Go Back   Old Project Avalon Forum (ARCHIVE) > Project Camelot Forum > Project Camelot > Off-Topic

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 03-28-2010, 10:36 PM   #1
peaceandlove
Avalon Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Turtle Island
Posts: 2,776
Wink Prepare to be Moved ~ JOHN MORAN ~ Springs Rally Speech

As pollution continues to contaminate our environment worldwide, this inspirational, near tear-jerking speech rivals any speech ever...

SAVE OUR WATER.

Please keep in mind how soon this same scenario will effect your water resources.

PaL


"Our beloved springs are world-class treasures that deserve world-class protection.
Not more procrastination.”
— John Moran

From the steps of the State Capitol, John Moran challenges the Florida Legislature to act to protect the state’s unique freshwater springs. His speech at the Florida Springs Rally reveals his sense of loss at the changes he’s seen. As he speaks, a collection of Moran's springs photography illustrates the beauty and degradation he has witnessed over the past 30 years.

Speech (Video 12:14) and Website: http://www.johnmoranphoto.com/index.html

*****


A journalist's first hand observation:

It could have been any of the last 12,000 Augusts in North Florida. It could have been any fresh-water spring. And, while it could have been any one of countless millions of people, the one performing the ritual on this particular August day alongside this particular spring, was a doe-eyed young girl with flowing brown hair.

Kneeling on the soggy bank, the girl dipped out a bucketful of cool, sweet water as she mumbled a quick prayer under her breath. She moved with all the quiet reverence that the moment demanded, but wasted no time; aware of the dozen people standing quietly in a loose queue behind her. From the corner of her eye, she could see them fumbling their vessels and fanning gnats and hot air from their faces. They waited respectfully and tried to divert their attention away from their own discomfort by studying the trinkets and religious objects placed around the fountain. They read the words scratched into a slab of wood; words of thanks to the unseen hand that provided this life-giving water. Some prayed. Others made idle conversation with neighbors they had not seen since their last visit to the well. With her bucket full, the girl stood and walked away and the next person stepped up to the spring.

It could have been any August, but it happened to be that of 2009. And the spring was a quiet little artesian flow emanating from a obscure glade—an oasis, really—in the heart of an unlikely turkey-oak sandhill forest. But you won't find it on any maps. It's one of those little treasures that one usually finds by dumb luck. In this case, my dumb luck came in the form of a fox that crossed the road one day as I was driving home from Ocklawaha. Ever since then, I often stop and hike in to the spring after my Ocklawaha tours. Like other people, I go there to feed my spirituality. But, unlike them, it's not the "holy" water that draws me, it’s affirmation. I come to see people truly appreciating a product of nature. I come to see them give a spring the reverence it deserves.

For as long as people have lived in Florida, they have revered springs. We see evidence of this in places like the Crystal River Archaeological site, where the longest occupied and most elaborate ceremonial center in Central Florida sits alongside the densest concentrations of fresh water springs. We see it in the Fountain of Youth legend. Regardless of whether Deleon was searching for the fountain or not, there is no question that the Indians believed in it. We find evidence at White Springs, a place considered so sacred by the Indians that it was forbidden to fight or have conflicts of any kind within a certain distance of the spring.

When Europeans arrived, they brought with them a rich legacy of myths and legends regarding magic fountains. These notions, combined with the native lore, gave Florida's springs a special allure to the early settlers. The earliest references to Florida's springs were accompanied by assertions of their mystical and healing properties. This idea carried into the late 1800's and early 1900's when Florida became a Mecca for invalids and well-heeled hypochondriacs who sought good health and a pampering at the area's many health-spas. It was no coincidence that all of Florida's spas were located alongside springs. And long before Perrier and Nestle ever laid greedy eyes on our springs, Florida was exporting bottled water taken from her springs. But you wouldn't find it at grocery stores. Instead, it was sold in pharmacies alongside snake oil and other miracle cures.

Today, Florida's springs have lost their magic. To locals, they are often little more than a place to swim and are regarded with the same reverence as a concrete pool. To others, they are a commodity. Big companies schmooze and bully their way into owning them and then, when the deal is done, capture their flow and ship it away in bottles. Even the most well-meaning of us are complicit in the demise of our springs. We fertilize and spray chemicals on our lawns and we use water as though it is limitless. Saving Florida's springs is going to take more than behavioral change, it's going to take a cultural change. It's going to take a renewed sense of reverence.

Every day, in a small, shady glen by the Ocklawaha River, people form quiet lines in the woods and, one by one, fill their jugs with water and carry them home. They give quiet thanks for this water and for this wonderful place. And some days, sitting quietly on a nearby stump with Ocklawaha water dripping from my cuffs, I do too.


*****


North Florida is running short on water

By: Nathan Crabbe, Staff writer
Published: Friday, March 26, 2010

Gainesville residents are being confronted with a choice: Ease off the tap or prepare to get your drinking water from the Atlantic Ocean or Ocklawaha River.

Quote:
GRU's options include building pipelines to the lower Ocklawaha River at Rodman Reservoir or a proposed desalination plant in Jacksonville, although district officials caution that nothing is set in stone and such large projects might take decades.
Continues: http://www.gainesville.com/article/2...tc=yahoo?tc=ar


*****


SOURCE: G. Edward Griffin website http://www.realityzone.com/currentperiod.html

It long has been known that waterways are polluted by pharmaceutical drugs that are discarded or excreted by humans. A new study shows that showers and baths are an additional source of pollution because they pick up the residue from hormone creams, antiseptics, patches, and other topical medications that remain on the skin. Businessweek 2010 Mar 25 (Cached)


Topical Drugs May Pollute Waterways

THURSDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Showers and baths are potential sources of hormones, antibiotics and other medicines that pollute water, a new study shows.

Toilets are a known source of environmental pollution from active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), which are excreted in urine and feces. In addition, many people flush unused drugs down the toilet. APIs can make it through the disinfection process at sewage treatment plants and enter rivers, lakes and oceans. Some APIs end up in drinking water.

This study is the first to link bathing, showering and laundering with API water pollution.

Continues: http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyl...rss_topStories

Last edited by peaceandlove; 03-28-2010 at 10:51 PM.
peaceandlove is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 07:59 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Project Avalon