RodEri©

....What happened to the civilization of Easter Island (population: 30,000)? ...oh, and where are all the trees? Talk about Faith and "Family Values" - They ate each other in the end. Does your Faith leave you hungry? When Polynesian explorers first arrived on tiny, isolated Easter Island arround AD 400, they found a subtropical paradise of forests, animals, and fertile volcanic soil. Enormous palm trees eighty feet tall and six feet in dinameter towered over a lush layer of woody bushes, shrubs,herbs, ferns, grasses, and fantastic tree daisies. Among the diverse wildlife were countless nesting seabirds ready for the stew pot: petrels, albatrosses, fulmars, terns, frigate birds, and prions. This "environmental abundance" eventually sustained a society of up to thirty thousand people so advanced they produced hundreds of enormous stone statues that centuries later still inspire awe worldwide. But by 1722, when the first European explorers arrived, the island was lunar landscape of destroyed soils and treeless contours. Dozens of native trees and every last native land bird had become extinct on the island. The native animals included nothing larger than insects. There were no bats, lizards, or even snails on the island. And the human population had plummeted from thirty thousand to just two thousand souls lacking enough wood even for cooking fires. They burned mostly grasses to prepare a menue that included each other. They had become cannibals. What happened? The Easter Islanders cut down every last tree on their island, that's what happened. One by one the trees fell until there were no more, and so the people starved. The giant palm trees had provided edible nuts and oil. More important, from the enormous palm trunks the islanders had carved giant sea-faring canoes. These canoes were used to harpoon the staple of their diet: dolphins. But when the trees disappeared so did the canoes and, by extension, the critical dolphin meat. Deforestation also triggered catastrophic soil erosion, making productive, agriculture impossible. Island statuettes from the later years tell the story, showing people with sunken cheeks and exposed ribs. Mike Tidwell - The Ravaging TideWhat Do YOU Believe? Ah, PawpyLOVE IS ALL THAT MATTERSClassical and Jazz Music as well as Alternative Rock, Bonnaroo Music Festival, Travel, Gardening, Camping, Hiking, Water Skiing, Politics, Architecture, Religion (no one in particular), Swimming, Dogs, Cats, Guinea Pigs, Road Trips, Movies, Peta, NPR, HBO, Golf, Roller Blading, Decorating, Parties, Reading, the Beach, Europe, 5cent Slots, Yard Work, Remodeling my house, Europe, Darts, Ice Skating, History, Lots More. CLICK HERE for a review of how the "neo-cons" are wrong on the gay issue (if you haven't already figured that out or if you just want to bone up on the subject). Enjoy, It's an enjoyable website. There is also a link to the "SKEPTICS BIBLE" which is great -RodEric