In the name of the nature

ON HELEN’S TRAIL- How one determined grandmother helped rescue the Great Swamp

I have been in Great Swamp Park in NJ couple times already. It is a really beautiful place of variety of animals and views of forests and little ponds. I have read some time ago an article about a lady who tries to protect the region from destruction of nature. The autor of the aritcle showed that Helen Fenske did tremendous effort during her life in order to protect the nature from today’s destructive civilization and technology. The author of the article tells the story of Helen Fenske who protected the land of the Great Swamp in New Jersey from the development of the airport project from 1959 there. It shows that instead of flying huge planes, traffic jams on the roads and horrible smoke there now the area that she saved is full of great species of birds, animals, insects and other creatures .The author of the article tells how important the work of Helen Fenske is for the present generations but especially for the local area and people there.
I love nature: forests, fields, mountains and especially the wild life in it.
National Parks and protected natural areas are important for people’s life now and in the future. I think that if there are not such places, we will not have chances to survive. Nature is everything what society have and what they should greatly take care of.
In my opinion people needs to know, talk, and learn about it but the most, to realize how damaging the new civilization can be for the nature recently. Society should react to some unnecessary project that may harm the natural environment. The Great Swamps National Wildlife Refuge has an amazing geological history that begins in the Jurassic Period that it was created and formulated through other later periods.
I am not surprised that Helen Fenske was fighting for the rights of the unique areas so strongly because that are the prettiest places in the region. Especially in the summer time when the real wild life, including chains of bugs to fish, birds and mammals, is waking up.
I absolutely agree with the author that it is a prefect region to take family or group of tourists for a nice walk where they can see vast number of birds with different colors and sizes and other rare animals that would be difficult to see somewhere else. It has also beautiful views of the pounds, river and surrounding trees.
It is really difficult to image how terrible sight of the flat cemented roads and ugly, gigantic buildings it could be if not Helen Fenske and her helpers such as: Rep. Peter Dodge and Remington Arms who helped to sponsor her achievements. All together protected the villages and towns located nearby the Great Swamp from the huge companies and branches of hotels, offices and other big corporations that are usually surrounded in the neighborhood of the airports. All the visitors of the National Wildlife Refuge, including me, just can not picture the Newark airport full of busy business life. In that district we can find piece and rest but also enjoy the fresh and healthy environment.
The amazing fact is that the work and plans of the great Helen Fenske is still continued after her death. This is a great thing that people want to follow the idea
Finally, I believe that the article is very important because the wild life and our environment are essential for our life and future generations.

Household robots negative

Household robots

Robots became present in every part of people’s life recently so addictively that human existence would be in serious danger if not computers’ hard and exact, in counting, work.
World can not imagine calculating distance, time and other systems without this amazing technological discovery which computer is. People are so used to and, some even, addicted to it now that losing it can cause depression or even serious deceases and not having it, can made man weak and not working properly. Therefore, in my opinion, having robot or any kind of creature of it and especially in the household environment, would be negative.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cooking is not my favorite thing to do. I believe that it takes a lot of time and effort. Also the mixed smells of a cooking dishes does not make me hungry as much as before starting it and I am usually tired after the process of standing or moving around the same area, kitchen.
Traditional Polish dinner consists of two dishes: 1st soup and 2nd: potatoes, meat, plus some salads. In America eating soups it’s not so popular. Some people here eat it only in the winter to warm up. The recipes of the soups are also different and the dish has a consistency of thick liquid. In Poland soups are thinner and you can see what is in it.
Anyway, recently I have discovered a great soup that does not take much time to do and it’s easy to prepare. It can be served more thick or thinner and it’s noticeable what in it (my favorite: mushrooms!)
Try and you will like it:

Cream of Mushroom Soup
You'll need:5 cups sliced mushrooms (as if I ever really measure)

3 cups chicken broth

1/2 chopped onion

a few sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1/8 tsp dry)

3 tbsp butter 3 tbsp flour

1 cup half & half

2 tbsp sherry

salt & pepper to taste

Sauté mushrooms in broth with onion & thyme until tender (about 15 minutes).Pureé the mixture (carefully!), leaving chunks as you wish (O do).In a heavy pan, melt butter & whisk in flour until smooth (in other words, make roux).Add half & half to roux & add that to the other pot full, along with pepper &/or saltas you wish. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a low boil until it thickens up.Adjust seasonings, add sherry & serve it up with bread & a salad. Serves 4.

BON APPETIT!!!

Black Friday warning

I’m hosting recently two of my very good friends from Poland. Since the American currency 'dollar' went up, their trip became more expensive than they have planned. But still they can afford to buy some clothes of good brands, electrical equipments, perfumes and other stuff that is cheaper than in their country. How come? I really don’t know and if I even think of it, it does’t make a sense….
Anyway, the two very good friends of mine heard about the Black Friday which is a day after the Thanksgiving and in which the stores offer amazing discounts of a products. (history: Black Friday-the usage of that day dates from September 24, 1869, a Friday when stock manipulators Jay Gould and James Fisk tried to corner the gold market and caused its collapse. The adjective black has been appended to similar occasions ever since, including October 29, 1929, the Tuesday of the market collapse that marked the start of the Great Depression, and Black Monday of October 19, 1987, when the stock market experienced its greatest fall since the Great Depression).
My friends were very crazy to buy things that probably will have even 50% off the original price. I only convinced them not to go to the stores in the early morning or at night (3am) because I heard its pretty unpleasant thing to do. They got up in the morning (7am) and I joined them to the discount places.

It was a horrible experience. It was crowded like never before, general meyhem people were unpleasant and the things they wanted to purchase did not have as good prices as we thought. And it appeared that some of the laptops, cameras were only a little cheaper in their country than here. I even heard that at one of the Best Buy stores a salesman was killed by a wild crowd.
Never, ever go to the store at the Black Friday!!! The prices ‘smells’ bad and it’s not worth of your life.

What is the Thanksgiving Holiday?

Some historians say that Thanksgiving is celebrated because of the Saint Augustine day. It was observed for the first time in 1565 in Europe. But in America they celebrated it for the first time at the East coast in Plymouth Plantation, MA in 1621. Recently Thanksgiving is a national holiday rejoiced on every the fourth Thursday in November. Its meaning is connected with thanks for the material goods and spiritual possessions to the first American settlers. This Holiday has also some religious meaning related to the deliverance of the English settlers by Native Americans after the severe winter at Plymouth, MA.
It is one of the biggest holidays in the USA comparable to Christmas time in my country (Poland). Almost everything is closed and only some immigrants don’t celebrate so their business of local stores is open.
Turkey is a traditional dish of the dinner but besides that there is plenty of food.
I don't eat meat so I just enjoy the time with American friends and their family or I just travel to some history places or watch the spectacular parade in New York City.

Discovering New York City...

A year ago on a great trip with UCC history professor Hogan we were sightseeing great and memorable places in NYC such as : Cloisters, the magnificent and the biggest in America Cathedral of Saint John the Divine (it is a very interesting gothic style church but her outside walls are as much interesting to see as the wall full of sculptures, painting, altars and stained glass. There are symbols of many Christian religions e.g. menorah the Jewish candlesticks, Pops’ seal- ‘key’ and little monuments of famous writers (W. Shakespeare), scientists (Einstein) etc. ) While I was visiting uptown in Manhattan and having a little break for a lunch, I encountered beautiful sculptures on the wall of one of the gigantic buildings. Those ware heads of dwarfs or called also ‘mascarons’. I saw them many times in Europeans cities such as Paris but never in America. It’s quite interesting to find them here because ‘mascarons’ usually are connected with certain style and period.

The music of my soul...

This is my diva: Anna Maria Jopek and her great band. They make me complete, calm and joyful; they are everywhere with me...

Yesterday I have got as a gift a new released album of Anna Maria Jopek. It's called Jazz Club VOLUME 1 ANNA MARIA JOPEK JO & CO -oh it's great, wonderful and awesome!!!
Anna Maria Jopek was born in Warsaw, Poland. She was studying in various good music schools and universities to get her education as a pianist. Her favorite classical music is F. Chopin, Ravel, Mozart, Szymanowski, Paderewski...
AMJ follows in her music a lot of styles and trends but the basic is from her roots: folk that she connects with jazz, blues, rock and a little pop. She is a fun of a music of Path Matheney, Sting, Tomasz Stanko, Chris Botti, Leszek Mozdzer, Mino Cinelu and many other important jazz and rock musicians.
AMJ has been awarded with many great musical rewards such as: Michel Legrand's Personal Award and other significant in Poland (gold and platinum records).
She has released already 13 important albums and 3 singles.However, AMJ songs has join many albums as well that were published to promote new magazines, artists, children and products...
Albums
Ale Jestem (1997)
Szeptem / Koncert(1998)
Jasnosłyszenie (1999)
Dzisiaj z Betleyem (1999)
Bosa (2000)
Barefoot (2002)
Nienasycenie (2002)
Upojenie (2002) with Pat Metheny
Farat CD, DVD and BOX (2003)
Niebo (2005)
Secret (2005)
ID (2007)
Jo & Co (2008)
Singles
Przed rozstaniem (1998)
Na dłoni (2002)
Skłamałabym (2007)

Some fans of her say that AMJ has an 'angel' voice and I would agree with them...but (it's going to sound strange) I don't like her privately...can't listen to her weird style of talking in Polish. She sounds better when she gives interview in English because then it's seems like she would change her personality for some modest person who she really is...
Check her out and you may like her as well:
http://anna-maria-jopek.com/en/

In War, In Prison, In Antiquity

The author of the article: “In War, In Prison, In Antiquity” James Bond Stockdale is searching for the answer to a question what true education really is. While looking for the proper explanation, he comes to many thoughts during his journey over the past and present lifetime. In conclusion, he writes: “Always striving for true education is the best insurance against losing your bearing, your perspective, in the face of disaster, in the face of failure”. As the confirmation of what J.B. Stockdale discovered, he quotes the ancient philosopher, Aristotle: “Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.” That alone made him realize he has always been living in truth.
Motivation for finding the right answer about true education was definitely J.B. Stockdale’s time in war prison. He lived under threat of death, in terrible fear and had feeling of guilt. He writes: “Of all the challenges guilt brings in a political prisoner’s life…” His existence was constantly under a trial of survival. Thousands of oppressive moments and even more days in loneliness, which he calls “the impact of this unexpected spiritual power…,” made his mind open for a conversation with himself. The new questions such as: “Does modernity deaden our noblest impulses?” or “…the essence of being human…?” he asked himself everyday. They concerned the existence and men’s goals in the world.
He makes cultural journey into the ancient times where he imagines a warrior, Hector. The duty of Tory’s hero gives him answer of what J.B. Stockdale obligation was. The knowledge of ancient literature and the cultural experience increased through centuries (thanks to such titans as: Shakespeare, Dante, Dostoyevsky, Goethe, Camus and Tolstoy) made him more aware of the prison situation and he gained more self-esteem. He even comes to a conclusion by writing: “I was being shown something good” in the prison period. On the other hand, he could not reach the feeling before because he was: “often ridiculed here in manmade modernity, where changing the world takes precedence over understanding it, understanding man himself”. He was lost and could not find the self-confidence, understand his responsibility or position in the situation he had found himself in.
J. B. Stockdale quotes M.Van Doren: “Being an educated person means that given the necessity [after doom’s day, so to speak], you could re-found your own civilization”. Here comes to me a quote of Z. Herbert: “with an iron ferrule a slow fire a blow on his back fixes his spine between cloud and mud puddle (…) his tongue hesitates between knocked-out teeth and confession.” (The Collected Poems 1956-1998, 2007). Every time they tortured him, he believed that it was his last day but this time it helped him to reveal the truth about himself. He found his own ‘self’. The education he achieved, gave him an answer to questions such us: Who am I now? What am I doing here? What should I do now? He was not aware of it before because his mind was often “powdered, fluffed” by the world in the modernity. But the days in the isolation and fear, gave him new experience and made his mind stronger. He realized many truths of the life and the duty he had to accomplish in order to survive and learn new issue in his life.
Furthermore, he could not only find values and the sense of life but also strength to stay alive because the intellect became his power. Moreover, his answers were hidden in the cultural symbols and when he uncovered them he did not let himself to demean and lose the faith. He comprehended his aim of being and comes to a conclusion: “I am right where I belong; I am right where I was meant to be”. The cultural principles and the true education that he brought into being, made him recognize the circumstances he was in. This definitely helped him to survive the most terrible moments and the long period of being imprisoned.
The literature of the past centuries and the cultural values included in it are represented in one of his great thoughts: “I became what I learned, or maybe I should say I became the distillation of what fascinated me most as I learned it.” He drew the essence of all the values he acquired. They were with him all the time but he needed the moment of contemplation to regain it. The journey over the literature alloy of Mill, Shakespeare, Dostoyevsky and Camus were his guidance to cope with his questions. All the virtues and doctrines that he finally understood were with him all the time but he needed the solitude to get the true education from the philosophers of the literature and also philosophers of live.
One of my favorite Polish poets, Zbigniew Herbert, is the author of “The Collected Poems” (Copyright by K.Herbert & H. Herbert-Zebrowska, 2004) in which he wrote: “I feel little inner consternation when I imagine of walking through the Athens’ street in Pericles’ times (each of us has its own favorite era) and I encounter who? – of course Socrates – who grasps my elbow and starts conversation in his tricky way: Welcome! It’s good to see you…” Z. Herbert definitely had to go beyond his reality to search in other times for new sphere of other realities in order to comprehend it. Poet’s questions about world existence and human part in it were coming to him very often. Therefore, to discover people’ part in being in a certain time and place, he had to close himself in loneliness and ‘breath with the air’ of those who lived in previous eras.
The experiences that people gain not only in history and literature but also in other spheres of education and what they absorb during the process of life and matters that happen to them, I would find as the true education. The important issue is to have the easiness of getting the lessons of hope and to confront our experiences with experiences of others in order to find something like compassion, responsibility and not get lost in the reality that people are living now. Therefore, each of us need to find sometimes the moment of contemplation, solitude where we can start conversation with the past, listen to voices of others, those who past away. You do not need to necessarily escape from reality and disappointment. If we could just easily make the journey in past culture, into the times of our ancestors who gave the course of history and who made the foundation of our times, then we would definitely enrich our knowledge, mind and personality. Then, it would be easier to step on our own paths and find answers for questions that for the first time the ancient Greeks were asking. However, the challenge is also that each person needs to have this ‘something’. It has to be in a man and as a result, to derive from it. Therefore, we need to refer to the past. In conclusion, the value of true education is not necessary when you learn but the process of learning.

“CAVE AB HOMINE UNIUS LIBRE”
“BEWARE THE MAN OF ONE BOOK”
This citation was quoted by Isaac D’Israeli in “Curiosities of Literature”.
I found also a different spelling of the word ‘book’: “Cave ab homine unius libri”.
There are other translations of this Latino quotation as well: “Beware the man governed by one book” or “Beware of the one-sided man”. There are probably some more translations but the meaning still stays the same and is spelled in the symbol. The man, who read one book or wrote one book, is short-sighted. Why? Because in that one moment when the person gets, maybe accidental, this particular book in hands, his/her life becomes directed into way one. This man strictly accepts only those principles that he/she found in “the one and only one” publication. This person gets this one philosophy of life and becomes limited or closed for other viewpoints. Such man happens to be fanatical and obsessed with the believes included in the book. The theory becomes an indication for all his life and there is not any other existing attitude, just the one that he/she believes in. This individual is leaded by the book, is biased and blinded for opinion of others. He/she may even hate others because they are more open and have different opinions. This person is even ready to devote his life or others for the right of the only one idea.
There were couple mad men in a history of the world that were inspired by the one book or thought included in it. Those people were able to destroy, kill, torture and violate the moral rights of humans.
One of the examples is a book “Malleus maleficarum” in translation “The Witch hammer” that was written by two inquisitionists: Heinricha Kramer and Jakob Sprenger in 1489. The aim of the authors was to totally get rid of the devil’s advocates. According to this book magic was mostly cultivated by women because of their nature. They believed that females have just less faith in God. Therefore the church’s inquisitors decided to find those who did not fit to the perfect example of faithful people and devoted to God. This book cause that millions of innocent people were murdered burnt alive and tortured. Mostly women were killed but also suspected men. The numbers of the dead tolls is chilling in the Middle Age. The only one book became the reason of tragedy of millions.
Another great example is Adolf Hitler who’s book “Mein kampf “ (1924) and the idea of it, inspired many people. The author of the one tome and the readers of it consequently leaded into millions of dead people and tragedy of those who survived.
There was Josef Stalin who had absolute power and believed in idea of fighting with or rather easily getting rid of class society that did not fit his dream. Again, million of innocent people died because of the one thought. He is accused as the biggest murderer of his nation.
Mao Zedong had a sick idea of Cultural Revolution and the effect of it was a tragedy of millions who he ordered to be killed.
Unfortunately in today’s world we have many more maniacs who still believe in some mad idea. And because of it and their short-sighted views, their regime, policy and power many times harms human kind. Therefore, “Cave ab humine unius libre”! This is certainly a wonderful meaning we should keep in mind. Having more open view to other religions, cultures, traditions, novelty, history and views of others.

LOVE in old times

The form of romantic love has its roots in French literature. The emotions, excitement and troubles caused by the feeling were first expressed by French medieval lyric poets called troubadours. They wrote songs and poems of a complex metrical form mainly on themes of courtly love. It was an idealized and often illicit form of love celebrated in the literature of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in which a knight devoted himself to a noblewoman who was usually married and feigned indifference to preserve her reputation.
The dreamy love of XI century became in France a social force shaping the lives of millions of women and men in modern culture. It was spread from south of France to all its corners and reached even part of Italy, Germany and England.
The image of troubadours singing about ‘amour courtois’, is some kind of picture describing relation between men and women in Middle Ages. However, the portrait of courtly love was taken from mystic literature of that time and it probably had nothing to do with harsh and gloomy realities of people living those times.
There is a dispute between some of today’s critics stating that ‘fin’amors’ had never existed in literature of Western Europe before XI century. But others, like Peter Dronke, prove that adorable and sorrowful love was already demonstrated in literature of Egypt, Spain, and Georgia and in other countries as well. As an evidence of ‘courtly love’, he gives example a song called Wulf and Eadwacer written by a European women before X century.
In Middle Age literature there are no many names of authors because they are unknown. The identity if it was man or woman it’s been analyzed through the way they expressed the passion, lamentation and other emotions in certain song or poem. Because women did not have many rights that time, they were often hiding their names under a male name.
The idea of ‘courtly love’ was often presented in French literature as not only a romantic, passionate and idealistic but also with moments of desperation, anxiety, jealousy and hopelessness. Many of the poetic compositions were supposed to guide with suggestions of romantic and spiritual courtly love.
There had been two descriptions of women troubadours: ‘feminine’ and ‘domna’. The first one is a version of hatred, dislike, or mistrust women. The other one is considered as a beautiful lady to whom all the poetry is directed but her tasks are rather unresisting and characterized by reaction. ‘Domna’ will not get any help if her man leaves her. Therefore, suffering, dissatisfaction and grief of abandonment is often the main subject of the poetry sang by troubadours.
Women in medieval times had a really hard life. Many social bans, difficulties of bringing up children, the worries of every day and scary thoughts of the future world were the matters really important and persuasive for them. It is really surprising that women in literature were seen only as beauties loved by their hero and mistresses but hardly ever there is mentioned their hard work of every day.

Love and friendship

Jane Austen is one of the most known authors of English and world literature. Her most famous novel is Pride and Prejudice but also Emma, Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park as well. All her novels are full of romances and family intrigues. Some of it describes facts of her life.
Pride and Prejudice is a very absorbing and marvelous book to read. The novel concentrates on realities of 19th century and describes in general a style of life middle and high class families. Jane Austin, in chronological details, entangles a romantic course of events between Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy and their friends as well.
Pride and prejudice are words that appear very often in the book. Mostly they describe the first impression the main characters feel about each other.
Miss Elizabeth Bennet, called by her family members Lizy, is the wisest girl of all her 4 sisters she has. She comes from a middle class family as a second daughter in Bennet’s family. Lizzy is an admirable person of honest and true virtues. She usually conducts smart and pleasant conversations but can be sharp towards those who she finds unfriendly. Her character is definitely the most visible along the novel because she is the one who tries to cope with her impossible and discouraging mother, father who is not interested in family affairs and badly behaved younger sisters, except her favorable and eldest Jane. She has to cope with many obstacles before she finds the true virtues of Mr. Darcy who did not make a good impression at the beginning of their relation.
Fitzwilliam Darcy comes from much more wealthy family than Elizabeth. He is an owner of marvelous property Pemberley in England. Darcy is a wise man who from the beginning seems to be an enigma. He seems to be much stiffed person who has only black or white point of view. At the beginning Darcy is noticed by Elizabeth as rather arrogant and not sympathetic person of unpleasant manners and pride. He is of course judged too fast by Elizabeth and later on she is also mistakenly informed of his past.
In the first thirty chapters Elizabeth Bennet does not even try to discover Dacry. She is more focused on the relation between her sister Jane and Charles Bingley. She is worried that her sister will not get marry soon and her feeling toward the man is hopeless due to his departure to London. Much trouble also brings the younger sister, Lydia who is a selfish and vain girl looking for entertainment and young man to play with. She finds Mr. Wickham, an enemy of Mr. Darcy and a man who takes advantage of others, as an object of love. That causes the Bennet’s family a big trouble.
Love, friendship and behaviors are the main themes of Pride and Prejudice and thanks to it the novel has an interesting plot that is hard to put away.

And the winner is Barack Obama!

Democrat Sen. Barack Obama became not only the nation’s 44th president but also the first African – American in the history of United States. He defeated his Republican opponent John McCain after Tuesday elections. Amazingly, he won Virginia, which is the first time a Democratic candidate had taken this state since 1964. His major promises to the people are to end the war in Iraq, implement almost a universal health insurance plan and searching for alternatives to our addition to Middle Eastern oil. However, the major concern for the public is turmoil in economy, crisis in Social Security, Medicare and overall fear of deepening recession.
His inauguration will be on 20 January 2009. He has started to form his administration. He asked a former adviser of President Clinton, Rahm Emanuel to be his chief-of-staff.
The Unites Sates is facing economic challenges therefore the post of treasury secretary is to be the next to appoint.
Hopefully, he will get reasonable, responsible and people who he can trust so they do the best to improve the country.

Egyptian ancient world in danger

I was recently listening to a story in NPR in radio about Rising Sea Levels Threaten Egypt's Ancient Cities is dealing with a problems of modern Egypt and also gives an insight into its past. More than two thousand years ago conqueror Alexander the Great built the city of Alexandria and turned it into his capital. This city amazed people with its beauty and great architecture which unfortunately wasn’t preserved completely to our modern times- due to earthquakes many of the places are under water now. For example, the Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, was recently discovered by underwater archeologists.
Unfortunately, Alexandria is still under threat of being soaked by the Mediterranean Sea water. Global warming may exacerbate this problem- climate change is causing the Mediterranean Sea’s water to rise, which is affecting vegetation along the River Nile. Egyptian government is already preparing the plan to relocate the population and build barriers to protect its land.
I really hope that Egyptian scientist will find a way to preserve the historical monuments, works of art and archeological masterpieces. Scientist in this country is preoccupied with the problem of global warming and hopefully their researches will be helpful for other ecologists all over the world.

Amazing story, amazing actor

My Left foot is a story of an artist Christy Brown who happens to suffer from cerebral palsy. Even the doctors predict that Christy may likely be a ‘vegetable’ and only a trouble to his family his mother doesn’t gave up and tries with all her love and faith to persuade her son to fight with the illness and confirm his talent and intelligence.
This autobiographical movie presents not only struggle of Christy Brown with his obstacles in life but mostly the brilliant gift of well-known Irishman. He learns how to use his left foot to paint and write. Christy Brown develops his skills greatly during his every day attempts. After many frustrating moments in his young life he becomes successful as a painter and author.
This amazing movie is filled with passion to art, author’s sensitivity to every draft on his canvas. I could capture the great spirit of the artist and his much dissatisfaction in his life as well. I watched it two times and every time this movie seemed more emotional to see.
Daniel Day Lewis, one of the most famous English actors, acting is amazing. He could truly touched me many times during watching it.

It's a final countdown...

Tomorrow United States' voters will decide who will be the 44th US president.

Both candidates Republican John McCain and Barack Obama are spending the hectic final day on campaigning over the country.

I wish them luck! And hope there won't be a chaos in final count in polls.

Aborigin children

Rabbit Proof Fence is a movie that tells a story of three half-caste girls from an Aboriginal settlement in Western Australia. In 1931 the girls were seized from their families and taken to a government compound to the Far South by the police who were acting according to state policy. The three girls managed to escape and made a miracle journey one thousand miles through the dessert to get back home. During their journey they followed a fence which was built from north to south in order to keep the rabbits out of the fields. Luckily the girls received food and help from some strangers whom they encountered on their way. The movie shows us about the horrible Aboriginal child removal policies in Australia during the 20th century.
Rabbit Proof Fence is one of the movies that I would highly recommend to watch. It touches upon some serious problems that remain relevant up to this date. From the prospective of three little girls we can get a general idea how prejudice and belief in superiority of one’s culture over others can ruin people’s lives, break homes, separate children from their parents. The movie depicts how easily the government can abuse its power and impose its own way of life on other people without any proper knowledge of their traditions and values.

Six degrees may change everything on our planet

Six degrees can change the world

Scientific research and climate models indicate some serious changes to our climate and they proved that earth's climate has increased less than a degree of warming. Six degrees it’s a sobering but riveting look at what the future could hold in store if we don't take serious action about reducing levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
1º At a one degree Celsius increase, the Bay of Bengal in Asia faces continual flooding. and severe droughts in the western United States could cause shortages in global grain and meat markets. Arid regions of the western United States could slip back to desert-like environments. There can be a new American Desert- the Sand Hills may resemble their namesake. The green, grassy hills that cattle graze on could be gone. Dust and sandstorms might be commonplace. Heavier irrigation may fail as water is overexploited by industrial agriculture.
2º At two degrees, Greenland's glaciers begin to disappear and so do most coral reefs. When oceans heat up beyond the temperature tolerance of corals, the corals eject the algae that live in them and become bleached. Massive Coral Bleach-out events may happen all too regularly in the future. Barrier reefs protect coastlines and play a role in the good chain, both of which influence human lives beyond tourist pleasure.
The oceans begin to lose their capacity to absorb carbon, heightening the problem. Scientists have learned that increasing levels of carbon dioxide cause the oceans to become more acidic. Unfortunately, this can affect organisms with calcium carbonate shells. Therefore, many of tiny creatures are at the base of the food chain and assist in the carbon cycle.
3º At three degrees, the Arctic polar region is ice-free all summer and El Niño weather fluctuations become the norm. 80 % of sea ice could be lost. Open oceans lacking these ice caps might change North American weather patterns, bringing more rain to Alaska and Canada, while further drying out the West Coast. Land ice caps and glaciers would melt quickly. In Scandinavian countries, the growing seasons could lengthen, but the soil would still be rocky and acidic.
4º At four degrees, Bangladesh washes away and Egypt is inundated. New York is under assault from rising seas and super storms. If sea levels were to rise and a storm hits Manhattan, the storm surge could submerge parts of the city. Flooding might occur often. In Europe five years ago there were heat waves that took many lives. More and more of these extreme heat waves could occur and cause fatalities, particularly among the elderly. In South Europe new deserts could form as the land would dry out. In contrast, the UK could be hit with storm surges and cyclones in the winter.
5º At five degrees, there are 100 million environmental refugees seeking new homes. Social systems begin to break down. There won’t be natural water anymore for example for Lima if Peru’s mountain glaciers melt. Then agriculture would be troubled and jobs lost. Also Ecuador and Bolivia, in South America, survive on water from mountain glaciers but can share a similar fate as Lima. As well, the Amazon rain forest, which supplies about a 5th of the world’s oxygen, could enter into a cycle of drought and fire. Tribal communities could be displaced, and some biodiversity could be lost forever. Warming temperature may thaw deep into the rock, melting the permafrost in the Alp. This way, widespread rock falls could occur more and more often. Landslides might bury unprotected populations as melting continues.

6º At six degrees, as the British climate researcher and author Mark Lynas predicts, "We see a planet that is unrecognizable" and eventually it will be the end of the Earth.