The St. Basil's Cathedral

St. Basil's Cathedral is located on the Red Square in Moscow, Russia. A Russian Orthodox church, the Cathedral sports a series of colorful bulbous domes that taper to a point, aptly named onion domes, that are part of Moscow's Kremlin skyline.

The cathedral was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible to commemorate the capture of the Khanate of Kazan. In 1588 Tsar Fedor Ivanovich had a chapel added on the eastern side above the grave of Basil Fool for Christ, a Russian Orthodox saint after whom the cathedral was popularly named.

Harajuku: Japanese Futuristic Church

This futuristic non Catholic church is located in Tokyo and it was first unveiled by the design firm of Ciel Rouge Creation in 2005. The ceiling is specially made to reverberate natural sound for 2 seconds to provide a unique listening experience for worshipers and tourists.

Central for Biological Diversity: legal eagles getting the job done

So recently, I put up two postings (Fri. 2/20 & Sat. 2/21) on different conservation organizations, commenting on the different strategies or tactics taken by groups who feel their efforts would be best served by either educating the next generation or partaking in eco-terrorist activities. In the end, nature is best served when there are concrete results.

One organization that I have mentioned in the past, is gaining more and more influence and attention by focusing on the strategy of legal engagement, through legal petition or law suit. The Center for Biological Diversity has been affecting change through legal means and their results to date have been impressive. Cases in point, from their latest e-newsletter:

For the threatened Canadian Lynx, its federally protected habitat in the U.S. was increased from 1,841 to 39,000 square miles. CBD, along with Defenders of Wildlife, filed suit to protect the lynx under the Endangered Species Act (it's limited protection was initiated by a now disgraced former official influenced by commercial timber interests).

CBD and other organizations filed numerous suits regarding the 11th hour moves by the previous administration to gut the Endangered Species Act. A bill has now been introduced in Congress that will allow the Obama administration to more quickly rescind those moves - in particular those that denied the use of global warming as a cause for listing a species, like the polar bear, as endangered.

Even the little guys get some attention: the Northern Rockies Fisher, a rare relative of the weasel whose numbers have dwindled due to logging and trapping is receiving CBD support with a scientific petition filed to gain protection under the Endangered Species Act.

CBD, along with over 20 other groups, submitted a petition with over 19,000 signatures in support of measures to protect Arizona's Verde River from proposed pumping for new large development projects. Petition requests the consultation of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine and counter potential negative ecological effects.

The Center for Biological Diversity is one of a growing number of organizations that are taking a decidedly proactive position and do so not by fighting the legal system but by getting it to work for them. The challenges can be clearly identified, the actions can demonstrable, and the results can be clearly measured. Now that's progress.

Go get 'em, CBD!

Marine Protected Areas: are they the hoped for success?

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and No Take Reserves (NTRs) have been instituted worldwide, from the South China Sea to the North Atlantic to the Mediterranean, as a method to not only preserve marine environments but also provide a means to ensure a reasonable population outside of the zone for commercial fishing. While common sense might dictate that these zones would logically improve the health of a marine environment, there are many challenges in empirically proving it.

While an MPA or an NTR may have a defined boundary, those limits have not been, shall we say, "communicated" to the marine life below the surface and so spatial density, or spillover as it is sometimes called, becomes a critical component. A healthy zone that generates populations of species that extend beyond its borders and provides a reasonable commercial yield, does not do so in a vacuum. There must be a proper flow of incoming influences including plankton, coral, and fish larval stages and other biosystem factors - all of which pay no attention to a zone's arbitrary boundaries.

While preliminary results appear positive, there is a considerable amount of challenging research taking place:

• Studying the impact of political/public use influences on the size (reduction) of a zone versus initial environmental recommendations (preliminary research indicates the negative effect is disproportionately larger than the amount of size reduction).
• Researchers are often challenged by a lack of extensive baseline studies of ecosystems prior to the zone for use in evaluating against post-zone studies.
• Much research needs to be done to document the relationship/effect of multiple MPAs or NTRs and how they interact with each other.

To date there have not been any major negative ecological effects attributed to MPAs and NTRs, but let's hope with more research over time, we will have the body of data to undeniably prove their effectiveness and how we can maximize or improve on that success for both environmental and commercial interests.

Lotus Festival NOT !!!

Visitors peer down in search of blooms, but the famous lotus beds in Echo Park Lake appear to be in their final throes. It’s likely that there will be no lotus at all for the first time in the 31-year history of the city's annual Lotus Festival.

"a theatrical evening of melancholy, sarcastic, sentimental and severely comic numbers"

Working with composer Mort Shuman, Eric Blau translated a number of Jacques Brel's songs into English and fashioned a theatrical evening of his melancholy, sarcastic, sentimental and severely comic numbers. "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris" opened at the Village Gate in Manhattan in 1968 and was still going strong more than four years later. It played briefly on Broadway and has since been produced off-Broadway and in regional theater groups.

Eric Blau, 1921-2009.

Arctic Methane: from theory to harsh reality

In mid-December of last year, I posted information regarding the potential for climate change in the Arctic to allow for the release of possibly vast amounts of methane gas from warming permafrost. The info came from scientific and academic journal articles and posed a serious but little publicized consequence of global warming.

It looks like the issue caught the eye of mainstream media with an article in last Sunday's edition of the Los Angeles Times. What caught the attention of the Times was research taking place in Alaska and Siberia that documents the actual effect that was once theorized.

Melting permafrost is producing sinkholes that fill with water and rapidly become ponds which ultimately merge into small lakes. In these bodies of water organic matter decomposes and releases methane - a greenhouse gas considered to be more potent than many of the other gases, like CO2, that are typically known to the public. Scientists have found streams of methane bubbles emanating from these lakes and have actually been able to ignite these bubbles streams to form a "methane flare."

The extant of the impact of Arctic methane gas is not completely clear at this time, so research will continue in Alaska and Siberia, funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA. But Alaskans have seen the effect of warming permafrost with houses collapsing and trees falling from softened soil. It has been estimated that repairs to affected schools, roads and bridges will cost $6 billion over the next two decades.

In December, I described the issue as a potential land mine right under our feet. It may becoming harder to watch where we step. Time to act.

Click here for online L.A. Times article and excellent video.

McDonalds & Shark Conservation: advertising that misses the mark

My friend and long time advocate for shark conservation, Melanie Marks CEO of Shark Trust Wines, is taking on McDonalds regarding a radio commercial that apparently perpetuates the myths and misconceptions regarding great white sharks. Here was her initial salvo aimed at the McDonalds corporate headquarters:

"I recently heard a radio commercial for McDonald's that referenced the great white shark. More specifically, it promoted McDonald's at the expense of the great white. Sickened would not begin to describe how I felt about McDonald's when I heard this commercial.

The great white shark is on the endangered species list. It's population has declined by roughly 80% in the last 15 years and is expected to become extinct within the next several decades unless something is done to reverse this trend. In light of that, how can McDonald's approve an ad that contributes to the negative, and incorrect, image of this animal. Clearly, someone did not do their homework! A great leader once said, if you are not part of the solution than you are part of the problem.

I request that you immediately remove these extremely ignorant and inflammatory commercials from the air. I am prepared to organize a boycott of McDonald's if you do not do so immediately. And, to give you a sense of the power behind this statement, 30 million viewers tuned into Discovery Channel's Shark Week last year because they are interested in the fate of the shark.

I am an active voice in the ocean conservation community and I am not opposed to using that voice to send a message to McDonald's that your advertising campaign is malicious and contributing to the extinction of one of the great ocean animals.

I request that you respond to my request within 5 business days, or I will have no choice but to begin a PR campaign against McDonald's for your slander of an endangered animal."

Regards,

Melanie Marks
President Shark Trust Wines

RTSea Note: As a followup, Melanie has said she has received word from McDonalds requesting a few days to look into the matter, suggesting it might be a regional ad coming from a local agency. The ad apparently refers to great whites sharks as "killing machines" and promotes the Big Mac as able to take on the great white. Melanie is very well connected within the shark conservation community and can rally the troops if need be.

If we are to change the underlying mindset of people regarding sharks then we must address the perpetuation of false stereotypes and misconceptions, no matter whether used in earnest or jest. Let's hope McDonalds does not choose to blithely dismiss Melanie's concerns.

Do you believe in miracles ???

The "Miracle on Ice" is the nickname given to a February 22 medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games, in which a team of amateur and collegiate players from the United States, led by coach Herb Brooks, defeated the Soviet Union team, who were considered to be the best international hockey team in the world, 4–3.

The U.S went on to win the Gold Medal by beating Finland (4–2) in their final medal round game.

Moray Eels: feeding science fiction-style

For those of you who don't read National Geographic, here's an interesting "fun fact" from the latest March issue. . . You think the slimy villain from the Alien movies is the only creature with a second set of jaws? Well, how about the Moray Eel?

Many divers are familiar with the moray's threatening display of sharp teeth - a pose that comes about from the eel's breathing, as it doesn't have large flapping gill structures like bony fishes - and that these rear-facing teeth are designed to hold fast to its prey. But did you know that it has a second set of jaws that spring forward and assist in pulling the prey down its esophagus? This all takes place deep in the eel's throat and though it seems like something right out of a sci-fi thriller, it's actually a very efficient method of food transport for an animal that doesn't have the ability to gulp food down - like the vacuum motion you see with many other fish.

National Geographic reported that researchers from the University of California at Davis have studied this ability using x-ray and high-speed video (see photo) and it is apparently the first known mechanism of its kind in a vertebrate. Snakes get close, with hinged jaws that can slowly ratchet their prey down the gullet, and it's an example of evolutionary convergence - the development of a similar solution between animals facing the same problem.

As a volunteer diver at the Aquarium of the Pacific, me and my fellow team mates would feed the aquarium's eels and watch how they would grab a large sardine or squid perpendicular, turn it towards their throat and then down it would go without any help from the front teeth. A second set of jaws . . . who knew? Well, obviously somebody in Hollywood did!

Article also on online National Geographic.

Indians sign 16-year-old catcher from Czech Republic

Scouring the globe for talented baseball players, the Cleveland Indians plucked one from Eastern Europe a Czech mate behind the plate. The club signed 16-year-old catcher Martin Cervenka of the Czech Republic to a non-drafted minor league contract on Saturday.

Beijing has an excess of ultra-luxury hotels

The owners of a new ultra-luxury hotel maintain an air of confidence in the face of adversity. The 234-room Pangu Plaza, which opened in December, charges as much as $17,750 a night for a suite. The sushi bar, where the cheapest lunch special is $265, cooks its rice in mineral water flown in from Japan. The walls in the hotel are covered with silk, the floors with marble -- Italian of course.

The New Fashions: Always good for a laugh

I suspect they may be planning a bank robbery or perhaps holding up a stage coach -- they certainly could hold up traffic!!!

A Hike-in-lodge

Lost Trail Lodge, six miles northwest of Squaw Valley and four and a half miles northeast of Truckee, California is a backcountry destination. Once at the lodge, guests are virtually cut off from society.

"a musical steeped in optical illusion"

“Pippin” — which tells the story of Charlemagne’s young son, who strikes out on his own after rejecting his father’s tyrannical ways — is a musical steeped in optical illusion. (“Magic to Do” is one of its most memorable songs.) The crew’s resident magician is Tobin Ost, the scenic and costume designer. Ost devised a series of stage holes 8 inches in diameter that the cast can open and close from below using a simple hinge mechanism.

Above, Michael Arden, left, and Tyrone Giordano, who jointly portray the title character, rehearse with the hands.

Eco-Terrorism: ultimately effective or self-destructive?

As a contrasting followup to yesterday's posting on EarthEcho International, it was reported in the Australian media that the Steve Irwin, the vessel currently used by the Sea Shepherd organization to harass Japanese whaling ships, was boarded by Australian police when it docked at Hobart, Tasmania yesterday. The police confiscated the log book, all video footage and photographs, various documents and the crew was confined to the ship. The footage was to be used for episodes of Animal Planet's Whale Wars series which has been documenting the eco-terrorist activities of Sea Shepherd.

Sea Shepherd's actions - ranging from positioning the ship in the path of the whalers to throwing rancid butter at exposed whale meat to accusations of ramming ships and endangering lives - represents one extreme end of the conservationist spectrum and one that many conservationists question as to its ultimate effectiveness. I'm sure that many of Sea Shepherd's members are sincere in their positions and probably feel that their actions are the only option available to them. But to many, it is questionable as to whether extreme protests - as seen with timber eco-terrorists planting metal spikes in trees (which injure or kill the lumberjacks when their saws hit the spikes), or spraying graffiti on SUVs, or even the bombing of an abortion clinic - actually accomplish anything substantial in addressing the issue at hand.

Those organizations that operate at the far end of the conservation spectrum are viewed as terrorists and criminals by government and international regulatory agencies; are largely ignored by other mainstream conservation groups who hold their opinions in reserve, knowing that the fringe groups typically self-destruct from their own theatrics; and are seen as publicity stunt-seeking whackos by the general public.

In the end, the real progress that is made in ocean conservation comes from scientific research and data and political diplomacy which garners broad public acceptance and motivates the decision-makers to act. It may be painfully and frustratingly slow, but it's how the ball gets moved down field.

Read article from Australia's The Mercury.com.

Taking on a "slab"

Big-wave surfer Will Skudin races along the face of a tube that is forming. When the slab rolls out of the deep, it does not rise, but sucks all the water up in its path. The result is not a wall with a front and back, but a hole.

EarthEcho International: carrying on the Cousteau tradition

There are several terrific non-profit conservation organizations (NGOs) doing good work in the name of ocean conservation. While often involved in many facets of marine issues, each organization tends to focus their energies where their particular expertise can do the most good: political, scientific, education, activism, and so on.

For many of us, our initial exposure to the oceans was through the work of Jacque-Yves Cousteau - his expeditions, films, and books and the organization or marine conservation empire that he built. With his passing, the ocean movement lost a recognizable celebrity figure head and the Cousteau organization slowly devolved into different factions, each with their own skills and accomplishments, but perhaps none as powerful as the original.

EarthEcho International is an environmental media and education non-profit founded by Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau (children of Philippe Cousteau, Sr. and grandchildren of Jacque-Yves Cousteau). In existence for several years, it is slowly coming into its own and beginning to flex its muscle. While involved in efforts to motivate governments to initiate better ocean policies, one of its goals to better educate the general public, in particular the youth, as they will be the next inheritors and caretakers of the planet.

Youth likes its heroes and icons, so keep an eye on Philippe. He is a young face with a famous heritage that could prove to be an important figure in reaching young people worldwide to embrace environmental issues and set new directions in public thinking. EarthEcho International has assembled an interesting group of advocates and educators. Let's wish them well for the future.

Learn more at the EarthEcho International web site.

You've heard about the "Million Dollar Mermaid" -- How about the $1,000,000 feet ???

Around this time every year, accessories designer Stuart Weitzman debuts a one-of-a-kind pair of Oscar shoes festooned with $1 million worth of precious gems. It's a stunt he started in 2002, when "Mulholland Drive" actress Laura Elena Harring (above) pranced down the red carpet in diamond-encrusted sandals. Since then, actress Regina King and singer Alison Krauss, among others, have worn the high-profile "Cinderella" slipper, and the ploy has always garnered lots of publicity.

Scientists Confer: signs of progress in ocean conservation

The annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science recently concluded in Chicago and one of the results of the meeting was a recognition of progress in several areas of ocean conservation, particularly regarding fishery management in developing areas and coral reef health in protected or managed areas.

Several areas were cited for improved sealife populations due to effective fisheries management including Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and Vanuatu. These regions were able to develop management programs that involved local communities in determining and managing protected areas. One of the challenges being faced is in "mid-development" countries - countries that have a growing commercial need for fishing but do not have the infrastructure in place to effectively manage their ocean resources. Poorer nations do not have the commercial means to severely impact their local sealife populations whereas well-developed countries have the required infrastructure in place to implement and enforce management policies. In between are the transitional mid-development countries that need both large bureaucratic and local community involvement - and there are places that have done that successfully.

"One of the things that we’re seeing that is giving me some signs of hope is that in many places throughout the Western Indian Ocean, there’s a real trend toward co-management. We’re seeing a very big devolution of power of managing of coastal resources from centralized governments toward communities," said Josh Cinner, social scientist from James Cook University. "There are some instances where you see examples of blending customary management and contemporary management. Where we do see this happening, we see great success—places like Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, where there is considerably more fish inside of these community-managed areas."

During the annual meeting, it was also noted that healthy reef marine ecosystems have been shown to better withstand changes in their environment (temperature change, coral bleaching, etc.) - much like a healthy individual's ability to better ward off diseases due to good health that builds a strong immune system. The Pacific's Northern Line Islands were cited as an example and broader success is hoped for as these islands are within the larger U.S. National Marine Monument recently established.

“The Impossible Dream” still possible

Mention “Man of La Mancha” to anyone and chances are he or she will start booming out “The Impossible Dream” -- verse after relentless verse. This breakaway hit, which was trotted out by nearly every baritone who could get himself booked on a variety show in the ’70s, has more or less eclipsed the classic 1965 musical from which it was spawned.

The song, however, is best appreciated in its dramatic context. And the great thing about Reprise Theatre Company’s production, which opened Sunday at the Freud Playhouse, is the loving way it attends to the story and its defense of imagination and unrealizable dreams. When you have literary source material this good — and Dale Wasserman’s book does a commendable job of framing and condensing Cervantes' epic novel “Don Quixote” — there’s really no reason to waste it.

Architecture by Thom Mayne

The impossible-to-miss Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the California Institute of Technology, wrapped in red-orange panels and seeming to crack and heave around its midsection, as if squeezed by a vise, has been the topic of animated latte-line and cocktail-party conversation in Pasadena since its scaffolding came down last year.

The three-story, 100,000-square-foot building, which stretches its long, low, fractured mass along a prominent site on California Boulevard, engages the city -- and the public -- more pointedly than any other of the university's buildings. It seems eager to start a conversation or pick a fight, depending on your point of view, about the appeal of aggressively contemporary architecture. It has been the most anticipated of the many campus building projects initiated on Caltech's leafy, low-rise campus by David Baltimore, the biologist and Nobel laureate who was president of the university from 1997 to 2006.

And yet the Cahill Center's architect, Thom Mayne, founder of the Santa Monica firm Morphosis, calls it, with something of an apologetic shrug, a conventional building, "probably the most conservative" he's done.

Scuba Divers: be part of the solution, or you're part of the problem

As a scuba diver for some 25 years or so, I have had the opportunity to dive in a variety of locales and have, over the years, seen some significant changes in various aspects of marine ecosystems - from reef degradation to reduced fishlife to encroaching pollution and man-made debris. So, I have tried to be a thoughtful diver while also trying to enlighten as many people as possible to the many issues challenging our world's oceans, often through my volunteer diving at aquariums and through public speaking.

Scuba divers can serve as ambassadors for marine conservation as they have a unique perspective having been active participants, shall we say. They have seen the ocean's beauty firsthand; they have witnessed its complexities - these are not alien experiences, gleamed from a book or dreamt about. And because we divers take benefit from what the ocean has to offer us then we have a responsibility to do what we can to preserve it. We must not choose to cede it all to the activists or the decision-makers, assuming that they can carry the ball without our help.

When I am speaking to groups about marine conservation, often in regards to shark conservation, I occasionally run across a diver or two who are a bit worn out from all the eco-preaching. They just want to dive and leave the "save the seas" stuff to someone else. Sorry, but that ship has sailed. We all must chip in and do our part: know what's going on, get involved in some capacity if only just to let your voice be known; otherwise you risk being as selfish a consumer of the seas as those who have been labeled as the worst of abusers.

After all, what are you there for? To see vibrant sealife, healthy reefs, lush kelp forests? Or do you just want to experience the cool features on the latest dive computer or fashionable wet suit? To those divers who are committed to preserving the earth's oceans - many, many thanks. To the uncommitted - be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Arctic Industrial Fishing: hands off for now

With the effects of climate change becoming more apparent above the Arctic Circle, commercial interests - ranging from fishing, drilling, and shipping - are lining up to take advantage of reduced sea ice and more open seas year-round. But do we take a more prudent course and allow scientific research to take place first to determine what, if any, detrimental effects may occur? A step in that direction is coming to pass regarding industrial fishing (large scale commercial fishing).

The North Pacific Fishing Management Council (NPFMC), a government council affiliated with NOAA, recently voted unanimously to prevent the expansion of industrial fishing in U.S. waters north of the Bering Strait. This establishes one of the largest precautionary measures in the history of fisheries management.

Warming water temperatures are pushing many fish species northward and with the associated melting sea ice, there will be tremendous pressure from commercial fishing operations to move into these northern regions. However, we are just now seeing the effects of climate change but do not have the scientific data to accurately document the implications on indigenous human and wildlife populations or other ecosystems - particularly from the possible effects of increased commercial operations. This recommendation from the NPFMC provides time to study Pandora's box before we open it.

The NPFMC's recommendation is both prudent and bold. The National Marine Fisheries Service will need to review/approve the recommendation before submitting for federal approval by the end of the year. It is expected to move forward, based on the new political climate in Washington with a new administration, and it could serve as a template for other future policies regarding international conservation of the Arctic Circle.

Read a press release from Oceana.

4,660 miles in just 13 days

Tiny songbirds such as martins and thrushes can travel as far as 311 miles a day in their annual migrations between the Americas -- three times as far as researchers had previously believed -- biologists found in the first study to track the birds to their wintering grounds and back.

The birds fly two to six times as fast heading north in the spring as they do heading south in the fall, perhaps in a competition to reach the best breeding sites and attract the fittest mates, ornithologist Bridget Stutchbury of York University in Toronto reported today in the journal Science, which released the study online Thursday.

One industrious female martin flew the 4,660 miles from the Amazon basin to Pennsylvania in only 13 days -- with four of them spent on stopovers.

The new data were obtained using miniature geolocators, about the size and weight of a dime, attached to the birds' backs much like a schoolchild's backpack. The same technology was used in 2006 by Scott A. Shaffer of UC Santa Cruz to demonstrate that shearwater gulls fly a huge figure-eight over the Pacific Ocean during their migration, traveling as much as 46,000 miles in a year.

Whaling in Japan: Japanese activists find resistance at home

Much of the challenge in addressing shark conservation issues with Asian countries centers on the strength of the cultural history behind the use of shark products. This is also true with the efforts to curtail whaling in Japan. A recent article in the Los Angeles Times addresses these challenges that range from a society that has long valued seafood and whale products to cherished beliefs in trust in government and commercial enterprises.

Many of you are probably aware of the number of whales taken by Japan in the Antarctic region under the auspices of "lethal research." Many conservation organizations consider this a fraudulent loophole in international whaling regulations, allowing Japan to continue to take whales to meet the demands of a few coastal villages and upscale restaurants.

Generally, those opposing Japanese whaling have been from the United States, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand and much of their efforts are met with resistance because they are viewed as outsiders in what is perceived as an internal policy decision. Additionally, the actions of more extreme radical groups like Sea Shepherd and the less radical Greenpeace seem to exacerbate the problem and, in a culture that prizes polite discourse, complicates diplomatic efforts.

Enter into the picture,Toru Suzuki and Junichi Sato, two Japanese activist members of Greenpeace who have been trying to bring the issue to the attention of their fellow countrymen in Japan. Last spring, the two uncovered a shipment of whale meat bound for the black market and sourced from a ship sanctioned under the government's whale research/non-profit policy. With a subsequent news conference, the two activists hoped for media support to bring the issue into the open but, instead, found themselves arrested for theft and, according to their lawyers, have experienced prolonged confinement and harassment.

Japan is an interesting culture. With a centuries-old dependence on seafood, combined with an ingrained trust in the integrity and support of government and commercial institutions, getting the general populace to question or level any degree of scepticism regarding official policy can be daunting and met with considerable resistance not only from the government but also from the media.

"We expected the media to support us," said Toru Suzuki. "But they turned against us." "They [Suzuki and Sato] took a stand against national policy," defense attorney Yuichi Kaido said. "So they are being harshly punished."

Many of the advances in Asian shark conservation have come about from a more "top down" approach, where political and media-focused efforts have induced government officials or the commercial users of shark products to adopt more conservation-minded policies and prohibitions. It can be a diplomatically delicate and slow process. But, can what has succeeded in some Asian countries succeed in a country like Japan - a country with an ancient history in isolationism and devout trust in authority which still shadows their thinking in today's world? Two Japanese countrymen are finding that it may not be so easy to prove that the emperor has no clothes.

Read the Los Angeles Times article.

The walls still talk at San Francisco's Angel Island

The receiving building at Angel Island burns in this 1940 photograph. After the station was shuttered, it was turned over to the state park service and slated for demolition in the 1970s. But a sharp-eyed ranger spotted the ghostly verses on the walls, and demolition was canceled.

But as Angel Island Immigration Station reopens Sunday after a $16-million refurbishment, the walls have begun to tell a more complex tale, revealed by a new generation of scholarship and the discovery of more inscriptions.

Poems, yes, including about 80newly discovered Chinese verses. But there are also writings from many other nationalities. Desperate demands in Japanese: "Get me out of here fast!" Impatient orders in German: "Close the doors. There's a draft." A simple tally in Gurmukhi, a script used by Sikhs: "100 days. Tara Singh." Carved birds and a shrine to good fortune, with a butterfly and a basket.

Birds in Flight: climate change is threatening their range

Many of the discussions regarding climate change revolve around the impacts seen at the opposing polar regions: the Arctic and Antarctic. Loss of animal habitat, encroachment by previously foreign animal and plant species - with these events we often consider what has happened or will happen in these areas as indications of future events in the more populated warmer regions of the earth.

But there are changes taking place right now in "our backyard" that can be documented as was recently done by the National Audubon Society regarding North American bird migrations and changes in their range or territory. The Society tabulated winter migration data over the past 40 years from 2,000 locations nationwide. The data shows that 58% of the 305 most common North American species have shifted their ranges northward and inland by an average of 35 miles. In a few cases, the distance was much greater, as with the purple finch, common in Missouri but now moving 300 miles north towards Canada.

"Too many people hear about melting glaciers and polar bears and conclude that the impacts of global warming are far into the future and far from home," said NAS president, John Flicker. "But the impact of climate change can be seen right now in the birds that are right outside our door - or not," referring to the possibility that many species may be unable to exist in new locations and extinction becomes a real possibility.

While there are those who debate the cause of climate change, man-made or cyclical, one thing is for sure: we must consider the implications of what is happening now and in the near future - before our efforts to reduce greenhouse gases take effect or before the next cyclical change, depending on your favored position. Birds are a crucial part of plant pollination and seed germination by virtue of the plants and insects they feed upon. How will these natural processes be impacted? How will those impacts affect the large agricultural areas we have come to depend on for fruits, vegetables, or grain?

We are faced with many unknowns and there is much to be studied and hypothesized - waiting until we have a definitive result may be too late as changes in nature can move deceptively slow but with tremendous momentum. Time to act. It's not just "for the birds."

Download National Audubon Society report.

"On the Origin of Species"

The house that helped rock the world sits on a country lane in Downe Village, Kent, south of England. For 40 years, Down House was the perfect place for Darwin to think, write and enjoy family life out of the spotlight. The home has undergone a three-month, $1.3-million makeover for the bicentennial and is to reopen to local residents on Thursday (Darwin's birthday), and the general public Friday.

Here, the great scientist worked with inexhaustible patience in his Victorian study, staring for hours at specimens through a microscope or pondering the riddle of life. In a black armchair specially fitted with wheels, Charles Darwin wrote "On the Origin of Species," the book that forever changed the way we look at the world around us -- and at ourselves.

Charles Darwin

2010 Olympics coming to Vancouver

The Richmond Oval will be home to speed skating for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. A breathtaking venue on the banks of the Fraser River, the Oval will be a hallmark of sustainability, accessibility and world-class sportsmanship and will become an international gathering place for wellness and sports excellence.

Which Way . . . Israel ???

A worker walks next to a rotating billboard in Tel Aviv showing Tzipi Livni and Benjamin Netanyahu. Israeli President Shimon Peres is expected to ask one of them to try to put together a governing coalition.

"Midnight Ridazz"

The loose network of bicycle enthusiasts, rogues and hipsters known as Midnight Ridazz spends the Valentine's weekend in Slab City, the site of an abandoned World War II Navy base, playing zombies, which is the theme of this monthly bike meeting. Participants are advised to bring fat-tired bikes, fake blood, lots of water and a significant other to share in the romance and adventure of the four-day camping trip. Slab City, 770 E. Beal Road, Niland, Calif. Fri. to Mon. $5. www.midnightridazz.com.

"Films for Lovers"

Capping a weeklong series of "Films for Lovers," the Aero presents the heady, V-Day double feature of "From Here to Eternity" and "Casablanca" (above). The two black-and-white classics, of 1953 and 1942 respectively, offer much in the way of well-worn though durable tropes -- each film iconic to a fault with signature scenes of love and loss -- that have become synonymous with romance itself. Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. 7:30 p.m. Sat. (323) 466-3456; www.americancinematheque.com.

Ocean Glamour: take a break and enjoy the view

Okay, break time! It's always important to step back from the pressing issues we wrestle with regarding the environment and remind ourselves of its fundamental beauty. So, here are a few ocean shots to jog our memory . . .

• Laguna Beach, California

• Cup Coral, Red Sea

• Garibaldi, Dead Man's Reef, California

• And from my fellow photographer, Christie Fisher: Dolphins, Bahamas

• Another shot from Christie: Yours truly filming a lemon shark

All photos copyrighted, digitally watermarked, and commercially available through RTSea.