#BLACKOUTSPEAKOUT

For more info: www.blackoutspeakout.ca/about.php

Defend Canada's democracy and environment from Bill C-38 - take 2 seconds to sign the petition! http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/286/802/967/

Save the Experimental Lakes Area

Just a short and sweet post for a worthy cause - saving the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA).

You may have heard that the Canadian government is planning to shut down the ELA, a one-of-a-kind research facility from where >1,000 freshwater studies have originated (some highlighted here) over the past 40+ years. This would be a seriously short-sighted move given the highly practical work conducted here (e.g., the impacts of acid rain, nutrient inputs, climate change, and toxic chemicals on ecosystems, to name a few...which paves the way for improved environmental policies). 

Since a picture's worth 1000 words, here's an example of the important research conducted at the ELA:

This now-iconic textbook image from an experiment in 1973 reveals that adding phosphorus to lake water leads to unsightly algal blooms. Result = widespread bans on phosphates in household detergents. (Photo: Fisheries & Oceans Canada)

Freshwater is one of this country's most precious resources, so we should be finding ways to protect what we've got, NOT turning a blind eye (as seems to be the trend these days, even in the oceans)! 

Water = life. 

Healthy lakes = healthy humans. 

Without any further ado, I'll refer you to this newly-launched website, which sums up why the ELA is important, compiles links to some recent media coverage on the ELA closure, and suggests ways on how to make your voice heard.

Please also take a minute to sign the online petition (anyone can sign): http://www.thepetitionsite.com/355/851/152/save-the-experimental-lakes-area/

(Note to Canadians that this online petition won't go to parliament)

The petition going to Parliament is available for download/printing here (you must be a Canadian resident, but there's no age restriction):
http://saveeladotorg.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/save_ela_petition.pdf

Please help spread the word!

Grad school stress: My neverending story

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It’s been one long haul. 

(Advance apologies for the longggggg self-reflective ramblings-on that are about to ensue.)

I haven’t really had a chance to recap, until now, on how I managed to arrive at this particular point in my grad school career. Excited but anxious...and finally seeing a pinprick of light at the end of this tunnel (akin in my mind to the Trans-Siberian railway or the Great Wall of China). I hope that through sharing I can offer some reassurance to those who are in the middle of grad school and feeling like there's no end in sight. I was there, mere months ago.

First off, it’s somewhat of a small miracle that my PhD defense is now <1 month away. Second, I can hardly recognize the shadow of the Nat I used to be before embarking on this mental marathon. Not only have I packed on the pounds, gone deeper into debt, and have taken to drowning my sorrows in EtOH-containing beverages; I’ve never in my life been sicklier or all-round anxious. Here I am still struggling for survival while most others of my cohort have already produced mini replicas of themselves. But I can't complain too much about my #firstworldproblems. It was, after all, my choice to walk this path so I suppose I should suffer the consequences. Some examples of said consequences:

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