The love of my life, Lee Hiller, now my wife Lee Hiller-London was moving from Portland, Oregon to the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas where I had been settled for twelve years. She moved here a year ago this month. She had lived virtually all over the world from the Asia Pacific to New Zealand and just about everywhere else, following the “technology dollars” which was her work. Continue reading
The world has been experiencing a steady increase in temperature. The rate of this increase too is steadily increasing. Ecosystems adjust to these changes. A habitat that suits a species no longer is suitable to them. They have no other choice except to search for other favorable habitats or perish. The melting of polar ice caps is going to make it difficult for them to hunt the seals. The trout and salmon will no longer find the wetlands and freshwater able to provide them with food. Continue reading
Usually the time we get as leisure is spent on recreation. It has an important function in our lives. Amidst the stress and strain of modern life, recouping and energizing the body and mind is vital. There are many ways that this can be done. Some of them are bungee jumping, skiing, hang gliding, snowboarding, rock climbing, sky diving, backpacking, canyoning, motor sport, adventure tourism and ecotourism. Ecotourism is where one visits the natural habitats to enjoy nature. However, there are two kinds of ecotourism in vogue. The first is what has come to be called responsible ecotourism. This is when the visitor is sensitive and respectful to nature and feels socially responsible to protect it. The focus here is on learning from nature and reflecting on the adverse human impact on nature. Central to it is the profound appreciation of nature. The second category is where nature becomes incidental to profits. Primarily a commercial enterprise, nature becomes a commodity for business. Tragic enough, this type of ecotourism continues to dominate. Continue reading
The ecological crisis is real. These are seriously being discussed. No doubt most of this is a result of human interventions. There are massive oil spills as in Alaska by Exxon in 1989. Toxic wastes from industries are polluting the rivers and ground water. The sea levels are increasing, many islands as Maldives are expecting to go under the sea and so are many islands in the Pacific region. The depletion of ozone layer is permitting the harmful radiation from the sun to reach the earth. This is the result of the emission of green house gases. Global warming is heating up the earth. Many species are getting extinct from desertification and deforestation. Deforestation in the mountains is leading to devastating floods in the plains. Between 17,000 and 100,000 species are reportedly becoming extinct every year. The last 50 years have seen most of the forests estimated at seven million square kilometers have vanished. Just twenty percent of the original forests still remain. Continue reading