In Upfront magazine, there was an article about trading for ivory that could threaten to extinct Africa's elephants. China is the country behind this. They are the world's largest market for ivory, and in the past few years the ivory taken from elephants has been getting dangerous. It is starting to make wars, enriching corrupt armies. and jeopardizing wildlife tourism. There is an estimate that tens of thousands of elephants are being killed each year for their ivory tusks. I think there has to be an end to this madness if we want the elephants to keep living. They are important animals in the world and it would not be right to kill them.
The only way to stop this is for the Chinese to stop. "The Chinese hold the key to the elephants' future," says Iain Douglas. If these things keep on and continuing, there may be a possibility in the extinction of elephants in Africa's countries. I think there should be a law that makes a limit on the amount of ivory taken from elephants, that way the elephants can live longer. Of course, there should also be a law which prohibits ivory seizure around the world. The most ivory seizures come from Tanzania and Kenya. It is a little weird that 17% of ivory come from an unknown place.
The start of the problem is China's greediness for ivory. In China there is an estimate that 90% of the ivory there is illegal. The reasons behind why China is in demand for all this ivory is because it is a soaring demand for China's middle class. Since their economy is growing, the middle class has more money to spend on luxurious things, including ivory. I think the Chinese love ivory so much because it has been a big part in their culture. There are stories told by great emperors about ivory objects and how great they are, so it must have some influence on China right now.
Since 1979, the decline in elephant range has been huge. There used to be a lot of range in Central Africa, but now the ranges are scattered around and there isn't big spots on the map now. The country Ivory Coast got it's name because of all the elephants that roamed there; now there are barely any. Ivory has even become so popular and demanding that one tusk of ivory could be worth more than 10 times the average income in some African countries. Sometimes they are killed for a bag of salt. The killing of elephants need to stop. They are very innocent animals who just want to be free of harm and weapons. It may not be possible to end seizure of ivory once and for all, but a little effort into doing that could make the difference.
In conclusion, the elephant population of Africa has been diminishing, and could get down to none at all. If China could change it's ways and stop buying or using ivory, elephants may have the chance of continuing their lives. If not, we could see the extinction of elephants in our lifetime.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Rikers High
Rikers High by Paul Volponi is a story about a teen who was arrested and sent to Rikers Island. Martin, the main character, had to put up with lots of things growing up in his tough neighborhood, but it is nothing compared to what he has to deal with at Rikers. One incident affected him physically and mentally, but he had to do what it took to get past it. While getting off of a bus in front of their courtroom, some inmates got into a fight. Martin was chained to the person in the fight, and he got tangled up in it. Martin tried to swing back but the person attacking cut him across the cheek.
An example of physical harm done to him was some inner monologue. After he was sliced, he said, "Suddenly, I was paralyzed with fear, and I was too shook to even cry." It shows that this incident affected him too much to even feel or think about what was going on. Also, he had a big cut across his cheek, and had to live for weeks with a huge bandage across his face. After it healed, he had a big scar on his face, and it seemed to make him a little less confident when it came to fighting or being physical, though it gave him some respect from other inmates. Another thing that bothered him was telling the CO who did it. He even said, "Snitches get stitches." That means that if he snitched on the guy who cut him, there would be more scars to come.
I feel that mentally the incident had more of an affect on him. While in the hospital, he was thinking about his cut all night. He says, "I couldn't keep track of all the fears running through my brain--about what I was going to look like, how nasty a scar I would have, if the cut would ever heal." His mind was racing and he couldn't do anything but let time pass. It also made him feel violent. He told himself that he would cut that kid back instead of snitching and wouldn't care about how much time he got for it. His thoughts kept getting to him and in the hospital he wondered a lot about the cut. I think he also became a little bit more wiser in his actions and he thought about things more before making decisions. One inmate named Brick had a business going on in the jail. He asked Martin to join him, but he declined. It was a wise decision because he might have debts or other things owed to Brick once he got out of jail. Being cut had a mental affect on him, but it might of made him wiser in some ways.
One thing I've noticed in the story is that after being cut, Martin doesn't really talk about himself anymore, he only talks about what he observes and what's happening in jail. The story doesn't include his actions or thoughts as much as it did in the beginning of the story. I think it might be like that because he isn't ready to put himself out there and let people know how he feels or what he wants. Now he just goes with the flow, instead of doing what he feels like. I also think he didn't want to take part in fights or taunting because he really didn't want another scar covering his face.
In conclusion, Martin's cut had a physical and mental affect on him throughout the story. In some ways it made him smarter, and in other ways it made him more cautious, but I could tell that he was affected no matter what.
An example of physical harm done to him was some inner monologue. After he was sliced, he said, "Suddenly, I was paralyzed with fear, and I was too shook to even cry." It shows that this incident affected him too much to even feel or think about what was going on. Also, he had a big cut across his cheek, and had to live for weeks with a huge bandage across his face. After it healed, he had a big scar on his face, and it seemed to make him a little less confident when it came to fighting or being physical, though it gave him some respect from other inmates. Another thing that bothered him was telling the CO who did it. He even said, "Snitches get stitches." That means that if he snitched on the guy who cut him, there would be more scars to come.
I feel that mentally the incident had more of an affect on him. While in the hospital, he was thinking about his cut all night. He says, "I couldn't keep track of all the fears running through my brain--about what I was going to look like, how nasty a scar I would have, if the cut would ever heal." His mind was racing and he couldn't do anything but let time pass. It also made him feel violent. He told himself that he would cut that kid back instead of snitching and wouldn't care about how much time he got for it. His thoughts kept getting to him and in the hospital he wondered a lot about the cut. I think he also became a little bit more wiser in his actions and he thought about things more before making decisions. One inmate named Brick had a business going on in the jail. He asked Martin to join him, but he declined. It was a wise decision because he might have debts or other things owed to Brick once he got out of jail. Being cut had a mental affect on him, but it might of made him wiser in some ways.
One thing I've noticed in the story is that after being cut, Martin doesn't really talk about himself anymore, he only talks about what he observes and what's happening in jail. The story doesn't include his actions or thoughts as much as it did in the beginning of the story. I think it might be like that because he isn't ready to put himself out there and let people know how he feels or what he wants. Now he just goes with the flow, instead of doing what he feels like. I also think he didn't want to take part in fights or taunting because he really didn't want another scar covering his face.
In conclusion, Martin's cut had a physical and mental affect on him throughout the story. In some ways it made him smarter, and in other ways it made him more cautious, but I could tell that he was affected no matter what.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Blog Revision on "Tears of a Tiger"
I went back to revise my last blog post, "Tears of a Tiger" by Sharon M. Draper, found here. Rob Washington was killed because of a car accident when Andy hit a wall. Andy felt that he should be blamed for everything that happened. I have learned that even in real life, people will feel responsible for deaths, even if they weren't part of anything that happened.
Andy felt like he was the main cause of Rob's death. He had been going to a psychologist for awhile just to talk about his emotions and what he think went wrong on that fateful night. Andy felt like Rob's death was all his fault, because Andy was driving drunk at the time. Some other teammates were in the car, but Rob was the only one that died. Andy started to get really depressed over those thoughts he had, and he just couldn't let go of the fact that he was responsible for the death. I think that when accidents happen like this in real life, people feel like Andy too. I don't know why Andy was feeling so guilty for the death, but it really got to him. His depression was getting so bad that nothing would make him laugh. Something or someone should've made him happy or stop thinking about Rob, but nothing did. The worst thing he could've done was take his life, but that is exactly what he did. That shows that he is not emotionally strong, and he is a coward, like his friend Gerald said. Committing suicide was the last thing he should've done, and I think staying alive would be much better for him or anyone in that situation in real life.
Some examples of Andy's depression come from his writing. One poem he wrote included lots of dark thoughts. His first stanza talked about not being able to find the light in his life. That already shows that he can't forget about the accident. He also writes about the pain that no one else can feel, and the cheerful faces don't know what he feels inside. He ends the poem by saying, "I don't think I'm going to last." That really makes you think that he wants to die, or maybe he wanted to die instead of Rob. There was no way to escape his feelings, so he probably committed suicide to do that.
Even though this is from a book, this can happen a lot in real life. I know what it's like to have family or friends die, and you wish you could've done something to prevent it. Or you might wish that you spent more time with them. I think that's what Andy felt. He knew Rob was dead because of him, and it could never be changed. This kind of situation happens a lot because of drunk driving, but very rarely do you hear about someone killing them self after accidentally killing someone else. He should've faced his guilt and at least tried to get over it. I understand why Andy felt that way and why, but I don't understand why he would leave everything he had because of it.
In conclusion, Andy felt like most people feel when death occurs; guilty. After his friend was killed in a car accident, Andy felt very responsible for the death. His guilt was too much for him to handle, and it resulted in killing himself.
Andy felt like he was the main cause of Rob's death. He had been going to a psychologist for awhile just to talk about his emotions and what he think went wrong on that fateful night. Andy felt like Rob's death was all his fault, because Andy was driving drunk at the time. Some other teammates were in the car, but Rob was the only one that died. Andy started to get really depressed over those thoughts he had, and he just couldn't let go of the fact that he was responsible for the death. I think that when accidents happen like this in real life, people feel like Andy too. I don't know why Andy was feeling so guilty for the death, but it really got to him. His depression was getting so bad that nothing would make him laugh. Something or someone should've made him happy or stop thinking about Rob, but nothing did. The worst thing he could've done was take his life, but that is exactly what he did. That shows that he is not emotionally strong, and he is a coward, like his friend Gerald said. Committing suicide was the last thing he should've done, and I think staying alive would be much better for him or anyone in that situation in real life.
Some examples of Andy's depression come from his writing. One poem he wrote included lots of dark thoughts. His first stanza talked about not being able to find the light in his life. That already shows that he can't forget about the accident. He also writes about the pain that no one else can feel, and the cheerful faces don't know what he feels inside. He ends the poem by saying, "I don't think I'm going to last." That really makes you think that he wants to die, or maybe he wanted to die instead of Rob. There was no way to escape his feelings, so he probably committed suicide to do that.
Even though this is from a book, this can happen a lot in real life. I know what it's like to have family or friends die, and you wish you could've done something to prevent it. Or you might wish that you spent more time with them. I think that's what Andy felt. He knew Rob was dead because of him, and it could never be changed. This kind of situation happens a lot because of drunk driving, but very rarely do you hear about someone killing them self after accidentally killing someone else. He should've faced his guilt and at least tried to get over it. I understand why Andy felt that way and why, but I don't understand why he would leave everything he had because of it.
In conclusion, Andy felt like most people feel when death occurs; guilty. After his friend was killed in a car accident, Andy felt very responsible for the death. His guilt was too much for him to handle, and it resulted in killing himself.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Tears of a Tiger
I am currently reading "Tears of Tiger" by Sharon M. Draper. So far, it seems like every main character in the book has problems at home and in school. Following the death of Rob Washington, Andy has been feeling more and more depressed. I think he is feeling that because he was the one driving, so he felt like he cause the death.
Recently Andy has been going to a psychologist to talk to him about what Andy is sad about, or just about Andy in general. The psychologist asks him lots of questions, and he tries to get a real feeling of what Andy feels. The night that Rob died, Andy and some of his buddies were drinking. Andy was drinking while driving, and that led to the car crash. He told his shrink that he should've died and not Rob, and he just feels really guilty. When Andy went to the mall with his girlfriend Keisha, he started to get depressed again and they had to go home. I don't think anyone really knows how Andy is feeling. On top of that, his parents have very high grade expectations, and he can't live up to them. All he wants to do is play basketball. I think Andy is just feeling depressed because of Rob's death and how his parents treat him.
One thing I am thinking is why didn't B.J. tell them to stop? He was the only sober one in the car since he doesn't drink, so why didn't he tell Andy to stop driving? B.J. seems very religious, but he is also short, which makes his character unique. He doesn't drink because it stunted his growth, and praying to God didn't help him. Another one of the perspectives we see from the story comes from Gerald. Even though we've only seen his poem or heard from Andy, he has a very rough life at home. Andy said he was lucky because his parents only shout a him, but Gerald's beat him. Gerald even has a scar from when his dad hit him onto the radiator where it hit his face. Gerald doesn't seem like he's bothered by anything though, so I'll be trying to find out more about him.
In Andy's ELA class, he had to write a poem about anything, You could tell that his was deep and dark, probably about his depression. The first stanza talks about him being in the dark and not finding light, so I think that he just can't seem to get past this incident yet. The second stanza tells us that no one knows how much he is hurting or how depressed he is, that all the cheerful faces do not find the sadness around him. The last stanza really tells me that he is depressed. It almost makes me think he wants to commit suicide. He told his psychologist that he wished it was him who died instead of Rob. That tells me that he feels this situation is too much for him to handle. The last line says "I don't think I'm going to last." I don't really know how much he means by that, but it really seems like he can't escape this pain.
After starting to read this book, I have already found out a lot from the main characters. I will be looking for more information about Gerald's home life. Also, why Andy is feeling so down about the death still. It seems like he will never get over it, and that makes me feel like he wants to be away from this world.
Recently Andy has been going to a psychologist to talk to him about what Andy is sad about, or just about Andy in general. The psychologist asks him lots of questions, and he tries to get a real feeling of what Andy feels. The night that Rob died, Andy and some of his buddies were drinking. Andy was drinking while driving, and that led to the car crash. He told his shrink that he should've died and not Rob, and he just feels really guilty. When Andy went to the mall with his girlfriend Keisha, he started to get depressed again and they had to go home. I don't think anyone really knows how Andy is feeling. On top of that, his parents have very high grade expectations, and he can't live up to them. All he wants to do is play basketball. I think Andy is just feeling depressed because of Rob's death and how his parents treat him.
One thing I am thinking is why didn't B.J. tell them to stop? He was the only sober one in the car since he doesn't drink, so why didn't he tell Andy to stop driving? B.J. seems very religious, but he is also short, which makes his character unique. He doesn't drink because it stunted his growth, and praying to God didn't help him. Another one of the perspectives we see from the story comes from Gerald. Even though we've only seen his poem or heard from Andy, he has a very rough life at home. Andy said he was lucky because his parents only shout a him, but Gerald's beat him. Gerald even has a scar from when his dad hit him onto the radiator where it hit his face. Gerald doesn't seem like he's bothered by anything though, so I'll be trying to find out more about him.
In Andy's ELA class, he had to write a poem about anything, You could tell that his was deep and dark, probably about his depression. The first stanza talks about him being in the dark and not finding light, so I think that he just can't seem to get past this incident yet. The second stanza tells us that no one knows how much he is hurting or how depressed he is, that all the cheerful faces do not find the sadness around him. The last stanza really tells me that he is depressed. It almost makes me think he wants to commit suicide. He told his psychologist that he wished it was him who died instead of Rob. That tells me that he feels this situation is too much for him to handle. The last line says "I don't think I'm going to last." I don't really know how much he means by that, but it really seems like he can't escape this pain.
After starting to read this book, I have already found out a lot from the main characters. I will be looking for more information about Gerald's home life. Also, why Andy is feeling so down about the death still. It seems like he will never get over it, and that makes me feel like he wants to be away from this world.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Tomas' Blog
Tomas' Blog
I was reading Tomas' blog and was amazed on how much he thought the text he read and how much he elaborated on each idea he had. I read his post on "Smoke Signals" and I thought that he did an excellent job on it.
In that post, he used lots of examples from the text to prove his point. I also like his way of formatting his blogs. There are about 4 paragraphs where he puts facts from the article and what might the author be wanting us to think. The last 3 paragraphs are about him giving his perspective on the article or how the problem could be fixed. The last paragraph is all the questions he has after reading the article. That shows that not only did he read the article, but he understood everything and could ask more questions that were not in the article.
I had read parts of the article before, but even if you didn't know what it was about, you will find most of it in his blog post. He did a great job on giving a brief summary at the beginning and gave the problem too. He also used great transitions that went well with what he had to say after. When he gives direct citations, it is often followed by what he thinks of the stat or statement from the author. It shows me that he is reading the article carefully and his own view on things can help another reader understand the article. His last paragraph gives you insight on his own thoughts, and he has some questions that were not answered yet.
In each of his posts, Tomas did an amazing job on elaborating, providing evidence from the text, and adding on to what he already knew. From now on I'll look at his posts as mentor texts because he is such a great writer.
I was reading Tomas' blog and was amazed on how much he thought the text he read and how much he elaborated on each idea he had. I read his post on "Smoke Signals" and I thought that he did an excellent job on it.
In that post, he used lots of examples from the text to prove his point. I also like his way of formatting his blogs. There are about 4 paragraphs where he puts facts from the article and what might the author be wanting us to think. The last 3 paragraphs are about him giving his perspective on the article or how the problem could be fixed. The last paragraph is all the questions he has after reading the article. That shows that not only did he read the article, but he understood everything and could ask more questions that were not in the article.
I had read parts of the article before, but even if you didn't know what it was about, you will find most of it in his blog post. He did a great job on giving a brief summary at the beginning and gave the problem too. He also used great transitions that went well with what he had to say after. When he gives direct citations, it is often followed by what he thinks of the stat or statement from the author. It shows me that he is reading the article carefully and his own view on things can help another reader understand the article. His last paragraph gives you insight on his own thoughts, and he has some questions that were not answered yet.
In each of his posts, Tomas did an amazing job on elaborating, providing evidence from the text, and adding on to what he already knew. From now on I'll look at his posts as mentor texts because he is such a great writer.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Impulse
I am reading the book Impulse by Ellen Hopkins. It is about 3 teens perspectives on life in basically a mental ward. Right now, they are on an adventure camp since they've made so much progress. After this camp they will be able to go back to their homes. Th three main characters, Vanessa, Tony, and Conner are the more "normal" ones there. Vanessa cuts herself, Tony is gay and has been abused many times, and Conner is in love with older women.
I think that Vanessa has to cut herself to escape the pain that her mom brought to her. Her mom was crazy, and she had to see her mom taking pills and being bipolar. She would also do evil things to her son. Cutting might ease her life, but as described in the story, her arm is all red from it. A few weeks before the camp, she was crazy for Conner, who seemed to like her back. But now that Tony is spending quality time with her, she is beginning to wonder if Tony is the one she really loves. He is more caring and more affectionate than Conner, and that's what Vanessa wants.
Tony is at a difficult decision in life. Is he gay, or is he straight?From what he remembers, he's been gay all his life (only because of what his mother's boyfriend did to him). But right now, he is in love with Vanessa. I think that he might finally find love with the opposite gender, and it seems Vanessa loves him too.
At this camp, Conner decided to quit his meds. After taking them all this time, it was hard for him to sleep at first, because they were in the middle of the desert. Conner always complains that his home life was worse than what it is now, especially because of his mom. I think his parents' expectations for him were very high, and he decided to spend time on a woman that was older than him. He looks as if he's normal, and he acts like it too, but we still don't know what is making him reluctant to go back home.
I think that Vanessa has to cut herself to escape the pain that her mom brought to her. Her mom was crazy, and she had to see her mom taking pills and being bipolar. She would also do evil things to her son. Cutting might ease her life, but as described in the story, her arm is all red from it. A few weeks before the camp, she was crazy for Conner, who seemed to like her back. But now that Tony is spending quality time with her, she is beginning to wonder if Tony is the one she really loves. He is more caring and more affectionate than Conner, and that's what Vanessa wants.
Tony is at a difficult decision in life. Is he gay, or is he straight?From what he remembers, he's been gay all his life (only because of what his mother's boyfriend did to him). But right now, he is in love with Vanessa. I think that he might finally find love with the opposite gender, and it seems Vanessa loves him too.
At this camp, Conner decided to quit his meds. After taking them all this time, it was hard for him to sleep at first, because they were in the middle of the desert. Conner always complains that his home life was worse than what it is now, especially because of his mom. I think his parents' expectations for him were very high, and he decided to spend time on a woman that was older than him. He looks as if he's normal, and he acts like it too, but we still don't know what is making him reluctant to go back home.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Non-Fiction Blog Post
I read the article "The End of Extreme Poverty" from the Upfront magazine. It is about fighting poverty in some of the poorest places in the world. For example, a lot of countries got good education and classrooms, or vaccines were given in places that didn't have them. There are too many people suffering in the world to live like that, and it could be changing.
When the author talks with a woman that has already lost a child from malaria, and has to take care of 7 other children, you can see how much affect poverty has on them. I think the U.S. should help people like that. If they help one country, they could become friends. The whole country is poor. Also, the real definition of extreme poverty means living on less than $1.25 a day. That means millions, or even billions on people live like that. There is progress, though. Extreme poverty has been reduced from 1 in 2 in 1980 to 1 in 5 now. That statistic is amazing, considering how much people live in poverty.
In the article, there are various stats that prove the reduction in poverty. In 1988 there were 350,000 cases of polio worldwide, and there are 123. People that took AIDS drugs in developing countries was less than 200,000 in 2000. In 2012 the number was 9.7 million. The global literacy rate was 76% in 1990, and it has jumped to 84% now. Also, the percentage of population with no schooling in developing nations was at 61% in 1950. It has dropped to 17% in 2010. There are way more mind-boggling statistics that show how much this world has improved.Those stats prove that this long fight against extreme poverty might bring it to an all-time low. Even though there will still be poverty, extreme poverty might die out soon enough. That means no more children uneducated or the fear of dying of sickness.
One of the biggest problems in extreme poverty is that there is sometimes no prevention of sickness for a lot of people. In 1990, more than 12 million children died before reaching the age of 5. That number has been cut in half now. Bill Gates is helping this issue, by providing vaccines and medecines, and he says that number will get to 1 million in his lifetime. I hope that will get to that number. Only as of now adults are getting vaccines or treatment for sickess they've had. Thanks to these vaccines, some diseases like polio and measles are dying out. A disease called the Guinea worm is also dying out, which is a disease makes a worm move through your body and causes intense pain or lifelong disabilities. Some popular diseases like AIDS are also moving along. AIDS are no longer killing large amounts of people, because of the vaccines available now. There will be no more epidemics or world-wide sicknesses.
In conclusion, the increasing number of vaccines and medecines to poor counries have reduced extreme poverty and risk of death by disease. Countries with no eduacation now have it, and people can live better now that they have these things in their lives.
When the author talks with a woman that has already lost a child from malaria, and has to take care of 7 other children, you can see how much affect poverty has on them. I think the U.S. should help people like that. If they help one country, they could become friends. The whole country is poor. Also, the real definition of extreme poverty means living on less than $1.25 a day. That means millions, or even billions on people live like that. There is progress, though. Extreme poverty has been reduced from 1 in 2 in 1980 to 1 in 5 now. That statistic is amazing, considering how much people live in poverty.
In the article, there are various stats that prove the reduction in poverty. In 1988 there were 350,000 cases of polio worldwide, and there are 123. People that took AIDS drugs in developing countries was less than 200,000 in 2000. In 2012 the number was 9.7 million. The global literacy rate was 76% in 1990, and it has jumped to 84% now. Also, the percentage of population with no schooling in developing nations was at 61% in 1950. It has dropped to 17% in 2010. There are way more mind-boggling statistics that show how much this world has improved.Those stats prove that this long fight against extreme poverty might bring it to an all-time low. Even though there will still be poverty, extreme poverty might die out soon enough. That means no more children uneducated or the fear of dying of sickness.
One of the biggest problems in extreme poverty is that there is sometimes no prevention of sickness for a lot of people. In 1990, more than 12 million children died before reaching the age of 5. That number has been cut in half now. Bill Gates is helping this issue, by providing vaccines and medecines, and he says that number will get to 1 million in his lifetime. I hope that will get to that number. Only as of now adults are getting vaccines or treatment for sickess they've had. Thanks to these vaccines, some diseases like polio and measles are dying out. A disease called the Guinea worm is also dying out, which is a disease makes a worm move through your body and causes intense pain or lifelong disabilities. Some popular diseases like AIDS are also moving along. AIDS are no longer killing large amounts of people, because of the vaccines available now. There will be no more epidemics or world-wide sicknesses.
In conclusion, the increasing number of vaccines and medecines to poor counries have reduced extreme poverty and risk of death by disease. Countries with no eduacation now have it, and people can live better now that they have these things in their lives.
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