Man Vs. Wild VS. Survivorman

Les Stroud

Bear Grylls

I have too much time to think of this debate but it struck me as I was watching Discovery Channel and was thinking of things to blog about. Ok, here it goes: Man vs. Wild or Survivorman? First of all, both Les Stroud and Bear Grylls can be considered one of the best (if not, both are THE best) at what they do, survival. This brings up another debate in itself, Bear Grylls or Les Stroud? Before arguing back and forth amongst the two survivormen, I must say that this debate may not even have a winner. Although, there are things that you can argue back and forth that question each shows “eliteness” as the best survivor show on television. For example, Bear Grylls. Despite his “badass ways” such as being bit by a catfish making it look harmless, Grylls takes a camera crew alongside him while he films his adventures. On the other hand, Les Stroud does not, as he carries around a personal camcorder to himself to document his journeys.

Although I question the use of cameramen in Man vs. Wild, I find Bear Grylls to be more entertaining than Les Stroud. Don’t get me wrong, Stroud is still very fun to watch (as all those shows usually are) but there’s something about Grylls that shows when he stumbles across a problem questioning his survival, you know he loves taking on the challenge to further “survive” in the wild. I may have solved my own debate, but it is based off personal opinion, I could see others choosing Stroud and it wouldn’t bother me at all considering that Stroud is almost just as good as the untouchable Grylls.

Going Green for the Holidays

Ok, so we want to go green…but can’t we wait till the holiday season is over? When reading Lucas’ post on Christmas lights on houses everywhere, it immediately got me thinking: how much electricity is being wasted away just for the beautiful sight of these lighting fixtures. Nowadays, I see attempts to go green everywhere. Advertisements, campaigns at school, and even ESPN tried to be more green when televising a game on television. Although, no one really considers ways around Christmas lighting decorated homes in order to make them more “environmentally friendly”. Do we need local laws obligating homeowners to turn there lights off after a certain time in the day? This idea doesn’t sound bad to me, considering the purpose that the Christmas lighting serves. I mean no offense to the obsessive lighting home decorators out there but, it’s just too much electricity wasted, all for the satisfaction of the person viewing the light fixture. Don’t get me wrong, I love everything about the Holidays and Christmas and the traditions that it offers, but some of these lighting fixtures are getting to be too much for what we actually get out of it. Therefore, in the end we have to consider the environment around us before we put “Beautiful” above “Being Green”.

Too Much Light!

Mating Two Pandas

Mating two pandas for the sake of more- Morally wrong? My answer: not necessarily. Wang Wang and Funi are being put in separate habitats until the time is right to mate the two pandas, hoping to make a new edition to the 8 million dollar habitat placed in the Adelaide Zoo. I believe the reasoning is somewhat ok when it comes to almost “forcibly” mating these two specimens. I mean it is true, there aren’t panda bears left on this earth and the word “endangered” would almost be an understatement. The counter argument of this idea that is brought up by many would be you can’t us take a male and a female and put them in a confined space, automatically thinking that the two will produce another.

Sure the government may be “forcing” the issue, but isn’t it for a good cause? Chinese Ambassador Zhang Junsai even said “Wang Wang and Funi carry the friendship greetings from the Chinese People,” so why not bring more friendship and greetings with one more? The benefits of another panda bring more popularity and exposure to the Adelaide Zoo, an attempt to help an endangered species, and a cute white and black fuzzy little bear for spectating!

Ed Wardle vs. Grizzly Man

I was searching the National Geographic website when I stumbled upon a story about Ed Wardle, a producer/director who specializes in creating series based on his personal adventures. Recently, he created a series based on his fifty-day experience in the wild. He came up close and personal with moose, bears, and wolves. He did not go completely bare into the wild, as he had clothes, equipment, and a video camera. However, he did not have any food or anyone else for company. “I didn’t have any idea what was going to happen in the next ten minutes and I never knew where my next meal was coming from. It was hard to manage my expectations. I missed knowing that I could have food whenever I wanted,” said Wardle. This situation reminded me a little of Grizzly Man, though they differed in that Wardle was doing this in an effort to create entertainment for society while Grizzly Man seemed to try to escape it.  I believe that Wardle would find a much vaster audience than Grizzly Man, and would be seen as more likeable by the majority of the population.

Eleven Extinct Species that Have Been Photographed Alive

I recently came across an “Eleven Extinct Species that Have Been Photographed Alive” list. These animals include the Tasmanian Tiger, the Quagga, the Passenger Pigeon, the Golden Toad, the Caribbean Monk Seal, the Pyrenean Ibex, the Bubal Hartebeest, the Javan Tiger, the Tecopa Pupfish, the Syrian Wild Ass, and the Baiji River Dolphin. All of these species are officially listed as extinct, but have become extinct in the past two hundred years or so. They are all recently documented as having been in existence, but are as of now extinct. Nearly all of these animals are believed to have become extinct due to human interference. The Golden Toad, a bright orange frog that was found in the rainforests of Costa Rica, is believed to have been the first species to perish from global warming and climate changes. The Passenger Pigeon was the most common species of birds in the United States. However, after they became known for cheap meat, especially for slaves and the poor, and mass pigeon hunts ensued. The Tasmanian Tiger also lost its battle with humanity when it was proclaimed extinct in 1930 after massive hunts.

When most people think of animals facing extinction, they often only think of the animals that became extinct far in the past, such as dinosaurs and mammoths. However, it is important for everyone to notice that animals are facing extinction and are becoming extinct today due not to Nature’s process, but rather because of our interference.

Whale Wars in the Antarctic

I am a big fan of Whale Wars, an Animal Planet TV series that follows the escapades of the Sea Shepherds, a militaristic conservation organization, as they fight the Japanese whaling ships in Antarctic waters.

It is highly entertaining to watch these vegan animal fanatics engage in literal warfare with the Japanese over the fate of whales. They use butyric acid and lasers, and trail ropes off the end of their smaller boats to become entangled in the Japanese boats’ rudders and slow their progress. Recently, I read an article in The New York Times about a recent “battle” between the Japanese whaling ships and the Sea Shepherds. It spoke of the Shepherds’ tactics, and the history behind the fighting. Though many species of whales are classified as endangered, whale hunting is legal under international laws for research purposes as long as the hunters stay within a specific quota. The Japanese sell the excess whale meat not used in the research process in markets in Japan. Many, including the Sea Shepherds, believe this is the real reason for the hunts, as it is an industry worth millions of dollars. I think that it is a shame that we need to hunt whales in any sense for research purposes. There are ways to study animals and the environment without destroying it. I feel that the international community should take more of a stand on this issue.

Breed, I say, breed!

Some light-hearted – yet also troubling? – news from the Associated Press: endangered Chinese pandas are on loan to Australia, and both states are urging them to make babies. Verbally urging. In speeches. Surely this is a no-fail solution, right?

Earth, Cage or Source

Yesterday when we were talking about The Lord of the Rings I got to thinking about how earth tends to be used in movies. More specifically when we were talking about the birthing of the orcs from the mud and earth, there seemed to be a hesitance in the room. It seemed that no one wanted to say, “The earth is a source of evil!”

Clearly there is a problem with saying the the earth is evil. It gives us food, water, not constant earthquakes, and a place to lie. In general we seem to all agree that it is a good place.

The main discussion that I am trying to get to is that in a lot of the stories and films in the world there is some evil under the surface. There are orcs and other beasts growing under the surface, but there is also the demons caged underneath the surface. The description of the earth, using these scenerios, is endless. The earth could be an evil thing that is trying to get ride of us, it could have an evil center, or it could be sacrificing itself to hold these beasts. I like to think that if there is some evil demon thing under the surface of the earth it would be caged there and the earth would really be taking one for the team.

Is the earth a cage or a source?

“Beasts of England”

I was working on my final paper today when I came across and very interesting song…

Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,

Beasts of every land and clime,

Hearken to my joyful tidings

Of the Golden Future time.

Soon or late the day is coming,

Tyrant Man shall be o’erthrown,

And the fruitful fields of England

Shall be trod by beasts alone.

Rings shall vanish from our noses,

And the harness from our back,

Bit and spur shall rust forever,

Cruel whips no more shall crack.

Riches more than mind can picture,

Wheat and barley, oats and hay,

Clover, beans and mangel-wurzels

Shall be ours upon that day.

Bright will shine the fields of England,

Purer shall its waters be,

Sweeter yet shall blow its breezes

On the day that sets us free.

For that day we all must labor,

Through we die before it break;

Cows and horses, geese and turkeys,

All most toil for freedom’s sake.

~ “Animal Farm” by George Orwell

I found this song interesting, because although from a fiction story, it seems to bring up an interesting argument. Is it true that animals would be better off without human presence? For one, it can be argued that all animal cruelty will cease to exist. Nature would be able to function the way it’s supposed to, without the intervention of humans doing things like controlling the weather or playing god by saving species that should be extinct. In addition, animals could be free–dogs would no longer be subjected to human civilization, as would cats and horses. Cows and chickens would no longer be farmed just for the pure desire to eat. Tuna would be happily swimming in the ocean, instead of watching their numbers rapidly decline. Condors would be happily living without humans destroying their habitats. And marine animals would be able to live in non-polluted waters.

Yet there seems to be a major issue forgotten. Some animals have become dependent on human life. Dogs, cats, and horses are still able to live in the wild, yet they thrive in human societies today. Cows and chickens may be bred simply for food, but in the wild they will all be eaten eventually. Condors may have been able to live without human destruction, yet the reason condors are still around are because people saved the last pair alive in Bir Sur, California to breed until numbers could go up. For some species, it is non-negotiable: humans are more of a problem than they help. But for other species, humans have changed the traits that are the strongest, and now they are dependent on human society.

Killer Christmas

Religious bias aside, I think that Pagans had it right. They didn’t fight wars against people of a different creed, and not only did they not persecute nature, they respected it and prayed to it. We could learn from them.

There are, some that could learn more from them than others. In my class, we talked about reducing our carbon footprints. Looking back, I realize I missed out on something huge. While we did discuss reducing our carbon footpritns in our daily live, we did not discuss special circumstances. The big one, is Christmas.

From a certain spot a few miles from my house, I can pinpoint exactly which house mine is. In the dark. This is not because I’m a geography master and can find it with my night vision. No, it is because my neighbor across the street has so many Christmas lights that you could see the light pollution from space. You could see my whole block from even further in space, but this one particular neighbor has a certain design that makes it quite easy to tell.

Back in the California state energy crisis (I beleive it was 2003), I had the naive suggestion that if everyone turned off their Christmas lights until Christmas Eve, we would not be having an energy shortage. No longer quite so naive, I actually think that there needs to be a law such as this. It is outlandish that people have so much Christmas lights for over a month some times. What a waste of our natural resources. There is absolutely zero religion in these lights, or in huge light up, blow up Santas on people’s roofs. If there was a real Santa (and I assure you there is not), he does not wanna see that. If a third of our approximately 300 million people country have Christmas lights, for the typical thirty days that people have them up, they probably use enough electricity for a small country to run for a year.

think of how bad this would be at Christmas-time

Christmas trees are even worse. We strip land of its natural plants to grow trees that we cut down and then throw away. Growing these trees often uses lots of pesticides. There are so many things wrong with that statement its not even  funny. I don’t care about the decorating of the trees, I’m not gonna say your abusing it by putting ornaments on it, because you shouldn’t even have the tree in your living room.

Artificial trees are even worse. PVC in fake Christmas trees often contains lead or other metals and can be quite dangerous. Especially since they are often reused (we love to buy) more and more terrible ones are put into American homes. Studies have shown that you would have to have one artificial tree for twenty years to have the same environmental impact of one natural tree. Also, the vast majority of these fake trees come from China. The factories are polluting, as are the ships that transport them here.

You know what else is made in dirty factories, uses excessive raw materials and often has to be shipped from China. Presents. Our crazy consumerism has decided to use Christmas as an excuse to buy, buy, buy. While it does do wonders for the economy, each little bit of positive growth there is negative for nature. Oh, and we drive to the store. Again and again and again.