Thanks to the TEDcommunity for bringing this to the worlds attention.
Many of you will know how much I love mushrooms and what they can do for us, this video presentation further deepens my love.
Enjoy these magic mushrooms!!
I watched this film with mixed emotions, in one hand excited at the discovery and on the other despondence that we have done far too much damage to the planet!! It’s sickening to think that even after we have perished our waste will linger on, polluting and poisoning all future life.
However, nature has a wonderful way of dealing with bad tenants and will evolve some polystyrene loving bacterium that will happily munch it’s way through our shite and process it into perfectly formed nature nuggets . Of course we’ll be extinct by then and the planet can get on with it’s business, ruing the day it ever let us in.
Across the world today there are many species of animal facing extinction and this will always be an unfortunate fact of life. However, when you hear that the majority of extinctions are preventable and that humans are actually responsible ( or irresponsible ), then this just seems like madness to let it happen.
Ivory Sale
Lots of great work is being done by many conservationists across the planet to save these animals and to educate the rest of us at the same time, this work needs our help; we should all be conservationists. I’m disgusted by what we have done to this beautiful planet, and we’re all guilty of taking nature for granted, “someone else will stop this”, “what can I do? eh?” We all have to act, if we believe it to be wrong, then surely it’s wrong for us to do nothing, and hope that someone else will do it for us. I’m just starting to realise this myself, and i’m now thinking about how to help.
Many scientists suggest it’s too late, the damage is done and that our climate is too far gone, i’m an optimist and would rather not throw in the towel.
I have two children and would hope they have the opportunity to see the wonders of nature, first hand, rather than watching National Geographic documentary re-runs on how things were!
In Brazil, there is a conservation heroine called Juliana Machado Ferreira, she’s a biologist and a TED senior fellow, a rarity in itself, as only 65 seniors exist presently. Her mission is to prevent the illegal trade of birds from within her country, i’ll let her explain……
If we can help in any way, shape or form, be it charity or direct action then we must. It’s not just her problem it’s everyones problem, without birds our ecology will fail. Trees need cross fertilization to survive and birds are a big part of this process, the droppings help proliferate the seeds and fertilize them at the same time. Remove the birds and the trees will struggle, if the trees struggle so will we. The rainforest’s are the earths lungs and without them the planet would become so toxic it will become impossible to support life. We must stop the illegal trade in animals and punish those that do severely, we must also punish heavily those that buy rare animals for trophies.
This is not a simple task and there are problems on many levels, for example: Poverty must be eliminated, educating the poorest and help provide alternatives to these abhorrent practices. Educating the wealthier nations, not to purchase these poor creatures. Our Governments need to do more, imagine even a small slice of the ‘War on Terror’ budget being spent on conservation, what a huge impact it could have on the future of our planet.
I’m not religious, but the people that wrote the Adam and Eve story, they knew their stuff!!
Man had it all, the Garden of Eden, paradise on Earth.
Brazil - Garden of Eden
The temptations and weaknesses of man have brought misery and suffering to the planet, and if we’re not careful, irreversible damage too!
I’d like to give you an idea or concept: All humans are different and if we weren’t we’d be probably be extinct!!
We're all beautifully different
Race and religion are the most obvious differences amongst mankind, but even within our own race and religious tribe we all think differently. We’re all built differently, have our own differing skills and abilities.
It’s our differences that has made us the most resourceful species on the planet, i believe if we all looked, thought, felt, dressed, ate, drank, played, worked, learnt, hunt, built and loved the same; then we’d all be extinct the same.
Our diversity has lead to amazing evolutionary discoveries, without which we would not have learn to adapt to the constant change the human species has had thrust upon it! Our ability to survive and colonize the differing and often harsh environments of the planet show an incredible level of adaptability and diversity, not enjoyed by many other of the planets’ species.
Instead of recoiling from diversity and cultural difference we should embrace it, our very survival as a species depends upon it!
I'll talk about anything and have a fairly open mind, the purpose of my blog is to get it all out, as it helps me get things off my chest. I may also play devils advocate sometimes because i enjoy provocative discussion!!
Your comments and feedback are very welcome, even if you hate the post, to leave a comment, meant you cared.
Respect and Peace!
@dam
The Grape Vine