How We Will Save Our Oceans.

Over 1 million animals who claim the ocean to be their home die annually from plastic, or foreign materials in the ocean. Even more, close to 2,700 million fish, are caught annually for consumption from the growing market. Endangered marine animals, like Hammerhead Sharks, saw-fish and Atlantic White Tips, have a large illegal market leading to the over fishing of said animals. Over 100,000 dollars, or 2,000 pounds of smuggled shark fins, have been found (in one incident) in the Black Markets of China. Agencies such as the C.I.A have dedicated teams tasked with finding and stopping illegal dealings like this, yet over 73 million sharks are killed a year from fin trafficking. These animals are even "protected under Hong Kong law and an international treaty that restricts their trade"(Actman). Humans are the main foe, to marine life.

               Are we willing to sacrifice our lifestyle for the health of this planet? This is an important question that you should ask yourself. Is it more important to have diversity of fish in order to sustain a population of larger aquatic animals, or the option of fish at every meal? Although this sounds like something that is already on a direct track to disaster, there are many ways that the common man can help.  For one: stopping recklessly littering, many marine animals such as jellyfish, fish and penguins, have slowly starved/suffocated from slow degrading entangled in their organs. If you want a more active approach, organization such as the Defenders of Wildlife are recruiting everyday citizens to fight ruthlessly for animals who cannot defend themselves. And for those who cannot donate their time, monetary donations are always a solution. For those who are costumers of the fin industry,"fins from protected shark species are often mixed in with legal ones"(Actman), so it's better to boycott the industry all together. Fish are dying, sharks are being killed, and and our planet is becoming sick all at the hands of humans, instead of the problem, we can be the solution. 

Glossary:
Monetary: relating to money or currency.

          Smuggled: convey (someone or something) somewhere secretly and illicitly.

          Black Market: an illegal traffic or trade in officially controlled or scarce commodities 

Are our fish making us sick? Will there be any left?

Every year the amount of pollution in the ocean increases, and with it brings more sick fish. Because of toxicity from manmade pollutants, which interfere with the natural pH and temperature of the ocean, the amount of healthy fish dwindles. Ingestion of toxins such as pesticides, detergents and fertilizers directly cause disease development in marine animals that are eaten such as fish and/or shrimp. The Image on the right is the bacteria Aramonas Hydrophilia, which attacks internal organs while often slowly and painfully eating off fins and tails. Bacteria, including Aramonas Hydrophilia, such as Pseudomonas fluorescens and Flavobacterium can be unknowingly shared interchangeably from marine animals to humans. Within seafood that is consumed daily on a mass scale “infections with Serratia and Yersina reflected contamination of waterways with domestic sewage, e.g. leaking septic tanks” (Pubmed). Therefore, individuals are eating fecal bacterium in their seafood, because of the failure to contain their own waste. There are organizations in place, which any qualified person can be a part of, that specialize in the treatment of contaminated/infectious marine animals. 

Without fishing industries, many aquatic species such as Sea Bass and Atlantic Salmon would not be on the critically endangered species list. Mass, often illegal, hunting of popular in-demand fish has led to the decrease of species diversity leaving fish susceptible to disease. With the extinction of popular fish/seafood population as a whole would suffer drastically, since “a 2015 study published in the journal Food Security found that fish accounted for 10 percent of the world's food security” (Gibbins). Although companies searched for alternatives to ocean fishing, such as aquaculture (farm raised fish), the ability to survive in contained environments is different depending on the specific breed and often difficult and unpredictable. Therefore, this method is more expensive and less effective than high seas fishing, although it is better for the environment. Civilization must either change its reliability on mass fishing or accommodate to the dwindling of fish population in the ocean which brings the inflation of the fish market. 

                               Glossary

                 

Septic Tanks: A tank, typically underground, in which sewage is collected and allowed to decompose through bacterial activity before draining by means of a leaching field.

pH: A figure expressing the acidity or alkalinity of a solution on a logarithmic scale on which 7 is neutral, lower values are more acid, and higher values more alkaline.

Aquaculture: The rearing of aquatic animals or the cultivation of aquatic plants for food.

                                       Citations:

                                            Works Cited

Aeromonas hydrophila bacteria. Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.
quest.eb.com/search/132_1189007/1/132_1189007/cite. Accessed 19 Nov 2018.

Cranes picking up garbage debris after first rain of the season. The Garbage boom on the Los Angeles River in Long Beach was built in 2001. Urban runoff carries an assortment of trash and debris from catch basins where a network of pipes and open channels create a pathway to the Ocean. The man made debris can include plastic bags and bottles. Photo. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.
quest.eb.com/search/144_1507441/1/144_1507441/cite. Accessed 29 Oct 2018.

Langly, Liz. "Why Life Is so Tough for Sea Turtles." National Geographic, 14 May 2016. National Geographic, news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/05/160514-animals-science-sea-turtles-oceans/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2018.

Oil industry pollution. Photography. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.
quest.eb.com/search/132_1234109/1/132_1234109/cite. Accessed 30 Oct 2018.

Rakutan. Biodegradable Straws. Rakutan, www.rakuten.com/shop/alltopbargains/product/7795735194744/. Accessed 30 Oct. 2018.

Schilcutt, Katharine. "Human beings: acting like jerks since we killed off the pupfish. 10 Fish You're Eating That Are Endangered Species." Houston Press, 27 Sept. 2011, www.houstonpress.com/restaurants/thanksgiving-food-traditions-include-a-variety-of-unusual-dishes-11043093. Accessed 20 Nov. 2018.

OMAM Part 6

I was very disappointed with the way the book ended. I thought that Steinback could have made it at least a happy ending. Anyway, I thought that George may have shot Lennie because he wanted to keep his job and not be killed himself. this was really selfish. I noticed that George was so nice to Lennie before he killed him. "' No Lennie, I ain't mad. I never been mad, and I ain't now."' After, Slim convinced Geeorge that he had to shoot him and that it wasn't his fault. In my opinion, it was totally his fault. What would happen if your best friend killed you? I don't know about you, but I wouldn't be happy. If I were George, I just wouldn't do it.

What would you do? would you kill Lennie? Or what other choice would you make?

OMAM part 5 and 6

Part 5

In this part, Curley's wife finds Lennie upset that his puppy died. Curley's wife tells Lennie that she was offered a job being a actress. She was called a natural, and the man promised to write to her after he returned to Hollywood, though that letter never came. Curley's wife was thinking about the life she could have had, and comparing it to the pitiful life she was living. 

I believe that she confessed this to Lennie of all people is because he is someone who might understand her. All the other men on the ranch shun and think of her as a lower class. Lennie is someone who viewed as "lower class" because of his mental disability, and he is the only person on the ranch who wouldn't immediately turn her away.

After telling Lennie about her dream, Lennie tells her about George's plan. She calls him nuts, not believing him at first, then finds him to be a good man. She lets him feel her hair since he liked soft things. Lennie strokes it, then gets his fingers tangled. Scared, he hangs on to Curley's wife's hair and when she screams, he panics and kills her.

Part 6

Part6 was extremely surprising, with George shooting Lennie. The death of Candy's dog kind of foreshadowed this. Candy had to let someone he loved and treasured die just like George. But unlike Candy, George decided to do it himself, he did not allow a stranger kill his friend. Along with that reason, I believe that George also killed Lennie for a non-selfish reason. Lennie was obsessed with the rabbits and the idea owning them. But, if Lennie hadn't died, then he would have to sit in jail for a long period of time, wishing for rabbits. That would be very cruel on George's part, so to set Lennie free, the only thing George could do was kill him.  

OMAM Part 5 and 6

In the book, Curley's wife tried to flirt with Lennie, who didn't know what was happening. She knew she was messing with a dangerous yet innocent person who cannot control their strength, but she still tried. Curley's wife knew Lennie busted Curley's hand, but she still tried to be flirtatious with him. Even though I felt a little sorry for her, I still feel like she had it coming for her. For the first reason, she's a married woman. Not to mention, she's married to the boss's son. Even with that, she still decides to give everyone "the eye." The second reason is that she was trying to flirt with someone who can't seem to control their body or strength. Lennie accidentally kills mice and puppies just trying to be kind and petting them. I feel that was the same with Curley's wife. Because women were discriminated at that time, I categorized her into one of the animals Lennie had no intention to kill. She decided, "Feel right aroun' there an' see how soft it is." It was her choice. She died from what she decided to do.

In the next chapter, it shows how George killed Lennie with a gunshot where his head and spine met. Lennie died instantly. There was one realistic reason to kill Lennie, but I feel the rest were kind of selfish. The one good reason is that it spared Curley from killing George's close friend. Instead of Curley doing it, George killed his closest friend. I suppose that he was kind of "doing the honors' even though, to me, there was nothing honorable in killing a friend. I'm sure he must have some other little reasons, but this was the only "good" reason in killing Lennie. All the other reasons relate in one category, selfishness. One reason this was selfish was that George knew that he would have less "baggage" to take care of. Lennie was that extra baggage that George housed and took care of, although I feel that George just feels better with someone, even if that someone had a mental disability. George just needed someone to communicate with so he wouldn't be lonely. He knew he would have to get rid of Lennie sometime because, apparently, Lennie's "cons" were stronger than his "pros." Another reason that killing Lennie was selfish was that George knew that he could get a better job and earn more money by himself and while not taking care of a childish person. George wanted a better job and more money, even if it required killing his closest friend.

Do you feel bad for Curley's wife? Do you think that George killing Lennie was rational? What would you do when given Curley's wife of George's situation?

OMAM 5&6

At first I thought it was very cruel that George shot Lennie, but then I realized it was for the best because if George didn't shoot him Carlson would of, and Lennie was pretty dangerous regrading he killed his puppy by just hitting it and killed Curly's wife by just petting her hair. Even though Curley's wife was trying to get his attention, it was still his fault for falling for her ways to get attention. I found it funny how Curley's wife cared so much about her hair getting messed up that she was screaming when Lennie was telling her to stop. Lennie was holding her mouth closed because he didn't want George to hear which goes back to the topic that Lennie always needs George's approval and especially does not want to get in to trouble. It also goes back to the topic of Lennie not knowing his own strength, like when he crushed Curley's hand just trying to defend himself. I did find it sad when George shot Lennie because he had this big dream that he was talking about with George and how he wanted to runaway. Lennie was trying his hardest to fit in and get along at the ranch because he had a mental disability.  

OMAM Section 5 and 6

These two sections gave me a hand full of emotions. I was confused about why Curley's wife wanted attention from Lennie even though he was kind of dangerous. For example, when Lennie said "I like to pet things" and killed his puppy, she moved away because he was being creepy. Later though, she moved closer to him even though he killed his puppy and was angry at his dead puppy. She even offered to let Lennie touch and pet her hair. It was Lennie's fault she is dead but its also her fault because she liked the attention that much.

I was also angry that George shot Lennie. I know that George killed Lennie instantly and knew Lenni wouldn't survive in a mental institute but George had other other reasons he shot him. Lennie did put George threw all those tough times and George didn't want to give Curley the satisfaction of shooting Lennie but there was something else. George knew Lennie couldn't live without him even though Lennie threatened to runaway and hide in a cave. So George decided to give him a last talk of "the dream" then put the poor man out of his misery.

Do you think George had other reasons for shooting Lennie? Do you think Curley's wife craved attention so much, it killed her?