Book Review: Theodore Roosevelt Biography

Another short post today- just wanted to give a quick review of the book I finished, "Lion in the White House", by Aida D. Donald. Before, I had admired Theodore Roosevelt for his accomplishments in wildlife conservation, but this biography helped me appreciate even more of what he did for America and the world. 

Here are some quotes from the book about Roosevelt and forestry:

"Roosevelt was our earliest and most passionate environmentalist. He attended to nature's beauty and bounty, that is, to the country's natural resources and their protection and wise use. His scientific bent and western adventures...gave him a capacious and loving view of pristine forests...."

"He established the Forest Service, and a reforestation program yielded renewable resources. During his presidency, the service protected sixteen million new acres in 150 national forests, quadrupling what already existed. Roosevelt created five national parks...fifty-one wildlife refuges also came into being."

"The progressive Republican senator from Wisconsin, Robert La Follette, proclaimed at the time, 'The Conservation of our Natural Resources....is probably the greatest thing Roosevelt did, undoubtedly.'"

I came across some cool facts while reading, too. For example, did you know he was the one who named the White House? Until 1901 it was called the Executive Mansion, or the Presidential Palace. Roosevelt also added offices to its west wing. Most people know that his refusal to shoot a tied bear led to the creation of the teddy bear, but don't think he never shot animals! In his trek to Africa alone, he boasted 296 kills, including lions, giraffes, and elephants. (Back in the early 1900's, conservation of these animals wasn't a big issue like it is today! Imagine if Obama went on a hunting safari like that....) Theodore Roosevelt was perhaps best known for his manliness-  from leading his Rough Riders in battle, to mediating world powers, and pushing for progressive policies. In 1912, he even continued his speech for over an hour after he was shot with a bullet that went 4 inches into his chest!! 

The only complaint I have about this book, in particular, was the consistent reference to Roosevelt's idol, Abraham Lincoln. Granted, Lincoln's policies did influence a lot of Roosevelt's decisions, I just found myself annoyed to see his name on virtually every page. My theory is that the author felt the need to include him so often because she lives in Lincoln, Massachusetts! (Maybe it was a deal with their tourism bureau?) 

All in all, it was a very informative read, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone interested in this magnificent historical figure.

Thanks for reading guys and check back soon!!

Powerful Pictures

Hey everyone! Not a long post today, just wanted to share something I thought was very interesting. If you click this link below, you'll see a series of very powerful pictures about deforestation. They may seem exaggerated, but if you think about it, they really are not. The message? Destroying forests directly destroys lives.

 http://www.boredpanda.com/animal-rights-social-ads-call-of-the-wild-sanctuary-asia/

Let that sink in. This is what we're doing to our planet, and it's going on right now. 


On the topic of sharing interesting links, I can't help but mention this video by one of my favorite scientists ever, Dr. Bill Nye. Here, he explains evolution through emojis, which, I think, is pretty cool, so definitely check it out: 

http://mashable.com/2014/12/12/bill-nye-evolution-emoji/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-main-video

News Review: "Eaten Alive" Rant

Ok, this isn't going to be a long post. But I can't not rant about this:

Discovery Channel has a show called "Eaten Alive", which is about exactly what you think it is about. This show recently attempted to get a guy eaten by an anaconda......like, they purposely TRIED to get him eaten. Now, the anaconda doesn't normally prey upon humans (although there are quite a few horror stories about the giant snakes). So he had to "provoke" the snake to get it to eat him, which I think is immoral, and for the snake, annoying. Ultimately, the guy freaked out and didn't get swallowed because he couldn't take being constricted....by a constrictor. Anacondas are con-strict-ors. That's what they do. If you get eaten by an anaconda, it will constrict you. All this research went into making a stomach-acid-proof suit for this guy once he got swallowed, but he didn't think about being constricted in the process. Great planning. 

I'm obviously not too happy that anyone attempted to do this in the first place. If he did get swallowed by the snake, the animal's anus cannot unhinge like its jaws can, so the only way to rescue the man would be to kill the snake and cut it open. And I do not support killing animals for entertainment (if you call purposely recording being swallowed by an animal entertainment). There is some illusion of helping anacondas with this show, even the website has a link that says "Help Save the Giant Anaconda", but I don't think they're doing a great job if they were going to kill one after they forced it to swallow a guy. That doesn't exactly put a lot of value on their lives, now does it? *End rant*

Check out some more information and watch the video here. Feel free to laugh when he says "I can't feel my arm, she's squeezing me." Yeah. Cause she's a constrictor. If you want to learn more about these awesome animals, check out facts on the Green Anaconda, the largest snake in the world!! 

TL;DR Stupid TV show tried to get a stupid guy swallowed by a poor snake who didn't want to swallow him, but it didn't work. Because it was stupid. 

Thanks for reading guys, and check back for my next post coming up within the week!

Creature Feature: Bee Thankful

A flower? For me?! Oh you shouldn't have! 

I know I'm a few days late for a true Thanksgiving theme, but I wanted to make a little post here about bees. A lot of people are afraid of them, but just because they can sting doesn't mean they are out to get you! In fact they are very important to us, and here's why we should thank them: 

We should thank bees for feeding us! Insects pollinate a third of the food we eat. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and more! Not to forget, a lot of these plants that are pollinated by bees are used to make other products besides food. 

We should thank bees for helping our economy. Their pollination is valued at $16 billion in the USA! In 2007, the export of honey alone was over $7,000,000, and, as mentioned before, bees help make a whole lot more than just honey. 

We should thank bees for helping the ecosystem! By pollinating, bees help floral growth and expansion, creating habitat for other insects and animals. Not to mention, they help keep our Earth looking pretty! 

Speaking of pretty....What? Do I have something on my face? 

I would also like to make a public apology to the entire bee population for maiming a bee yesterday. You see, what had happened was, a bee came a-sniffing my fruity-shampooed hair, very close to my ear, causing me to automatically swat it to the ground. So, I am sorry bees. To make it up, I will try to save more of you by promoting your conservation. 

I bet you're thinking- "bee conservation is an issue?" Yeah. Unfortunately, it is. 

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has caused, well, many colonies of bees to collapse. As bees die off in large numbers, the cost of products that require their pollination is driven up, meaning higher food costs. It very well may become an agricultural crisis in the near future. Less bees is also bad for the ecosystem. Research is ongoing, and there are several explanations as to what causes CCD, but no definite cause has been determined. 

But that's not all folks! The EPA has approved several pesticides in the chemical class called "neonicotinoids" (I think I spelled that right...) that have been known to kill bees, contributing to CCD. One of the most recent pesticides approved is sulfoxaflor, and it has many people buzzing about the harm it's caused. In my opinion, we need to be very, very careful with chemical pesticides, if we use them at all. Everyone knows how disastrous DDT was, and we don't want to repeat history. And don't forget, there are other alternatives for pest control, too. Read more about pesticides affecting bees here and here. Want to help stop the use of these pesticides? Send this message from Greenpeace. 

For more info, I will give you some fun links:

Check out Project Bumble Bee- and help with their citizen science project! 
The Honeybee Conservancy has some great tips on bringing bees to your garden. 
And last but not least, here's some simple ways you can help bees today! 

Of course, I will always "bee" thankful for my readers! You are all bee-autiful people (don't worry, that was the last one)!

Dumb and Destructive: Part 2!

First up on this list of dumb things is plastic. Americans discard 34 MILLION TONS of plastic every year and only 6.5% of it is recycled! The rest ends up in landfills, in the middle of the ocean, and in stomachs of animals. Yeah. Take for example, this whale with 450 pounds of it in his stomach. While marine animals have always had to deal with garbage (at least, since humans have been around), "death by plastic" is becoming a more common fate for them. And it doesn't affect just ocean dwellers, here are some more examples. So what's the solution? Recycle your plastic and don't litter! Also, please don't release balloons. I think I'll need a whole new post to really explore the destructive nature of plastics, so stay tuned for that in the near future. 

The all-time winner for "dumb and destructive" is this SUV lined in sharkskin. You heard me right! If you read the rest of the article I linked, you'll see they also use elephant skin! I'm not really sure what to say about that. Two animals who need protection, whose numbers are dwindling, and whose demise could cause terrible environmental repercussions, are being used to DECORATE A CAR'S INTERIOR. Oh, and they use alligator, crocodile, ostrich, python, and stingray, too. How incredibly stupid and wasteful. And what does the company head say about this? "Deal with it." I don't think I could have found anything more infuriatingly ridiculous if I tried. I hope you all appreciate my extensive efforts not to use any inappropriate language here! 

My last subject today will be fish pedicures. No, not pedicures for fish, especially because they don't have feet- pedicures by fish. This has been banned in several states because the fish cannot be sanitized between customers like ordinary instruments can. Another health concern is the bacteria associated with these fish that can potentially infect humans. Coupled with complaints of abuse by animal rights activists, the issue is now going to the US Supreme Court . I am going to call this "dumb" because A) I strongly believe animals should not be used for cosmetology of any kind and B) I think there are many far more pressing concerns in the world for courts and animal rights groups to be spending their time on. Like what, you ask? Hmm how about the loss of global biodiversity because of the mass extinction going on right now? Yeah, I think that's one that they should be a bit teensy-weensy more focused on...

Actually, it is. Losing biodiversity will affect us all. 

Well that's it for this post! Let me just say a special thanks to everyone who has been looking at my blog lately, I got a lot of views from my last post! (Maybe I'll have more Disney-themed posts in the future...) I really appreciate the attention guys, so I mean it when I say: thanks for reading! =) 

Dose of Disney Colors of the Wind

This time of year, instead of succumbing to the all-too-early Christmas songs, I love to listen to "The Colors of the Wind", from Disney's Pocahontas. If you've never heard it before, first of all, I'm sorry. Second of all, I was nice enough to put the video at the bottom of this post, so I'd recommend watching that before continuing on. 

"The Colors of the Wind" stories Pocahontas, a Native American princess, showing John Smith, an English settler, the beauty of nature. While no one can deny the romantic tone it sets between the two young protagonists, it also has a strong message of conservation. Let's take a look at some of the lyrics:  

"You think you own whatever land you land on
The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim
But I know every rock and tree and creature
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name."

Here, Pocahontas is emphasizing the value of every living thing, and more. It may seem funny that she is naming rocks, but the message stands that every piece of nature is important. She says that the Earth is not "dead", but in fact a living, thriving ecosystem. 

"Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest

Come taste the sunsweet berries of the Earth

Come roll in all the riches all around you

And for once, never wonder what they're worth."

Greed is one of Mother Nature's strongest foes. Mankind has relentlessly exploited her goods for our own use, and not always in a sustainable way, leading to devastating destruction (that we can see the results of in our planet's current state). In a clever play on words, Pocahontas calls aspects of nature "rich", but tells John Smith to enjoy them for their intrinsic value alone.   

"The rainstorm and the river are my brothers

The heron and the otter are my friends

And we are all connected to each other

In a circle, in a hoop that never ends"

Sound like another Disney song? Let me give you a hint- NAAAAAAAAH SAVENYAAAAAA!! (Hahaha yeah I have no idea how to spell that opening line...) This verse talks about the circle of life, as a continuous connection between all of nature. Again, Pocahontas includes living things and other environmental aspects too, such as the rainstorm and the river. 

"How high will the sycamore grow?

If you cut it down, then you'll never know

And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon

For whether we are white or copper skinned

We need to sing with all the voices of the mountains

We need to paint with all the colors of the wind"

The first two lines obviously talk about forest destruction, even though figuring out the maximum height of a tree shouldn't be the only reason you don't chop it down. The rest of the verse says "we need to be one with nature", no matter who you are. And if that doesn't preach conservation, I don't know what does! Just another reason to love Disney movies! 

Oh and here's the video for your viewing pleasure- it always gives me chills! Take notice of the conservation-y things Pocahontas does, like stopping John Smith from shooting a bear, and playing with hawks! And feel free to sing along, I won't judge.

As always, thanks for reading everyone! Comments are always appreciated. 

News Review: News with TL;DR Summaries

With so much going on in the world of wildlife conservation, I'd like to mention some current event articles. I've read through them, and included a "Too Long; Didn't Read" or "TL;DR" summary in case you don't want to take the time to view the entire article. Why? Because, in the words of my younger brother, I'm nice like that. 

 There Are Now Just Six Northern White Rhinos Left
TL;DR The Northern White Rhinoceros is a subspecies of the White Rhinoceros, and their population numbered over 2,000 in 1960. Because of poaching and habitat loss, only 15 remained in 1980. Now, the last breeding male has passed away, leaving only 6 and a bleak future.    

Antarctic Sea Ice Reaches New Maximum
TL;DR Sea ice around Antarctica has reached a new record, which means more ice! But don't get too excited, the ice gained in the Antarctic is only 1/3 of the ice lost in the Arctic. Basically, climate change is affecting different places in different ways. 

Ebola and Bushmeat
TL;DR The Ebola outbreak is throwing the world into a panic (your furniture is more dangerous, though-  read this article I mentioned previously). Bushmeat, or wild animals harvested illegally for consumption, has always been bad news for wildlife, but it can also be a way to spread the disease. Just another reason to end the bushmeat trade.  

United Nations Looks At Illegal Wildlife Trafficking
TL;DR $20 billion a year is what the wildlife trafficking criminal trade is worth internationally. At the United Nations General Assembly, world leaders discuss the affect this trade has on humans, such as endangering the stability of local economies and loss of natural resources.  

Predatory Fish are Plummeting
TL;DR Yeah, no sh*t Sherlock! - is my reaction. We've known about the plight of large fish for a while, 55% decrease in the past 40 years! In my opinion, it's because humans are greedy and want to eat all the big fish, but have no concern for the ocean's health. Now we're really starting to see the effects on the rest of the ecosystem, like how smaller fish are having a grand ol' time overpopulating.

Well, sorry if the news was depressing, but that's what's going on right now! Of course I encourage you all to read more, and I'll try to help keep you up to date! Thanks for reading!