Tuesday, October 28, 2008

“Basking Shark Is Disappearing; Eradication of Canada’s

Ben Fehri, Faical
EAP2

“Basking Shark Is Disappearing; Eradication of Canada’s
Biggest Fish Started Decades Ago To Save the Fishing Industry”


In Bueckert’s (2007) article, “Basking Shark Is Disappearing; Eradication of Canada’s Biggest Fish Started Decades Ago to Save the Fishing Industry,” he states that the basking shark, which is the largest fish found in Canadian waters, is endangered due to an intentional ‘eradication program’ initiated by the government. The large fish used to be seen quite often but now there have only been six sightings of them. The author then states that a committee that was directed by the Canadian government is in the process of presenting this species to the Environment Minister to officially name it endangered and thereby get help to save this fish. The disappearance of this species would mean that there would be an imbalance in the ecosystem. According to the committee, there are also certain ‘insect-eating birds’ that are beginning to disappear as well. This may be because of chemical usage and loss of their homes. Protecting endangered species takes time and is not going to be something that happens overnight. Finally, the author states that decisions to classify species as endangered must currently go through ministerial approval, though scientists are lobbying against that process so that the action to save these animals can be undertaken much quick. In conclusion, the author states that there are certain species that are disappearing and that those need to be saved as quickly as possible.

This article is very interesting because of the fact that there are indeed many species that are endangered throughout the world. I believe that there are many ways in which the saving of a species is important and critical. Many uneducated people believe that saving a species entails just saving it for the purpose of beauty. While it is true in my opinion that each species has its own appreciation with regard to its beauty, there are far more important reasons to be protecting these animals. These animals, for example, need to be protected because of the fact that if they disappear, then the ecosystem gets imbalanced. Mosquitoes that are normally eaten by endangered birds, for example, are now a problem because their main predator is becoming extinct. This is just one of many examples of how the ecosystem becomes imbalanced.

With regard to the basking shark specifically, the plan that was initiated by the government to eradicate them is not smart at all. Eradication of an entire species or even a percentage of that species for that matter is not proportionate to the balance in the ecosystem. The very environmental ministry that was part of the approval process of this plan needed to do their research first before they went head first into this eradication plan. If they did their research, and properly identified the problems and consequences of eradicating certain species, they would have realized that it would not be a good move to do so as this would upset the balance in the ecosystem.

I agree that now that the problem has occurred, something needs to be done about it. I also agree and am for the lobbyists that are trying to get the law changed to quicken the official declaration of the endangered species process. I disagree with the way things are currently being handled. The Environmental Minister should be able to authorize groups of scientist organizations with the power to declare a species endangered, thereby quickening the process altogether.

In conclusion, it can be said that while there are endangered species that need attention, there must also be a proper plan to save them and provide them with assistance. That plan should include the government doing their homework first before they initiate any action plans. Furthermore, the plan should include the authorization of scientific organizations to be able to declare a species endangered. Finally, each department should work in unison in order to bring these species back.

Reference

Bueckert, D. (2007, May 1). "Basking Shark is Disappearing; Eradication of Canada's Biggest Fish Started Decades Ago to Save the Fishing Industry." The Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 24, 2008. From http://www.lexisnexis.com/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T4956944199&format=GNBFI&sort=RELEVANCE&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T4956945202&cisb=22_T4956945201&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=303830&docNo=2

Sunday, October 26, 2008

to be married

The arrange marriage is common way in the Arabic countries than others. Because of the customs, religions, cultures, and lows recommend to get marriage by your parents’ choice and by their permissions. People in my country have many different ways to married. The most common way in my country and in the Arabic countries is that if the guy likes some girl that he saw in some place, he will go and tell his mother to go and look at her and to know about her family’s history very well. Because in our culture, if we need to married some girl, she should has good family with the other people and how their culture is different from my family’s culture. After that, if the mother likes the girl, she will take another appointment to come wit her husband and the son to make engagement. However, I think that arrange marriage have good and bad things. The good things are that, you will be the only one who sleep and have good relationship with her. And, she can love the mother and the family of the man if they are good with her. On the other side, there are disadvantages too. Sometimes the man married a beautiful woman, but after days or weeks the woman can’t be comfortable with him because one of them cannot be familiar with the other one. And, sometimes the woman cannot cook very well, that if the man likes to eat “like me”. But, people how don’t control by culture rules, can have married by online, random stranger, or any other way. Because, they like there children to meet and to be comfortable with each others. And I like both ways.

One Week Break

During the days that we have break, I went to St. Louis with my friend for three reasons. First, it is the closest big city to Carbondale. We can get in two hours, while we can get to the other cities in more than three or four hours and I have many friends in there. Second, me and my friends decided before the break to go somewhere where we can have smell new and fresh air. I don’t mean that Carbondale has bad or dirty smell. I mean that we need to go to big city to make us feel that we are in the U.S. and to have fun there. Third, my friend has been in the hospital of St. Louis for one month and I have visit him for one day, so I use this beak to visit him before and after he did the surgery in his Lung. Finally, actually I didn’t have much fun in St. Louis because I have been there more than seven times. But at least, the break has some advantages such as “smell new and fresh air.”

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Animals ‘hit by global warming’

In Hirsch’s (2005) article, “Animals hit by global warming,” he asserts that this world is in a dangerous situation of weather conditions because of many reasons. First, he states that a meeting of global organizations found that the changing of the weather in northernmost and southernmost part of the planet earth gradually from cold weather to hot weather affects the animals. Next, the author says that the changing of the weather is really happening, and we can see that from unusual moving of the animals around the world that the north and south has been changing in the weather. After that, the author states that even if some animals can be familiar with their new environment, there are many animals that cannot be familiar, so that makes them die. Finally, the author mentions that the earth has always been familiar with the weather changing, but now the changing is going very fast, so the earth may not able to handle the situation. In conclusion, the author states that the weather is changing because of thawing ice and scattering deserts, so people have to find a solution to this problem very quickly.
It’s true that the world has a big problem because of global warming. So, it is obvious that the author’s view is true. Million of animals are dying every day. In just a few years, the world has lost many kinds of animals around the world. The ice is keeps melting and the desert is still spreading. So, the animals will keep dying and after that humans will die too. The idea that people are selfish because they do not think about the animals and how to find a solution is very good. We can answer the author by finding three ways to make the animals have a good life. We should make strong organization to protect animals, make big land for animals, and make people realize their mistakes.
First, humans can have lawyer when they go to court to protect them from the prison or from death, but animal killed without trial. The author was talking in the beginning about how a few countries from Europe had a meeting to find solutions to the global warming problem. The question is why there are a few countries, which represent the E.U. to solve these big problems, while most of the countries in the world are represent in the U.N. and attack countries and destroy in the earth. As a result, the E.U. organization should have a very strong nation to protect the wildlife and its areas, which are threatened by factories and other human’s ways to destroy this world.
Second, the biggest area of this world was for the animals. But, this world has been taken by intrusive ways, as humans think that they haven the right to live in safe and clean places. Also, animals have the same right to have the same things and more. Animals now have started to die every day. So, the E.U. organization should afford for the animal scores or more large places around the world as reserves with many different climates, such that every group of animals can be familiar with climate. For example, animals which are familiar with ice should have part of Iceland, or ones which like hot weather should have part in Saudi Arabia. In addition, these parts of the earth have to have their own border and rules as countries of the animals. Finally, we should take care of the animals because as they have to live, we as human have to live too.
Third, gas is one of the biggest problems; animals and humans struggle in their live because of it. As we know, most of things in the world are working because of gas, for example, factories, cars, airplanes, and even some things we use in our house. The problem is that we cannot stop the development of the construction on the earth, but we can make people understand the idea of being in a dangerous situation if we keep using these resources.
In conclusion, the weather is changing in this earth. Animals are dying every day because of people. The changing of the weather will affect the animals, and then it is going to kill the people. We should watch ourselves about what are we doing now because the warming is going very fast now. There are three ways to solve this problem. We should find a strong organization, provide a good environment for the animals, and make people understand the problems of gas.
Reference
Hirsch, T. (2005, Oct. 5.) “Animals ‘hit by global warming.’” BBC NEWS. Retrieved October 19, 2008, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/4313726.stm.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Carbondale v.s. Tunis

My hometown is Tunis. If people from Carbondale travel to Tunis, they will see many differences between these two cities. First, Tunis has a more European style, and it seems more like Italy, Greece, and France. For example, the windows and doors in Greece are blue, while the houses become white. In Carbondale, houses are made from wood and have different style. American food is much easer and fast. But, Tunisian food takes a longer time and tastes better. Then, the economy of the U.S. depends on investors and industrials. The Tunisian economy depends on agriculture first, and tourism second. In the Summertime, Tunis changed as an International country because we can see much International tourism especially from Europe. But, in Carbondale you always feel that you are in English society. Finally, I like Tunis and Carbondale, but there is a very big difference between them.

Monday, October 6, 2008

My School

In my life, I never studied in my country in any type of schools. My school was in Saudi Arabia and Syria. My school in Saudi Arabia was good with everything. Such as, our classes, computer lab, since lab, and sport fields. Our semester classes start in the end of the summer. Next, we were wearing the Saudis traditional clothes (thoob). The good thing in our school was that teachers were coming to the class. My school was so funny as here in the U.S. The life in my school was easier because, when I got home, I found the food was ready, and I have our family driver to pick me up.