Ever heard of Jumanji?

Jumanji is the Zulu word for "many effects". Jumani the board game is best known to be an African supernatural type of game. With the recent natural occurrences of multiple hurricanes: Harvey, Irma and coming up Jose, plus wildfires all over California and the westcoast, in addition to this week's 8.1 scale earthquake in Mexico. Oh and let us not forget the loose tiger found on the interstate here in the Atlanta Metro area...well some people are blaming it on Jumanji.

It sounds hilarious, of course. I'm more apt to believe that all of this, well except the tiger, is caused by global warming. Recently I read more in depth about the rubber boom in South America. Where European and American investors went to the Amazon Rainforest between 1879 to 1912. Historians on the opposite side of the controversy would say that it was an important part of the economic and social history of Brazil, Peru and other Amazonian regions / countries. When in reality, more than 30,000 indigenous people were enslaved, tortured, and murdered during these time frames. Deforestation during these times escalated to new heights which not only affected the indigenous people that lived deep in the rainforest but also the animals, plants and fresh water sources. By 1992, the cattle business settled there and by 2004, 70% of the Amazon Rainforest had been destroyed. Seeing as the Amazon Rainforest provided the earth with more than half of it's oxygen, and supported the hydrologic cycle in addition to the endless amounts of plants and animals, some which had not been discovered, I truly believe this is a huge part of the global warming disaster we have all contributed to. Once you damage the earth where plants are rooted and can absorb the rainwaters, you leave the plantet with less of it's self defenses.

In my book, regardless if it's a popular stance or not, we all have to stand for what we believe in. I believe in loving our planet so that it can love us back. I believe in advocating for the earth, and voting for laws that protect it.

"If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything."- Malcolm X