Global Warming

In the past few years, the exceptional conditions of global climate have appeared with increasing frequency. Almost every day, we can get news about natural disasters happening in some corners of the world, and these disasters always have grave consequences to human beings. The number of hurricanes and seaquakes in coastal waters has increased; because the sealevel has raisen, seawater floods a lot of islands; the Pacific waters have disrupted the ecosystem because of warmer temperatures. These scientific problems ring an alarm to us: what is the fundamental reason to bring about these disasters or abnormal phenomena? Are they due to global warming? Without a doubt, the answer is “yes”. Due to the fact that global warming is the cause of most of these problems, we should address the issue of global warming immediately by focusing on air pollution, changing energy structure, and policy.

As we know, the primary cause of global warming is air pollution, so reducing the amount of carbon dioxide and other poisonous or chemical gases in the air will be the most effective way to relieve stress that global warming brings in. Because of the increase of world population and the industrial civilization in these recent centuries, these developments of human society directly lead to the carbon dioxide and the process gases’ content in the atmosphere was rasing all the time. In what we called the “greenhouse effect”, the pollution in the atmosphere makes temperature warmer and warmer. If we can control the discharge amount of these harmful gases, and give off less polluting stuff in the air, the situation will be better soon. To reduce air pollution is the key and a significant way to fix the problem.

Next, scientists and researchers got many great successes in tapping new energy sources; they tried to change energy structure, either for production or consumption. Coal and oil wrer the primary sources of energy last century, and even for now. As far as they are concerned, not only have they limited quantity the regeneration speed is slow, but also burning fossil fuel can produce a lot of pollution in the air, plants, and water. For now, new energy such as nuclear energy, wind, water, and solar energy is more and more appearing in our daily life, and electricity has found wide application in some ways. We will rely on new energy tomorrow instead of traditional energy. Both of current situations and modern trends require us to use energy that is clean and renewable.

In addition, not only can we use technology, but also we can address the issue of global warming through policy. First, in many ways and places the validity of laws is strong enough, so laws widely exist in any branch of our society: business, industry and agriculture, and our daily life, and laws also can be used in protecting environment, in preventing global warming. Making laws that help people to correct uncivilized behavior against the environment is useful. Furthermore, the issue of global warming is not a mission for an exact country; each country also has responsibility. It requires closer communication between each country to improve our common living environment. People in different countries can discuss plans together, and many reach consensus on some events. Policy is an important way that can not be ignored to address the issue of global warming.

Some people say that warmer temperature in the Pacific waters that have disrupted the ecosystem was not caused by global warming. But they are wrong, because more and more scientists believed that global warming plays an important role in disasters that happened in recent years, and many countries along the Pacific Ocean have already gotten in trouble because of global warming. In China, the mean yearly rainfall is less than before, especially in summer, and with the warmer temperature, China was always visited by serious droughts; what was worse, viruses can survive in high temperature so that the bird flu closely followed SARS to spread throughout the country. As fishing is important to its economy, Peru suffered huge losses in the exceptional seawater discharge and direction. The same as Peru, Australia also has problems in architecture and fishing. Less fish, more dead birds and much less plankton along the Pacific Coast were the symbol of global warming. We are in an awful hurry to address the issue of global warming.

In addition, it is very clear that environmental problems along the Pacific Coast were caused by global warming, and we should address the issue of global warming immediately by focusing on air pollution, changing energy structure, and policy. To begin with, we should reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and other chemical gases in the atmosphere. Second, using clean and renewable energy instead of nonrenewable is the trend in the future. Moreover, policy is helpful to solve environmental problems, for instance, to make laws and enable closer international cooperation. Even though opponents of the negative influence mention that problems along the Pacific Coast may not be due to global warming, disasters because of high temperature that happened in those countries give strong evidence. Let’s remember the wreckage of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina; let’s remember people in Tuyalu moved to another country because their own land had been flooded by water; let’s remember the losses of China, Peru and Australia, then we will know how important it is to address the issue of global warming.

C'dale

I hadn’t known how much I like Carbondale until I traveled to other places in the U.S. Even though there are not so many places or buildings with good architecture here, I consider this place as my home. Compared with huge cities such as Chicago and New York, the life style in Carbondale is totally different. We can completely enjoy ourselves in such a peaceful and quiet town.
The prettiest place I’ve ever visited around Carbondale is Giant City Park. I have no words to describe how beautiful a memory that I had this spring. I had never pressed myself close to science before. Everything I saw was natural, green trees, colorful flowers, and even simple wood houses. Wishing to live in either Carbondale or Giant City Park, I will spend my life when I am old.

Weblog Assignment #4

“Alcatraz Island” is located in the middle of San Francisco Bay in California. It was used as a military stockade and later as a maximum security prison. Now, it’s open to visitors and is one of Golden Gate National Recreation Area’s most popular destinations. It’s listed as a National Historic Landmark. A collection of unique photographs which historically document it showed that it was also an occupational place for American Indians at the beginning of the 70’s and the end of the 60’s, in the 20th century. Therefore, visitors to the island can not only explore the remnants of the prison, but can also learn about the Indians’ occupation.
Alcatraz Island is offering a close-up look at a historic and infamous federal prison long off-limits to the public. The main point for prisoners was that no one has ever escaped from Alcatraz, and no one ever will. This depends on its unique geographic location; it is plagued by barren ground, little vegetation and surrounding water that churned with swift currents. It was established as a lighthouse to guide ships through the Golden Gate, but it is obviously not a lighthouse for prisoners. As a successful model, Alcatraz Island abandoned the function of a jail, and it turned to the revolution of types, which is to become to a historic museum. There are too many stories and magical things that go along with it. I’m interested in the trip, of visitors who go to Alcatraz Island, if I have a chance.

Weblog Assignment #3

"Phishing " is a new kind of crime in which ID thieves trick people into providing their Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, PIN number, mother's maiden names, and other personal information by pretending to be someone they are not. The website gave us a lot of information and advice about "Phishing". There are several ways to protect consumers from getting in trouble. We should watch out for "phishy" emails; we'd better just only open email attachments if we're expecting them and know what they contain. Beside situations about email, we shouldn't click on links that ask for personal informaiton, and do the same for pop-up screens, protect our computer with spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a firewall, and keep them updated reqularty.

"Phishing" has become common in a few years; it has been given attention because os the serious density of informaiton, and the injury caused to many people. We should know more that "phishing" happens not only on the Internet, but exists also in our daytime lives. Phishing can also happen by phone; seeking jobs requires that we be careful; in addition, if someone contacts us and says we've been victim of fraud, werify the person's identify before provide personal informaiton. It sounds horrible, but it's true, the thieves are around us preparing to trick us. I've had a similar case that happened last year. When I searched for a video, a pop-up screen that said:" Congratulations!" you have won $50,000. Please type your name and your account number in order to get the money. Fortunately, I felt strange, because I've never done anything about the money, so I'm not fooled; now we know it is sign that something is "phishy".

The First True Love

In "Snowing On Cedars", the first ture love for Ishmael and Hatsue happens in Chapter 7 and Chapter 12. The story about pure love is like other classical love stories, but the period of the love is different from other kinds of fairy tales. Even though Ishmael and Hatsue have been connected for many years, they haven't ever been together in public, so I can say it is a tragedy. They fell in love when they were 14-years old, and spent the happiest time of their lives together, for Ishmael at least. As Japanese airforce bombed Pearl Harbor, and then the US goverment announced that Japanese-Americans on the island had to move, the loves had to be separated.
They could not be together just because of their different orgins; just because they have different colors of hair, skin, and eyes, and just because people saw them as different kinds. It's unfair. Ishmael has so much kindness in his heart. Who can imagine the enormous shock to them when they are force to be separated, even if they didn't have a memory about appearing in public as lovers. If they can marry several years later, the guy might not have such negative thoughts about the world, possibly. I still remember the last sentence from Chapter 12:" Twelve years later she would still see him this way, standing at the edge of the strawberry fields beneath the over of the silent cedars, a goodlooking boy with one arm held out, as if ask her to come back (Page 46,47). The emotional words touch me .I have to say the author has depicted the guy sucessful. Let's pay more attention to what will happen the next between the ex-lovers and the trail.

Weblog Assignment #2

" Center on Wrongful Convictions " showed some official statistics of Illinois wrongful convictions in the twentieth century center by Northwestern University School of Law. The parentheses included 100 innocent persons who had punishment beacuse of merder or rape. Following the name we can see their years of arrest, years of exoneration (or years of release if it occurred before the exoneration), the principal crime charged, and the sentence. Juile Rea Harper was an example of wrongful convictions in the recent years. She was acquitted by a jury in Clinton County, July 26, 2006, of the 1997 murder of her 10-year-old son with no demonstrable motive. At last, because of an audio recording of Sells, the real murder, Juile has been proven innocent.

The article on the website shakes me up that there are so many innocent people who have to be in jail or have to accept the punishment that shouldn't be part of their lives. Juile Rea Harper was sad enough from losing her son, but what was worse, she was put in jail wrongly and wasted about 10 years in jail.Who can tell her about the consequences, if police officers cannot catch the real hatchet man? The almost 100 instance means that the society's secruity system is not perfect. As the science and technology is developing all the time, there are more and more methods that can help police to figure out ctiminals, using things such fringerprints, study of handwriting, lie detectors, and DNA. There will be a lot fewer innocent people who are jailed wrongly in the not-too-distant future.

Dangerous!

" The World's Most Dangerous Locations " was written by Dakota Smith. It's a list that shows us the ten most dangerous places for travelers. They are Brazil, Russia, Africa, Israel, Iraq, North Korea, Serbia, Sri Lanka and the U.S. Most of them are in Asia, Africa and America; There's no country from Europe and Oceania. Always the situations of these dangerous countries are in the war, confusion, or radical. For example, Iraq became more and more famous through media in recent years because of the war, Sri Lanka was bold as full of rebal groups, and North Korea has the redical communism as people know.

This list is useful and practical for travelers, and the opinion is impersonal. First most of them are developing countries except Russia and the U.S. Evidence is that economy is the fundamental reason that plays an important role to make these countries dangerous. Next, countries such as Israel and Iraq are the birthplaces of kinds of religious. It is a big problem if a part of people have different belief in that places. In addition, politics is a reason cannot be ignored. North Korea is communist like China and Cuba, but why North Korea more dangerous than the other two countries? I think the differences are between regularity and redicalness. So if we prepare to travel in these countries that are mentioned above, we need to think about it more.