Tornado's are Scary

Apparently, there were a few tornado touch-down's in Tampa today. My family lives there and they said the weather was horrible. One of my friends took this picture when she was driving to work this morning...Crazy!

Talk about a force of nature. I would have been scared to death!

Big Cypress Fox Squirrel

Every Saturday Morning, I volunteer at Special Equestrians Inc. with a handful of FGCU students. About a year ago, I noticed a flier in the barn that had a picture of a strange looking squirrel-like creature on it. It read: "Beware of Fox Squirrels when leading the horses. These squirrels are curious and come close. Horses may spook." The warning was there, but I never saw the real life squirrel. I was starting to think it was some kind of joke, but that all changed this morning when I was out on the sensory trail with my favorite horse, Apache.

We were warming up at the far end of the arena, when a saw a flash of red in the corner of my eye. Frolicking through the south pasture, and about the size of a small skunk, was the mysterious fox squirrel. It was bounding our way, and I was so fascinated by it, I forgot to heed the warning. It got closer, and jumped up on the fence post right next to Apache and I. The creature stood up on its hind legs and just stared back at me. It was beautiful -- massive, but beautiful, with a tanish-grey back and a bright burgundy chest. The tip of its tail and nose were white and boy, was it fat. It was only then that I realized Apache's eyes were rolling and he was yanking hard on the lead rope. Apparently, the squirrel was a threat, and Apache didn't want to be anywhere near it. The squirrel stayed frozen in place, knowing the horse was a pansy-ass, so I had to direct Apache's attention elsewhere and walk away from my squirrel friend. 

The fox squirrel hung out for most of the morning, forging among the mounds of manure in the pasture. Eventually two of his fox squirrel buddies came out to keep him company. After not seeing any fox squirrels in a whole year, I saw three in one day. Life is weird like that...


Apache (the wimpy boy)



Moringa oleifera

When our class was at ECHO, our tour guide mentioned what many call the "miracle tree" a number of times. He talked about all the benefits of the tree, which seemed almost too good to be true, so i decided to research it a little bit...


The Moringa oleifera-- street name: Miracle Tree, or "mothers best friend," is found in East Africa. It has numerous health as well as nutritional benefits and literally every part of the tree can be used. The pods, which hold the seeds are one of the most valuable parts of the tree.They have more of a nutritional benefit than many fruits and veggies we eat in the U.S. The tree is also being used to purify water. This is extremely important because in countries that have trouble finding clean water they have something that can help the people survive. The leaves can be eaten by mothers who are facing malnutrition, so that they can continue to breast-feed their children. The bark, flowers and roots can all be eaten as well.


The Natural News reports, "Moringa leaves contain: SEVEN times the vitamin C in oranges, FOUR times the Calcium in milk, FOUR times the vitamin A in carrots, TWO times the protein in milk and THREE times the Potassium in bananas."
Morenga is also known to help treat infections and most recently even used as a cancer treatment. These claims are not fully scientifically proven, but they are currently being tested worldwide.


Pretty cool tree, eh?


Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/022272.html#ixzz1HFd9m8tq

Greenwashing

I saw this cartoon today and it made me think...

According to EnviroMedia Social Marketing, "It’s greenwashing when a company or organization spends more time and money claiming to be “green” through advertising and marketing than actually implementing business practices that minimize environmental impact. It’s whitewashing, but with a green brush."

As a future PR professional, I am saddened by many of the false claims made by corporations across the globe. Let's face it, coal is not clean, an oil company's main focus is not to save the environment, and just because your bank is going "paperless" does not mean it is heading up the environmental movement in you community. I hope that when I enter the PR field I can take action to end this false advertising. It's just wrong.

8 a.m.on Friday Morning -- Matanzas Pass

The decision to go out and drink on the Thursday night before this glorious make-up field trip was a bad one-- very bad indeed. Being hungover in general  is not fun. Being hungover on a bus that is stuck in traffic, next to a snoring kid for an hour while the professor feebly attempts to entertain his class is worse. Much, much worse.

Matanzas Pass would have been an interesting field trip, maybe. But the conditions on  that Friday before spring break were less than ideal, and I found myself sprinting to my car after pushing my way off the bus.

The nice lady at the historic cottage gave a very interesting, timely lecture. The jam and cookies that were generously provided were greatly appreciated and I thought the day was actually looking up after the hellish bus ride. I was thrilled that we got in and out of the cottage in 30 minutes, but little did I know, my substitute professor was not going to allow a speedy exit. He lolly-gagged in the cottage for an excessive amount of time proceeding the lecture, chatting it up, while the class waited by the entrance of the trail. Once a student collected him, we made our way on to the boardwalk. And then we stopped. We stopped about every thirty yards on the trail so that my substitute professor could talk about the mangroves or try to shove something green from nature into one of our mouths. We walked for about an hour in the hot sun. My headache was pounding. I was cranky and praying the bus would come into view around the next bend. That was when the professor realized we were lost. It took a couple navigationally sound students to deliver us safely back to the bus (thank God) where I then had to endure another hour and fifteen minute traffic-laced bus ride back to campus. This time the snoring kid fell asleep leaning on my shoulder slightly. It was very uncomfortable.

This experience made me thankful for my class and my professor. They understand the concept of time and don't enjoy the sound of their own voice. Amen to that.

Reflecting on ECHO Field Trip

Our field trip to ECHO was probably my favorite class experience so far. The farm was amazing and I absolutely loved our quirky tour guide. ECHO provided our class with a great deal of information on sustainable, environmentally friendly farming. I especially liked how they split the farm up into geographical sections, so that they can really understand how the climate effects various farming conditions around the globe. My favorite area of the global farm was the tropical highlands section. I thought it was interesting how they placed certain plants at the foot of the hill and others at the top of the hill in order to prevent soil erosion. I also thought it was interesting to see the different methods ECHO uses to teach people how to purify water and cook sustainably. Our tour guide peddling that water pump was hysterical.

Overall, I think ECHO is a great, world-changing program. I only wish they would think about branching outside of the Christian community and agree to aid those people with different beliefs. I was raised Catholic, but was always told to help all those in need, no matter who they are, or what they believed in. Maybe it is something they could think about doing in the future. I mean, we're all living on this earth together, right?