Re: [ECOLOG-L] summer reading with an environmental theme
There can be a catch to reading poets who are not environmentalists -- they may appreciate environment, but not always as we might want them to. In secondary school we read Robert Frost's Swinging on Birches about the experience of climbing a birch tree to the very top, then swinging out into space and letting the tree serve as a sort of bungee cord. This is one way to enjoy nature, but it damages the tree permanently (and if it breaks, the swinger can also suffer). The teacher urged us to try this once, but only once -- sort of a compromise. Bill Silvert - Original Message - From: Kelly Stettner [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2008 12:33 PM Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] summer reading with an environmental theme To that end, I humbly recommend some of the works of Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, and others...reach back for some classics. Reading them aloud and discussing their meaning whilst sitting in the great outdoors can be very powerful. Next to a quietly ambling river, in the middle of a wind-rippled meadow, or under the cooling canopy of a maple tree, have them close their eyes and...listen. Smell. Touch. And read.
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Science Education.....
Chris Am on many lists like Ecolog-l that span the globe.C-Turtle which promotes Sea Turtle Conservation and the Coral list. It is great to see contributions and requests for literature, other resources from all corners of the Earth on these lists. I have seen an increase each and every year. Obviously the web and internet have made much of that possible. We do hear American Education get slammed almost daily. I was actually raising the question of whether the non-Western countries/scientists are catching up or are we falling behind. In the end, Americans should be concerned when jobs are being outsourced daily to lower cost, equal or better quality options around the world. Thanks. Mike Nolan -- If we are on another line or away from the phone, please leave your number, best time to return your call and/or your e-mail address. After hours and weekend phone appointments are available upon request. Sincerely, J. Michael Nolan, Director Rainforest and Reef 501 (c)(3) non-profit ** Outstanding-Affordable Field Courses in Rainforest Marine Ecology Spanish/Cultural Immersion Programs: Spain, Mexico, Central and South America Rainforest and Reef 501 (c)(3) non-profit P.O. Box 141543 Grand Rapids, Michigan 49514-1543 USA Local/International Phone: 001.616.604.0546 Toll Free U.S. and Canada: 1.877.255.3721 Skype/MS IM: travelwithrandr AOL IM: buddythemacaw E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and [EMAIL PROTECTED] *Note: Please send inquiries to both e-mail addresses Web: http://rainforestandreef.org **
Re: [ECOLOG-L] McDonough - I don't think so
Malcolm McCallum wrote: I don't know where we are in this conversation now, but MY 1983 escort station wagon got 30-40 mi/gal on average with up to 50 mi/gal on the highway. that wasn't a rating, that was what it actually got. So, why is it that all the new cars (including the hybrids) do so puke poor on mileage In 1983 many members of the general public, including the ecologists and eco-activists, were willing a drive a vehicle like your 2,500 pound 1983 Ford Escort wagon that had a 68 horsepower 1.6 liter engine, took 14 seconds to accelerate to 0 - 60 MPH, had a manual transmission, two wheel drive, small 13 inch wheels on narrow tread tires for minimal rolling resistance, and no weighty structural reinfocements to meet tough front, rear, side and rollover crash safety standards. By the 2000's car makers had learned how to make a 1.6 liter engine put out 110 horsepower. So that means to make a 68 horsepower engine like your 1983 Escort had, car makers had the option of decreasing the engine displacement down to 1.0 liters to gain a sizable 25% improvment in fuel economy. But the car makers didn't do that because the general public, including the ecologists and eco-activists, desired increasingly more powerful engines more than they desired improved fuel economy. So the car makers did not decrease engine displacement. Thus we have a situation today where the economy cars are about 60% more powerful than they were in the 1980's, but fuel economy is no better mostly because engine displacement is the same (or larger). Likewise the American public today, including the ecologists and eco-activists, prefer: a) an automatic transmission over a manual even though the latter optimizes fuel economy and low carbon emissions. b) four wheel drive or all wheel drive over two wheel drive even though the atter optimizes fuel economy and low carbon emissions. c) big wheels and wide tread tires over small wheels and narrow tread tires even though the latter optimizes fuel economy, low carbon emissions and conserves steel and rubber. d) weighty structural reinfocements to meet tough front, rear, side and rollover crash safety standards instead of no reinforcments even though the latter optimizes fuel economy, low carbon emissions. e) 65-75 MPH speed limits instead of 55 MPH speed limits even though the latter optimizes fuel economy, low carbon emissions. Paul Cherubini El Dorado, Calif.
Re: [ECOLOG-L] McDonough - I don't think so
I don't know where we are in this conversation now, but MY 1983 escort station wagon got 30-40 mi/gal on average with up to 50 mi/gal on the highway. that wasn't a rating, that was what it actually got. So, why is it that all the new cars (including the hybrids) do so puke poor on mileage As for me, I'm waiting for the $60,000 price tag on the electric ZAP-X to drop about 15 grand, then I'll get one for every day driving. It goes 350 mi on one charge, and to recharge you simply plug it in for 10 min. Its a small car, but it looks like an everyday compact (unlike the nutty looking e-cars of the past). No kidding! If you were driving in city traffic all the time, $60K would be a bargain next to the gas you were dumping out your endpipe sitting in traffic. And, with projections of $4/gal gas soon, its sounding like a bigger bargain! On Thu, February 28, 2008 8:32 pm, Paul Cherubini wrote: David Bryant wrote: I'm not sure of your point here or where you get your data. A 72 VW micro-bus got around 20 mpg (less than a Subaru Forester, replete with airbags, crumple zones, and cup holders) and was one of the most dangerous vehicles on the road. OK, I'll try outlining another example. If you took a 3,300 pound 2007 Subaru Forester and installed a 80 HP 4 cyl engine in place of it's 171 HP engine, a manual transmission in place of it's automatic, and front wheel drive in place of all wheel drive, it's weight would drop to about 2,800 pounds and it's highway fuel economy would climb to about 37 MPG from 26 MPG. Then strip away the air bags and crash protection structural reinforcements and weight declines to 2500 lbs and fuel economy would rise to about 40 MPG. Along with this large (54%) increase in fuel economy there would be a corresponding large (54%) reduction in carbon emissions. At this point you'd have a vehicle with the same genera level of power, comfort, convenience and safety features as a early 1980's era vehicle and a vehicle like early 80's era ecologists and activists in the USA were willing to drive, but not present day ecologists. In addition, early 80's ecologists embraced the national 55 MPH speed limit, which further boosted highway fuel economy 15%. Paul Cherubini El Dorado, CA Malcolm L. McCallum Assistant Professor of Biology Editor Herpetological Conservation and Biology http://www.herpconbio.org [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [ECOLOG-L] McDonough - I don't think so
Here's a Prius driver conversation about raising MPG that you may find interesting. http://www.hybridcars.com/forums/help-increasing-06-t929.html Folks are getting 50+ MPG. Jane On Sat, Mar 1, 2008 at 7:51 PM, Malcolm McCallum [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I don't know where we are in this conversation now, but MY 1983 escort station wagon got 30-40 mi/gal on average with up to 50 mi/gal on the highway. that wasn't a rating, that was what it actually got. So, why is it that all the new cars (including the hybrids) do so puke poor on mileage As for me, I'm waiting for the $60,000 price tag on the electric ZAP-X to drop about 15 grand, then I'll get one for every day driving. It goes 350 mi on one charge, and to recharge you simply plug it in for 10 min. Its a small car, but it looks like an everyday compact (unlike the nutty looking e-cars of the past). No kidding! If you were driving in city traffic all the time, $60K would be a bargain next to the gas you were dumping out your endpipe sitting in traffic. And, with projections of $4/gal gas soon, its sounding like a bigger bargain! On Thu, February 28, 2008 8:32 pm, Paul Cherubini wrote: David Bryant wrote: I'm not sure of your point here or where you get your data. A 72 VW micro-bus got around 20 mpg (less than a Subaru Forester, replete with airbags, crumple zones, and cup holders) and was one of the most dangerous vehicles on the road. OK, I'll try outlining another example. If you took a 3,300 pound 2007 Subaru Forester and installed a 80 HP 4 cyl engine in place of it's 171 HP engine, a manual transmission in place of it's automatic, and front wheel drive in place of all wheel drive, it's weight would drop to about 2,800 pounds and it's highway fuel economy would climb to about 37 MPG from 26 MPG. Then strip away the air bags and crash protection structural reinforcements and weight declines to 2500 lbs and fuel economy would rise to about 40 MPG. Along with this large (54%) increase in fuel economy there would be a corresponding large (54%) reduction in carbon emissions. At this point you'd have a vehicle with the same genera level of power, comfort, convenience and safety features as a early 1980's era vehicle and a vehicle like early 80's era ecologists and activists in the USA were willing to drive, but not present day ecologists. In addition, early 80's ecologists embraced the national 55 MPH speed limit, which further boosted highway fuel economy 15%. Paul Cherubini El Dorado, CA Malcolm L. McCallum Assistant Professor of Biology Editor Herpetological Conservation and Biology http://www.herpconbio.org [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. student, University of Georgia co-founder, a href=http://www.worldbeyondborders.org;World Beyond Borders/a Check out my blog, a href=http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com;Perceiving Wholes/a But for the sake of some little mouthful of flesh we deprive a soul of the sun and light, and of that proportion of life and time it had been born into the world to enjoy. --Plutarch, c.46-c.120 AD
Re: [ECOLOG-L] McDonough - I don't think so
I recently bought a Toyota Yaris for ~$13K (couldn't afford the Prius). It gets between 35-40 in the city, over 40 on the highway. It's small, but it does have a good-sized backseat and is a hatchback. I've been surprised at how much stuff I can fit into it. I saw a Smart Car the other day-- it doesn't get any more mpg than mine! My old '91 Toyota Tercel got a consistent 35 mpg, and my '82 Mazda before that. I don't know how anyone could justify buying a car with lower mpg unless they had special hauling or off-road needs. America has got to wake up and start making compromises. Carrie -Original Message- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jane Shevtsov Sent: Sunday, March 02, 2008 1:00 PM To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] McDonough - I don't think so Here's a Prius driver conversation about raising MPG that you may find interesting. http://www.hybridcars.com/forums/help-increasing-06-t929.html Folks are getting 50+ MPG. Jane On Sat, Mar 1, 2008 at 7:51 PM, Malcolm McCallum [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I don't know where we are in this conversation now, but MY 1983 escort station wagon got 30-40 mi/gal on average with up to 50 mi/gal on the highway. that wasn't a rating, that was what it actually got. So, why is it that all the new cars (including the hybrids) do so puke poor on mileage As for me, I'm waiting for the $60,000 price tag on the electric ZAP-X to drop about 15 grand, then I'll get one for every day driving. It goes 350 mi on one charge, and to recharge you simply plug it in for 10 min. Its a small car, but it looks like an everyday compact (unlike the nutty looking e-cars of the past). No kidding! If you were driving in city traffic all the time, $60K would be a bargain next to the gas you were dumping out your endpipe sitting in traffic. And, with projections of $4/gal gas soon, its sounding like a bigger bargain! On Thu, February 28, 2008 8:32 pm, Paul Cherubini wrote: David Bryant wrote: I'm not sure of your point here or where you get your data. A 72 VW micro-bus got around 20 mpg (less than a Subaru Forester, replete with airbags, crumple zones, and cup holders) and was one of the most dangerous vehicles on the road. OK, I'll try outlining another example. If you took a 3,300 pound 2007 Subaru Forester and installed a 80 HP 4 cyl engine in place of it's 171 HP engine, a manual transmission in place of it's automatic, and front wheel drive in place of all wheel drive, it's weight would drop to about 2,800 pounds and it's highway fuel economy would climb to about 37 MPG from 26 MPG. Then strip away the air bags and crash protection structural reinforcements and weight declines to 2500 lbs and fuel economy would rise to about 40 MPG. Along with this large (54%) increase in fuel economy there would be a corresponding large (54%) reduction in carbon emissions. At this point you'd have a vehicle with the same genera level of power, comfort, convenience and safety features as a early 1980's era vehicle and a vehicle like early 80's era ecologists and activists in the USA were willing to drive, but not present day ecologists. In addition, early 80's ecologists embraced the national 55 MPH speed limit, which further boosted highway fuel economy 15%. Paul Cherubini El Dorado, CA Malcolm L. McCallum Assistant Professor of Biology Editor Herpetological Conservation and Biology http://www.herpconbio.org [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. student, University of Georgia co-founder, a href=http://www.worldbeyondborders.org;World Beyond Borders/a Check out my blog, a href=http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com;Perceiving Wholes/a But for the sake of some little mouthful of flesh we deprive a soul of the sun and light, and of that proportion of life and time it had been born into the world to enjoy. --Plutarch, c.46-c.120 AD
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Science Education.....
Hi Mike, I agree with your sentiments - great to see an increase in contributions from other countries and global integration towards a common goal (e.g. sea turtle conservation). I think you've touched on a really critical issue here too. I'm not questioning the validity of the question, but the utility of framing this problem in such a way that either non-Western countries are catching up OR we are falling behind. It seems both forces are at play here. I'm with you on concern over the ebbing economical stability and intellectual capital of the country. I also worry about educational standards slipping and the commodification of university degrees. But I found that youtube clip especially inflammatory in how it plays on the notion that improvements in other countries threaten America's power and prowess. Agreed that having jobs outsourced to other countries is not great for our economy, so perhaps this will help inspire us to put more energy and resources into the development of our own intellectual capital? Cheers Chris Quoting J. Michael Nolan [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Chris Am on many lists like Ecolog-l that span the globe.C-Turtle which promotes Sea Turtle Conservation and the Coral list. It is great to see contributions and requests for literature, other resources from all corners of the Earth on these lists. I have seen an increase each and every year. Obviously the web and internet have made much of that possible. We do hear American Education get slammed almost daily. I was actually raising the question of whether the non-Western countries/scientists are catching up or are we falling behind. In the end, Americans should be concerned when jobs are being outsourced daily to lower cost, equal or better quality options around the world. Thanks. Mike Nolan -- If we are on another line or away from the phone, please leave your number, best time to return your call and/or your e-mail address. After hours and weekend phone appointments are available upon request. Sincerely, J. Michael Nolan, Director Rainforest and Reef 501 (c)(3) non-profit ** Outstanding-Affordable Field Courses in Rainforest Marine Ecology Spanish/Cultural Immersion Programs: Spain, Mexico, Central and South America Rainforest and Reef 501 (c)(3) non-profit P.O. Box 141543 Grand Rapids, Michigan 49514-1543 USA Local/International Phone: 001.616.604.0546 Toll Free U.S. and Canada: 1.877.255.3721 Skype/MS IM: travelwithrandr AOL IM: buddythemacaw E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and [EMAIL PROTECTED] *Note: Please send inquiries to both e-mail addresses Web: http://rainforestandreef.org ** -- Chris Creese (Czerniak), PhD Student Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles 621 Charles E. Young Drive South Box 951606 Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606 http://czerniak.bol.ucla.edu
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Science Education.....
I have been bothered for a long time by the commodification of not only university degrees, but the entire educational system itself. This country's obsession with free market ideology may ultimately be its downfall. The problems with our system start at the earliest levels of learning and extends all the way up to college. Expecting schools to behave like businesses and shut them down because they don't produce a good product at a low enough price is a recipe for disaster. Having an educated and skilled population is a long-term investment that doesn't seem to coincide with the current mentality of immediate gratification (both socially and economically). Other countries that see this are invariably going to outperform us over time. I am constantly amused by the stories of charter schools failing or the scandals regarding unaccredited teachers, grade inflation, etc. The fact that we lack national education standards in itself is a disgrace. In addition, the attitude that teaching is not a respectable job makes it unattractive, driving away some of the most talented individuals. The thing that continues to bother me is that the presidents of many universities are business leaders or political figures; hardly the kinds of people who know about education? Furthermore, the very people who are supposed to do the teaching at the college level, i.e., faculty, are rarely formally trained in education. Most of us pick it up on the fly through TA experience--but rarely is there teacher development. In many departments (at least in the sciences) teaching is not a priority. Again, perhaps this market-based concern with productivity has blinded us to the larger problem, that we are simply not training students very well any more? In order to attain tenure, faculty have to spend so much time working on grants and papers to show their value as producers that they must let something else slide in the interest of keeping their hard-earned jobs. Our university system right not is still among the best, but is also populated by talented foreign students (who may then leave...although right now they seem to stick around). Perhaps I am biased, as the child of a high school teacher and now myself a grad student planning on a career in academia. But I am also pessimistic by nature. Unfortunately I'm afraid the problem will only get worse, probably starting with a drop in foreign-student enrollment in US universities, and then perhaps even a loss of our own academic professionals as they are lured away by the growing quality of foreign schools. Amid the current economic downturn (when domestic spending is invariably cut), and if the situation remains like this for a while, this may come sooner than we think. gloomily, Chris On Mar 2, 2008, at 3:31 PM, Chris Creese (Czerniak) wrote: Hi Mike, I agree with your sentiments - great to see an increase in contributions from other countries and global integration towards a common goal (e.g. sea turtle conservation). I think you've touched on a really critical issue here too. I'm not questioning the validity of the question, but the utility of framing this problem in such a way that either non-Western countries are catching up OR we are falling behind. It seems both forces are at play here. I'm with you on concern over the ebbing economical stability and intellectual capital of the country. I also worry about educational standards slipping and the commodification of university degrees. But I found that youtube clip especially inflammatory in how it plays on the notion that improvements in other countries threaten America's power and prowess. Agreed that having jobs outsourced to other countries is not great for our economy, so perhaps this will help inspire us to put more energy and resources into the development of our own intellectual capital? Cheers Chris Quoting J. Michael Nolan [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Chris Am on many lists like Ecolog-l that span the globe.C-Turtle which promotes Sea Turtle Conservation and the Coral list. It is great to see contributions and requests for literature, other resources from all corners of the Earth on these lists. I have seen an increase each and every year. Obviously the web and internet have made much of that possible. We do hear American Education get slammed almost daily. I was actually raising the question of whether the non-Western countries/scientists are catching up or are we falling behind. In the end, Americans should be concerned when jobs are being outsourced daily to lower cost, equal or better quality options around the world. Thanks. Mike Nolan -- If we are on another line or away from the phone, please leave your number, best time to return your call and/or your e-mail address. After hours and weekend phone appointments are available upon
Re: [ECOLOG-L] summer reading with an environmental theme
Perhaps I am in a minority or am mis-interpreting the purpose of the summer reading course, but I would (if it were me, granted) focus on authors that would touch the soul and stir the imagination much more than any that would seek to fire my students' angst or rankle their sensitivities. For this reason, I almost nominated Barbara Kingsolver's novel Prodigal Summer, before I noticed that it was mentioned in the original post. It makes its environmental points, but it's a good novel, too. I suppose it would still rankle some sensibilities. It's hard not to do that when some people are determined to be offended by the best available scientific models of reality (evolution, for example, or the concept that the earth is finite and that human activities can make it a less suitable habitat for humans; every theory is provisional, but some are much less likely than others to be overturned by new data). Given that people have posted to second others' nominations, I guess it's fair for me to voice my support for Prodigal Summer. Jim
[ECOLOG-L] New articles for Population Ecology (February 2008)
New articles for Population Ecology (February 2008) Four new articles of Population Ecology have been published at 'Online First' last month. (1) Pernilla Christensen, Frauke Ecke, Per Sandström, Mats Nilsson and Birger Hörnfeldt Can landscape properties predict occurrence of grey-sided voles? (2) Bonnie J. Ripley and Hal Caswell Contributions of growth, stasis, and reproduction to fitness in brooding and broadcast spawning marine bivalves (3) Takashi Saitoh, Jon Olav Vik, Nils Chr. Stenseth, Toshikazu Takanishi, Shintaro Hayakashi, Nobuo Ishida, Masaaki Ohmori, Toshio Morita, Shigeru Uemura, Masahiko Kadomatsu, Jun Osawa and Koji Maekawa Effects of acorn abundance on density dependence in a Japanese wood mouse (Apodemus speciosus) population (4) Chris J. Johnson and Dale R. Seip Relationship between resource selection, distribution, and abundance: a test with implications to theory and conservation The abstracts of these articles are available for everyone free of charge at Online First. The full texts are available for the members of the Society of Population Ecology and institutions registered with SpringerLink. * Population Ecology at Online First: http://www.springerlink.com/content/103139/?Content+Status=Accepted Population Ecology is an English scientific journal published by the Society of Population Ecology four times a year. It enjoys a high international reputation and has a long history of over 40 years. All manuscripts are reviewed anonymously by two referees, and the final editorial decision is made by the Chief Editor based on the referees' evaluations. The articles are abstracted/indexed in BIOSIS, Current Contents/ Agriculture, Biology Environmental Sciences, Environmental Periodicals Bibliography (EPB). Population Ecology welcomes submissions of papers by non-members. To submit your manuscript to Population Ecology, go to https://www.editorialmanager.com/poec/ We look forward to your subscription and submission. Editorial Office Population Ecology Chief Editor Takashi Saitoh Field Science Center Hokkaido University, Japan
