Sunday, October 25, 2015

A Land Remembered

Tobias MacIvey is the book's, A Land Remembered, first generation main character who led his family, wife Emma and son Zech, from the woods of Georgia to the swamps of Florida. Tobias MacIvey was the embodiment of  hard work, integrity, and honesty and it was these qualities that helped guide his family from struggling off the land to thriving from it. He gave everything he had whether hunting for food, herding cattle, gaining and maintaining business partners, or planting orange groves. He raised a family who had nothing to a strong, unbreakable family who could have had anything. All they wanted though, was each other.

Photo provided by Daniel Orth on Flickr May 7th, 2006
 Tobias MacIvey deeply respected the land and new his families existence relied on it. He needed food to feed his family, livestock to sell, fruit to harvest, land to live off. Tobias viewed nature as something for all, that provides for all, as long as you're willing to work for it. He did not believe in ownership or taking more than you need. Tobias was a humble and respectful man towards man and nature. If only we all acted as Tobias MacIvey did, towards man and nature, we would all be better off.

Photo provided by Alex Prolmos on Flickr Nov. 22nd, 2010
 Tobias experienced a strong sense of place everywhere the cattle roamed. He felt a strong sense of place at the coral, among his orange groves, and even a the Indian Seminole site. Any time Tobias was outdoors he felt he was in his element; among others who were living off the land Tobias was there in total awareness with oneself. A place more important than any other was, perhaps, Punta Rassa. A place where Tobias traded his hard work for Spanish gold coins; where he and his family were given financial stability and an end to the stresses and insecurities of early 20th century life.

Photo provided by d b on Flickr May 31, 2013
I think I most relate to Tobias MacIvey, at least I like to think I do. I value my own strong work ethic, my integrity and honesty, and my love and devotion to my family. I love to think about a time when untamed land was not owned by anyone, that people could work what they could from it and take what they needed. He was honest in his business dealings and made a great living off treating others with respect, never thinking about cheating anyone. To add to everything Tobias, and myself, have a place in our hearts for those who are disenfranchised, for those who are treated unfairly and in need of a little help.

Photo provided by Ashley Van Haeften Feb. 20th, 2015



Thursday, October 22, 2015

Plan B 4.0 - Preface and Chapter 1

"In recognizing the enormity of the challenge facing us: First we need to decide what needs to be done. Then we do it. And then we ask if it is possible." I love this quote by Paul Hawken in a commencement speech in 2009 (Brown 2009, p.XIV). It is exactly the method needed to be implemented to fight back against those responsible for climate change and the catastrophic damages that need to cease and reverse. Far too often we are trying to develop the perfect plan that we know will work in stopping and reversing climate change which wastes so much precious time and only leads to more disagreements and no action. We need to understand what needs to be done, do anything and everything that could help heal our planet, and then see which one actually works. We need to throw as many ideas as possible on to a wall and see which one sticks, instead of meticulously, cautiously, and sheepishly trying to find that golden answer to a question that may a involve a more trial and error approach. We have already wasted far too much time thinking about how we can save the environment instead of acting on it. Things need to be done now and the time of thinking, guessing, and second guessing needs to stop. We need action.

Photo provided by Florida Memory on Flickr April, 4th 1985
 "If we cannot get the brakes on population growth, we may not be able to eradicate hunger" (Brown 2009, p.4). Although I agree with this statement it does not go into enough detail in where the populations are growing: third world countries. For the part, all other countries are experiencing stagnant population growth or an actual decline. It is in countries where resources are scare and poverty prevalent where populations are increasing. To eradicate hunger there must be international programs set into place that educates cultures not accustomed to sex education and safe sex so that populations can begin to decline there but also set up fair food programs that benefit the people of these third world countries, not business interests and the International Monetary Fund. If fair and ethical non-profit international organization had the power and resources to make change in the hunger problem facing far too many people there would be vast changes within a year. Unfortunately, there are also too many people who have far too much power in deciding the fate of the poor and those effected by poverty. If we cannot pump the brakes on corrupt politics and greedy business interests, we may not be able to eradicate hunger.

Photo provided by World Bank Photo on Flickr April 13th 2015

"The Chinese firm ZTE International has secured rights to 2.8 million hectares (6.9 million acres) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on which to produce palm oil, which can be used either for cooking or to produce biodiesel fuel—indicating that the competition between food and fuel is also showing up in land acquisitions" (Brown 2009, p.11). Although I find this land acquisition disgusting, I do not know any other options for countries whom have incredibly large populations, the money to expand and buy resources, but are too late into the game to have large oil contracts like Europe and the U.S. in the Middle East. What is China suppose to do? Africa has been cruelly exploited since the Age of Discovery, when countries in Europe amassed unimaginable wealth and resources form brutalizing Africa. Now China is doing it and all of a sudden they are the problem. Not the UN for never stepping up to help Africa become a more stable region nor international organizations to help aid Africa or media news outlets to get the message out about how much help Africa truly needs. Its a shame, but without aid and support countries with like China will do what they think is necessary to help their nation survive atleast, thrive at most.

Photo provided by Dept. of Communities and local Government on Dec. 1st 2010




Brown, L. R., Brown, L. R., & Earth Policy Institute. (2009). Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to save   civilization. New York: W.W. Norton.