Earth Day 2016

Earth Day  2016 Intelligent creatures don't foul where they live

Earth Day: The History of A Movement Each year, Earth Day -- April 22 -- marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. The height of hippie and flower-child culture in the United States, 1970 brought the death of Jimi Hendrix, the last Beatles album, and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. Protest was the order of the day, but saving the planet was not the cause. War raged in Vietnam, and students nationwide increasingly opposed it. At the time, Americans were slurping leaded gas through massive V8 sedans. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. “Environment” was a word that appeared more often in spelling bees than on the evening news. Although mainstream America remained oblivious to environmental concerns, the stage had been set for change by the publication of Rachel Carson's New York Times bestseller Silent Spring in 1962. The book represented a watershed moment for the modern environmental movement, selling more than 500,000 copies in 24 countries and, up until that moment, more than any other person, Ms. Carson raised public awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment and public health. Earth Day 1970 capitalized on the emerging consciousness, channeling the energy of the anti-war protest movement and putting environmental concerns front and center. The idea came to Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Inspired by the student anti-war movement, he realized that if he could infuse that energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda. Senator Nelson announced the idea for a “national teach-in on the environment” to the national media; persuaded Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded Republican Congressman, to serve as his co-chair; and recruited Denis Hayes as national coordinator. Hayes built a national staff of 85 to promote events across the land. As a result, on the 22nd of April, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values. Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. "It was a gamble," Gaylord recalled, "but it worked." from the Earth Day Network

Earth is the third planet from the Sun. It is the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets. It is sometimes referred to as "the World" or the "Blue Planet". Earth formed approximately 4.54 billion years ago, and life appeared on its surface within its first billion years.[24] Earth's biosphere then significantly altered the atmospheric and other basic physical conditions, which enabled the proliferation of organisms as well as the formation of the ozone layer, which together withEarth's magnetic field blocked harmful solar radiation, and permitted formerly ocean-confined life to move safely to land.[25] The physical properties of the Earth, as well as its geological history and orbit, have allowed life to persist. (Wikipedia)

The Story of Earth in HD National Geographic

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© 2016 MU-Peter Shimon

Fly Like An Eagle

Fly Like An Eagle

Eagles, Hawks, Ravens I've always wanted to fly. The only recurring dream I ever had was about flying. Very vivid dreams were I just lifted up and flew through the air. Its happened over and again with different scenarios but one outcome. I'm Flying! They are marvelous dreams and I always wake up both exilerated and very sad.  Disappointed that they were dreams and not IRL. Not reality. Wherever I have gone traveling, working, excavating or on vacation, I have always been the first in the group to hear an eagle's cry. Always looking up for them, and whenever possible snap some pics.  I've had interesting sightings of royal eagles, golden eagles and even bald eagles. The are without doubt, majestic.

Raptors There is so much to admire about them. I don't know if that's the reason I'm fascinated by birds of prey and raptors. But then again, most people are fascinated by eagles. Dinosaur raptors too.are popular and there in fact an evolutionary link between them. Birds are living dinosaurs!

Eagle is a common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae It belongs to several groups of genera  that are not necessarily closely related. Most of the 60 species of eagles  are from Eurasia and Africa.  Outside this area,  just 14 species can be found two in North America, nine in Central and South America, and three in Australia. (Wikipedia)

I finally did Fly Like An Eagleor the closest thing to it. When I turned 18 I signed up for a course and started Hang-gliding. ZERO GRAVITY Hang Gliding   "It's My Life" - Alpine Aerobatics

Eagles are generally classified into four groups

Fish Eagles Sea eagles or fish eagles eat fish. D'uh! Photo courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation. Given that they need fish to hunt, they can be found by the seaside on coastal area, large lakes and the like. They like to eat their aquatic prey either fresh caught or carrion.

Booted Eagles Booted eagles or "true eagles" are noted by their feathered lower legs (tarsi). A small eagle with males about 510–770 g (1.12–1.70 lb) in weight, and females about 950–1,000 g (2.09–2.20 lb) They inhabit wooded and hilly regions, with some open areas nearby. It is small but powerful enough to hunt prey up to 5 times its own weight. Dark and pale are the two distinct plumage forms.

Snake Eagles Snake or serpent eagles are naturally adapted to hunting snake. A rounded head and broad wings is what distinguish them. Reptiles are also part of their diet and sometimes they'll take small mammals as well. Snake eagles prefer open cultivated plains or arid savanna. However, they tend to build stick nests so, they will need trees.

Harpy Eagles Harpy eagles or "giant forest eagles" tend to be large. Photo: GNU Free Documentation License, In fact not only are they the largest and most powerful raptors found in the Americas but they are among the largest species in the world. Its main prey are tree-dwelling mammals so, they are found in tropical forests and lowland rain forests. Adults of harpy eagles are at the top of a food chain in their environment and have no natural predators in these areas.

The Harpy Eagle and the Philippine Eagle  have wings that spread 2.5m across and use their massive, sharp talons, to kill and carry off prey as large as deer and monkeys. Eagles are different from many other birds of prey mainly by their larger size, more powerful build, and heavier head and beak. Most eagles are larger than any other raptors apart from vultures Some eagles are built with short wings and long tails enabling them to hunt in the tight confines of a forest, while others are have short tails and broad long wings allowing them to soar high above open plains and water. Many eagle species lay two eggs, but the older, larger chick frequently kills its younger sibling once it has hatched. Adults do not intervene. Golden eagles in in the state of Wyoming  have been observed foraging areas that cover 100 square miles.

Although many eagle populations are dwindling as a result of habitat destruction, hunting, and pollution, conservation efforts are helping some species Like the Bald Eagle  which has made a dramatic comeback in the U.S.over the last few decades. Eagles have unusual eyes.  - They are very large in proportion to their heads and have extremely large pupils.  - Eagles’ eyes have a million light-sensitive cells per square mm of retina, five times more that a human’s 200,000.  - Humans see just 3 basic colours, but eagles see 5.  - These adaptations gives eagles extremely keen eyesight and enable them to spot even well-camouflaged potential prey from a very long distance. In fact the eagles’ vision is among the sharpest of any animal and studies suggest that some eagles can spot an animal the size of a rabbit up to 2 miles away!

Fly Like An Eagle - Steve Miller Band

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Optional Panel Ahead
  The following panel shows graphic photos of a eagle taking down a deer.

The power and ability of a Golden eagle to hunt large prey.

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© 2016 MU-Peter Shimon