Monday, June 22, 2009

(Ex.5) Effort for Prevention of bad words

By computers' having come into wide use, a serious problem has arisen, which is suicide. Nowadays, most people use computer, and they have their homepages or blogs. In there, they spend a lot of time with meeting and chatting with their friends. But, these days, it is used for backbiting. Some people who want to speak ill of someone use bad words online. Because this usually happens without a real name, a lot of people enjoy it without a sense of guilt. This is getting worse, and it has became a serious issue in Korea. That’s why the rate of suicide has increased because of depression by bad words. Also, it caused new words as well as bad words to be created. It affected children, and bad words spread quickly. They are also used on cell phones. Thereby, there were some accidents, which included depression of children and suicide. For these reasons, content ratings have arisen. It prevents users from risky language, nudity, and violence. And the owner using a computer or cell phone can reject things if they don’t want to contact them. And the law requiring using of real names was created. Therefore, we have to use our real name online, not in private, but in public places. It doesn’t protect everything; however, it brought some positive changes.

(Ex.4) An influence of computer on children

If every child has a laptop computer, there will be many unexpected problems. First, most children will become fat. Today, scientific and economic growth cause people to stay on chairs for a long time as well as to gain weight. It will also affect children, and the problem will become a serious issue. That's because gaining weight can cause children to get disease such as diabetes, and obesity. Secondly, children lose their opportunities to be able to have experiences by playing outdoors. They don't know about nature and can't learn the value of nature. Third, the using of computer for the children brings a lot of risk that children can be addicted to Internet games. It makes children become violent. And it will interrupt children's normal social relationships. It can cause crisis to rise in the end. For these reasons, I think that for children to have a laptop computer is not good. In other words, learning in real life is better than staying at home with a computer.

(Ex.3) The Climate change of the Korea

Korea has four seasons having obvious characteristics. The spring looks green world, the summer is hot, the fall become colorful, and the winter is cold. ?For example, in fall, many trees turn red and yellow. So, many Koreans go to see the colored autumn leaves. Specially, Mt.Sorak is noted for the glorious tints of its autumn foliage. Because Korea’s season is so beautiful, we are proud of our change of the seasons. In spite of the pride of Koreans, we have an anxiety about the change of climate. As industry develops, we are influenced. These days, it is not difficult to find the damages. A few years ago, we had an earthquake. It was not strong, but most people could feel it. In Korea, because an earthquake is not common, many Koreans got a shock. Also, there was a big storm two years ago. It was almost a typhoon. This disaster caused many deaths. Many media reported that these disasters mean a warning of nature. Moreover, we have been undergoing change recently. That is, we are losing obvious characteristics of our seasons. Especially in summer, it rains too much. Also, the period is getting longer. So, Koreans worry that Korea is becoming a tropical region having high temperature and lots of rainfall.

(Ex.2) Pure life in a small-town

When I was in Korea, I was living in the capital city, Seoul. Although I used to live in the big city, I had many chances to visit a small-town, because my grandparents live there. Whenever I visit there, I can feel that the people who are living in small towns live in harmony with their neighbors. They know what happens to their neighbors. For example, one day, my grandmother was sick. But she didn’t make contact with my family, because she didn’t want to bother anyone. Nevertheless my parents couldn’t get any information, we went to my grandmother’s house. The reason is that we got news from my grandmother’s neighbors. In contrast, I don’t know who lives next door to me. It is not strange in a big city. The people living in a big city don’t pay attention to who lives near them or what they do. They just focus on their life. Moreover, the people living in small towns look free and peaceful. Specially, many children play outdoors, such as on a mountain, a streamside and so on. They can feel harmony with nature. For this reason, they may have a positive mind, and they look more free and peaceful. Also, because they don’t have enough information, and it is not easy to get everything that they need and want, they have to depend on nature. So I think that this situation makes the people stay pure.

Wikipedia Arguement Essay

Have you ever used Wikipedia? When you find some information, if you use Wikipedia, you can find it faster and more easily. Today, Wikipedia has come into wide use because of its convenience. Though it is handy and general, however, there is a controversy on using Wikipedia in academic works. According to Meredith Byers, “Wikipedia is also easy to find; it frequently appears at the top of many Google searches and access is completely free” (2007, para. 3). On the other hand, she also said that some departments of universities forbid students from quoting when they work on papers and take an examination. Wikipedia should not be used in academic environments because of three reasons: Wikipedia is not authentic, academic works influence other parts of academic areas, and out-of-date information on Wikipedia is rarely updated.

First of all, all information on Wikipedia is not authentic. Jason Wolverton said, “Users can add, alter, or remove information without registering a user account, giving those who visit the site free and anonymous reign over the available information” (2007, para.7). It means that the information gotten from Wikipedia could be wrong. The information which is not accurate can cause academic papers to lose credibility, and it can cause readers to get incorrect information. Furthermore, writers who use Wikipedia could spend time by getting incorrect information. So, it is dangerous to use Wikipedia.

Secondly, knowledge in academic works does not stay at the first work. Because academic works are cumulative, the knowledge in academic works can be used in other academic papers to support or prove new information. Jason Wolverton said that because the information of Wikipedia is flexible, it is not necessarily accurate; in addition, it is attended with the burden of being used in academic works (Wolverton, 2007). When people write a paper, they have resorted to many research materials, and in the meantime, they cite and paraphrase. But, if the information which they get from Wikipedia is wrong, it is difficult to support their ideas, as well as convince readers. It also can affect all over paper.

Finally, the date of information is inaccurate on Wikipedia. Therefore, out-of-date information has not been updated since the first information was posted. In statistics, especially out-of-date information is hardly updated. It is effective to use a numerical statement when you want to show some facts. However, the information on Wikipedia is old-fashioned, and therefore it could not support facts; in addition it is difficult to trust it. In other words, the data to support people’s ideas and theory could not be strong.

Some advocates have said that Wikipedia is useful. In David Parry’s article, he said that Wikipedia is being used as a way of teenagers’ communication (2008). However, even though academic work is also the way of communication for new knowledge, the information should not be in academic areas if it is not accurate. It is because announcing accurate information is the purpose of academic work. Edward Bilodeau said, “Students need to learn how to assess the relevance and authority source, in academic and especially in their field of study” (2008, para.11). Therefore, Wikipedia should be restricted to use in academic parts.

In conclusion, Wikipedia should not be used in academic parts, especially papers, because of Wikipedia’s disadvantages which are inaccuracy of source of information, cumulative influence of academic papers, and unfiltered, out-of-date information.

Reference

Bilodeau, E. (2008, January 14). Weblog. Academic banning of Google and Wikipedia misguided. Coolweblog.com. Retrieved June 5, 2009, http://www.coolweblog.com/bilodeau/archieves/003743.html.
Byers, M. (2007, March 8). Controversy over use of Wikipedia in academic papers arrives at Smith. Smith College: Sophian. Retrieved June 5, 2009, from http://tinyutl.com/2dyt65.
Lengel, J. (2006, February 7). Authority. Teaching with Technology. Retrieved June 5,2009, from http://tinyurl.com/n5clt2.
Parry, D. (2008, February 11). Wikipedia and the new curriculum. Science Progress. Retrieved June 5, 2009, from http://www.scienceprogress.org/2008/02/wikipedia-and-the-new-curriculum.
Wolverton, J. (2007, January 22). Wikipedia Wisdom. Valley Vanguard. Retrieved June 5, 2009, from http://www.svsu.edu/clubs/vanguard/stories/1141.

Research paper - Orangutans

According to Drescher-Neilsen’s article (2009), the population of orangutans has been decreasing. But extinction of the orangutan could affect not only orangutans but also human beings, because orangutans look very much like a human being. According to Drescher-Neilsen (2009), orangutans have a mental faculty that knows how to live as a human being. It was caused by human activities that orangutans have been exterminated although they have such mental abilities. There is a positive proof in Korea, which is the DMZ. The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is the cold war’s last frontier, and it has been separating North and South Korea for nearly 60 years now. Because the Korean War was stopped by an armistice, the divided Koreas have remained at war since 1953. Therefore, the DMZ doesn’t have humans, but it has a variety of living things. That is, the DMZ shows humans strong evidence that humans have been destroying nature. As in this example, though they are intelligent, the orangutans have been threatened because of humans. If they can’t survive, it means that people are also influenced by this same condition. Eventually, human beings also could be killed. So, extinction of the orangutan is an important problem for humans to solve. In order to solve this problem, people have to know what is causing the orangutan’s extinction. For this reason, many researchers have tried to find the reason, and all of them say that this extinction has been caused by human activities. Specially, Rick Ruffin said that the reason of this phenomenon is humans’ demand for getting palm oil, illegal logging, and a desire to possess of the orangutan as a pet (Ruffin, 2007). Finally, these human’s demands make forests devastated and the orangutan orphans. Therefore, there is some business going on in places; especially, Lone Drescher-Neilsen tells what Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) are doing to prevent the extinction of the orangutan (Drescher-Neilsen, 2009). On the other hand, other people say that because many communities in Borneo depend on the palm oil plantation which is orangutans’ habitat, people can’t condemn the industry.

The extermination of orangutans should be taken care of by humans immediately for three reasons. Those are that the orangutan should be protected because their extermination might cause another serious destruction of the ecosystem, people could live with alternative energy without destroying rainforest, and orangutans are the most similar animals with mankind.

First of all, extinction of orangutans might cause other ecosystems to be disturbed. According to the Honolulu zoo (n.d.), orangutans eat a variety of fruits and insects. Fruit, which takes a considerable part of most orangutan’s diet, has become a principal resource. That’s because when eating fruits, orangutans don’t eat the peel, instead they eat the seeds. The seeds have been distributed though orangutan’s feces into soil. And then, soil is supplied with nutritive elements from it, and most plants can be grown well in this rich soil. Thereby, forests, which are habitat of the orangutan, get help. In other words, these interactions happen in nature by giving and receiving each other’s effects. Though this interaction, if orangutans have been threatened, this kind of a circulating system might be broken off. Se-jeong Kim said, “There are not enough trees for orangutans to rest in or food for them to eat” (2009, para.6). It gives notice that the orangutan’s extinction is in progress, and it can affect other parts of the ecosystem.

Secondly, people should live without hurting orangutans’ habitat. Orangutans’ habitat has been disturbed by humans’ activities. But, some people cannot even realize that human activities hurt the environment, including orangutans, directly and indirectly. Orangutans are killed for the illegal wildlife trade. Poachers kill the mother orangutans and then sell their babies as pets (Christian Science Monitor, 2009). Humans hunt orangutans just for enjoying, not for living. In addition, logging is another way the humans’ activities are directly hurting them. It causes orangutans mostly living in palm plantations to lose their habitats. As an example, the palm trees providing palm oil are decreasing because of logging to get palm oil. “Palm oil is used as an ingredient in cookies, crackers and other processed snack foods” (Ruffin, 2007, para. 10). Although the companies using palm oil to produce their goods have been recommended to use other oils that have less effect on the environment, they are not trying to use other alternatives. Besides, the loggers cutting palm trees indirectly disturb the habitats of orangutans and other wild animals. Not only logging or hunting, but all humans activities using the environmental resources have destroyed the ecosystem in the earth. And it made natural resources depleted, so that orangutans’ life has been also damaged by the destroyed environment. Orangutans are threatened not only by the loss of their habitats, but also by being killed by humans and by humans’ selfish activities directly. Therefore, the decrease in the population of orangutans cannot be stopped unless harmful human activities are stopped.

Thirdly, we have to respect and protect orangutans as our relative ape. Lone Drescher-Neilsen said that orangutans are the most similar animal with mankind, because they have a mental ability to solve troubles like a human (Drescher-Neilsen, 2009). It means that extinction of the orangutan could affect humans in the future. Although they have a high intelligence to know how they could survive, if they can’t survive, humans, who know how to live, also could not survive. Cathy Rose A. Garcia said, “Humans are going extinct eventually” (2009, para. 5). Also, there is a positive proof in Korea, and that is the DMZ. It shows humans that humans are a cause to destroy the environment. Rick Ruffin said that the DMZ is the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. And he said, “The DMZ is host to this diversity of life strictly because it is a no man’s land” (2007, para. 15). The DMZ shows that it is humans’ fault that nature has been destroyed. In fact, nowadays, it is not easy to find the environment that has never been touched by humans. But humans should find out our error and correct it. Also we have to regard orangutans as like us. That is, destroying forests, which is orangutans’ house, is the same as destroying our houses, and threatening orangutans is same as threatening ourselves. Therefore, we have to protect them, because it is humans’ future.

Economists, opponents, claimed that natural resources should be used by humans because the human being is also one part of the ecosystem. Paul Abrams said, “Republicans have decided to use their claims that spending is not consumption, (and) that it does not create or preserve jobs” (2009, para.1). They argue that if people spend the natural resources, people make new things in the human society and those will be another piece of the environment on earth. But, it can never be true. People have believed either the natural resources would be recharged in the natural process or they can fix the environmental destruction whenever they need to do it, because people had lived on the natural resources by eating and using them as living stuffs without any problems. However, human beings were a part of the environment before they started to use the environment as a resource of industrial development. Since people have developed industry by using natural resources, the environment has been extremely destroyed by human activities. The problems are that people are using them so much faster than an appropriate rate to be renewed by themselves, and that some of environment destroyed cannot be remade in the natural process. As an example, Cathy Rose A. Garcia said that a biodiversity in the DMZ is attributable to the fact that no humans live there, and if there is no protest to keep the DMZ, some living things would be confronted by extinction. Also, she argued it is not sensible that humans live without animals and plants (Garcia, 2009). In the case of the forest, trees grow up by themselves. But it takes such a long time for them to become big trees. The palm trees used especially by orangutans to live disappear by logging to make palm oil that people use for food. So orangutans’ extermination is being caused because they are losing their habitats. In an undisturbed ecosystem, every single thing never hurts the other things. Even though everything preys on each other, they go back to the ecosystem by making a food chain when they die. But the natural resources used by people go back to nature as harmful effects. Also people use them not only for preying, but for wasting such as petting wild animals and using their bodies as a collection. In Rick Ruffin’s article, he said, “From 1850 to 1950 more than 100,000 tigers were hunted and killed” (2007, para.8). It was caused by Asian demand for tiger bones used in Oriental medicine. Hence human’s activities cause both depletion and destruction. Therefore spending as what people have done is more wasting than consumption. What is worse, according to Christian Science Monitor (2009), many companies of Indonesian loggers are making worse situations. The situations are that many employees are finding foods when they are working in the forests. That’s because many companies do not give their employees foods. For this reason, workers in the forests are hunting various animals as well as orangutans. Even though spending provides a variety of jobs, as economists have argued, it can also bring other problems.

In conclusion, humans should find ways to live in harmony with nature, and especially with orangutans. Before people use palm oil for their desire, a large number of orangutans had been in existence in the forests. Now, however, orangutans are faced with their extermination. It means that orangutan’s extermination is not a natural process. It is an obviously predicted disaster from what people have done to the environment. Such behavior that humans cause now will soon cause orangutans to be exterminated, as well as threaten humans’ life. In other words, by disappearing, orangutans, which interact with nature, make various fruits disappear as well. Moreover, although the orangutan has an intelligent ability, the way they are becoming extinct shows that humans would be extinct eventually. Consequently, for these reasons, humans should keep the orangutan, and find a way to live together.

Reference

Abrams, P. (2009, February 16). Winning the economic argument: show opponents this graph, and ask them to explain. Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved May, 30, 2009, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-abrams/winning-the-economic-argu_b_167301.html.

Christian Science Monitor. (2009, May 28). Earth Talk: Orangutans’ homes in the trees are threatened. CSmoniter.com Retrieved May 30, 2009,from http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2009/05/28/earth-talk-orangutans-homes-in-the-trees-are-threatened/.

Drescher-Neilsen, L. (2009, May 1). This environmental destruction amounts to orangutan genocide; Comment. The Independent. Retrieved May 7, 2009, from LexisNexis.

Garcia C. (2009, February 29). Book Imagines World Without Humans. The Korean Times. Retrieved May 30,2009, from http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2009/05/142_19855.html.

Orangutan. (n.d.). Honoluluzoo. Retrieved May 30, 2009, from http://www.honoluluzoo.org/orangutan.htm.

Ruffin, R. (2007, October 18). Keep DMZ a Place Of Peace. The Korean Times. Retrieved May 30, 2009, from http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2007/10/137_12129.html.

Sejeong, K. (2009, May 3). Indonesia Campaigning for Orangutans. The Korean Times. Retrieved May 30, 2009, from http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2009/06/176_44254.html.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Argument Essay- Protection of Orangutans

According to Kim’s article (2009), the population of the orangutan, which has been named as “Person in the forest,” has been decreasing. In fact, orangutans which have been found in Indonesian islands are almost close to the number of extinction. Many researchers have tried to find the reason and published the result of their research. The reason for orangutans’ extinction is that humans destroy forests for getting palm oil. As the palm oil plantation is orangutan’s main habitat, destruction of this place has influence on orangutans. In other words, human’s demand has threatened the palm oil plantation, as well as orangutans. Thereby, the orangutan is now faced with extermination.

The problems causing the extermination of orangutans should be taken care of by humans immediately for three reasons, which are that the problem making orangutans extinct might cause other destructions of the ecosystem in the earth, that people can live without hurting orangutans if they make little more effort for that, and it can affect humans in the future.

First of all, extinction of orangutans might cause other ecosystems to be disturbed. According to the Honolulu zoo (n.d.), Orangutans eat a variety of fruits and insects. Fruit, which takes a considerable part of most orangutan’s diet, has become a principal resource. That’s because when eating fruits, orangutans don’t eat the peel, instead they eat the seeds. The seeds have been distributed though orangutan’s feces into soil. Thereby, forests, which are habitat of the orangutan, get help from them. In other words, these interactions happen in nature by giving and receiving each other’s effects. Though this interaction, if orangutans have been threatened, this kind of a circulating system might be broken off. Se-jeong Kim said, “There are not enough trees for orangutans to rest in or food for them to eat” (2009, para.6). It gives notice that the orangutan’s extinction is in progress, and it can affect other parts of the ecosystem.

Secondly, people should live without hurting Orangutans’ habitat. Orangutans’ habitat has been disturbed by human’s activities. Orangutans are killed for the illegal wildlife trade. Poachers kill the mothers and then sell their babies as pets (Christian Science Monitor, 2009). In addition, logging is human’s activities hurting them. It causes orangutans mostly living in palm plantations to lose their habitats. As an example, the palm trees providing palm oil are decreasing because of logging to get palm oil. “Palm oil is used as an ingredient in cookies, crackers and other processed snack foods” (Ruffin, 2007, para. 10). Although the companies using palm oil to produce their goods have been recommended to use other oils that have less effect on the environment, they are not trying to use other alternatives. Orangutans are threatened not only by the loss of their habitats, but also by being killed by humans and by humans’ selfish activities directly. Therefore, the decrease in the population of orangutans cannot be stopped unless harmful human activities are stopped.

Thirdly, we have to respect and protect orangutans as our relative ape. Lone Drescher-Neilsen said that orangutans are the most similar animal with mankind, because they have a mental ability to solve problems like a human (Drescher-Neilsen, 2009). It means that extinction of the orangutan could affect humans in the future. Although they have a high intelligence to know how they could survive, if they can’t live, humans, who know how to live, also could not survive. If living things can not survive, it is impossible for humans to survive, as well, Cathy Rose A. Garcia said (Garcia, 2009). That is, destroying forests is the same as destroying our houses, and threatening orangutans is same as threatening ourselves. Therefore, we have to protect them, because it is human’s future.

Economists, opponents, claimed that natural resources should be used by humans because the human being is also one part of the ecosystem. Paul Abrams said, “Republicans have decided to use their claims that spending is not consumption, (and) that it does not create or preserve jobs” (2009, para.1). They argue that if people spend the natural resources, people make new things in the human society and those will be another piece of the environment on earth. But, it can never be true. Since people have developed industry by using natural resources, the environment has been extremely destroyed by human activities. The problems are that people are using them so much faster than an appropriate rate to be renewed by themselves, and that some of environment destroyed cannot be remade in the natural process. Therefore, spending as what people have done lately is more destruction than consumption.

In conclusion, humans should find ways to live in harmony with nature, and especially orangutans. Before people use palm oil for their desire, a large number of orangutans had been in existence in the forests. Now, however, orangutans are faced with their extermination. It means that orangutan’s extermination is not a natural process. It is an obviously predicted disaster from what people have done to the environment. Such behavior that humans cause now will soon cause orangutans to be exterminated, as well as threaten human’s life. In other words, by disappearing, orangutans, which interact with nature, make various fruits disappear as well. Moreover, although the orangutan has an intelligent ability, what they are going on extinction shows that humans would extinct eventually. Consequently, for these reasons, humans should keep the orangutan, and find a way to live together.

Reference
Abrams, P. (2009, February 16). Winning the economic argument: show opponents this graph, and ask them to explain. Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved May, 30, 2009, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-abrams/winning-the-economic-argu_b_167301.html.

Christian Science Monitor. (2009, May 28). Earth Talk: Orangutans’ homes in the trees are threatened. CSmoniter.com Retrieved May 30, 2009,from http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2009/05/28/earth-talk-orangutans-homes-in-the-trees-are-threatened/.

Drescher-Neilsen, L. (2009, May 1). This environmental destruction amounts to orangutan genocide; Comment. The Independent. Retrieved May 7, 2009, from LexisNexis.

Garcia C. (2009, February 29). Book Imagines World Without Humans. The Korean Times. Retrieved May 30,2009, from http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2009/05/142_19855.html.

Orangutan. (n.d.). Honoluluzoo. Retrieved May 30, 2009, from http://www.honoluluzoo.org/orangutan.htm.

Ruffin, R. (2007, October 18). Keep DMZ a Place Of Peace. The Korean Times. Retrieved May 30, 2009, from http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2007/10/137_12129.html.

Sejeong, K. (2009, May 3). Indonesia Campaigning for Orangutans. The Korean Times. Retrieved May 30, 2009, from http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2009/06/176_44254.html.

Research Proposal - Orangutans

Orangutan

Before I took this class, I had never known about the seriousness of environmental problems. Honestly, I had never even thought about the environmental problems. The mankind of today is faced with the extinction of a variety of species, and it has threatened not only wild animals but also human beings. In other words, endangered animals caused by activities of human beings have been exponentially increasing, and eventually, it may affect human beings. According to the Honolulu Zoo (n.d., para.1), “modern orangutans originated during the Pleistocene period, 2 million to 100,000 years ago. They now face extinction. At the turn of the last century around 315,000 orangutans existed in the wild. Orangutan numbers are now down by 92% compared with a century ago and have been reduced by half in Northern Sumatra between 1993 and 2000.” And the Orangutan Conservancy estimates that there are 54,000 Bornean orangutnas and only 6,600 Sumatran orangutans which stay behind in the wild (E Magazine, 2009). According to Ruffin (2009), orangutans are among our closest relatives. That is, because the orangutan looks very much like a human being, orangutans have a mental faculty that knows how to live as a human being. Although they have such an ability, they are dying by destruction. If they can’t survive, it means that people are also influenced by this same condition. Eventually, human beings also could died. Although human beings and orangutans are similar, people have threatened them by depending on palm oil plantations. In other words, people are killing their habitat by logging illegally. Moreover, people are trading them as pets. This phenomenon causes orangutans to become orphans. Therefore, some people, especially Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS), are working to prevent the extinction of the orangutan, as well as saying that people have to stop threatening them (Drescher-Neilsen, 2009). On the other hand, other people say that because many communities in Borneo depend on the palm oil, people can’t condemn the industry (Drescher-Neilsen, 2009).

In my paper, I plan on writing about the necessity of protecting orangutans. People should start to solve the fundamental problems causing the extermination of orangutans. First, the orangutans should be protected because their extermination might cause more serious destruction of the ecosystem. Second, people could live with alternative energy without destroying the rainforest. Finally, orangutans are the most similar animal with mankind.

I have found various articles about problems of orangutans. In addition, I have found a lot of arguments as to why they face extinction, although its solutions have not been found yet. I still need to find an article which explains what people have to do for protecting orangutans.

Reference
Abrams, P. (2009, February 16). Winning the economic argument: show opponents this graph, and ask them to explain. Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved May, 30, 2009, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-abrams/winning-the-economic-argu_b_167301.html.

Christian Science Monitor. (2009, May 28). Earth Talk: Orangutans’ homes in the trees are threatened. CSmoniter.com Retrieved May 30, 2009,from http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2009/05/28/earth-talk-orangutans-homes-in-the-trees-are-threatened/.

Drescher-Neilsen, L. (2009, May 1). This environmental destruction amounts to orangutan genocide; Comment. The Independent. Retrieved May 7, 2009, from LexisNexis.

Garcia C. (2009, February 29). Book Imagines World Without Humans. The Korean Times. Retrieved May 30,2009, from http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2009/05/142_19855.html.

Orangutan. (n.d.). Honoluluzoo. Retrieved May 30, 2009, from http://www.honoluluzoo.org/orangutan.htm.

Ruffin, R. (2007, October 18). Keep DMZ a Place Of Peace. The Korean Times. Retrieved May 30, 2009, from http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2007/10/137_12129.html.

Sejeong, K. (2009, May 3). Indonesia Campaigning for Orangutans. The Korean Times. Retrieved May 30, 2009, from http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2009/06/176_44254.html.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

(Summary Response 3) Let’s keep DMZ as a Land of Peace

According to Rick Ruffin in his article, “Keep DMZ a place of peace,” the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) must be kept as a natural jewel. He states that human beings are faced with extinction of various organisms, and it is pretty serious more often than in the past. Such a problem related with extinction was still in existence in the past; however, the extinction of today ascribes to people. He introduces endangered creatures with many examples, which include India’s tigers and orangutans, and says that they have been threatened by human’s demand. Specially, he explains about orangutans in poor surroundings. If people keep threatening orangutans for their desire, the orangutan could be gone in a short time in the mouth of experts. Not only are these problems occurring in other continent but also in Korea, however, the DMZ is an exception. In the DMZ, there is a variety of creatures. But, if the unification of South and North Korea comes, the DMZ will disappear due to human activity. Therefore, the author emphasizes the fact that people must keep the DMZ as a land of harmony.

What do you think about the author’s opinion? Do you think that if the unification of South and North Korean comes, the DMZ will be destroyed as the author said? I agree with the author’s thinking, because we are already seeing bad effects of environmental destruction by mankind. If so, how can we keep the DMZ from human beings’ action? There are three ways, which are making an off-limits place to people, setting up a research institute for biologists, and leading creatures to breed.

First, we can appoint the DMZ as an off-limits place that people are not permitted to go into DMZ. The reason is that nature has been destroyed by humans. If the DMZ is opened to people, many people will visit there in order to see the sights. The DMZ is enough to attract people’s attention because it is an untapped place. This fact makes people gather in crowds into the DMZ, and it causes not only development for tourist spots but also taking away living things’ habitat from the DMZ. It is quite possible that the DMZ, which has no people and great biodiversity, will not be kept from nature’s freedom anymore.

Second, we can set up a research institute for biologists. The DMZ is reported to be of great value to research, because in there, there are in existence a variety of endangered creatures. This offers biologists plenty of valuable information, and it helps mankind and nature live together in harmony. Also, biological studies can prevent an organism’s extinction by researching it. Moreover, such a result of study can help creatures live and breed naturally by giving proper surroundings.

Third, we can lead creatures to breed by artificial means or natural consequences. Although the DMZ has a variety of creatures, many kinds of animals, especially Amur leopard, are endangered. Therefore, keeping these graceful animals is important. We have to make these weak creatures reproduce for their propagation. We have to give them proper surroundings, as well as create artificial breeding programs. The artificial propagation can prevent extinction, and the techniques can also increase their population. It is difficult that nature makes creatures increase faster. So, people have to help it with both artificial means and natural consequences by giving great condition.

A human activity has destroyed nature and threatened organisms. Despite the increase in extinction of living things, people can expect to see existence of biodiversity in a land of peace, the DMZ. Because there is no people’s coming and going, it is still in existence in a state of nature. In order to keep this place, we have to forbid entrance of people, set up a research institute for biologists, and help living things reproduce. By doing these, we must keep this place as a land of peace.

Reference

Ruffin, R. (2007, October 18). Keep DMZ a Place Of Peace, The Korean Times. Retrieved May 30, 2009,
from http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2007/10/137_12129.html

Monday, June 1, 2009

(Summary Response 2) A message from the orangutan’s extinction

According to Lone Drescher-Neilsen in his article, “This environmental destruction amounts to orangutan genocide; Comment,” because the demand for palm oil is providing the destruction of the rainforests and extermination of the orangutan, people have to protect the orangutan from this problem. Also, the author explains the orangutan’s role in controlling the climate and what they do in the rainforests. And while he is mentioning what Borneo Orangutan Survive (BOS) is doing today, he persuades people to have a force and knowledge about these environmental damages. Moreover, he likens the orangutan to the human being, who has a high level of intelligence and an ability to solve problems, and maternal instinct. For these reasons, the author emphasizes that because the orangutan is typical of well-being of nature, humans’ right to live will be influenced if the orangutan is threatened.

As a result of demand for the palm oil, the rainforests are being destroyed, and the orangutan is becoming extinct. As the author said, I think that people should prevent extinction of the orangutan, and safeguard them. Because the orangutan and a human being are very similar, orangutans' extinction is also our problem. In order to prevent their extinction, we have to know about the situation that we and the orangutans are in first. And we have to provide the surroundings where the orangutan is able to live. Also, in Borneo, many communities are depending on the palm oil, we have to find the best way to live together in harmony.

First, according to his article, the orangutan looks very much like a human being. That is, orangutans have a mental faculty that knows how to live as a human being. Although they have such an ability, they are dying by destruction. It means that human being also will die finally. For example, even though orangutans can control the climate, if they can’t live, people are also influenced by this same condition.

Second, we have to know about orangutans first thing. If we don’t know, we can’t help them. For example, there is Manchurian black bear in Korea. They live in Korea, China, the Maritime Province and so on. In Korea, they live in Ji-Ri Mountains at over 1500 meters in alpine regions; however, they have been exterminated by excessive hunting and the Korean War. So, the Korean government projected a plan to keep them alive, and tried for it. After making the policy, the Ji-Ri Mountains had a lot of trees planted on them, and the policy looked successful. But, the breeding of the Manchurian black bear failed. What is worse, they die more and more. That is because the government only focused on not their ecosystem, but human’s. That is, we should know about them for them to survive.

Third, a problem for Borneo’s orangutans is that because many communities there depend on the palm oil, the government can’t resist local communities’ progress. If they give up the industry related with palm oil, they will be troubled with poverty. In contrast, if they disregard nature, it causes the extinction of the orangutan. It will also give a problem to human beings. Therefore, we have to find the way to live together, because there is a circulation system in the natural world like a pyramid structure. If some creatures can’t survive, human being also can’t survive either.

Destruction of rainforests and extinction of orangutans have been happening in Borneo. It is not a problem of only that place. By making orangutans disappear, climate in rainforests can’t be controlled. This has an effect on humans as well as the ecosystem. Therefore we should recognize these problems in our life, and try to know about them. To do this, we have study the way to keep them alive, and we have find ways to live together.

Reference:

Drescher-Neilsen, L. (2009, May 1). This environmental destruction amounts to orangutan genocide; Comment. The Independent Retrieved May 7, 2009, from Lexis Nexis database.

(Summary Response 1) The harmony of the human and nature

According to Stephen Leahy in his article “Climate change: chemical lobby weakening ozone treaty,” in these days of the economic slump, effort for the environmental conservation is seen as two ways. One way is getting stronger, while another way is in decay. According to his explanation, skin cancer rates are increasing and UV (ultraviolet radiation) maximum will rise by 20 percent. Therefore, some countries use replacement resources that can decrease ozone-damage such as hydrochláorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) instead of CFCs. On the other hand, others don’t do it because of commercial reasons. However, the author mentions reasons that people should conserve according to The Montreal Protocol and stresses people’s effort for the environmental conservation.

What do you think about which is more important, between commercial success and the environmental conservation? I agree with the author’s opinion that people should try to create a ‘green economy’. Today, it is not hard to find damage to the environment. This includes the global warming and the greenhouse effect, rising of sea level, and climate change. Also, the temperature is rising, thereby glaciers will melt and sea level is rising, too. And industry is developing very quickly by pursuing commercial benefit. Therefore, we should be aware of these problems and we have to develop new industry to keep environmental conservation with alternative energy.
First, environmental problems have produced a new word, ‘greenhouse effect.’ The words ‘the greenhouse effect’ are not unfamiliar anymore. If we keep using ozone-damaging chemicals, the ozone hole gets bigger and bigger. It causes the temperature to increase; also, it causes the greenhouse effect that is due to the warming of the atmosphere caused by build-up of ozone-damaging chemicals such as CFC. That is, as the ozone hole gets bigger, skin cancer rates will increase. Moreover, creatures will die from the UV radiation.

Second, because of rising of the temperature, glaciers will melt. This causes sea level to rise. Then, many areas will sink under the water. Especially, this issue is a big problem in Japan, because Japan is an island. It is a problem not only for islands, but also for countries in which are placed near a coast. A truth that some glaciers have shrunk is well known. That is, nature is making a threat to people.

Third, by pursuing commercial benefit, industry is developing very quickly. But it produces a bad result as the climate changes. It has been a problem in the ecosystem.
As the earth gets warmer, there are many disasters such as tsunamis. For example, Korea has four seasons. In spite of Koreans’ pride in having obvious four seasons, it is becoming more and more difficult to distinguish each season. The reason is that the summer is getting longer, and it rains many times during the summer. Therefore, Koreans are concerned that Korea’s climate is becoming tropical. If this happens, some creatures, human beings, animals, and plants, won’t be able to survive because of the change in the weather. It will probably influence people.

There are a lot of environmental damages all over the world, which are the greenhouse effect, rising of sea level, and the climatic change. It means a warning that nature is giving us. These problems will influence people in the end, and if so, people can’t live. Then, it is useless to develop industry. That is, environmental conservation is first, then commercial benefit. Therefore, people have to find other ways that people and nature are living together, because nature is already making a threat to people. That is, people have to develop industry for living in harmony with nature.

Reference:

Leahy, S. (2008, September 16). Climate change: Chemical lobby weakening ozone treaty, inter press service Retrieved May 19, 2009, from
http://www.Ipsnews.net/print.asp?idnews=43888"

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

(Ex.1) My own space in Cyworld

I am ashamed but I’m not good at using computers. But there was an opportunity to be familiar with a computer. It was a mini-homepage that is called ‘Cyworld’. It is similar with Facebook in America. People who are doing Cyworld can do many things. First, by putting pictures on their homepages, people can share their daily lives with friends. Moreover, people can keep in touch with others even if they can’t meet many times. In my case, I’m studying abroad without my family and friends. Therefore, my parents always worry about me; also, my friends wonder about my life in another country. By putting the pictures on my website, they can know my daily life. Because there is a visit room where visitors can leave a message to the homepage's owner, I can contact them. It also helps me save the money by not using the international telephone. There are many advantages; however, there are some disadvantages, too. In Korea, most celebrities use Cyworld. They use it to manage their fans. But people who don’t like a specific celebrity use it to hurt them with bad words. So, there were some events in which many celebrities killed themselves with depression.