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January 8, 2006 [LINK]
Amaryllis flower
This stunning scarlet Amaryllis flower grew from a bulb that Jacqueline planted just before Christmas. Now that's fast! The second flower in back bloomed first, about four days ago. It sure is nice that indoor flowering plants brighten up our days and fight "Seasonal Affective Disorder" during these depressing months of scant sunlight. 
For the marine life lover in you
The renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium (which I visited in 1987; link via Connie) has a "Seafood Watch" program to encourage healthy living and environmentally conscious shopping. It warns in particular against "farm-raised" shrimp and salmon. The coastal "farms" on which shrimp are raised often destroy precious mangrove trees, and salmon that are raised in extremely crowded "net pens" pollute the water with their feces. In contrast, farm-raised oysters, clams, mussels, tilapia, catfish, and trout are much better for the environment. Most Americans have become aware that improper fishing techniques kill many dolphins, which is why most food manufacturers agreed to market only "dolphin-safe" tuna. During and after the trip Jacqueline and I made to Costa Rica last February, I learned a lot about sea turtles, which often get caught in nets. See my April 14, 2005 post.
More generally, this is a classic case where wise tax policy could promote environmental goals even if many consumers remain apathetic about nature. Instead of hopelessly complex and often unenforceable pollution standards, there should be a uniform Federal gross receipts tax on all business establishments in rough proportion to the pollution that they create. The problem with implementing this, of course, is that it would annoy bargain-conscious American shoppers, who would rather not be burdened with the responsibility for helping the environment. "That's someone else's job -- like the government, or big corporations."
Posted (or last updated or commented upon): 08 Jan 2006, 3: 52 PM
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Hits on this page (single blog post) since July 2, 2007: 
Category archives:
(all years)
Baseball
Politics
Latin America
War
Wild Birds
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Science & Technology
This (or that) year's
blog highlights
January 7, 2006 ~ DeLay gives up majority leader post
January 12, 2006 ~ Alito withstands Dems' "torture"
January 16, 2006 ~ Michelle Bachelet wins in Chile
January 19, 2006 ~ Views on Iran's nuclear ambitions
January 24, 2006 ~ Fallout from Canada's election
January 31, 2006 ~ Second (& third) thoughts on Iran
February 1, 2006 ~ The State of the Union, 2006
February 8, 2006 ~ D.C. Council votes "yes," but...
February 18, 2006 ~ Checks and balances in wartime
February 22, 2006 ~
Neocons & Neolibs: chastened alike
February 28, 2006 ~
The Dubai Ports World uproar
March 14, 2006 ~ New D.C. baseball stadium unveiled
March 24, 2006 ~ In the footsteps of France?
April 7, 2006 ~ Immigration compromise fails
May 16, 2006 ~ Bush militarizes Mexican border
June 6, 2006 ~ Alan Garcia triumphs, once again
June 9, 2006 ~
Zarqawi: The death of a terrorist
July 3, 2006 ~
Election in Mexico: too close to call
July 5, 2006 ~ North Korea goes ballistic
July 28, 2006 ~ Garcia prepares to lead Peru, again
August 4, 2006 ~ Israel invades Hezbolland
September 6, 2006 ~ "Crunchy conservatives": for real?
September 25, 2006 ~ Nationalists thwart conservation
October 3, 2006 ~ Nationals: Year in review
October 29, 2006 ~ Virginia's marriage amendment
November 7, 2006 ~ The people render their verdict
November 8, 2006 ~ Republicans lose big time
November 9, 2006 ~ Allen concedes / Election post-mortem
November 13, 2006 ~ Toward consensus on Iraq?
December 1, 2006 ~ Realism and our goals in Iraq
December 6, 2006 ~ Latin America & U.S. trade policy
December 8, 2006 ~ Iraq Study Group reports
December 22, 2006 ~ Yuletide political roundup
Blog highlights have been compiled for the years 2010-2012 thus far, and eventually will be compiled for earlier years, back to 2002.
Explanation
The "home made" blog organization system that I created was instituted on November 1, 2004, followed by several functional enhancements in subsequent years. I make no more than one blog post per day on any one category, so some posts may cover multiple news items or issues. Blog posts appear in the following (reverse alphabetical) order, which may differ from the chronological order in which the posts were originally made:
- Wild birds (LAST)
- War
- Science & Technology
- Politics
- Latin America
- Culture & Travel
- Canaries ("Home birds")
- Baseball (FIRST)
Also see: My blog practices.
Blog errata (Nobody's perfect.)