Due to technical challenges, we ended up watching an episode of Our planet about the Jungles. On a side note, I really enjoyed the background noise. I found just looking at the plants really peaceful. The narration was enjoyable too. I usually get bored with nature documentaries, but the narration was so well done that I was able to focus throughout the film. I admit that I did not enjoy the parts about the ants as much as the other sections. I feel that due to online classes, I spend less and less time outside, so it was really nice to see and hear nature even if I was stuck in my dorm. As a whole, it was a great way to relax.

It was a fascinating film to watch because at first I thought it was going to be your cliche, kids will be able to build a stronger and more just government than what we have now. However, all of the issues that the boys were having with the opposing parties were direct parallels that occur in real life. For example, the POC candidates were being targeted due to their ethnicity and race, which unfortunately is a routine tactic used by people in real politics. Since the film’s setting was in Texas, I liked that the spotlight was on the issue on gun violence and rights. It was interesting to watch how knowledgeable the kids were and how their personal lives were affected by the contention.

Due to technical difficulties, we were unable to watch Boys State. However, we watched another episode of Our Planet, specifically the Jungles one. This was, like last week, enjoyable to watch and eye-opening. The close-up cameras allowed me to see things I would never have seen. For example, I learned that some birds must perform a flashy, choreographed dance for females. I thought this was funny because it almost seemed very human like where we have to really do a lot to impress other people. I also saw a live take of a worm trap a cockroach and eat it. This one was particularly strange because the worm shot some glue at it and it’s cool to see how evolution has prepared so many different creatures with specific tools to help them survive. Finally, I enjoyed learning about Eden the orangutan. It was interesting to see how the overall orangutan family had ranges of experience and responsibilities, just like a normal human family. Overall, I think I took away from this experience how we are not completely different from the animals on our planet – there are many characteristics and behaviors that we can relate to.

The movie we watched was Jungle life, due to technical difficulties. The documentary explained the vast amount of species and habitats that exist in a particular jungle. One thing mentioned in the movie that surprised me was that most of the species that had existed years before, are now extinct. At a first glance, it doesn’t seem that way because the jungle is already huge. One would never think that most of it is gone. This made me realize that many of us do not realize how easy it is for our actions to have a large effect on nature. Mostly because it doesn’t have the ability to say “hey, stop you’re hurting me.” However, if it did, we’d probably be more inclined to be more proactive in saving our environment.

“Boys State” is both a comedy and horror movie to me. It shows that although the media mocks politics it really is not for the weak as it shows politicians have to fight an uphill battle to truly bring about change. It really well showed to me how leaders are meant to be chosen in society and how they should be held accountable. It taught me what a democracy really means and where it has slipped in the current world we live in teaching me the multi faceted nature of politics.

After a very stressful week, it was a very pleasant experience to be able to sit back and relax while enjoying this interesting documentary. Like several other students present, I am not a huge fan of documentaries, yet nature pieces always seem to captivate me. This jungle episode of Our Planet focused on several different species ranging from eagles to orangutans through beautiful cinematography. It had me wondering and admiring how much work must be put into this unmatched camerawork. My favorite animal covered was the adorable Eden the orangutan. Eden was learning important life skills such as searching for food from his family. Those scenes about learning techniques reminded me of my animal behavior class in which I learned about the research behind monkey ant capture and their intelligent use of tools. Combining my academic knowledge with this visual piece was an overall delightful experience.

Viewing the Jungles of episode of Our Planet expanded on the experience from the week prior. I am a biology major and I have always been fascinated with the extreme biodiversity of tropical regions. As brought up in the film, conservation of these areas is vital to ensure that all the unique species, that often are found in very limited locations on Earth, continue to have ample habitat to live. My favorite portion of the film is the section with the velvet worm as it sprays the glue on unsuspecting insects. Well I find this organism fascinating due to the seemingly extraterrestrial behavior, I also am amazed at the species resilience. Velvet worms have been on Earth for 500 million years. Its longevity is a testament to the fact that change in the natural world is a slow process, and the effects of humans on the environment that are causing rapid change cannot be matched by other organisms.

The sudden shift in programming this past Friday was a welcomed surprise. While I had been excited to watch Boys State, the break from political subjects was mentally restful. Watching this episode of Our Planet was just as engaging as before, wowing me with the breathtaking cinematography and near impossible to observe animal behavior. I would even go as far as to say that I enjoyed this week’s episode more than the last, as I find the jungle to be a more exotic and mysterious setting.

Contrasting this more interesting content was again the warnings of human impact on the environment, but this episode seemed to paint a bleaker picture than the other episode, likely due to the differing impact the world’s jungles feel in comparison to the world’s forests. But regardless, seeing the impact of humans on the world’s jungles was devastating when combined with depressing narratives of species losing their habitats. This episode was even more impactful than the last in bringing awareness to the issues of climate change and human impact, spelling out more clearly the awful situation that has come about. After seeing this episode, I feel more inclined than ever to pay closer attention to the impact of humans, and to take a harder stance on environmental issues.

Although I was really excited to watch Boys State, I’m grateful for the change in events. I was not having a good week and was worried about world and personal events. I was constantly nervous to the point of exhaustion. This experience reminded me to take things one step at a time. We worked together to create a solution. Acting and implementing change is better than worrying about the past or future. Despite this not being an intentional session, it really helped me manage my anxieties during the rest of the weekend.

Our Planet was truly phenomenal as well. I really appreciated hearing David Attenborough discuss the complexities and diversity of life. These are all important discoveries to preserve. For instance, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, commonly known as the Zombie Fungi, is really important to the ecological stability of insect populations in rainforests. Without these mechanisms, life will drastically change in these areas.

I also enjoyed how he incorporated the importance of biodiversity into the film. Facts such as Borneo losing half of their jungle in the past 50 years is important to communicate. 15 million hectares a year of rainforest are destroyed and used for agriculture. These can never truly be replaced. Hopefully we can understand and take action to save these magnificent areas.

We were not able to watch the Boys State film and instead we watched an episode of Our Planet. I have not always been a huge fan of documentaries but I did enjoy watching this one. I always get really bored and distracted watching them but I did like watching this one. It was a nice break from being stressed out from prelims and other looming deadlines. I hope that in the future I will perhaps enjoy watching documentaries more!

When I watched the “Jungle” episode from the “Our Planet Series,” I couldn’t help but appreciate the beautiful filming, excellent narration, and serene music. The whole presentation was calming…but I also couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable.

Despite the gorgeousness of the production of the episode, every scene ended with a version of the same message said in a low-tender voice: “…this species, or forest, or habitat is dying and it is due to human activity.”

While news articles and media outlets often scream and threaten, this film series is more like a parent that calmly sits down with a child and explains and demonstrates why the child’s behavior is unacceptable.

This approach made me ask myself how I might be able to improve things and it also made me consider how I might be able to convey some of this important information to others.

When watching Out Planet, the Episode on Jungles, I noticed something interesting. There was a ritual where some of the male birds on Borneo cleaned off a plot of land and did a dance to attract mates. This interested me due to the nature of courtship in the animal kingdom. It seems as though, just like with people, many animal males traditionally do the attracting. The lengths that these birds go to attract mates is intense. Not only was the bird notably dogged in his efforts, but the dance he displayed was also exceptionally unique and entertaining to watch. The bird exerted himself to perform it and did so with much precision. The dance was so unique and intriguing that I wondered if it was real or just CGI edited.

Similarly, watching the ant get infected with the parasitic fungus was eye-opening. I audibly noted that I hope that no parasitic organisms like this affect humans. If anyone in the comments can verify this, I would very much appreciate it!

Although there were technical difficulties that caused us to not watch “The Boys State,” we were able to watch an episode of “Our Planet.” Nature documentaries are not my usual go-to film and it still is not, but I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed most of this one. In this episode, my favorite part was when we learning about the jungle in New Guinea. This part of the episode made me think about biology, specifically allopatric speciation. It was very amusing to see how the male birds-of-paradise attract their spouse in different ways depending on the region they live in. My favorite bird was the one who tidies his home and then dances for their mate.

This week, we weren’t able to watch “Boys State,” so we watched the jungle episode of “Our Planet.” I had no idea that the jungle was home to so many interesting and unique animals. I enjoyed learning about animals of all shapes and sizes, from gorillas and pitcher plants to eagles and leafcutter ants. I thought the segments about the treeshrew and the black sicklebill were especially cool. It amazes me that the treeshrew can hop from plant to plant with such grace. For some reason, it seems like the treeshrew shouldn’t be able to jump as high or as far it actually can because of its small size, but it does so with ease. Watching the mating dance of the black sicklebill was entertaining. I didn’t know animals could change eye color like that at all. The narration also made everything easier to understand. I’m Filipino, so it was interesting hearing about the Philippines in this film. It saddened me to know that over 90% of the rainforest has vanished. It was interesting learning about the Philippines eagle; normally, when I think of eagles, I think of the United States, not the Philippines. Watching this film motivates me to support conversation and preservation causes to stop deforestation. I believe these amazing creatures should not go extinct because of human activity.

Under the cover of dense vegetation and hiding far away from cities, to me, jungles are extremely mysterious. While I have heard of their importance quite frequently, it wasn’t until watching Our Planet Episode 3 that I got a closer look at some of the largest jungles on earth, namely New Guinea and Amazon. It was mind-blowing to witness the diverse fauna thriving in such a place were animals and vegetation depend on each other for survival. A great example from the movie was the pitcher plants that attract rodents with nectar in exchange for their feces that serve as fertilizers. To ants however, the plants can be a hidden danger: rain flush ants down and turn them into a great meal for the plants. The intelligence displayed by some animals is equally breathtaking. The documentary shows a kind of bird (which I forgot the name for) dancing perfectly to attract a mate. It surprised me to see that they are able to turn their eye color to yellow and the bird’s spinning move of displaying yellow patches on their back is truly beautiful.

Jungles are critical to the health of our planet, and the rate they are shrinking is alarming. According to the documentary’s narrative, in the eyes of orangutans, their homes once stretched beyond the horizon. Yet with a decrease in jungle area in as much as 75%, that is not the case any more. In my opinion, while it is true that we all can contribute to protecting jungles, it is the governments, especially those in countries with large jungles, that need to formulate and implement policies to directly protect the jungles. Poaching and forest destruction can eclipse any indirect protection methods, thus the perpetrators need to be held accountable for their damage. I hope that the shrinking of jungles can be slowed down so that the thousands of species unique to jungles don’t lose their only home.