Orcas vs. Horses?

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Orcas, or killer whales, have been kept in captivity since 1961, and there have been books and movies made about them and how cruel it is to use them for our entertainment. As I read Death at SeaWorld (and watched Blackfish), I started to think about the similarities between horses and orcas in “captivity.”

Both are large, potentially dangerous, and used for entertainment and sport. Both have caused injury, both have caused death, and both are highly intelligent and (seem to) experience emotions and moods.

The only difference I see is that horses have been domesticated for 5500 years, which is far more than the 50 or so years that orcas have been kept captive. Somehow, I feel like the domestication, and perhaps usefulness, is what’s saving horses from being “liberated.”

Our horses, like the orcas, are kept cooped up in small stalls, while feral horses can travel 65-80 km daily for food, water, and shelter. To rid their energy before riding, we make our horses run in circles around us in a little pen.

Horses can get “moody” and “off.” Sometimes they’ll refuse jumps, buck for no reason, or refuse to slow down while trotting or cantering. So we blame the rider, trainer, or the weather. Orcas can be like that too, refusing trainer orders or protesting in their guttural language.

After I was flung off my pony and broke my clavicle rather terribly, I couldn’t do much of anything but sit in my room all day. I still can’t ride, but I can lunge and groom as long as I’m careful. The pony that bucked me off didn’t seem crazy, guilty, or dangerous whatsoever, and I felt no fear or trauma while looking at him. I was injured so severely that my bone was in danger of impaling through my shoulder and I required a two-hour surgery, and something like that sticks in your mind.

Huge controversies came up and multiple rules were put into place when the first orca injured its trainer, yet when I was injured by my pony my friend was instructed to keep riding him because he “shouldn’t be allowed off that easy.”

I don’t think my pony’s intentions were to hurt me, just like I think that killer whales don’t really want to kill us. But if I were stuck in a cubicle, working for hours with little to no rewards, I would probably go a little nutty and stir-crazy.

Just sayin’.

How Old?

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Nowadays, age means nothing. Due to the school system, children standardly grow up with friends either in the same grade, or one grade higher or lower. If one’s sibling is a few years apart, they might socialize with their sibling’s friends, but that’s the extent of it.

Photo Credit: th05.deviantart.net

Married couples are often multiple years apart, but at that age it’s not considered odd. At a younger age, however, it would be weird if people were to date even three years up. The age gap of friendships/relationships is a double standard, and it’s simply weird to reflect on how that evolves with age.

More controversially, milestones that come with age seem to be happening at younger and younger ages. Only a few years after reaching double digits, children are drinking and doing drugs. Maturing at such a young age leaves nothing for these adolescents to do at later points in their lives. This premature maturing is detrimental to the children, and it messes with cultural norms.

Color Me Crazy

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The concept of color, and what is visible to the human eye, is impossible to comprehend. For all we know, everyone could see colors completely differently. I might see a color and call it red, and someone else might see a completely different hue but still call it red, for that is the universal name.

In preschool, everyone’s teacher would repeatedly point around the classroom while the children chanted, “blue, purple, yellow.” Kids would also memorize the rainbow – R.O.Y. G.B.I.V.

However, even though everybody might see a color and call it green, they could all personally interpret it as a different color. It could even be in a different color spectrum, which is not comprehensible.

This is impossible to imagine, for people think in color, and if one has not seen a color, it is impossible to picture it. The fact that everybody might see the world in varying ways is insane within itself, along with the realization that if that’s true, it cannot be proven. Any scientists attempting to do the experiment would also interpret the colors in unknown ways, and as a result there would be nothing on which to base the experiment.

Photo Credit: http://www.willamette.edu

 

Superbowl Sunday

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I have been watching many friends and teachers walk around with a sad and slightly annoyed look on their face for the past week or so. Why? Apparently because with the close score of 22-28, the Seattle Seahawks beat the Green Bay Packers in the game to determine who will play in the Superbowl XLIX this year in Arizona.

The Patriots dominated in the finals to determine which teams face off in the Superbowl, and this will be their sixth time in the Superbowl since 2001.

However, there was some controversy over the massive 45-7 victory.

There have been many accusations of the Patriots team purposefully deflating the game balls used in the AFC title game.

One specific person has caused all this havoc for the Patriots; a locker room attendant who was one of the few people to have possession of the balls shortly before the game.

Ridiculous? Maybe.

But many say otherwise.

Photo Credit: http://www.mashable.com

It’s Patriots versus the world.

 

New Year New Me

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I have never been a fan of the whole “New Years resolutions” thing. Everyone always talks about losing weight or eating more vegetables. I find it kind of silly that when the New Year comes around, everyone is frantic to head to the gym and start a new lifestyle.

Until this year, I never understood why anyone would make an effort to do something they should have been doing in the first place.

In late December, I had dinner with a friend who has always been very environmentally friendly and aware. We were talking about what her New Years resolution was. She had decided to use re-usable water bottles everyday and NEVER buy water in plastic containers.

A similar thought crossed my mind as she said that, and I brought up the idea to not use plastic bags anymore. I tried to not use them in the first place, but I was guilty of carrying around a few Target bags full of miscellaneous items once in a while.

This year would be different.

I was only going to use paper bags or bring re-usable bags whenever I went shopping. So far this year, I have saved approximately fifteen plastic bags, and we’re only 26 days into the new year.

Photo Credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45176802483723630/

Plastic bags are one of the many causes for the enormous build up of trash in the oceans. This build up destroys habitats for the wildlife, and the wildlife itself. I do not want to encourage this anymore than I already have. This year, I will try my best not to aid in the harming of our environment.

 

Homework?

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School is a designated time and place for people to learn and increase their knowledge. Because of that, I don’t think it’s fair for copious amounts of work to be assigned out of school as well.

When long hours are spent every day sitting in chairs and taking in lots of information, it seems like overkill to continue to practice what we’ve learned later in the day.

Many teachers argue that class time is for learning the material, and that through homework we are supposed to prove our knowledge. That is a legitimate point, however, if we didn’t have homework, then there would actually be time to execute our skills during class itself.

Photo Credit: jbmthinks.com

So much time is spent during class periods assigning, explaining and reviewing homework. If no homework was assigned, the time originally spent talking about homework after we’ve learned the lesson could be spent proving what we’ve learned. Then, we would have learned what we needed to know and have proven our intelligence all within the class period, without having to do even more work at home.

With all the homework that is assigned – coupled with after school activities – many students are staying up late into the night, and are not sufficiently rested for the next day. That causes them not to perform their best in school.

If this education system could be revised, students would be more attentive in school, have a higher motivation to get their work done in class and overall be more successful academically.

Eco-Friendly Fashion

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“Every patch is a memory, every tear has a tale. These are the stories we wear.”

This is the motto of Patagonia’s Worn Wear Campaign.

As I have grown up, I noticed the environment becoming more and more important. Grocery shopping at Whole Foods and the Farmer’s Market, buying items that are fair-trade, environmentally friendly, and made out of recycled materials became of a higher interest.

That’s when I decided to learn more about what went into making those big, puffy jackets I had from a company called Patagonia. After doing some research on their website, I learned their story.

Patagonia’s clothing items are made using e-Fibers (environmentally friendly fibers). These include: recycled polyester, organic cotton, hemp, chlorine-free wool, recycled nylon, and Tencel Lyocell. Tencel Lyocell comes from the pulp of eucalyptus trees, a major benefit as it will have zero chemicals. A large majority of Patagonia’s clothing items are made with recycled materials. This includes anything from plastic bags to recycled water bottles.

Photo Credit: weareadventure.au
Photo Credit: weareadventure.us

Patagonia teamed with IFIXIT, a company that helped created repair kits specifically for Patagonia’s clothing materials. They came up with the Expedition Sewing Kit that can be used to repair holes, zippers, and tears in clothing. Because Patagonia creates clothing and gear for the outdoorsman, this kit is travel sized and handy. With this kit, one of their pricier jackets can last a lifetime of adventures.

Now I raise the question: what are you wearing?

A New Addition!

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Out of date, rusty and constantly in need of repair, Alvarez’s beloved stapler has finally been retired. In its place is a brand new eco-friendly stapler, bought specifically for the classroom by his wife, Tracy.

The old office supply was a hindrance to the classroom – causing anxiety for history and journalism students alike. It always failed to staple papers together, which did happen to be its only job. It survived years of battery and was even recently stolen.

Sick of constantly having to borrow a stapler from others, Alvarez finally invested in this fine piece of equipment, which he has skillfully labeled with his name. Copious amounts of tape was used to brand this item, however it is for good reason. There will never be any confusion as to whose stapler it is, and if it is ever missing it will be easy to find.

Although the tape is contradictory to the fact that the stapler is eco-friendly, the stapler itself is a huge improvement, not only to the classroom, but to Alvarez’s well-being.

Photo Credit: http://www.teachersdiary.com

 

“Textneck”

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The “epidemic” of our generation. Researchers or something have come up with the term “text neck,” which is a sort of condition you can get from texting. Symptoms include bad posture, neck and/or back pains, and can lead to spine degeneration and surgery.

Ooh technology, you’ve got us now!

Or do you?

See, I get “reader’s neck.” And “writer’s neck.” And “artist’s neck.” Oh, and “carving into tracing paper with a small, sharp knife neck.”

Photo credit to http://benjaminharrismusings.blogspot.com

Oh look, no modern tech in this picture. That looks sooo comfortable, doesn’t it? I bet nobody lectures him about “scribe’s neck.”

I’m not saying that text neck doesn’t exist. I’m saying that maybe some things matter more than text neck.

How about the constantly hurting spine of the tall senior in a minuscule desk? Seriously, he looks like a titan in the desk.

Or perhaps the fact that there is almost literally no way to read a book comfortably on your bed. When I get into the story, I stop moving for hours. And then I “wake up” feeling like a ton of bricks had been stacked onto my neck.

How about I broaden this topic and say that probably everything we do is harming our body in some odd way? Yeah, let’s do that.

To Each His Own

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Photo Credit: core0.staticworld.net

When it comes to believing in God, the range of emotions and opinions that people have on the subject is enormous. Although it technically depends on one’s religion, opinions tend to have similarities.

Personally, I don’t believe in a tangible God who lives up in the sky or on some mountain and watches everyone intently. At least according to science, it’s inconceivable for a man to live perched in the clouds. Even if he managed to survive up there, he would have to be pretty darn old and quite observant in order to listen to and respond to everyone’s prayers.

Some believe that God represents more of a presence, which is a more comprehensible notion. I am not religious at all, but if I were to affiliate myself with one theory, it would be this: rather than some all-knowing man, God could be everything, or just something that surrounds everyone. Although it may not answer to prayers, it is the prayer itself, as well as the response, and even the words spoken.

As far as the Big Bang Theory is concerned, the world was created naturally. On the other hand, many still believe that a man generated everything there is in the world today. People are entitled to their own beliefs, and should never be discriminated against – it’s simply fascinating to see the motives behind different ways of thinking.