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Protecting Nature in the E.U.

It is widely known that without nature there is no possibility of life on Earth and the refusal to understand the extension of this statement does not contribute to make our survival easier, on the contrary. It is very hard to open the minds of those who simply do not care about our planet, either because actions of loving and care demand generosity and kindness or just because taking action to protect nature means giving up at least a part of the financial profits derived from its exploitation.

Fortunately indifference and greed do not prevail in all societies and in some parts of the world there are serious concerns about the future of humanity and its dependence on the natural resources to keep moving. Here some information on how this matter is tackled in one of the countries with the best life quality in the world: Denmark, where most -though not all- EU directives concerning species protection have been implemented in the legislation. The levels of species protection can vary, starting from a total ban on killing animals to specific limitations of hunting and fishing time during the year.

The Danish Environmental Agency may provide an exemption to those who apply to obtain permission to kill, capture, transport or handle species protected by the law. Basically this concerns wild mammals and birds and endangered plants and those may not be removed from the place where they grow (e.g. all orchids). In addition, all reptiles and amphibians are protected by special rules. Yet, wild mammals and birds may be hunted if they are under the hunting act or covered by the wildlife damage order.

The protection of animals and plants and their habitats can basically consist of: conservation of specific areas, protection of certain types of nature in the region and restoration of nature. Inside the European Union the Habitats Directive and the Bird Protection Directive oblige the member states to protect and conserve a number of species and habitat types that are rare in the region. In Denmark the prohibitions appear in several different laws.

The rules of protection apply to everyone: private individuals, authorities, companies, etc. implying that agriculture and forestry must organize their activities so that the living conditions for the species do not deteriorate. In Denmark the conservation of specific habitats follows laws that cover species "which in a wild state have their natural habitat in the territory of the Member States in Europe where the Treaty on the European Union applies".

Wild birds are object to specific regulations, stated in the Bird Protection Directive where there are bans on intentionally capturing or killing birds and possessing live birds including nest trees, trees with holes/woodpecker holes and dyke swallow nests. Deliberately removing or destroying nests and eggs is prohibited. The bans also apply to empty eggs, parts of eggs and egg products. It is prohibited to disturb birds in situations where a disturbance has a harmful effect on the species or population.

The Directive also prohibits trade, transport for trade, store for trade, offer, preserve or exhibit birds (exception made to species that are allowed to be hunted). Unless permitted by other legislation, it is also prohibited to collect, store, possess, buy, sell, etc. eggs from most wild birds.

Wild reptiles and amphibians, apart from those species that are not naturally occurring in the Danish nature and which are considered to pose a threat to naturally occurring species, are protected. This applies regardless of whether they can be assumed to have established themselves in nature with viable populations or occur randomly.

However, despite the concern and care aimed at the protection of nature, so far not much has been done to protect plants and only few endangered plant species, e.g. all the orchids, are as an exception to this situation. There are official programs to eradicate invasive plants that are a threat to the natural environment but the country still lacks a list of protected species of plants which is crucial to stop the destruction of natural areas. It sounds strange that in Denmark only 8% of the territory and about 17% of marine areas) consists of protected natural areas what contradicts the traditional respect for life that prevails in the country. It is important that people living in Denmark realize that trees and plants are part of life as a whole and that strict legislation in this sense should be created and put in practice.

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I Wanna Talk to a Human!!!

Maybe this became so repetitive that there is really not (much) sense writing about it. Neither writing nor trying to open a discussion with people from any place. Maybe nowadays this is such common fact that nobody is taking the time for any consideration be it deep or not like a simple ´I´m frustrated/fed up´ or whatever.

But this is a space for sharing ideas and experiences, right? So here it goes, a question to anyone who feels like reading this text and/or making/sending any comments – which are highly appreciated specially when some moral support is needed, as this is the case here.

We are modern people, we value and applaud great inventions. No doubts, technology brings uncountable possibilities for personal growth as well as time- saving in a historical moment when time is more than precious. But there is a limit for the use of high tech...or not? Then what is our point here? Okay, let´s ask it, loud (?) and clear: how do you feel about talking to a robot when you try to obtain a solution you can´t find in the website you´re visiting? Do you LIKE it????

Well. I HATE it. I just can´t stand not being able to have an agreeable and efficient conversation to reach a point of good understanding that leads to a practical action. In this case, I state that I don´t represent any anti-robots association neither I get any profit if someone agrees with me. This suggestive ´contact us online´ which seems so friendly is nothing more than a way to deviate our attention to our needs for an objective information. Click there and the charm is gone when we are confronted with a ´menu´ of options to be clicked in order to move further, he only problem being that seldom our question is listed among those proposed. Click click click… and finally there is a ´sorry I can´t understand what you wrote, please go back and start again´. Bingo, you got caught in an infernal loop that has as an ultimate result that you get irritated, frustrated, tired and… give up.

This is my cry for help. I´ve had it!

My pledge is: please! let me talk to a human!

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Pink Floyd Knew It!

Contrary to what many people can think, Pink Floyd never existed! Nobody in the artistic world has ever been named like this nor have we heard about other Pink(s) that became famous besides the Pink Panther – character of Blake Edwards´ film for which Henry Mancini composed an unforgettable theme, or the Pink Elephant that became a symbol for alert in some work places to indicate a potential problem to be avoided in the area. We also refer to a Pink Elephant as a way to challenge someone who fervently defends the idea of total control of the mind: here we just say ´don´t think about a pink elephant´ pointing to the fact that the image of such an exotic animal most probably immediately appeared in that person´s inner-eye: no total mind control then.

Pink Floyd started as a rock band in London in 1965 founded by four progressive musicians (Syd Barret, Nick Mason, Roger Waters and Richard Wright) who inaugurated the era of psychedelic bands – meaning that they used this type of drugs which caused altered states of consciousness that strongly influenced the artistic milieu in the 1960s and had a strong impact on their musical work.

Among the various rock bands that appeared from the 60´s on Pink Floyd was one of the most distinguished by their innovative compositions and elaborate live shows and during all the years since they started the band they sold millions of records worldwide. On March 23rd 2023, the band celebrated the 50th Anniversary of their album ´The Dark Side of the Moon´ by releasing a documentary about a total solar eclipse occurring in Australia.

Anyhow, we can say than among their extensive discography none is so representative of an era as their 11th album, ´The Wall´, a rock opera released on November 30th 1979, narrating the story of Pink, a rock star who constructs a ´wall´of social isolation.

The song ´Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2´, represents a whole generation of youngsters who protested against harmful attitudes and punishments inflicted to students, both physically and psychologically, in different schools. It won the composer, Roger Waters – bassist of the band – the 1983 British Academy Award for Best Original song for its appearance in the film ´The Wall´. It´s almost impossible to refer to Pink Floyd without bringing this song to life. Why is that so? Because it pictures the emotions of all students particularly those who were victims of strong authority and abuse at schools. That experience applies to almost everyone who spent some years in a school specially at their early age.

The verses sung by a group of young children indicate an explosion of emotions in a deep expression of the painful consequences in a cry of protest against the abuse of power exercised by cruel people who disguise themselves as educators.

So here´s the thing: sit in a cafeteria or restaurant, order something that may take long to be eaten or prepared and eat slowly. Coffees are a good alternative but you just can´t spend much time ´drinking´a coffee and do not even think about sitting there without ordering anything! Most probably someone from the place will invite you to either consume or...leave. Obviously this situation gets worse in case of long waiting times after these places close down.

We don´t need no education
We don´t need no thought controle
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
All in all it´s just
Another brick in the wall
All in all you´re just
Another brick in the wall

Art talks. Or sings. But protests anyway.

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Chemistry and Heroism

Have you ever wondered what heroes are made of?

Well, technically and biologically speaking, even if the way to create a person has changed through the years, we should consider that all humans are still made of the same materials. Maybe scientists can define the percentages of the chemical elements used to form each part of a human body, be it an organ, a tissue, or just any part. Basically we know we are made of cells and that is a general rule for all types of bodies.

Thus, the concrete formation of people relies on concepts that are true for all of us. Even if each individual is a result of different combinations of elements, the elements themselves are the same: here we have a matter of quantities over time, what also relates to the history of the human race. Most probably the first primates have more of the monkeys' combinations than us, in our modern times – if we believe that we, the modern people, are really that much different from monkeys...

Thinking further: if we have as start point the idea that the physical body of people is composed by the same elements, we must understand the unquestionable fact that emotions come from other sources... or not? Here again, it is most probable that scientists have already formulated theories and even discovered mathematical ways to determine the percentages of the huge spectrum of emotional reactions and their consequences. We dare imagine that external facts like social environment, geopolitics, and many sociological aspects play a significant role on how people externalize their emotions. However... emotions are, yes, international and timeless.

So, if everybody is made of the same chemical elements and everybody feels the same variety of emotions, how can we explain the existence of ´heroes´? All through human history there have been those people who are willing to dedicate their passage on earth at the cost of their own lives, to protect and help other beings that in general are totally unknown and disconnected from their own emotional circle.

Religions offer some easy explanations: you sacrifice your life here and now and you will be rewarded after your death, when you will receive eternal gratitude in heaven. Here, your motto is to follow the laws dictated by the god(s) to whom you devoted your life. You believe in eternal life and you will meet your god after your human existence and you are ready to give it up in order to be together with your god and all the other members of god´s realm.

Another possibility lies on devoting yourself to a highly valued cause. You can put your life at risk for ´justice´, for ´freedom´, for ´honesty´, for ´equality´. Many heroes fight for peace, even if this sounds a semantical nonsense. In this case, we may consider that The Cause is more important than My Life. So it goes.

Again, scholars from various lines of studies most probably have the knowledge to be used as a basis to solve the crucial question ´what are heroes made of´, to which there is no simple answer.

Altruism, fanaticism, idealism, suicidal behavior, craziness. Whatever may be at the bottom of humanitarian acts, certainly requires a very special type of people... and their choice is far beyond the understanding of simple and ordinary people.

This is just a reflexion on one of the most beautiful and extraordinary facts around being a person.

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A Lesson for Life

History is full of facts that occurred just because some people and their deeds were taken for granted by those surrounding them in any situation. Intimacy usually played a predominant role here, but not necessarily close contact has meant someone has been taken for granted, on the contrary it can have been precisely the opposite: the more someone got to know someone else the less certainty resulted from his or her responses and actions.

Although not so often, it can happen at any time in history that cases of connections that become deep friendships or partnerships go on and on and as time passes the idea of ´it will last forever´ - as if such concept could ever be applied to our life – pops up as a flower whose seed has been sleeping during some seasons and decides to wake up at some point. The longer and the more frequent the contact between people, the stronger the feeling of knowing the limits and possibilities for the emotions from both sides to develop – and here we refer to the ´taking somebody for granted' feeling.

It´s quite understandable that where there was fear for the unknown the tranquility of walking on the solid ground of trust and confidence progressively turns to be the pattern that leads to love in any form it may exist. Loving and taking for granted speak the same language and walk in the same direction, leading to the excellency of communication and human relationship.

But sometimes there is an unexpected turn. Because life is full of surprises, the turn can lead to an abyss where we fall down before we have any possibility to realize what was expecting us in order to try and avoid that turn.

Taking safe turns for granted is not wise. The same goes for dealing with people.

Perhaps the© one thing to be taken for granted is the idea that we should never take anything or anybody for granted. So we can avoid falling into the void? Maybe. This should not be taken for granted either.

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Got Strong Legs?

It is difficult to precise when a new sitting system started to be imposed in public places where a waiting time is required before people can take their transport, and those can be airports, train stations or other places of the type.

However it is modernly obvious that something changed – and changed against the passengers or those who await the arrival of someone. The thing is: more and more there are less and less benches where to sit in the public areas of these places. Maybe you remember the time when you could spend some waiting time just ´waiting´? You could use this time to read, to talk with others around you or simply... thinking.

Well, this is past. As the number of public free sitting diminished around the main halls and most of all you are surrounded by an increased number of cafes, restaurants, cafeterias, etc...in special designs where tables and chairs invite you to have a well-deserved pause without the inconveniences of sharing spaces with unknown people.

This looks very attractive as a possibility to find different types of meals without having to leave the area that is the reason for your presence but the big hit is: pay or stand. Buy or get tired. Buy buy buy or get veeeery tired! Because even if you would not mind the presence of unknown people sitting next to you, this option basically does not exist. You must wait? It seems so. Your mobile phone can help pass the time. A book also – even if not so used anywhere anymore.

Of course you can also take the waiting time as a possibility to stroll around as well as enjoy the diversity of shop windows and displays – many finely decorated – and get some souvenirs or other things you did not plan to buy so far. If the weather is nice, some train stations are located in interesting parts of the cities and offer good chances to see nice surroundings. This is not the case of airports that use to be far from everything...

But basically you don´t go to airports or train stations to walk around, right? Most of all, either you hope your transportation won´t be delayed or you wish to see the people you´re waiting for to arrive as soon as possible so that you can move on and do whatever you plan to do elsewhere.

So here´s the thing: sit in a cafeteria or restaurant, order something that may take long to be eaten or prepared and eat slowly. Coffees are a good alternative but you just can´t spend much time ´drinking´a coffee and do not even think about sitting there without ordering anything! Most probably someone from the place will invite you to either consume or...leave. Obviously this situation gets worse in case of long waiting times after these places close down.

These are the facts.

What to do?

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