Coal and the future of energy In a recent post I commented about the problems that communities in Kentucky face against coal industries and mountain top removal procedures (see here). People concerned about mining’s environmental impact propose a return to “deep mining. Deep mining is not as damaging as mountain top removal, and it also …
Category: Awareness Building
Jun 15
California: An Eco-Friendly Photo Essay, part 2
For part one of my photo-essay, click here. When doing my research for my trip to California, as you may recall, I found a very short list of organic vineyards in Napa Valley; however, once we arrived, signs such as this one were discretely posted at the majority of the vineyards we visited. I was …
Jun 14
Water for Sudan – Spotlight
Last week, I wrote a couple of posts about the security situation and aid organizations in Sudan. One element that factors heavily into both of these issues is water – that most essential of resources. Now that we’re less than a month away from southern Sudan’s secession from Sudan proper, it’s becoming obvious that resources …
Jun 14
Jamaica’s Ruined Economy
In a world that is run by various forms of financing and spending, countries are continuously dependent on institutions that provide for their ability to develop. And in a reality where even highly developed countries like the US, UK, and Germany are millions of dollars in debt, is it really surprising that developing countries are …
Jun 14
Inside the Coal Industry, Part 1
The case of the eastern Kentucky’s Appalachia Mountains Last week I was part of a delegation to Kentucky with Witness for Peace (to learn more about the organization click here). Its goal was to learn about coal extraction and its impacts on the communities and the environment of Eastern Kentucky. During the three-day trip, I was …
Jun 14
Time to Legalize?
The Bureau of Justice Statistics recently published a report that documented the inmate population in the United States. The report showed that in 2002, 24.7% of the prison population was sentenced for drug offenses, including nearly 11% of whom have been imprisoned for possession. Drug abuse is a huge problem in the United States. This …
Jun 13
Nurture Changing Nature – Power and Responsibility
I was so happy at 2:30 PM on Monday afternoon. I had stayed up until 3 AM the night before watching pointless youtube videos and had been exhausted all morning. The lab for my Molecular Biology course is scheduled to get out at 4 PM on Mondays, but today’s lab was short. I had completed …
Jun 13
People Comprehension Part III
Last week, I talked about some possible exercises that could be administered in elementary schools that would allow children to develop people comprehension skills. While I certainly think it’s extremely important to begin learning and practicing these skills at a young age, I think it’s perhaps even more important to continue developing these skills as …
Jun 13
California: An Eco-Friendly Photo Essay, Part 1
I recently returned from a 6-day trip to California (you may remember my preparations) that turned out to be surprisingly eco-friendly, and so I thought I would deviate from the traditional blog post today to do a sort of photo-essay. Hopefully this will help drive home the point that no matter where you are going …
Jun 10
Sexism in Sports
I watched the Heat vs. Mavericks game last night—cheering for LeBron, Wade, and Bosh the whole way. Unfortunately, they lost this one. However, it had me thinking about why men’s sports teams are so glorified and women’s sports teams so devalued. Not only are women athletes and sports teams often devalued—they are very often suppressed, …