The Miniature Earth Project

This video is only 3 minutes and 15 seconds.
It helps put our planet into perspective.

http://www.miniature-earth.com/

Eclipse Tonight.

I apologize for my hiatus. It's difficult to keep up with posts while I'm traveling around the U.S. for the holidays. This project gives me something to do while I'm down in Louisiana. I'll try to continue to update as I'm in Michigan and can borrow an internet connection.

It's the winter solstice tonight. Word on the street is we can observe a lunar eclipse. The moon will turn red. Be sure to take some time and check it out.

http://news.discovery.com/space/lunar-eclipse-solstice-101220.html

"What is Nature Worth?"

This link does a good job putting the natural world into a perspective that we often take for granted. The author of the article addresses nature's worth simply and profoundly with this paragraph:
"I'm not saying that money should be the main reason for environmental protection; I value nature for purely aesthetic and scientific reasons, over and above economics (although aesthetics and science both have economic value - realized through tourism and R&D). But profit margins are compelling: if you can show that saving forests and wetlands can actually cost us less in the long run than destroying them, it can help build a consensus to enact more constructive environmental policies."

The video shows how much humanity's negative impact is affecting the planet. What will it take to change what we're doing? Where are our priorities? What will be left if we dont change how we live? Let's start showing the world that the Natural World is worth more than we can imagine, and we will all lose if we continue to destroy it!

Take 5 minutes and read the article and watch the clip.

Want to help more?

Sign another petition:
Extinction Crisis: Help Save Species Before It's Too Late

Act Now to Fully Protect Polar Bears

Act Now to Fully Protect Polar Bears

One of the saddest things I've ever seen.

Please take five minutes to watch this video. Hopefully, we'll start to think about what we're doing to the natural world.


.http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/mammals/polar_bear/starving_bears_video.html

Zombies

I took zoology in college and was blown away that some organisms could actually control the behavior of some other organisms. Biology is so incredibly amazing; I'm in awe of instincts and survival mechanisms that some organisms utilize.

Check out this link:
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/25336

How Important is Climategate?

And then there's this (to follow up the last post)...

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100017393/climategate-the-final-nail-in-the-coffin-of-anthropogenic-global-warming/ 

This blog is also taken from The Telegraph. The Climategate scandal has been occurring for a while now; does this mean the end of discussion on human-induced global climate change? Does it mean that we are not causing the world to change unnaturally because some scientists falsified evidence or withheld some other types of evidence? Despite Climategate, it seems that the majority of scientists are still supporting the idea that global warming is a legitimate issue that faces our planet. 

I am a proponent of transitioning from an economy dependent on fossil fuels to a more sustainable way of life. Let us pretend that global warming wasn't, and hasn't been, an issue. Now, what harm would it be switching to more practical, sustainable methods of living? Fossil fuels are finite; they are running out and cannot be replaced unless we have a few million years to spare! Why not utilize resources that are renewable and transform our economy? Is the country going to wait until the last barrel of oil is up for sale before we decide to change?

And as for change, we made it to the moon in less than 10 years. IN FEWER THAN 10 SHORT YEARS. Why cant we change the way our society operates?
My point is, whether or not global climate change will destroy us all, we have the power to transition to a more sustainable economy. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Think about it.

A Change in Behavior For the Polar Bear?

I just read an article, in The Telegraph, about polar bears. It seems as if they are changing their behavior in response to the declining arctic ice. Instead of having the cubs walk beside them, or behind, the adults are carrying the cubs to help them conserve energy for the long swims ahead.
I have a soft spot for the "largest land predators," and hope they can find a way to survive. If this truly is an adaptation, these creatures are brilliant.

The world would be a sad place without the polar bear.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/8168213/Polar-bears-spotted-swimming-with-cubs-on-back.html

I stumbled upon this....

"28 Must-Read Books That Will Forever Change How You See the World"

I would also like to add Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. 

And, I'm currently reading The Omnivore's Dilemma. I think change can only come through awareness. So, read up and learn about what's going on around you.

Interesting YouTube Channel

Please check out ppsimmons's Channel on YouTube.
These videos are interesting and thought-provoking.

The Amazon Forest

Do you know the difference between deforestation and degredation?
http://www.forestjustice.org/category/blog/

Oil. Oh-ill.

I am an Americorps VISTA stationed down in Chauvin, LA (in Terrebonne Parrish).
I've been warned not to drink the water and not to eat the seafood by some community members.
I still take showers with the water, and actually woke up this morning wondering if I was going to get some sort of heinous cancer from living down here.
But, according the the US government and BP, the Gulf is safe. The seafood is safe. The spill is cleaned up.
What about the millions of gallons of oil and dispersants that are floating around....

Read this:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/11/08

Also consider a comment made:

"I don't live anywhere near the Gulf, but I knew from day one that that BP was creating a dangerous chemical cesspool.
How many times did we write, here and elsewhere, that residents should get out?
Many didn't/couldn't leave, and amazingly, did not collectively tell BP and our government--in no uncertain terms--to shove their rules and regulations controlling our behavior. A private corporation, with the government's blessing, "prohibited" access to public beaches, the taking of photos, airplane flyovers, etc.
We offered a little bit of resistance, but effectively, we did nothing...mustn't ruffle the feathers of our bread-n-butter petro industry. Hell, how many people died during the initial explosion?. How many BP VPs are sitting in jail for those murders?...none, of course.
This is the price we all pay for the failure to react to corporate felons. We blame, blame, blame, but there are no consequences. We get sick and die, but the corporations get back their corporate lives. In all their ugly grandeur, they live on, prosper, and become our government."

My Food.

I need to become a vegetarian.
I think after my AmeriCORPS year, I'll transform my diet. I heard word when I moved down to the bayou that it's damn near impossible to become a vegetarian-- the resources aren't available in this area. Everyone eats meat and seafood. And, traveling is also very difficult (I live in a very small town with no car). So, I dont think this year is a year I can begin my new diet. But, I can, as often as possible, at least purchase local food, shop at stores like WholeFoods, and be informed about where my food is coming from.
I can also use this next year to mentally prepare for the diet change; so much of my diet is currently made up of fastfood and cheap freezer meals. Living on a limited budget, with a busy schedule promotes poor eating habits. I also really love the taste of chicken and turkey. It'll be a difficult transition, without a doubt. But I think I can learn to live more sustainably.

And, if watching Food Inc wasnt motivation enough to become a vegetarian, the thought that every animal I consume feels pain, probably is. Each time I eat meat or seafood, I try to be mindful that each animal died in order for me to consume it. It hurt, it felt pain, because of a decision I made.

I think I can do it.....

"Get involved"

Starting Out.

I'm obsessed with truth. I feel like I've been lied to my entire life; by parents, the school system, our government, and basically anyone else who has an agenda they'd like to fulfill. So with that said, this is my way of "giving back," trying to provide some sort of truth in a world focused on lying. I'll try to post clips, news articles, reviews of movies or documentaries that are thought-provoking or otherwise relevant. Perhaps these posts will promote discussions, spark ideas, or at the very basic level, allow me to feel like I'm not just storing a lot of information in my head.
The clips, articles, and movies/documentaries are all created by human beings with flaws. I, too, am a human being with flaws. Please realize that what I post up here is intended to get people to think. People need to start thinking and becoming aware of the world that is around them.