by Ethan Marshall
Look out the window. Now imagine that entire green expanse becoming bare and desolate. For many people around the world this could become a reality too soon. Around the world today we lose 100,000 Km2 of forest every year ("Global Deforestation"). That's an area four times the size of Vermont. At this rate we risk losing all of the world's remaining rainforests over the next 90 years. So why should we care? They're just trees, right? Wrong. The disappearance of these forests can spell disaster for many species and have a widespread effect on our environment and mankind.
Forests are our planet's natural way of converting CO2 back into oxygen. The Amazon rainforest alone contributes nearly 20% of the world's oxygen ("Amazon Rainforest"). Clearly, if these massive forests were to disappear our air quality would plummet as our air became increasingly filled with poisonous CO2 gasses. Additionally, agricultural clearing of land causes most deforestation. Most of this clearing is done using slash and burn techniques. The trees burned in this process account for nearly one third of man-made carbon emissions ("Global Deforestation"). This combination of massive carbon emissions with an ever decreasing ability to turn CO2 into oxygen, plays a large role in global warming.
The destruction of these forests also poses large problems for local animal and plant species. Scientists estimate that "130 species of plants, animals, and insects are lost every day." ("Amazon Rainforest")This is a huge risk. Since we have not properly studied many of these species we do not understand what role they may play in the global ecosystem and therefore cannot accurately predict the ramifications of their extinction. Also we are potentially throwing away invaluable medical resources. Currently 25% of drugs in the United States owe their active ingredients to plants from the rainforest ("Facts and figures - on deforestation"). Only a fraction of the rainforest plants have been discovered let alone considered for medical purposes.
Deforestation is also the primary cause of desertification. Trees allow a region to retain water in a number of ways. First, the trees shade the ground. This keeps summer heat from drying out moist farmable land. Additionally, trees:
Transport great quantities of water to the atmosphere via plant transpiration. (Water is taken up by plant roots, bringing dissolved minerals into plant tissues. Plants exchange gases with the atmosphere through openings in their leaves, and lose water in the same way. That water loss provides the plant with a means to transport materials upwards, and so is beneficial, so long as water loss is not excessive). Much of that transpired water replenishes the clouds and rain that maintain the rain forest. If the forest is cut, much more of that rain will become river water, flow to distant seas, and the region will become permanently drier. ("Global Deforestation").
In this process excess water is evaporated from plant leaves back into the atmosphere to fall again as rain. Without this process this excess water creates increased flow in rivers and streams that carry this water away from the land and off to distant seas and oceans. As a result many deforested areas dry out at an alarming rate.
Extensive deforestation can also result in more extreme natural disasters such as floods and land slides. With no trees to soak up excess rain, rivers overflow much more quickly. This has been proven by the fact that as deforestation continues in Brazil, the Amazon River's flood crest has increased over the past years without any measurable increase in rainfall ("Global Deforestation"). These more prevalent and extreme floods can be dangerous to people and cause extensive damage to property and crops. Without trees large areas of land are much more susceptible to erosion and landslides which can be both dangerous and harmful.
In May of 2004 nearly 1700 Haitians lost their lives to rising floodwaters ("Dominican, Haiti floods death toll nears 2,000")."Police officer Juan de la Cruz Mota Dotel said he lost two of his children and his wife in the disaster, along with 22 other members of his extended family. A third child, a 3-year-old daughter, survived, clinging onto a gravestone in a cemetery" ("Dominican, Haiti floods death toll nears 2,000"). The storm swept away possessions, homes, crops and friends and family. A major reason for the extent of the damages is the deforestation on Haiti. The Haitian half of the island is nearly 98% cleared ("Haiti Floods Due To Deforestation"). In contrast, on the more lush Dominican side of the island the death toll was a mere 300 and most of them were near the Haitian border. This is a clear indication of the difference trees can make.
Wangari Maathai returned to her hometown in Kenya after ten years in the United States to find it ravaged by the effects of deforestation. The women of her village had to walk miles to find fuel to cook the nightly meal, soil eroded and blew off fields, the land was dry, there was little clean water and the children suffered from malnutrition. Maathai aimed to fix these problems with something as simple as planting trees. She started with seven trees and has developed her vision to repair the Earth into an organization called the Green Belt Movement with a goal of planting over a billion trees. The trees she has planted have brought life back to many devastated villages. The trees provide shade, help reverse desertification, prevent erosion, supply fuel and are capable of growing nutrition fruits to combat malnutrition. ("About Wangari Maathai")
Currently there are numerous groups and organizations at the local, regional and global levels like the Green Belt Movement that are working with the simple goal of planting trees. While this is helpful there are some more wide reaching groups such as the Save America's Forests organization, which has some extensive work to pass legislation in the United States to diminish deforestation and begin to rebuild.
Ultimately we need to realize that we cannot successfully exist without large forests and we must take legal action to ensure that they are preserved. Governments around the world could set aside land as wild life preserves, national forests and national parks. Additionally, we need more legislation around the globe to outlaw clear cutting of forest land.
Another major improvement would be for farmers and loggers to work together. For instance if a farmer needs cleared land it should be properly logged so that the cut timber goes to good use instead of being needlessly burned. This would cut down on CO2 emissions and supply much needed timber so that other trees could be left alone.
While it would be hard to do any of this yourself there are definitely some small steps you can take to combat global deforestation. The first and most basic is to conserve. Recycle your paper, buy reusable bags to carry your groceries and pay bills online. The next step up would be to make a donation to an organization like Green Belt Movement or write to your senator to support forestry bills such as the Save America's Forest Act. Finally there is the most obvious. Go out and plant a tree.
If you wish to make a donation here are the links to some organizations including Green Belt Movement: and The World Wildlife Organization
Here is the link to Save America's Forests where you will find
information on the bill and organization as well as a link to email
your senator: Click Here
Monday, June 23, 2008
The Rising Cost of Higher Education
by Jen S.
Can you imagine working as hard as you can throughout high school, getting the grades and the GPA that could get you into any college, and then not being able to go? This is not just an image, but a reality. I know a senior who graduated this year, who is a prime example of this harsh reality. He worked his way through high school, had a high enough of a GPA to wear the gold sash around his neck when he graduated. He applied to many amazing schools, and got in, but ended up declining because he couldn’t afford to go. He even had to take a year off of school, something I know that he didn’t want to do, to earn enough money to pay for an in-state college next year. And the thing is, he isn’t from a poor family. His parents are willing to help him pay for college. He even applied for financial aid and got some money, but just not enough. I am pretty sure that all the people in this class have started to think about college. Thinking about how much fun it will be to be away from your parents and to finally be on your own to make your own decisions. But one of the big downers about college is the cost.
Did you know that as the years go by, the costs of college are paying a roll in the students final decision to go or not. Studies show that college costs are rising and that college students and families can expect to pay anywhere from $95 to $1,404 more than last years tuition and fees (2007-2008 College Cost). Along with that, $371 to $406 more than last year will be spent on room and board all depending on the college (2007-2008 College Cost). Because the costs are so high, and keep rising, students, no matter how smart, are unable to reach the fullest of potential when earning an education. This effects the society because not as many people with a preferred education are able to help the s
ociety. I found a graph that shows the amount of earnings that one person can attain with different levels of education.
It shows that with just a high school diploma, someone is bound to attain about 1.2 million dollars in their lifetime. But it also shows that with a professional degree, someone can make about 4.4 million dollars in their lifetime. That is about four times as much money that one person could make in their lifetime with a college degree. College is worth it, but being able to afford it can be the deciding decision for some people about whether to go or not.
One story that caught my eye when I was looking through different articles about college education cost was one about a grandfather and his grandchildren. The article wrote, “On Oct. 8, 1956, New York Yankees pitcher Don Larsen retired one Brooklyn Dodger after another for nine straight innings until a final called strike distinguished his performance as the only perfect game in World Series history. As stunning as his final pitch was in closing the door on perfection, the ball itself now may be used to open doors for Larsen’s grandchildren. Concerned about the rising cost of college education, Larsen is auctioning that last pitched ball, as well as the glove he wore on that day 46 years age, to try to pay for the education of his grandchildren” (Hickey). This just goes to show that even really famous, rich people can’t afford to send their kids, or in this case grandkids, to college without doing something drastic to try to come-up with the money.
Some ways that students can try to get help with paying for college are applying for Financial Aid, applying for as many scholarships as possible, and try to work as much as you can to earn the money. One organization that is really working hard to increase the FY 2009 budget, and get it approved is the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, or US.PIRG for short, and the United States Student Association. Both these associations are looking to help students in any way possible, and help increase the money that is used in financial aid and scholarships.
College is one of the most important parts of life and not everyone can afford to go, even if they deserve to go. There isn’t very much that each of us in this room can do to help ourselves to help pay for college, but we can influence the next generation on how they can go about saving their money, and getting jobs to help fund those accounts used to save money. People need to start planning and saving when they are at a very young age and possibly set up a trust fund that is able to open when the student reaches the age that they will be going to college. Another thing that people with trust funds can do, is to use the money they have in the trust fund, and to let the people who don’t have a trust fund, and who don’t have the money, apply for scholarships so they have a chance at an education too. Our call to action is to help the two organizations that I mentioned get the FY2009 budget to pass by all signing this letter to our representative, and mailing it to him for support.
Two Links:
To learn more, and do more with the two organizations above, go to this site and look around to see what else you can become a part of to help lower the costs of college. Click HERE
.
And in order to become more educated on your college experience and the ones of kids younger than you, click HERE
.
Can you imagine working as hard as you can throughout high school, getting the grades and the GPA that could get you into any college, and then not being able to go? This is not just an image, but a reality. I know a senior who graduated this year, who is a prime example of this harsh reality. He worked his way through high school, had a high enough of a GPA to wear the gold sash around his neck when he graduated. He applied to many amazing schools, and got in, but ended up declining because he couldn’t afford to go. He even had to take a year off of school, something I know that he didn’t want to do, to earn enough money to pay for an in-state college next year. And the thing is, he isn’t from a poor family. His parents are willing to help him pay for college. He even applied for financial aid and got some money, but just not enough. I am pretty sure that all the people in this class have started to think about college. Thinking about how much fun it will be to be away from your parents and to finally be on your own to make your own decisions. But one of the big downers about college is the cost.
Did you know that as the years go by, the costs of college are paying a roll in the students final decision to go or not. Studies show that college costs are rising and that college students and families can expect to pay anywhere from $95 to $1,404 more than last years tuition and fees (2007-2008 College Cost). Along with that, $371 to $406 more than last year will be spent on room and board all depending on the college (2007-2008 College Cost). Because the costs are so high, and keep rising, students, no matter how smart, are unable to reach the fullest of potential when earning an education. This effects the society because not as many people with a preferred education are able to help the s
ociety. I found a graph that shows the amount of earnings that one person can attain with different levels of education.
It shows that with just a high school diploma, someone is bound to attain about 1.2 million dollars in their lifetime. But it also shows that with a professional degree, someone can make about 4.4 million dollars in their lifetime. That is about four times as much money that one person could make in their lifetime with a college degree. College is worth it, but being able to afford it can be the deciding decision for some people about whether to go or not.
One story that caught my eye when I was looking through different articles about college education cost was one about a grandfather and his grandchildren. The article wrote, “On Oct. 8, 1956, New York Yankees pitcher Don Larsen retired one Brooklyn Dodger after another for nine straight innings until a final called strike distinguished his performance as the only perfect game in World Series history. As stunning as his final pitch was in closing the door on perfection, the ball itself now may be used to open doors for Larsen’s grandchildren. Concerned about the rising cost of college education, Larsen is auctioning that last pitched ball, as well as the glove he wore on that day 46 years age, to try to pay for the education of his grandchildren” (Hickey). This just goes to show that even really famous, rich people can’t afford to send their kids, or in this case grandkids, to college without doing something drastic to try to come-up with the money.
Some ways that students can try to get help with paying for college are applying for Financial Aid, applying for as many scholarships as possible, and try to work as much as you can to earn the money. One organization that is really working hard to increase the FY 2009 budget, and get it approved is the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, or US.PIRG for short, and the United States Student Association. Both these associations are looking to help students in any way possible, and help increase the money that is used in financial aid and scholarships.
College is one of the most important parts of life and not everyone can afford to go, even if they deserve to go. There isn’t very much that each of us in this room can do to help ourselves to help pay for college, but we can influence the next generation on how they can go about saving their money, and getting jobs to help fund those accounts used to save money. People need to start planning and saving when they are at a very young age and possibly set up a trust fund that is able to open when the student reaches the age that they will be going to college. Another thing that people with trust funds can do, is to use the money they have in the trust fund, and to let the people who don’t have a trust fund, and who don’t have the money, apply for scholarships so they have a chance at an education too. Our call to action is to help the two organizations that I mentioned get the FY2009 budget to pass by all signing this letter to our representative, and mailing it to him for support.
Two Links:
To learn more, and do more with the two organizations above, go to this site and look around to see what else you can become a part of to help lower the costs of college. Click HERE
And in order to become more educated on your college experience and the ones of kids younger than you, click HERE
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Stop The Slaughter of an American Icon
Horse abuse and slaughter is a very personal topic for me. I’ve owned horses since I was a little girl and two of the horses I’ve owned have been rescue horses. The first horse I owned was whisper. We got her from my moms’ friend Laurel, who bought her at a horse auction in Canada. Whisper was headed for the slaughter house but Laurel bought her and we nursed her back into good health. When we first got whisper she was so thin you could see her ribs. She had massive scars along her flanks and her main tail and coat weren’t looking so good. She had a hard time trusting us and spooked a lot so we knew that she had been abused. To nurse her back into health we gradually increased her food intake and gave her minerals to add shine to her coat and deal with medical issues. Unfortunately when I was in sixth grade we had to put her down due to arthritis in her knees.
My family also owns a pony, peaches and cream that was also rescued by Laurel. The owners didn’t want her because she was a mistake. She too was going to be auctioned to a slaughterhouse at only five months old. My family took her in and we’ve been doing our best to keep her going although it’s been a struggle. Peaches has terrible problems with her hooves so she can only have small amounts of food. If she eats too much then she’ll most likely founder and die. Recently she foundered and we almost had to put her down because her bone was about to go through her hoof. We tried a new treatment and for the time being she’s okay.
When I looked further into the topic of horses being shipped to slaughter houses I was surprised at what I found. There are three foreign owned plants in the US – two in Texas and one in Illinois.(1) In one year a total of 88,000 horses, mules and other equines were slaughtered as compared to the yearly average of around 100,000. Thousands of other equines are shipped across the boarder to Canada for Slaughter. The meat doesn’t even stay in the US it’s exported to European and Asian countries such as; Belgium, France, Italy, and Japan. (3) The meat that does remain within the states is used in zoos. (1)
Any horse is susceptible to slaughter; ponies, show horses, family horses, retired show horses, and abused horses. The majority of stolen horses are also slaughtered because a thief can make an easy $300-700 and the evidence is destroyed. A surprising 90% of horses slaughtered are young and healthy. (3)
I found that in 2005 congress voted 263-146 to ban the slaughter of horses for meat but, instead of banning it, congress yanked the salaries and expenses of federal inspectors. (1) The Bush administration started charging slaughter plants for inspections and slaughter had thus continued. Rep. John Sweeney who supports the ban of horse slaughter for meat argued that the slaughter of horses is different from the slaughter of cattle and chickens because horses are American icons. On the other hand defenders of horse slaughter say that horse slaughter offers a cheap and easy way to end a horse’s life when the animal is no longer useful. (1)
I was most upset when I looked into the treatment and transport of horses going to slaughterhouses. Federal regulations permit horses to be transported in crowded, dangerous, double-deck trailers, where the animals may languish for more than 24 hours without food or water. (4) Slaughterhouse workers have been known to beat horses around the neck, head, backs, and legs in order to move the animals into the “kill box”. Also US law requires that horses and other livestock be unable to feel pain before they are killed. In order to render the horse unconscious workers use a captive bolt gun which shoots a metal rod into the horse’s brain. (4) However, some horses are improperly stunned and are still conscious when they are hoisted by a rear leg to have their throat cut.
Luckily there are several horse and rescue sanctuaries that dedicate their time to saving horses headed for the slaughter house. There is People helping horses, a locally based, nationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to improving human-horse relationships through education, rehab, and support for both horse-owners and professionals. The organizations common focus areas are; educating children and those new to horses, strengthening horse protection regulations, promoting good stewardship of the animals and the land on which they live, therapeutic riding for those with disabilities, and caring for abused, abandoned, neglected, and other horses in need. (5) The Shiloh horse rescue and sanctuary works alongside the angel acres horse haven rescue. Shiloh horse rescue, Rescues thoroughbreds, mustangs, quarter horses, draft horses, mules, ponies, burros, standardbreds and any horse in need. Angel acres horse haven rescue has a fund set up specifically to rescue horses that are in immediate danger of going to slaughter. All proceeds from the fund go to rescue horses that are standing in killer pens, feedlots, or are about to board the truck to the slaughter plant. (4)
Together we can make a difference. You can help make a difference by either virtually adopting a horse or actually adopting a horse. For more information you can go to this sitehttp://www.peoplehelpinghorses.com/?gclid=CODr2oOD6pMCFRfAQAodChQJWQ or this sitehttp://www.angelacreshorsehavenrescue.com/shilohangelacres.html?gclid=CMP2lLaD6pMCFSASQQodxTvAWg Another way you can contribute is by going to http://www.horseincorp.org/Abuse.html and reading about horse abuse and what you can do to stop it. All it takes to make a difference is to learn the facts and share them with others.
My family also owns a pony, peaches and cream that was also rescued by Laurel. The owners didn’t want her because she was a mistake. She too was going to be auctioned to a slaughterhouse at only five months old. My family took her in and we’ve been doing our best to keep her going although it’s been a struggle. Peaches has terrible problems with her hooves so she can only have small amounts of food. If she eats too much then she’ll most likely founder and die. Recently she foundered and we almost had to put her down because her bone was about to go through her hoof. We tried a new treatment and for the time being she’s okay.
When I looked further into the topic of horses being shipped to slaughter houses I was surprised at what I found. There are three foreign owned plants in the US – two in Texas and one in Illinois.(1) In one year a total of 88,000 horses, mules and other equines were slaughtered as compared to the yearly average of around 100,000. Thousands of other equines are shipped across the boarder to Canada for Slaughter. The meat doesn’t even stay in the US it’s exported to European and Asian countries such as; Belgium, France, Italy, and Japan. (3) The meat that does remain within the states is used in zoos. (1)
Any horse is susceptible to slaughter; ponies, show horses, family horses, retired show horses, and abused horses. The majority of stolen horses are also slaughtered because a thief can make an easy $300-700 and the evidence is destroyed. A surprising 90% of horses slaughtered are young and healthy. (3)
I found that in 2005 congress voted 263-146 to ban the slaughter of horses for meat but, instead of banning it, congress yanked the salaries and expenses of federal inspectors. (1) The Bush administration started charging slaughter plants for inspections and slaughter had thus continued. Rep. John Sweeney who supports the ban of horse slaughter for meat argued that the slaughter of horses is different from the slaughter of cattle and chickens because horses are American icons. On the other hand defenders of horse slaughter say that horse slaughter offers a cheap and easy way to end a horse’s life when the animal is no longer useful. (1)
I was most upset when I looked into the treatment and transport of horses going to slaughterhouses. Federal regulations permit horses to be transported in crowded, dangerous, double-deck trailers, where the animals may languish for more than 24 hours without food or water. (4) Slaughterhouse workers have been known to beat horses around the neck, head, backs, and legs in order to move the animals into the “kill box”. Also US law requires that horses and other livestock be unable to feel pain before they are killed. In order to render the horse unconscious workers use a captive bolt gun which shoots a metal rod into the horse’s brain. (4) However, some horses are improperly stunned and are still conscious when they are hoisted by a rear leg to have their throat cut.
Luckily there are several horse and rescue sanctuaries that dedicate their time to saving horses headed for the slaughter house. There is People helping horses, a locally based, nationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to improving human-horse relationships through education, rehab, and support for both horse-owners and professionals. The organizations common focus areas are; educating children and those new to horses, strengthening horse protection regulations, promoting good stewardship of the animals and the land on which they live, therapeutic riding for those with disabilities, and caring for abused, abandoned, neglected, and other horses in need. (5) The Shiloh horse rescue and sanctuary works alongside the angel acres horse haven rescue. Shiloh horse rescue, Rescues thoroughbreds, mustangs, quarter horses, draft horses, mules, ponies, burros, standardbreds and any horse in need. Angel acres horse haven rescue has a fund set up specifically to rescue horses that are in immediate danger of going to slaughter. All proceeds from the fund go to rescue horses that are standing in killer pens, feedlots, or are about to board the truck to the slaughter plant. (4)
Together we can make a difference. You can help make a difference by either virtually adopting a horse or actually adopting a horse. For more information you can go to this sitehttp://www.peoplehelpinghorses.com/?gclid=CODr2oOD6pMCFRfAQAodChQJWQ or this sitehttp://www.angelacreshorsehavenrescue.com/shilohangelacres.html?gclid=CMP2lLaD6pMCFSASQQodxTvAWg Another way you can contribute is by going to http://www.horseincorp.org/Abuse.html and reading about horse abuse and what you can do to stop it. All it takes to make a difference is to learn the facts and share them with others.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Haley
speech
Power of One
Depression
Can you tell the difference between these two young boys?
One of them committed suicide at age 11. He was known as a “kind child who would stop and visit with stranger in wheelchairs, just to make them happy” (3). Here this little boy lay at the age of 11 within a week of ending 5th grade a tough year for him. He laid lifeless as the doctors applied CPR to him. There was no rescuing him though, and on May 26, 1999 Sean died.
Does anyone want to guess which one of these boys committed suicide?
(tell which one it was)
On this page there is one boy that took his life, he was only 13 years old and a combination of bullying and depression lead him to suicide.
Does anyone want to guess which one of these two boys committed suicide?
One other story I want to tell is about a boy that committed suicide when he was 16 years old. He had been grounded for getting lousy grades and skipping school and was obviously going through a hard time. The day that he committed suicide he went to his girlfriends house and she ended their relationship. The end of his relationship, depression, and the constant pressure from his parents caused him to kill himself. He drove his car to a deserted area, and shot himself while listening to metallica, the music that he knew he was forbidden to listen to.
It’s not only boys though, there was also a 15 year old girl who committed suicide because her 27 year old online boyfriend ended their relationship. She hung herself, and left her parents feeling empty and hopeless.
You can never tell who is suffering from depression , because most of them hide it. They are afraid to show what they are feeling and think that it is a personal weakness. Really it is a chemical imbalance in the brain. It can be solved by medication or seeing a psychologist. Both have been proven to balance out the brains transmitting process.
Here are some disturbing statistics that I found about depression. Knowing all these percentages can really give you an idea of how much of a growing problem depression really is. (present statistics) source 4.
What you can do to help:
You can plant flowers…flowers are 100% affective in making someone happier and can help in a small but can impact largely.
Hug someone, help someone out. If you know that someone is depressed help them, listen to them, and tell a trustworthy adult.
If you know anyone who is thinking about committing suicide contact a councilor or adult immediately.
Inform yourself.…..“buy someone food feed one person, teach them how to grow a garden feed a family”
Right now there is nothing really being done I think that it is very difficult to solve a problem such as depression because it is something only the individual can solve. Depression is an ongoing problem though, and is only increasing.
speech
Power of One
Depression
Can you tell the difference between these two young boys?
One of them committed suicide at age 11. He was known as a “kind child who would stop and visit with stranger in wheelchairs, just to make them happy” (3). Here this little boy lay at the age of 11 within a week of ending 5th grade a tough year for him. He laid lifeless as the doctors applied CPR to him. There was no rescuing him though, and on May 26, 1999 Sean died.
Does anyone want to guess which one of these boys committed suicide?
(tell which one it was)
On this page there is one boy that took his life, he was only 13 years old and a combination of bullying and depression lead him to suicide.
Does anyone want to guess which one of these two boys committed suicide?
One other story I want to tell is about a boy that committed suicide when he was 16 years old. He had been grounded for getting lousy grades and skipping school and was obviously going through a hard time. The day that he committed suicide he went to his girlfriends house and she ended their relationship. The end of his relationship, depression, and the constant pressure from his parents caused him to kill himself. He drove his car to a deserted area, and shot himself while listening to metallica, the music that he knew he was forbidden to listen to.
It’s not only boys though, there was also a 15 year old girl who committed suicide because her 27 year old online boyfriend ended their relationship. She hung herself, and left her parents feeling empty and hopeless.
You can never tell who is suffering from depression , because most of them hide it. They are afraid to show what they are feeling and think that it is a personal weakness. Really it is a chemical imbalance in the brain. It can be solved by medication or seeing a psychologist. Both have been proven to balance out the brains transmitting process.
Here are some disturbing statistics that I found about depression. Knowing all these percentages can really give you an idea of how much of a growing problem depression really is. (present statistics) source 4.
What you can do to help:
You can plant flowers…flowers are 100% affective in making someone happier and can help in a small but can impact largely.
Hug someone, help someone out. If you know that someone is depressed help them, listen to them, and tell a trustworthy adult.
If you know anyone who is thinking about committing suicide contact a councilor or adult immediately.
Inform yourself.…..“buy someone food feed one person, teach them how to grow a garden feed a family”
Right now there is nothing really being done I think that it is very difficult to solve a problem such as depression because it is something only the individual can solve. Depression is an ongoing problem though, and is only increasing.
Leukemia: A Cancer Revealed
Leukemia, do we really know what it is and what it involves? I never did until the issue hit close to me. Leukemia is not a cancer we hear about as often as cancers such as breast cancer or lung cancer for example. Although we do not hear much about this, the number of cases is steadily growing. With this, work needs to be done to make Leukemia facts known to more people and let them know ways to prevent this from happening or signs to warn them. Creating more healthy and effective treatments would also help the process of dealing with this cancer people know very little about.
Leukemia is a cancer that effects the blood cells. Anyone can develop leukemia at any age. It begins in the bone marrow and then the cells undergo changes and the cancer multiplies and spreads throughout many other cells. These leukemia cells grow and survive better than other cells so over time they crowd out normal cells. Some signs that may occur before diagnosis are ; symptoms similar to other common and less severe illnesses, tiredness and or no energy, shortness of breath during physical activities(4, Radlet). There are also other symptoms such as; pale skin, mild fevers and night sweats, slow healing of cuts and excess bleeding, black and blue marks for no apparent reason, and aches in the bones and or joints( 1,Baldauf). Doctors would need to take blood tests in order to make and accurate diagnosis( 4, Radlet). They would try and make a decision as fast as possible just in case it was leukemia that way they could start treatment as soon as possible.
Cancer is something I never thought I would have to deal with in my life but after having two close friends have parents from both of their households diagnosed with different forms of leukemia, that was all I could think about and ways I could help make things better. In the year 2007 between the months of June and November my two closest friends had both their mothers diagnosed with different forms of Leukemia. I would never be able to explain my reaction when I found out about both of their moms, and I would never be able to describe how their daughters felt after finding out that their own moms had cancer. I could never imagine having one person I know well be diagnosed with a cancer I didn’t know much about but all within the same year I had two cases to deal with. Not only was it hard thinking about the treatments they had to go through, it was also hard seeing my friends have to watch their mothers go from being super moms to mothers that couldn’t take care of their own kids because they were to sick. When this happened I couldn’t help but want to find out more information about ways I could help and to also research facts that way I knew what was going on in their lives.
This cancer effects nearly 50,000 people in our society each year and about 4,000 of those cases are kids(3, unknown). Many households have to deal with the deaths of loved ones due to this cancer but as the years go on it is proven that the number of deaths due to this cancer are decreasing. Support is something every family going through this experience needs and they can use all the help the can get both financially and love wise.
Although more can be done to help leukemia patients and their families a lot is being done already. Doctors study how far along the cancer is that way the patient can get the correct treatment whether its radiation, chemotherapy, or a some of both. But these type of treatments can also cause other damage to cells making the patient sick. With this doctors are trying to find new and more health benefiting ways to cure cancer. One way this is possible is through eating blackberries(Gutierrez). The antioxidants found in these berries help kill off the bad cancer cells present in your body(Gutierrez). They wont get rid of it completely but will help by allowing the patient to have less treatment that is harmful to their bodies.
From the research I have done my recommendations would be to be cautious and watch out for these warning signs of this cancer, if you don’t feel well then you might want to go and see a doctor. Even if you are not the one sick or that has been diagnosed with cancer helping a family in need makes a difference too. Cooking meals and helping out around the house really mean a lot to these families and gives them more time to be together. Finally I would suggest the people donate money to a foundation supporting research on Leukemia and cancers related to that. With more money scientists will be able to do more extensive research and help those in need.
Call to Action-
By going to one of the two following sites you can make donations to research for Leukemia. You don’t just have to donate money either, you can buy bracelets that support the foundation or even a shirt. Every bit makes a difference.
To take action you can go to these sites to make a difference:
http://www.gandp.org/donate.html
http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_toplevel.adp?item_id=4189
Leukemia is a cancer that effects the blood cells. Anyone can develop leukemia at any age. It begins in the bone marrow and then the cells undergo changes and the cancer multiplies and spreads throughout many other cells. These leukemia cells grow and survive better than other cells so over time they crowd out normal cells. Some signs that may occur before diagnosis are ; symptoms similar to other common and less severe illnesses, tiredness and or no energy, shortness of breath during physical activities(4, Radlet). There are also other symptoms such as; pale skin, mild fevers and night sweats, slow healing of cuts and excess bleeding, black and blue marks for no apparent reason, and aches in the bones and or joints( 1,Baldauf). Doctors would need to take blood tests in order to make and accurate diagnosis( 4, Radlet). They would try and make a decision as fast as possible just in case it was leukemia that way they could start treatment as soon as possible.
Cancer is something I never thought I would have to deal with in my life but after having two close friends have parents from both of their households diagnosed with different forms of leukemia, that was all I could think about and ways I could help make things better. In the year 2007 between the months of June and November my two closest friends had both their mothers diagnosed with different forms of Leukemia. I would never be able to explain my reaction when I found out about both of their moms, and I would never be able to describe how their daughters felt after finding out that their own moms had cancer. I could never imagine having one person I know well be diagnosed with a cancer I didn’t know much about but all within the same year I had two cases to deal with. Not only was it hard thinking about the treatments they had to go through, it was also hard seeing my friends have to watch their mothers go from being super moms to mothers that couldn’t take care of their own kids because they were to sick. When this happened I couldn’t help but want to find out more information about ways I could help and to also research facts that way I knew what was going on in their lives.
This cancer effects nearly 50,000 people in our society each year and about 4,000 of those cases are kids(3, unknown). Many households have to deal with the deaths of loved ones due to this cancer but as the years go on it is proven that the number of deaths due to this cancer are decreasing. Support is something every family going through this experience needs and they can use all the help the can get both financially and love wise.
Although more can be done to help leukemia patients and their families a lot is being done already. Doctors study how far along the cancer is that way the patient can get the correct treatment whether its radiation, chemotherapy, or a some of both. But these type of treatments can also cause other damage to cells making the patient sick. With this doctors are trying to find new and more health benefiting ways to cure cancer. One way this is possible is through eating blackberries(Gutierrez). The antioxidants found in these berries help kill off the bad cancer cells present in your body(Gutierrez). They wont get rid of it completely but will help by allowing the patient to have less treatment that is harmful to their bodies.
From the research I have done my recommendations would be to be cautious and watch out for these warning signs of this cancer, if you don’t feel well then you might want to go and see a doctor. Even if you are not the one sick or that has been diagnosed with cancer helping a family in need makes a difference too. Cooking meals and helping out around the house really mean a lot to these families and gives them more time to be together. Finally I would suggest the people donate money to a foundation supporting research on Leukemia and cancers related to that. With more money scientists will be able to do more extensive research and help those in need.
Call to Action-
By going to one of the two following sites you can make donations to research for Leukemia. You don’t just have to donate money either, you can buy bracelets that support the foundation or even a shirt. Every bit makes a difference.
To take action you can go to these sites to make a difference:
http://www.gandp.org/donate.html
http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_toplevel.adp?item_id=4189
Orphans in Impoverished Haiti
Dalva Dayton
Power of One Speech
Orphans in Impoverished Haiti
Haiti is located just off the coast of Florida. Although it is so close, Haiti is a completely different world when it’s compared to the United States. In the U.S., four and a half percent of children are orphans. In contrast, fourteen percent or 1.2 million children in Haiti are orphans out of a population of about 8 million.(Country) This is an overwhelming amount and you would think that the country would be doing everything they can to give these children homes. Some components that cause so many homeless people are the corrupt government, no or poor healthcare and education, and the lack of a sustainable economy and natural resources. These issues then result in more problems like crime, unemployment, poverty, and disease. All of these problems set the orphan issue further back as a priority.
The poverty in Haiti is enormous and shocking. The unemployment rate in Haiti is 70%, and the average amount a Haitian earns a day is $1.00-$1.50. (Settle, 15) The population has a high illiteracy rate due to only half of the children attending school, the shortage of schools, and the cost. The usual annual income for a family is $250, and school can cost $40 a year. (Arthur, 30) Most parent can’t provide basic needs for themselves, let alone kids as well. Many are forced to decide whether or not they can care for their children, or f they’d be better off in an orphanage. When my mom, Erika, went to Haiti she sat next to a woman on a bus who had considered dumping her baby into the garbage because she couldn’t take care of it.
Pollution is a huge problem and 29% of Haitians don’t have access to clean drinking water. (Clean Water) This, plus the fact that the streets are lined with trash leads to a number of diseases and deaths. The infant mortality rate is 63.83 deaths for every 1000 births. One Haitian dies every hour due to starvation. Some people are forced to eat mud pies just in order to survive. The maternal mortality rate is 523 deaths per 100,00, which is another cause of orphans. (Haiti)
Since healthcare is hard to come by, contraceptives are rarely used. Many would have to choose between eating or buying contraceptives, and because of this increases unwanted pregnancies, which lead to more orphans. 90% of Haitians practice voodoo so don’t believe that AIDS is spread through blood. As a result they don’t use contraceptives which spreads the disease. (Settle, 25) 6.1% of adults are living with AIDS and many parents die from it and then their children are left behind, many times with AIDS themselves. Of all the orphans in Haiti, 43.2% were orphans due to AIDS related deaths. Not only the parents, but 5,000 babies are born each year that are infected with AIDS. In 2005 there were 16,000 deaths related to AIDS. In 2001, 12,000 children aged 0-14 were living with HIV/AIDS. (Country) Syphilis and tuberculosis are also big problems in Haiti. There are 67,000 deaths a year that are related to tuberculosis. (Infectious)
Jobs are sparse in Haiti. A mass deforestation to produce coal has effected the land environment, making it difficult to cultivate when many people rely on agriculture to support themselves. Little is actually produced in Haiti and the goods that Haitians buy are all imported from the U.S., so their economy never prospers. Right now the food is very expensive. It is rotting on ships and on docks because the government won’t let them in and because of this there are numerous riots. (Dayton)
The adoption process is confusing, long, and extremely stressful. Infrastructure doesn’t exist in government offices, which therefor slows the adoption process. Haiti’s government is the fourth most corrupt government in the world. Government Statistics) The leaders find little time to build up the infrastructure. The government spends large amounts of money on weaponry, which is hard to believe since people are starving and dying from disease on the streets. Another frustrating issue is that there are only 63 policemen to every 100,000 people, which makes it hard to stop all the violence and crime.
Our family has been in the adoption process for 2 years and we still are uncertain about when the two boys we are adopting will actually come here. We are adopting through Chances For Children, who support the Crèche de I’Enfant Jesus in Ti Mache in Haiti. The home study process took about 3-4 months, but the government paperwork has been what’s slowed it down. It’s been 21 months since Naderson has officially been identified as the son of my parents. This process was originally supposed to take 6-9 months, but now it is estimated at 12-18 months. My parents have made multiple trips to Haiti to visit Naderson and Jestevenson. Not only has my mom been to Haiti 5 times, but she has worked to help the Crèche by bringing many supplies like diapers, rice, and even soccer cleats and equipment so the local kids could play. She’s guided other trips of parents to the orphanage and has helped writing proposals to get health care grants.
The families that adopt from The Crèche bring all the formula and food for the orphanage and raise money to help bring electricity to the village. The Duncan family owns the Crèche Orphanage and owns much of the land in the village. They are very generous to the locals. They help them get jobs and land, and they’ve built a school and are in the process of building a high school. Many kids that should be attending high school don’t because they need to stay home and take care of their younger siblings. Gina Duncan has tried to solve this problem by organizing a daycare to watch over the kids while the older ones attend school. One woman from U.S. is going to Haiti for 3 weeks in order to train potential teachers that will be working in the newly built high school.
Another program that is working to help Haiti is Zanmi Lasante, which means “Partners in Health”. This is the largest non-governmental health care provider in Haiti, and the only provider of comprehensive primary care. They help more than half a million people in the Central Plateau that are in poverty.
They help with childbirth, pneumonia, diarrhea (which is a leading cause of death in Haiti), HIV, and tuberculosis. Partners In Health have another program called POSER (Program on Social and Economic Rights). POSER builds houses, helps solve drinking water problems, pays for school fees, and provides nutritional support. (Zanmi)
Dr. Paul Farmer is another person trying to help Haiti. He has set up health clinics throughout Haiti. Not only does this provide needed health assistance, but he educates people and creates jobs. (A New Hospital) A similar project is done by Dr. Pat Wolf. She created a product called Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) made from peanut butter. This is an effort to stop malnourishment. The peanuts are grown in Haiti and are picked and then made into the peanut butter process. Once again, this provides jobs and tends to hungry children at the same time. (Stop Malnutrition)
In order to help the situation in Haiti, people can donate money to many different organizations, send supplies like my mom did, and ultimately, they can adopt a child and give them a better life. As soon as a child is adopted, then there’s more room for another orphan.
To help, visit these agencies' websites:
Doctors Without Borders
Direct Relief International
Bibliography
Arthur, Charles. Haiti: A Guide to the People, Politics and Culture. Northhampton: Interlink Books, 2005.
Dayton, Erika. Personal interview. June 14, 2008.
Settle, Alecia. Visualize Haiti: Inspirational Photography. Louisville: Visualize Publishing, LLC, 2007.
Clean Water. International Child Care Inc. June 2008. .
Country Data Profile: Orphans: Oct. 2003. PHNI. June 14. .
Government Statistics. 2008. Nation Mater. June 13. .
Haiti. Nov.2004. June 13. .
Infectious Diseases. Oct. 2006. USAID. June 14. .
Stop Malnutrition. Med & Foods For Kids. June 14. .
Zanmi Lasante. 2006. June 11. .
Power of One Speech
Orphans in Impoverished Haiti
Haiti is located just off the coast of Florida. Although it is so close, Haiti is a completely different world when it’s compared to the United States. In the U.S., four and a half percent of children are orphans. In contrast, fourteen percent or 1.2 million children in Haiti are orphans out of a population of about 8 million.(Country) This is an overwhelming amount and you would think that the country would be doing everything they can to give these children homes. Some components that cause so many homeless people are the corrupt government, no or poor healthcare and education, and the lack of a sustainable economy and natural resources. These issues then result in more problems like crime, unemployment, poverty, and disease. All of these problems set the orphan issue further back as a priority.
The poverty in Haiti is enormous and shocking. The unemployment rate in Haiti is 70%, and the average amount a Haitian earns a day is $1.00-$1.50. (Settle, 15) The population has a high illiteracy rate due to only half of the children attending school, the shortage of schools, and the cost. The usual annual income for a family is $250, and school can cost $40 a year. (Arthur, 30) Most parent can’t provide basic needs for themselves, let alone kids as well. Many are forced to decide whether or not they can care for their children, or f they’d be better off in an orphanage. When my mom, Erika, went to Haiti she sat next to a woman on a bus who had considered dumping her baby into the garbage because she couldn’t take care of it.
Pollution is a huge problem and 29% of Haitians don’t have access to clean drinking water. (Clean Water) This, plus the fact that the streets are lined with trash leads to a number of diseases and deaths. The infant mortality rate is 63.83 deaths for every 1000 births. One Haitian dies every hour due to starvation. Some people are forced to eat mud pies just in order to survive. The maternal mortality rate is 523 deaths per 100,00, which is another cause of orphans. (Haiti)
Since healthcare is hard to come by, contraceptives are rarely used. Many would have to choose between eating or buying contraceptives, and because of this increases unwanted pregnancies, which lead to more orphans. 90% of Haitians practice voodoo so don’t believe that AIDS is spread through blood. As a result they don’t use contraceptives which spreads the disease. (Settle, 25) 6.1% of adults are living with AIDS and many parents die from it and then their children are left behind, many times with AIDS themselves. Of all the orphans in Haiti, 43.2% were orphans due to AIDS related deaths. Not only the parents, but 5,000 babies are born each year that are infected with AIDS. In 2005 there were 16,000 deaths related to AIDS. In 2001, 12,000 children aged 0-14 were living with HIV/AIDS. (Country) Syphilis and tuberculosis are also big problems in Haiti. There are 67,000 deaths a year that are related to tuberculosis. (Infectious)
Jobs are sparse in Haiti. A mass deforestation to produce coal has effected the land environment, making it difficult to cultivate when many people rely on agriculture to support themselves. Little is actually produced in Haiti and the goods that Haitians buy are all imported from the U.S., so their economy never prospers. Right now the food is very expensive. It is rotting on ships and on docks because the government won’t let them in and because of this there are numerous riots. (Dayton)
The adoption process is confusing, long, and extremely stressful. Infrastructure doesn’t exist in government offices, which therefor slows the adoption process. Haiti’s government is the fourth most corrupt government in the world. Government Statistics) The leaders find little time to build up the infrastructure. The government spends large amounts of money on weaponry, which is hard to believe since people are starving and dying from disease on the streets. Another frustrating issue is that there are only 63 policemen to every 100,000 people, which makes it hard to stop all the violence and crime.
Our family has been in the adoption process for 2 years and we still are uncertain about when the two boys we are adopting will actually come here. We are adopting through Chances For Children, who support the Crèche de I’Enfant Jesus in Ti Mache in Haiti. The home study process took about 3-4 months, but the government paperwork has been what’s slowed it down. It’s been 21 months since Naderson has officially been identified as the son of my parents. This process was originally supposed to take 6-9 months, but now it is estimated at 12-18 months. My parents have made multiple trips to Haiti to visit Naderson and Jestevenson. Not only has my mom been to Haiti 5 times, but she has worked to help the Crèche by bringing many supplies like diapers, rice, and even soccer cleats and equipment so the local kids could play. She’s guided other trips of parents to the orphanage and has helped writing proposals to get health care grants.
The families that adopt from The Crèche bring all the formula and food for the orphanage and raise money to help bring electricity to the village. The Duncan family owns the Crèche Orphanage and owns much of the land in the village. They are very generous to the locals. They help them get jobs and land, and they’ve built a school and are in the process of building a high school. Many kids that should be attending high school don’t because they need to stay home and take care of their younger siblings. Gina Duncan has tried to solve this problem by organizing a daycare to watch over the kids while the older ones attend school. One woman from U.S. is going to Haiti for 3 weeks in order to train potential teachers that will be working in the newly built high school.
Another program that is working to help Haiti is Zanmi Lasante, which means “Partners in Health”. This is the largest non-governmental health care provider in Haiti, and the only provider of comprehensive primary care. They help more than half a million people in the Central Plateau that are in poverty.
They help with childbirth, pneumonia, diarrhea (which is a leading cause of death in Haiti), HIV, and tuberculosis. Partners In Health have another program called POSER (Program on Social and Economic Rights). POSER builds houses, helps solve drinking water problems, pays for school fees, and provides nutritional support. (Zanmi)
Dr. Paul Farmer is another person trying to help Haiti. He has set up health clinics throughout Haiti. Not only does this provide needed health assistance, but he educates people and creates jobs. (A New Hospital) A similar project is done by Dr. Pat Wolf. She created a product called Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) made from peanut butter. This is an effort to stop malnourishment. The peanuts are grown in Haiti and are picked and then made into the peanut butter process. Once again, this provides jobs and tends to hungry children at the same time. (Stop Malnutrition)
In order to help the situation in Haiti, people can donate money to many different organizations, send supplies like my mom did, and ultimately, they can adopt a child and give them a better life. As soon as a child is adopted, then there’s more room for another orphan.
To help, visit these agencies' websites:
Doctors Without Borders
Direct Relief International
Bibliography
Arthur, Charles. Haiti: A Guide to the People, Politics and Culture. Northhampton: Interlink Books, 2005.
Dayton, Erika. Personal interview. June 14, 2008.
Settle, Alecia. Visualize Haiti: Inspirational Photography. Louisville: Visualize Publishing, LLC, 2007.
Clean Water. International Child Care Inc. June 2008. .
Country Data Profile: Orphans: Oct. 2003. PHNI. June 14. .
Government Statistics. 2008. Nation Mater. June 13. .
Haiti. Nov.2004. June 13. .
Infectious Diseases. Oct. 2006. USAID. June 14. .
Stop Malnutrition. Med & Foods For Kids. June 14. .
Zanmi Lasante. 2006. June 11. .
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