Paul Wellstone
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Protecting our Waterways
The leaves are falling, and it is raking season. What does this have to do with water quality?
The substances that turn our lakes and rivers green each summer come from our lawns and yards. We think of leaves as waste, but to a lake they are food. The algae in lakes love leaves, and when we feed lakes too many leaves, algal blooms turn our lakes and rivers green and smelly. Protecting water is everyone’s job What can you do? Simple–remember the land/water connection! What we do to the land we do to the water. Clean your streets when the leaves fall from the trees, and when you mow the grass clean your streets, also. Keep our lakes and rivers clean.
A Brew of Spiders
“Once you begin watching spiders, you haven’t time for much else.” ― E.B. White
I have a love-hate relationship with spiders. They are a mess to pick up after, leaving droppings on my floors and the outside of my house. They build webs in every corner and under chairs and furniture. And Spiders are scary.
BUT
They do so much good for the earth and are one of the most interesting living things on our planet. Spiders eat more insects than birds and bats combined, and they are valuable food source for birds and bats. Hummingbirds use spiderweb material to build their nests. The most fascinating thing about spiders are those incredible webs, and famous stories in literature are Charlotte’s Web and Arachne. Some spiders build a new nest every day, and in Ukraine Christmas spiders are good luck. Factretriever.com has put together 83 amazing facts about spiders. Read them here.
Have a Happy Halloween!
A Love Note To the USA From Canada
https://sherinaspeaks.wordpress.com/author/sherinaharris/
“The moral of the story is this: be kind to people, and encourage kindness when you see it. After the horrible, hurtful things that have been said in this election cycle, we absolutely need more empathy and compassion in this world—no matter what our nationality is.” Sherina Harrris
Sherina is a gifted freshman in college. Her blog site is above
October 2016, Superior Views
October 2016
October has been spectacular on the south shore of Lake Superior. The lake is a deep rich blue and everything on shore is bright gold. The red of the maples has evolved into 
gold, blending with the yellow birch and aspen. The entire outdoors reflects a pleasant gold hue.
Most of the flowers have turned to seeds, and migrating birds have gone south. All t
he remaining wildlife is getting ready for winter: Chickadees, nuthatches and flying squirrels empty our bird feeder. Chipmunks and squirrels are eating, digging, and being stalked by a hunting coyote. The adult 
eagles are paired up and travel as a twosome. The world must look awesome from their favorite pine tree overlooking the big lake, and when they soar above the gold-red landscape.
My Take On Regulations
“I’m going to slash government regulations!” Candidates for office
Who is their audience for this absurdity?
This is my simple take on a very complex issue.
Many candidates for office talk about cutting regulations. What are they talking about? Why doesn’t the media ask them what regulations they want to cut? One presidential candidate wants to cut food regulations? Cut the Food and Drug Administration rules that govern food production, cleanliness, food packaging and temperature? Ridiculous!
Do we really want less regulation on financial institutions? What have we learned from Wells Fargo? Should we allow banks to cheat their customers like Wells Fargo did? I had a problem with U.S. Bank selling my credit card number to a health club. It took months to get my money back after unauthorized charges were placed on my credit card. Banks need to be regulated!
David Brooks has said, that capitalism without a moral compass is a failure. As evidenced by this presidential race, we have lost our moral compass. Capitalism/for-profit businesses should NOT be deciding what standards they want to follow. Does it work to let corporations set their own rules about polluting our water and dirting up our air when profit is a top priority? What do you think?
Regulations and standards are to keep the public safe. Sometimes rules seem extreme, but they keep us safer regulating our workplaces, food, many products, and other necessary things.
Self regulation does not work. Farmers in the United States were given a pass in the Clean Water Act. They think they can regulate themselves. Is that why the corn and soy bean belt in the United States has dangerous nitrate levels in their drinking water? Business and Republicans think regulations are too expensive. But communities, such as Des Moines, with polluted water pay enormous amounts of taxpayer money to clean their water. Smaller communities often must drink and use this dangerous water.
This is a wonderful story of farmers regulating themselves and trying new things to protect our water resources. Read it here.
Then there is the drug industry. Is there anyone that thinks their self-regulation and monopolies are working? MORE regulation is needed of the drug industry!!
It is less expensive to keep from polluting our air and water in the first place, but of course business doesn’t have to pay for the pollution and sick people they create. Five million people die from air pollution every year.
Never vote for a candidate who promises to cut regulations. They can’t be trusted with the health of people or the earth. They are not for what is good for our children, wildlife nor for the good of human beings on this planet! In the long run clean-up is more expensive than doing the right thing in the first place.
http://time.com/4219575/air-pollution-deaths/
When It Comes To Plastic
Yesterday I was at the public library in Superior, Wisconsin. I was impressed with an educational display by Wisconsin Coastal Management . They had a large display of trash that a student group had picked up from a one day beach trash pick-up from a local Lake Superior beach. Ideas from the trash collected created an educational poster for the public. Plastic breaks into tiny bits, is eaten by our fish, and probably will last hundreds of years, maybe forever!
This is their excellent education piece:
Get into the Recycle Mindset!
An interesting video comparing recycling in the United States and Germany. What do you think??
I see soda cans and plastic bottles in the trash. What are we thinking?
Have an Awesome Week!
October is a marvelous time of the year, but it is also a stressful time with school starting, the days getting shorter, and the temperatures getting colder. For those of us that live in the United States it is exceptionally stressful with the election. Two articles about happiness stimulated my thinking today. What can we all do to relieve some stress and just be happier? Getting outside for a walk always makes me happier, as long as I can find a quiet outside place. Turn off the TV, get outside and I wish you an AWE day.
Maybe some of these suggestions will increase your happiness:
- Go outside and observe. It is a beautiful time of the year
- Be mindful and grateful for the people and good things you have.
- Drop all your devices and do something you love.
- And from Parade.com: Take an AWE WALK in your neighborhood, noticing things as if for the first time.
- Finally, maybe lower your expectations , and take a deep breath.
Find the most brilliant tree!
Planting for Clean Water
Health4earth 