Threats to the Amazon

The Amazon isn’t very large compared to the deforestation it is facing. It doesn’t help that it’s only found on one continent on the planet, South America. Threats such as cattle ranching, building roads and hydro-electric dams, mining, logging, oil extraction, farming, and climate change. The reason protecting this rain forest is so important is because it is home to approximately ten million species of plants, animals, and insects. Not only is this forest important animals, plants, and insects, but humans as well. The amazon provides about twenty percent of the world’s oxygen. It is often referred to as “Lungs of the Planet.”

Man seems to want to take away that oxygen from the species living there however. Some of the most endangered animal species call the Amazon their home. A few of these animals include the Toucan, Gorilla, Giant River Otter, Jaguar, Manatee, Poison Dart Frog, and the Amazon River Dolphin. The reason for their population decline is pollution, hunting and fishing, climate change, deforestation, and invasive species being introduced. The reason these species aren’t able to survive these conditions is because they are so used to having a plentiful food and home space. The Amazon is sunny and rainy, making it the perfect place for plants to nourish. These plants provide food as well as protection for millions of species. Other places on the planet have cold seasons where all the resources dry out, the species living there have adapted and either migrate or hibernate. Organisms in the Amazon do not.

Rain forests use to make up fourteen percent of the land on earth, now that number is down to six. “More than half of our rain forests have already been lost due to the insatiable human demand for wood.” says a National Geographic article. Humans are also affected by these problems however. The Amazon is home to about 400 indigenous groups who rely on the land to live, they also need this land for food and shelter. An organization known as REDD+ has since been trying to educate these groups about things such as climate change and deforestation so they know the consequences if the damage continues, and how it can affect them as well.  Some suggestions this group has is encouraging people who live near the forest to harvest its bounty rather than cutting it for farmland. Logging (legal and illegal) are one of the largest problems for the Amazon. REDD+ is hoping that logging regimes will agree to cull trees rather than clear-cut them. This alone could save millions of acres every year.

Overall the Amazon consists of one in ten known species on earth, has 4,100 miles of rivers, makes up half of the planets remaining rain forests, and is about forty percent of South America. That’s a lot of resources for one continent, but as a planet it’s close to nothing, and it’s rapidly being destroyed. Saving this rain forest will only have a positive affect by saving millions of human, insect, plant, and animal lives. 

Solitary Confinement at ESP

          

         The Eastern State Penitentiary is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the very first all solitary prison to be made. This penitentiary was made in 1821 and opened up in 1826. The goal this prison had was to make sure inmates had absolutely no connection or interaction with anyone until their sentence was served. We have now come to know that this is probably one of the worst things you can to do a person as punishment for a crime they have committed.

                To make sure inmates never saw each other, every person had their own cell.  Although criminals sent here usually didn’t have a sentence of over two years, they would have to stay in their cell for 23 hours a day. Each only got one hour a day to be outside, in their personal yard all alone. Confinement went as far as the guards bringing the meals to their cells every day and sliding them through a hole. Solitary confinement was such a big idea to this prison that each cell had their toilet with indoor plumbing before the white house did. This went on for a couple years until the prison needed more room because of the amount of criminals being sent in, so they made two more rows to add on to the original five. These rows were two stories, which came to be a problem for prisons on the top cell because they got no outside yard and had to stay inside their cell all day every day.

                When the amount of prisoners coming in overcame the room count, they started bunking inmates, throwing solitary confinement out the window. Two large eating halls were made and all prisoners ate at the same time, up to 700 of them in one room. Eventually the prison ran out of room and money and was forced to shut down. When it was shut down it was in a state of abandonment for 20 years. The complex started to rot and fall apart and was basically forgotten until the state bought it. They then fixed it up and made it safe for people to visit and walk around. It is now a tourist attraction where you can go and learn about the history of it and the people who were admitted there, including Al Capone. Another attraction at this penitentiary is their haunted house, which takes place inside the prison.

                In the end Eastern State found out the hard way that solitary confinement is not a beneficial treatment for criminals, or anyone in that case. Not only does it take up a lot of room in prisons when the demand to put criminals in jail is so high, but it was seen as a cruel and unusual punishment and in some cases people went crazy from it, or had a change in personality. Having a hard time going back into society and finding it difficult to return to reality was another problem. Solitary confinement still exists in jails and prisons when criminals are sent to “the hole” but it’s nothing like it was 100 years ago.  

Wave Energy

                 Wave power or wave energy is the transport of energy from ocean surface waves. It can be used for different things such as electricity, pumping water into other reservoirs, and water desalination. The obvious impact of this, is that it’s a better alternative for energy because it is less harmful to the environment. Wave energy has been around since at least 1890. But it was never put to use. The first attempt to use it wasn’t until about 2008 at a Wave Park in Portugal. Currently it isn’t widely used, but with advancements in the future it will reach a point of normality.

            

    The machine that allows all of this to happen is a WEC (wave energy converter) which is exactly what it does. Uses the oceans natural current to supply our energy and water needs. Wave energy doesn’t only come in one form. There are different machines used to make this energy. Some are directly in the middle of the water, others are on the shore of an ocean, and these are called terminators. These devices capture and or reflect the power of the wave. Depending on the wave climate and the device dimensions, they can have power ratings from 500 kW to 2MW. We have more machines including an overtopping device, a point absorber, and attenuators.

                The energy that is distributed is often used in distillation plants, power plants, and water pumps. Another benefit to these energy providers are they do not put any ocean species in danger of dying. Unlike wind turbines that birds often fly into, these devices just float in the water and basically mind their own business. It also doesn’t harm our species because it is a green alternative. It does not use harmful greenhouse gases, it hopes to replace them. Another benefit is it’s renewable. It is said that this energy will not run out until the sun does. The reason this is a reliable source is because the ocean never stops moving, as long as the waves still wave, we will have energy with this product.

                 A big concern that is always around is cost. For these terminators the only big cost would be to make them and or fix them if they did have a malfunction. One they are put into action they need little to no maintenance, causing the operation cost to keep to a minimum. This is wouldn’t be a bad price to pay considering the efficiency of them. No matter what way the waves move, they will still supply energy. They also help the shoreline by capturing kinetic energy of the tide. With less power in the waves, they will be weaker when crashing onto the shoreline preventing damage to the shores.

                Wave energy is a safe and efficient alternative source for energy if you take all of these things into mind. Other than helping with heat, electricity, and other power needing products, these devices can also help with the ocean which in all helps our earth have a happy and healthy ecosystem. 

International Homeless Animal Day

                International Homeless Animal Day was started in 1992. The purpose is to bring attention to the countless homeless animals that run the cities and rural towns. Keeping the public aware of the overpopulation of animals is important so the public will want to help with this problem. So far, it has been pretty effective.  

                All 50 states, The District of Columbia, over 50 countries, and 6 continents celebrate this growing problem. In doing so, millions of dogs, cats, and other homeless animals lives have been saved or made better. Some of the activities done are adopt-a-thons, spay/neuter clinics, microchip clinics, speeches from council members, and help from vets and human officers. The groups like ISAR also partake in rallies, dog walks, open houses, ceremonies, live music, raffles, and games.

 

                ISAR hopes to put an end to the killing of innocent animals just because they cannot find room to fit in someone’s life. Millions of dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, rabbits, birds, and other pets lose their lives every day. The third Saturday of August is when International Homeless Animal Day takes place. This day emphasizes just how important it is to get your pet spayed or neutered. Not only is it bad because it displaces babies, but because it is cruel to the mother and offspring if they cannot be properly taken care of.

                Puppy mills are another big problem Homeless Animal Day wants to bring attention to. Keeping mothers in small cages to give birth to a litter over and over again is what a puppy mill does. Those puppies are then put in small cages themselves until they gotten rid of or die. The living condition of these mills are retched and not suitable for a healthy, happy life. Getting animals out of these places and into loving homes is the number one mission.

                This day is also to bring awareness to animal abuse. Some animals may have a home, but not a good one. Being beaten for little things they do wrong or being starved and dehydrated. The organization provides presentations on how to tell if an animal has been abused, and who to get ahold of to make sure it doesn’t happen again. This may mean eviction and relocation of the animal in a better home.

                Ways you can help out would be to foster animals. Go to your local shelter and ask what animals are on the kill list. Taking these animals to your home for just a little longer until they find their forever homes could potentially save their life. If you are thinking of adopting, don’t go to a pet store. Go to a shelter, get an old cat or dog and make their couple years or months the best you can. Celebrate International Homeless Animal Day, adopt a dog, foster a cat, sign petitions to end puppy mills, relocate a lost pet, and help make the world a better place. This day has saved millions of animals lives and will continue to do so if the awareness stays high.

Threats to Coral Reefs

The largest coral reef on this planet is The Great Barrier Reef. Keeping it, and all the other reefs clean is a huge problem. Although humans do a lot to damage the reef, we aren’t the only hazardous things. Natural threats cause a large problem also. Hurricanes, cyclones, other natural disasters that tear up seaweed, anemones, stony corals, reefer rocks, and other habitats. Invasive species, and even coral eating starfish are creating huge damage to the coral reefs.

When coral gets sick, it turns pale, just like we do. It is a living, breathing organism. As humans, we have lots of waste. So where does all of it go? Well a quote from nemo is “All drains lead to the ocean.” Every time you wash your hands, flush something down the toilet, or drop something in a watershed, it will find its way to the ocean. So be aware. Other human devastations include things like oil spills, and over fishing.

The worst oil spill happened in the first Gulf War. Iraqi forces opened up oil valves to slow down the charge of American troops. In doing so, it caused the largest oil spill in history. About 240 million gallons of it spilled into the Persian Gulf. Corals could not handle this large change in their homes and many didn’t survive. It also affected the wild life that uses the corals as homes. Killing many of the fish, octopus, sea snails, reef sharks, eels, sea stars, crabs, shrimp, etc.

As for natural threats, hurricanes, cyclones, and invasive species are the main problem. Just like a hurricane can tear apart our houses, it can ruin the oceans reefs too. Corals are ripped out from their foundation and killed, left to float across the ocean and die on the sea floor. Objects are also carried into the ocean and thrown into coral reefs. There are even predatory starfish that kill coral. If the population of these starfish rises, more and more of the corals are being eaten, destroying the reefs. Although they do not eat an entire coral, they damage them, causing them to get sick and eventually die.

The reason it is so important to keep coral reefs thriving is because they are homes to millions of species. Without them, we would find that many of those species would go extinct. If not extinct, changed, in order to survive. Not only can we help the already damaged coral reefs, but we can help save future reefs. Conserving water, riding bikes or walking, using organic fertilizers, planting trees, and spreading the word are all good ways of putting a positive vibe to coral reefs once again. The goal to strive for is to return them to their original state. Beautiful, healthy, and plentiful.

Overall the reason for damage to coral reefs are natural threats and human threats. We can’t really control nature but we can get rid of human pollution. Signing up for a reef restoration group is a good way to learn more about reefs all over the globe, and how to save them. 

Euthanasia

Euthanasia

Euthanasia is different from assisted suicide, this is the act of deliberately assisting or encouraging another person to kill themselves. Euthanasia is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma.  

Euthanasia is a big thing for the sake of animals who are suffering, but what about human beings? Is it cruel or humane? There are very few places where Euthanasia is actually legal. As of June 2015, The Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia, and Luxembourg are the only foreign countries where euthanasia is legal. In Switzerland, Germany, Japan, assisted suicide is legal. The only U.S. States where euthanasia is legal is Washington, Oregon, Vermont, New Mexico, and Montana.

If euthanasia was legal in all places throughout the world, there would be less terminally ill people who have to suffer through the pain every day. In the European Declaration of Human Rights, it says that there is “the right not to be forced to suffer.” Americans believe that they should be guaranteed that right as well.

Many refer to euthanasia as a “slippery slope” because in ways, could it be considered murder? For example, if someone is in a comma and not coming out of it, how are they supposed to have a say in whether they want to live or die? The family has the right to decide but that doesn’t mean they know what the patient wants. On the other hand, if the patient does want to go rather than suffering any longer and the family or doctor decides to keep them alive, it could be almost a punishment.

Physicians have their own opinion on the topic to, especially since they are the ones partaking in the operation. A survey in the United States of more than 10,000 doctors concluded that about 16% of physicians would consider pausing life-sustaining therapy because of the patient’s family. About 55% would not do this. The last 29% said they would decide depending on the circumstances. Another study showed that most of the physician’s decisions would come after they surveyed the situation and what was really going on, what they thought would be best for the patient

An Australian physician that investigates Euthanasia and its effects is afraid that this could lead to how-to-commit-suicide clinics. Causing even more death then just if Euthanasia was legalized in all countries. That more and more people are going to be given information about “the best way to kill yourself” according to a times story “if they choose to die, they should be helped to

properly do it”

This is not what euthanasia was

originally made for, it was to help people in commas or patients who were vegetables, not for ones that just want to make the decision to die. Although this topic can be a slippery slope it is a big one. We need to decide as a community weather this is a good decision or not. This could help helpless patient in pain, but, it could also cause an increase in unreasonable deaths.