Something Simple and Efficient: A Bicycle

Sometimes I become angry because of the prices of the energy, not because it is expensive but cause I think there many interests into play. However, every time I ride the bicycle along the city and see the way in which we use our cars and air conditioning in homes and shops I said to myself: We don't pay enough for energy, it is cheap till...

Now the thing is: How to make people to understand that our life style of excess and waste should be over? Every day I'm more convinced that many people don't really care about environment and the state of the planet. They just think about themselves or simply, as a human way of scape, they assume that environmental problems are not such a big deal. In other words: human resistance to accept CHANGE.

I don't know what readers will think about what I'm going to say. It's obvious that an environmental education is necessary at schools and centres of education but, most important, for all those ones who "don't care", controlling their expenditure is the key. High prices for energy is the way to understand that we humans can't continue wasting around and eating up natural resources. I could give two examples of how people would behave in front of increasing prices of fuel:

1. There are surveys which point out that 20% of the mileage is unnecessary. Have you realized how many energy could be saved at a planetary scale?


2. More than one would stop speeding. They would keep tyres pumped up (so they would last longer and would also save more money), they wouldn't accelerate hard and driving would be a bit slower (which would save human and wildlife lifes on the roads).

Once more the key is: Everyone should accept that CHANGE is necessary. Fuel efficient cars (including hybrid and electric) are not the solution but part of it. And now, as always, speaking about cars... Who speaks about something or reminds that there is something really efficient and cheap as a bicycle? Mssers. Politiciens... Who bears the cars in the cities? Mssers. Politiciens... Who bells the cat?

Children See. Children do.

Long time ago I read the following quote: there's no better education than the example. This quote is a glaring truth. That spanish quote about "Do what I say but don't do what I do" should be something out, something not to be said to children as they are literally parrots and copy exactly what they see at home. It's not worth for a teacher telling a pupil "use your seat belt when in a car" when his father never uses it. I don't know if I transmit you the idea.

I think other world is possible but a better future is only possible making kids to do right things by giving them example. Kant said something like "Act that your principle of action might safely be made a law for the whole world".

Long time ago I also was sent from different people the video which is below, a video which was the spark to begin this post. Thanks guys.

Some Good News

Not everything has to be bad. From time to time something good for being optimistic.

Click here to get some more information.

Respect

There are some people who frequently use the word, which titles this post, in a way pretending to be cool and gentle. The question is how far can we tune up the meaning of the word. And why do I say all this? Because there are many people who make a great song and dance about how respectful they are and, when the moment of being in control of the steering wheel arrives, they go from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hide. It is in that moment when they speed, when they don't adapt their driving to the circumstances of the road, and it is here where the expression "I control" puts and end to the word which titles the post and begins to increment the possibilities of death for any species who cuts in front of such a cool and pleasant driver.

Our roads have become so big in size and number that have invaded and fragmentated almost all known ecosystems and last but not least, the designers didn't take into account that in those ecosystems there were other forms of life which also need mobility like humans. So the point is that thanks to that design and those cool guys in the driver seat, the possibilities of death notably increase because there is no alternative to cross the roads and move along them.

Only the fact that "the others" were before we arrived is enough reason to decive a respect besides we are "the lowest of the low". The others also have the same right to share this planet. An accident is something unpredictable and outside to driving in a careless way, which would be an imprudence and so something you would have to pay for it.

Millions of animals are dying in roads around the world every day and many of them would save their lives with better designed infrastructures and of course, with a more level-headed way of driving. So keep in mind these words whenever you are at the driver seat, keep in mind that you are driving along different ecosystems with other forms of live moving around as you would do. And of course, keep in mind that only 1% of the money necessary to construct the infrastructure is enough to save millions of lifes. Other question would be how that money is managed...

Here you are two interesting and related links: Carnage on the carriageway & Driving animals to their graves.

The Party Of The Crime

This is my country or better said, the place I was born because with such terrible activities happening I'd better say I am ashamed of this land. I came across in Facebook the link and picture you have below.

Fortunately, the barbarism begins to be known around the world.

Here the link to the picture and the comments by Rod Usher.

And now a video made by spaniards who are fed up with bullfighting and show you the real side of what is wrongly known as "fiesta". Some comments are subtitled in English but the point are the images. Have you ever been told about a bull throwing up blood? Haven't you? So that's your opportunity. Enjoy it! If you can...

Something Typical in a Typical Spain

If there's something that continues being typical in this sunny country of the 21st century, this is debris. It has become part of the environment and in fact, it is strange to go for a walk to the countryside without seeing somewhere a pile of debris, cans, pastic bags or things alike. I remember traveling by train along five states and it didn't pass much time between "sightings".

You or I could think this is not happening in such a civilized country like Spain, but it seems that changes in our way of thinking will take a long time despite it offers a sad image of us spaniards.

Here you are some videos with two examples. The first in Madrid and the second in Avilés. Perhaps some of you don't understand spanish but I think an image is worth a thousand words.

Some more information about in English.

Money Is The Root of All Evil

You could read on Sunday 18th, 2007, in a well-known spanish magazine the following article:

MAGIC FORMULA FOR OIL SPILLS

Do you want to see how I finish up with the Prestige's oil spill?, question. The magician gets a glass, fills it up with water and adds a bit of oil. Over the oil layer some magic dust is poured and we wait for 30 minutes. Bit by bit the oil becomes hardened and the final mix gets the bottom of the glass."When any kind of oil is floating on the surface, before getting the coast, we poured over it the magic dust, which by the way is very cheap and in 15 seconds time, it sinks up to the bottom and becomes a rock. Neither stains nor dirties". The solution was offered to the Government... but no answer was given. The solution was also offered to some galician majors but, do you know what was the answer? If only we had a Prestige every five years! With the subsidies fishermen prefer continuing playing dominoes.

I think the answer is truthful enough even we put it into practice in different scenerarios of oil spills. My question is now, will the politiciens who give the subsidies have read this text? Something to say about? The invent of the magic dust is not new at all but older are the irresponsability and the carelessness.