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.