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.

Chevron the Evil Oil Company

Chevron keeps getting drilled by local protestors for the death of a Nigerian protestor back in 1998. Over a hundred Nigerian protestors were sitting on a Chevron drilling platform for three days. Chevron requested that the Nigerian security forces remove them from the situation. This resulted in three injuries and one death. All of the victims of this incident are now seeking compensation from the oil company. The families believe that the protest back in 1998 was peaceful and did not require any police assistance. Chevron claims that the Nigerian protestors were hostile and even took Chevron employees hostage. “The lawsuit claims that Chevron and the security forces “maliciously and systematically violated defendants’ human rights for the purpose and with the effect of suppressing plaintiffs’ peaceful protests”” (PlanetSave.com). American protestors are now stationed in San Francisco on the corner of 9th and Howard. They are there to support the Nigerian families in the human rights trial. “A Nigerian human rights activist who traveled to San Francisco to support his countrymen in the trial against the oil firm said, “We’re here to keep awareness going against Chevron”” (PlanetSave.com).

I think that these protestors are doing a great thing by exercising their right to freedom of speech. The Nigerians who were injured and killed didn’t deserve that. Even if they were being hostile, I don’t believe anyone needed to resort to killing others. The people who are at the protest in San Francisco should continue their mission and then show up at the actual trial, if the public is allowed to attend. This will show their support for their fellow protestors. It is sad that unfortunately, the families involved in the incident probably won’t get enough compensation for their losses. Chevron is an extremely large company and there will be numerous lawyers present. Their chances of winning are very high and it is a shame that these families will not get what they deserve.

Cow Burps, Really?

Now that we’re concerned about global warming and greenhouse gases, we’re trying to find different ways to reduce emissions. Although this mission is for a good cause, some fingers may be pointing at the wrong things. Recent studies have found that methane emissions from cow flatulence from a herd of two hundred cows is “… roughly equivalent to driving a family car more than 100,000 miles (180,000km) on more than four gallons (21,400 liters) of petrol” (Telegraph.co.uk). Yes, cows are emitting a good amount of methane gas but is it really something that can be fixed? Scientists predict that this amount will increase even more in the future. While methane is responsible for a fifth of global warming, it is not the only gas that contributes to our growing problem. Although these studies are important, more time should be spent finding solutions rather than pointing out more problems.

I think it’s ridiculous to say that cows and other livestock are causing global warming. Yes, their methane emissions are rather high but the only reason why we have a large amount is because we keep trying to raise more and more livestock for our food supply. What are we supposed to do now, kill all the livestock? The only solution I can see is to stop raising excess amounts of cows for our own purposes. It’s not like we can control how often they burp. While eating less meat, like the article suggests, may decrease the amount of livestock, we will still need to do something more drastic to solve the problem.

While causes are important to study, right now we need to focus on how to limit these emissions. Some companies have started using emissions from their factories as new energy resources. Perhaps scientists can develop a way to take the methane that is produced from livestock and use it for the production of their feed. More products in grocery stores have little logos saying that they were made with the environment in mind. Creating more products that are “green” and creating cars that are more fuel efficient can help change the world that we live in now.

Tattoos

Have you ever thought about getting a tattoo? When you walk down the street, you’re more than likely going to see at least one person with tattoos and piercings. These are some of the remnants of the punk rock era. Rebellion and rising against the man. That’s what it’s about, right? Well, maybe like ten years ago. Most people today get tattoos for the artwork or to remember a certain part of their lives. To some, a tattoo is a form of self expression, although it’s really the tattoo artist who’s doing the expressing. Many adults who came from a different generation frown upon this form of art. Both my mom and my grandpa don’t like the idea of having something put on your body permanently. I see tattoos as one of the best forms of art there is. It takes a lot for someone to be able to put a needle to skin and create something beautiful.

I’m thinking about getting a tattoo or two when I turn eighteen. In fact, I know I’m definitely going to get at least one on my birthday. The thought has come across my mind that it may not be a good idea. My parents certainly won’t approve of it. But to me, the whole ordeal will be worth it. I’ll be able to have something with me always that will remind me of my teenage years. I think that symbolism is key when it comes to deciding your tattoo. You shouldn’t get something just because it looks cool. Tattoos should be about representing your personality or commemorating someone you loved and lost. There are even exhibitions that feature people who have the most detailed and amazing tattoos you’ll ever see in your life. So, what about you? Tattoos, are they a form of self expression or rebellion? Or, both?

Natural Wonders

Natural wonders of the world have been useful to human beings for centuries. Scientists have taken naturally occurring beings in the world and used them for research for many different projects. Recently scientists studied the trait in jellyfish that make them glow. They’ve isolated the trait and have been able to use it for things such as cancer research and GMO’s. The trait is called green fluorescent protein, or GFP. “Scientists can use what makes jellyfish glow, to show how brain cells develop or how cancer spreads” (PlanetSave.com). GFP has also been useful in biological engineering. Scientists can use the GFP to tell whether a change in a plant or animal has occurred. If the glow occurs, that means “… the change has successfully been incorporated into the organism” (PlanetSave.com). The scientists who discovered the GFP won the Chemistry Nobel Prize.

The mere fact that scientists have the ability to take something that’s naturally occurring and use it to develop something like this opens up a lot of doors for the future. We have scientists who are trying to prepare for the inevitable future. If you’ve watched the Discovery channel lately, you will see programs that feature new inventions that scientists are working on perfecting. They have even developed a printer that will hopefully be able to create organs. Creations like these will change the world. That is, if they are actually put on the market or used. Fifty years ago, people thought we would have hover cars and robots to do our work. Unfortunately we aren’t at that point yet but we are pretty close. We’ve developed hybrid and electric cars. We even have robots that resemble dogs or cats (AIBO). Hopefully in a few decades we will have the technology to change the way every human being on Earth lives.

Paper That Erases Itself?

As the Earth moves on to becoming more “green”, scientists are inventing the most amazing creations known to mankind. Researchers at Xerox have been able to create a type of paper that erases itself within twenty four hours, making recycling unnecessary. The key to this paper is that ink is not used to print on it. Instead, a certain type of light is projected on to the paper. Over time, the text or image printed fades. The whole process takes between sixteen and twenty four hours. The page can also be erased quickly by exposing it to heat. The paper is still a research project and needs to polished and improved before it can hit the market.

In the long run, this invention could save millions of trees and eliminate paper recycling all together. The researchers are working on producing printers that print with the necessary type of light. The only issue I see with this invention is the cost of the paper and the “ink”. If they’re too expensive, people won’t be willing to make the switch. Unfortunately, a majority of the population still isn’t concerned with the amount of paper we use each day. According to TreeHugger.com, “40% [of paper] gets discarded on the day it was produced (and a lot of the rest gets discarded not much later, or gets stuffed in a box and is never looked at again).” Every day I see people at my school who print out at least ten pages that they really didn’t need to print. Corporate offices also consume an incredible amount of paper each day. Although e-mail is being used more and more as a means of communication, faxes are still being sent nonstop. Inventions like Xerox’s “erasable paper” can help make people more aware of the need to recycle and reuse paper. The forests will thank us later.

Global Climate Change - What About the Food?

During these times, global climate change is a major concern for everyone. Scientists are inventing different alternatives to help save our environment. Many people are trying to reduce their carbon footprints by carpooling and changing lightbulbs. However, not many people have thought about the inevitable. Although we're making an effort to lessen the blow of global climate change, change is always inevitable. Even though we’re doing our best as a population to change the way we live, it is impossible to turn the entire world “green”. Yes, it is a pessimistic outlook but it is true. Because of this reason, scientists are now trying to find crops that will last through the elements.

Approximately 1.5 million dollars have gone towards the Global Crop Diversity Trust. Scientists will be “... screening the world’s food supply for natural resistances to floods, temperature change, and droughts. The Trust is also looking for higher yielding crops that need little water and less space to grow” (PlanetSave.com). The organization’s main goal is “to ensure the conservation and availability of crop diversity for food security, worldwide” (PlanetSave.com). They recently opened the doors of a frozen vault dubbed the “Arctic Seed Vault” or the “Doomsday Vault”. The vault is located in the mountainside in Svalbard, nearly a thousand kilometers North of Norway. During the next two years, the researchers of Global Crop Diversity Trust will be compiling info on climate-proof traits in plants. They want to eventually gather enough information so that they can put it online for users in the future. Someone can simply enter their search criteria and they will be able to find details such as drought tolerance and heat resistance.

In this day and age, organizations like the Global Crop Diversity Trust are needed. If we want to survive through the elements, research needs to be done now so that we can be prepared later.

Eco Sustainability... Is It For You?

Have you ever thought about living in an ecovillage? It would mean raising your own food, making your own clothing, and using renewable energy. There are many small ecovillages all over the United States. Each of these communities make their own impact on the environment. However, a society can't become ecologically sustained by itself. It takes a "cultural revolution" to truly create a sustained environment.

Many ecovillages like Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage have their own culture. According to PlanetSave.com, the community within Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage "operates on consensus decision-making". They have developed their own government in which they rely on a consensus rather than a majority rule. They also value "non-violent communication" or NVC. NVC is based on compassion and clarity rather than criticisms and judgments.
Communities like Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage are perfect examples of an ecologically sustained community. The one thing to remember about these villages though, is that each of them have their own culture. According to PlanetSave.com, "Sustainability is defined as the capacity to maintain a certain process or state indefinitely." If you apply sustainability to the environment, it translates to an environment that can exist indefinitely. If a community can develop its own culture, it is more likely to be sustainable.

If you look at American society, it is obvious that the "community" is not sustainable. We feed off of other countries and the environment in order to survive. Having a job is based on the need, not the want to have one. In almost all industries, competition is the best way to get ahead of the game. In order to "fix" American society, we're going to have to go through a radical cultural change. "Ecological sustainability requires cultural sustainability. And vice versa. They go hand in hand. They support one another. To more successfully achieve sustainability, a cultural revolution is required" (PlanetSave.com).

Thinking Green - Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

Recently I've been really interested in the environment and being green. I subscribed to the feed from planetsave.com because they have really interesting articles. Reducing your carbon footprint has been becoming more and more important. Because of global warming, people are freaking out about saving the planet. While some people take it to the extreme, there are some things that you can do to help the environment.

Simple, small acts can help drastically in the race to save the planet. Things like "installing compact fluorescent bulbs, using warm or cold water to wash clothes rather than hot, and making sure the tires on your car are inflated" (Tell Ten People to Cut Their Emissions) can help reduce your carbon footprint. The power of ten website is a great resource with tons of different ways to reduce your emissions. It also gives you the "one-ton challenge" where you can reduce your carbon emissions by two thousand pounds or more right away. I know already that I'm reducing my emissions by one thousand seven hundred pounds just by replacing bulbs, washing my clothes with cold water, and turning the thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer.

The theory of "power of ten" is to reduce your carbon footprint and then tell ten people to do the same, then those ten people tell ten more people, and so on. I believe that if Tech High could get involved in something like this, we could make a huge impact on our community.

This New Techy Thing

So after subscribing and customizing everything that we need to sign up for in contemporary literature, I'm just a little overwhelmed. I can tell that the rest of my classmates are having trouble as well. It should definitely be an interesting class. I'm looking forward to not having stupid handouts anymore and being able to use computers more often in class. I think the whole "paperless" class thing is kind of fun and new. It's way better than having to submit separate drafts in to a teacher. Now we can use Google Docs and it'll show all of the changes we've made.

I only hope that this will still be a classroom and not a computer lab where everyone screws around and we never get work done. I'm sure our teacher will take care of that though. I'm still trying to find RSS feeds to subscribe to. I wish I could use StumbleUpon to find some things. I'm not sure what I want to read about yet. I think people's blogs are always interesting to read depending on what they write about.