2009.. and then some rambling

The year of 2009 is rather daunting to me. This year, I’ll be graduating from high school and moving on to college. I’ll be picked up from everything I know and plopped down into an unknown world. While I’m scared and nervous to leave, I’m excited for having a new beginning. Hopefully, 2009 will be one of the best years of my life. I want to graduate, wish everyone luck, and leave the 707. I’ve enjoyed my stay but it’s definitely time to move on.

To make sure everything goes the way I’ve planned, I have to finish high school. While this may seem like an easy task now, things will change when there’s two weeks until freedom. For now, I’ll have to finish up the semester still trying my hardest. Then there’s senior project! This upcoming semester is said to be the hardest semester you will ever face in your school career. Graduation is so close that you can taste it… but you’re still stuck at two in the morning trying to finish the twenty page paper that’s due at eight o’ clock. Not to mention that presentation that you’re going to have to pull out of God-knows-where with all of your peers staring up at you like you’re some kind of human exhibit. Pressure? Tell me about it!

Even after senior projects are done, there’s still the matter of walking across that stage in front of your closest family and friends, hoping that you won’t trip and fall flat on your face. Plus, there’s those five minutes where you’re supposed to make a great, inspiring speech when all you want to do is cling to those front doors and yell, “You’ll never take me away from Tech High!” Yet, all we have to do is let go and move on. We all have great things in store for us. Whether we go on to work for NASA developing the next generation of space shuttles or we end up becoming the CEO of Blizzard Entertainment, I know that when we have our ten year reunion, things won’t have changed a bit.

Postmodernism - My Way

Protect the Animals!

On December 11, 2008, the Bush administration eliminated the Endangered Species Act. For most Americans, this action does not effect them in any way. However, all of the Americans who are aware of the environment and the fragile state of the Earth’s ecosystems know that this action is going to have a dramatic effect on our surroundings. The Endangered Species Act works to protect animals from becoming endangered or extinct. John Kostyack of Wildlife and Global Warming for the National Wildlife Federation stated, “This action eviscerates key protections that have helped safeguard and recover endangered fish, wildlife and plants for the past 35 years” (Wildlife Promise). Without this act, federal agencies don’t have to consult with independent scientists when making decisions regarding the environment.

I believe that the Bush administration has made a terrible mistake in eliminating the Endangered Species Act. Not only will environmentalists be angry but they will also have to deal with the numerous organizations that work to protect endangered animals. Getting rid of the scientists’ opinions when making decisions will take away vital information. Kostyack stated, “Knocking them [independent scientists] out of the decision-making process will erode the foundation of this bedrock law and make it significantly harder to protect endangered species” (Wildlife Promise). It is also ridiculous that the Bush administration chose this to be one of their last actions as an active administration. The Endangered Species Act hurts no one except the politicians who want to have the power to do whatever they want without taking under consideration the dramatic effects of their decisions.

To show your support for protecting America’s wildlife, you can sign the Endangered Species Act Legacy Pledge. Over 200,000 citizens have already voiced their opinion in protecting our fellow animals. With the pledge, the National Wildlife Federation will work towards undoing the Bush administration’s decision. The federation is hoping that with the help of the Congress and Obama administration, we can once again protect the endangered species that exist in the United States. I believe that the Endangered Species Act will be put into action again with the help and support of the aware citizens in America.

Crossing Guards for Endangered Species

According to PlanetSave.org, at least four Northern Atlantic right whales die of shipping accidents every year. At first, that number may seem small compared to the death toll of any other animal but considering that the total population of whales is around three hundred and fifty, four whales a year can be drastic. The top cause of death for whales is collision with vessels. Many animal rights and environmental groups are outraged at the utter disregard from many shipping companies. A lawsuit was settled today in federal courts “… with the US Coast Guard, which agreed to abide by the Endangered Species Act which requires that shipping lanes do not put critically endangered Northern Atlantic right whales in harm’s way” (PlanetSave.org). The Coast Guard is now responsible for monitoring three major shipping lanes in Delaware Bay, Chesapeake Bay and Cape Fear. The environmental groups hope that the monitoring will lower the likelihood of collisions with the endangered whales and lead to further increases in their population.

Unfortunately, there are countless species that are endangered. While environmental groups try their best to protect these animals, their habitats are being destroyed due to both natural and human causes. I see this as a tragedy for animals as well as humans. Species are becoming endangered and humans continue to destroy our planet. People are well aware of global warming and excessive petroleum usage but what about the beings that don’t have a voice? Habitats are destroyed so that we can build malls and apartment buildings. The animals that live there don’t have any sort of power to protect their habitats so they just get forced out. Many are killed by machines that we use during construction. People need to be more aware of their actions and how they affect not only humans but our fellow animals as well. Many organizations exist to raise awareness and help support extinct species. Numerous celebrities endorse these organizations and help prevent the destruction of habitats. I believe that these animals deserve the safety of their ecosystems and it is wrong for us to take it away. To learn more about protecting wildlife, visit Defenders.org.

Evolution vs. Creationism

The age old argument between evolution and creationism has still yet to be determined. The dispute is over “the Earth, humanity, life, and the universe” (Wikipedia.org). One side claims that God, a divine power created the world and essentially the universe. The other claims that the Big Bang theory created the universe and that each organism on Earth evolved from a single celled organism. In other words, the argument is between religion and science. The dispute exists prevalently in the United States but has branched out to other nations.

While both sides have good and bad arguments, I believe in science. While I have my own beliefs, I do respect people who believe in creationism. However, there is significant evidence that the Earth and the universe were created by scientific events. In 1859, Charles Darwin published “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”. This publication is said to have “… brought scientific credibility to evolution, and made it [evolution] more respectable.” Evolution has been proven through numerous studies of fossils and existing organisms on the planet. There are, however, some gaps in between species that are unexplainable.

Creationism, the other side of the argument, claims that a divine power created the world as well as the universe. Many religions believe in some way or another that things were created by a higher being. This “being”, whether it be God, Allah, or any other mythical god, is responsible for everything that exists on Earth. While many religions have this theory written in their bibles or other religious texts, there is no evidence supporting this claim.

The most controversy over this argument is what side to teach in public schools. There have been many cases in the past such as the Daniel vs. Waters case that suggest that there should be equal time devoted to both sides of the argument in school. In today’s public schools, only the evolution theory is taught. The separation of church and state makes it unfair to teach the theory of creationism in school because not all children are raised in a religious home. I believe that the decision to teach only evolution is fair. If parents want their children to learn creationism instead, they can have their child attend a religion-based private school.

Recycle

Ever since the human race began, we have been a species of recyclers. We used to use anything and everything that was available to us. Now we have ten year olds asking their parents for the latest and greatest cell phone because their old one isn't "in" anymore. We exchange VHS for DVD and now DVD for BluRay or whatever new fangled disc they have available. We get a new cell phone every time a "cooler" one comes out. We buy a new car every year because our old one didn't have a pre-installed navigation system when we only drive our kids to school everyday. What happened to the age old rule of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle"? Fortunately, there are businesses out there that are aware of the diminishing ozone and have decided to change the way they run things. "Patagonia and Act2 turn old plastic bottles (and their own old garments) into clothing and consumer goods" according to TheGoodHuman.com. Farmers have always practiced some form of recycling by growing crops to feed both themselves and their animals. The animals eat the crops, digest it and leave manure. The manure can be made into compost to re-grow the crops that then feed the animals and so on. The bottom line is that our society needs to revert back to our old ways.

We need to practice better habits such as buying more durable items that will last rather than cheap, plastic products. As a society, the world can be helped by just making a few small changes every day. As mentioned in a previous post (Reducing Your Carbon Footprint), making a difference can mean changing the light bulbs in your house. I believe we should instill new guidelines for businesses to follow. Companies that can recycle their waste should be rewarded for bettering the environment. Toyota has been able to make eight of their plants zero landfill targets. Those plants don't send any waste to landfills! Can you imagine if every company in the world could do that? Well, that's a little unrealistic but if every car company could manage to do something similar, the environment would be in much better shape. We have the power to change the world. So why not start now?

The Truth About "Protected" Land

When it comes to the environment, people are making huge leaps and bounds on finding alternative energy resources. However, the undisturbed ecosystems existing on Earth have gotten pushed to the back burner amongst all the chaos based around global warming. On November 4^th the UK Times reported that the Scottish government has accepted Donald Trump’s $1.5 billion plan for a golf resort along the Aberdeenshire coastline. The land that the golf resort will be built on was previously allocated as a “Site of Special Scientific Interest” (SSSI). Despite environmentalists’ pleas, the government did not attempt to compromise with Mr. Trump. Many hoped that the golf resort could be built with the environment in mind but “the government has essentially given Trump free reign to do what he’d like with the land with little-to-no environmental supervision” (PlanetSave.com). Reasons for the government allowing this could include the $100 million in revenues generated from the resort. A portion of the money is said to be “… for the Aberdeenshire community” (PlanetSave.com). Many residents including Michael Forbes, who owns a farm in the middle of the proposed area, are outraged at Trump’s plans. He downright refused the money Trump offered to him earlier this year. Protests and attempted lawsuits are expected throughout the two year project.

If an area is deemed the “Site of Special Scientific Interest”, wouldn’t you expect people to respect that designation? I can understand what the Scottish environmentalists are going through at this point. All Trump had to do to keep everyone happy was accept some environmental supervision during the construction of the project. The worst thing that could happen is he would have to find a new place to dump the waste from the construction. It’s ridiculous that he can’t simply make a little compromise so that everyone can get what they want. The Earth has been running out of undisturbed wildlife ever since the Industrial Revolution. To build in one of the last preserved lands is outrageous. It’s not like Trump really needs another source of income in the first place. Hopefully he will rethink his environmental decision and learn to compromise at some point in the construction process. The Earth is a sacred thing that we should learn to protect, not take advantage of.