Polar Bears and the melting ice

This photo reminds me of how the melting polar ice caps will be affecting the Polar Bears. The bears need the ice to be able to hunt and rest on the ice and eat their catch. If they can't hunt on the ice they won't be able to gain enough weight to help them survive their hibernation. They can't afford to have a fast weight loss before their hibernation ends because there is nothing around for the to eat before spring.

Sea otters

I really love the antics of Sea Otters. They are the jokers of the sea. One of the best places to watch them from the shore is in the Monterey Bay along the California coastline. Monterey Bay is also the location of the Monerery Bay Aquarium where they have an otter cam located on their website. Michelle Staedler is Monterey Bay Aquarium’s sea otter research coordinator and she is alarmed at the falling otter population. Their numbers are down by 1.3% from 2005, their numbers should be growing.

Otters are no longer hunted, at least legally, so that is not a major factor in their declining numbers. I have a spreadsheet on my notebook computer that I use to track the other major causes of their decline in numbers. Disease and parasites have been playing an important part in their demise. For example sea otters are prey to a parasitic worm that burrows into their intestine. They are also dying of toxoplasmosis which kill brain tissue, causing seizures and disability.

Toxoplasmosis is something I have written about in the past. It is an organism that is found in cat poop. When people flush cat poop or litter down their toilets is when it makes its way to the world's oceans and ends up killing the sea otters.

I would like to see the sea otters survive just a few hundred more years at least. If only the cat owning public were made more aware of the consequences of flushing their cats' poop or litter.

College blues

It is mid-term and I have 3 classes that I think that I should have dumped after the first 2 weeks. One is a writing class that is a prerequisite for another class that I have to take. The teacher is a self proclaimed author. I was fine with that until I found out the only book she ever wrote was a 15 line children's book, and she read it to us in class today! It was written for 6 year olds to read.

My thoughts were, "this women is a college professor!", then I wondered how she got the job.

Next up is a business class. I needed to take the class to simply get class credits and it was either that or accounting .... and I hate accounting. The business class teacher has spent almost the entire class periods so far showing movies on DVD that are interviews with business owners. Other than showing us how successful the business owners have become none of the material is a how-to or even instructional in any way. The teacher has also shown some questionable "how to start your own business" websites on his refurbished laptop that is hooked up to the overhead so we could all see them. So far I have gotten nothing out of the class.

My last boring class is just that, boring. It is my math class. The only reason I got stuck in that class was the fact that I missed one extra problem on the math entrance placement exam and instead of not needing math at all I have to repeat what I already know. So far I have gotten 100% on all tests and it is a breeze but boring.

I hope next semester is better than this one.

Be careful what you flush down the toilet

More and more pharmaceutical products are ending up in the world's water supplies. Water treatment plants are not equipped to handle the broken down pills and prescriptions that people have flushed down their toilets or washed down their drains. This is not counting the untold incidents of illegal dumping done by companies to get rid of products that did not make it to market or failed clinical trials.

If those products are ending up in our drinking water, what is happening to the world's oceans? They, the oceans and seas, are ending up becoming the world's cesspool. So next time you what to get rid of a weight loss product or an expired prescription think twice before dumping in your toilet or drain. Contact your local doctor or pharmacy to see if they have a disposal system in place for medications.

A rainy day in the Pacific Northwest

Storm season has arrived. I got all the outside stuff finished yesterday, like mowing the lawns and putting stuff away so it would not get water damaged or blown over by the wind. Today I have college homework to do. I have got to get to finish yet another essay for writing class and of course there is always math.

Sitting here watching the heavy rain come down and seeing the trees dropping their autumn leaves. I almost feel like I am getting nothing done. I should be out collecting samples or observing something related to sea life. But no, I sit and type.

About an hour ago I did try and make a call about my printer. I hate getting those call center outsourcing places that don't speak English too well. They couldn't help me so I found the answer online. Oh well, I had better get that essay finished so I can enjoy tomorrow - the weather is suppose to be better.