From BirdLife:
Saving the Albatross with poetry
Acclaimed poet, novelist and playwright Benjamin Zephaniah has written a poem in support of BirdLife’s Save the Albatross campaign.
The poem goes as follows:
For some I am a symbol of life,
A link to a Jurassic past,
Nature
Love
And other good things.
So why are some killing me?
For some I am the subject of their song,
A flight of their fancy,
Poetry in their poetry,
And when they talk memory talk,
And when they think of being free
They think of being me.
So why are some killing me?
And you
So what am I to you?
Can you save me?
Can you rise up and speak for me?
Give me
Poems that can save me
Songs for my liberation
Power to my wings.
Save me
And I will save you
For the Albatross
And the Glads Club
Midway albatross photos: here.
Related articles
- Benjamin Zephaniah (wearepandorica.wordpress.com)
- The police don’t work for us | Benjamin Zephaniah (guardian.co.uk)
- I thought it was a book about coffee (classicritique.wordpress.com)
- Watch: Zephaniah on Boris: ‘He may seem like a buffoon, but he’s a very dangerous person’ (leftfootforward.org)
- Zephaniah warns on black history (bbc.co.uk)
- Zephaniah warns ‘black children turned off history’ (educationviews.org)
- Poetry on the wrong day (thousandmonkeys.wordpress.com)
Dear Kitty. Some blog 
Monday, August 31, 2009
Agency seeking data on albatross
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking additional information on the black-footed albatross as the agency considers the bird for listing as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
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The total breeding population of the black-footed albatross (Phoebastria nigripes) numbers roughly 61,000 pairs, with 97 percent of the population nesting in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. Threats to the species include deaths from longline fishing and mercury and organochlorine contaminants such as PCBs and DDTs. These substances, used in industry and agriculture, pose a toxicological risk and interfere with reproduction, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Rising sea levels and the loss of low-lying islands because of climate change is another threat, the agency said.
Publication of a species status assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey led to the reopening of the comment period to ensure a comprehensive review, the service said. Information received during the first comment period will be incorporated into the final report and need not be resubmitted.
The black-footed albatross can live as long as 40 to 50 years and has a wingspan of up to 7 feet. The birds arrive at their Hawai’i nesting colonies in October, producing a single egg, which hatches between January and February. Chicks are cared for by both parents and fledge by late July.
A surface feeder and scavenger, the primary natural prey of the black-footed albatross is thought to be flying-fish eggs and squid.
The status assessment can be downloaded from the USGS Web site at http://www.pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2009/5131/.
Comments must be submitted by Sept. 25 via the Internet to http://www.regulations.gov; or mailed to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R1-ES-2007-0004; Division of Policy and Directives Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222, Arlington, VA 22203.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090831/NEWS11/908310323/-1/RSS02?source=rss_localnews
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TS Eliot named as favourite poet
Culture: TS Eliot was named as the nation’s favourite poet on Thursday.
Eliot, whose seminal poem The Waste Land was published in 1922, came just ahead of Renaissance poet John Donne in the BBC poll.
Rastafarian poet Benjamin Zephaniah came third.
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/britain/News-in-brief109
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