Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Captive Marine Animals Vs. Free Living Animals

Captive Marine Animals Vs. Free Living Animals Fie Lissner The pools that holds these glorious creatures can obviously not be compared to the space and water that an Orca can cover. A lot of marine mammals that is in captivity has to live under these premises. â€Å"The Humane Society of the United States believes that these animals should not be taken from the wild simply to entertain and amuse people, for a number of reasons† (Marine mammals in captivity 5/13). The life of the individual marine animal that is not living in the wild has nothing to do with the life it would’ve had if it were to live in the wild. Which is obvious when you think of the way that they’re living; the pools, the water, the ecosystem and basically everything in captivity has nothing on the wildlife that their ancestors had lived with back in time. â€Å"Dolphins are perfectly evolved to live and flourish in their wild ocean home, not within the confines of a human-made concrete tank or artificial lagoon.† (Marine animals in captivity) This quote points out how the animals are able to live an healthy life in the wild. The human race is taking advantage of the wild for our own amusement and there is something deeply wrong in this concept. â€Å"Life for captive whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals is nothing like a life in the ocean. It is almost impossible to maintain a family group in captivity, a tragedy for whales and dolphins. When you see marine mammals in tanks or pools, consider what they have lost in order to entertain us.† (Marine aqua parks). Most of the cons of having marine animals captive claims that we only have them for our entertainment and pure amusement so I see how it would be frustrating for biologist who have these animals for research and schooling purposes as well as for the people who are only trying to help the animal(s) by having them captive. There is of course marine animals living in the wild. The wild is the marine animals natural habitat and can as previously discussed not be compared with the captive life that a lot of marine mammals has. Some of the pros of the marine animals staying in their natural habitat is the obvious such as them growing up in the environment that their ancestors has been living in for decades upon decades. â€Å"Cetaceans eat a variety of fish and invertebrates; some species eat other marine mam There is a a lot of pros and cons of being a marine mammal in captivity as well as in the wild. Some of the pros is longer life expectancies, easier access to research on the given marine animal and the ability to get a better understanding of the marine animal and the animal will in most cases get the care needed. â€Å"Over 90 percent of the American public feels that zoos and aquariums are essential to education, are important to learning about animals† (The debate pro captivity 5/13). This quote tells that the pros of having marine animals in captivity isn’t only essential for some research but it can indeed increase the average students understanding for a certain animal. Reading about an animal can teach you a whole bunch of stuff but seeing the animal in real life can certainly beat any book. There is also a lot of cons to keeping marine animals in captivity. One of which is the fact that orcas or so called killer whales can swim about 100 miles in 24 hours, these creatures can also go deep underwater about 500 ft. to be exact (marine mammals in captivity mals.† (Captive vs. Wild 5/13). The marine animals will be able to find all these natural food sources in the wild and will naturally find their personal hunting technique. There is good and bad to everything and this accounts for the bad things about animals being in the wild as well â€Å"It is easy to see that in their own environments, little prevents such creatures from yielding to their natural impulses, as they should.†(Marvel at wild animals from a distance 5/13) This quote basically says that there isnt going to be a lot holding the animals living in the wild holding them back from potentially hurting each other and in some cases even kill each other. â€Å"Dolphins and other marine mammals are threatened by boat collisions and entrapment† (Commercial Fisher ies and Marine mammal 5/13) this quote supports the claim that one threat to the marine mammals are boats and boat collisions. Some 100.000 animals living in the water gets injured or killed by commercial fishing every year (Commercial Fishing and Marine mammals 5/13). But that is only some of the few risks of being a marine mammal living in the wild. My opinion on this is that having animals in captivity can be a very good thing but it certainly has major flaws which i think we should try and fix. We should only have animals in captivity for educational reasons and not for people’s amusement. â€Å"SeaWorld’s contributions to animal rescue and rehab only amount to .0006 percent of its profits.† (Grist 5/13). What is stated in the quote is why i am so against having animals in captivity. Sea world makes a ton of money every season and for them to only give 0.0006% of their annual income to rehabilitation and rescue of the marine animals is wrong. Just purely wrong. We should not use such amazing creatures for entertainment and not help them. I am very much against having animals of all sorts as well as marine mammals captive the only time it should be considered ‘okay’ to have any kind of animal captive is to rehabilitate them and help them if needed. â€Å"500 orcas, dolphins and other members o f the dolphin family held in captivity in the United States.† (Ten facts about captive orcas and dolphins 5/13). i strongly believe that most of the 500 marine animals being held captive around the U.S does not have a problem or an injury that holds them back from being set back into the wild. Almost every person with a soul is going to agree with my opinion that it is wrong to keep animals captive for our own amusement. â€Å"The more we learn about marine mammals, the more troubling it becomes to keep these complex, intelligent creatures in tanks and pens. It’s time to see the situation from the animals’ point of view and reconsider whether its right to confine them for our amusement†. (Marine mammals in captivity 5/13) It is also very saddening to see these creatures of the wild being held behind bars and knowing that they’re not where they’re supposed to be that they’re not home. But having the animals in captivity can not only hurt them mentally but also physically, the animal in captivity gets put under a whole lot of stress as well as pressure, this can affect all parts of the animal such as the immune system (captivity). Animals should not be held captive. Marine science work citing. â€Å"The Debate Pro-captivity† http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/whales/debate/procap.html â€Å"animals in the wild† http://cfhs.ca/wild/marine_mammals_in_captivity â€Å"Marine mammals in Captivity† http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/captive_marine/facts/marine_captivity.html â€Å"Marin aqua parks† http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/captive_marine/ â€Å"Wild vs. Captive† https://awionline.org/content/wild-vs-captivity â€Å"Marvel at wild animals from a distance† http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/02/25/palmer.killer.whales.captivity/ Commercial Fisheries and Marine Mammals http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/fisheries/facts/fisheries_marine_mammals.html SeaWorld only spends 0.0006 percent of revenue on animal rescue and rehabilitation http://grist.org/list/seaworld-only-spends-0-0006-percent-of-revenue-on-animal-rescue-and-rehabilitation/ Marine animals in captivity. http://www.worldanimalprotection.us.org/our-work/animals-wild/marine-animals-captivity Ten facts about captive orcas and dolphins. http://www.bornfreeusa.org/facts.php?p=2688more=1 Marine mammals in captivity http://www.hsi.org/issues/captive_marine/ Captivity http://us.whales.org/wdc-in-action/captivity

Monday, January 20, 2020

Funding and Lending Problems with China’s Three Gorges Dam Project :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Funding and Lending Problems with China’s Three Gorges Dam Project The Three Gorges Project continues to leave a wake of environmental and social transgressions. An assortment of activists and over 45 international groups, including the International Rivers Network and Sierra Club, have fought the project and all its detrimental attributes (Lammers 1). But because of the predetermination of its construction, certain consequences associated with the Three Gorges Dam are inevitable, especially those resulting from the inundation zones. Oppositely, there remain a variety of consequences, specifically concerning the impact of relocation and resettlement, which could be minimized and even avoided if the necessary steps were taken. Unfortunately, the current mixture of economics and politics between the State Development Bank of China and its lenders provides no safe guards against such transgression. Despite protests few if any changes have been made to rectify them. In the following passage, I will give a short background of the dam’s history and consequences, disclose China’s current resettlement efforts, and explain why little change has been made to correct these matters. In the end, I will provide an alternative solution and hopefully focus needed attention to the most influential aspect of the Three Gorges Project: funding and lending. The Three Gorges Dam and Reservoir is questionably the largest engineering feat and construction project ever undertaken. The project originated as a solution to Chi na’s long-standing problems with mainland flood control (Shen 1). Soon after, the plans were altered to incorporated a giant shipping lane to the reservoir and 26 hydroelectric generators to the dam (Sly 1). The project, which resides on China’s Yangtze river, has entered the second phase of completion. Following the diversion of normal river flow and traffic to a side channel, major construction of the coffer dam, which will reportedly span more than a mile in width, has ensued (Sklar 4). And major is no exaggeration considering the Chinese government is attempting to dam the world’s second largest river. The Three Gorges dam is estimated to be over 600 feet high and result in a reservoir of over 400 miles in length (Lammers 1). The resources and materials to be consumed, beyond the 29 billion dollar cost estimate, are to include: the "3.6 billion cubic feet of rock and soil... to be excavated, 1 billion cubic feet of embankment fill... moved, 900 million cubic feet of plain and reinforced concrete... to be poured, and nearly 300,000 tons of metal structures.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

If only God had made Adam & Steve, instead of Adam & Eve

In â€Å"Let Gays Marry,† Andrew Sullivan responds to conservative objections to same-sex marriages, by arguing that allowing such unions would actually promote traditional values, such as fidelity, monogamy, and love. It should logically appeal to straight conservatives, who deplore gay male promiscuity, that the declaration of Supreme Court: â€Å"A state cannot deem a class of persons a stranger to its laws,† now assigns equal rights to gays and lesbians. Andrew Sullivan is a senior editor at The New Republic, a magazine he edited from 1991 to 1996, and the U. S. columnist for the Sunday Times of London. He has a B. A. in modern history and modern languages from Oxford University and a Ph. D. in political science from Harvard University. He lives in Washington, D. C. The real problem is that there are really only three arguments against gay marriage: One is rooted in entirely God's preferences, the second cites inconclusive research on its negative effects on children, and third, the integrity of a marriage as a legal document. Sullivan effectively presents his case in a very logical fashion, calmly displaying his points, and using a statement declared by the United States Supreme Court, under which no gay men or lesbians will be considered strangers in America. They (Gays) are human beings just like you and I, â€Å"the sons and daughters of countless mothers and 2 fathers,† and should have the same opportunities to pursue happiness by marrying the one that they love. A natural process, where two people fall in love and decide to get married, is not any different for gay people. Therefore legalizing gay marriages does not provide gays with any special rights or place in America, but instead people will consider them to be an equal part of the society. The main idea is homosexuals should have the right to get married legally. Sullivan does not want churches to make any change in their practice, but to allow everyone to be who he/she is, a principle that the United States was created on. Plus, the concept of marriage has changed within the past one hundred years. The inter-caste and the inter-religion marriages which were once prohibited or forbidden between couples, has now become socially acceptable. Gay marriages do not change anyone else's rights or marriages in any way. Marriage is not just about raising children because the fact that many notable â€Å"childless heterosexual couples† exist in today's society, such as Bob Dole and his wife Elizabeth Dole, etc. Sullivan concludes by telling the general public to accept homosexual marriages and the fact that they will not be the turning point for the downfall of all society. Although I agree with Sullivan when he says, legalizing gay unions would not change anyone's right to marriage, I find Bennett's view more powerful, that it would weaken the institution of marriage, and contradict natural, moral, religious, and sexual realities. After reading Sullivan's article, I question his credibility, as he didn't provide enough evidence to get his point through. His approach toward his readers is with a lot of pathos, rather than logos. For example, when he states â€Å"And what we 3 seek is not a special place in America†¦ o give back to our society,† it is not clear as to what he means by giving back. When he argues about the definition of marriage, Sullivan fails to see the change, which was brought about for the welfare of the people (inter-caste marriages, inter-religion marriages, etc. ), consisted of a â€Å"man† and a â€Å"woman†, not two men, or two women. I would have agreed to the assertion, â€Å"the most simple, the most natural, and the most human instinct,† if it was used to prove the relationship between a male and a female. But using it to persuade about the same sex marriage doesn't cheer me up. To answer the question of whether gay and lesbian couples should have the right to marry, the question of why the institution of marriage is valued so dearly in society today must be answered. To do this, the meaning of the word marriage must be found, remembering that there are different levels in which marriage can be interpreted and/or evaluated. As with many other issues, when one tries to define the word marriage and its repercussions in society, several fundamental questions arise that must be answered in order to get a better understanding of the issue in question. Questions like: What is marriage defined as? In Webster's Dictionary, marriage is defined as â€Å"The institution whereby men and women are joined in special kind of social and legal dependence for the purpose of founding and maintaining a family. † This concept seems to have been perpetuated throughout history, one man and one woman joined â€Å"till death do them part. † Keeping the above points in view, same sex marriages defy the laws of Christianity, and it is immoral in the eyes of society. Homosexuality in almost all countries has been looked down upon, and sometimes condemned. This opposition stems from the Holy 4 Bible. The couple in the Garden of Eden was a man and a woman, not two men or two women. If God intended two men or two women to be together, he would have put them in the Garden of Eden, giving them both the ability to have children. But that didn't happen. God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve, for the procreation of life. God wanted man and woman to reproduce with one another in order for the human race to continue. Today, adoption has taken a turn for the worse; Gay and Lesbian couples who cannot have their own children are adopting kids. I see this as one of the concerned problems. What kind of message are these kids getting? That homosexuality is all right. Moreover, the impact of this move can be devastating on the children as they grow up. For example, they might have to face a lot of challenges, like people taunting them, name calling, making fun, etc. Homosexuality is rejected by all major religions around the globe, but Andrew Sullivan still believes that promiscuity in homosexual relationships can show heterosexual couples that adultery doesn't have to end their marriage. The Bible states, â€Å"Leviticus 20:13: If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. † Thus, a 4000 year old book had an answer to the question being asked today. i. e. = Same Sex Marriage– Ethical or Unethical?

Friday, January 3, 2020

Reflection On Domestic Violence s Intersection With...

Daniel Garcia June 24, 2016 Social Problems Fieldwork Paper Professor Brita Andercheck Reflection on Domestic Violence’s Intersection with Various Social Problems PennyWise is a resale store affiliated with the Fort Bend Women’s Center in Sugar Land, TX. This organization works to advocate and provide resources for women and children who are victims of domestic abuse. Their mission statement is: The Fort Bend Women’s Center empowers survivors of domestic or sexual violence and their children to achieve safety, heal and begin a new independent and self-sufficient life, while also striving to prevent violence against women (Fort Bend). Volunteers for the Fort Bend Women’s Center fulfill a number of roles in their retail store, PennyWise. In my service, I worked to help the staff organize and sort the various donations that they received that were inundating their warehouse. 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