F.D.A. Finishes Food Labels for How We Eat Now

ScrAPES#23: New Food Labels

by Sabrina Tavernise

May 20, 2016

There is a major change to the food nutrition labels due to Michelle Obama's campaign "Let's Move!". It magnifies calorie counts in large fonts, proportion size, and finally sugar label and percentage. The Sugar Association primarily did not want to add a separate line for "added sugar" and was disappointed with the F.D.A.'s decision to require a second line for it. This move is a way to allow buyers to know how much sugar or calorie the product has and mainly to prevent obesity, strokes, heart diseases, etc. Especially for children who are on the heavy side or obese at a very young age, so that they can prevent it from spreading the epidemic. 

This is interesting to me because it reminds me of the documentary my class watched about obesity and sugar; it was called Fed Up. The documentary discussed about the widespread epidemic of obesity in younger children and how companies and manufacturers are adding so much sugar or fructose into the products. They also discussed about Michelle Obama's "Lets Move!" campaign and that the American way to lose weight or prevent weight gain is exercising. As well as the Sugar Association disagreeing to the plan on adding a line for sugar percentage. 

This is important to the environment because obesity is a huge problem in the United States and it is mostly because of processed or artificial food. Children nowadays are so influenced to eat unhealthy at a very young age and they get less lessons on how to eat healthy. It is like a drug; either marijuana, coke, or heroine it is addictive and poisonous. It causes diabetes in young children where it should not be in. I think it is very important for people to know what is in their food and that way they can calculate how much calorie or sugar they want to take or want their children to have and that is ONE of the MAJOR way to lose weight, in my own opinion, and the other is exercising.

Resources:

• F.D.A. Finishes Food Labels for How We Eat Now

New Solar Plants Generate Floating Green Power

ScrAPES#22: New Solar Panels Generate Floating Green Power

by Erica Goode

May 20, 2016

In Japan's Chiba Prefecture there are blue solar panels that stretches across the Yamakura Dam. In two years when the construction is done there will be 50, 904 solar panels and they will generate electricity for almost 5,000 homes. This plan is created by Kyocera a company that builds solar panels. The growing interest of solar panels on land and water comes from the growth in the solar market and the decreasing cost of technology. They are also called floatovoltaics. The advantage of floatovoltaics is that they are less expensive due to cost of "land" and they take less time to build. With solar land panels they are much more expensive because you have to buy the land and it goes through a lot of natural disaster events. While floatovoltaics can reduce evaporation which is a positive thing due to droughts. 

This article is interesting to me because solar panels are a very positive and healthier way to produce electricity because it uses the sun's energy. It is very efficient. I know there are solar panels in the United States and other countries but I have never seen one and I know it is not really popular because it is somehow "expensive" and so much work. And I especially never heard of "floatovoltaics" or in other words floating solar panels. I think it is a very smart idea for people to do this.

This is important to the environment because it is more efficient and it takes less time to build. It also prevents water evaporation and I know for sure that is a good thing, especially for California, because it prevents drought. And with no drought the aquatic animals will not die. It also provides a plentiful amount of coverage to nearly 5,000 homes or more if the reservoir is larger. The government and countries should accept this idea because it is one step to a renewable resource and one step to making our planet better again. 

Resources: 

• New Solar Plants Generate Floating Green Power

Company Says It's Been Indicted for California Oil Spoil

ScrAPES#21: Company Indicted for California Oil Spill

by Richard Perez-Pena

May 17, 2016

A company is being criminally charged by Californian prosecutors for the oil leak last year; which was caused by the company's ruptured oil pipeline. The Santa Barbara County grand jury had indicted the company, Plains All American, with four felonies and 42 misdemeanors. James Buchanan, an environmental and regulatory compliance at the company is also being charged with misdemeanor. The company states that neither the company nor any its employees engaged in any criminal activities or behavior. If Plains is found guilty they could face fines up to $2.8 million.

This article interest me because I did not know who was the cause of that oil spill and that oil spill frightened me last year because I knew, before I attended Environmental Science, that any chemicals that is mixed with the planet's water or water in general is very dangerous. This is actually the first time I have heard of the court or any high authority actually taking charge of severe environmental situations like this. I believe that the company deserves to be sentenced guilty because it was their fault for the oil spill because they were the one who were supposed to make sure oil definitely does not spill into the water. 

This is important to the environment because I think the court did the right thing by indicting the Plains company. I also think the United States should take environmental hazard seriously; for example, plastics in the ocean needs to be seriously taken care of because it is just like a typical oil spill. It kills the aquatic animals, poisonous to humans because we eat fish who then eats plastics, and it is a factor of water pollution. If only the court can find a better alternative instead of plastic and then our planet will be one step to a better environment.

Resources:

• Company Indicted for California Oil Spill

Drinking Water in Newark Schools, Lead Problems 6 Years Ago?

ScrAPES#20: Water In Newark School Lead Problems For 6 Years

by Patrick McGeehan

April 8, 2016

        Studies found out that drinking water from Newark School in New Jersey have been contaminated with lead since six years ago. During 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 contained lead about 15 parts per billion. In early March the superintendent ordered to stopped water fountains in school and distributed water bottles for their safety. The district who analyzed the water sample from Newark stated that at least 25 percent of those samples had lead concentrations and 5 percent was really high. Majority of the lead contamination originated from old plumbing.

        This is interesting to me because this highly reminded me of the lead contamination in Flint, Michigan where the governor exchanged the pipelines to the local lakes. This makes me wonder if lead contamination will spread throughout the country and if we, globally, are all safe. It also makes me wonder if we can do anything to 99 percent eliminate the lead contamination and prevent lead from ever occuring in our water system.

       This is important to the environment because lead is an extremely dangerous chemical element. It has tons of negative horrific effects to living things. It can damage the nervous system, can cause nephropathy and colic-like abdominal pains. This will happen if lead is in the lakes and rivers. It will kill the aquatic ecosystem (and animals) as well as humans because we all drink water because water is a major priority for all living things to survive.


Resources:

• Drinking Lead in Newark  

Deer Island Reflection

Deer Island

During our Deer Island field trip I learned that the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) that is located in Deer Island are the one who are responsible for providing 34% of Massachusetts' water which covers 2.5 million people. I also learned that the founder of MWRA has an engineering degree. They also take sludge (or poop) from people's toiletry pipelines and turn it into fertilizers which is called Bay State Fertilizer.

The waste water treatment works like this:

• pump -> grit chamber -> primary clarifiers -> secondary clarifiers -> digester -> disinfection -> chlorinate -> dechlorinate. 

It is important to our environment because it cleans out our waste and turns our waste into something useful which are fertilizers. Apparently sludge fertilizers are much better than regular soil fertilizer. 

Pacific Garbage Patch Reflection

Pacific Garbage Patch

        I learned that in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, where it is secluded, there is a large ring area of waste from plastic bottles and bags to fishing nets. The animals think they are food and tries to eat the wastes but they get stuck and die. I also learned that the wastes come from developed countries but majority of them comes from developing countries due to waste pollution. That no one is trying to help out the aquatic ecosystem by reducing or eliminating plastic and wastes that are not disposable.

        This affects the world because the waste in the Pacific Ocean will destroy the aquatic ecosystem and fishes who eat these harm substances can go to us because we also eat fish. It is very deadly and hazardous. Water is also a major factor of our lives and we need it in order to survive and if water is unsanitary then that can lead to us being scarce of water. 

Corner Stalk Farm Reflection

 Corner Stalk Farm

       I learned that people in Boston are transforming old unused shipping containers into a renewable source of material by simply harvesting organic fruits and vegetables in it. These fruits and vegetables are natural and of high quality, while the old shipping containers are being used usefully instead of turning into garbage.  The containers and fruits and vegetables are created to be sustainable and efficient to the environment.
        It important to the environment because firstly harvesting fruits and vegetables in shipping containers is more efficient and eco-friendly. The shipping containers contains controls for environmental factors from temperature to carbon dioxide and plants gets provided with LED renewable lights, which is drastically healthier. It is important that we create food that is beneficial to our health and lifespan so that we do not die young from healthy and unecessary food. Plus it is super efficient due to the amount of renewable resource it attains and it will most likely fix food miles.

Food Miles Reflection

Food Miles

      In the Food Miles activity we learned about the carbon footprint of food.  Some of the carbon footprint of foods that we anticipated were:

•Spaghetti and meatballs: 1600 units
•Whole Grain cereal: 1224 units
•Fresh fruit: 84 units
•Waffles: 800 units

        Spaghetti and meatballs had the highest carbon footprint, while the fresh fruit had the lowest carbon footprint. Spaghetti and meatballs has been procressed thoroughly before being delivered to our groceries. Maybe this is one of the many factor to why the United States is considered overweight because of the different processes placed in our food. Plus unhealthy food like spaghetti and meatballs are intensely cheap compared to fruits and vegetables. The manufacturers trick their people into buying the unhealthy food by advertisements and commercials. It has less nutrition because it has been touched with, than the major nutrition fruits and vegetables contain.
        The food that I eat comes from Market Basket which most likely comes from food manufacturers mostly in Western rural states and California because they mostly have farmers in Western States. I try to eat healthier by eating fruits and vegetables but I just love my meat. Food miles is important to the environment because when food originates from China it contains greenhouse gases due to fossil fuel emissions plus their severe pollution. It also determines the amount of processing our food endures before being stocked in the supermarket. We can healthier by turning organic, even though it's expensive, it's much healthier because nearly everything naturally made.

Oregon Rancher Standoff Reflection

 

Oregon Rancher Standoff

      The Oregon Rancher Standoff started when a militia protested against the government about land regulations. The government has been taking people's land without basically their permission. In Harney County, ranchers Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son Steven were condemned of arson for setting fires on federal lands. The disagreement among rancher Cliven Bundy and the United States Bureau of Land Management on a $1 million unpaid grazing fees led to a standoff in Nevada. Western militant states protested for the pending re-imprisonment of the Hammonds in 2015 which they considered as unjustified. An armed protesters took over the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refugee. They would not stop protesting until they had rights to their lands and more for cattle business. The militants encouraged ranchers to stop paying the federal government grazing fees. They believed that the government is too much and is abusing their power and empowering over the citizens.

        This reminds me of the Boston Public School walk-out where students protested against budget cuts. Even though only one person got arrested for throwing a bottle at a police and the police threatening to tazer the students, it was not as bad as the Oregon Rancher Standoff because it did not have any deaths involved. The ranchers should have not overreacted and instead calmed down first. Then they should have dicussed the situation at hand in a civilized mannered and protested "peacefully". They should have put signs and petitions around towns and states. And if it did not work they could have took it to the Supreme Court, if it was doable. 

Three Headaches for the Recycling Industry

ScrAPES#19: Three Headaches for the Recycling Industry

by Matt Richtel

March 25, 2016

The advanced recycling companies in the world modifies 75 percent or more of the community's waste from landfills. But these companies like, Zero Waste, are having difficulties to recycle THREE products; Diapers, Plastic Bags, and Juice Boxes. Diapers are made of composite materials with more than one type of plastic. A recycling consultant in Northern California, Gary Liss, says that he knows a company that is in the process of knowing a way to recycle diapers. But the process is long consisting of curbside pickup for used diapers, pulling apart, and cleaning. Plus it cost money. There are also adult diapers and it is not going to get better due to Baby Bloomers. Plastic Bags on the other hand are an everyday, per person use. It is in every retail or grocery stores in the United States and in the world. When plastic bags enter the world of machinery they are a nightmare because they float, cling, wrap, and gum up the expensive machines. Juice boxes are also a problem because they are extremely difficult to pull apart. The only possible solution people have figured out is to design packaging that allows the materials to be more easily separated. 

This is interesting to me because I never knew that diapers were one of the massive problems the recycling companies have to endure with to keep it from landfills. But then again it is not surprising because every day almost every second there is a new baby born in the United States. Juice boxes also surprised me because I did not know that machine could not disassemble a box and that people have to do it by hand. What did not surprise me at all was plastic bags because they are very widespread and the quality of these plastic bags are extremely strong.

This is important to the environment because if we do not recycle these products at all or in a faster pace it will build up and will eventually reach the landfills. It will pollute our streams and oceans and kill the aquatic animals. We will not have clean water available and we do need clean water in order to survive. Even though the process to prevent these products from reaching the landfills are expensive I think it is very much worth it! Would people rather care about the green paper we call money than our health and the health of our planet?

Resources:

• Three Headaches for the Recycling Industry

Biotic #28:

My pet rats, William and Junior, are biotics because they are living.

Native Species #27:

Goldfish are considered native species because they have been around for hundreds and thousands of years. They typically are "house pets" and originated from China, but when people are no longer interested in keeping them they are often released in ponds, lakes or streams.

Abiotic #26:

The sky is abiotic because it is not living.

Land Pollution #25:

This is land pollution because there are many waste that is spread on the ground and not put in the trash bin properly.

Community #24:

Charlestown is a community because there plenty of people with different backgrounds of race, religion, and nationality.

Consumer #23:

My dog Lucky is a consumer because he takes in other food (for example pork/pig, beef/cow, chicken) to get his energy.

Autotroph #22:

These two plants are considered autotrophs because they are green plants who make their own food by taking sunlight and using the energy to make sugar.

Natural Disaster #21:

This is considered a natural disaster because in this picture it was raining and there was a lot of fog. Rain can create flooding.

Renewable resource #20:

This tea cup from DavidsTea is a renewable resource because it can be composted to become renewable soil.

What Went Wrong in Flint

ScrAPES#18: What Went Wrong in Flint

by Monica Davey and Mitch Smith

March 3, 2016

On April 2014, Flint's state allowed a temporary change on the city's water source. Flint's water was originally coming from Lake Huron and was transferred to Flint's river. During the switch, Flint officials did not add corrosion controls (the measures that are implemented in various fields to control corrosion in: Soil, Metal, Concrete, and Water). Since the corrosion controls controlled metals, the contamination of lead could have been prevented initially. The epidemic of the contamination of lead derived from the city's old lead pipes. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality did not check twice for the corrosion controls and are one of the many people who is in fault for this issue. The Federal Environmental Protection Agency ignored when a scientist warned them about the levels of high lead in the water coming out of Flint's tap water. State and local officials relentlessly overlooked resident's complaints about the discoloration of the water and the effect of rashes. Mayor Walling also announced that he thinks people are wasting precious money buying bottled water. When Flint officials finally realized the elevated levels of contamination they told residents to boil their water before drinking it, but it failed miserably. The city and state officials did not warn the issue and later on arranged the water to return to Lake Huron. Detroit also offered to give Flint fresh and clean water but was rejected stating that Detroit's water is expensive. Other than rashes the other extreme, horrific effects of the contamination was the Legionnaire's Disease (a form of pneumonia) and high levels of lead in newborns. Governor Snyder was withheld the information of the contamination, even though he worried about Flint's water. Instead he was assured by officials and scientists that the water was perfectly fine!

This article or issue is interesting to me because water is the most important and valuable resource any living organism need. Humans can survive without food for probably a week or two because of water. It is disgusting that the officials of Flint hid a horrid complication instead of taking it in their own hands, which would have prevented lead contamination, residents and children getting sick and dying. Sometimes I question people's lack of humanity because apparently Flint rather would have cheap water than extravagant water. I guess people love to ruin our existence and cause dramatic problems for money. 

This is important for the environment because as I said earlier, water is literally everything for everyone! We NEED water and murky water is not the way to go with! Imagine a parent washing their hands on dirty tap water and then holding their newborn child, that child will get ill and die. Polluted water can also poison animals because there are aquatic animals who depend and live in the water. There are also animals who drink water from rivers and lakes. It can wipe out the diversity in the community of the animals, which will prevent them from surviving. Taking in too much lead can effect the human nervous system, bones, teeth, kidneys, cardiovascular, immune system, and reproductive system. As well as hearing loss and cataracts. Lead is extremely deadly and I know people are afraid to die. My point is that it is more important for us to be healthy over the possession of money.



Resources:

• What Went Wrong in Flint

Dollar Menu Reflection

In the Great Depression the United States farm subsidies had started. It was to give farmers a guaranteed low price for certain crops that could be restored every year. In this day on the federal government spends $35 billion each year subsidizing crops. It made corn and soybeans really low in price so that more people will produce food with them and more people would buy them. Meat and food producers now took corn and soybean and created food products out of it to make a big profit from supermarket buyers. The price of soft drinks decreased by 23 percent, while the price of fruits and vegetables increased by 40 percent. This made me realize that that is why more people buy more cheap, sugary, unhealthy food and drinks than vegetables and fruits because of the price. People do not want to spend more money on healthy food. Plus unhealthy food taste better. 

I believe that healthy eating is a right, a responsibility, and a privilege because everyone ONLY has one body in our temporary life and no one wants to die now, even if some may want to, deep down they do not. We need to take care of our body because our body is one of the reasons why were living, it supports us. Eating harmful or deadly things will kill our body and ourselves.

My diet is very different from my grandparents when they were my age. My grandparents ate healthier food like fruits and seafoods and some meat. While I ate some seafood, more pork, beef, and basically more meat. I also drink sugar a lot. But I try to control myself, I drink milk and organic juice sometimes and a lot of water. I eat vegetables and soup and I LOVE Pho!!!

Right now nothing stands in the way of my family and I eating healthy food. We choose to eat the food we love but at the same time we mix it up with healthy food like vegetables, soups, fruits. Also we make smoothies almost everyday with fruits and yogurts. But we do not buy organic food at all because I do not think it is necessary, because food does not determine our life. We all die in the end. 

Parking Lot Data

My group and I divided into two; one group was me and my partner and the other group had three people. We looked the diversity measurement of Community B (Outside Rows/White Street) and wrote down the different types of cars, from a Nissan to a BMW, and counted how many there are. There were 20 different type of cars. My partner and I found out that the most amount of cars are Toyota and the least amount of cars are Saab, BMW, Volvo, Jaguar, Acura, Chrysler. I would assume these car were less because they are much more expensive compared to a Toyota. In the other group they had the same cars except for five others (Cadillac, Infinity, Mazda, Lexus, Chevrolet). In Community A (Near Building/Back Lot), the most amount of cars are Toyota as well. That is what is common between Community A and B. I think Community B is more diverse than Community A because in Community B there are 20 different types of cars but in each type of brand there are plenty of cars. I think Community B would have an experience of human disturbance because of its populous amount of different types of cars. Toyota dominated severely because in total from both Communities there are 50 Toyotas and I am not surprised with this data because as earlier I said Toyota is much cheaper. 

Aquarium Reflection

When my class and I went to the Boston Aquarium to learn about the ecosystem of aquatic animals. Personally I am an animal lover and every time I have gone to the Aquarium I always go look at the penguins first because I have always wanted to touch them and have them as a pet. I learned that the penguins make a high pitched whistling noise to signal for feeding. They also make noises to communicate with one another with either talking or for mating. I also learned plenty of biodiversity because the aquatic ecosystem is filled with different kinds and types of animals. They also have different colors. One of the people who worked in the Aquarium also talked about the corals as one of the biggest animal in the ocean and they provide safety towards other animals. This reminded me of the time when I learned about coral reefs because of the different plants or animals living in different either harsh or cool area. I also realized that the sting rays do not sting if you touch it carefully. I was surely terrified to touch them, especially the sharks. I also learned that the anaconda can live with a set of animals or insects without it eating them. 

Save an Animal: Chimpanzee

Recently people have been entering the territory and lands of the chimpanzees. They originated from Africa but were in 25 countries. In five countries chimpanzees are already gone and five more countries, they are endangered. The threats towards chimpanzees are habitat destruction, hunting, and disease. The diseases that humans have and are contacted with chimpanzees can be very lethal to the chimpanzees. There are 2,000 chimpanzees living in the United States, 850 are in laboraties (for experimentation), 250 are in zoos, 600 of them live in sanctuary, and 250 are in entertainment industries. People are destroying chimpanzees' habitat because of their self-desire of building new civilizations (cities, roads, buildings, etc). Almost all of each continent is filled with plenty of people and plenty of growing communities and cities. I bet you when that people who are destroying their homes look at the chimpanzees they feel no pity or sympathy for them because people do not see that it is the chimpanzees' homes that they are destroying. I know some people who eat chimpanzees and that is also a reason of hunting. We can save chimpanzees by first stopping the deforestation and stop being so greedy on land. We can also rescue those chimpanzees who are left in the wild and put them in a safe environment where they are taken cared of every single day. But these people who will take care of them would be the ones who are committed to it by heart, we do not want people who are just in it for the money. People can also inform others on what is going on with chimpanzees and how we all can solve it. 

Resources:

• Chimpanzees FAQS: Jane Goodall Institute of Canada
• Konica Minolta: Endangered Animals

Cornucopia of Choices Reflection

People nowadays thinks that when they hear about corn it is all about the yellow corn in a cob, but no they should not think about that because today corn is EVERYWHERE. It is in all the food we eat, it is on the ingredients. It is everywhere because corn is cheap and producers found ways to make use of it. They include high-fructose corn syrup, saccharin, xanthan gum, etc. United State Farmers plant approximately 90 million acres of corn each year, according to the National Corn Growers Association. Field corn is fed to livestocks as well. For example, chickens, pigs, cows, and more. They feed them corn so that they will grow fatter faster. The typical American meal like the fast food restaurant also contains corn. United States is the number one corn-growing country in the world. 

People can be informed better about what is in the food they ate is by ingredients, as well as an open public look on companies who create these foods. That way people in the public can just take a tour of what the companies are doing to the animals or what they put in the food.

People have the absolute right to know what is in their food because it is our freedom to know. We want to know whether or not the food we eat can be deadly, allergic, or plainly unhealthy. And maybe also people would actually recommend companies how to make food feel and taste better.

Having 90% of our food containing corn or soy in it is a problem because how about if there are some people who are allergic and they feel sick and may lead to death. What would happen to the companies? They will get blamed. Corn is also full of sugar and can make you fat. Corn is a grain and all corn is GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms). The people who are responsible for telling us what is in our food are the companies that are creating them.

From Seed to Supermarket & The Veil Reflection

Tinkering has gone out of its way! Now in our generation the definition of tinkering is by genetically modifying organisms (genetically modified organisms or GMO), which are developed by transferring genes and their traits from one organism to another. The pros of GMO is increased yield, enhanced nutrition, and increased drought resistance. The cons of GMO is antibiotic resistance, human health impacts, unintended transfer of genes through cross-pollination, loss of biodiversity, and the control of world food production. In 2011 the Supreme Court decision upheld a company's right to patent seeds and caused a ban of saving genetically modified seeds. Some people believe that companies should have the right to patent genetically, while others disagree because they believe the companies has a certain power. In 2004 the Congress passed a law called Cheeseburger Law, which makes it illegal to sue food companies for obesity and other health effects. In March 2009 a new labeling law was created which required foods to have an originated ingredients.

There are both positive and negative impacts on companies owning the genetic information in the seed. The positive impact is all towards the company. I say this because they feel as though they are in control or in power of genetic information on where the food originates. The negative impact is that customers and buyers do not know where there original food come from. If people do not know where their food come from and they eat or drink it and they get sick they will blame the market and the market will blame the companies. Everyone wants to know where their food comes from because nowadays food is deceiving. 

This situation compares to downloading music from "free"sites because nearly everyone has downloaded apps, movies or games and even music illegally (some pirate games) and we do not know where those websites originate from. All we know it could send us to jail if we are caught because pirating is definitely illegal. They also create virus and can spill out your information without your permission. 

My family does not really have a tradition but there is a filipino tradition where the younger children or younger people has to bless their elders by putting the elder's back hand to their forehead. It is a sign of respect. But we also have a superstition (that I do not really believe in) that involves protection from Black Magic. My family and I have to wear gold, silver, and diamond jewelries, because it is a way of protection from "Black Magic". I do not mind people following my "tradition". 

The companies who genetically modify seeds should be more open to their buyers and customers and to earn their people's trust. Honestly I wish they would write down the procedures of how they make our food. But we all that will never happen because companies are sneaky sneaky people. 

The pros of people who have been in the industry and becoming a regulator worker for the government is the money they earn. They would most likely earn plenty of money especially from the government. The cons of it is that they can be sued for hiding information of where food comes from and it makes them look bad.

Fast Food to All Food Reflection

I am an animal lover but I am not biased. America loves animals. Typically the mainstream animals; dogs, cats, bunnies, hamsters, etc. Especially dogs! Majority of Americans love dogs because every man's best friend is a dog. If a dog was to be mistreated or neglected, people soon defend the animal, and fight for their rights. Yes it is a very awful thing to hurt a dog, but people has also forgotten that the food we eat are also animals. Just like dogs in China are a source of food for the Yulin Festival. We are disgusted by that because of how close we are to dogs that we do not consider them technically an animal anymore, they are our family. We forget that the chickens, pigs, cows, etc in the farms are also animals who have feelings and should be equally treated like dogs and cats. This reminds me of Charlotte's Web because in that movie the farm looked like what a farm should look like. Farm animals should be loved, cared, and taken good care of. They should have the freedom to have their own space, see the sunlight and sunset, and to roam freely. I have watched an animal channel where some farmers take good care of their animals until they die off, and that is when they are made as food. So, of course animals no matter where has a say in this, even if they are the pandas. 

By Richard Lobb of National Chicken Council says in the film, "In a way, we're not producing chickens, we're producing food." I think this means that most, approximately ninety percent of farms goals is to make animals, like chickens, gain so much fat in a matter of time, so that it could provide more food. They only care about the food that the chicken will turn out to be, never what the chickens feel. 

I believe that the most effective people to oversee the treatment of chickens (and animals) is the government because the government can ban mistreat on farm animals and create a large amount of fine if a person did mistreat a farm animal in any way. The government should also inspect monthly on these farms once the law is through. Once a month, every meticulous details, in case some farmers are sneaky. If the farm animals are happy, then I am also happy and I would not care if the cost of chicken or food rises a little. But they also have to think that why would you raise the cost of food when every people of the United States pay taxes every day and every year!! Yes I get it it is for the improvement of our lands, but if there was a very considerate, full-heart, politician or whatever that can give SOME money for improvements, but they never use their own pocket money. What is more hilarious is that America is not even slowly paying off the HUGE amount of debt from China. I just do not understand!
 

Day After a Victory Over Ebola, Sierra Leone Reports a Death

ScrAPES#17: Day After a Victory Over Ebola, Sierra Leone Reports a Death

by Dionne Searcey and Sheri Fink

January 15, 2016

In the early year of 2015 there was a virus that originated from Africa called Ebola. It effected tons of people and killed them. Some were cured by scientific medicine, others weren't. The Ebola was announced over after a couple months, and now a couple months after that there has been a dead body that was discovered effected with Ebola in Sierra Leone by the World Health Organization. The victim of the Ebola virus was a woman and the World Health Organization still do not know how she received it. But they have a theory that there can be small flare-ups of the disease existing due to the virus staying the bodily fluids of some survivors. Dr. Thomas R Frieden states that the woman had dozens of significant contact when people who might be at risk of Ebola. He also stated that the woman might have not predicted that she had Ebola because there are plenty of fevers every year.

This is interesting to me because every time I hear about Ebola I don't really know what to think about it. It's horrible that people in third world countries has to suffer more now that virus like these happen. Ebola came out of nowhere in 2015 and supposedly it's a very deadly virus, yes it may be, but I still have second thoughts about it. There is also rumors going around that the government created the virus to distract people, so that they do not know what secrets the government is doing or planning to do. Half of me says that the government created it because I always wondered how they created cures so easily and fast, at least for me it was kind of fast. If Ebola is 100% real, then it is a very life threatening deadly thing for humans because as I remember it is very easy to receive the virus if you are near one who has it.

This is important to the environment because this is one of the many things or causes that will cause human extinctions, to be honest. If a large amount of people worldwide had the virus, it would be an easy widespread disease. And maybe scientists and doctors do not have enough medicines for the effected one. This virus and all the other viruses; zika, malaria, etc they are all a mini cause of the sixth extinction. People will most likely die and our death rates will increase drastically.

Resources:

• Day After a Victory Over Ebola, Sierra Leone Reports a Death