As reported by Anderson Cooper – aka – “Regal Bird” ... and Jeff Corwin – aka – “Running Deer” ... and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who would also have an “aka” if he had traveled to the Amazon with AC and JC ...
So what did you think of Part 2 last night? The journey took us from Greenland to Alaska to the Carteret Islands to Africa and the Amazon Rainforest, and back again to the US (Houston & Brooklyn, specifically).
Watching the rappelling segment again in Greenland reminded me of the "outtakes" video - which I assume (or hope) will be included on the PIP DVD!
I still feel sorry for the polar bears when they're tranquilized - I can't help it. But I so enjoy Jeff's passion for nature; I don't know how anyone could watch him and not have at least some of his enthusiasm rub off.
In addition to the overall danger being faced on the Carteret Islands due to rising sea levels and dying coral reefs, I felt bad for 'Rose' when she was interviewed by Sanjay - her family has so few options.
And the Amazon Rainforest segment was good - and informative. I'd heard the term 'slash and burn', but seeing it happen makes it much more real. And the search for poachers knows no geographical boundary - so the 'hunt' was on again last night in the Amazon. I'm glad that there was a few minutes devoted to the life - and death - of Sister Dorothy Stang. She had contributed so much to those in that area who were in need, and her murder was a cowardly act of brutality.
I was pleased to see that the program 'took on' the environmental skeptics, and allowed them to have their say. I'm equally as pleased that there was specific mention of Senator Inhofe's 'political contribution ties' to the oil industry. One more hypocrite revealed ...
With regard to the segment about "environmental racism", I know that the evidence shows that minorities bear the majority of the burden of environmental pollution, but I can't help thinking of places (at least historically) like Love Canal in upstate New York. The bottom line is that no one should have to live or work in places where the possibility of serious health problems is so adversely impacted.
I do think that the entire program was tied together very well and that the issues of species loss, overpopulation, deforestation and global warming were presented in an informative and 'non-alarmist' manner. And the visual evidence presented unquestionably shows the detrimental effect that human abuse of limited resources is having, and will continue to have, on this planet.
If you're interested in getting more information, the "Impact Your World" page at CNN.com has a special "PIP" tab that you can click on.
And there is also a special "green report" section at the PIP main site that gives a lot of useful info about conservation at home, at work and when you travel.
And the California wildfires continue ...
Wow – three hours of live coverage last night ...
There were reports again from Rick Sanchez in Spring Valley, Ted Rowlands in Lake Arrowhead, John King in Rancho Bernardo and John Zarella in Santiago Canyon.
The Santiago Canyon fire has been determined to be arson-caused, and a $70,000 reward has been offered for information. There are excellent investigators here, and they have a high rate of success in catching arsonists.
The report from Rick Sanchez about the immigrant who had promised to stay and watch over a house that others had evacuated from made me angry – at those who would take advantage of someone like that.
And I think I wrote something on Tuesday about Anderson needing to bring some masks and goggles with him. His report from the front line of the Harris fire showed you why I ‘suggested’ that. You can always spot a ‘national’ reporter from a ‘local’ reporter in these situations – the ‘locals’ don’t care that they look like aliens when they’re reporting from a fire line – they’re protecting their eyes, nose and lungs, no matter what.
Oh – and just another suggestion – showing a ‘melted’ Mercedes isn’t going to generate much ‘long-distance sympathy’ from those in Des Moines (or elsewhere in the ‘heartland’). There’s already enough of a ‘backlash’ about overbuilding expensive homes with picturesque views ...
But I’m glad that there was coverage about the terrific job being done by firefighters, both the CA crew and others from neighboring states. They deserve all the accolades we can give for such a heroic effort!
And I was also pleased to see the segment about horses being evacuated – they are especially sensitive to smoke and will succumb to breathing problems much more quickly than other animals – that’s why you see owners so desperate to get their horses to safety in these kinds of situations.
Well, that’s going to be it from me – for now. As Chad Myers predicted last night, the wind is shifting and carrying the smoke back onshore, and, not to complain as I am SO lucky, but my four-day old headache is resuming its attack ... :-(
Thanks for visiting ... updates posted as needed ... have a terrific day!
5 comments:
Newsblooz: "Planet in Peril" certainly lived up to its extravagant promotional campaign! Part one, which was mostly about animal issues, really laid the foundation for part two. They took us from the loss of animal habitat in Greenland, Alaska, Madagascar, and the Amazon, to the loss of the human habitat of the Carteret Islands. By comparing the problems of people in different parts of the world they showed us that it really is a "small world after all" and the seemingly inconsequential decisions being made in remote areas do have an impact on the rest of the world.
The segment from Greenland made me respect and admire the scientists at the Swiss Camp even more! They are certainly a dedicated and robust group of people to be able to tolerate such challenging conditions for such long periods of time! We finally got to see the infamous shigloo!
Although the people in the Amazon live a simplistic life they seem to possess a quiet dignity that I could not help but respect, but it made me sad to realize that the industrialized world may someday completely destroy their way of life.
In my opinion, overpopulation, indiscriminate consumption and the drive for profit are at the root of many, if not all of the problems presented in "Planet in Peril." I don’t know how these problems can be solved if we do not address these issues. If I have any criticism of "Planet in Peril" it is that I would have liked to have seen more emphasis placed on the dangers of overpopulation.
The segments featuring Doctor Konrad Steffen in Greenland, Sister Dorothy Stang in Brazil, and the victims from the Carteret Islands, China, and New York, were wonderful: stories of people trying to save the planet and stories of those suffering the consequences of its abuse.
Thanks for the great caps! The ones from Greenland are my favorites; I love seeing Anderson in a "snow suit!"
I know the wildfires were a horrible tragedy, and I am so glad that you were unhurt by them, but you make a good point about the melted Mercedes. It won’t inspire any sympathy in Des Moines or New Orleans for that matter, where people are still living in trailers and waiting for their insurance money two years later. I don’t know what the "360" producers were thinking when they followed that up with a woman crying over her baby grand piano!
I just kept thinking that at least these people could drive up to Qualcomm Stadium in their SUVs; the people from New Orleans, in particular the 9th Ward, couldn’t even find public transportation to leave, and if memory serves me correct they didn’t have any magic shows to entertain them when they finally got to the Superdome.
I thought the same thing when I saw that Anderson was not wearing a mask and goggles! Aren’t his toxic levels high enough? Reporting from California this week didn’t help them.
I also was concerned about animal evacuations, so I was so glad to see the report about the horses being evacuated.
Anderson does kind of remind me of a "regal bird", well maybe not the bird part but he is a regal blue blood.
PIP is well done and informative. They photographed and discussed what they saw. How can you argue with that?
@Stardust - I agree about the overpopulation issue. I think it was mentioned in Sanjay's piece from China, but I don't recall anything else specifically stated. Although, one could say that it was an 'underlying' or 'foundational' theme of the entire documentary. There are simply too many people competing for too few resources on a finite planet! I would never want to return to the days of rampant killer diseases and other plagues, but the technological advances needed to provide basic survival needs for the ever-increasing population hasn't kept pace. And we're paying the price!
@Judy - hello and thanks for your comment! Glad to hear you enjoyed Planet in Peril! Did you like any particular more than the others? I'm still feeling especially bad for the woman in China who lost her husband! The stories were interwoven so well - some very personal and individual, others very vast and focused on the 'big picture'!
Hello again Newsblooz,
There were parts of PIP that were hard for me to watch (bears being treated so horribly for their bile for one)My heart cried.
I also felt for the people in the small villages in China. It is outrageous that the rest of the world allows this to go on. Making money while you ruin the health of others sounds like the worst kind of abuse. The Universe never forgets and abusive man will have his debt to society paid in kind.
The entire production was impressive and I think what I liked best was that CNN did not appear to have an agenda and they were providing us with facts.
It is my hope that having this wonderful production out there now will help to make a difference.
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