Customer Reviews

National Geographic's Strange Days on Planet Earth

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4 star:		(1)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This 2-DVD series powerfully shows how mankind is connected to nature and how far away events relate to one another.

The program's stories spans 9 countries - USA, Uganda, Trinidad & Tobago, Nigeria, Jamaica, St.Lucia, Australia, Canada, and Venezuela with vignettes on several others.

Four sections cover invasive species, climate change, predators, and rivers /ocean. In every section there is a discussion on how the action of man affects a place, and how that in turn affects us.

One story talks about how changes in the atmosphere cause increased dust to blow from the African Sahara desert, which causes asthma in children and reef degradation far away - in the Caribbean. Another story talks about how very low levels of pesticides causes sex changes in frogs - which if taken to the logical conclusion, one might wonder how this affects human sexuality. Some of the most haunting images come from a man made lake that destroyed a rainforest in Venezuela due to the construction of a hydroelectric dam.

After watching this, I suggest stepping back from the actual stories and consider how the theory applies to our current culture today.

I have seen alot of nature DVDs and traveled extensively around the world for many months at a time, this is easily one of my favorites to explain the current situation of the world. It should be handed out for free.

If you enjoy this you might be interested in these DVDs: NOVA - World in the Balance (Pollution from China reaching the US), NG Guns, Germs, & Steel, Shape of Life, BBC Blue Planet, Charcoal People(!!), Sacred Planet, Commanding Heights, Life & Debt, and Zapatista.

The Shape of Life 4-DVD set also has an interesting story on invasive species too - regarding the New Zealand Flatworm destroying farmland in Scotland by eating worms. Power of the small...

Edward Norton leads us through some fascinating shifts of earthly goings on in this attention getting documentary sponsored by the folks at National Geographics and currently in rotation on your local PBS station. Learn how shifts in temperature not only affects caribou migration in the northern frontier, but global wind paths which allow microspores to affect kids in the Carribean as well as coral reef growth. See what scientists do to respond to eroding forests in Hawaii, due to renegade flora. Will a plant mite keep the croc population from getting at the fishermen in Lake Victoria? And will planting trees in a few acres of farm land in Australia keep the Great Barrier Reef in the pink? This serves the answers. Spiced with some great computer generated animation and some hip special EFX, this is the best in enviromental documentaries yet. See it.

These four episodes make it quite apparent what's happening on Planet Earth. Human beings--we-- are becoming the instruments of our own self-destruction. The sensible thing to do would be to simply put a halt to our brainless ways, but more people are concerned with self-advancement or making a profit than leaving behind an inhabitable world for our posterity. There's no excuse for polluted drinking water. Overfishing is irresponsible and unacceptable. Killing off the one predator that can keep an entire ecosystem from collapsing has embarassing consequences. Species invade and wreak havoc in places where they don't belong because the people pushing world transportation and globalization have little concern for the delicate equillibriums of life on Earth. Toxic chemicals have no place on my dinner plate. And global warming is not a hoax; it is real, it is dangerous, and it is our fault. Gone are the days when we can pursue biology and environmental science for fun or because we think animals are cute; now we must pursue it and get our heads into our survival, or our progeny will have every reason to desecrate our remains or machine gun us all for leaving behind nothing but a smoggy wasteland for them. I hate it when my fellow AP Environmental Science classmates walk into the classroom with anything but grave, urgent expressions on their faces. Instead of acting like we have a grand task before us, they goof off and think it strange when I do not goof off with them. I highly recommend this two-DVD set to everyone because everyone's planet is everyone's business and everyone's responsibility.

For anyone who tends to fall asleep during the normal documentary will be pleased with Strange Days. The information contained in these videos are key in changing the way things are. I hope more people will watch this.

Strange Days on Planet Earth is one of the best DVDs I own at this time. It is very informative. Edward Norton was a great host. I had no idea all of this was going on in the world. It made me think about what the things I do might effect our plant.

This series is an excellent and engaging introduction to a number of serious environment issues. A new kind of documentary that will appeal and generate dialogue across a wide age range. I co-lead an environmental stewardship program for 4th-8th graders... appropriate from this group and above.

I have seen Edward Norton take on diverse roles in films - from a notorious racist that gets enlightened in "American history X" to a brilliant dual role in "Fight club". He is simply a fantastic actor. I watched "Strange Days on Planet Earth" narrated by him and I now realize that I have a special respect for this guy. This is not because he is versatile and gets into character in films (although he is!) but because he reveals in this documentary that Edward Norton in real life is the most humble man who can talk convincingly to people to change their lives for the benefit of mother nature.

What Edward does in this series is give us a glimpse into what scientists are finding out about the earth, what are the things that can potentially go wrong in our earth if humans act irrationally, what are the ways in which we can avoid these dangers etc. All of the segments are short, but they are all well connected. some of the answers that scientists find can be both surprising and thought-provoking. Examples: 1) The over-hunting of wolves in yellowstone led to the almost complete elimination of oak trees. why? because wolves prey on deer which inturn prey on young oak tree saplings. 2) The extinction of certain variety of toad is due to a chemical atracine in fertilizers. why? because atracine gets into water and even at the lowest concentration causes conversion of male into female frogs effectively reducing the male:female ratio to maintain population. These are only some of the very thought-provoking things that the series discusses. Infact, everything begins with a premis and through careful investigations by scientists, ends with solving the puzzle.

This one should be a must for anybody that wants to be cognizant of the fact that humans can have an adverse effect on the world around them if they are not being very careful. This series will also be thoroughly enjoyed by anybody that like Edward Norton! I highly commend his effort at promoting awareness among people about the only planet that we are ever going to live in.

Strange Days is so well put together, and Edward Norton is a powerful narrator. I show at least one of the four episodes in classes that I teach. Students from Middle School to Grad School enjoy it equally. Episode 2: The One Degree Factor is my favorite documentary on Climate Change. Episode 4: Troubled Waters is one of the most chilling environmental segments ever aired. And the other two Episodes are fabulous.

I enjoy how the series shows scientists of every walk of life (not just white males in lab coats) and how it ties everything together and demonstrates how important and fragile linkages are in the Earth system.

This is a must see for everyone who call Earth home. Teachers, you'll love showing these in your classes, and your students will love them, too!

See http://www.pbs.org/strangedays/ for more information.

This was a really good 4-part series about some very important environmental problems. It shows just how important it is that we watch what we are doing to the world: Carbon emissions, putting crap in the water, killing off predator animals, and introducing destructive animals into new environments. Really just boils down to the main problem... there are WAY too many of us, and we aren't taking care of the place!

Ed Norton is a favorite actor of mine, and he took the subject matter very seriously. 3 of the episodes were focused on issues, which I had not seen covered in any great detail anywhere else! It was great how they showed us a mystery about nature in a downward spiral, and then showed scientists and "nature detectives" working to find a solution. In some, they were actually learning to swing things around, but we are faced with an overwhelming question: Will the worlds' masses be willing to make hard sacrifices to fix what we've done unless our governments make certain practices illegal and the punishments enough of a deterrent!?

This should be shown to every student and governmental leader, but more people need to care.

The short vignettes walk the viewer through a given scenario along with one or more scientists working on a specific issue. The videos show good science, that is, science being done properly from the initial question or questions, to conclusions drawn from the available data. This often leads to additional questions, but that is the nature of science. Older kids love these videos! The videos make science more real to them and they get to see the scientific process occurring on topics that are in the news and impacting their lives. I love the way the stories often tie together seemingly unrelated topics, showing how the world is connected and that what's happening in other places can impact us in our little area of earth. I highly recommend both the first and second season of Strange Days and am hoping for more seasons in the future.