Today marks the end of the first stage of the 2010 World Cup. We are now moving into the ever exciting knockout stages! Starting tomorrow 16 teams will face off to get into the next round of 8! As Arsenal F.C. manager Arséne Wenger stated, “The real competition starts in the knockout stages.” So hold on to your seats ladies, gentleman, and SuperForesters things are about to get exciting! Already passions are flaring, but if you think you have seen the extent of excitement, passion, disbelief, and all the other wonderful emotions think again. This party just got started!
TOMORROW – Second Round BEGINS!
Uruguay v South Korea 10:00 EST
USA v Ghana 14:30 EST
Here is the bracket to this point:
(Via.)
The true glory of the World Cup is starting now, so be sure to be a part of it! If your country has made it to the next round be sure to wear your colours when they play! Best of luck to all teams and countries here on in.
Throughout the years, SuperForest has done much to bring attention to many issues ranging from saving seeds to saving dolphins. Along the way, we’ve had the privelege of meeting and collaborating with pretty incredible people and organizations that are each making major contributions to the planet’s wellbeing. Today, I write to you about our most recent addition to the SuperForest family. An organization that is inspiring beyond belief, that takes on an institution in our human civilization that many are blind to, an organization called Free the Slaves.
Funny enough, I think my first introduction to this organization came sometime in early March in the form of a sweatshirt. SuperForesters Nika, Susan, Chris, Iman, and I were busy helping getting things prepared for the Feeding the Soul Benefit Concert when we noticed SuperForester Tawney enter wearing a Frida sweatshirt that had the word SLAVES written in big block text. Obviously, I didn’t get the witty wordplay because I didn’t really think much of it and assumed it to be some sort of feminist message. It wasn’t until we got home that Iman and Chris figured it out…”Fri-da Slaves”.
As time progressed, I learned more and more about the organization (and that although it does promote strong and free women, it isn’t primarily a feminist movement). I learned that Free the Slaves is a not for profit organization with a very simple and straightforward mission: ending slavery. The system by which they accomplish this involves working on the ground with liberators from around the world, and not only freeing men, women, and children from slavery, but carefully assessing the situations that led them to being enslaved in the first place and working to ensure that once a slave is liberated, they remain free. A system they call, “sustainable freedom”. There is no denying the fact that what they’re doing is absolutely incredible. And consequently, there is no denying that the people behind such an organization are equally as incredible.
SuperForester Tawney Bevacqua is one of those people and after she emailed us describing the work she’s been doing to spread the knowledge of this organization, I knew instantaneously that this was something SuperForest had to get involved with. As a result, Tawney is going to be contributing to SuperForest from time to time giving us stories, updates, and information on how each of us can participate with this organization.
A big thank you goes out to Tawney from all of us here at SuperForest for sharing some of her work and her knowledge. I think I’ve only met her in-person once, but that’s the thing about Tawney, a brief encounter is all it takes to see her kindness, understand her sincerity, and know that she is a woman that is accomplishing great things in this planet.
In the post that follows, you’ll be able to read some of Tawney’s first hand experiences with the Free the Slaves organization, a bit of background on the issue of slavery today, and of course, what we SuperForesters can do to help.
Slavery: anyone forced to work, without pay, under the threat of violence, and unable to walk away.
One year ago I experienced the ramifications of slavery first hand. I bicycled 600 kilometers around Southern India with 20 young female survivors of human trafficking who live in a rehabilitation home in the city of Mysore. The goal was not only to bring awareness to the trafficking that was prevalent in the 60 plus villages we passed, but also to discover my feelings toward the matter, my goal in this journey through self-exploration. Self-exploration becomes somewhat inevitable when you’re sleeping on concrete, peddling through monsoon rains, desperate for a bucket bath, discovering the squat toilet, and completely lost. Considering I was fairly off-course before I went on the trip, the question “What am I doing here?” became remarkably complex.
The impact of exploitation revealed itself daily through the eyes of teenage girls, causing me to see everything differently. What appeared to be bathroom hogging and a juvenile waste of water, turned out to be these girl’s daily attempt to wash away their past. The idea that they are “dirty” has been caged in their memory. A volunteer that works full-time at Odanadi (the rehabilitation home) says she’s found rocks and bristle pads for cleaning clothes in their showers, a desperate and painful effort to scrub themselves clean.
The newcomer to the Odanadi family was a 21 year old who was given a hard time for being more “dramatic” than the rest. She was beautifully innocent with a childlike curiosity and contagious smile. She clung onto any hint of confidence around her and cried when she didn’t feel it within herself. She spent 4 years in a brothel. After her father passed her mother became financially overwhelmed and wanted her to marry a 48 year old man, so she ran away with a “family friend” who offered his help. This man took her belongings and sold her to a brothel owner. Her rescue was only 8 months before we met. One night, after a long day of cycling, just before the lights went out, this girl rolled over so we were lying face to face and she said “colorful dreams sister.” In just 30 days I watched this girl paint her world. She noticed every color the sky produced in the days that passed, shared her dreams of being a social worker, held every child in every village, and would constantly stop her bike to breathe and take it all in. And as I wiped the tears from that future social worker’s face my question was answered. I was there to become an abolitionist.
There are 27 million slaves in the world today. 27 million people desperate for the freedom to paint their worlds. All they need are a few more abolitionists. Upon my return to the west I was introduced to the fine men and women and my new family at Free the Slaves. They packed me with information on this vast, complex issue. I watched their documentaries and read their books telling the stories of slavery worldwide. Now, I’ve joined the mission to end slavery once and for all and I need your help.
Twenty years before the trans-Atlantic slave trade became illegal 12 ordinary people sat around a table in London and committed to bringing this immoral dependency to an end. At the time, slavery was legal everywhere, accepted by the church, a basis for the national economy, and appeared to be normal. It would be the equivalent of 12 of us plotting to shut down general motors. It was a challenge, but these are the kind of challenges abolitionists take on. Now we’re dealing with something that is illegal and essentially unaccepted. The numbers are high, but it is the smallest fraction of the global population to ever be in slavery and the smallest percentage of the global economy to ever be represented by slavery in history. We can end slavery in our lifetime.
Today, I invite you to call yourself an abolitionist. The first action we can take is educating ourselves and starting the conversation with anyone and everyone. We have no room for doubting our ability to make change. SuperForesters, let’s paint our world free of slavery.
For more information about Free the Slaves, please be sure to check out their site. You can also connect to them through their Twitter and Facebook pages.
“I used to think that I needed my circumstance to change before I had any hope. I wanted to know that there was someone else out there in my position, to know that there is hope, that there is more than just the little box that I see in my life.” ~Nick Vujicic
A brief tangent: This past weekend I was sitting on Makena beach in Maui, watching young kids Skimboard the shorebreak. Now skimboarding is a cross between sand sliding and surfing, where you take a finless oval-shaped wood board, wait for the incoming waves to wash up the beach, then run and “skim” the outgoing tide into the ocean.
It takes a lot of balance, control and physicality… and if you time it just right, you can launch huge airs off the top of the next incoming swell. If you’ve never heard of it, or my description isn’t capturing the visuals clearly, you may want to check out this link here.
I mention this anecdote because I was captivated — not by the strength and skill of these local kids carving huge V’s into the surf… but by the one man who stood apart. A man who raced the waves faster, hit the lip harder, and flew higher through the air than anyone else on the beach that day. A man with TAR (thrombocytopenia-absent radius) syndrome — characterized by underdeveloped hands and arms.
I watched this man outperform kids half his age and size, fearlessly launching 6 foot high flips. 360 airs. All without the use of his arms. What set him apart was not his disability, the curious image of his useless T-rex arms, but rather his ABILITY. His ease and grace on that board and in the water. He used his feet to kick the board in front of him, then ran and leapt onto the fast sliding rails and just let rip. It was an incredibly inspiring sight, not just to see this guy overcome his handicap with such apparent effortlessness… but to see the amount of energy and joy with which he tore into those waves.
And watching him I was reminded of two similar stories — the first one about a 32 year old woman in Salem, Massachusetts named Sheila Radziewicz — who just attained her black belt in Taekwondo, without arms!
Sheila was born without arms and kneecaps, and her feet rotated pigeon-toed, toward each other. ”I wasn’t supposed to live,” She said. ”Then I wasn’t ever supposed to walk.” Over the course of her adolescence, she endured numerous surgeries aimed at helping her walk. Until junior high she wore thigh-high metal braces to support her movement. She’s been fighting to beat the odds her whole life.
But now she’s fighting for fun. And she’s not just walking, she’s kicking. She can break boards with her feet. She can wield nunchucks with her stunted arms. Her dedication and positivity have quickly earned her respect and mastery in her three years at the Martial Arts academy. And it’s not just taekwondo where Sheila has achieved high levels of self-sufficiency. At 19 she moved out of her parents’ house and began living on her own. By 23 she earned her driver’s license, and the state helped fashion a car that Sheila can drive with her feet.
But best of all, Sheila works in the community as a local advocate coordinator for HAWC (Healing Abuse Working for Change), where she helps women victims of domestic violence navigate the court system. So she’s kicking ass both in and out of the Dojo!
The second story comes to us via Superforester Carla, who in the craze of World Cup Soccer, sent me this uplifting link (sponsored by Hyundai) on Mr. Nick Vujicic:
Nick is the same age as me. He is a handsome, charismatic man. He has a beautiful wife. A flourishing nonprofit organization (faith based Life Without Limbs). He has all the energy, the passion and the ability that I aspire to cultivate in my daily life. The only difference between me and Nick is that Nick has no arms. And no legs. He was born this way, a head and torso, without any medical explanation. A complete shock and surprise to both his doctors and parents.
As you can imagine, life for Nick is a constant challenge. Every little action we perform on an unconscious level is a mountain of adversity for Nick. From brushing our teeth, to scratching an itch… even getting up when we’ve fallen down. Without limbs how can one function, let alone thrive?
At the age of 8, Nick was sick of asking these same questions and only getting despair as an answer. Life was too hard trapped in his body, totally dependent on others for basic survival. So little Nick decided to commit suicide, by throwing himself off a table.
In that moment everything shifted for Nick. Since then he has become an advocate for triumph over disabilities, not just physically, but mentally and spiritually. He tours the world, speaking in front of churches, schools, giant arenas about the power of Attitude is Altitude. Nick’s message is a simple one — you don’t need limbs to lead a meaningful life, you just need a big heart. In the context of his personal achievements, in the power of his smile and the beauty of his exuberant spirit, Nick is a vision of inspiration. A symbol that the many obstacles we face are merely means to strive harder and grow stronger. That nothing is impossible, despite impossible odds.
The surfer on Makena beach with the little arms and the huge acrobatics, Sheila with her high kicks and indomitable discipline, Nick with the power of his words and belief — all are flashing signs in the overwhelming overflow of life’s daily struggle that we need not despair. That in spite of the lemons life gives us, we can find alternate ways of transformation and transcendence. As Joseph Campbell so eloquently states: “Participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world. We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy.”
There are lemons, yes. There are people with limbs and without. And still, in spite of everything, when we sit back to enjoy all the sugary pleasures life also provides… Man, can that lemonaide taste sweet.
I bring today’s poem in honor of and inspired by Jackson’s last, and the marvelous work he is doing in the dirt of Zero One.
Picnic, Lightning
It is possible to be struck by a
meteor or a single-engine plane while
reading in a chair at home. Pedestrians
are flattened by safes falling from
rooftops mostly within the panels of
the comics, but still, we know it is
possible, as well as the flash of
summer lightning, the thermos toppling
over, spilling out on the grass.
And we know the message can be
delivered from within. The heart, no
valentine, decides to quit after
lunch, the power shut off like a
switch, or a tiny dark ship is
unmoored into the flow of the body’s
rivers, the brain a monastery,
defenseless on the shore. This is
what I think about when I shovel
compost into a wheelbarrow, and when
I fill the long flower boxes, then
press into rows the limp roots of red
impatiens — the instant hand of Death
always ready to burst forth from the
sleeve of his voluminous cloak. Then
the soil is full of marvels, bits of
leaf like flakes off a fresco,
red-brown pine needles, a beetle quick
to burrow back under the loam. Then
the wheelbarrow is a wilder blue, the
clouds a brighter white, and all I
hear is the rasp of the steel edge
against a round stone, the small
plants singing with lifted faces, and
the click of the sundial as one hour
sweeps into the next.
–Billy Collins
If you are not familiar with former Poet LaureateBilly Collins, you should really check him out. His poetry is effortless and accessible, infused with humor and grace. Perhaps no other American poet since Robert Frost has spoken so directly to our country’s hearts and minds. Which is why Collins has been called “The most popular poet in America”.
My posting rate has dropped and for that I apologize. You see, during the day my hands are often covered in dirt and compost, and at night I am so tired that I jump into bed around 11PM. I’m so busy doing that I haven’t had proper time to record and report. You see, I’ve been gardening. A lot.
The Chinese have a lovely proverb that comes to mind:
“If you want to be happy for a night, get drunk.
If you want to be happy for a lifetime, garden.”
I have been at Zero One for two magical months. In the first month not much happened. Justin, Mea, and I sat in protracted and thoughtful observation of the land for the first month. During that time we watched the sun rise and set, noted in what direction the winds were blowing, and got to know a million other characteristics of our two lovely acres. This “do nothing” approach is a critical aspect of the permaculture philosophy. If you don’t sit and watch, how do you know what needs doing?
We sat and watched and listened and got to know the land, all the time asking it what it wanted, what we could do for it, and most importantly, asking if it wanted us there.
The answer was a resounding yes.
Our period of PATO came to a timely end in early June with the delivery of 5 cubic yards of mulch.
Justin and Mea began hauling wheelbarrow loads of lovely mulch out to the citrus/avocado orchard, using it to create mulch rings around the base of all of our trees. These mulch rings help the trees in three main ways: They smother grasses and weeds. They hold and spread moisture into the soil, and they eventually break down into organic fertilizer. Before I knew it, there were mulch rings everywhere! The chickens love to dig through them and look for bugs, and the trees seemed immediately happier.
I’ve found that our trees tend to serve as starting points. You put a mulch ring around a tree, and then you want to put some plants in the mulch rings. Rings intersect and connect. Concentric circles spread outward, and soon you are in rings of rings, all interconnected, all serving a benevolent and useful purpose. There’s a metaphor in there somewhere, I know it.
Take the papaya grove for example:
When I first arrived at Zero One, I found a lovely little stand of six young papayas growing outside the kitchen window. Within the papaya ring there grew a solitary avocado. We dug a row of compost into the soil between the papayas, and mulched around the bases with coconut husks. Then I tore up loads of used cardboard and put that on top of the coconut mulch. Shortly after that, we harvested some bamboo, and I used the bamboo tops to create a mulch hedge around the perimeter, and split bamboo culms to build a simple woven fence to keep the chickens out.
On top of the cardboard, we added another thick layer of compost and mulch, and in that layer we started planting. Now in the papayas also grow sweet potatoes, onions, coffee, white clover, and whatever else is volunteering in there.
Then I read a book on Hawaiian organic gardening that said that papaya roots spread horizontally, so we composted and mulched around the fence as well. Here’s what it looked like three days ago:
Now there is lemongrass, sugarcane, and more sweet potatoes all growing outward from the initial papaya cluster. Next to the papayas sits the worm bin, and next to that is a little coffee bush I planted. Dots become circles. Circles grow new circles and create new dots, which in turn grow their own circles. This seems to be a game of ever-expanding circles.
I had used the last of the first load of mulch to make the herb spiral, which is growing nicely. Without paint for the canvas, we were idle for a bit. That all changed when Mark Freeman of Heart and Soul Organics brought us a 30 cubic yard compost/mulch delivery:
This gave us some serious raw material to play with. 30 cubic yards is a lot! I thought it would take us at least a month to go through it. I was so wrong. It lasted less than a week.
The 30 cubic yards (of some of the finest compost I’ve yet seen) was immediately transformed into five new garden beds! Now we had loads of garden space, but needed plants and shoots to put in them.
Enter Mama Felicia Cowden of Akamai Backyard. Like a magical wizardress, Felicia invited us over to her yard, showed us what we should be growing, how it gets growing, and how to plant it.
We worked in the garden together for hours. When we left, we were laden down with an incredible assortment of native plants. Taro, sweet potato vines, sugarcane, lemongrass, comfrey, hibiscus seeds, garlic chives, peppers, medicinal herbs. All for free. All out of the kindness of her heart.
Our little caravan made its way down the street and I couldn’t help but think of the plantlike nature of our activities. Felicia had gotten her garden started with the aid of Paul Massey, a permaculturist here on Kauai. In turn, she was helping Zero One start its own garden. Zero One in time will be able to share the abundance of its garden with others young budding gardens. Like spores growing and spreading. Like circles multiplying and expanding. Abundance is abundant, and it’s abundantly clear to me that abundance is the dance I want to be dancing.
Here’s us caravaning:
We brought the new plants to Zero One and put them in the ground.
Now we have:
The Wifi Garden
The Native Garden (with taro and sweet potatoes)
The Chalice Garden. Our biggest one yet.
Chalice is 35 feet by 10 feet, and in this picture has corn, Mexican sunflowers, cantaloupe and squash planted. Now it has pineapples, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, watermelon, nasturtiums, daikon, beets, amaranth, and room for much, much more.
The Shade Garden.
Up the base of a lovely Royal Poinciana tree, I’ve trained a chayote squash. Surrounding it are melons and squash and peas. Loads of food and room for the little monkeys.
The Medicine Garden
As yet unplanted, the Medicine garden sits atop an old tree stump with loads of mycelial action going on. On top of the stump went a truck load of palm leaves and yard waste. On top of that went compost and mulch. Eventually this garden is going to be medicinal plants and herbs, like cacao, coffee, mints, aloes, noni. A garden of healing, and also the highest point of land on the property, affording a great view of the two acres. Ha ha! Get high on the medicine. Around the garden is a load of guava wood from my parents house nearby. The guava wood will to eventually break down and become mulch, then compost. To speed the process, I will drill many small holes in it and inoculate the wood with a mycelium extract of my own design. Where did I learn all this? The internet, homes.
The Heart Garden.
Around the base of this happy coconut are three species of tomato, and plenty of sweet potato. I’ll probably transplant some basil and garlic chives in there as well just to be spicy.
(Not shown is Ricky’s Garden, which also has taro and sweet potatoes.)
“How is this able to happen?” I ask myself. Looking through the Zero One flickr set, the answer is clear:
I am surrounded by bright, brilliant, passionate, hard working, loving people. And we are all walking the same path in the same direction.
The visionary Jesse Royal Carmichael. Without whom none of this would be happening. And to whom I am eternally grateful.
Mama Mea, whose sweetness and generosity are matched by her brilliance in design, construction, and systems thinking.
Augustine (Justin) who gives definition to peaceful, loving, and wise. Few work harder, few work smarter. Zero One’s own shaman, medicine man, and spiritual evolutionary.
Mama Felicia, wise island love goddess. She welcomed us with open arms and inspires and motivates us with her knowledge, wisdom, and generosity. Always there with a kind word and a helping hand, and never afraid to get muddy alongside us.
Victor, Me, Felicia, Thalia, and Anuhea from Akamai Backyard. The energetic exchange between Akamai and Zero One creates greatness and a good feeling in all of us. Who knows where it will lead to?
The mighty Joe Fish, who kept the land in such good shape before we arrived. Joe is strong beyond measure, and as patient an giving as a mountain. Without Joe, Zero One would’ve been in a sorry state. But with him, the land has flourished. Climber of coconut trees, teacher, and loving giant. I am forever grateful to Joe.
SuperForester Meredith, who came and saw what abundance could look like, and went back to the mainland to spread the vision.
SuperForesters Aaron and Jordan, who bring a tranquility and quiet happiness with them wherever they go. Lovers of jokes and music, skilled coconut harvesters, and effortless yogis, the twins seem to be forever laughing at the great cosmic joke.
Ian and Amber, who remind us to play, to have fun, and to engage fully with all of our hearts.
SuperForester Marie-Eve. The “Quebecois Hercules.” Within her small frame lies the strength of a thousand dragons. She came out of nowhere to give and give and give, and left the land looking vibrant and healthy behind her. Watching Marie-Eve haul load after load of compost was a wonderful sight. She nearly single-handedly built the Chalice Garden!
SuperForesters Neil and Miin, who came, saw, ate, slept, laughed, played, joined, created, and loved alongside us, before continuing their Love quest.
SuperForester Tiana. Brilliant and beautiful, driven and dedicated. Jesse, Augustine, Mea, Aaron, and I all met Tiana when we volunteered at Kaupeia, a local organic farm. She has since become an integral part of Zero One.
SuperForester Ezra. The sensei and sifu. Destiny brought us together that he might teach us the mysteries of gratitude, ego, and calm.
Zero One has begun growing because of these people and so many more. When you combine all that skill, talent, love, and dedication in one place in one direction, the results are astonishing. I can do what I do only because of who we all are together. Ubuntu!
For me it is no longer about sustainability. That word implies that you have enough to get by, and to continue getting by. I’m no longer satisfied with “getting by.” And neither are the people I’m surrounded by. For us, it is about abundance. Hyper-abundance. I want Zero One to produce so much food that not only are all of us who live there fed and happy, but an ever expanding circle is also fed and happy. I want there to be so much food coming out of the land that we either have to start composting it before it rots, or fill basket after basket with fresh produce and deliver them to our neighbors.
That is the nature of hyper-abundance. When you have so much that you either must share it or watch it go to waste. In my perfect world, not only would we at Zero One only have to go to the grocery store when we chose, but the same luxury would also be available to our neighbors. Zero One has four families living around it. I want the land to support us, and then those four families. Then I want it to support even more. I want Zero One to produce so much that we can just give and give and give, and use that abundance to create a community of abundance, where all are interested in first supporting themselves (the dot) and then supporting and expanding circle of friends and neighbors (the circle).
Finally, here is a silent little walking tour I did of the land three days ago. I burned my wrist pouring hot water for tea and am now taking a little gardening break to heal. When the Universe tells you to slow down, ignore it at your peril!
My heartfelt thanks to all of you SuperForesters reading this, and to all of the SuperForesters who are contributing to the creation of Zero One. We are building forests, folks. One property at a time. Hyper-abundance and food everywhere. Peace and justice through abundance.
I don’t know if you’ve been following Wimbledon yet this year – the first round matches can be overwhelming in number, filled – as a casual tennis watcher – with names and faces I’m unfamiliar with, and with the sporting distraction of the World Cup you’d be forgiven for holding over until the second week. But the last few days have showcased a match, a story, that I think bears repeating: whilst we were watching England vs Slovenia (or, ok, USA vs Algeria!) John Isner and Nicolas Mahut were already getting into what would prove to be the longest tennis match in professional tennis history.
After an epic 11 hours and five minutes and 182 games, 138 of those in the deciding set, the American 23 seed John Isner finally secured a win over France’s Nicolas Mahut in five sets, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68. As the guardian said: This is not a typo.
Isner, said “To share this with him was an absolute honour,” “This is something we’ll share forever.”
The match started on Tuesday, continued into Wednesday when, after 10 hours of play, it was halted due to lack of light last night at 59-59 in the final set. And today, after 4 and 3 hours sleep respectively, Isner and Mahut played on.
Yes, this has been called “an enormous waste of time“, but I disagree – is Isner likely to snatch the Wimbledon trophy? Were either of the two likely to? Probably not. Was it a beautiful game of tennis? With long fluid rallies? Not so much. But that isn’t the point. Aside from the record-breaking nature of the match (longest tennis match in Wimbledon and professional tennis history), aside from the feverish spectator interest conjured up by its epic proportions, how about this:
Two men, competing in their sport, the vocation to which they dedicate their days. In one of the most prestigious events in the calendar. Neither marked by the commentariat as a potential tournament victor. In the first round of that tournament. Both of these men, they fought, they gave everything, with passion and unsurpassed determination, unwilling to give up. Doing their best in this match, this point, this moment, regardless.
Will they become household names like Nadal or Federer? Like Sampras, Agassi, Becker, Bjorg, Nastase or McEnroe? Or will they live on as a trivia question in the pub quizes of the future? I don’t know. And I’m not sure that, for this, it matters. Yes, if it had been an 11 hour Federer-Nadal match it would’ve been more glamorous, but I don’t think there would have been more at stake, and I don’t think it would’ve been more moving.
The next time things are tough, the next time I feel like I’m fighting a losing or never-ending battle – I hope to ask myself whether that battle is worth it, to me. And if it is, regardless of eventual outcome, to stand strong. It’s not about fighting, it’s about not yielding, not giving up. Not about beating the other guy, but about being the fullest expression of my strengths I can be. Truly doing one’s best.
Isner deserves his victory, and both Isner and Mahut deserve to sleep soundly in the well-earned rest of those who strive. Bring on the rest of the tournament, I’m stocking up on strawberries and cream.
I mark my return to you with a quick recap of everything World Cup! SO MUCH has happened. There has been heartache and joy. Nations have fallen into ruin with the teams and nations have risen above and beyond lifted by their heroes. Where to start?
Perhaps best to start with upsets, and move onto the joys. Last World Cup’s finalist have now left this World Cup in the very first round. Italy and France have crashed out in what their country’s are calling major disgraces. Both teams are always expected to do well, especially since they were both finalists last time around. As unfortunate it is to see this two heavy weights fall short, it is even more exciting to see less regular teams making into the second phase of the tournament. Every African team as well has fallen out of the tournament, except for Ghana who finished second in their group under Germany. And though this may not be surprising, as few thought they would make it from their group, the host nation, South Africa, has failed to progress. Be this as it may, South Africa went out in style, beating France 2-1. The country could not be prouder, and the support for the Bafana Bafana (The Boys, The Boys) couldn’t be any higher. These 23 men have unified this African country in a magnificent way, and better yet the South African excitement for hosting the World Cup hasn’t died with their team getting knocked out. Another country that is immensely proud of its team is New Zealand. Their team entered the competition as relative unknowns and left the tournament impressing all teams they played. The “All Whites” made their country proud.
Now for the exciting tales of heroism and success! Uruguay and Mexico leave group A, with Uruguay on top. Both teams have played well and certainly deserve advancement. Group B featured some of the best play of the tournament thus far with Argentina leading the group with South Korea advancing with them. Argentina has played some of the most impassioned football yet, and it is a pure joy to watch their players sincerely ENJOY the game they are playing. If you get a chance WATCH these boys play. Now for my favourite group yet: Group C. The last day in this group has been the most exciting day of the tournament. The teams featured were the underplaying England, the soccer playing USA, the impressive Slovenia, and the African Algerians. The USA and England both needed wins to progress, and few expected much from England at this point. But they scraped by with a 1-0 win over Slovenia, allowing them to progress and putting on the pressure for the USA who now needed to win to stay in the tournament. The USA had played Slovenia a few days earlier and had a magnificent comeback from 2 goals down. They DID score a winning goal, but it was ruled invalid because of a mysterious foul that no replay showed happened. Had the goal been allowed they would have already progressed before the last games. So, when it came to facing Algeria and needing that vital win, the USA had to really step it up. The game was action packed with the USA outplaying their opponents, but they failed to score over and over again. In fact another goal was disallowed that shouldn’t have been. You could feel hearts breaking (mine certainly was). The breath and heart beat of a country had stopped as it watch its team fight on and on. And fight on the USA team did. Watch these highlights (embedding has been disabled).
The USA finished top of its group, above the mighty English. It is being said that that goal scored, coupled with the disallowed goals, has brought football to the shores of the United States in a way thought impossible by many for many years. This game was HUGE!
Later that day Germany and Ghana progressed from their groups with minimal action. Today the World Cup holders, Italy, fell with a big bang to Slovakia. That game saw Slovakia progress with Paraguay (they finished first). As I have already mentioned, Italy going out is a huge upset, but it allows lesser known teams to shine, and that can only be good! The football world is seeing a more competitive game, where any country can compete. That, my lovely SuperForest friends, is beautiful. Then later today, the Dutch (Yay Julius!) and the Japanese both progressed from their group! And that is all the action up to now. Tomorrow features some big games. They are as follows:
North Korea v Ivory Coast 10:00 Eastern US Time
Portugal v Brasil 10:00 – though both teams have already progressed to the next round this game could be fantastic, so keep your eye out for it!
Switzerland v Honduras 14:30
Chile v Span 14:30 – Both the 14:30 games should be widely entertaining as this group is wide, wide open! Here is that groups standings:
That will be the end of the first round of this World Cup, so afterwards I will let you know what happens and then share the bracket as it stands for the next round of 16! I hope you are all well, and I hope you are all enjoying this wonderful tournament. Nations’ hearts have broke, but many more have been lifted into song. Can’t wait for the next part of this journey. GO USA & LANDON DONAVAN!
Fluffy McCloud is a story much like any other. It is a story about a hero … who is a cloud (okay, maybe not so typical). And unlike other clouds that are usually depicted in a very gloomy light, this cloud is particularly special for it beautifully illustrates “man’s misunderstanding and mixed up relationship with mother nature” and consequently, nature’s all-forgiving and loving ways.
Lots of love goes out to Conor Finnegan for creating that little gem!
The creator, Justin Shull, calls this the Terrestrial Shrub Rover. He explains that it is a means to explore the terrestrial and social environments here on earth and that it was created to celebrate NASA’s efforts to revisit the moon.
Quite honestly, I’m not sure any sort of explanation is even necessary.
On October 10th of this year, individuals from around the world are going to record video footage documenting their daily lifestyle as an attempt to collectively create a video of “the human experience over a 24-hour period.” It’s part of a project called “One Day On Earth” and essentially, the participants are attempting to create a video time capsule for the entire world. It’s a pretty epic goal, and that’s why they’re turning to people like you and I to help them achieve this.
Take a look at the trailer:
I got goosebumps the first time I saw it. And after watching the trailer, I couldn’t help but reflect upon my own life and on the idea that we each are “storytellers” and are important contributors to the environment that surrounds us.
You can sign up to participate in this global experiment by clicking here. And I highly recommend you do, for it seems like a brilliant means for the citizens of the earth to put their handprint on a collaboration that promotes the strengthening of our global community.
So think about it SuperForest, what story will you tell? Or rather, what story are you already telling?
SuperForesters are all over planet Earth, all united in exploring how to redefine "environmentalism" and "sustainability" to encompass every aspect of our lives.
Everything you find on this website has been personally created to uplift and inspire you.
It takes a lot of balance, control and physicality… and if you time it just right, you can launch huge airs off the top of the next incoming swell. If you’ve never heard of it, or my description isn’t capturing the visuals clearly, you may want to check out
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