The whole film revolved around comparing and contrasting different images and shots with the soundtrack setting the mood in the background. In my eyes, the film started out with a negative look towards humanity and its effects on the planet. The opening shot of the rocket launch had a very fire and brimstone feel which is typically a doomsday sign. The soundtrack cast a very ominous overtone with the chanting during the rocket launch. The film ended with the conclusion of the rocket launch – its subsequent explosion and failure. This very clear beginning and end symbolized the path that humanity is on, but the middle of the film had a more hopeful tone.

Once the film switched to the shots of the different landscapes, the music changed to a much more thoughtful and serene tone. This peaceful image was very different from the initial scene of the rocket launch. Underlying the soundtrack was the sound of wind which added the effect of making viewers feel like they were standing among the landscape, feeling the wind brush past their faces. The music matched the tempo of the clouds and moving and the rivers raging which looked very similar in appearance. It conveyed the purity of nature and how separate it is from the hustle and bustle of human life. These serene shots set up a sharp juxtaposition with the hectic life of the city.

The next time the film switched back to human life, the shot of the truck became obscured by smoke. After all of the images of the beautiful landscape, the first human made object becomes consumed by a thick, dark smokescreen that came from the truck. This could symbolize how humans may end up being their own demise. Though this film was made roughly 20 years ago, the message this sends is only being supported. Back then, it was the threat of nuclear holocaust; now it is the threat of climate change and pollution. Although the reasons for humankind’s destruction may have changed, it is still coming about at the hands of humans. This message was only supported as the fim switched from a factory handling molten metal (more flames and black smoke) and, ultimately, the nuclear bomb explosion (epitome of fire and brimstone).

With humankind being portrayed by these dark scenes, the overall tone towards humans began to shift afterwards. The effects of humans do not just lead to doom and gloom. Most of these horrible events resulted from good intentions being misused. The film quickly flashed clips from a space launch to clips of various scenes of warfare showing the good innovation can do as well as the bad. These two sides were also displayed through the contrasting of rows and rows of tanks and rows and rows of cars. This began the switch from all the negative impacts humans can have to the thriving life that humans have built for themselves.

The majority of the shots the film displayed after this centered around cities and the teeming life they are filled with. This switch was introduced with a profound silence as the camera panned over a cityscape. After the neverending music that had accompanied the video so far, this silence stood out even more so. The audience then gets slowly introduced into the life of the city as the scenes pan downwards and eventually end up on the streets. The city has a much more positive vibe now and the shots have a much different feel. They focus on the vividness of life.

Almost all of the shots that have humans in them are packed to the brim with humans. The sheer amount of life being displayed sends a message in itself. Despite the chaos that may seem to arise from the cities, there is a certain organization. This organized chaos of human life is then compared to the organized chaos of the industries humans take part in. The moving assembly lines paired with the moving rows of humans on escalators solidified this message of organized chaos.

Throughout all this hustle and bustle, the vigor of life still shone through and reminds us that each individual has his or her own story. The film included multiple shots focusing in on certain people to the point that it bordered on an overly awkward amount of time. This was to reinforce this message that each despite the craziness that humanity has brought onto the world, each individual still has power, is important, and can make a difference.

I actually really enjoyed the film. It started out slow and my mindset was looking at it as just an assignment, but then as it went on, I found myself more and more entranced by the scenery and music. The best word I can use to describe it is mesmerizing. The music was the most responsible for this. Laid on top of the flashing images, I found myself unable to look away and scrambling to type down some notes once the scene changed and I was released from its spell. The shots that were displayed were also so complex that I never felt bored or not engaged despite the lack of words. My eyes were too busy flicking from scene to scene to notice the lack of words. It always amazed me how powerful a message films like these can send simply with a musical score, video, and no dialogue or text. Granted this is not a film I would have ever watched on my own, I thoroughly enjoyed watching it in class and it was one of the better required films I have had to watch.

1) Cabela’s describes nature as something for humans to dive into and get as much out of it as possible. All of their gear promotes being “rugged” and to throw yourself into the midst of nature in the most daring ways possible. It uses nature to advertise its products since it is first and foremost a store, however, it builds upon that to become a “destination.” The huge mountain display, aquarium, and deer country exhibits (just to name a few) showcase some of the trophies that can be acquired from nature. These exhibits make the store feel more like a museum and add to the appeal of the business as a whole. Cabela’s version of nature is one that is there for the taking and humans should go explore and reap the benefits.

On the flip side, Hawk Mountain had a much more reserved display of nature. Their main attraction was the actual mountain, so they did not need a fake mountain or aquarium. Compared to the almost shove it down your throat take on nature in Cabela’s, Hawk Mountain let nature speak for itself. The museum was very fact based and focused on telling the story of Hawk Mountain and how it has evolved from a place of mass killings to a sanctuary. After hiking through the mountain and perusing the visitor center, I came away with a much more authentic feeling of nature than when I left Cabela’s. At Hawk Mountain, I felt as if nature had something to give in the form of a lesson. At Cabela’s, I felt as if I was supposed to forcefully take something from nature in order to experience it.

2) A lot of the gear we saw were recognizable, however there were some which surprised me. For instance, there was dirt-like material which would attract deer for hunters to use as bait. There were also rows upon rows of computer devices for fisherman to use on their boats in order to gauge the river, the location of the fish, and god knows what else. Most of the gear I saw always seemed to be outlayed with camo. A big theme of Cabela’s seemed to be to take something and just add a camo design. This could be anything ranging from a shirt to a doormat to a sofa. They even had pink camo for women which completely ruins the point of camo, but not the fashion sense I guess. This is just one example of how one could see Cabela’s was more focused on profiting from nature as opposed to conserving it.

The chapter And No Birds Sing mirrors the relation between humans and birds at Hawk Mountain in a different setting. In both cases, a large amount of birds were killed due to the ignorance of the human population. However, the killing of raptors at Hawk Mountain was a more active sport whereas the deaths of the robins was a passive result of human actions. While there are these differences between the two, a surprising similarity is that Hawk Mountain and Silent Springs were both the result of women taking action. This is surprising because both happened over 50 years ago when women were treated much differently and usually did not play such a big role in national movements. Both have become major successes for the environmental movement since they were constructed and written.

3) Each display at Cabela’s weaved a different tale. These stories ranged from big game hunting all the way down to local deer hunting. In these spots is where I witnessed the biggest change from the normal Cabela’s feel. People here were reading and learning as opposed to handling a firearm or figuring out the next way they were going to kill a deer. Despite this, the exhibits still had the Cabela’s undertones. For example, the big game hunting exhibit had pictures of the hunters with their kills. This detracted from the educational feel of the exhibit and gave it an arrogant, bragging-like feel instead. The other thing I find funny was when people would pose in front of the dead animals for pictures as if it were a zoo. I think the exhibits were interesting because they did make an attempt to make them look as “natural” as possible, however, the surrounding vibes the store gave off completely ruined it. Cabela’s is also humongous so there were people everywhere. This contrasted strongly with Hawk Mountain which had a much smaller portion of the population.

I was surprised by the way people acted up on the North Outlook. I think this was because I am not cultured in bird watching at all and had no idea what to expect. The first thing I noticed was the number of people. To me, it seemed like the lookout was crowded despite being not a busy day. If it were a busy day, I feel as if it would be a completely different experience. The next thing I noticed was the curt, efficient way all the watchers called out each bird they located. Other than the occasional callout for a bird, the mountain was relatively silent. This atmosphere was very peaceful and would be interrupted if there were a large amount of people there. It seemed as if most of the watchers came here to just share the space with the birds in silence. There was a mutual respect for the other veteran watchers, but as a student there asking questions, I felt as if we were interrupting this environment of theirs. When Terri and I were walking around Cabela’s, we were probably taking a lot louder and more so than when we were at Hawk Mountain, but I did not feel like I was intruding on anyone at anytime.

4) The overall business model at Cabela’s was aimed at as many people as possible, but I think it only really attracts a small portion of the population. With anything from clothes to couches to aquariums, there was something for everyone in the store. A family could come and each person could have something that interested them even if they all had different viewpoints. This being said, I still think a small sliver of the population actually comes for serious business. As mentioned above, it is portrayed as a “destination.” A lot of people come just to see what all the hype is about and say they have been to a Cabela’s. My family came once just to look around and gawk at the overall excessiveness of the store. There was nothing there that we were interested in buying, we just  wanted to see what all the hype was about. Despite all of the stuff for sale there, I think only a small fraction of people actually buy things. First off, most of the gear is top of the line so it is extremely expensive. A casual shopper is not going to go to Cabela’s to get some winter clothing or is even looking to buy a paddle board. A big part of their sales is also with the various weaponry they have. This ranged from a crossbow to an antique shotgun worth $10k. Hunters may have a use for some of these, but the majority of the weapons looked like they were for show. Someone mentioned in class that someone is not going to buy a handgun to hunt deer, and you do not need a gun as expensive as a car to go hunting. This high selling point for most of the stuff at Cabela’s really displays the audience they truly are catering to.

Raptors tend to get a bad reputation when they interfere with people’s daily life. For instance, sometimes they may attack or try and kill small dogs. After incidents like this, people are going to be more inclined to think that they are dangerous and could hurt humans. Raptors and wild animals are generally thought of as separate from day to day life which is why it is always such a big deal when one appears near us. A couple days ago, there was a deer near the Conway Residence Hall and at least five people I knew had it on their Snapchat stories. Pennsylvania is known for having quite a few deer and I am sure the majority of them had seen a deer before. And yet, it seemed like such a big occasion for them that they needed to take a picture and document it for others to see. This may also have something to do with the social media world we live in, but I think it demonstrates how removed most of us are from animals and nature. It is not that humans do not like animals, in fact, many are fascinated by them. There channels like Animal Planet and programs like Shark Week which attract millions of viewers. People enjoy going to zoos and seeing all the animals there as well. In these instances, I think people admire raptors. One of the most wanted super powers is the ability to fly. Learning about how birds’ wings are designed to fly and how fast a Peregrine Falcon can dive is fascinating to people. When we compare our own skill set with raptors, we admire how deadly and efficient they are out in the wild.

5) The mental image of Cabela’s that comes to mind is one that someone mentioned in class. They witnessed some fish eating other fish in the tank and some dead fish floating at the top of the tank as well Diver Dan manhandling the catfish. The aquarium was supposed to be an educational exhibit where people can learn about different types of fish. At first glance, that is what it looks like. Then, after stepping back and really looking at the display, one could see just how negligent Cabela’s really was. Their whole store tries to give off a “nature” feel, but this one example displays how much they actually might care about nature. Even within their own exhibit, they do not really care about the animals or wildlife. I think this little detail lets one see through the huge facade that Cabela’s has erected in its store.

On the flip side, my mental image of Hawk Mountain was much more positive. When Terri and I hiked off on our own, we met an older gentleman who was along the Escarpment Trail observing the birds away from the hustle and bustle of North Lookout. We talked to him for a couple minutes before moving along on our way. It was interesting to see how even at a sanctuary like Hawk Mountain, it was still too busy for some people. He seemed just as enthusiastic as the other people we saw on North Lookout and yet he would rather be at a different spot with maybe not as good a view just to have his own privacy. Out of all the people I witnessed on Hawk Mountain, he seemed the most in tune with his surroundings and the most at peace.

“I stood under tulips and ashes, maples, sour wood, sassafras,
locusts, catalpas, and oaks. I let my eyes spread and unfix, screening
out all that was not vertical motion, and I saw only leaves in the
air–or rather, since my mind was also unfixed, vertical mils of yellow
color-patches idling hm nowhere to nowhere. Mysterious
streamers of color unrolled silently all about me, distant and near.
Some color chips made the descent violently; they wrenched from
side to side in a series of diminishing swings, as if wildly fighting
the fall with all the tricks of keel and ghde they could muster.
Others spun straight down in tight, suicidal circles.” (Dillard, 249)

-reminded me of when we went out to look at leaves and my thought process

“The naming of things is a useful mnemonic device, enabling
us to distinguish and utilize and remember what otherwise might
remain an undifferentiated sensory blur, but I don’t think names
tell us much of character, essence, meaning. Einstein thought that
the most mysterious aspect of the universe (if it is, indeed, a universe,
not a pluri-verse) is what he called its “comprehensibility.” (Watching the Birds, 50)

-interesting to see this compare/contrast between science and nature

They are not green like the pines, nor gray like the stones, nor blue like the sky; but they have, to my eyes, if possible, yet rarer colors, like flowers and precious stones, as if they were the pearls, the animalized nuclei or crystals of the Walden water. They, of course, are Walden all over and all through; are themselves small Waldens in the animal kingdom, Waldenses. (212)

Thoreau’s classification of these fish as “Waldenses” was interesting as it seems like they area subdivision of the pond. Walden Pond is not just a large body of water, it is a living, breathing entity. The fish have found a home here and are therefore part of this larger body. This reminded me of Eiseley’s connection with not just the water in the river, but also all the living organisms that had touched that water as well and been a part of something larger.

The next passage which interested me was on the general topic of Thoreau surveying the pond and finding out its depth. I found it interesting how he talked about people thinking the pond was bottomless or how it went straight through to the other side of the globe. Some of this mystery mirrors the unknown of the oceans today. It shows how technology has allowed us to easily measure these depths, and yet the oceans are now the mysterious bodies of water. Technology has given us access to more information and at the same time given us access to more questions in the process.

The creation of artificial turf added a whole new element to sports when it was first introduced as teams adapted to this new surface. It made balls roll farther and gave a nasty burn if you slid on it. However, it also was much easier to maintain.

The biggest thing I always noticed when playing on it was the heat difference. It was always ten degrees hotter on the turf field as opposed to a grass field. While it was nice to play on the turf surface, it was not worth the added heat in summer.

The recent readings brought up many more points where turf loses out to regular grass which I did not even consider.

“Once, Manhattan was 27 square miles of porous ground interlaced with living roots that siphoned the 47.2 inches of average annual rainfall up trees and into meadow grasses, which drank their fill and exhaled the rest back into the atmosphere. Whatever the roots didn’t take settled into the island’s water table. In places, it surfaced in lakes and marshes, with the excess draining off to the ocean via those 40
streams which now lie trapped beneath concrete and asphalt.” (City Without Us, 28)

This passage, as well as the “No Place to Hide” chapter illustrate the negative effects human creations have and how they may be more convenient, but not as practical as natural landscape. For instance, a turf field does not redistribute and filter water as well as a grass field would. Despite many chemicals used in manicured fields, there is still life that lives above and below it. Replacing a grass field with a turf field completely removes any life in the whole area of the field. Many lack the ability to step back and consider all the different facets of life that human intervention has.

“At the beginning of the trail, brain and heart both are crammed with the debris of living among too many people. My mind careens from one human concern to another, from the dangers of plutonium to a leak in the gutter, like a pinball trapped in its labyrinth of posts” (Feasting on Mountains 58)

I love hiking in the mountains. It is one of my favorite past times and my camping trip in Alaska was the most memorable because of the plethora of mountains we traversed. I can relate with this quote directly as it is a feeling which I have experienced many times. You never realize how much is swirling around your head until it all dwindles out and you are simply left with what is around you.

“When the exercise of your limbs affords you pleasure, and the play of your senses upon the various objects and shows of nature quickens and stimulates your spirit, your relation to the world and to yourself is what it should be- simple and direct and wholesome” (Burrough 21)

This quote drew to me as a response to the quote above. I feel like they go hand in hand and lead into each other. As the civilized word drifts from your mind, you more able to gain this “relation to the world” Burrough describes.

This weekend, I participated in a 5k walk to fight blindness. It was located at the Bethlehem Steel Stacks which is where Bethlehem Steel used to be located before it went out of business. It has been since renovated into a very nice facility, but the old structures are still all around and very cool to see (fun fact part of the first transformers film was filmed there).

Most of the old buildings are all falling apart and very rusted, but there are some that still stand proudly, striking impressive figures against the sky. Something else that accents this interesting look is the green that is slowly working its way back against the sea of red rust. While walking, I witnessed many plants, even trees sometimes, jutting out from the buildings many feet up in the air.

It was amazing to see these trees seemingly growing from nothing and flourishing. It speaks for how hardy nature is and how everything gets reclaimed by it sooner or later. A steel mill definitely was not the most environmentally friendly structure, and yet now, not that many years after it went out of business, the environment is slowly but surely reclaiming its land. And not only is it reclaiming it, it is adapting to it. The plants have access to higher up structures which give them better access to sunlight. There is more area (in the form of verticality) for plants to grow. It is fascinating to see this transition back to nature from a once industrialized area.

The split between nature and industry also strikes a cool dichotomy. As mentioned before, the color scheme between red and green is appealing in itself. But it also always surprising to see a patch of green perched haphazardly off the edge of a two story crumbling building or wrapping its way up a rusty old stairway. In time, the green will eventually take over and the red will succumb, but until then, the picture they paint is unforgettable.

I love being outside. Going out and playing spikeball or frisbee on the quad is an ideal excursion from my dorm. The tail end of summer makes for beautiful afternoons to enjoy before it gets cold out. However, nature just makes it annoying and hard to enjoy this sometimes.

For instance, this past week my friends and I went to go play spikeball on the quad and our mouths and ears were quickly filled with gnats buzzing all around. We could not stand still for more than five seconds without being swarmed. While we would normally hang out for at least an hour or two (schoolwork permitting) however these gnats quickly cut it down to maybe twenty minutes.

Nature is a beautiful thing with plenty of sights to see and experiences to enjoy. However, it can just be so annoying sometimes. Mosquitoes and gnats just come to ruin the fun. A perfectly good hike can instantly turn sour when these bugs come out to play.

After now kayaking on both rivers and lakes, I can safely say that yesterday’s kayaking experience was one of the best I have had. Having a constantly changing environment was much more interesting and engaging. It also allowed us to interact with our natural surroundings much more than most activities.

For instance, Teri and I challenged ourselves to navigate through the most challenging parts of the river. Although the Delaware River is by no means a white water rapid, it did have some fun parts. For instance, we aimed for the biggest rapids and zipped in and out of large rocks that protruded from the water.

Having the freedom and time to just explore all the different parts that we wanted to really added to the experience. Wandering away from the group let us get lost (to an extent) on the river and seek out the paths less traveled. We saw a variety of wildlife (including Bambi on an island) and rustic signs of humans on some islands like some abandoned fire pits.

Although we did not witness anything which we had never seen before, these everyday things had a different feel to them through the lens of being on the river. There is something different once you are on the water and floating along with Mother Nature. Maybe it is the slow pace or the connection with the water (I am looking at you Eiseley), but this was one of my favorite memories of the year so far.