A short view of our main environmental issues

In this report I will talk about the three main problems that occur nowadays. First of all there’s the endangered animals: species who are threatened to go extinct. Then we have the toxic pesticides that are used today to fend off illnesses for e.g. plants. Lastly the global warming causes great concern. This report should give a good insight into what we can do to stop these threats.

Firstly, endangered animals are a great concern to many geologists. When species go extinct, the other species will roam freely. When for instance a plant-eating kind of rabbit has gone extinct, the plant it used to ate can now grow wherever it wants: there’s no holding back. The insects that live from or on the plant can also multiply easier, and this way a whole ecology can change. Therefore we shouldn’t build houses wherever we want: it might kill the one species that maintains another species. Also, we have to be careful what animals to hunt: killing the prey will also slow the growth of the rabbits down.

Secondly, the poison used to fend off illnesses or insects which eat crops is very dangerous for the environment. Accumulation is the main factor: the pesticides kill the insects, and the birds eat the insects. When the predatory bird eats the other birds, it gets so much toxin that it will die too. This way people can wipe out many types of birds and insects, which is devastating for the rest of the environment. That’s why farmers should either use biological products or prevent the birds from eating the poisoned insects, in one way or another.

Lastly, there’s the global warming. This may cause all of us problems, throughout the world. When ice melts, the water level will rise significantly. Cities under the water level will flood, and whole countries can be washed away. Of course everything happens very slowly, but in a few 1000 years people will definitely be in trouble. Global warming also making climats change, and animals as well as plants will have a really hard time adjusting this fast to the changes. Therefore we should try to cut down on the use of electricity, and consider travelling in other ways: instead of going by car, we should go by public transport or walk to nearby places. Even buying vegetables and fruit that come from our own country will help cut down the emission of greenhouse gasses.

All this means changing the way we live now, and it might be tough, but we should think about what damage we couse the environment and other animals. We have to be careful when building new buildings, use biological means to fend off unwanted animals or diseases, and rethink the way we transport ourselves, as well as our food.

How tourism and welfare will destroy the environment we know today

This report is about the influences of tourism and overall welfare to our environment. The obvious things are of course pollution because we buy more stuff and all that stuff has to be wrapped and packed, which we will afterwards discard of and which will pollute the earth. I will not talk about this in this report though, I’ll focus on stuff that’s a bit “witty” but not completely.

First of all there’s the fuel being burnt by all the planes and busses. This of course, pollutes the earth. Also, the demand for oil will be higher and we will run out of oil quicker. Then, there’s no way for you to go on holiday or anyone else for that matter. All the people will get grumpy and become angry more easily. Everything will just end in a big fight with everyone dying in the end.

Then there’s the welfare part. The welfare as well as the increase in tourism makes our demand for oil bigger as said before. It also makes the demand for building materials such as wood, metal and glass higher. All the materials have to be produced and that as well pollutes the earth.

The welfare we have also makes others jealous of it. The upcoming terrorism is the biggest threat to our social lives at this moment, because Al Qaida will want to take revenge on us for killing Osama. I hope they won’t fly into our western world with a plane again, because that costs fuel. Also, the U.S. will have to build some air defense if that’s the case and the production of such goods produces GHG.

Report: The biggest threats to our environment.

As asked, I looked into the problems our environment has to cope with. Some of them were particularly threatening, so I came up with a few solutions to help preserve our world.

The first problem is our disposal of unusable products, like fumes and waste, which effectively poison the environment. It is mostly blamed on companies, which should really try to control and possibly purify their waste before it goes out, but the common man should also keep their waste removal in check.

When we poison and exterminate plantlife, we also ruin the chances of survival for a lot of animal species. Their extinction will then affect other species and parts of the environment. We should therefore open breeding centre's to bring the decline in numbers of these creatures to a halt. While the big companies should donate their money to build and maintain the centre's, we individuals should spend our time working to make sure these animals survive.

Finally, there's always the danger of a natural disaster that changes the environment. It may not be the most pressing danger, but the eruption of a large volcano, for example, will completely reshape the land and thus the environment. Unfortunately, there is also very little we can do about those disasters. This problem is somewhat adressed in Evy's "Disaster and preparations", but overall there's just not much you can do.

We can combat the more immediate threats, such as those in the first paragraphs. It's not terribly hard, we just need to stop being lazy.

Death and Dying

Death and dying.

Is death really something to fear?

Death, it’s a part of nature and also a part of the natural flow of the world. For some it’s a definitive end, for some it’s the start of a better life and some see it as a transition between one body to the next. One thing is for sure, and that is that it’s unavoidable. Even right now, while I’m only 16, almost 17 years old, I’m dying. I’m slowly getting closer to my death every day, everyone is. And yet, it does not scare me at all, unlike so many other people. I’ve learned to accept this as I was quite depressed myself. I did think about dying back then and I thought about how peacefull it would be. But it were two things that made me realize that death was just something that is part of life, no matter how hard you struggle against it or how much you fear it. One was from a comic book called ‘My life with you’. One of the main characters says, at one point: “No matter how bad or good your day is, this world will continue to exist like it always does. Even when I die, this world would still be beautiful.” The other comes from a poem by Rachel Revdon, an internet aspiring novelist and poet, in her poem ‘Giving up’. It’s about that life is hard and painful, but that if you let yourself die, you’ll give up. And I’m not a person to give up, so that’s how it works for me.

The death of a loved one, of course, is a sad thing. But if I were to die and would leave a husband, I wouldn’t want them to mourn my death for too long. I want them to remember me as I was and remember me with joy in their hearts. As I said earlier, life goes on and you can’t stay in the past forever. I would want them to go on and enjoy life to the fullest.

Link to 'Giving up' : http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2828918/19/Collection_of_Poems

Humor

How a craze can change the world

How many gone out of control crazes do we know?? We see that our world is changing every day. Do we have to wait for an accident to happen and then finally see that this is no way to live our life? How long can this go on?
For the people who still don’t know what I’m exactly talking about, I’ll refer to the most common known crazes of this moment. First of all we all know the boy named Justin Bieber. He has conquered the world and as you watch his fans, you can’t help but think where this world is going. They physically hurt each other to only touch his hand or just the small tip of his finger, they show up to his performances three days in advance to just see a glimpse of his face. You see them crying on the floor when they didn’t get to touch him. Where is this going? Is this really healthy for these girls aged 10 to 20? Is this healthy for moms over the age of 40?
A second craze known all over the world is a series of books, the first one is named Twilight. It is about a girl, Bella, who falls irrevocably and uncontrollably in love with a 17-year old boy named, Edward. As it turns out he is a vampire, who lives on animal blood, but is still a vampire. They have made the books into films and are now making the film about the fourth book. This craze has gone so far out of hand that the fans ask the actor, playing the vampire, to bite them. They have been standing in a queue for over 48 hours and the only thing they ask the actor is to please bite them. I don’t think that these girls are mentally capable of handling these crazes. It is definitely a real phenomenon.
Did this happen before? How can we stop this? I don’t think we can stop it anymore but I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Do you think it is easier for a man or a woman to be single?

Do you think it is easier for a man or a woman to be single?
A lot of men and women are single nowadays. However, lots of them who are single don’t want to be. So that raises the question, is it easier for men or women to be single?

In theory, it should be equally simple for men and women to be single but it proves not to be this way. For example, when a man kisses with lots of women when he’s single, everybody thinks he’s cool. When a woman kisses with lots of men when she’s single, everybody thinks she’s a slut.
This resolves in the fact that it’s much harder for women to find out which ‘type’ they like. In contrary, when men try to find this out, they are being encouraged by friends and other men while women are more likely to be discouraged by everyone.

It’s also much simpler for men to be single when they are going out. Women have to dress up nicely if they want to make a good impression on someone whereas men just don’t give a damn. This is because women are always judged by the way they look which makes it even more difficult for women to be single, because they constantly have to look nice. And most of the time, men don’t even notice!

So I think it’s fair to say that it’s easier for a man than for a woman to be single. Okay, maybe I see things differently because I’m a girl and some boys might disagree but everybody has to agree on the fact that women DO need to make more effort than men to impress someone.

Alcohol vs Marijuana

Some people, especially marijuana users, argue that if alcohol is a legal than so should marijuana. I personally agree, even though I´ve never used weed. It think that both of the drugs have pretty much the same addictive effect. Alcohol is usually associated with violence and other stupid things whereas marijuana only has a mellowing effect on people I think it´s safer for society.

Like Bob Marley once said “alcohol only make you drunk mon, it don’t make you meditate”, I think the man’s got a point, alcohol’s effect mainly is making you lose your selfcontrol or respect. Marijuana offers a whole different state of mind. I mean have you ever heard of a pothead beating up his wife? I certainly haven’t I have however heard, too often, of drunk molesting his wife.

Another big advante over alchol is that marijuana is far less toxic, the amount of alcohol which has a lethal effect is just 10 times more than the average use. The lethal dose of marijuana is a thousandfold of the regular use. In 2001 there were 331 cases of death due to alcohol abuse in the US and no case of a marijuana OD. Also the long term effects of marijuana are far smaller than those of alcohol.

Also alcohol is found to be used in cases of date-rapes to subdue the victim, marijuana has not seen use a date-rape drug. There are also far more people coming to emergency rooms thanks to misuse of alcohol than due to the use of marijuana. So seeing all this I think we can safely assume that if alcohol is availlable freely then so should marijuana.

Have you ever..?

Have you ever talked to a famous person?

Yes, I have, but it was without me knowing it. I was about 12 years old and I had Dutch Championships when I ran into Pieter van den Hoogenband. I was deadly nervous so I didn’t really see him. I muttered “sorry” and then he started talking to me about me being so nervous. He told me that he had had some periods of extreme nervousness as well, but that it really wasn’t necessary. He comforted me a little and then I walked on. It was only after that that I realized it was him, I still feel really stupid that I didn’t recognize him at the time.

Have you ever wondered why some people want to be alone but never seem to be lonely? Why do you think this is so?

Yes, I have. I also have some moments in which I’d rather be alone, but even then I feel lonely. I really don’t understand how people can never feel lonely, that’s why I think they do. I guess that some people never seem to be lonely, but in secret they are.

Have you ever called a female teacher "mum" by mistake?

No, I have never called a female teacher “mum”. I have called some of my friends “mum” by mistake, though. It’s really stupid, but it happens.

Have you ever swum in the ocean?

Yes, of course I have. I love the ocean J.No, seriously, I think the best thing about holidays is that on a really hot day, you can just jump in the ocean and swim. It’s really relaxing.

Cloning

There has been a silence on the subject for some time now, but once the next big discovery is made, the debate about cloning will once again be on. But is it unehtical? Or is it holy? Or absolutely horrible?

The most commonly known form of cloning is artificial cloning, which means that humans replicate an organism in the embryial stage or from the cells of an adult specimen to get an exact copy of the original, with identical DNA strings (think Dolly the sheep). Opinions about cloning are generally mixed to negative. I like the idea of cloning.

First, the cloning of animals. Animal rights activist often think the copying of animals equally unethical to the duplicating of humans (more on that later). These animals have already had their rights taken from them, however. Cows, sheeps and pigs on large farms often have no other purpose that to provide us with food (i.e. milk, meat and the like). If they are going to be steaks anyway, why not clone them to get even more steaks? If done right, these methods could greatly increase our food resources.

Then there are always people who will refuse to eat those steaks, simply because they are made artificially. This is a problem a lot of people seem to struggle with. To them artificially enhanced or duplicated food is apparently uneatable, tasteless and bad for your health. This "unreal" meat is still the same as the original. That is what cloning is all about: copying something to the DNA in it. You could say that there is no "original" and no "clone".

When talking about the cloning of humans, it is a different story though. Human clones will have the same feelings as their "originals". They will claim the same house, the same friends, the same life. It is possible to take the clones' memories away, but that would turn them into robots. And robots themselves are much more durable.

If it wasn't for the time it will take to perfect it, cloning would be a great idea. As long as we don't produce something too intelligent...

Stupid blogger %@*^

Sorry people, but blogger won't let me post my text.

If you want to see it, press 'nieuw bericht' and then 'Berichten bewerken'. It's called 'cloning'.

Cya

Everbody should play a sport

Everybody should play a sport

I think everybody should play a sport. The main reasons for this, is that playing a sport is healthy, it can help you socially and most importantly it’s fun!

First of all playing a sport is healthy for you. A sport usually involves exercising and it is known that everybody should at least exercise thirty minutes a day. Physical activity is also good for your body muscles; it promotes their well-being and growth. Not only will you get a slim and active body while playing sports, it will also make you look and feel good. Furthermore, sports can help enhance your memory, which can always come in handy no matter what the activity is. Lastly you will feel happy when succeeding in a sport you’re good at, while at the same time you’re completing exercise in a fun way.

Secondly sports can help you socially. If you decide to play a team sport you will learn how to work together with other people and other cultures and be considerate of them. These points can be very useful during your school career or when you have a job. Apart from this, physical activity helps build confidence and planning skills, which is always useful in life. When you decide to play a sport it is preferable to sign up at sports club. This way you will be able to meet and socialize with new people, this could even result into life long friendships.

Lastly, after a stressful day at school or work there is nothing better than hitting balls on the court or swimming laps in a pool to clear your head, relax or have fun with your teammates!

There is always a way to play at your own level and at your own speed. Keep in mind: you will one-way or other benefit from playing sports, than doing nothing all day long. When you think about it, there is no reason why you shouldn’t play a sport!

Disaster and preparations

What would you do if you were living in an area with many hurricanes, tsunamis or earthquakes? Would you be afraid all the time? With some preparations you’ll be able to stay calm and think clearly, even when disaster strikes. In my opinion good precautions can make a real difference when it comes to surviving during a disaster.

It’s always wise to buy a couple of candles, just in case the electricity would shut down. You never know what will happen: heavy storms can easily take down whole electricity poles. Even short-circuit can leave a whole part of the house without electricity. Therefore it’s also wise to keep a flashlight in a safe part of the house, like in a kitchen cabinet. Do make sure you keep it in a place you won’t forget! Bandages, disinfectants and matches are also smart to keep in that same place: you wouldn’t want to have to stroll all around the house just to gather everything you need.

I do think that it can be quite hard to prepare for major catastrophes. If a tsunami strikes, whole houses will be washed away, and there’s nothing you can do about it. But you’re not the only one able to help: the government should also take precautions into consideration. By having special army forces ready to help the people, spreading medical aid will also be much faster. That way the victims will be helped quickly and possible deaths may be prevented. Also, I think the building of e.g. sandbanks will restrain a significant amount of water, and could prevent water reaching far away areas. Lastly, having state of the art equipment to do research will definitely help. Knowing where e.g. seaquakes come from helps us with predicting them. Poor countries struggle to buy those things, and that’s why the rich countries should either lend them money for it, or warn them in time.

All in all, in my opinion precautions can really save lives when disaster strikes. So don’t think ‘I’ll buy it in a couple of weeks, don’t need it now.’ It may be too late…

Cheating

Cheating is, in my opinion, the thing some people tend to do when they are bored with their current husband/wife. The biggest cheaters are men though, they have more tendency to cheat. Whether it’s a woman or a man, it’s always a huge disappointment for the opposite party.

I have never cheated for the last couple of years. I did cheat, but that was because my girlfriend wasn’t enough for me (and I had a period in which I visited Ysselstein a couple of times). This is the main reason why people cheat I think, people not having enough ‘’fun’’ with their current friend.

I don’t cheat anymore. I don’t need to cheat, because I don’t have a girlfriend. If I had a girlfriend, I still wouldn’t cheat. The situations in which people cheat just don’t occur to me now. Stress, busy life, maybe a fight with the current friend. Some of these things still happen to me, such as a busy life, but I just don’t cheat anymore.

Have I ever been cheated on? Pfff, I don’t know. I never heard of anyone cheating on me, so I guess not.

You can prevent cheating by having a good relationship, making good agreements and keeping the relationship fresh. If you do this, people will have less tendency to cheat. Also, use chocolate on your wife if you did something wrong. If you’re a woman, use beer on your husband.

Now, cheating is mostly bad, but sometimes people deserve it. As a punishment for instance. It is a very heavy punishment though, and if you were to use it as a punishment, you should also tell him right in the face that you cheated.

Cheating is not fun and now that I understand, I won’t cheat anymore. Not as quickly anyways.

Make a child smile

Ladies and Gents,
First of all, I want to wish all of you a very good year. Should you feel bored in the Christmas holidays, you might want to spend some time writing a mail/card to a sick child. This website gives you information on children who would really welcome your mail. Please be careful to read the dos and dont’s that are also listed on the website.
This is the website I came across: www.makeachildsmile.org
Wouldn't it be great if you make a child happy and learn English at the same time?

Make a child smile

Ladies and Gents,
First of all, I want to wish all of you a very good year. Should you feel bored in the Christmas holidays, you might want to spend some time writing a mail/card to a sick child. This website gives you information on children who would really welcome your mail. Please be careful to read the dos and dont’s that are also listed on the website.
This is the website I came across: www.makeachildsmile.org
Wouldn't it be great if you make a child happy and learn English at the same time?