficult and degraded areas. (Here in inland WA I use CASTOR OIL Ricinus, and ACACIA ITEAPHYLLA for quick growing windbreak shrubs Used as "Pioneer" species, those foreign plants can later be removed, whether it's in 5 years time or not for 200. Too much vegetation and "weeds" can always be cleared away, whereas if land is eroded down to the bedrock, not much grows, eh. CHAMAECYPARIS NOOTKATENSIS from Alaska would seem to me worth a try, as a fast growing evergreen conifer, (well fast -er than those islands endemic natives) that "should" cope with conditions on Scottish Islands, and could be a valuable windbreak and pioneer, while other more slowly growing endemic native species are getting going. Maybe
I'll never get up there, maybe someone's already doing that, maybe the
area's unsuitable, however even just considering the area of "Great Britain"
there are vast areas, like "The Yorkshire Moors" which was once "The
Yorkshire Forest" which was cut down and never re-planted or allowed to
regenerate. Ditto with areas all throughout the British Isles including Scotland too. You could argue that barren windswept Moors are "picturesque" in their own way
but I'd rather "picture" a forest running freely with deer and beavers. Did you
hear they are having another try at re-introducing beavers which were hunted
to extinction in England and Scotland centuries ago. The near identical
European beaver, a fair bit different to the North American variety, still
lives in several places in inland Europe so a small colony has been
introduced to an area of England called "Cotswalds" I believe.
There's another area I'd like to go plant a forest on, eroded hillsides in what would now be Turkey-Syria. Called "Ephesus" it's been inhabited since Biblical times ("Pauls letter to the Ephesians") Previously the slopes where thickly forested by Mediterraneans Oaks and other forest trees. They were felled EN MASSE and intitally the crops (wheat etc) were quite good sustaining large communities around the coastal edge. But as the trees deep roots died out, the soil eroded down silting up the natural harbours and they crops faded as the soils got thinner and thinner. Eventually eroded down to pretty much the BedRock, unable to sustain any fixed population, anything more than a handful of wandering "Bedouin" tribesmen with small herds of sheep and goats. Unfortunately even that small amount of grazing stopped any kind of re-growth. So nearly 2,000 years on, nothing's improved. They gotta keep out the sheep and goats for a few years, start by planting "pioneer" species (often = hardy small bushes with strong roots) then get full sized trees going later on. Yeah well I probably won't get to Ephesus anytime soon either !
Look don't panic about USA "going to hell in a handbasket" too
quickly. But some concern for the longer term future could be in order. Some folks reckon that India and China are the next "power-house" nations to come online
I have heard some commentators draw parallels between the USA and the fall of the Roman
Empire. It also sucked in resources from all over the (known) world to prop
up it's beauracracy and over-sized Military machine. Until it couldn't sustain itself, and fell to bits. Whether this is exactly going to happen to the US in future is
conjecture but many people reckon that after leading the world (economically, and in civil rights and freedoms and good democratic principles) for a
century, it has had its heyday and is on slippery slope downwards
Concern must be voiced about the so called "Patriot Act" (great name, who
could fail to support that ! ) which came off the printing presses at 4 am
and was voted on and passed UN-READ by the politicians by 11 am the same day......only one guy
refused, the member for somewhere around Wisconsin.
Guantanomo Bay is an appalling situation and whereas England's Prime Minister Blair insisted that UK
citizens be either charged with real offences in a real court or sent home
promptly, (and they were all subsequently sent home), the 2 Aussies have been held. One I think was
released (not long ago) but the other has now been there for over 4 years, and what can he
look forward to, a rigged trial in a kangaroo court, and no "real" true
justice and legal process, and Aussie Prime Minister little Johnny-the-Jackboot-Howard, being such a "brown
noser" to Prez Bush he won't say boo. When asked recently why he wouldn't
push for the young Aussie bloke "David Hicks" to be returned to Australia, he
said something like "but he hasn't committed any offences under Australian or
Afghani law that we can prosecute him for"........for frell sake, that's a
reason for insisting that he be returned home, NOT for insisting he be held in
a concentration camp somewhere beyond the reach of normal American or International
law ! Only a few years ago, the Yanks would have been the first to
grizzle about prison camps, and kangaroo courts without real justice, now
they're the perpetrators of it ! And talk about "WMD" they have the
biggest arsenal of anyone in the world. Hello "The pot calling the kettle *black*."
There's a docu in limited cinema release now ("Blowin' in the Wind"), about how US "depleted uranium" tipped
weapons are spreading a long lasting contamination across the world
wherever the yanks use them, like in Iraq and Afghanistan, and even where
they are fired for training purposes, like in Australia with joint training exercises with
Aussie soldiers
Didn't they learn the lesson in Vietnam wher "Agent Orange" (referred to as
a "de-foliant" but basically a wide-acting plant poison to kill off the poor
villagers food and tree crops) later found to cause horrific birth defects
for many years onwards, not just for the "natives" (whether they be
"friendlies" or "enemy") but also for US servicemen (soldiers etc) who
became contaminated as they moved through poisoned areas, later returning
home to America to father terribly deformed babies. 30 years on "depleted
uranium" weapons look like doing the same but many times worse, and with a
dangerous radioactive life of goodness only knows how many centuries. Still
I bet the US based Nuclear power industry is laughing all the way to their Swiss
bank accounts as they've found a groovy new way to get rid of their waste
products. The US Army will pay to buy them off you, then fire them willy-nilly all 'round the farmlands of some of the poorest people on Earth.
I think that the hard right wing religious so called conservatism of the US
varies from state to state and areas within. In some areas, it might not be so manifest. I'm guessing that California is a bit more easy-going than some other areas. But Remember that the Klu Klux Klansmen
of just a few years gone by, where, in the own minds, just good old God-fearin'
Christians. But to them it was ok to beat "Niggers" (sic) to death and lynch them
or tow them behind a car until they died, and even a White woman who had
sex with a Negro could expect to be severely beaten up by any Klansmen that
found out. I have considerable fears for the future of US society as it
becomes more and more impacted by an increasingly well resourced (cashed
up) and organised, ultra-right-wing hard-line Christian element. Any minorities, even Christian "minorities" might well find themselves more and more marginalised. Look at how Prez Bush managed to make the last election turn on such minor issues like "Gay Marriage" rather than on the far more substantial issue, of him going off to start World War 3 on so obviously false info that it amounted to a deliberate lie. (Blind Freddy could see that the "evidence" didn't amount to a hill-of-beans, unfortunately even the best of the United States and British media, being the useless sacks of shit that they are, simply swallowed the propoganda and lies hook-line-and-sinker). And hey, just a minute, What is even meant by "gay marriage"? Well I reckon that for the most part it'd be strictly "civil" and "legal" matters such as one long term life-partner being able to sign papers when their partner is hospitalised after a car accident, or inheriting a share of their pension/superannuation scheme should they die. It doesn't necessarily mean a traditional "church wedding" (note the traditional English/European wedding pretty much only dates from the early to mid 1800's anyway) Even if the various USA State/Federal laws allowed "gay marriage" then surely which ceremonies they'd allow in their own Church/Synagogue/Mosque would be at the discretion of the individual Pastors/Reverends/Priests/Rabbis/Imams etc So those who would be offended simply wouldn't allow such ceremonies to take place in THEIR Holy Place. Well that's my opinion anyway. Again we come back to the subject of "pieces of paper" which Governements control or control access to, and which are needed for .....crossing International borders, healthcare, pension and inheritance entitlements etc
Here's a bunch of info I just discovered, apparently keen volunteers are doing good things all throughout the British Isles, including Orkney and Shetland Islands, using seedlings from what few native stands of bush and forest still exist.
Orkney Native Trees
The woods of Orkney have been in retreat for around 5000 years, probably as a result both of climate change and human activities such as burning and stock grazing. Today the islands are almost treeless and exposed to salt spray, with only one tiny tract of true relict woodland surviving: Berriedale on the island of Hoy, the most northerly natural woodland in the British Isles. Its only companions are scattered trees and small groups in steep gullies and ravines, areas of low willow carr, and aspen clinging to the cliffs overlooking Scapa Flow. Berriedale, although no more than a couple of hectares in size, is still a "remarkable and atmospheric woodland",(60) with birch, hazel, aspen, rowan and willow, and "a dense understorey of Roses and Honeysuckle and a ground flora of tall herbs and ferns".(60) Ungrazed since 1984 when it was acquired by the RSPB, natural regeneration is now beginning to take place - albeit at a slow pace because of Orkney's very short growing season. Since a single fire could easily wipe out the entire wood, seed is being collected and planted out in enclosures and gullies elsewhere on the reserve.
The Orkney Islands Native Tree Restoration Project is overseeing the creation of new small woodlands on "up to 50 sites",(61) totalling at least 20 hectares. Along with the work of the new Orkney Native Plant Network in propagating trees, shrubs and wildflowers, these new woods, sheltering along the line of a burn or in the lee of a hill, should become seed sources themselves in turn - thereby safeguarding the unique genetic material of the Orkney woods. Beyond this, "it is very likely that the stimulation of local interest and the increasing availability of native plants will lead to the ongoing planting of many other sites... well into the 21st century".(62) Volunteer opportunities are available at Berriedale and with the Restoration Project.(63) Orkney Islands Native Tree Restoration Project
Jenny Taylor
3 Manse Lane
Stromness
Orkney KW16 3BX
Tel: 01856 851322
James Plowman
RSPB
Ley House
Hoy
Orkney KW16 3NJ
Tel: 01856 791298
Shetland Community Woodlands
Alan Blane
Shetland Amenity Trust
22-24 North Road
Lerwick
Shetland ZE1 0NQ
Tel: 01595 694688
(Similar to the Orkney Project, but in an even more hostile setting.)
cheers
In 1896 50% of ALL registered cars in the U.S. were wrecked in ONE DAY!
On that same day... there were NO reported Truck Accidents anywhere
Patsy..... "So, is killing *Not* wrong anymore ?"
Trudy..... "We don't have to worry about Right and Wrong anymore, ZOOT
decides for us"
.....THE TRIBE ep 2:49
of Scotland to the Shetland and Orkney islands and do some
"re-afforestation" there. Golly you like a challenge eh Catherine, I hear
you say. I don't know anyone up that way, but some of Dad's rellies came from up that way, like 100+ years ago. And Mum used to tell us tales of her early childhood in the Scottish Hills (later moving to London, in time for WW2) Yes I know the islands'd be windswept and cold, but from what I've seen on
tv the life for inhabitants there could be very much improved. (This segment Added later....some folks are already working on it, full details at the very end of this posting but here's a link, you need to scroll about halfway down the l-o-n-g page ORKNEY NATIVE TREES )
The
southern areas of NZ although milder in some ways even than Cornwall UK, are
swept by winds that come unfettered across the sea direct from Antarctica,
as such, farmers and horticulturists in NZ well know the benefit of
windbreaks
I'm sure some perrenial hardy bushes and small trees can be found which
would grow well up north of Scotland. I'm not an expert in cold climate
plants but there's undoubtedly many little known....in the Northern
Hemisphere anyway, varieties from Southern NZ and Southern Australia, Tasmania and
VIC-NSW alpine areas. Plus plants from Canada and Alaska, if the natives of
Scotland and "neighbouring" Norway can't cope. Once even a small
windbreak of bushes is established, then taller bushes and trees can be
grown within that partly sheltered areas. Grazing area, lost to farmers by
land and fencing taken up for the windbreak-hedge can be more than
compensated for by the increased grazing within the sheltered area, and
less stock losses due to bad weather. OK I've waffled enough on that. Obviously preserving what little still exists of the original native tree, shrub and groundcovers, but often imported plants can be used to great advantage, BECAUSE they "grow like weeds". Although my "studies" have been informal, I have spent many years growing, what in many cases are considered "weed" species, as a first step to planting in difficult and degraded areas. (Here in inland WA I use CASTOR OIL Ricinus, and ACACIA ITEAPHYLLA for quick growing windbreak shrubs Used as "Pioneer" species, those foreign plants can later be removed, whether it's in 5 years time or not for 200. Too much vegetation and "weeds" can always be cleared away, whereas if land is eroded down to the bedrock, not much grows, eh. CHAMAECYPARIS NOOTKATENSIS from Alaska would seem to me worth a try, as a fast growing evergreen conifer, (well fast -er than those islands endemic natives) that "should" cope with conditions on Scottish Islands, and could be a valuable windbreak and pioneer, while other more slowly growing endemic native species are getting going. Maybe
I'll never get up there, maybe someone's already doing that, maybe the
area's unsuitable, however even just considering the area of "Great Britain"
there are vast areas, like "The Yorkshire Moors" which was once "The
Yorkshire Forest" which was cut down and never re-planted or allowed to
regenerate. Ditto with areas all throughout the British Isles including Scotland too. You could argue that barren windswept Moors are "picturesque" in their own way
but I'd rather "picture" a forest running freely with deer and beavers. Did you
hear they are having another try at re-introducing beavers which were hunted
to extinction in England and Scotland centuries ago. The near identical
European beaver, a fair bit different to the North American variety, still
lives in several places in inland Europe so a small colony has been
introduced to an area of England called "Cotswalds" I believe.
There's another area I'd like to go plant a forest on, eroded hillsides in what would now be Turkey-Syria. Called "Ephesus" it's been inhabited since Biblical times ("Pauls letter to the Ephesians") Previously the slopes where thickly forested by Mediterraneans Oaks and other forest trees. They were felled EN MASSE and intitally the crops (wheat etc) were quite good sustaining large communities around the coastal edge. But as the trees deep roots died out, the soil eroded down silting up the natural harbours and they crops faded as the soils got thinner and thinner. Eventually eroded down to pretty much the BedRock, unable to sustain any fixed population, anything more than a handful of wandering "Bedouin" tribesmen with small herds of sheep and goats. Unfortunately even that small amount of grazing stopped any kind of re-growth. So nearly 2,000 years on, nothing's improved. They gotta keep out the sheep and goats for a few years, start by planting "pioneer" species (often = hardy small bushes with strong roots) then get full sized trees going later on. Yeah well I probably won't get to Ephesus anytime soon either !
Look don't panic about USA "going to hell in a handbasket" too
quickly. But some concern for the longer term future could be in order. Some folks reckon that India and China are the next "power-house" nations to come online
I have heard some commentators draw parallels between the USA and the fall of the Roman
Empire. It also sucked in resources from all over the (known) world to prop
up it's beauracracy and over-sized Military machine. Until it couldn't sustain itself, and fell to bits. Whether this is exactly going to happen to the US in future is
conjecture but many people reckon that after leading the world (economically, and in civil rights and freedoms and good democratic principles) for a
century, it has had its heyday and is on slippery slope downwards
Concern must be voiced about the so called "Patriot Act" (great name, who
could fail to support that ! ) which came off the printing presses at 4 am
and was voted on and passed UN-READ by the politicians by 11 am the same day......only one guy
refused, the member for somewhere around Wisconsin.
Guantanomo Bay is an appalling situation and whereas England's Prime Minister Blair insisted that UK
citizens be either charged with real offences in a real court or sent home
promptly, (and they were all subsequently sent home), the 2 Aussies have been held. One I think was
released (not long ago) but the other has now been there for over 4 years, and what can he
look forward to, a rigged trial in a kangaroo court, and no "real" true
justice and legal process, and Aussie Prime Minister little Johnny-the-Jackboot-Howard, being such a "brown
noser" to Prez Bush he won't say boo. When asked recently why he wouldn't
push for the young Aussie bloke "David Hicks" to be returned to Australia, he
said something like "but he hasn't committed any offences under Australian or
Afghani law that we can prosecute him for"........for frell sake, that's a
reason for insisting that he be returned home, NOT for insisting he be held in
a concentration camp somewhere beyond the reach of normal American or International
law ! Only a few years ago, the Yanks would have been the first to
grizzle about prison camps, and kangaroo courts without real justice, now
they're the perpetrators of it ! And talk about "WMD" they have the
biggest arsenal of anyone in the world. Hello "The pot calling the kettle *black*."
There's a docu in limited cinema release now ("Blowin' in the Wind"), about how US "depleted uranium" tipped
weapons are spreading a long lasting contamination across the world
wherever the yanks use them, like in Iraq and Afghanistan, and even where
they are fired for training purposes, like in Australia with joint training exercises with
Aussie soldiers
Didn't they learn the lesson in Vietnam wher "Agent Orange" (referred to as
a "de-foliant" but basically a wide-acting plant poison to kill off the poor
villagers food and tree crops) later found to cause horrific birth defects
for many years onwards, not just for the "natives" (whether they be
"friendlies" or "enemy") but also for US servicemen (soldiers etc) who
became contaminated as they moved through poisoned areas, later returning
home to America to father terribly deformed babies. 30 years on "depleted
uranium" weapons look like doing the same but many times worse, and with a
dangerous radioactive life of goodness only knows how many centuries. Still
I bet the US based Nuclear power industry is laughing all the way to their Swiss
bank accounts as they've found a groovy new way to get rid of their waste
products. The US Army will pay to buy them off you, then fire them willy-nilly all 'round the farmlands of some of the poorest people on Earth.
I think that the hard right wing religious so called conservatism of the US
varies from state to state and areas within. In some areas, it might not be so manifest. I'm guessing that California is a bit more easy-going than some other areas. But Remember that the Klu Klux Klansmen
of just a few years gone by, where, in the own minds, just good old God-fearin'
Christians. But to them it was ok to beat "Niggers" (sic) to death and lynch them
or tow them behind a car until they died, and even a White woman who had
sex with a Negro could expect to be severely beaten up by any Klansmen that
found out. I have considerable fears for the future of US society as it
becomes more and more impacted by an increasingly well resourced (cashed
up) and organised, ultra-right-wing hard-line Christian element. Any minorities, even Christian "minorities" might well find themselves more and more marginalised. Look at how Prez Bush managed to make the last election turn on such minor issues like "Gay Marriage" rather than on the far more substantial issue, of him going off to start World War 3 on so obviously false info that it amounted to a deliberate lie. (Blind Freddy could see that the "evidence" didn't amount to a hill-of-beans, unfortunately even the best of the United States and British media, being the useless sacks of shit that they are, simply swallowed the propoganda and lies hook-line-and-sinker). And hey, just a minute, What is even meant by "gay marriage"? Well I reckon that for the most part it'd be strictly "civil" and "legal" matters such as one long term life-partner being able to sign papers when their partner is hospitalised after a car accident, or inheriting a share of their pension/superannuation scheme should they die. It doesn't necessarily mean a traditional "church wedding" (note the traditional English/European wedding pretty much only dates from the early to mid 1800's anyway) Even if the various USA State/Federal laws allowed "gay marriage" then surely which ceremonies they'd allow in their own Church/Synagogue/Mosque would be at the discretion of the individual Pastors/Reverends/Priests/Rabbis/Imams etc So those who would be offended simply wouldn't allow such ceremonies to take place in THEIR Holy Place. Well that's my opinion anyway. Again we come back to the subject of "pieces of paper" which Governements control or control access to, and which are needed for .....crossing International borders, healthcare, pension and inheritance entitlements etc
Here's a bunch of info I just discovered, apparently keen volunteers are doing good things all throughout the British Isles, including Orkney and Shetland Islands, using seedlings from what few native stands of bush and forest still exist.
Orkney Native Trees
The woods of Orkney have been in retreat for around 5000 years, probably as a result both of climate change and human activities such as burning and stock grazing. Today the islands are almost treeless and exposed to salt spray, with only one tiny tract of true relict woodland surviving: Berriedale on the island of Hoy, the most northerly natural woodland in the British Isles. Its only companions are scattered trees and small groups in steep gullies and ravines, areas of low willow carr, and aspen clinging to the cliffs overlooking Scapa Flow. Berriedale, although no more than a couple of hectares in size, is still a "remarkable and atmospheric woodland",(60) with birch, hazel, aspen, rowan and willow, and "a dense understorey of Roses and Honeysuckle and a ground flora of tall herbs and ferns".(60) Ungrazed since 1984 when it was acquired by the RSPB, natural regeneration is now beginning to take place - albeit at a slow pace because of Orkney's very short growing season. Since a single fire could easily wipe out the entire wood, seed is being collected and planted out in enclosures and gullies elsewhere on the reserve.
The Orkney Islands Native Tree Restoration Project is overseeing the creation of new small woodlands on "up to 50 sites",(61) totalling at least 20 hectares. Along with the work of the new Orkney Native Plant Network in propagating trees, shrubs and wildflowers, these new woods, sheltering along the line of a burn or in the lee of a hill, should become seed sources themselves in turn - thereby safeguarding the unique genetic material of the Orkney woods. Beyond this, "it is very likely that the stimulation of local interest and the increasing availability of native plants will lead to the ongoing planting of many other sites... well into the 21st century".(62) Volunteer opportunities are available at Berriedale and with the Restoration Project.(63) Orkney Islands Native Tree Restoration Project
Jenny Taylor
3 Manse Lane
Stromness
Orkney KW16 3BX
Tel: 01856 851322
James Plowman
RSPB
Ley House
Hoy
Orkney KW16 3NJ
Tel: 01856 791298
Shetland Community Woodlands
Alan Blane
Shetland Amenity Trust
22-24 North Road
Lerwick
Shetland ZE1 0NQ
Tel: 01595 694688
(Similar to the Orkney Project, but in an even more hostile setting.)
cheers
In 1896 50% of ALL registered cars in the U.S. were wrecked in ONE DAY!
On that same day... there were NO reported Truck Accidents anywhere
Patsy..... "So, is killing *Not* wrong anymore ?"
Trudy..... "We don't have to worry about Right and Wrong anymore, ZOOT
decides for us"
.....THE TRIBE ep 2:49
posted by Catherine Jemma at 9:36 am
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