Strange Days On Planet Earth

http://www.pbs.org/strangedays/?campaig ... 2008-04-24

This is a new documentary by National Geographic on the global impact on our ecosystem. I heard some of the scientists on NPR on some of these studies. It's currently on part 5 and on. While the scientists may not have the whole issue figured out, or nailed the right contaminate to cause disease in some fish, it is obvious that what we hold dear to us is being exterminated by our lives. It's hard to figure out which issue to take up, which study is correct, but regardless I think we all can agree that each extra thing we can do to conserve or reuse it the "right" thing to do. It should be running this week on your local PBS station.

One part of the show that I found very upsetting was the amount of plastic in the ocean found out west. It's disturbing to see such contamination. Here is a link to that scientist:

http://www.algalita.org/charles_bio.html

Sample of water from the North Pacific

[madeintaiwan]

Re: Strange Days On Planet Earth

I watched some of this last night. I love Ed Norton and I can listen to him for days..... And the amount of plastic is upsetting but no surprise. CA, OR, and WA have a combined population of almost 40 million. Those three states have some of the strictest environmental laws period. Obviously, something more needs to be done. Perhaps with the housing crisis and gas and food cost people will flee the coastal states for cheaper living. And CA is having a rice shortage right now, which is too funny (not really) because they are a huge rice producer but they export it to Japan and other places. CA gets their rice from China who has had to tap into their government rations to give rice to the people, so they are no longer exporting rice. Rice prices are soaring and all the Costcos in CA have begun only allowing customers to buy one 50 lb bag of rice. Don't know if it will spread out here, but I picked up my 50lbs today and I'm considering getting 50 more. We'll go through at least 25 lbs when my mom and brothers are here for 3 weeks. Anyhow, bad crops... another example of "strange days on planet earth."

Re: Strange Days On Planet Earth

Thanks for posting Julie, it looks really interesting. I am so interested in anything related to water.

Unfortunately our local PBS is showing it only at 2am tonight, I assume (hope) that I missed it at a more social hour. It seems like a pretty high profile show to only have it on in the middle of the night :huh: