Halibut Herald March 12

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ALIBUT HERALD March 12, 2009

Bits and Bites Robots! Robotic systems continue to evolve, slowly penetrating many areas of our lives, from manufacturing, medicine and remote exploration to entertainment, security and personal assistance. Developers in Japan are currently building robots to assist the elderly, while NASA develops the next generation of space explorers, and artists are exploring new avenues of entertainment TOP: Mental commitment robotic baby seals named "Paro" are recharged at robot exhibition Robo Japan 2008 in Yokohama, Friday, Oct. 10, 2008. The 350,000 yen (US$3,480) Paro, a cooing baby harp seal robot fitted with sensors beneath its fur and whiskers, is developed by Japan's Intelligent System Co, to soothe patients in hospitals and nursing homes. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye) BOTTOM: A biomimetic underwater robot, named "RoboLobster", designed by Professor Joseph Ayers, is seen, Aug. 17, 2007, in Nahant, Massachusetts. RoboLobster is intended to be used to recognize changes in seawater and to locate and destroy underwater mines. (Robert Spencer) MORE PHOTOS: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/03/robots.html

Cycling into the Future: Concept Bicycles

Top to bottom, left to right: Josef Cadek Locust Bicycle, Di-Cycle Goes Over Both Water and Land, Rotation Folding Bike, Sideways Bike, ‘One’ Folding Bicycle by Thomas Owen, The Shift Bicycle, Eco-Friendly and Adaptable Versabike, Square-Wheeled Bicycle READ ON & SEE MORE BIKES: http://weburbanist.com/2009/03/03/futuristic-strange-concept-bicyclesdesigns/

Cruising for a Cause “…As Hugh Patterson, Ryan Robertson, and Bryson Robertson began to learn these horrific facts while living in Vancouver, Canada, they got an idea. What if they took a few years off to sail around the world? While they were at it, why not sail for a cause? As the wheels began to turn, they wrote, “Before settling down…why not go out with a noble cause, on a bold and ambitious mission of education to make a difference in the world by addressing a serious issue?” Well, why not? So they began their journey. They created a website, oceangybe.com, and pooled their money to outfit Khulula, their Tradewinds T40. They set off from La Paz, Mexico, in July 2007 in search of gnarly waves, new people, and dirty, dirty seas. What they found was astonishing.Only two years into their three-year journey, these surfer/sailors have already realized that ocean pollution is far worse than they imagined. In Indonesia, Bryson said, “villagers walk down to the beach at low tide, deposit their daily refuse and wait for the tide to take it away.” Ryan explained this as “a prime example of cultural lag” because while the local habits have not changed for generations, the nature of their waste has. “Historically, the trash was coconut husks, bamboo, and banana leaves, now it is plastic and polystyrene,” explained Ryan, “but unfortunately they still get rid of it the same way.” In

Cocos Keeling Island in the mid-Indian Ocean, hermit crabs made their homes in washed-up film canisters and the garbage was ankle-deep. In a 10-meter area alone, the crew picked up over 300 sandals and 150 water bottles.” READ FULL ARTICLE: http://sailmagazine.com/cruising/destinations/cruising_for_a_cause/index.aspx FOLLOW KHULULA’S JOURNEY: http://www.oceangybe.com/

Aurora Poses During a Show for our own Chef de Partie, Dawn Sayers

Smallest Whale Shark Rescued in Sorsogon (My Mama’s Home Province in the Philippines ☺) “All they saw was a stick, stuck in sand, with a small rope leading away from it, into the water. Elson walked up to the stick and was amazed to find the smallest whale shark he had ever seen – a mere 15 inches long!” READ ON: http://www.wwf.org.ph/newsfacts.php?pg=det&id=144#

Mosha Outfitted with Prosthetic Leg “This Asian elephant, Mosha, was outfitted with a prosthetic leg after losing hers to a landmine on the Thai-Burmese border at the tender age of seven months old. She was taken in by the Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital in Lampang, Thailand and in 2007, became the first elephant ever to receive a prosthetic leg.” READ ON & WATCH VIDEO: http://scienceblogs.com/zooillogix/2009/03/mosha_ outfitted_with_prostheti.php

NEAQ’s Octopus Video is Tops! “As part of the New England Aquarium's "Killer Instincts" program, aquarist Bill Murphy interacts with a "friendly" giant Pacific Octopus.” SEE PHOTOS OF NEAQ’S OCTOPUS FIT IN A 15” BOX: http://scienceblogs.com/zooillogix/2009/03/8_foot_octopus_15_inch_box.php WATCH VIDEO:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6DWQZkgiaU

New England Aquarium 1970’s Commercial *Gotta Love Old Marketing Tactics* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddBt5p-Uqew

Make Your TV Twitter “The folks over at Make Magazine have constructed a way to make the Kill-A-Watt (energy consumption monitor) twitter. Twitter, if you’re not familiar, is like blogging in haiku.” READ ON: http://magblog.audubon.org/node/338

Carcinogens Found in Baby Bath Products “Of the 48 kids' products tested for 1,4-dioxane, 67 percent showed up positive. The lab also uncovered the presence of formaldehyde in 82 percent of the 28 products it tested.” http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/03/carcinogens-in-babyproducts.php

Ceramic Water Filters Win IWA Award for Cambodia “Developed in a joint effort between UNICEF and the WSP, these ceramic water filters rely upon porous ceramic (fired clay) to filter microbes or other contaminants from drinking water.” READ ON: http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/03/09/ceramic-water-filterswin-iwa-award-for-cambodia/

Intro to Plastic Smithing

How to make really good hard plastic while reusing and recycling plastic bags at home! Via this method, you can make ANYTHING you want to, out of hard, lightweight, real plastic that's astoundingly durable. It comes out very similar in texture to recycled plastic lumber. READ ON: http://www.instructables.com/id/HomemadePlastic/

Holi: The Festival of Colors What do you get if you mix millions of South Asians around the world, tons of powdered colors and many liters of water? Right – Holi, the Festival of Colors! This spring festival is celebrated on the first full moon in March, so this year, Holi falls today on March 11. Though it’s not the same as being in India and celebrating with everyone, see the Holi madness in pictures. READ ON & MORE PICS: http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/holi-festivalcolors/8708

Archival Photo

In honour of his recent birthday, a shot of Dr. Murray Newman & Jane van Roggen shot by Wendy Bradley, 1986.

Library News New! Book! Review! * If you have read a book or watched a movie in the library collection lately, we’d love to have your review. Please contact Dawn Bassett for more information.

The Sensuous Seas : tales of a marine biologist by Eugene H. Kaplan The feeding and mating habits of some of the ocean's strangest creatures is the subject of these 31 entertaining essays by ecologist Kaplan. He introduces each chapter with a story dramatizing the factual information—such as the tale of his painful encounter with the tentacles of a Portuguese man o' war—but the inducement is unnecessary, as the biology is fascinating in its own right. This book spells out, the mysteries, the drama and the variations in the day-to-day lives of organisms in the sea For example, he tells of the Pearlfish, which lives inside the five toothed sea

cucumber. Dracula-like, it emerges only at night to feed. At dawn’s first ray, it finds an anus – any anus will do – and waits for the cucumber to exhale. It then darts in, pointed tail first. All combined, Kaplan's writing appeals to the story lover, the scientist and anyone who just wants to know how crabs get it on. Vicki Booth is a wife, mom and librarian. She has been volunteering at the Aquarium since 2006 in the Spineless Wonders program

New Movies: Charles Darwin: Genuis - Biography Darwin’s Nightmare – Documentary about the Nile perch in Lake Victoria Earth Cinema Circle Volume – Includes the following documentaries and short films: People’s Grocery, Trashed, Saba and the Rhino’s Secret, and Renewal Rivers and Tides – Andy Goldsworthy th The 11 Hour: Turn Mankind’s Darkest Hour into its Finest Window to the Sea – Stories from four of North America’s greatest aquariums: Monterey Bay, New England Aquarium, Shedd Aquarium and Waikiki Aquarium

New Books: A Good Catch: Sustainable Seafood Recipes from Canada’s Top Chefs by Jill Lambert Essentials of Supervising and Managing Volunteers by Stevenson Inc Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen Historical Atlas of the Arctic by Derek Hayes Marine Fish and Invertebrates of Northern Europe by Frank E. Moen and Erling Svensen Not One Drop: Betrayal and Courage in the Wake of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill by Riki Ott Sea Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis by Alanna Mitchell Snakebit: Confessions of a Herpetologist by Leslie Anthony State of the World’s Oceans by Michelle Allsop Strategic Communications for Nonprofit Organizations: Seven Steps to Creating a Succesful Plan by Sally J. Patterson and Janel M. Radke Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity edited by Eric Chivian and Aaron Bernstein The Last Imaginary Place: A Human History of the Arctic World by Robert McGhee Who Moved my Cheese by Spencer Johnson

Green News Cut your (meat) carbon Looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint? Did you know that ~ 30% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come from food production? Here are the facts: • Roughly 50% of GHG emissions due to human diets comes from meat (though Beef is in a class by itself) • GHG emissions from meat production broken down: o 78% comes from beef (30% of industrial world’s meat consumption) o 14% = pork (38% of consumption) o 8% = chicken (32% of consumption) • Comparing CO2 emissions generated from food production: o One kg of beef served = 19 kg of CO2 generated! o One kg of pork served = 4.25 kg of CO2 generated o One kg of potatoes = just 280 grams CO2 generated How do you reduce your impact?  Eat a healthy balanced diet, with a minimum amount of processed food,  Eat a moderate amount of dairy and meat (or better, go vegetarian, for most of your meals),  Eat more whole grains and veggies, and  Eat local! (check out www.eatlocal.org)

Want more information? Check out these articles: AAAs: Climate-Friendly Dining... Meats: The Carbon Footprints of Raising Livestock for Food http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/40934/title/AAAS_Climate-friendly_dining_%E2%80%A6_meats It’s the Meat Not the Miles: Diet Substance Has a Greater Impact than Diet Origin on Greenhouse Gas http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/31673/title/It%E2%80%99s_the_meat_not_the_miles Emissions

Maze of livestock pens & walkways at the Union Stock Yards, Chicago, Illinois, USA, 1947 SOURCE: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Livestock_chicago_1947.jpg

40% of World's Electricity Will Come From Wind and Solar Power by 2050, With Proper Support http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/03/40-percent-worlds-electricity-will-come-from-wind-power-solarpower-by-2050.php

Amount of Space Required to Transport People by Car, Bus, or Bicycle And That's Just Space... They say an image is worth a thousand words. In this case, it really is. You can write about urban planning and air pollution and traffic congestion, but the three photos above show you at a glance the difference between these three means of transportation. And space isn't everything: Cars also cost more money, pollute more, increase risks of obesity and all kinds of diseases, etc. READ ON: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/03/spacerequired-cars-bus-bicycles-image-posterphotos.php

Events Design the Next Vancouver 'FormShift Vancouver' contest invites new ideas for a vibrant, greener, denser city. A new competition invites the world to help Vancouver imagine itself as not only a denser city, but one more green, livable and exciting to the eye. And though the contest welcomes entries from the best architects in B.C. and beyond, you don't have to be in the business of designing buildings or neighbourhoods to enter and win. READ ON: http://thetyee.ca/News/2009/02/23/FormShift/?utm_source=mo ndayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=230209 CONTEST DETAILS: http://formshiftvancouver.com/

More exciting events here: http://www.vanev o.ca/events01.ht ml Check out videos of past lectures here: http://www.sfu.c a/cstudies/scien ce/darwin.htm

LAST WEEK TO ENJOY!!! Mt. Seymour Girls Ride FREE*

For anyone who cares about the environment, appreciates art, enjoys a good party and loves looking good.. Energy Awareness Through Art (eatART) is throwing a familyfriendly fundraiser at their space. The Hangar at 577 Great Northern Way. Entrance by donation (suggested $5-10) Members get in free. Date: Mar 14 - Mar 14 Location: Vancouver

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