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Dutch Band Donating Album Proceeds To Benefit Ecuador Orphanage #WATWB
It is the last Friday of the month, which means it is time for the We Are The World Blogfest when we bring you positive stories from around the world. Thank you to this month’s co-hosts Shilpa Garg, Sylvia McGrath, Mary Giese, Belinda Witzenhausen, and Guilie Castillo for all you do! Please visit their blogs for more positive news. VANDERLINDE Live Trails Album Proceeds To Benefit Ecuador Orphanage This is the story of an incredibly generous gift to the orphanage in Olon, Ecuador by Dutch band VANDERLINDE. All band members, the producer, the recording and mixing engineers, and the studio are donating all proceeds from their latest album, Live Trails, to benefit…
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International Aid Tents – From Post-Earthquake Tent City to Traveling Circus
“Sometimes by not knowing the truth we make incorrect judgments about situations” — Sunday Adelaja What happened to tents from Ecuador’s post-earthquake tent cities? After the April 16, 2016 devastating 7.8 Ecuador earthquake, international aid organizations raced to Ecuador, assisting those who lost everything. Aid organizations set up tent camps where families who lost their homes lived, some for a few weeks, some for many months, a few for more than a year. As Ecuador recovered from the earthquake, families, one by one, vacated the tents and moved into new homes. A second life with the circus When the circus came to Puerto Lopez recently, performers set up their…
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Wasp Nest Removal – Not A Recommend Method
“Remove the nest at night time. Wasps are more docile during this time so are less likely to sting” — Pretty much every ‘Wasp Nest Removal’ guide, like this one Two young girls had an unhappy meeting with wasps and had no interest in more encounters. It was up to us to remove the threat on the lot next door. While clearing brush, buzzing around us increased, letting us know we were closing in on the nest. It’s size impressed us once we found it. Active wasp nest in tree I suggested we return at dusk to remove and burn the nest. I was voted down. Paul…
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39,000 Volunteers Clean Ecuador Beaches, Rivers, and Ocean Floors
“Think globally, act locally.” — Origins of the phrase are disputed according to Wikipedia Ecuador Environmental Protection In 2008, Ecuador became the first country in the world to provide constitutional protection for the environment. This does not mean that garbage is always deposited in a receptacle nor that all packaging is biodegradable. What it does mean, among many other things, is that students learn about the negative impact plastic in oceans and rivers have on the planet. Rings on beverage cans can kill marine life. From Manabi Province Environment Ministry Tweet Since 2010, Ecuador’s Environment Ministry has been leading a September cleanup as part of International Beach Cleaning Day, promoted…
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Puerto Lopez Canton Celebrates Anniversary With A Parade
For me, a day spent monitoring the passing parade is a day well-spent. — Garry Trudeau Happy 23rd Birthday Puerto Lopez Canton Manteño civilization artifacts are often unearthed when digging ground for new cisterns or homes in Puerto Lopez. The town has been around for a long time. Although people have lived here for many years, Puerto Lopez Canton was created 23 years ago (a canton is comprised of several neighboring towns and villages, much like a county in the United States). The canton celebrated on August 31 with an anniversary parade in their canton seat, the town of Puerto Lopez. Main street is closed, anyone not participating lines the sidewalks…
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Puerto Lopez Boat Maintenance
Spring tides result in high waters that are higher than average, low waters that are lower than average, ‘slack water’ time that is shorter than average, and stronger tidal currents than average. — Wikipedia Disclaimer I am not a boater nor do play one on TV. My father lives on a boat in California’s San Francisco Bay. When I lived there, he wanted to teach me boating but I was never interested in more than riding along. To any boaters reading this, please bear with me as I may use terms incorrectly. Perhaps you will get a nice laugh while you read how a layperson writes about boats. Puerto…
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DoMinga – Volunteers Cleaning Beaches #WATWB
Welcome to August’s installment of the We Are The World Blogfest, when we share positive news on the last Friday of each month. Thank you to this month’s WATWB co-hosts: Simon Falk, Roshan Radhakrishnan, Inderpreet Uppal, Lynn Hallbrooks, Eric Lahti, and Mary J Giese. DoMinga – Weekly Puerto Lopez beach cleanup This month I am writing about a weekly Puerto Lopez, Ecuador beach cleanup effort. I have no article to link to so I will just tell you about it. Where plastic bags thrown on the ground go Dead or dying whales, dolphins and sea turtles periodically wash up on shore, stomachs full of plastic. A plastic bag tossed out a car window miles from shore flows…
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Ecuador Rice Fields – Beauty, Predators and Allies
Planting rice is not a joke Just bending all day long You can’t even stand still You can’t even sit down. — Traditional Filipino Folk Song Ecuador rice Rice is a staple in Ecuadorian meals. It is generally served with your main meal regardless of what the entree is. A typical meal might include soup, chicken, rice, green salad, potato salad, and juice. The other side dishes vary but rice is always included. On separate occasions, I have served chili and spaghetti to guests and been asked if there was any rice (I had not made any). When eating out, I have been served a side of rice with my…
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Imagination, Moats And Drawbridges
Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere. –Albert Einstein When you were young did you dream of living in a castle with a moat and a drawbridge? Maybe you imagined you were a prince or a princess and your dog was your pet dragon, guarding your drawbridge. Some kids in Ecuador’s rice country have bridges over aqueducts leading to their homes. Parents build the bridge to get from A to B. Imagination turns the bamboo walkway into a drawbridge (albeit one that does not raise) over a moat protecting the family castle. I imagine kids who live here playing on the bridge, calling…
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When The Rooster Crows
“Where the rooster crows there is a village.” — African Proverb I spent most of my life thinking roosters only crowed at dawn. I was wrong. I had not lived among roosters before moving to Ecuador. These roosters are truly free range. They and their hens live in the open, without fences or cages, in every village. Roosters, hens and chicks run around the neighborhood like dogs and cats during the day. They return home each night to sleep. In Ecuador, roosters crow at any time of the day or night. This curious habit made me wonder what makes roosters crow. Hey Mister Rooster – Why do you crow day…
