Artificial Connection

TV sets are turned on.

Sunday

“Breaking News. This is Aspen Woods reporting for HVVM Channel, your channel. Although this year’s drought has been increased by the global climate change, authorities found the cause for this year’s wildfire in California: experts concluded it was detonated by a match… Believe it or not, after many laborious hours of investigation, specialists from the California Fire Department claimed to follow a firing track, as they called it, to an area by the roadside, where they found the remains of a match, probably from a smoker who drove through the area…”

Monday

“Breaking News. This is Aspen Woods reporting for HVVM Channel, your channel. A woman was found dead in her luxurious apartment in Beverly Hills, LA. The LA Police Department believes she was murdered by her girlfriend who ran away from the crime scene. Police officers found the crime weapon, a wooden baseball bat, full of the girlfriend’s fingerprints and blood. They suspect the victim had changed her life insurance beneficiary, from her mother’s into her girlfriend’s information...”

Tuesday

“Breaking News. This is Aspen Woods reporting for HVVM Channel, your channel. At this round wooden table, you can see, the 3 top arms-producing companies’ CEOs just signed the contract to produce any type of weapons our armed forces may require, from a simple gun to mass destruction weapons…”

Wednesday

“Breaking News. This is Aspen Woods reporting for HVVM Channel, your channel. Neighbors of Sun Valley’s friendly community are shocked by the accident a retired language teacher suffered. Witnesses said this beloved teacher fell from a wooden ladder while he was repairing the roof of his house; unfortunately, the educator broke his neck. Thus, when the ambulance EMTs and firefighters arrived, nothing could be done. Neighbors explained the retired teacher was known as a model citizen who was always helping everyone in this community and his good deeds won over their hearts…”

Thursday

“Breaking News. This is Aspen Woods reporting for HVVM Channel, your channel. As you can see, the ambulance EMTs are taking the body of mister Eladio Miller who drastically ended his own life. Police officers asseverated the incident was a suicide due to the fact they found an extremely emotional suicide note inside an old wooden chest box on his studio desk. The note explained all the hard times Mr. Miller had lived and suffered recently. A real series of unfortunate events! He lost everything that matters in a person’s life: his mother, who died of cancer; his wife, who was killed in a traffic accident by a drunk driver while she was jogging; both incidents affected, deeply, Mr. Miller’s ability to work, so he was fired, and, having no incomes to pay the mortgage, he also lost his house (a written notice to vacate was given to him). And that was the straw that broke the camel’s back!”

Friday

“Breaking News. This is Aspen Woods reporting for HVVM Channel, your channel. Four children were found inside of what appears to be a wooden cage. A neighbor, who wishes to keep his identity a secret, called 911 to report the case that took place in the backyard of a quiet old house in Playa del Rey. The youngsters seemed to be malnourished. Authorities also suspect the kids were being mistreated since they found some bruising from blows to the body and head. Now, detectives are trying to clarify the reasons why these children were captive; and, if there is a criminal organization involved…”

Saturday

“Breaking News. This is Aspen Woods reporting for HVVM Channel, your channel. A mother and her baby were living in a wooden box in O’Melveny Park. This young woman was a single mother who left home because her parents wanted her to give her child up for adoption. The young mother explained she belongs to a wealthy and influential family; however, she was determined to have and raise her healthy baby. For the last week, the single mother was eating ‘whatever was around’, as she said, to be ‘strong enough’ to feed her baby. The woman and the child were found by…”

Somewhere in a tropical country a couple of months ago.

“Breaking News. Indigenous people, Green Peace activists, and many other Mother Nature lovers are protesting in our Capital City against what they consider to be the biggest crime ever. The demonstrators claim the Government is allowing multinational companies to cut down all trees in protected areas. The last indiscriminate tree-cutting took place in an indigenous reservation. The same large section of the reservation was destroyed 30 years ago by a foreign company; those enemies of the planet only left a giant tree standing on that occasion. Consequently, the ancient tree became a symbol for the tribe and the rest of the indigenous citizens, activists, and country. New trees were born in the devastated area and, after 30 years, the secondary forest recovered its majestic appearance. Nevertheless, certain humans never quit doing bad deeds, and they have become experts on evil. Once again, all these new trees of this secondary forest were cut down, including the Giant Tree. Moreover, all the wood was exported to build matches, baseball bats, tables, ladders, chests, construction materials, and boxes, among others. The demonstrators cannot believe that the natural bond was broken. Their message is clear and direct: trees were made by the Creator, Pachamama, or the Great Spirit, to provide a home for insects, birds, reptiles, and mammals; a place to breed new life; a refuge to humans, especially indigenous people; food; oxygen for all creatures to breathe; beauty for your eyes; a natural barrier to reduce the amount of stormwater runoff or flooding; a playground for kids, some income from tourist activities, a reduction of the cooling costs if trees are well placed; a windbreak; an increment of the value of a well-landscaped home, an extra beauty to your community; a traffic calming effect as tree-lined streets, a natural screen to unwanted views or noise; a complement to architecture; a patient’s health recovery (just by watching a tree through the hospital windows); a living memorial of loved ones… and the final argument: the fact that trees are living beings and they have the natural right to exist…”

TV sets are turned off.