T h e O b s e r v e r T r e e

This photo essay by renowned wilderness photographer Rob Blakers shows the beauty (and destruction) of Mount Mueller’s forests. These photos were taken in the logging coupe Tn44B, where the Observer Tree is located, and the forest surrounding it. All these images were taken within the 430,000 hectares that was promised protection by the Australian Government, that is ear-marked for future reserves, yet remains under threat from logging.

Guest Blog Bio: Rob Blakers

Rob Blakers has been photographing wilderness in Tasmania, the Australian mainland and the USA for over thirty years. His landscape photography and wilderness photography reflect the fragile beauty of wilderness as seen through the eyes and camera of one who knows it in a way that few people today ever will.

Much of Rob’s photography is from wild and natural places that remain unprotected, including the remote rainforest wilderness of the Tarkine and threatened oldgrowth forests of the Weld, Florentine and Styx

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road sign

Recipe: The Most Satisfying, 15 Minute, No Bake Dessert (Now With Nutritional Information!)

Domestocrat

When John and I first started dating and we’d begun sharing stories of our past I told him a lot about my recent past which was the first few years after I’d graduated college. I lived with my friend Rachel at the time and we indulged in a lot of movie watching, lazing around, crafting, nature walks, etc. In other words, many hippie activities.

Among our favorite things to do were coming up with some excellent midnight snacks after rolling home from the bar (ahh, to be 23 again), usually involving peanut butter. On one occasion when I was sharing such a story with John he said “oh what, like gooballs?” I burst out laughing. “Goo-WHAT?” “Gooballs! You know, like the hippie peanut butter, granola, and weed snack they bring to festivals to sustain themselves on!” I don’t know what I thought was funnier: the name gooball, John’s supposed knowledge…

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Miranda’s Daily Blog: Day 35 & 36

T h e O b s e r v e r T r e e

Batten down the hatches!

I felt like I’d landed in a movie, you know the ones where they’re on a ship in the middle of the sea and a massive storm hits. The boat is swaying as waves crash against its sides, the people battling against the wind to stand upright, frantically trying to tie things down, the rain battering them as it pelts down hard, and gushing in sideways. That was what it was like in my tree sit last night! As I rushed to tie down tarps that had ripped free from their bindings and secure every item safely to the sit, the rain bucketed down. Lightning lit up the sky in grand flashes. Each time I’m anxiously counting the seconds between lightning and the boom of the thunder. Trying to judge how far away those bolts of electricity are from me. Fully aware that I’m at the…

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Nigeria: Christians Told to ‘Leave, Convert or Die’ as Nation’s Leader Says Protecting Christians Against Religious Cleansing Now Nearly Impossible

MidnightWatcher's Blogspot

And I guess it would be when you’re own top “security” officer is unable — or unwilling — to keep Islamist killers locked up …

By Charlie Butts – “Another religious persecution watchdog group is drawing attention to the dangerous situation in Nigeria.

There has been a spike in violence against Christians in Nigeria and a terrorist group called Boko Haram is taking credit. International Christian Concern spokesman Jonathan Racho points out that more than 80 Christians have been martyred in the north in the past few weeks.

‘The Christian leaders in Nigeria are expressing their concern that these killings could amount to religious cleansing,’ says Racho. ‘They are calling for help. They are calling for prayers.’

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed concern in a recent statement that it is nearly impossible to protect Christians.

‘He said there are people within this government branch who sympathize with Boko Haram…

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‘Startling’: Up to 6.7 Million Bats Now Dead of ‘White-Nose’ Fungus in Canada and the United States

MidnightWatcher's Blogspot

“U.S. scientists are estimating that between 5.7 million and 6.7 million bats in Canada and the United States have succumbed to white-nose syndrome, a fungus spreading in eastern North America.

The mortality figures were released Tuesday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

‘White-nose syndrome has spread quickly through bat populations in eastern North America, and has caused significant mortality in many colonies,’ said Dr. Jeremy Coleman, co-ordinator of the U.S white-nose syndrome program. ‘Many bats were lost before we were able to establish pre-white-nose syndrome population estimates.’

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director Dan Ashe said the ‘startling ‘ figures illustrate the severity of the threat facing the animals.

‘Bats provide tremendous value to the U.S. economy as natural pest control for American farms and forests every year, while playing an essential role in helping to control insects that can spread disease to people,’ Ashe said.

White-nose syndrome was…

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Antarctica

Antarctica.

Photos

Photos.

Epiphany: The Mongrel Stamp Collector January 6th 2012

Epiphany: The Mongrel Stamp Collector January 6th 2012.

Epiphany: The Mongrel Stamp Collector January 6th 2012

Epiphany: The Mongrel Stamp Collector January 6th 2012.