Congress bans shark-finning

I wrote a piece on the blog back in October that went over the devastating effects and outright cruelty of the practice of shark-finning.

I'm happy to say that today the House joined the Senate in passing the Shark Conservation Act. This is a great win for all involved, and pleased that our voices were heard loud enough to be listened to.

-Official Press-Release
-Oceana.org "Victory" Blog entry

501

Do we follow our dreams? Chase them down?

Do we build them?

How do we decide what amendments get approved or rejected along the way?

I've become interested in a number of things over these past few months. Many of which share the same vision-impairing smoke around them. I believe that we, as I sure do, have these massive periods throughout life where we weigh the value of these potential changes to our set ways and the road they travel down, and decide which get abandoned at the next exit and which we tell to buckle up.

Some of the more recent contenders have something that differentiates them from anything I've come across in years: An ability to persuade me that I must act if I want each of them to come along. What the hell is that all about? Don't I always live my days out in any way I actively please? They are the ones who are supposed to make bids to me. Make bids to be a part of the ride, and I pick and choose.

So do I act? Or do I sit idle as I have in my perfect world? I tell myself 'Paul these here could sideline you. First it was that, then that, and that. Now this.'

I know, we're tripping up.

'Nah, we're still good. But I gotta get this shit together man. Maybe it's beautifully good, maybe it's terminally bad.'

This thought process is not helping ourselves.

'Hah, no joke. But ya have each of these hooks dangling completely still right in front of you and--'

--and it's dark in here.

'Def. Ya can't see any of them too clearly, so which ones are you gonna bite?'

Now I'm sorting these things out. Weighing each of them carefully. I've been encountered while way on-guard, and it feels just the opposite.

And, I like it.

Today, let's talk about dumb drivers

Now here is a topic that I have been rather quiet on since moving to Columbus. Actually, I've been completely silent on it.

It seems to me that whenever I am encountering horrible drivers on the road, it's always one after another in the same day. It is never a day where there is one or two instances, it's always like 10 in one drive.

Example: Today as I'm leaving work (at Easton) some fool cuts into my left turn lane while we are both turning. It's easy to do if you are not paying attention, it really is a rather confusing turn. But when the jackass slams on his brakes as if I did something wrong when he almost destroyed the front end of my car, I lay on the horn. Then, as he is in backed-up traffic waiting to jump on 270 and I am in slowed traffic on Easton Way, I hear this very audible "thump" on the right side of my car as I roll past his car.

Something was thrown at my car.

No damage, and I can't see any scratches or marks. Maybe he hit the running board or my wheel? Crazy.

Where'd I go?

No where. I've been preparing for the cold weather here in Columbus. Crew season ended in a huge blaze that saw half of our roster be let go. Horrible murder went down in Mt. Vernon. I went back to Bluff over Thanksgiving. I've looked up flights for random warmer destinations. And have been working and trying to save some cash.

I've contemplated many ways to try to return to the blog, but couldn't really come up with anything superb. Nonetheless, my two month break is over!

I feel home, when I, see the faces that remember my own

My first trip back to Bluffton in about three months. Nothing at all had changed. I had missed seeing all the fam, we really do have a great one.

Top Five moments of being back in Bluff this weekend: 5) Watching OSU lose. 4) Molly (the dog) eating my retainers. 3) Showing fake-wife around town. 2) Seeing everyone. And..... 1) Hearing my mother's screams as she found a live snake in the basement. Look forward to the next crazy trip back!

Shark finning: no big deal, right?

Our marine-life buddies face many strange practices against them, including this. Take a few seconds out of your day to contribute to a difference, and maybe become more educated in the process. Every year, millions of sharks are caught and have their dorsal fins ripped off while still alive before being left for dead or killed. Are you imagining?

Help Oceana put a stop to this by simply typing your name, and clicking send.

From Oceana:

The Shark Conservation Act would end shark finning in the U.S. waters and make us world leaders in shark conservation.

Tell your Senators TODAY that you demand shark protections and the passage of the Shark Conservation Act.

More info on the efforts, here.

During the finning process, a shark is hauled up on deck and its fins are sliced off. The shark -- sometimes still alive -- is thrown back into the water to bleed to death. This brutal practice is also incredibly wasteful; shark finning only utilizes one to five percent of the shark’s body weight, removing an essential food source from many communities.

We are now looking at 50 vulnerable species. The deal is, that current legislation (The Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000) still has ridiculous loopholes that allow those determined to undermine the act itself to get on with their disgusting business. Most notable statistic? That in the last 15 years, species in the Atlantic have declined over 50 percent. It is also noted that in the last 35 years that all predatory sharks in the Atlantic have fallen to the point where scientists now label them "functionally eliminated." What are our actions doing to these creatures?

In a 2005 report as a follow-up to the SFPA2000, a piece submitted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and "prepared" by the National Marine Fisheries Service acknowledges that the act established in 2000 did indeed outlaw all shark finning. This report also details an incredible amount of violations and investigations, it is a real glimpse into a business in which we never see reported on by mainstream media.

There are more than enough links, videos, and stats within the links provided in this post to keep you intrigued for hours on this subject. I wish I had more time to properly lay this all out and include some more shockers, but this is it for now. Hope to converse with some of you on it.

Hemingway's Whiskey, Indoor Game #1, and a night of music at a lake-front bar

The good ones: Live a Little, You and Tequila, Where I Grew Up, Reality, and Coastal are such great tunes. Seven Days is obviously my fav song. "I've lived those seven days a thousand times, those seven days a thousand times." All those weeks in Myrtle, I've lived those days a million times. Everything I am is because of seven days each summer for the last 12 years.

Indoor Soccer, Week #1

We took a 4-3 loss as one of those games where we hadn't shaken all of that three-week break dust off yet. Plus all I have done the last few weeks is drink, eat pizza, drink, work, and drink more, haha. I had six shots on goal but couldn't put anything in the net, which really summed things up for the night. Looking forward to hammering some in next week.

Brother Believe Me at Captain's Point & Pub, 9/25

Drove an hour to see some old friends at Captain's Point (take a look, this place is sweet), a bar right along the shore of Indian Lake in Lakeview, Ohio. Got to see Brian, Kristyn, Dorothy, and many others. And $5 for a full mug of Oktoberfest that you got to keep! AND $1 refills all night. Love my life and all of it's music and friends.

Another wild weekend, got to see old friends, new friends, and fun with my best guys

Three party weekends in a row. I'm getting too old for this.. haha, nahhh.

Friday night saw the reunion of Cody, Kyle, Eugene and Paul go down in glorious style. We grazed Tuna before wandering over to McFadden's, where shots of Patron and endless double fisting of beer led to a wild plan to play pong back at the apartment. Well, due to many factors beyond the control of anyone's reasoning, I was forced by Columbus Police to leave my car in the Bethel walmart parking lot over night. A two mile walk later, we finally made it back. Where Cody and I lit up Eugene and Kyle to win two games to one. We don't do this enough anymore and if we did this everynight, I wouldn't need anything else.

Saturday night, my mom and grandma made their way down and we got some food and did some shopping. Lindsay came next, and we hit up the Hooligans club before going to the Crew game to watch Seattle completely blow us out of the water, 4-0. After the match, it was meeting up with Jeremy and Ashley for a night of campus bars and Arena.

Sunday night, went out with some more friends. The Out r Inn, Ruby's, and a couple walks for some food led to the end of a third consecutive badass weekend. (If I count out the Crew and ND losses.)

Some more surf art

(photo by Leigh Wiener) When looking up decor for the new apartment, I typically go for coastal, surf inspired objects or artwork. While looking tonight after the Crew's 3-0 win over Joe Public FC from Trinidad & Tobago of the Caribbean leagues, I came across yet another site where I could drop some money on almost every piece (the other being mentioned in my post, "The art search continues," back on 8.26.10). So head on over to AllPosters.com and check out more than just the surfing category, check out the travel and fine art sections as well. Some really, really good work featured here.

No-space

Today, after pondering this for.. a few days (haha), decided that on December 4th I will be deleting my account with myspace. Number one, its really an irrelevant social tool these days. I mean, I basically only add pics so that old friends and fam can keep up today with what I'm up to.

Number two, because I know of people who view the page to see what I've been up to, but don't feel the need to actually reach out to me socially. Like, stalking. Or as today's young generation so often refers to it, "being a creeper" on me. Haha. Plus it's just become an outlet to vent pain from a past relationship. All factors that these days I'm finding to be unhealthy. Of course this blog will continue and the facebook will stick around. Maybe keep the myspace after all, just as a way to promote the blog? No info or photos, but link to here? I'll ponder that some more. As of now, on 12/4 it goes.

Myrtle '10, The drive back to Ohio: Detours, staying w/ family, and a new radiator

(Photo: Shell station at Exit 55, I-77 N through Statesville)
So I've been back in Ohio for about a week now. Definitely missing the coastal lifestyle already. Sitting here on our deck right now and the trees, dead leaves, and other units look lovely (we really do have a great view off of the balcony) but already missing the 843.

I've been meaning to write more about the trip but with the new job all last week and this crazy weekend, I have not got to it. The worst scenario possible played out on our way back. Just east of Conway my car started overheating. We pulled off and I noticed major leakage going on. But it didn't seem like coolant to me so I figured the radiator's just sweating in the heat. We let it cool off, and decide to take SR 9 north instead of 501.

The Escape was doing great until Lake View, SC, (population a grand total of 790 in 2000....)where she overheated again and needed assistance from the small-town half drunk-on-a-Monday-afternoon police officer (the town's only cop) and a barely in-business old style service station. Exhale.. love the south. After we checked her out there, we made it exactly 200 miles to Statesville before endless problems ranging from the overheating to serious smoke, and from loud rattling under the hood to oil sensors going off. An NC trooper made sure I could make it to a Shell station just up 77, and we left her there over night.

Now I really had no idea how or what we were going to do. And the kicker was that I had something slightly important to make it back for at 8am here in Columbus. Like, a new job? Yeah, thankfully new job was very understanding and helpful in getting some peace of mind back that night. That's when my cousins D.R. and Kim, who live in Mooresville, came to our rescue. They took us in and she showed us Davidson the next day while treating us to lunch. We don't get to see them enough! $620 later and 30 miles of towing, the Escape got a new radiator and thermostat. Back on the road by 6pm on Tuesday, and we didn't get in until 1am.

Now all's been good. No more overheating, but I should probably be looking into new vehicle options. New job, new apartment, why not a new car, right? And what the hell happened in South Bend yesterday? Michigan beats us right at the end of the game for the second year in a row? Oh well, I'm not worried. Crist was out for most of the first half and we have a coach who's still learning the ND ropes, adjusting to the stadium, and getting to know our opponents.