Well, i just so happen to be a huge-time birder and nature lover, so i guess Earth Day means a lot to me. The ideas and basis of Earth Day, of course. You see, Earth Day is just ONE day of the year, and it hardly celebrates any victory since mankind is constantly trashing and spoiling the earth. CONSTANTLY. DAY AND NIGHT. EVERY SECOND.
I mean, to me, I just think it's kind of pathetic how people f*** up their planet and all they can do is turn the idea into some little hallmark holiday with a half-hearted message. It's like, "Gee, mankind. What's the point of Earth Day when half the world doesn't even celebrate it?" We'll just celebrate Earth Day once a year, pretend like we care, and just continue to screw up the environment like normal.
And I'm sorry if I'm sounding like a pessimist, but seriously: There's not enough people who care about the environment. I remember seeing rainforests being cut down to make retirement homes when i was in Panama, and i remember tour guide saying,
"It's a sad, crazy, beautiful world. For every person trying to save this planet, there are two people doing the exact opposite."
I mean, for me personally, I believe every day should be Earth Day. I strongly advocate environmentalist views and policies. I treasure the environment above all else- and i'm dead serious about that. I'm almost part of it- and it kills me to see people abusing it.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
What Motivates me
They say knowledge is power, and that phrase alone may explain why i enjoy learning certain things. Knowledge indeed makes me powerful- and i appreciate this power especially when my power is weak in other aspects of life. My thirst for knowledge is a great motivating tool when it comes to science, social studies, or learning philosophy.
So in this sense, i guess knowledge is my motivation. Without knowledge, wouldn't have anything to think about. And i love thinking. Pondering, hypothesizing, imagining, questioning; you name it. That's just a fun thing for me. I love to think and analyze when I'm bored. Knowledge helps develop my thinking.
But i guess i can still be picky about what kind of knowledge i absorb. Anything that applies to my life is good. Birds, biology, eco-science, philosophy, and behavioral studies tend to be some of my best motivators. Math on the other hand, sucks.
I have no motivation to learn calculus or any other sort of high math. The knowledge I glean from math is almost always dull and uninteresting. It's boring, tedious, and repetitive. It's like carrying boxes up and down a flight of stairs. There's nothing interesting to it. Sure, it helps build problem-solving skills, but other than that, it just seems pointless.
You can't have a philosophical discussion on math figures.
So in this sense, i guess knowledge is my motivation. Without knowledge, wouldn't have anything to think about. And i love thinking. Pondering, hypothesizing, imagining, questioning; you name it. That's just a fun thing for me. I love to think and analyze when I'm bored. Knowledge helps develop my thinking.
But i guess i can still be picky about what kind of knowledge i absorb. Anything that applies to my life is good. Birds, biology, eco-science, philosophy, and behavioral studies tend to be some of my best motivators. Math on the other hand, sucks.
I have no motivation to learn calculus or any other sort of high math. The knowledge I glean from math is almost always dull and uninteresting. It's boring, tedious, and repetitive. It's like carrying boxes up and down a flight of stairs. There's nothing interesting to it. Sure, it helps build problem-solving skills, but other than that, it just seems pointless.
You can't have a philosophical discussion on math figures.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Science and Politics
Ok, I see. I'm supposed to somehow connect science and politics. Ok. How about that Global Warming? Global warming today is by far the biggest science-related issue in politics. It completely dwarves stem-cell research, particle acceleration, and cancer studies in comparison.
I say this because the sudden, horrific realization of climate change is finally forcing mankind to recognize his destructive behavior and begin the long road towards repairing the environment. This incentive to repair the Earth before it spirals out of control has sparked countless technological innovations and ideas for alternative lifestyles. No more carbon emissions. No more cars. Clean energy. Fluorescent light-bulbs. Shade-grown coffee. Carbon sequestration. Cutting down on pollution....
So it's really giving the whole world a reason to care for the environment. Global warming is tied in with hundreds of other scientific studies and concerns after all. Just think of all the the innovations that have been inspired by the idea of "going green".
Unfortunately, these changes, innovations, and levels of awareness have only BARELY started to show among Earth's population. The fact that climate change is an ongoing process has thus turned it into a race against time. Earth's people must change DRASTICALLY in order to prevent global warming from doing any further damage to the Earth's ecosystem. Scientists estimate that the polar ice caps could melt in as little as 50 years, and by that time, we'll start to see some REALLY ugly shit happening. So we have to act now. And this is what various political leaders are trying to do.
The amount of research that has gone into global climate change is incredible, yet we're still missing alot of key facts regarding our future situation.
WE NEED MORE SCIENTISTS!!!!!!!!!
I say this because the sudden, horrific realization of climate change is finally forcing mankind to recognize his destructive behavior and begin the long road towards repairing the environment. This incentive to repair the Earth before it spirals out of control has sparked countless technological innovations and ideas for alternative lifestyles. No more carbon emissions. No more cars. Clean energy. Fluorescent light-bulbs. Shade-grown coffee. Carbon sequestration. Cutting down on pollution....
So it's really giving the whole world a reason to care for the environment. Global warming is tied in with hundreds of other scientific studies and concerns after all. Just think of all the the innovations that have been inspired by the idea of "going green".
Unfortunately, these changes, innovations, and levels of awareness have only BARELY started to show among Earth's population. The fact that climate change is an ongoing process has thus turned it into a race against time. Earth's people must change DRASTICALLY in order to prevent global warming from doing any further damage to the Earth's ecosystem. Scientists estimate that the polar ice caps could melt in as little as 50 years, and by that time, we'll start to see some REALLY ugly shit happening. So we have to act now. And this is what various political leaders are trying to do.
The amount of research that has gone into global climate change is incredible, yet we're still missing alot of key facts regarding our future situation.
WE NEED MORE SCIENTISTS!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Nuclear Power (yeeeeahhhhh- no, wait, maybe not. idk)
the Question: Should we use nuclear power as an alternative energy source?
I'm personally leaning towards yes, but before i explain, I'll admit that i still know relatively little in terms of the subject. I'm not exactly what you'd call "an expert" on nuclear power (or any alternative energy for that matter).
Still, I believe ANY alternative energy would be better than what we have now. Nuclear power is much cleaner than our current fossil fuels. In comparsion to some of the other alternative sources, nuclear power yields far more energy. A single nuclear power plant could easily produce almost 5 times the amount of energy from a similarly-sized wind farm. So it's not only cleaner, but it's also quite cost-efficient.
The threat of a nuclear meltdown is greatly exaggerated. When it comes to nuclear power, or even the word "nuclear", the first thing most people imagine is the Hiroshima bomb, people getting cancer, or the meltdown at Chernobyl. But what most people don't realize is how much technology has improved since those events. Scientists are still finding ways to make nuclear power safer and safer. With today's nuclear containment technology, the chances of having one of these "nuclear leaks" are very slim. Now that doesn't mean they can't happen, but the fear of having such a meltdown is still mostly irrational.
After considering plenty of other energy sources, i still believe that nuclear power is one of the best choices. Again, it's cost-efficient, it's got good potential, it's been very well-researched, and best of all, it's not nearly as demanding on the environment. That's what i like about nuclear power.
Coal and fossil fuels pollute the air, fill the skies with smog, and promote global warming. Hydroelectric dams are inefficient and responsible for disrupting river ecosystems. Wind farms serve as death traps to birds. And worst of all, there's ethanol. Ethanol has got to be one of the worst possible schemes on this planet.
Anyways, that's a different story.
I'm personally leaning towards yes, but before i explain, I'll admit that i still know relatively little in terms of the subject. I'm not exactly what you'd call "an expert" on nuclear power (or any alternative energy for that matter).
Still, I believe ANY alternative energy would be better than what we have now. Nuclear power is much cleaner than our current fossil fuels. In comparsion to some of the other alternative sources, nuclear power yields far more energy. A single nuclear power plant could easily produce almost 5 times the amount of energy from a similarly-sized wind farm. So it's not only cleaner, but it's also quite cost-efficient.
The threat of a nuclear meltdown is greatly exaggerated. When it comes to nuclear power, or even the word "nuclear", the first thing most people imagine is the Hiroshima bomb, people getting cancer, or the meltdown at Chernobyl. But what most people don't realize is how much technology has improved since those events. Scientists are still finding ways to make nuclear power safer and safer. With today's nuclear containment technology, the chances of having one of these "nuclear leaks" are very slim. Now that doesn't mean they can't happen, but the fear of having such a meltdown is still mostly irrational.
After considering plenty of other energy sources, i still believe that nuclear power is one of the best choices. Again, it's cost-efficient, it's got good potential, it's been very well-researched, and best of all, it's not nearly as demanding on the environment. That's what i like about nuclear power.
Coal and fossil fuels pollute the air, fill the skies with smog, and promote global warming. Hydroelectric dams are inefficient and responsible for disrupting river ecosystems. Wind farms serve as death traps to birds. And worst of all, there's ethanol. Ethanol has got to be one of the worst possible schemes on this planet.
Anyways, that's a different story.
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