Blog Fifteen: For Feinstien

Dear Senator Feinstein,

I believe that there are may things for us to be able to help this dying environment. First thing first, every piece of plastic should be recycled. There should be a fine for no recycling. Did you know that only 20% of plastics are recycled. We need to seriously change that. Another thing we should do is unplug our appliances and get people aware about the vampire appliances. We soend over 3 million a year because of them according to ScienceDaily website. There are some plugs that don't suck the energy from appliances. Those should be given out. People should also try to conserve water. They not only waste water, but they are taking advantage of our society. IN many countries, people don't have any clen water. These are just some small suggestions. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Lauren

Blog Twelve: What's the point?

Pesticides are horrible. They may take away certain diseases from plants or even "protect" the plants, but th long term effect is more worst than anythig else. They cause diseases like cancer or brain damage. Especially for younger children who are developing. INfact many pests become resistant to the pesticides and then continue to cause damage. When they become resistant, even more stronger pesticides need to be used. When does the madness stop? There is literally no end in sight. People don't realize that food could be done organic with little or even no pesticides. It may be at a higher price tag, but what many people have forgotten is that, when your dead, you will not have any more money, ao you might as well spend it for a good cause.

Blog Eleven: Unfortunate, but Real

Farmer Berry was sued by a company that owned a pesticide which had gotten on his farmland. He didn't even use it, but the company truck had passed by his land and the wind had blown onto the land, effecting his pesticides. He had to give lots of money to the already-rich company, and get rid of any and all of his seeds that his family and him had collected for many decades. This really isn't fair, however, it just goes to show how strong coroperate america is nowadays. There isn't really much to learn from this expiernce he has had other than sink down to the rulers of this world, and stand by and watch as they destroy what was once good about this beautiful world. What would have been better was if the company had just left him alone, or to have him give a certain amount of money, but there is not such thing as happy endings in this now-cruel, dying world

Blog Ten: A Vegetarians Caution

I noticed that I don't have enough protein in my system. Since I'm a vegetarian I need lots of protein. It is unfortunate that I don't have enough protein because I do want to be healthy, still I don't really have enough time to eat protein filled foods. I usually just grab something quick like a bag of chips. I know that if I want to be a vegetarian I have to be very detailed of what goes in my body. I need to remember to take my vitamins or each more healthy, yet vitamin filled foods like yogurt and cheese. Even a bowl of whole grain with milk will do the trick. Whole Grain is a nessessary food for me.

Blog Nine: Mopane worms

The mopane worm is a type of moth that is often eaten in Africa. It has a high source of protein. IN Africa, a person can easily buy a can of these suckers and eat it. They usually have to have their guts squeezed out before being eaten. A common way to eat them is by boiling them, then placing them in a frying pan with onion and tomatoes. They are about 60% crude protein, 17% crude fat, and 11% minerals. Some people may even eat them in soups or just like a regualr snack. They live in semi-desert regions, like Africa.

Blog Eight: Niche?

One thing that seems to confuse me about Chapter 7 is the concept of Niche. I don't understand the differences between the two Niche's; Fundamental Niche and the Realized Niche. Is one Niche suppose to be more dominate than the other, like the Brown Anole being dominate over the Green anole. I ask because the Brown anole took over parts of florida which the Green anole occupied at first. The green anole were pushed out into the wetlands because the brown are certainly much more bigger, even though they came from Cuba and aren't native to Florida. This is just something that still seems to confuss me and I would be glad if it were to become clear.

Blog Seven: Dear Senator Moor,

My name is Lauren Ramirez and I am a concered citizen of California. The poplation in America has increase over the past years. Not just here, but all over the world as well. I believe that a solution to this may seem radical and even no clear. However, we could always try in improving the future. A reproduction policy might be needed, even though it does seem to bizzare. We don't have to nesseccarily have a reproduction policy, since we are Americans and it goes way beyond the constitution. What we could have is a better knowledge of this. We could teach it to teens and younge adults who seem eager to have sex and not kow the consequences, or rather not care of them. Any sort of methods to decrease the early pregnencies, which seems to be increasing as well. As long as we try to stay as far away from a reproductive policy. It would just be hypocritical to do so in the "Land of the Free".

Blog Six: No Babies, Still People

A population growth really seems to depend on the baby growth. However, 2 other factors may also help the population growth, even if the baby growth weren't increasng. One of the two is Immigration. If there was an increase in the immigration rate, then the population will increase as well. More people entering the country means more people in the country that does not involve the painful hours of labor. The second way of increasing the population number is the death rate lowering. If there was less sicknesses, then there would be less deaths. This would cause the population to stable, if not increase it from the previous years were death rates were high or even average. These 2 do help with keeping population average and if not even increase it without any newborns. So, if we wanted human population in the world to lower itself, then we shouldn't just be concerned about teen pregnencies, but also immigration and a person's health. Then again, if peple were to immigrate, the only difference it would make of them is the different location. Unless of course, if they have children. Which leads back to pregnencies. Confusing.

Blog Five: Death By Humans

I believe that around the world, because of humans greedy lives, many different biomes are being affected. It is extremly hard to pick one in specific, so I will pick the one I'm worried for the most. The one tht helped changed my life into becoming a full-on vegetarian. The oceanic biomes of the world are in great danger. These fish are very fragile. They do not know how to react to the human things in their environment. For instance, trash is being thrown straight into the ocean. Humans are littering and not caring about the end results, which will be no more ALL YOU CAN EAT SEAFOOD at "Joe's Lobster House" (made up resturant, by the way). Sea animals are eating non-recycled objects which contain toxic chemicals. This DOES effect the animals, and people DO eat those animals!

Something else with this habitat that cannot protect themselves is Dolphine slaughters and tradings that take place around the world. One infamous place would be a cove located in Japan, which was documented in the film "The Cove". This film exposed the truth about entertainment dolphines in show-case amusment parks like "Sea World". Not only entertainment, but also humans apetite for these beautiful creatures.

In the end, would it be worht it? All the new and improved devices? Devices with toxic chemicals which will effect your $30-something lobster meal. The family trips to see killer whales kill yet another trainer? Their not called killer whales for nothing and they're not meant to be enclosed. Yes, this biome is in grave danger, but so are so many, many others. The question is, "Will we be able to stop this madness?"

Blog Four: Species & Biome & Biome & Species

A species can have a big impact on a biome, and vis versa. How this could be is by a species entering a biome whome is completely transformed from that biome. For instance, if a fox were to a forest biome, then the rabbit population would decrease because the fox will eat them all. When the foxes eat them all, their reproduction will increase as a result. Since the rabbits population decrease, other populations which depend on the rabbit will decrease as well. Rabbits eat many vegetations, so with their decreas, plants will flourish. A biome could affect a speicies because the species would have to learn to adapt to the environment. For instance, if the fox isn't use to cold weather and the forest is cold, then over time, the fox may gain thicker fur to protect itself. These are just a few examples of how they affect one another.

Blog Three: The River Habitat

A river is fresh water, which usually flows to the ocean, a lake, or even another river. Its animals include those of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and insects. These organisms respond to changes in river channel locations and pattern of flow. All the wildlife in and around a river depends on what way the river is flowing, as well as what the entering water brings and what the exit water removes. Each animal realy do depend on one another to live, so rivers are a special place for them. A river is part of the "hydrological cycle", which is when water from such a place is usually collected from precipitaion and other water resources. A river may also be known as a stream, but it all depends on it's size. So, this makes the river a very strange and unique form of water.

Blog Two: Tundra

I would like to visit a tundra biome. I love cold and open spaces. Tundras usually have these characteristics. A place that may be a tundra area would be Alaska. I have always wanted to go to Alaska. There mountains are just magnificent and there wild life seems amazing. Something that made me catch the attention of Alaska is th book Into the Wild. The young man who traveled up there certainly showed it's danger, but also the peace and quiet. I love being in the open and "one with nature". It makes me feel more connected with the earth and more alive than anything else.

Blog One: Relationships Between Organisms

The only relationships that people may assume are going on on Alhambra High School are those of students. However, at a closer look, there are other relationships happening on campus. One relationship is that of worms and plants. They both need one another to survive. Worms eat the soil around plants and when they release it from there system, the soil becomes filled with nutrients, which help the plants to survive. Another of these relationships involve weeds with other plants. For instance, when weeds aren't removed, they continue to grow until they reach a plant. The weeds compete with plants on getting nutrients, and sooner or later, the plant will be defeated and die. A final relationship which is happening on campus is between humans and small mammals. Opossums usually eat the left over food of students and staff on campus. It is easier for them to do so than to hunt for their own food. Many students do not finish all there food and it stays on campus over night, waiting to be feasted on by the little, hungry critters.