Sustainable development

Sustainable development refers to developments that allow the present needs to be met without endangering the ability of the next generation to meet the needs. Easier said than done, records showing sustainability appears to be quite poor. It is becoming an urgent matter but still, the world is making a very little progress.

Why? This is because countries rich and poor alike have a perception that sustainability is rather expensive to put into action and will halt development. Developing countries suspect the commitment of developed countries to sustainability. When these developed countries were still developing, they produced a large amount of pollution. After some time, the same countries, now developed, encourage the developing countries to practice sustainability. The developing countries thus question the ‘sustainability’ which they see as a brake to their development.

Our environment needs to be preserved for future generations. First, the clearing of forests must be slowed down or put to a halt. Forests are the lungs of the Earth. They also regulate the climate and moderate the global water cycle. Even if people continue to cut down trees and plants, they can replant new ones. This way forests can be sustained and wood can still be obtained for use. Another way to sustain the forests is recycling. Recycling papers, for example, can help much in reducing deforestation.

More than six billion mouths on the Earth means no small matter. There is a great consumption of the Earth’s resources. Food is definitely a need, but food production has negative effects on the environment. The use of fertilizers and other chemicals destroy the land and cause many other major problems such as pollution and groundwater contamination. By practicing sustainable agriculture, organic farming and other sustainable types of food production, the future will still be safe in the agricultural area.

Atmosphere is one thing that must be sustained. The burning of fuels produces tons of greenhouse gases and this is not a good thing for the atmosphere. By relying less on sources that produces greenhouse gases and using renewable energy like wind power, the world will definitely be a safer place not only for us but also for the future generations.

There are many other areas in which sustainability can be implemented but the main point is that we humans need to mend our ways of living in order to make the world a better place. Currently, the population is using up more than what the world can provide, and if this goes on for a long time and we don’t change, it could mean an end for humanity.

Tsunami: The Aftermath Reflection

Tsunami: The aftermath. A movie depicting the disastrous date of December 26,2004. The movie was shot in the actual place of the happening; Phuket. The movie portrayed the one of the most cataclysmic disasters ever and was directed by Bharat Nalluri. It showed fun and frolic of nature beforehand and then later the sorrowful destruction brought by the unwelcomed waves.       

It follows the story of the Carters. Ian Carter is desperately trying to find his lost daughter Martha Carter after the Tsunami. The film is extremely tragic, in my opinion, and there were chaos all over the site where the tsunami destroyed buildings and washed away people. Families were looking for their relatives and dead bodies were being retrieved. Still, despite numerous efforts, Ian failed to find Martha.

                This film is emotionally crushing and makes the audience sympathize with the tsunami victims. The movie is very sad yet moving. It is a very interesting to see that people and several different organizations worked together to help each other in the time of crisis. The story slowly and eventually evolved into one where the viewer will even find more saddening moments as the story progresses. Problems aroused one after another and it is such a tragedy to see that some organizations and people tried to take advantage of the situation while others were doing their best to retrieve whatever possible they can.

                Most parts of the film are good, but honestly speaking, I am unsatisfied to see some scenes like the Westerners blaming the monks for burning the corpses. There were some misunderstandings between the two parties. The westerners believed that the monks were doing it to clear space when in fact, it is a in the religious belief of people in Thailand. I dislike the idea of the film including this cultural collision, because stereotypes and misunderstandings can occur.

                However, the movie depicts not only the Tsunami as the disaster there but it also conveys a message towards government red tapes and land stealers. The film was great throughout the whole time. It was able to maintain focus and achieved what it wanted the audience to be; “SAD”. All in all, this movie is a heart wrecking film with awesome quality and focus. It sends out a deep message to the audience on what it wanted to express in the period of time. Every scene was very realistic. The movie showed how parents will do everything to get their child and for their child.

Reflection on Whale Whores and The Cove

                The episode of South Park is about the actual TV show “Whale Wars” and the Japanese whalers. It is quite funny and during the playtime of the episode, several gags are seen to be included to maintain the audiences’ attention to the show. I feel that the episode is pretty good and it seems that the writers do not like the TV show Whale Wars. The episode is named “Whale Whores” and it is not one sided, in my opinion. Both of the parties are clearly shown to be quite stupid and the Japanese are portrayed as a savage and ignorant bunch in the episode. The producers and the team even went as far as showing the Japanese launching kamikaze attacks on the whales, which is obviously insane. It will make the audience laugh, whether they are for or against whaling. There are some clear insults on both the actual characters from Whale Wars and the Japanese. The anti-whalers are shown to be doing their thing just for media attraction, not because they have their body and mind in the job. The most interesting and funny part will be when the Japanese whalers are depicted as a group of retards. They actually believe that whales and dolphins bombed them and again believe the main character when he fools them with edited photo of a chick and a cow instead of a whale and a dolphin. All in all, I like “Whale Whores” as it conveys the key points clearly while making the audience laugh.

                Next will be the reflection on “The Cove” film. It is about a group that is desperately trying to get the dolphins that are being slaughtered every year in a small town in Japan called Taiji. The film is actually a documentary on the group’s attempts to free the dolphins and get people to see them as “real” beings and not toys. After going through the film, the feeling was rather hard to describe.  I was uneasy, a feeling that is between anger and pity. If I were asked to describe the term “horrifying”, this documentary will be definitely the one I will point out. Nobody will ever have imagined how terrible the story of dolphins in this film is before watching. It is quite sad to see that even the government covers up the truth about the Taiji dolphin slaughter while the majority of the population does not know about it. They made up a very bad excuse which was about dolphins eating too much fish. Throughout the film, the American group attempts to stop the Taiji townsmen from killing the dolphins. For me, “The Cove” is truly strong, moving and touching while being extremely depressing and sad. It is an overall good documentary film that tells us that there are some animals struggling for their very existence.

Why Study Geography?

                When you first look at Geography, you may think that it is useless and has nothing to do with you. You might even see it as a burden if you are going to pursue a career that is not related with Geography. However, you will be gravely wrong. Geography is not merely learning about maps and plotting locations. In fact, it is because of Geography that people come to know what is going with our Earth. They become more careful, and even have started to take precautions for the future. It is also Geography that allows us to know more about our environments.  As a being on the Earth, basic knowledge of Geography is a must know for the good of both the living things and our beloved Planet Earth. Without sufficient knowledge you can even die in disasters when you can survive with proper precautions. Last but not least, Geography helps people with by allowing them to gain various skills which will be of use in every career. To sum up, we need to study Geography to understand more about the world around us and for the priceless knowledge that Geography gives us.