Blog 9: The Awesome Website

When I was a child, I played with frogs, cicadas, grasshoppers, and other animals, or insects instead of computer, or video games. The reason was not because I was from a country place, but this was what we had at that time.

I swam in a reservoir near my home with friends in the summer season, and I made a skate myself for having fun with other friends in winter season. In other words, we played with the nature. In retrospect, that was the most beautiful memories in my life. Sadly, I really know I can’t go back to that time. I am living the reality that many animals are becoming extinctive now.

‘Kids Do Ecology’: (http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/index.html)
This is what I chose as an awesome website. Isn’t that title cool? Kids do ecology.
As we know, most kids in the developed countries may not know what ecology is. Only chance that they may know is when they go to museums, read books, or search in websites.

However, this website explains the ecology simply for children. When you click a topic you want to look at it, it leads you to know about that topic. Moreover, many links are attached so you may see the topic in detail. It presents pictures in order to understand easily, and the design of this website is appropriate for kids. Besides, we are able to approach a different theme with playing games. (You may see what they have in this link: http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/index.html)

What I really like is that this website is available in Spanish, and this is a good level for kids who want to know the ecology.

Lastly, the target of this website is for kids who may not see many animals in the earth. They just see, feel, touch, and knowledge the leftover caused by their parents. It is absolutely important to teach the ecology and the nature for kids. Therefore, this website is perfect for kids because it is educational, enlightened, knowledgeable, and watchful.

Blog 8: Collaborative Projects

I didn’t know what I had to say when I heard the collaborative work in the class. However, I thanked to God because my topic was about Judaism because I am a Christian. As a Christian, I was familiar with Bible which I read everyday, and I thought this was going to be a great chance to people who do not believe in God. I asked my pastors about Judaism, and a friend of mine was a Jewish. Therefore, I was able to get sources from them. This was how I started for our project.

Originally, I am from S. Korea in Asia. Inevitably, our society has been affected by Buddhism, Christianity, and Confucianism. Mostly, Confucianism is the main theory in our society. Thus, I could infer the relationship between Daoism and Confucianism.

When I was a child, I used to go to a temple with my mom. She was a Buddhist, and she believed in Samsara, which was a rotational theory, and Karma. We accepted Buddhism in A.D. 600 or so based on our history, and it has changed a lot.

What I interested in were Hinduism and Islam because I did not know about their theory even though I had heard many times..

Honestly, I was impressed by all presentations. Especially, a meaning of the moon in the Islam countries was fascinating. Besides, I was surprised when I saw the relationship between Daoism and politics.

Lastly, I might know what our professor wanted by these projects. We simply saw relationships between religions and ecology, and we do now how ecology is important in terms of our religions.

Blog 7 : The Journey of the American History of Natural Museum

I think I’ve been there once, but I don’t remember when I went. That means
I wasn’t interested at all because I don’t have any memories.
However, the day when I visited there this time is not forgotten.
I wish I had more time to see all exhibitions because everything that I looked at was amazing. This is why I like to live in NYC.

Actually, I visited to the Metropolitan Museum two weeks ago. I was considering whether to go to the Metropolitan or the Natural History Museum. Thanks to my friend, I went the Metropolitan Museum luckily. I realized there were so many interesting things, which I’ve ever never seen.

Similarly, there were many great things that we had to look at. For example, I was able to see how the earth eclipses, and what materials are in the earth in Earth Planet section. We could see many exhibitions related to earth science. Especially, it was fun when I went down to see the earth sphere to see how the earth’s atmosphere had changed.

Moreover, we visited to Hall of Biodiversity, New York State Environment, and Human Origins section. Everything that I saw was brilliant. Besides, I was stunned because the museum decorated all species, circumstances, and habitants in real. It was like the real.

After visiting those four sections, I went up to third floor with my classmate in order to watch a movie, Climate Change, which matched our class topic exactly. But, a staff didn’t let us in because we got such steep tickets ($1).

Anyhow, it was a great short journey, and I will visit again soon with my friends. Even though I lost ways in the museum frequently (in my opinion, it was a maze), this museum is the right place if you are going together with the earth.

Blog 6: Tentative Research Topic and Sources

Recently, there are many unusual environmental phenomena in the world as we know. From land to sky, everything is related to the environment, and humans are one of elements in Ecology System. However, we became the Predator. In terms of the research paper, I would like to report Water Crisis.

Basically, water is the most important elements for all organisms as well as humans. However, the amount of using water in the world is getting decreased by pollution and overusing. According to a report by the United Nations, more than 45% countries in the world are suffering from lack of water. Especially, African countries and mid-east countries are getting worse.

I hope this research paper enlightens countries, or people that use water inefficiently. Include me, many of us are using water without any consideration because we don’t feel any inconvenience with water. I wish I would be in Africa right now in order to feel the water crisis, and I want to see how African people are suffering.

http://library.cqpress.com.rpa.laguardia.edu:2048/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2000112401&type=hitlist

This is a report from CQ Research Online, which is a reputational online research web-site. It approaches the problem of water like how pure the American water is, and what the reasons are. Even though this doesn’t seem like a global report, it is useful to get the point how I approach this problem.

http://library.cqpress.com.rpa.laguardia.edu:2048/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2003080101&type=hitlist

This is another report from CQ Research, but this is worldwide report. Besides, it is more reliable because it’s published in 2003. (First report was published in 1999)
It shows solutions as well as pros and cons so that we can get synthesizes of ideas.

http://web.ebscohost.com.rpa.laguardia.edu:2048/ehost/pdf?vid=7&hid=114&sid=c24c354e-32d5-4828-ad6d-4928c4f52d7b%40sessionmgr107

Another useful resource from EBSCOhost, which is from Academic Search Premier, show that the limitation of helping third world countries by International community because of political reasons. This is 24 pages long report, and it approaches water crisis with politics. Therefore, it could be useful because it covers other references that the other resources didn’t cover.

http://rpa.laguardia.edu:2048/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=367170342&sid=2&Fmt=10&clientId=13053&RQT=309&VName=HNP

Lastly, this is an article from the New York Times. It catches up the water crisis as a war, which is interesting because experts predict that there will be a war for water supplies such as an oil war. This is totally understandable. In the future, sustainable water will be the great natural resource and pure air too. This is what I expect.

Blog 5: Waste

The metaphor that he used ‘Intolerable Beauty’ is ironic, and it might be the right expression that represents our lives. And I was appalled by the video that we watched in the class. Honestly, the U.S. spreads out their garbage to other countries, especially, the developing countries. To make matters worse, the U.S, doesn’t feel guilty because they give money for them. What would the U.S do, if American children played with garbage and lethal materials?

I don’t know where I start for this time, however, I engage two ideas that he wrote. ‘The question in my mind is whether we are all responsible in some degree’, well.. I think this is what we have to consider. We never know that we are The Contributor to make the earth worse. We never realize how much garbage we produce in a day. Now, we have to think about what we can give to the earth as The Earth Citizen.

The other statement that I agree is ‘Collectively we are committing a vast and unsustainable act of taking, but we each are anonymous and no one is in charge or accountable for the consequences’. I have seen many people who just throw out their garbage such as cigarettes, plastic bottles, and so on. They don’t care what they are doing. You know what I have in my head? I think we have to institute the law like The Environmental Law so that everybody follows the law to protect the earth, or governments should control this problem seriously.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXQDpdUpQgA

This is a link that you can see what happen in the U.S. with cell phones. It says that “1 day worth of retired cell phone in the U.S.: 426,000 retired handsets”. Can you believe that?

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/chris_jordan_pictures_some_shocking_stats.html

This is another video link presented by Chris Jordan. You can see much more than you expected. This is what’s happening in the U.S. now.

Can you guess the orange-colored wall? They are uniforms for prisoners. Each uniform piles up, and it becomes the wall finally. According to Chris Jordan, one out of four the United States citizen is a prisoner. Isn't that surprise?

Blog 4: The Story of Stuff

I chose the third question for blog 4 because I think this question is fitting my reality and good for sharing.
The time that I spend for watching TV is less than one hour in a week. Basically, I do not like watching TV. When TV shows sports like baseball, soccer, or big event like 2008 Beijing Olympic and World Cup, then I spend more than one hour to watch these games. Other than that, I do not watch TV, thus I gave my TV to my friend.

Shopping? I think this for women, not for men. If you ask about shopping to men, I think most of men don’t like it. Therefore, I spend for shopping,,,,I guess less than one hour in a month. Frankly, I didn't go shopping last month at all.

How about using internet? I do a lot. Two or three hours in a day. Checking e-mails, searching information, build up my relationships with friends and watching movies by internet. However, I don’t think that surfing internet is anti-social because I do mostly get along with my friend by internet. Additionally, checking news, gathering information that I want to know, and contacting my parents in my countries is sociable. Meanwhile, it is true that I do not invest my time to read books pretty much.

The most joy in my present life is praise God. This is my main duty that God gave to me. Having meditation with bible is also my pleasure. Recently, I started to learn playing a guitar. This is too my delightful new habit. Besides, do jumping rope on the roof of my apartment is pretty fun.

Certainly, these leisure times are my priorities. By God’s point of view, I always try to let him satisfy by my behavior. This is why I was born, this is what I have to do. At the same time, I try to study hard to achieve my ultimate goal.

Lastly, what I really want to do is that I want to finish studying as soon as possible to glorify God, to spread Gospel for other people.

The way I'm walking...

It is hard to find the reason why I came to the U.S. exactly; I believe that I came here by someone’s leading. As a religious person, I think God leads me because it was not easy to come to the U.S. by myself.

I have been here for three years, and I learned and experienced many things that I could not have in my country. My point to see my life and the world has changed, and it keeps changing which I’ve never had before. Obviously, my life goal has changed.

I wanted to be an engineer who develops tourism areas, builds resorts, and facilities. However, coming to the U.S. was my turning point. Now I am pursuing to be a dentist. Why do I want to be a dentist? Main reason is to go other countries for helping poor people and let them know God. Just like a religious missionary, I want to go see people who never meet God. I really want my medical skill to help to lighten them because it could be a great merit to get people’s attention, and many of them are incapable of seeing doctors. Proverbs in the bible says that “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps”.

Another reason is that there is a limit for me, who am an international student. The U.S. government does not give lots of opportunities to aliens. Aliens are hard to get higher level of American society.

I am in the last semester in LaGuardia, and going to Hunter next semester to major in Biology. Honestly, I have not put my entire endeavor in LaGuardia. However, I know that I have to study hard more than ever before when I transfer to Hunter. I do not want to miss this which might be the last chance. Later, I would like to go Stony Brook to complete general dentistry after two years in Hunter College.

I do believe that God leads my way. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I won’t fear because God is with me, and he comforts me. He will make a way for me.