The Sun. The Sun. The Sun.

Oh my goodness!

The sun has come out of hiding in Amsterdam. Not everyday, mind you. That would be like . . .  living in a normal city where people are not grumpy all the time. We have had full sunshine 6 days in the past two weeks!! Yesterday, I cycled through the city and sat in Neuwmarkt drinking a latte and reading my new book (A Moveable Feast). Today I've already discovered a new park near my apartment. Not only sunshine but it's also warm. I've even switched to my spring coat!

Alright, well I have big plans to lay in the park today, but I wanted to share this article with you.

Residents stop fishing after increase in contaminants

Katie May
Northern News Services
Published Monday, March 15, 2010

RADILIH KOE'/FORT GOOD HOPE - Fort Good Hope residents are renewing their push for a new drinking water source after a federal study found increasing levels of contaminants in fish near the community, causing some residents to stop fishing and start buying bottled water.

Climate change has led to higher concentrations of mercury, DDT and PCBs in some fish in the Mackenzie River near Fort Good Hope, according to a Department of Fisheries and Oceans study. The study, completed in December 2009 and published in the Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, found as temperatures in the region get warmer, less ice forms on the river and microscopic plant-like life, such as algae, multiply. Particles of harmful chemicals in the water - left over from southern air pollution more than 20 years ago, before DDT and PCBs were banned - stick to the algae. The fish then eat the algae and the contaminants work their way up the food chain.

Keep reading . . . 

 Ciao,
Renee Claire